GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Haku couldn't offer any ideas, he had no idea why a spirit would hang around. It wasn't exactly something spoken about much back home, if you died then you died in the line of duty, you were honored and that was that. He'd since learned about things like Otherworld since joining this group yet he still had more questions than answers. Kind of creepy too now that he considered it, being surrounded by a bunch of spirits. Of course none were visible when he glanced around but he knew they were still there, it was creepy enough knowing some may be watching him.

"P-Put down? You mean as in killed?" Haku asked, frowning before shaking his head, "No way! They would never kill you, they're the good guys, right? And... And you can learn how to use it, I'm positive you can! I mean... You are already better than you were right? You didn't get this far to just stop now. And... Even if you didn't there's no way they would kill you, they're your friends, I'm your friend. I wouldn't let that happen." They had to find a way for T'charrl to be able to control his ability, but how? Truth be told he wasn't completely sure what the ability was and only knew it had something to do with spirits and plants. If he had some idea he could give an idea, if anyone had some clue they could help yet apparently no one knew. If they did they weren't talking and that infuriated him. "Well uh... You can talk to the spirits? Can you talk to the one you have? Maybe it can help?"

-----

"I did say it wasn't easy. But it's about having the resolve to do the right thing. No matter who it is, if someone's harming others we need to be able to stop them," Sasha reiterated, "Sometimes its someone we might know, or even someone we used to fight with. It happens, we've been there, and it does suck. But that's what it takes to keep people safe sometimes." It's what it might take here, and while it wasn't a simple thing to ask Kiton to do he needed to be prepared to face these sort of challenges. If he didn't want to be viewed as a criminal anymore and turn over a new leaf he'd have to do difficult things regardless of the path he chose, it wasn't like just flipping a switch and expecting everything to work out. They were approaching the settlement now in earnest and there wasn't any backing out now, Sasha hoped Kiton could see this through, for his sake if nothing else.

"Doesn't matter, we'll take them out," Ricken whispered as he followed Sasha's lead, cutting across an alleyway to the back of an adjacent building, "Just have to keep an eye out and watch for any signs of a trap, so stay alert." When they were on the job he could quickly turn all business just as he had, his entire focus now on freeing these villagers. As they reached the rear of another house the siblings exchanged glances, and without a word Sasha ran across as Ricken disappeared, landing on the rooftop above Sasha and peering from around the wall on the top. From here he could spot about four pirates standing in front of a building, chatting away and drinking, having a good time of it all. Disgusting, criminals acting all happy and pleased with themselves. Reaching back he knocked against the roof four times, just loud enough for Sasha to hear.

"Four enemies ahead, meaning number wise we're pretty even," Sasha explained to Kiton, stopping at the corner and putting a finger to her lips. Taking a glance around the corner she saw the men Ricken had pointed out, taking a quick look around to see if anyone else was around. From here she could see into the front of the building too and no one stood out, it was likely just those four here. Giving the Frost Demon a hand signal she paused, smiling apologetically before whispering, "I'll lead, you follow my lead and Ricken will bring up the rear. We're going to take them out."

Rising up on the balls of her feet Sasha looked to be ready to break into a sprint as she eyed the men, trying to decide who to pick off first. Two had blasters visible, the other two appeared unarmed, she should try getting one of the first two then. Counting down to herself she raised her rear before taking off, dashing across the ground at a surprising speed and leaping into the air as soon as she was close enough. It would feel like a sudden gust to the men, and before they knew it Sasha had her legs around one of their necks, twirling herself around and him in turn before throwing him into the wall. Ricken was a split second behind, using his arm to catch one of the pirates in the neck, nearly flipping him over as he was knocked out and landed ass up on the ground. Sasha tripped a third man just as Ricken was getting his footing, and with a single quick strike to the side of the head he was out too. The fourth pirate was now fumbling for his blaster, trying to get a shot off on the siblings.

-----

Okay maybe "home" wasn't the right word, but that's where they were heading. June had been worried sick and Yumi had promised to bring Viral home as soon as possible, she couldn't be sitting here forever with him; moving Viral right now seemed like a bad idea given how shaken up he was. It was so unusual, seeing a generally self assured Viral losing it like this. Watching as he grasped his scarf she gave him a tearful smile, finally getting to her feet and cradling her friend against herself for warmth. "I don't know how you changed, but you're okay now. Nothing bad happened, no one was hurt, everyone is safe," she said gently as she turned, heading back the way they had come to leave the forest, "And well... Aside from being half naked and wet? No, you don't look different. Please, just save your energy and rest, everything is going to be fine Viral." Aito could check on him once they got back, June would probably try to force loads of food into him and see he was made comfortable. For her own part Yumi intended to stay at her friend's side until he calmed down, and longer still if need be.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I guess anyone wouldn't be happy about a place like this. Like I said I can't really see anything, but I do feel... I don't know, like its almost sad here. I can't imagine what you're feeling..." There had to be something that could be done to help though, T'charrl must have a way of fixing things. He could talk with spirits right? Maybe if he could help them find peace or something, move on, maybe that's what they were here for. "Well... Maybe you don't have a choice like that, but you can choose what you do with it? I don't know, I don't have any idea the kind of things you're feeling or going through," Haku muttered, frowning as he sat on his rear, "And I mean... You're the first of your kind to travel like this, right? I've heard you say it before. Sure maybe you can't choose what you are, but you chose to do that. And you're choosing to try and learn your ability. That's all your decision."

-----

"It makes sense though when you think about it. Is it a good idea to trust someone who won't fight people they used to do bad things with? If someone we bring in is going to turn on us then it's not worth training and putting them up right?" Sasha pointed out, "It might not be the nicest way to do it, but it makes sure we don't have allies who could betray us." With their non-lethal methods of combat too it wasn't though as Korian was asking anyone to kill a former friend or comrade. Fight yes, but fighting someone and taking their lives were far different. As they approached the settlement the trio sought refuge in some nearby trees, taking the opportunity to scope out the place and come up with a plan.

"The request was sent by some villagers, I doubt its a set up," Ricken explained as he knelt on one knee, "And if there are none then its free rein over how we handle this. The only thing keeping us from completely leveling them is the chance there are hostages inside. If it turns out there aren't any then they're as good as done." No holds bar, and while they might not go and kill those pirates they sure as hell would regret ever causing trouble.

"Either way we should be smart about this. Sneak in and learn what we can, and we'll go from there. So I guess you two just stay at my back then? We'll look for a lone guard and question him as soon as we get the chance, sound good?" Blessings or not that should be how they went about this, the alternative involved wild fighting with who knows how many enemies and potentially endangering the hostages. Motioning for the boys to follow her lead Sasha took one glance around to make sure the coast was clear, running across the open ground and hiding behind the nearest building. Nice and slow, getting spotted would probably raise the alarms.

-----

It likely wasn't much consolation to be doing this yet Yumi had little else to offer. Just her company and some kind words would have to suffice, at least until Viral was able enough to get moving again. "It's okay, what happened wasn't your fault. You were attacked, you fell in the water. I... Don't remember what happened after that. But we're on Uuonoe still, everyone else is fine and back home. We're in the woods together." How badly worn out was he? It was one thing to be fatigued, it was another to be completely absentminded and not know where he was at whatsoever. "Do you remember anything at all? It's okay if you don't."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

“Most adults have more fortitude than a child, that’s how people drink it,” Nymira answered, rolling her eyes as Ethan once again attempted to drink it, “Seven hells… If you don’t like it then don’t drink it!” Honestly was it that difficult? She’d assumed he had some taste for alcohol, it seemed like every other bloody Muran in these parts did. If he was so sensitive to the liquor then he could get water, or some milk, something that wouldn’t upset his sensitive palate.

“I don’t want to waste it though, I mean you did buy it for me,” Ethan responded, grimacing as he forced himself to take another swig.

“I’m more offended by your idiotic expressions than I would be your turning down the drink!”

That may be, but he still wasn’t going to waste it. As silly as it might be it was in a way a gift, he wasn’t going to turn away a gift. Even if that gift was probably what a horse’s rear end tasted like. Sloshing around the liquid in his glass he frowned, pinching his nose and tossing back the remainder of the glass, which was quite a bit. Letting out a gasp as it all went down he burped, groaning and laying his head on the table.

“Idiot…” Was all Nymira could muster, shaking her head in disbelief. Why force yourself to do something you disliked? “And you may travel with us Geoffrey, having a guide who knows where we’re going is invaluable. I’ll be sure you’re paid properly.”

Everyone went quiet for Amuné’s recital of the story, mostly out of respect more than anything. Nymira hadn’t heard the tale and could care less for it, yet she found it adorable how enraptured the girl was in her own tale. Ethan for the most part had heard a variation of it but wasn’t completely paying attention, trying to keep down the burning liquor assaulting his stomach.

Cecil, on the other hand, was not at all impressed. He didn’t even give Amuné a glance as she told the story, instead going quiet and staring at the floor. Being a Machina he had no reason to care about the Saints or their exploits. The Saints was something for those of flesh, not one of metal and circuits.

“We’re all out for our own thing I guess…” Ethan muttered, pausing to belch again and rub at his stomach, “I met Amuné and Cecil a while back, and we found Nymira back in Galloway with a guy named Norman, well kind of…”

“Found isn’t what I would call it. You poked your nose in business that wasn’t yours,” Nymira retorted with a frown, admonishing Ethan’s state before looking at Geoffrey, “That’s the gist of it though. We’re simply traveling together because it’s easy, traveling alone is a hassle.”

Nymira’s words hit Cecil particularly hard, even if she didn’t mean for them to. With all the praise he had received it had been primarily from Nymira and hearing her speak of the journey as one of simple convenience made him wonder if any of the praise was real. It most likely wasn’t real, she was just speaking in the sense of a warrior out of thanks that they didn’t die. Traveling alone was a hassle because it left you vulnerable, but she didn’t have to worry about that anymore when she had so many around her that could do the same job he did. She didn’t appreciate the fact that Norman had asked for them to check up on her and they never would had met her if he didn’t lose so much power and need a new battery. In Cecil’s mind the conclusion was she saw what he did and thought it was convenient that he was with them, but every other aspect she didn’t care about.

"Oh come on, that's not true!" Ethan said, smiling as he finally lifted his head from the table, “Maybe that’s why we started traveling together, but we’re all friends now, right? We’re having fun.” Well perhaps fun wasn’t the best fit here. Being attacked by Magi was far from fun, as was witnessing a manor be overrun by homicidal Machina. Still though, he wouldn’t say this was a terrible time. Meeting new people was always nice and the circumstances around that shouldn’t ruin the experience.

“Friends? You could call it that. I don’t know if I typically consider my retainers to be my friends,” Nymira stated indifferently, taking a sip of her ale, “Besides…” she continued, pausing as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, “We may travel together now, but as soon as we find what we are looking for we’ll go our separate ways. The way I see it we’re traveling together purely for convenience. Whether you agree with me or not isn’t my concern.”

Cecil didn’t need to assume anymore; Nymira had instead outright said it. Staring at the floor for a moment he glanced over to the others, seeing them completely occupied with each other before his eyes moved to the door. Maybe this was as good a time as any, somebody would need his chair eventually. Making a side glance to the group again he soon slowly stood up, going quite blank in the face as he made his way silently towards the door. If what he did was simply a convenient outcome then there was no reason for him to continue being around and scaring everyone. Quietly opening the front door Cecil quickly exited, not giving so much as a glance back.

Now how could anyone think like that? They had been through quite a lot in the past few days, how could anyone say they weren’t friends after that? Ethan was beside himself, not sure what at all to say in reply to Nymira. Instead he could only stare at her silently before he tore his attention away when Cecil got up from his seat. Giving the Machina a quizzical look he frowned when their friend left the room, glancing once at the Dimuran before getting up.

"Oh no... Amuné, wait here." He was really upset if he was just getting up and leaving like that. “Cecil, wait a second!” Ethan called, stumbling slightly before hurrying after his friend. Stupid ale, had him all out of sorts.

Nymira watched the pair leave before simply dismissing it with a shrug, not terribly concerned that Cecil had left. Was he thinking they were friends here? She commended him as a warrior, this much was true, and they were certainly indebted to him for saving their lives. Yet they knew nothing of each other, how could they be friends? They had completely separate goals and traveled purely for convenience sake, not for pleasure. She had a difficult time understanding why that was so hard to accept, it was the truth.

“Alright you lot, here’s yer food!” one of the cooks called, leading the way with two trays in hand and two barmaids at his heels. In all there were six trays of food, one for every member of the group including Wyth to enjoy. “Hope it’s to yer liking, rare that we get a dignitary like yerself through here miss,” he spoke to Nymira, setting down her tray first and taking a small bow before handing over Amuné’s next. “Please, if there’s anything else you need…” he began again, pausing noticing two seats were now empty, “Er… Weren’t there others with you?”

“They’ll be back, don’t mind them,” Nymira answered as she examined her food, prodding a rather hefty looking steak with her fork before slicing into it, “That’ll be all for now sir, thank you.”

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Thank you for the heads up sir! O7 We shall keep it relatively here-ish so you've got our window!

EDIT: Also just as another FYI, Mog and I will be doing a collab for this next post! Kind of works out this way for Chukkle to come in a bit later. So expect that collab most likely tomorrow folks :)

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Just waiting and holding off to be sure everyone who wants to get a post in can ^^"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Oh, t-that's not what I meant, honest! I just meant... Uh..." What had he meant? He'd said it sure enough yet Haku hadn't meant to imply T'charrl would put others in danger, had he? Biting his lip uncertainly the young Saiyan pressed his fingers together, knitting his brow as he wracked his brain for the right words. "I just meant... You can focus out here, right? Everywhere else we go there's people being attacked or something, but it's quiet here. Well... You know what I mean." Considering he could speak to spirits and the plants, or lack thereof, it was likely anything but quiet for his friend. Watching as T'charrl went back to the sapling he smiled slightly, crouching down beside him. "So you made a mistake, that's why you practice stuff, right...? If you don't do it then you won't get better at it," Haku pointed out, reaching out and tracing a leaf with a fingertip, "And... Hey, so what if others went nuts huh? I mean look at me, I'm a Saiyan with no power really, but here I am, doing something good instead of just being a soldier," he muttered, his smile turning a bit sad as he sighed, "I might not be good for much, but I'm doing something different than the people who came before me, and you can too."

-----

"Maybe that's the reason he sent you? You said it's like killing your own, right? So that means you're still considering yourself a pirate?" Sasha asked, scrutinizing Kiton for a moment before shutting off the PDA, "Maybe they want to see who you decide with before this is all done. Ricken and I can probably do this alone, I'm guessing this is for you to prove where your loyalties lie. Korian does it with a lot of converted Saiyans and soldiers, to make sure they're not going to stab us in the back. Not saying you will, it's just a thing we do." She wasn't too sure what Kiton meant by social rank, that bit was beyond her. Aside from your typical military rankings most everyone in the rebellion fleet was on equal footing, and she'd never seen much hierarchy on Uuonoe save for their leaders and everyone else. Besides, that social rank thing only applied again if Kiton still thought he was a pirate right? If he was something else then it didn't matter, he wasn't one of them and that didn't apply to him.

"As for what we'll do... I think we still should try to sneak in. I know it's not your style Ricken but if we go in blasting everything in sight they could kill the hostages. And we'll probably have to fight our way out regardless, it's best we make sure the people we're here to rescue are safe first." That may be easier said than done of course, there was no way of knowing where in the settlement they were even being held.

"Fine, then we'll do it your way. But we'll have to locate the captives first," Ricken pointed out, frowning as he crossed his arms, "Best way to do that, I think, is nab one of their men and make him talk. Most of them put on a big act but they'll buckle as soon as you push them a bit, it should be easy getting what we need. And don't worry sister, we won't kill him. Even if the bastard deserves it..."

Oh dear, two temperamental warriors with little regard to the rules, why her? If Ricken was to be assigned to this job she supposed she was the best fit for him, keeping him in line for the most part was her specialty. Kiton was an unknown but hopefully he'd listen to her too and not do anything too extreme. "Good, thank you. Now, the settlement should be just up ahead here, it looked like there was a bit of a patch of trees before we get there. We can scope it out before going in, see if they have patrols or anything like it. After that we'll see if it's all clear or not, take it nice and slow. Any questions?"

-----

It was startling to see Viral's reaction to her touch, he was panicked and trying desperately to get away from her. Refusing to yield Yumi kept a grip on his arm and even pulled him in for a hug, having to keep extra care to put him up as she felt him nearly collapse in her arms. "It's okay, your eyes probably just need a moment," she said gently, glancing up and giving her friend a reassuring smile. Boy did he look haggard, all covered in dirt and mud, his hair matted and his clothing torn. Easing Viral down into a sitting position to relax she removed her jacket, draping it over his shoulders before giving him her lap to lay his head on. "You're safe Viral, don't you worry. You had changed on us but now you're okay, everything's going to be just fine..." Yumi whispered as she rubbed his back, trying everything she could think of to bring him down from his panicked state. Parents did this sort of thing with their kids right? She was far from his parent and he far from a child but she figured it might still do some good. "Just take a minute and catch your breath, we can head home when you're ready, okay?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I don't know, maybe they sent you here to work it out?" Haku suggested hopefully, not having much of an answer aside from that, "I mean... There's no people here right? So there's no one in danger, and uh... Well you work with spirits and plants, maybe they figured... I don't know." He wasn't sure where he was going with that really as he grasped at straws, trying to find something to justify why T'charrl had been sent. All he knew was he'd come along in part because he was trying to make a friend and in part because he felt guilty; he'd followed orders out of cowardice and nearly hurt some good people, he had to make that up somehow. Lamenting how upset T'charrl was Haku rubbed at his neck, glancing around the wastes before smiling sadly. "I don't think so, maybe... This is how you get better? If you practice making plants grow maybe you learn how to use your power better?" he tried again, sounding a bit more confident as his features brightened, "That has to be it right? If you can make even some of these grow it means you're getting better at it. And that maybe means you won't turn into a monster then."

-----

"Don't call me that Frost Demon, you haven't earned the right to," Ricken hissed, his face beet red from embarrassment and anger alike, "And you're right, I don't trust you. You were a wanted criminal up until a few days ago, you have to do a lot more than what you have to earn my trust." He'd accept Kiton into their ranks if he had to, fight along side him if he was forced. Yet that didn't mean he trusted the alien entirely, he likely wouldn't for a while yet. He was indifferent as to whether Kiton lingered or not and he'd say as much had Sasha not cut him off yet again.

"Enough, both of you. We're here on a mission so quit arguing like children," Sasha said with an exasperated tone. Rubbing at one of her temples for a brief moment she sighed, looking back to her PDA and scrolling through documents to find a map of the area. "So the settlement they're holed up in should just be about half a kilometer ahead, and I'd expect they'll be pretty set in. We should be ready to have to fight through, and if we do it should be quick to save the hostages. Otherwise we can try sneaking through."

Ricken frowned at the idea of sneaking, finding it both too tedious and impractical. With so many pirates around did they honestly believe they could do that? "I have a better idea. What if someone acts as a distraction, pulls them away and lets the other two get the hostages? If they're free then its no holds bars, we can give those bastards what they deserve."

"But that's putting someone at risk by sending them off alone. They'll have to fight by themselves while the others sneak around," Sasha pointed out, frowning as she followed her brother's gaze to Kiton, "No, we're not volunteering him for it either. It's a bad plan Ricken, we'll find another way to do it. Kiton? Any ideas?"

-----

Mmm... What time was it now? Yumi had returned to the lake promptly after she and Aito had dropped off the creature back at the facility, spending some time tracking Viral down. She had kept her distance just to be sure not to agitate him, not that she expected to be detected anyways. He'd managed to get himself down in some kind of tunnel by the looks of it with the trees several dozen meters away to begin with, so there she waited, figuring he'd come out when he was ready. To get a better vantage point she had taken to one of the trees near the edge of the forest, propping herself up as she awaited her friend's arrival patiently. Before long the sun had begun to set and Yumi, still without a shirt from the day's ordeals, curled up a bit tighter to keep warm in the cooling air. Some time later still and there was no emergence of Viral, getting so late that Yumi eventually fell asleep. When she came to the following morning he had still yet to emerge, yet she could smell him and tell he was alive and well even if he was underground. Needing a change of clothes and a meal she'd gone back to the house, promptly returning afterwards to wait again.

By the time of dawn on the second day she swore she heard some rushing water, shooting a glance towards the dam and not spotting any valves released. Puzzled she directed her gaze out towards the lake itself, peering through the warm glow of the sun across the lake to try and spot any movement. And there it was, signaled first by bubbles rising to the surface and then Viral himself, breaking through and hastily moving towards shore. He seemed to be in a panic, clambering out onto the shore and breaking into a run. Where was he going? Dropping down from her tree Yumi took off after him, weaving through plants to try and catch her friend.

"Viral! Viral wait!" Darn it, what had him in such a fuss? Doing her best to chase him it wasn't terribly hard, he must have been under there for some time and hadn't rested well, she reached him before long. When she finally did Yumi reached out and took him by the arm to stop him, smiling nervously as she turned him around. "It's okay Viral, I'm here," she said as she pulled him into a hug, ignoring the water still clung to his body as she held him. "Everything's going to be okay now, just relax and breathe."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

*is lamenting Chukkle's distractedness*

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

I only got Zorander's totally fleshed out for now xD

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

@Mogtaki Forgive me! *bows profusely* W-Won't happen again!