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Stark Brothel [NSFW] (strangelove and Lord David Booyah)
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When she finally felt him penetrate her so deep that his cock entered her cervix she cried out in pure pleasure. She had never felt anything like it and she was sure her mind was going. His cock was so deep inside her but it felt so good and natural. And the combined feeling of pleasure from her clit and her cock was adding to the sensation.Gwen could not utter a single coherent sentence let alone intelligible words. She was moaning and drooling with the taste of cum in her mouth. Every time Stark's fat cock hilted out in her pussy she could feel the cum in her stomach being forced up and extra cum being added to her mouth, making her savor the taste.He fucked her so hard that all her world was him and his cock and the promise of release that they brought. She could only wish for an orgasm that the drug prevented as she bounced on his perfect cock.
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Stark Brothel [NSFW] (strangelove and Lord David Booyah)
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Gwen s cry of pleasure as Stark penetrated her innermost, previously private place, he himself groaned along with her. He was certain that he couldn t possibly be feeling the same thing as she was, but it must ve been pretty close, minus the stimulation her pussy was getting.He took his fingers, coated in her juices, and licked two of them, savoring the slightly bitter taste, before parting Gwen s lips and placing the other three in her mouth, turning her lips towards him. He quit sucking on her cock and began kissing her passionately.He also began jerking her off, pressing the tip of his finger into her dick and plugging the flow of precum, causing it to build up, which likely caused her a great deal of pleasure, as it did Stark. He was nearly ready to cum, tasting the salty sweet combination of their cum mixing and sloshing between their mouths, just as he and Pepper used to do...He groaned again, much louder this time, feeling himself on the edge. He started using shorter, more powerful strokes, pounding into her tight cunt and womb more powerfully with every movement. He could feel the cum rising in her belly with each piston like strike into her sacred space.He sped up again, then hilted in her as he came powerfully into her womb, the space immediately hitting capacity and bloating out, forcing a load of cum into Stark s throat and stomach, though he didn t mind at all. All he cared about was his new employee slash fucktoy.He moved his hand back to her balls and clit, playing with them as the only organ that he hadn't filled to capacity and beyond yet, besides her lungs, grew and swelled with his baby batter, filling even her Fallopian tubes to their limit. Her middle swelled and bounced with every burst of cum he released inside her. His orgasm finally waned, and he slumped back in the chair, taking her on top of himself, still kissing her as the displacement continued to fill his own stomach to full.After the displacement had ended, he parted lips with her, a stream of cum still connecting their lips as he chuckled and said, Before you say anything, you told me to make you a pregnant spider. Did I not deliver? He placed the hand he wasn t masturbating her with and gently slapped her belly, causing it to ripple and a little more cum to slosh out of her mouth.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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See more "lightbox close": "Close", "lightbox next": "Next", "lightbox previous": "Previous", "lightbox error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.", "lightbox start slideshow": "Start slideshow", "lightbox stop slideshow": "Stop slideshow", "lightbox full screen": "Full screen", "lightbox thumbnails": "Thumbnails", "lightbox download": "Download", "lightbox share": "Share", "lightbox zoom": "Zoom", "lightbox new window": "New window", "lightbox toggle sidebar": "Toggle sidebar" When Hikaru opened his eyes, he found himself not inside of his room sleeping, but inside of a room that looks to be a fancy large room that is draped in velvet blue. There also fancy furniture, and on a couch sits a weird looking old man with along nose, smiling at the young man. "Welcome back esteemed guest, it has been along while since you have visited this place " The man said crossing his arm. "I am just seeing how you are doing, young one...you have been all by your lonesome doing battle by yourself...so I have done you the favorite of bringing someone special." He points to a velvet chair, and there is another young man there."...what is the meaning of this, Igor?" Hikaru demanded. "You brought someone else to sign the contract?""its not against the rules Plus, he has the potential. It wouldn't hurt to give you a partner." Igor grins widely, and if the young man starts to wake, he greets him. "You are awake! Excellent....Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. I am Igor "
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Much like one would do in a dream, Pascal just went along with the proceedings. He was still half asleep, and his brain seemed to be on auto pilot for now. "Oh...uh, sure." He said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Pleasure to meet you....Igor, was it? Pascal Frederickson's the name." the young man replied, holding out a hand for a handshake. "And who's the lady?"His eyes wandered to the girlish figure in the other seat, who was visibly annoyed by something.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Hm? This is my attendant, Megara. She gets cranky when she doesn't have her tea." He waves a flick of his hand and appears a table with tea cups and a steaming kettle. "My dear boy, the reason that I called you here is to form a contract to to help you unleash your full potential. Do you see this boy?" He points to Hikaru, who crossed his arms. "He has already been in a contract for a year, and he has been by his lonesome. He would needyour help to change the world for the better. What do you say?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Oh. You're a boy? I'm sorry. You have...very soft features." Pascal said, muttering an apology. She HE was kinda cute, he had to admit. The earrings suited him well, as did the skirt."Contract for what? You're not making much sense, old man." He'd continue, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. Unbeknownst to himself, he was now fully awake, and not dreaming. He knew himself a lucid dreamer, so he figured this wasall a dream. Perhaps he could take HIkari by the arm and pound him behind the door, if he wasn't waking up by then.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Thanks..." Hikaru doesn't seem to be amused by this, so he just sighs. "What the nose is trying to say that you are here to sign a contract because you can summon a Persona just like me." Is this guy even awake? He doesn't seem like it, so he would just like the old man explain."Yes, what he said is true. Persona reflect the inner soul, the power within you come to life on the other side. You can summon this power, I can assure you. The contract will bind you to this place until it is fulfilled." Igor placed a piece of paper on the table. "If you do, then you shall have access to the velvet room to help with your journey!"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Sure, whatever. Where do I sign so I can get out of here?" He said, waving at the papers in a dismissive fashion. "This is positively the most boring dream I've had in quite some time. Let's just get on with it, yeah?"He stood up from his seat and walked over to Hikaru's chair, leaning over the back and looking down at the boy with a mischievous grin. "I'd much rather get to know this cute boy of yours, so..."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Hikaru crossed his arms. "You can't be serious...this isn't a hook up, this is serious business!" He turns to Igor, annoyed of the situation. "You could've chosen someone else other than this horndog?""Do not worry, everything will be fine. Since you have signed the contract, then I shall give you this key to access the Velvet room anytime you wish." Igor offers,chuckling as he sips his tea. Hikaru doesn't seem to be pleased, standing up as he decides to leave this place."I'm going to wake up now, if you behave yourself, i'll see you in the real world." He grumbles.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Oof. Shot down in my own dream? That's a new one..." Pascal winced, taking his hands off the chair and letting Hikaru pass him by."So what does this key do, anyway? Is it one of those magical 'every door is now a portal' keys?" He'd ask Igor, holding the object in his palm as he looked at it. "Doesn't seem to be anything special about it, if you ask me."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"This key gains you access to the velvet room anytime you wish from the real world. There are certain access points around the city that you can enter through, but only those with the keys can see the portal...however, right now you cannot enter unless you awaken you Persona." Igor explains. "When you do, you can come by anytime to manage demons and fuse them to create something stronger. You might need them..." He looks up as he can hear the bell tolls. "It looks like your time is up. In the realworld, meet up with dear Hikaru would you?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Hold on! I don't even know where to find HIkaru, or how to get this Persona thing you mentioned. I've got so many questions!"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"If not in the real world, then the Blue Butterfly will guide you to the Mythical Parallel. Good luck " Igor waves goodbye as the young man's vision would flash in white, waking up in the real world.Hikaru would wake up himself, the morning sun would shines through the window, grumbling as he couldn't believe what had happened. Oh well, a new day has begun, and he has to get ready for school. He does his normal routine and puts on his uniform, and he left his room. He has an entire dorm house to himself as he has an important position, plus it is better this way since he has work at night he has to do. Though he wonders if the guy would track him down.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Pascal had graduated four years prior. There wasn't any way he'd find Hikaru without a sheer stroke of luck. Or at least one would think so, at first. See, just last summer, he had graduatedagain, this time from a prestigious music school, and now he was employed at the local university as a musical theory professor.It'd be his first day after being hired, and he was understandably nervous.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Hikaru sighs as he walks on campus, and he has to get to class early. Already people are talking about that they have seen the new Musical Theory teacher, how he is a handsome one and all that jazz. The old teacher's absence happened for a reason, but he didn't think that they would find a replacement that quickly. All of a sudden, he almost jumps when he saw a velvet butterfly fluttering and landed on the door. "what...it cannot be..." He stares for a moment, before he opens the door, peeking into the room for anyone that happens to be inside.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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And there Pascal was, hard at work preparing to meet his first students. He was in the middle of placing sheets on desks, and didn't so much as even notice the door being opened.As he worked, he hummed a song someone with classical training might recognize as Tchaikovsky. He wore something one could only describe as a business casual attire, and unlike the way he looked in his dream, he was clean shaven and sported a comb over.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Oh god..." Hikaru couldn't believe this, that pervert is a teacher? this is a very awkward situation, and the butterfly flutter towards Pascal, no doubt getting his attention and he has no choice but to explain things to him. He enters into the classroom, luckily the room is empty. "Ahem..." he clears his throat to get his attention. "So you are a teacher huh? What a coincidence." He said as he walks towards the man and he suppose that he could introduce himself. "If you have forgotten, I suppose that i should get to know you...my name is Suzuki Hikaru, the one you met in the Velvet Room."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Pascal blinked a few times as he saw a face he'd previously only seen in his dream. Was he still dreaming? He looked out the window. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary...other than this boy being here. "Sorry, I don't think we've met before...though you look very familiar." He said, thinking this must all be some kind of crazy coincidence. "I'm Pascal Frederickson. Don't worry about the 'professor' part. I'm barely five years older than all of you, so..."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"...Ah,I see.." Hikaru believes that the teacher might not have remembered, but it will come to him soon. "Well,I thought I might introduce myself, I am in your class after all." He has decided to keep it a secret for now, but it would only be a matter of time before he learns of the truth. "If you are not doing anything after school, could I talk to you after school? Its something very important." he doesn't have a lot of time, this isn't even his first class, so he has to get going.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Of course! Always happy to talk." Pascal replied, smiling warmly. He may be a closeted pervert, but being a decent person is his favorite pass time. "Have a good day, Suzuki."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"...ok." Hikaru nods as he left the classroom. That was shorter than expected, but he lets it go, as he went about his day being a regular school student. "What an oddball, can he really summon a Persona? The school day has ended quickly than he expected, and hopes that he would catch the guy at the faculty office, if not, then back at the classroom. Hikaru kept his head down, searching the corner for something, or someone that he doesn't want to run into. It is safe to head towards the office to look for Pascal, hoping that he didn't forget his promise.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Pascal had a perfectly fine day of work. The students paid attention to him, and he had genuine fun. Considering Hikaru wanted to talk in private, the faculty room wasn't quite the best place to speak, what with all the teachers coming together there after school, so he waited back in his classroom.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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That was the first place to look, but now he should check back to the classroom where they first met. "Hello?" He opens the door to the classroom to find him there alone. He turns and locks the door by turning the lock just in case. "Good, now I have to talk to you about something important." Hikaru approached the teacher. "What can you remember about your dream last night? Were you inside of an airship and met an old man with a long nose?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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The teacher had set up with two glasses of water, on on his side of the table, and one on the other. He was about to offer Hikaru a glass, but Suzuki came out swinging. "Am I on a hidden camera show?" He asked, looking a little angry as he scanned the room and windows. "Where's the cameras? This isn't funny."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Huh? No, there are no cameras here, just listen to me." Hikaru tries to calm him down. "You will be put in a dangerous situation when midnight strikes, you will be pulled into a opposite world of Yonozuna called the Mythical Parallel." He tries to explain to him as calmly as possible. "Normally, it is invisible to humans but there are few that are pulled into it if they have the potential to summon Personas. Tonight, you will be pulled in, the same as I will. When It happens, you will know right away. Which is why I want to help you."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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There really wasn't anyway to explain all this with things Pascal already knew, so there wasn't much else he could do but listen. And listen he did."What evenisa Persona?" He asked, putting his hands to his head. "Are you trying to tell me that allwasn'ta dream? ...if so...please accept my humblest of apologies for hitting on you. I was certain it was all a dream! I'm a lucid dreamer, you see..."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Didn't you listen what the Nose said? Personas are the manifestation of your inner self, it can only be summoned in the Mythical Parallel, and you can summon it...umm, you can't right now , but I can teach you." He waves it away. "I don't blame you, it wasn't really a dream and I'll let it go. It is more important for you to survive at midnight, and I can show you the way." He moves closer to him, reaching into his bag as he handed him a Red Fox Pin. "Keep this, I want you have it at all times. It will show that you are friendly to Red Shadows that roam around the city."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"I mean, he didn't at all speak about anything like that..." The teacher half heartedly retorted.When the pin was placed in his hand, he just sheepishly stared at it for a moment, before pinning it to his collar. "Thanks. I don't even know what a 'Red Shadow' is, but thanks."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"You will...but now we will have to wait until midnight. Meet me at the entrance gate so we can get started, you dont have to worry about a thing if you come on time." Hikaru nods as he walks towards the door and unlocks it. "Remember what I said." And he left to prepare himself for the night, and he has plenty of time to do other things.Hikaru always stay by the gate at 11 pm, there is no one patrolling the outside of the school. And he leans on the wall, waiting for the teacher to show up.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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A polished black Volkswagen Polo rolls up to the campus gate, and the passenger side window rolls down. Pascal cranes his neck towards the boy, smiling warmly. "Door's open and the heater's on, if you wanna get out of the cold."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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Hikaru saw the car pull up, good, he is on time. SInce he came early, he walks over to the passenger and opens the door to sit inside. "Very punctual, thats good. It would be dreadful if you were late." He said, his cheeks are red from the cool spring air. "All we have to do now is wait. We have 30 minutes for the magic hour." He shivers a bit, he really hates the cold of the season, at least it isn't raining.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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The car was indeed warm, inside, and the elder male turned up the heat a bit for good measure, before asking: "You want to go somewhere, or are we talking here?"For the moment, he parked the car in a nearby designated parking space, and turned off the lights. "I could treat you to some fast food, or something, if you're hungry?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Its better than we stay here, just relax." He closed his eyes to try to calm himself. "You can ask any question you like?" Hikaru wanted to rest his eyes for a bit, for 30 minutes at least. "I am fine, hunger and thirst will not be a problem later." He informed him. "Oh right, you might need this just in case." He opens his eyes, digging into his backpack and pulls out a handgun. "Don't worry about it, this is a airgun, but it becomes real later on. The shadows would become dangerous,and we need to defend ourselves."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Honestly, this stuff is so insane that I keep wondering whether I took some acid and just ended up on a bad trip. An airsoft gun, really? You know, you're lucky you're pretty, or I wouldn't humor you like this." He replied, turning on some soft jazz music, leaving the toy gun in his lap."So when is this 'thing' supposed to happen? Do we go back to sleep?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"I will teach you how to use it, and also, when morning arrives,i'll tell you more. Thankfully, tomorrow is Sunday so we will have plenty of time." He said, as he sigh. "In 25 minutes, we will enter into the Mythical Parallel. It doesn't matter if we are awake or sleep." Hikaru sighs, still having his eyes closed. "Like I said,you will know when it comes. It will be very obvious."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Well...alright." Pascal relented, leaning into his seat and closing his eyes. "Wake me up when it happens, I suppose."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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It has been quiet for some time now, Hikaru didn't say a word as he has fallen asleep. A sudden wave fell over them, which cause him to shot himself awake. The moon is full, and it turns Crimson Red as the environment changes. The night sky is still there, along with the city light, but now there are creatures flying in the distance. "We are here," He said, as he looks at Pascal to see if he is awake.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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When the boy spoke, Pascal instinctively woke, and let out a light groan. "Hrnn...what do you mean, 'here'? We're still in my car and I don't see anything different...though the lighting's a little strange. Is there a fire?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Its still kicking in, but you'll see, just drive and you will see." Hikaru said as he crossed his arms. If he took his advice, then they would see that the city has changed.Its like driving through a flashy entertainment district as the night life starts to happen. There are people walking about, but they look to be shadows without distinguished features. Walking around and acting like they are rich people enjoying the high life. "This is the Mythical Parallel, the other world."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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He did as ordered, and looked around like the world was on fire. "A are those people dead?" He asked as they passed by a horde of what seemed to be shades of people.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"No, those are Shades. Shadows that are harmless, they represent people's desire for happiness." Hikaru explain, as he looks up ahead. "You can park at the casino up ahead, we cannot go any further." There is a flashy looking casino, there are no other cars in the parking, so they could park wherever they please. "This is the Crimson District, a good starting point for you to learn."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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He parks the car neatly in a space, and gives the boy a look. "You're not old enough to gamble."The man crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "It'd be irresponsible for me to take you there. Can't we do this anywhere else?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Ugh, We are not here to gamble, this is a starting point to get you to unleash your Persona!" He gets out of the car, and the air is warm as a summer breeze. "Just calm down, this is essential. We are not going in, just stand here with me and we can begin your training." He promised, as he taps his foot as if to wait for something to appear. "Bring the gun," He has gotten his own as a blob of darkness starts to form. "This is a Shadow, distorted desires that has taken shape. It wants to eat humans, and so this is your opportunity to defend yourself."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"How is this thing any different from those figures we saw before? Both seem like shadow people to me." He replied, holding his gun without any type of trigger safety. He'd never held a firearm in his life, so you can't really blame him. "It doesn't seem all too intent on eating us, either?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"The difference is that Shades are focused on their human desires, so they are harmless...Shadows on the other hand, lust for chaos and destruction to further their desires. They would attack anything, that includes us." Hikaru points out, the shadow blob starts to violently pop as its form is gone, and a circular beast is born from it. It is a creature with a wide mouth and sharp teeth. "See?"
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Jesus Christ!" Pascal exclaims, visibly recoiling from the creature and almost dropping his weapon. "So, what? Do I just shoot it!?"Shakily pointing the toy pistol at the creature, the older male glanced at his 'teacher', with very little confidence.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Yes, you have to be able to defend yourself. Luckily for you, this is only a small fry, so you should beat it easily. Here, let me show you." Hikaru raised his gun and shot at the creature, and it hurts it. "See? Easy, you just try to concentrate." He moves over and places his hands on his teacher to steady his aim. "Just breathe, it will be okay."
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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With a gulp, the man steadies his aim and pulls the trigger. Six times. In what basically equates to a panic. With his eyes closed."D did I kill it?" He asks, when all is said and done, his ears still ringing.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"Yes...but remember, never close your eyes while shooting. It could lead to bad things." He warned him, as they creature disappears and it drops golden coins. "Sometimes they can drop gold and goodies for you to take. Do you feel any different?" He asked him if he felt anything.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"I don't know? The way the thing dropped coins kind of makes me feel like I'm in a role playing game, I suppose? I don't feel particularly different, though." He replied, lowering his gun and feeling some of the coins with his foot.
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Duo of Fortune w/Sweetpea
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"You'll feel it, just take the coins. They can be used in the real world too, they can turn into Yen." He said, as he thought of it. "Okay, we can try again. The more SHadows you defeat, the more powerful you can become." He said, Hikaru shrugs. "I'll teach you more, and maybe then you can summon your Persona then."
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It all began aboard a train - Hunger Games AU (Lekhika x Solo)
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Goodbyes and sorries and sentiments. She had never been able to afford those luxuries. Neither had she ever let a chink form in the fine mask she wore. Not since she had heard her father sing his last song, not since her mother had smiled for the last time, and not since she was old enough to realise that she was destined to die. It had to come really, Seam, District 12 was home to droves of people, dying a slow death in their race to live. It was either starvation, the mines, or the games. As it was, the games weren t a bad way to go.Perhaps that was why she had volunteered.Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District 12, a volunteer. As she looked out the window, during the drive from the Justice Building to the Train Station, District 12 vanished from view. She did wonder why her eyes didn t sting from tears at the thought that she might never return. She had no answer. This night would be hell for her sister, instead of whom she had chosen to take the call. The call for the Hunger Games, a sick punishment, glorified as tradition in a world so hopeless.The reaping was a blur. Every moment from when she had heard her sister s name come out of Effie Trinket s painted lips, was a rapid blur. It was overwhelming, so much that she had barely registered his name being called out after she rose to the stage to take Primrose s place among silent salutes.Gale.What and whom could one blame when there was no fate, no god, and no power above them other than the Capitol? Surely they had ears everywhere, even in the hollow tree trunks in the Meadow. There was only one reason why they would both be picked as tributes, surely it was for all their slandering against the Capitol in hushed whispers deep in the woods. He was her hunting partner, the only one that she trusted in all of Seam. The only one that had seen her smile.Except, she hadn t been picked and he had no choice. Gale had registered for tesserae for more times than anyone she knew. Even if it was his last year among the names in the glass ball, it was only simple logic that he got called. It was her last year too, and at eighteen, they both found themselves thrown into a fight for survival.She remembered glancing at him once or twice since the reaping, ushered away and flanked by Peacekeepers barely moments after their fates had been sealed. Her mother had been a walking corpse, and Prim had been beside herself. She had managed to be strong, give them uplifting, hollow words in goodbye. Her hands went up to the pin at her chest, fingers felt at the wrought metal bird. The mockingjay. If only she had half the indomitable spirit of jabberjays, she may survive this after all. It had barely been an hour, perhaps she had lost sense of time. It was real, Katniss pinched herself and plucked at the threads of her mother s dress. She was going to the Capitol.The Train Station came too soon, or late, she would never remember. When they opened their doors to lavishness the kind that she d never seen before, like an automaton, she stepped in. A hand steadied her, she didn t even know whose it was. Gale s or perhaps Effie s. Katniss walked along the rocking corridors, led to her cabin in their very own compartment of luxury. It was nothing like the trains that carried coal, the tributes had luxury on wheels while they were carried to slaughter.The cabin held a bed, dressers, a mirror and heavy curtained windows. She pulled the drapes open to watch as the districts whizzed by in breakneck speed. She had been instructed to rest, change, look presentable. Katniss glanced down at herself. Wasn t it good enough? She was dressed in her mother s gown, a neat one indeed. At the Capitol they wouldn t touch the thing with a thirty foot pole even if one had to wear it to a funeral. Her slippers were clean, and she had scrubbed herself thoroughly. Yet, the aura of soot remained. The signature style of Seam, coal and despair. Her dark hair was coiled up in a long braid that her mother had worked on. She looked into the mirror where grey eyes stared at her from a pale face. She didn t quite care what she wore, or what she looked like. But to the thousands of shallow Capitol citizens, that was all that mattered.Mindlessly she pulled open the drawers of the dresser, lined clothes in colours and styles she couldn t fathom in her wildest dreams. Katniss pulled out a blue shirt and trousers, slipping into them as if on autopilot.She couldn t afford to think of home. She mustn t worry about Prim and her mother. She shouldn t think as to who would keep them safe, fed and consoled. It was moot point after all. She felt the anger surge within her, and at that very moment she wanted to punch and kick at everything around her to turn it into dust. Futile, it was all futile.Was he going through the same tumble of emotions? Was he angry? Was he sad? Her mind finally went to Gale. A ghost of a smile threatened to play at the corner of her lips as she finally stepped out onto the rocking corridor to head to the dining car. She had to meet him along with the rest of her coterie. Her guide and mentor, and Effie Trinket. Perhaps the few days would be a bit more tolerable. They could hunt together, if the arena had a forest in it. She shuddered at the thought of it being plain desert rife with poisonous snakes. It could be anything really, but with Gale, maybe they could have each other s back. Hunting and surviving like it was just the Meadow outside the electric wire fence that coiled around Seam.It was then the realisation hit her, sinking in the pits of her belly like a large and merciless lump of coal.There could only be one winner.
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It all began aboard a train - Hunger Games AU (Lekhika x Solo)
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It was a routine of his, to attempt to put on a positive face on the day of the Reaping: to wake early and make the rounds in the forest with Katniss, checking their traps and bringing back fresh kill to their families, and to sit down with his family for breakfast, silently reassuring his mother while keeping the younger children entertained to keep their minds off what was to come. It hadn t been difficult in the years past, his fate the only one in question, but with Rory becoming of Reaping age, the fa ade he put on, a mix between stony seriousness and faked mirth in the face of the little ones, became a bit harder to maintain. Gale knew his chances of making it out of the Reaping unscathed were slim. With himself, his mother, and three siblings to support, he had taken out more tesserae than anyone in the District, his name roaming about in the selection tumblers with a morbid frequency. The fact that he hadn t gone in much earlier had been chalked up to luck, but luck didn t last long in the Seam. While the younger children were washing up and preparing for the Reaping, he d pulled his mother aside, the two of them standing on the back porch and staring solemnly at the tree line beyond the fence until Gale finally spoke. You ll take care of them, right? he asked under his breath. Tears threatened to spill from his mother s eyes, but she kept strong. Of course, I will, if I need to, she promised. You might still be around to do it, you know. Gale shook his head. He appreciated his mother trying to instill a spark of positivity in him, but it was unfounded optimism they both knew the chances, and he wouldn t allow himself to get his hopes up. Make sure Katniss teaches Rory to hunt. He ll be old enough in a few years, and she ll get you by until then. Don t let them take out tesserae. The warnings were unneeded, with Hazelle hearing the same speech every year, but it took a weight off Gale s shoulders to repeat them, like the routine would somehow keep him safe for another year like it did them. With that, he had returned to the cabin, taking the last shift with the small bathtub, the cold water dulling his senses. They d lined up like they did every year, Gale towards the back with the older boys and young men, his height allowing him the benefit of being able to stare out across the sea of District Twelve s eligible tributes to meet those of Katniss, in her place on the other side of the courtyard. Like they did every year, they exchanged a solemn nod, a silent wish of good luck towards the only other person who was as likely to be picked as they were. They stood there in silence, hushed conversations ending around them as Effie took the stage. It took everything in him not to roll his eyes and scoff as the painted woman spoke he detested everything about her, even her visage being enough to represent the terrible things the Capitol represented, but if he showed outward defiance, he wouldn t put it past the Capitol to have things rigged. No matter how he felt, he had to make sure he stayed perfectly stoic which he did, even when Prim s name was called and Katniss screamed her intent to volunteer. His teeth were grit so hard he feared he might break one of them, but he made sure not to react anything he did could be held against Katniss in the Games, with them using him as a puppet, and he wouldn t give them the satisfaction. Then, his own name was called. Panic flooded his veins, coursing through him as they took their place on the stage. At the very least, it froze him, making it so that his face showed no emotion as the two of them stood in front of their District, a two finger salute raised to the two of them who had little chance of returning home and no chance of returning home together. If he had known that morning would be their last spent together in the meadow, would he have changed anything? The Peacekeepers grabbed the two of them, separating them and ushering them to the Justice Building. There weren t many people looking to visit a kid from the Seam, so aside from a few people he s traded with at the Hob, most of his time was spent with his family. Posy busted through the door first, all tears and hysterics as she flung herself into Gale s arms, and he knelt to hold her close before ushering a teary eyed Vick and Rory in to join them. The Hawthorne siblings huddled together, tears spilling from everyone but the eldest, and he released them reluctantly to stand and wrap his mother in a hug, feeling her tears soak his shirt for a moment before she stepped back and collected herself. You ll do well, Gale, she reassured him. You re strong, and you can hunt, and you and Katniss you work well together. It went unspoken that the two of them couldn t make it back alive. Hazelle knew as well as he did that he wouldn t allow himself to survive while Katniss died he d do everything in his power to make sure that she was the one who returned, which meant that he would not. A final goodbye was spoken between the five of them, promises to win and return home going unspoken they d be lies, anyway. From there, he was ushered onto the train, one step behind Katniss with his hand on her back, making sure she was safely enclosed in her own cabin before stepping into his. It was all he could do to make it to the bed, sitting and staring at the closed curtains for an inordinate amount of time as his mind raced. Above all, he had to make sure to keep Katniss safe strategies were already formulating in his head, with him running down the pros and cons of each in rapid succession. No matter what, he knew she was going to survive. He d make sure of it or he d die trying. The instructions had been to make himself presentable, maybe muster up a smile, the Capitol won t sponsor you if you look as miserable as you do now all empty words from a woman who would return to the luxury of the train and more, no worry in her mind about her life ending in a few short days. In the privacy of the train, Gale had allowed himself the petulance he d been feeling, rolling his eyes and slamming the door in the woman s face, but he knew he had to heed her words at least, some of them. There was a small washroom connected to his cabin, and he entered it to scrub himself until his skin felt raw there was still coal dust under his fingernails and staining his palms, but there was little he could do about that, even with the fine smelling soaps placed primly on the sink s rim. He dressed simply, in a grey knit long sleeved shirt and thick black denim, and even ran a comb through his messy hair to smooth it. Considering his nervous habit of running his hand through the thick locks, his efforts came undone before he even stepped outside his cabin, but at least he d made the effort. It felt like he was in a fog as he exited his cabin, pressing his ear to Katniss and finding it silent before making his way down the hallway towards the dining car. It seemed he was the last to arrive, with Katniss already seated next to an empty chair clearly meant for him. Effie perched across from her, already indulging in the sweet smelling coffee and appetizers set out before their dinner was to arrive, and next to her was Haymitch, the town drunk and only surviving victor that District Twelve could claim. He had begun indulging as well, though by the smell emanating from him, it wasn t just coffee in his cup. Gale regarded them both through squinted eyes as he took his seat. So, he started, not addressing Katniss personally but addressing the table as a whole. Let s get started. How s she gonna win this? It was said casually, like it was fact that Katniss would be coming home, and Haymitch looked up from the rim of his cup to stare at Gale with a curious look in his bleary eyes. Gale met it pointedly, holding the drunk s gaze with determination as though to drive his words home, staring into their mentor s eyes even as he started to pull buttered bread, meats, and cheeses onto his plate.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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The universe was a vast, dark place teeming with life, on planets all mind bogglingly far apart from each other, and yet the advent of technology soon negated this cumbersome isolation and travelers were capable of faster than light speeds to explore the unknown. Far more civilizations were able to reach this level of technology and soon a thriving galactic economy of trade and political exchanges was established. It was far from ideal, with many conflicts arising as a direct result among planets more greedy than they had any right to be, but waging interplanetary campaigns was a rather dubious enterprise and so peace was for the most part the order of the day. That was, until the arrival of a particular warlord whose singular person had more power within than an entire fleet of the most advanced warships.Frieza, a veritable galactic emperor, effortlessly crushed numerous planets that he sought to bring under his dominion. They made the foolish mistake of refusing. This dictatorial, almost child minded sadist was in no mood to hear the word 'no' and his wrath was swift and, though none would ever have the guts to utter it aloud, entirely unnecessary overkill. Worlds full of valuable resources reduced to barren wastelands where not even the charred skeletons of the hapless denizens remained. Six major worlds fell before Frieza's name began to make blood run cold, and rather than even attempt to resist or merely negotiate, planets swore allegiance immediately in the hopes of being spared. If one could call the men being conscripted into Frieza's armies and never see their families again 'spared', that is.No planet had more than a handful of soldiers that could enforce Frieza's rule on their own, the few very talented ones enjoying higher ranks within Frieza's inner circle. That is, until they made contact with Planet Vegeta. This was a mostly lawless land, where the natives had wiped out an entire other species recently that they had been warring with for control over the planet. Those other tragically extinct being, the Tuffles, were what Frieza's soldiers had expected to find there, their advanced technology allowing them interstellar travel and other valuable resources useful to the empire. Instead, they found savage, yet cunning, people, humanoid in appearance but possessing monkey like tails and an incredible propensity for hand to hand combat. The planet was rather inhospitable, however, to most of Frieza's vassals. For one thing, the gravity on this world was inordinately strong, fitting for the raw power possessed by these beastly Saiyans, as they called themselves.They quickly became the equivalent of Frieza's favorite playthings. They loved nothing more than fighting, and when they weren't off doing that in the name of conquering planets in Frieza's name, they were entertaining him directly with exhibition matches in coliseum style arenas. "Dance, monkeys, dance!" Frieza would gleefully clap as the Saiyans butchered any opponent sent up against them with ruthless ferocity. This lasted for quite some time, and King Vegeta was a mere boy prince when Frieza's name first became known to them. While it had been difficult to get them to do anything other than thrash Frieza's soldiers who had tried to make first contact and demand their fealty, it did not yet reach the point of Frieza becoming irritated enough to wipe them out, as then King, Vegeta the 1st , recognized the level of technology from their visitors and what it could do for his people. Vegeta was a rather barren place as it was, even if they called it home. Calling for a truce, they were able to negotiate with Frieza's forces and were delighted that in addition to accessing that technology, they would get to sate their bloodlust by spreading their violence to countless other worlds. It was a match made in Hell, truly.But one day Frieza's favorite toys ceased to be what he had once thought they were. While it was a rare occasion, even on their own home world, the Saiyans had neglected to mention a peculiarity of their species, the very reason they toppled the Tuffles after such a long war against them. Right in the middle of a free for all battle with an open roof, dozens of Saiyans were expected to fight to the death until only one was left standing, and they would be richly rewarded. Unfortunately, the planet they were on was having a full moon that night, and the open ceiling gave them all a full, clear view of the moon. They all froze just as the battle was beginning, mesmerized by the pale light. Frieza was puzzled, and quickly became infuriated at their failure to entertain him as expected. But what he saw next turned that anger into something he had never felt before: Fear.A primal roar shook the ground, the collective voices of the Saiyans bellowing louder than it should have been possible for beings their size. In a matter of seconds, each and every one of them swelled in size, their bodies covered entirely in hair but for their hands, feet and faces, which elongated and looked rather more wolf like than ape, but their body structures still resembled that of an upright walking chimpanzee, though with their enormous Saiyan tails. The entire coliseum exploded outward, unable to contain even five full sized Saiyans, and the planet, much smaller than their native one, was not long for itself once they began thrashing about, still driven to do only one thing: Fight. To the death. Their energy beams spewing from their mouths were at least ten times as powerful as any the Saiyans had wielded in standard form. Every Scouter worn by anyone who survived this initial transformation event exploded from overload. Frieza retreated to his ship and fled, the first time he had ever shown cowardice to any of his soldiers. None dared question this, however, as they were just as scared shitless of this nightmare! At least with Frieza they knew where they stood, but with these out of control monsters, there was no safety but being no closer than orbit!The planet was small enough that Frieza, with intense concentration and a significant amount of his own power, was able to destroy it, which, one way or another, would kill the giants that would be identified by non transformed Saiyans as Oozaru. Frieza demanded to know why this information was kept from him, and made no pretense that he wasn't making a direct threat to annihilate the lot of them for this treachery. How dare they hide something that could potentially topple him if a concentrated effort was mounted to be near him at the time of transformation? A strong enough Saiyan, in Oozaru form, could actually stand a chance against Frieza, almighty as he may have been. This whole situation was unprecedented, as was Frieza's reaction to it. It became clear that the new Saiyan ruler, King Vegeta the 2nd had not wished to give away any of the information that could be used to their detriment. Every Saiyan would keep it to themselves that their tails were their weak point, and were the key to unlocking their transformation that only occurred during full moons.Frieza didn't figure it out himself, but his advisors , connected the Saiyans' transformation to the full moon, although nothing about their tails was yet known to be involved. Knowing that a full moon was about to occur on Planet Vegeta, Frieza decided it was now or never. The Saiyans would likely know that it was a full scale war and that they were going to have to band together for a last stand against Frieza. It should have been obvious that them still having a King of their own meant they were not truly loyal to an outsider. Their pride would not let them bow down to a non Saiyan! Thousands of them had gathered as Frieza set a course for their world, intending to blow it up and them along with it, Oozaru or not! A show of strength was needed now, to ensure that no other races hiding any sort of major powerups would ever even think about challenging him!It was a trait of the royal family of Saiyans that even in their Oozaru forms, they retained full use of their mental faculties and even their voices. In this way, King Vegeta the 2nd and his son, Prince Vegeta, were able to quell the savagery of their brethren and lead them like a true army against Frieza. Firing their mouth lasers skyward, they decimated all backup spaceships Frieza had brought along with him, and he ordered all but his flagship to retreat. Still too fearful to enter the atmosphere of the planet, Frieza instead opted for the next best solution to the problem: The moon had to go. Still recovering from his recent high level energy expenditure on the coliseum planet, it took a toll on him to muster the power to obliterate Vegeta's moon, but it happened, and the Oozaru shrank back down to their original forms. This was a devastating loss for the Saiyans. The only planet they knew of for certain had a moon cycle they could use to their advantage, now moonless. But that wasn't all they had also to contend with the massive pieces of their crumbled moon crashing down onto the planet, causing demolition on a scale that would embarrass even a rampaging Oozaru. Planet Vegeta wasn't fit for sustaining life very much even before, but now...remaining in that dusty atmosphere would be toxic to any lifeforms. They had no choice but to flee.This was, however, a window in which they were capable of doing so without Frieza's immediate retaliation. That last moon crushing attack was crippling to Frieza. His energy needed time to replenish and no one else with him now was capable of going down there and blasting down the Saiyans' ships before they could leave the planet. Though hundreds of Saiyans perished in the effort as their planet turned on them, they still largely managed to evacuate, going off in all directions, agreeing to come together again one day and make Frieza pay for this. They would need to get stronger, strong enough that even a full moon would not need to be relied upon. Whispers of trying to find the legendary Super Saiyan, even. But after their initial takeoff, they had to maintain radio silence to ensure they could not be followed or tracked. They might need to settle on distant planets that had never made contact with any other species before. As long as Frieza couldn't follow or find them until they were ready to be found, their will to defeat him would live on.The King and Prince each boarded their own space pods and went off in the same direction, intending to keep their bloodline together and bring along a small harem of females. After all, it wouldn't do to just leave their population as it was. They needed to repopulate, especially if they wanted more firepower against Frieza when the fateful day arrived. However, things were not going to be that easy for them. The best laid plans of mice and men were not immune to Murphy's Law. Passing space debris caught Prince Vegeta's pod and damaged it very badly, causing it to go off course and not follow anywhere near the course of his father and harem of females' ships. Everyone had planned on a long journey to put enough distance between themselves and Frieza's forces, and were in hibernation within their pods. Nobody was alerted that Vegeta's was suddenly no longer following them. His craft hurtled toward an alien world that had thankfully never known the existence of other worlds with intelligent life...at least, not for the most part. The guardian of Earth was, in fact, another alien, but that was a tale for another day.Unconscious, badly hurt but still capable of breathing in space thanks to a great deal of training, Vegeta was unable to extricate himself from his predicament and mercifully his considerable strength allowed him to withstand what would have easily killed a lesser warrior, as well as the crash to the ground when it finally came. A smoking meteorite creating a city block sized crater just outside of the planet's biggest major city would certainly get the attention of the local news, but no one could possibly have predicted that it was going to contain the still living body of an unearthly visitor! Fortunately, Earth was a rather unusual place full of humanoid animals, sentient monsters, non extinct dinosaurs, and amazing levels of technology, so he would not be treated as a freak, or as a threat...unless he acted as such. They were very open minded there on Earth...some, more than others like the particularly inquisitive, gifted and especially the young and reckless.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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The Briefs Family: a small family located residing in the center of West City, one of the most famous and prosperous cities on Earth. Briefs had become a household name, and it would be rare to find someone who did not know about them. The name was on the cover of almost every science magazine for one reason or another. Many believed the family to be destined for greatness, and based on all of the accomplishments of Dr. Briefs, the patriarch of the family, no one could blame someone for making such an assumption. However, that had not always been the case.Dr. Trunks Briefs had always been hungry for knowledge in his youth, looking for ways to make simple tasks easier for his mother, who had several children to look after.One day, I ll make sure she ll always have someone there to help her, someone to make life easier for her,he thought. Being the youngest of six children, there wasn t much he could do. But as he got older, he had taken an interest in science and all the possibilities it has to offer.If we ve advanced this much, there s no telling what we can do to use science to our advantage!The young boy had grown into a young man, holding onto that belief tightly. People thought him to be odd, always seeing his face buried in books that were larger than what most of his peers would ever attempt to read. His passion had become second nature, and before he even had his PhD diploma in hand, he had already been offered a job that gave him his own science and tech team. Briefs would soon grace the cover of science magazines on occasion, and in small print. Yet fame was not his goal. On the contrary, he wanted to make life easier for everyone to give all people, whether they were rich, poor, or in between, a lifestyle that would allow them to focus more on what was important to them. It wasn t long before Dr. Briefs was able to fulfill his promise to his mother with the use of robotics and artificial intelligence, but his craving for more was never fully sated.His work, while unorthodox to some, was nevertheless ingenious. His rivals, those who were jealous of his mind and abilities, worked hard to stop him from overshadowing them. One academic journal after another was rejected, and his unique ideas were often ridiculed, being mocked to no end.You really think you can manipulate the atoms of inorganic objects to fit inside something smaller than the palm of your hand, no matter the size? How absurd! Those who had constantly refuted him would eat their words. Dr. Briefs parted ways with his former employer and decided to start a venture of his own to have his own enterprise that would lead the world into the future of technology. But how would he do this? What would be the breakthrough product that would put his name in the minds of everyone? Time travel, perhaps? No...that would take years, and there was no guarantee that it would be successful. These Dino Capsules will either make or break me. But what if I fail? A couple of years would pass before he would meet his wife, Panchi. She was the complete opposite of him not book smart at all, and came off as being rather airheaded and aloof. But she had a hidden knack for reading the atmosphere and people she interacted with and she was his biggest supporter when no one else backed his endeavor. With that, he made his decision and stood firm in it, banking his entire livelihood on a small, thumb sized capsule. It was thanks to those capsules that he could now live a life in comfort while running his own company, Capsule Corp. His first daughter was born Tights. Within her, he instilled an affinity for technology, and some years later, his second daughter was born Bulma. She naturally took up an interest in science, and in his eyes, she had a gift. While Tights had eventually left the nest to focus on other things, Bulma wanted to learn as much as she could from her father, and he was more than happy to teach her everything he knew. Yes, she will be the one to take over Capsule Corp. Bulma was just like any other teenager. She was into boys, particularly the bad boy type. Some nights, she would sneak out for some hours and return, getting caught from time to time. What set her apart from the others her age was her intelligence. At only 16 years of age, she was already helping her father with his project and preferred to spend her time after school in the lab, tinkering away and learning as much as she could about what made what work. Young Bulma was a scientist in her own right, and her father encouraged her when any odd idea came to her mind. He wanted her to shine. On one particular evening, something strange had occurred a meteorite landed just outside of West City. The outskirts were fairly empty, thankfully. Bulma had been out with some friends when it happened, and being naturally inquisitive, she parted ways with them and began to track down the site on her hoverbike. What if this thing holds some secrets of unexplored space? she thought, her shoulder length blue hair whipping behind her as she left the main road to head towards the rising smoke that came from the crash site. Whatever it was, it left a pretty impressive crater. Her bike sped up she needed to get there before the press did. Expecting to see a space rock in the crater, Bulma was more than a little surprised when she spotted a large metallic object. A...ship of some kind? H Hey, is anyone down there? she called out. No, there couldn t be anyone there. It would ve been impossible for anyone to survive such an impact. Still, her heart pounded excitedly in her chest. What a discovery this could be! The press couldn t get their hands on it first. Without giving it a second thought, she called her father. Dad, I found something, or someone. Bring an aircraft, fast! Putting her phone away, she began to make the climb down into the crater, a move no one in their right mind would ever try to attempt. Despite all of Bulma s intelligence, she wasn t physically gifted, and by the time she managed to reach the wreckage she was out of breath, and her father s aircraft was approaching in the distance. Is anyone in there? she asked, taking a deep breath in an effort to even out her breathing. Each step she took sent a feeling of glee and nervousness through her, and before long, she was close enough to the ship to see...a person? Shit...h hold on, I ll try to get you out! Bulma did all she could to push debris out of the way, hoping to free the specimen and bring them out alive. At the edge of the crater, Dr. Briefs was already landing, and a pair of bots emerged from the aircraft and entering the crater.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Despite the pods being built to crash land and survive, they were designed to slow their impact speed down upon entering the atmosphere of a planet. There were two problems with this: Space debris at a sufficiently high velocity could cause a forceful enough impact upon a vulnerable point of the pod, and once such damage was caused, the pod no longer had control over its guidance systems and would not slow down upon entering the atmosphere of a planet. This being the case with Vegeta's pod, he was not only bashed very badly by the initial impact, but also partially burned by the heat of entering the atmosphere of Earth and the final impact that caused the crater. Quite a doozy even for a Saiyan of his power level.He heard none of Bulma's words nor the humming of the aircraft that had followed her. It wasn't quite a coma but if he didn't get some medical attention he would be in a lot of trouble, whether that meant death or being crippled by his injuries. It was certainly not a show of strength on the part of his Saiyan race showing up in this sorry condition. Not that they were in need of any kind of show of intimidation. Them running amok anywhere was likely to get Frieza's attention and that was the last thing they wanted right now. Laying low, mustering their resources and planning a counterattack was what they needed. Vegeta wouldn't remember any of this but he could not have had better luck in landing where he did, in the manner he did.He was still breathing, though shallow, and unresponsive to external stimulus. Paramedics tending to him would see that the impact on the craft had damaged his left side most heavily. His arm was broken, his leg lacerated, his head wounded and dripping blood, which would upon X rays reveal a significant skull fracture. No broken teeth, thankfully, and any internal hemorrhaging was undetected. Curiously, any needles they attempted to penetrate him with to provide a transfusion broke before they could break the skin. This was attributed to a batch of defective syringes but ultimately his vital signs stabilized on their own, rather more quickly than they would have expected for someone in that condition. Setting his broken arm and cleaning his wounds to prevent infection were relatively minor but they didn't know Saiyan physiology. What was most curious to them, however, was the tail that was wrapped around his middle like a belt.Upon examination of the inhuman appendage, the doctors laid their hands on it, squeezing and twisting it. This inadvertently triggered the Saiyan's pain response to the abuse of their tails and Vegeta, while not entirely conscious yet, cried out in agony until they let go. His breathing and heart rate had increased, to levels that they would expect of someone about to wake up. His brain activity, however, was a different story. The readings were somewhat different than they would have expected of a human. That did make sense given his alien origin but they didn't know how to interpret it. Was he going to wake up? If he did, what would it mean for them? They didn't have any time to study him or determine if he had come in peace, after all.The bright hospital lights hurt his eyes but he opened them slowly, blinking several times. His throat was dry and hurt, reducing him to only grunting at first. His whole body hurt so badly that he couldn't even sit up. He had no idea where he was, or why he was there. Or...who he was, even. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece things together, and only feeling a tremendous pain trying to access those parts of his memory. Obviously he was banged up pretty damn badly on most of his body, so it stood to reason his head must have had some trauma too. What caused it? Well, that didn't seem to matter much at the moment. Wherever this place was, he was hooked up to what appeared to be medical equipment. An oxygen mask over his mouth was the most obvious one. He attempted to move his right arm, the one he could feel was not broken and bound up in a cast. It hurt. He tried just starting with his fingers. Okay, that was not so bad. The pinky hurt a little but the rest were not that bad. The wrist...no, that was really painful. Damn. He really couldn't move at all.One of the nurses seemed to notice his eyes open and reacted by calling the doctors. Her voice was shrill and he wanted to tell her to shut up but couldn't. But he recognized the words she spoke. She was calling for professional medical experts to tend to him, so it seemed. Well, he could hardly argue with that. As long as they weren't the ones responsible for his condition. He had no idea what had caused him to be so severely injured. Was this the setting of a war? Was he a POW on the wrong side and they were planning to interrogate him now that he had awakened? The thought frightened him and his heart monitor began to beep rapidly. "Oh, my! Calm down, friend, we're here to help you." the doctor hoped that his patient understood him. Vegeta's heartbeat was far faster than an average human's even if the human was just finished running a marathon.The doctor's demeanor did relieve Vegeta a bit. His heartbeat slowly decelerated. "Oh, good. Your vitals are...a little unusual, sir. We found you in the debris of a crater that looks like it was caused by an object falling from space. Does that sound familiar?" the doctor asked. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, perplexed by this revelation. The doctor took that as a 'no'. "Well, I'm not surprised, that skull fracture probably knocked your memories into next week. Amnesia is rarely permanent so I'm sure it will pass eventually. You're already recovering splendidly, your wounds have closed on their own faster than we anticipated. Not sure if that means your broken arm will heal faster than a month but we're not sure of much at all when it comes to your biology. That tail of yours is something we've never seen before, and it seemed to cause you a great deal of distress when we examined it. We'll keep our hands off of it now that you're awake. No sense causing you any more pain, right?" he chuckled.Vegeta just blinked his eyes at this stranger, not sure what to make of any of what he was saying. He wanted to know when he was going to be able to move his body. Weren't there drugs they could give him for the pain? "Hrrgh." he grunted."What's that, son?" the doctor moved closer to Vegeta's face, hoping to hear the first spoken words by an alien visitor."DRUGS!" Vegeta snarled, and then roared in pain at how badly his jaw hurt to have opened his mouth all the way, and the pain of his dry, raw throat. His eyes were piercing and intimidating even to those who didn't know of the wrath of the Saiyans.The doctor broke out in goosebumps and shivered with fear. "Um...w well, I'm afraid we don't know how our...ahem...drugs would affect you, you see, because we haven't been able to draw any blood samples to study your genetics, and..." he backed off even more when a large vein appeared to begin throbbing in Vegeta's forehead. "Could we get some narcotics, nurse?" he whispered to her. She appeared to be trembling as well. "S sure thing, doctor." she made her way out of the room a little faster than would have been safe.A glass of water and a bit higher of a dose of percocet were given to Vegeta after the bed was elevated and he was able to sit up. Obviously they didn't work right away but he was glad to have a cool liquid down his throat and coughed a great deal for his wish, which hurt even worse as his chest was sore as well. The drugs did finally kick in and he was able to fall asleep normally, rather than being knocked out. He didn't know how long he had slept but he was feeling noticeably better than before. He was finally able to move his right arm with a tolerable level of pain, and gave himself as much of a pat down as he could. Intact, so far as he could tell. No cavities in his flesh, nothing missing, no gaping wounds. But then he would have known that already from when he had first awakened, as those kinds of things would be hard to miss. His left arm was still broken and in its cast. More importantly, still no memory of anything prior to waking up."Ah, there's our patient!" the doctor from before cheerfully greeted Vegeta. "We were able to stabilize your condition more while you slept, and your vitals are looking remarkably better than before. You seem to be recovering at an exponential rate, in fact. You'll probably be up and walking by tomorrow. But you're probably starving too, and you'll need food, especially protein, to keep your body able to repair itself." he delivered the good news to Vegeta and the nurse soon followed with a tray of food. "I see you've regained mobility in your arm, but if you'd like, the nurse here can feed you." he offered. The nurse's eyes widened with shock and she looked at the doctor with terror.Vegeta scowled but just patted his lap to let them know to leave it there and pointed to the door to get them to leave. If his body was repairing itself as quickly as they said on its own, they were hardly necessary, and to be honest they were a little annoying to him anyway. Were all people like this? He hoped not. Being upset with everybody about things that they probably couldn't help was going to make things difficult for him whether or not he had his memories intact. He looked at the food under the lid that kept it warm. Some kind of meat patty with gravy and some mashed creamy substance and a bit of green vegetation that looked like it had been boiled. He looked at the utensils and decided to just use the spoon. He ate ravenously, not concerned about the taste, just glad to get something into his empty stomach.What now? He wasn't sleepy anymore and his pain was at a tolerable enough level that he didn't need any more drugs. He needed information but he didn't know what questions to ask. They knew he had amnesia already so that didn't need to be discussed. Catching him up on anything he was unfamiliar with was really all that needed to happen. He just wished it wasn't someone quite as insufferably annoying as the doctor and nurse he had dealt with before.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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The trip to the local hospital was one that Dr. Briefs had slightly wished hadn t been too lengthy. Bulma had bombarded the good doctor with all sorts of questions about where the injured party might be from. Appearance wise, the stranger looked to be human, and could easily pass for one if his tail hadn t given him away. Both Bulma and her father were more than capable of tending to the average person with any sort of physical injury, but when they discovered his much more benign injuries healing quickly on their own, it was assumed that he would manage to recover without much assistance. Still, they needed to get him to a hospital and away from the press, which was likely already gathering at the crash site as they approached the city s medical facility.Doctors and nurses were quite perplexed with the mysterious man was brought in. Neither of the Briefs could give any information on who he was, leaving them to simply refer to him as John Doe on all of their documents. There was also the issue of getting his blood type, which didn t fit any of the typical A B O types. Initially, it was speculated that the strange appendage was just a deformity, but this had proved what some already felt: he was an alien. On a planet where the king was a dog and dinosaurs made the wastelands their stomping grounds, an alien was...strange. Something like this could easily fall into the hands of tabloid writers.But, with a bit of negotiating and a monetary donation to the hospital from the Briefs Family, a promise was made to keep the discovery under wraps.The staff worked to clean and bandage the numerous wounds that donned the outsider s body, acknowledging the fact that if it was any normal person, he or she would have died on the spot. Much to the staff s annoyance, Bulma would pester them about keeping the young man alive.Have you checked his vitals within the last half hour? Has he woken up? Are you doing everything you can?Annoying, yes. But there wasn t much she could do besides wait, which was something she had never really enjoyed.It would feel like hours before they were told that the stranger would live, though they weren t sure how long he would have to remain in the hospital. As per usual, Bulma put the doctor through a short interrogation before a faint demand echoed through the halls.DRUGS!A simple word that was delivered as a harsh, impatient request. The young scientist couldn t help but smile knowing her alien was awake. Sounds like he ll do fine, she said. So, when can we go see him? Uh...unfortunately, because you two aren t related to him and he s here under...special circumstances, we cannot allow any visitors to I beg yourpardon, Bulma interrupted. If I hadn t found him, he d still be lying in that hole, bleeding to death or already dead by now. What do you mean no visitors when we re the two who brought him here?! Now now, sweetie. Going to see him right now might make things more difficult for them. And from the sound of things, they re going to have their hands quite full, her father said with a chuckle, patting her shoulder to calm his daughter down. Bulma simply huffed and folded her arms. ...Fine. But at least keep us updated on his condition. The doctor nodded. Of course. The two of you are welcome to stay here in the waiting room as long as you d like, however. We ll provide you with blankets if you want to stay overnight. Thank you, doctor. We won t be staying, thought. We ve plenty of work ahead of ourselves tomorrow, Dr. Briefs said with his trademark chuckle. True, but I think I ll stay for a while longer. I just want to make sure he s out of the woods before I head home, his daughter said, to which her father nodded and told her not to stay out too late before heading home for the night. Once the doctor left, Bulma began to come up with a plan. She wasn t satisfied with just sitting around. No, she needed to see this outsider and ask him questions. When the halls grew quiet, she made her move. Through the dimmed lights of the corridors, she did her best to sneak her way from one area to another, eyeing the names that were written on the small placard outside each door before coming to the one she needed. Making sure she wasn t being watched, she entered the room. Finally. I thought I d never make it here, Bulma said, letting out a sigh of relief as she leaned against the door after carefully closing it. The doctors here are total airheads. They said I couldn t come here even thoughIwas the one who found you. Such jerks. Her eyes scanned over him for a moment as she approached the side of the bed. Hmm...I can tell your wounds are already healing up. You know, you were really lucky to survive that crash. The crater your ship left was massive. My dad put your ship into one of his capsules to see what he can do to fix it up. And to learn more about the vessel, and its occupant.She reached into her red waist pouch and pulled out a small white case, opening it to reveal several different capsules. Are you hungry? Hospital food sucks and I doubt you ll enjoy it. Thankfully, my mom is a great cook and usually sends me on my way with food to eat, she explained, all the while pressing a button on one of the capsules and placing it on the bedside table. Only a second passed before a nice meal appeared a perfectly cooked steak dinner with an assortment of roasted vegetables and a lemon tart to top it off. So, what s your name and where are you from? Did you come here by mistake or was Earth your destination?
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Who the hell was this strange girl? She didn't look like a doctor or nurse. Clearly the way she was talking then indicated she certainly wasn't. But then what was she? Just some random stranger who happened to find him when he crashed? He hesitated to answer. If she wasn't a medical professional he needed a little more to go on before he responded to her. Of course, he was still a man, despite being an alien, and while she may not have yet realized it in her youthful immaturity, the way to a man's heart was indeed through his stomach.The presentation of the food from the tiny capsule, however, even for an alien with starships beyond anything Earth was capable of producing, amazed Vegeta, and he started at the 'bang' and smoke release from the Dino Cap releasing its contents. "What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed, until the scent of the cooked meat hit his nose and he began to drool, only now realizing how furiously hungry he still was in spite of having just eaten an entire, albeit sub par, meal. This girl wasn't wrong, it looked and, upon taking the first bite, was indeed a far superior culinary dish. He tore into it with the same ravenous zeal as he had for the hospital dinner, looking at her with somewhat dubious curiosity, not sure what her motives were. He still didn't even know where he was...or who he was.Belching as he drank the beverage the meal came with, he sighed and stopped eating for a moment, feeling the effects now of having eaten so fast. "I don't know any of that. I don't even know where I am or where I came from. Or what my name is." he responded, now feeling very much down having said it out loud. It was like he was all alone in the universe. It should have come as no surprise, with the skull fracture he suffered and the brain trauma that was bound to have resulted from it, amnesia was the least lethal effect that could have happened given that he survived without being entirely crippled and was healing at the fast rate he was.He didn't give a damn about the ship, as far as he was concerned, her father could keep it. If it had nearly killed him, what good was it to him anyway? No one apparently had followed in a ship of their own so it seemed more likely he was fleeing or at least just leaving wherever he had come from and didn't necessarily intend to return there. So finding out where he had come from felt like not much of a priority. This place didn't seem so bad, apart from the simple minded doctors and nurses. This girl seemed...sharper, at the very least. But he didn't know the extent of his own intelligence. Having come from elsewhere it seemed likely he had at least the potential to know more than they did, if his arrival was their first contact with aliens. Having just that advantage spoke volumes about their levels of technology. But then, these capsules...that seemed more like sorcery than science!"I heard the doctors talking. They said I'm healing faster than your species normally does. That's about all I know about how different we are from each other. I don't even know what my kind are called. Or yours, for that matter. And you say this place is called Earth? I don't think I've ever heard of it, but with my memory loss that could just be a part of what I've forgotten. Who exactly are you, anyway? You're too young to be a doctor, aren't you? Not that I'm one to talk." he smirked, very much doubting that he was any kind of scientist, let alone a medical expert, with or without his amnesia.He had moved more than he had in the last few hours, and was finding the pain decreasing almost by the minute. "What do you think will become of me? I'm a stranger here, and I have nowhere to go. I don't have anything to contribute, not even information. At least not right now. Do your kind imprison aliens for being different?" he asked, expecting the answer to be a 'no' given that this seemed like a standard hospital and not one inside a prison, especially if this spunky girl had managed to get in there without detection.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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From the moment she saw the bewildered look on the strange young man s face, Bulma knew he would have several questions for her. After all, he had crashed on what was an unknown planet to him. He had woken up in a strange place, hooked up to machines and being taken care of by a staff that had no answers as to who or what he was. It seemed that everyone would have questions, and Bulma would do her best to answer them as much as she could. Still, she had questions of her own, and from the answer she received from him, her questions would have to go unanswered for the time being. I see. You have amnesia. Thankfully, the disorder is never really permanent, but it might take some time for you to really remember who you are or how you ended up here, Bulma said, making a mental note of how ravenous he ate his meal. For now, she would have to settle for learning small details about him traits that might give a hint as to what his heritage might be. Taking a seat in a nearby chair, she listened to the several questions he had in store for her questions about the capsule technology, who she was and what might happen to him. His last question would be a rather difficult one to answer, since no one really knew what would be done once he was discharged. One step at a time, she mentally told herself. The device I released your food from is a product of my dad s Dino Cap technology. The inner workings are a bit complicated to explain, but simply put, they rearrange the atoms whatever objects will be stored inside so that they ll fit, then put the atoms back into their proper place upon release, she said. The whole concept had taken her quite a while to fully understand, and she had put her dad through several interrogative sessions to learn as much as she could. The technology came in handy, especially the capsule houses that had recently hit the market. She carried one everywhere she went, in case of emergency. As for who I am, my people are called humans. And people who are born here are called Earthlings. You look almost identical to us in terms of anatomy, but one thing you have that we don t is a tail. Thankfully, my dad was able to convince the doctors here not to release that discovery to the public. Bulma stood up for a moment to pour herself a cup of water before taking her seat once more. That ship you arrived in left a pretty big crater in the ground. The site is probably flooded with journalists by now. If any of them found out you re from space, you d never get a moment of peace. They have no concept of privacy when it comes to needing information. Pretty maddening at times, I swear. But back to who I am. My name is Bulma. Bulma Briefs. Not a doctor, but a scientist, though I can do a good amount of what a doctor does, she said with a bit of pride in her voice.Bulma stayed silent for a moment, wondering what could be done to help him. She couldn t simply let him go off on his own. You can t stay in this hospital, that s for sure. No one gets imprisoned for being different, but if you re out on your own and someone finds you, especially with a tail, there s no telling how they d react. Not everyone on this planet is kind, she explained. The only thing I can really think of is you staying with me and my family. You wouldn t have to worry about shelter or food, and thankfully we have the money to pay for that appetite you seem to have. My mom loves to cook, so she ll be more than happy to cook larger meals. I could help you learn about our planet, and hopefully you will get your memories back over time. She leaned back in her seat as she sipped on her water for a few moments. Since your body seems to heal up really quickly, you might be able to get out of here within the next two days. My dad could even pull a few strings to get you discharged earlier if you get tired of this place before then. No one could really blame you if that s the case. This place sucks. She stood up once more, this time moving to the bedside and leaning in a bit to eye him closely. So, mystery man, how are you feeling? I ve never met anyone dealing with amnesia before. What s it like not being able to remember anything? Bulma was always the inquisitive one, even when it might make others a bit uncomfortable at times. I wonder what it ll feel like once you start remembering things. Will it all come back at once, or slowly over time? I ve heard of both things happening in different cases. Whenever you do remember who you are and where you re from, do you think you ll go back?
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Amnesia was not a familiar word to Vegeta, and while he and his father were, at least among the Saiyans, particularly well educated, it was a thing that didn't really ever happen to their people, but he assumed it was just a singular word for memory loss, though it really only saved one syllable to pronounce. Luckily, at least according to her, it didn't sound like it would be permanent, and although he knew they must have had vastly different physiology for him to be recovering at such an astonishing rate, and surviving something that would have vaporized a human, he optimistically believed she was likely correct that he would eventually regain his lost past.It did nothing to demonstrate to him her prowess as she dumbed down the explanation for how the Capsule technology operated, but then, he wouldn't have known how his own ship was built or how to repair it, he would only know how to fly it, so it didn't seem important for everyone to have to comprehend the mechanics just to wield them. It did seem that his existence as an extraterrestrial would cause problems even for a world full of technology that would blow his mind, so he did feel grateful that she was sparing him that kind of media blitz, he was not in the right frame of mind, or mood, to be dealing with obnoxious questions from every direction and ad nauseum. "Thanks for keeping me out of the public eye. That's the last thing I need right now. Even if I knew everything about what I am and what led me here, I doubt it would be anything I'd want to have everyone on this planet hearing." he winced as he moved a part of himself that was still tender.He smirked a little hearing her name, but tried to make it look like she was getting on his good side rather than letting out a chuckle at her amusing name. "Nice to meet you, Bulma." he was very informal, not calling her "Miss Briefs' or anything of the sort. "I'd love to tell you my name but I can't remember it at the moment. If you're right, I'll probably remember it sooner or later. But every time I try to focus and remember anything, it's like a black hole in my head, and if I try to dive into it, there's a lot of dizziness and pain to contend with. Apparently I'm no stranger to pain, but it's something of a barrier against me figuring anything out. Hopefully as my body heals and the pain there goes away, the same will hold true for my mind and memories." he rubbed his temples, closing his eyes, then gritting his teeth as he once again tried to delve into his head to dig for memories but came back out with the same headache as the doors within slammed shut."I'd like to say it's like solving a mystery, something that should be fun, but the stakes are too high for it to be taken lightly." he shrugged as he described what it was like. "If I look in the mirror I'll see a stranger staring back at me. It's almost creepy, if you think about it. I mean, what would it be like to switch bodies with somebody and see through their eyes? Probably a bit like that, you know? Imagine waking up and going to the bathroom, turning on the light, and you saw a purple man with horns on his head when you looked at your own reflection in the mirror, that would be a rude awakening." he mused, wondering why he went to that particular example of a body switch..."That's awfully nice of you, are you sure your parents won't mind?" he shifted, trying to get more comfortable as he tried to look a bit stronger and less bedridden than he was at the start. For some reason he wanted to give her a more masculine, confident posture all of a sudden. "It sounds like they've got a lot of money and privilege, so I'm not complaining, but I don't want to intrude any more than I have to." he tried to be polite but really wanting to take her up on her offer. If it was between staying at this hospital or a place like it, or living in what seemed like almost royalty on Earth, though he didn't want to seem too eager. Not only that, but she seemed like a prodigy for someone so young, so he could do a hell of a lot worse as far as finding someone who could potentially help him recover his memory sooner, or at least keep him safe until he did."Honestly, I don't think the circumstances of my arrival here were such that I would be wanting to return to wherever I had come from. No one else came through with me, and my landing was obviously not a smooth one. It seems like I was fleeing from something, which would mean I would be in no hurry to get back to there even if I knew where, or if my ship was in any condition to take me. It's been a couple of days so I'm sure we would have heard of someone else arriving by now, and that doesn't seem to be the case. I can only hope if I was running from trouble, that it doesn't follow me here. At least, not until I recover enough to defend myself. I'm just worried I might be bringing down something onto Earth that you humans don't deserve to get wrapped up in. But you've helped save my life, and I owe you for that, so I give you my word, if anything does happen to threaten your planet on my account, I'll give my life to defend against it." he deduced, showing he had some mental prowess as well despite lacking memory. He may not have looked intellectual but there was some critical faculties of note behind those angry eyes.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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While the mysterious young man explained what it was like whenever he tried to remember things, Bulma listened attentively while taking mental notes. It was all so...oddly fascinating. Would going down the mental black hole cause him harm? What happened if one tried to venture deeper? Would the headaches get worse? As curious as she was, it was not enough to stop her from feeling sorry for him. He was stuck on a planet that was unknown to him, with no knowledge of who he was or where he came from, on top of the fact he had no real way of leaving. Bulma couldn t even imagine what he must have been feeling. Just the thought of waking up in a mysterious place would have made them a bit uncomfortable, and any normal person would have certainly gone into a panic.Yet here he sat, seeming rather collected despite his current situation. I see. Seeing a reflection of someone I don t even recognize would definitely make me freak out, at the very least. But you seem to be taking everything better than most would. I mean, at least it looks that way on the outside. Maybe your theory about things coming back to you as you heal will hold true. For now, you re stuck being John Doe since no one can identify you. Better than alien man or something stupid like that. The only major difference between you and humans is the tail you have. Well, appearance wise, anyway. A purple skinned, horned alien would ve scared quite a few people here. Definitely wouldn t have been able to bring you here if that was the case, she said. On her way to the room, she had overheard a couple of young nurses talking about him, pondering all sorts of weird things about his anatomy that would cost them their jobs if a superior had heard them. Don t worry about crashing at my place. My parents wouldn t mind it at all, especially since it d mean helping someone out. Money isn t an issue since my dad makes a fortune as a scientist. Honestly, we have way too much space at the house. Having another person around won t make a big difference. The Capsule Corp home was indeed spacious, so much so that many thought it was unnecessary to have so many guest rooms. It only meant more cleaning in order to keep the numerous unused spaces from getting dusty, but at least there were bots to help with that. Bulma herself had gotten lost from time to time as a child. But now one of the rooms would be getting some use with their new guest.Showing her own level of informality, the young woman took a seat on the side of the bed while he gave his vow to protect the planet if trouble came along due to him landing there. Let s not get too ahead of ourselves. Maybe there s no one coming after you. I mean, they probably would ve gotten here by now. You d be waking up to a disaster zone, but that s only considering if you d be waking up at all. Before we start making those promises, we should make a plan of action. I doubt I d handle just sitting on the sidelines if anything happens, twiddling my thumbs while you re out there taking care of the baddies. My dad and I could try working on your ship to see if we can get any info about where it came from and stuff. But alien technology might be a tough nut to crack, so we aren t getting our hopes up. Anything we find out could help you discover more about yourself. That was the plan, anyway. So, once you re at my place, you need to lay low. Wandering around in public, especially with your tail out, might draw a ton of unwanted attention. Paparazzi here is a total nightmare and you can t even punch them without them wanting to take you to court for it. My dad made sure the hospital won t give them any information about taking care of an alien or where you ll be discharged. We were able to get you from the wreckage before anyone got a picture of you, so as long as you keep your tail covered up whenever you need to go out, you should be fine. Maybe once you re out of this place, I ll give you a tour of the city so you can get acquainted with some of the things we have here. Bulma put on a friendly, assuring smile before standing up once more, stretching her arms up over her head for a moment. ...Wanna explore the hospital for a bit? Must be boring to just sit up here in the room with nothing to do. A little walking could do you some good, and it d help keep your muscles from getting too stiff while you heal. The cafe should still be open, we could have ice cream.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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She seemed very accommodating compared to the other humans there, almost like she had an ulterior motive, but then, he did owe her so even if she wanted something from him, it wouldn't be honorable to refuse it...as long as it was reasonable.Upon hearing her say that his tail would draw attention to him, his tail almost instinctively wrapped around his middle like a belt. "I suppose that's one way to hide it." he shrugged, not knowing if that would make a difference. "But I'd appreciate being able to stay somewhere away from prying eyes. If I could remember who I was, it might not be as important, or for all I know, even more important to keep it quiet. I guess we'll see." he smiled. "Just be careful with that ship. Even I don't know what's in it or if there's anything dangerous about it. Although since it didn't cause yet another explosion upon crashing, that might mean it's safe to tinker with. I can't imagine anything more severe happening to trigger a self destruct mechanism than that." he laughed.Getting out of that stuffy room and moderately uncomfortable bed did sound appealing, as did getting a tour of the city. "Yeah, I suppose I should test how my recovery is going personally. My arm's still broken but I don't see a cast on my legs so that must mean the bone isn't broken." he reasoned. "Help me up?" he reached out his unbroken hand to her. "By the way, what were those green things on the plate? I don't mean to be rude but they didn't taste good at all compared to the other things." he pointed to the remaining steamed vegetables on the tray she produced from a Dino Cap.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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WIth a nod, Bulma helped up her new friend from the hospital bed, being careful not to pull too much. Green things? ...Oh, you meant the steamed broccoli! Yeah, they re not the best tasting thing in the world, but my mom prepares all of the capsule meals to provide nutrition. Unfortunately, that means not everything will be delicious. Food will taste much better at home since the goal isn t only to make sure you have what you need if you have a long gap in between meals, she explained. You ll be eating like royalty once you re there. Once he was on his feet, she opened the door wide enough to stick her head out, making sure the halls were empty. The last thing she wanted to do was be spotted by the doctor she tried getting fussy with earlier. When she saw that the coast was clear, Bulma headed out, closing the door once her companion joined her. You won t have to worry about anything bad happening with your ship. Dad already knows it must be full of technology we don t even have yet. He s the smartest person on Earth, but even his best prototype ship wouldn t be able to withstand the landing you had. Yours is definitely something we ve never come across before. The corridor was fairly empty, illuminated by dim lighting. Only one person sat at the nurse s desk and hadn t paid much attention to the pair as they passed by. Further down was an old man sweeping the floor, and the only sounds that could be heard were those of the nurse typing away, sweeping, and the TV from another patient s room nearby. You know, if you don t recover your memories, then hope isn t completely lost, Bulma said, occasionally glancing at the signs above to make sure they weren t going towards an area they shouldn t be in. There s a really old legend about something that grants any wish you want. I ve heard they re called dragon balls and that there are seven of them, and if you find all of them, you can summon a creature to get your wish. No one really knows what they look like, but it s said that you ll be able to feel it once you find one. Like...you ll just have an instinct or something.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Everything came as a mixture of good and bad news for him. Yes, there were many better tasting things but to get all his nutrients he'd have to eat icky green things too. That wasn't so bad, though, if he wrapped them in the meat or with the creamy white stuff it wasn't so bad. He did feel a deeper hunger, though, as if once he started eating he wouldn't stop until everything in front of him was gone. But since he'd cleaned the plate, it was done. If he was ever presented with a banquet, or a buffet, well, there was no telling what his reaction would be. If this girl's family was as wealthy as she indicated, though, that likely wouldn't be a problem for him. They might need to hire on several cooks to make it possible for him to satiate his appetite, too, but again, not likely too cumbersome.The word royalty did give him a slight twinge of pain in his frontal lobe, and he groaned as it lingered, but it passed before too long. That had to mean something, whether he was part of some royal family or maybe had gotten on the wrong side of one and was running away from their wrath. He kept that to himself, though, not wanting to worry her. It was hard to keep up with the spunky, energetic young woman as he was limping, one of his legs being sore and hard to put pressure on without it hurting, but he found his strength such that moving his body around was far easier, as though the gravity on this planet was lighter than he was used to. He couldn't rule out any such differences given that he had come from parts unknown. He didn't dare jump, however, if merely walking hurt quite badly, but he suspected his head would hit the ceiling if he tried."I don't suppose he would be willing to destroy it? In case someone from where I came from might try to track me down here." he inquired about the fate of his ship. He had no idea whether any of it was still functional in that way but he nevertheless had a bad feeling, and didn't want to be responsible for Earth having any problems due to his presence there. "I don't mean to sound paranoid, I just have a bad feeling. At the very least, scrap it for parts and see what he can make of it, but don't turn any of it back on." he suggested.Her next comment did catch his interest, however. Medical science may not have offered a guarantee of memory return, but maybe using some form of unconventional mysticism? He vaguely remembered hearing such tales, not exactly about granting wishes per se but about powers beyond the comprehension of scientists like her father. "So, Earth has dragons with seven testicles, and their castrated genitals grant wishes?" he tried to see if he understood what she was getting at. "Imagine what the rest of their bodies might do." he smirked, fantasizing about eating the flesh of such a large, powerful creature. Maybe that would sate his growing appetite. "But if that would have a chance of letting me figure things out, that would be great. I'd rather know an ugly truth than be left with uncertainty about something that might be no problem at all and spend all that time worrying about nothing." he agreed that, while it may have just been an old wives' tale, it might be worth looking into. What else was he going to do on this planet while he was clueless about his origin or what to do once he'd recovered?
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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That s the thing he could try to destroy it, but that d require knowledge on how the innards function. One wrong move could trigger a self destruct sequence if there s one built into it. Just observing the vessel from the outside, he was able to discern that the ship isn t anything we have here on Earth. Destroying the evidence probably would have made their situation a bit easier. No one could prove that a foreign spacecraft had created the crater outside the city if there was no trace of the spacecraft at all. There was also little doubt in Bulma s mind that a handful of people from the press would be finding their way to her home, asking questions about what might have been within the crater. Her father would need to figure out a way to answer their questions without spawning more questions. It would probably be for the best if they simply took the blame, saying it was the result of an experiment that had gone a bit wrong.Still, getting salvageable parts from the ship would definitely help Capsule Corporation s goal of advancing technology. We ll just have to be really careful with that vessel and take as many safety precautions as possible. But we could definitely try to learn what we can from whatever tinkering we can get away with. But if you want to have it destroyed, we can certainly try to get that done for you. It might just take some time, she said.She nearly stumbled when he oddly worded his question about the dragon balls. W What? No, no testicles or castration involved. I meant balls as in spherical objects, not body parts. They re basically magical orbs. Legend has it that they re orange in color and can maintain their pristine shine no matter what. And each ball has red stars that look as though they stay in place even if you move the ball around. You can tell which ball it is based on the number of stars it has. She smiled as they approached the cafeteria, which was open but fairly empty. There were only a handful of late night visitors and a few staff members. I have a feeling the food from the capsule might not have been enough for you, considering how quickly you cleaned the plate. The food hospitals prepare for patients can be rather mundane, but the cafeterias usually have the good stuff. She led him to one of the food bars getting two trays and handing one to him. So, it s safe to assume you ll help me find the dragon balls. I ve been working on a device to track them down. That would definitely make looking for them a lot easier and faster. As she spoke, the young woman began putting various things on her tray. It appeared she was rather hungry as well. Are you scared of what you might find out once you regain your memories? she suddenly asked. I mean, it s obvious no one in your situation would want to remember bad things, but it s always a possibility. What if you remember something undesirable?
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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"For all we know, the crash might have already triggered a self destruct sequence. I know I shouldn't have survived but I must be made of tough stuff just living through the crash alone. Just be careful with it, really. I don't care about the ship, I just don't want it causing anyone to be harmed." he caught himself smiling, feeling a bit fond of this Bulma, the only person he could have a real conversation with on this planet. "I'm convinced that with you and your family it'll be in good hands, though, so I'm not worried."Her story about the Dragonballs was compelling. He seemed to have an appreciation for myths and folklore. Stories like that felt like there was room for heroics, and for some reason he was itching for an opportunity to fight something. Even in his condition, and it should have been the last thing on his mind in a foreign environment anyway. Still, he felt visions of glorious battle, letting his fists fly unrestrained, the satisfying crunch of his clenched hands against a strong jaw..."Oh, I'll definitely help. I owe you for helping me out like this, and besides, I'm not calling this place my new home if it means sitting around a house all day. I want to do something. Just being cooped up in this hospital, for the brief time I've been awake, has been mind numbing. Seeking out these magic treasures, even if they're not real, sounds like a blast. I'd be crazy to pass up the opportunity to explore more of this world than the inside of one building." he laughed.They were apparently able to pick whatever food they wanted from the thing, and most of it looked foreign to him. He hadn't really had anything sweet yet so he didn't know how addicting it could all be. But that could wait."But Mom, I don't like them!" a child whined from a nearby table. The noise grated on Vegeta's ears and he sneered in their direction, though the child and its mother were unconcerned with anyone else at the moment."Pato, you have to eat your vegetables!" his mother scolded him, attempting to shove a spoon full of peas and carrots into her unruly son's mouth.Vegeta stumbled, his body suddenly struck by weakness, and he steadied himself on the lunch counter with the unbroken arm of his. "I...I think I remember...my name..." he panted, his head throbbing with pain as a memory squeezed itself out of whatever road block had happened inside his mind and into his consciousness. "I am...Vegeta." he suddenly recognized himself in the pale reflection on the glass sneeze guard between the customers and the food.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Well then, I ll have to show you what this world has to offer if this world is to possibly end up being your new home. I think searching for the dragon balls will be more fun than we expect it to be, Bulma spoke as she began to put different plates of food onto her tray. One was modestly filled, which was most likely for her. The others, though, each held an amount that would satiate at least two people. Somehow, the young woman had a feeling this mysterious male had an appetite that was more than the average person. That would be something she d find out soon enough, once they were settled at a table.As much as she wanted to bombard him with questions, Bulma knew it wasn t a good idea for the time being. He would need to remember things on his own, to let the memories come back naturally rather than trying to poke and prod through interrogations. She was becoming lost in her own thoughts while she loaded the tray up with food before the protesting child caught their attention. Shrieking kids are the worst, yeah? she asked her companion, only to see him suddenly stumble. Without a moment of hesitation, Bulma rush to his side to help steady him, staying silent as she waited for whatever was taking place to pass. Vegeta? she asked, taking a moment to let the name sink into her memory. It seems that remembering things causes you pain. It s like what you said earlier, about how trying to think too much about things that feel familiar makes your head hurt. One hand came to rest on his back, just between his shoulder blades. Well, at least I have a name to use now. It d be really weird to just call you guy or something the whole time. Whenever he felt he was ready and they had gotten the food they wanted, Bulma found a table for them to sit at that was a good distance away from the upset child. She placed the tray down and began to put the various plates of food onto the table before sitting down. Remembering your name is a good step in the right direction. Does the sound of it give you any familiar feelings? she asked, placing her bag down beside her and taking a moment to rummage through it to retrieve a small notepad and a pen. I want to record things that you remember. Maybe the details can help us figure out where you came from. So far, we know that your name is Vegeta and you have a tail. My dad could try seeing if your name has any connection to the ship you arrived in, she said, jotting down some notes while she spoke. Her free hand pulled the bowl of fruit salad she had gotten herself a bit closer.She flipped a few pages of her notepad before settling on a page that had information about the dragon balls, including a colored sketch of what they might look like. This drawing is just based on a verbal description. The few people who know about them have said they ve been around for centuries, but no one knew if anyone has made a wish in the past or not. I doubt it s been done, though. It would take multiple lifetimes to find all seven by searching blindly. I just hope the device I ve been working on will be able to pick up on the locations of the balls.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Vegeta was grateful that Bulma helped him steady himself, though it wasn't necessary, the experience was more jarring than traumatic, and now that he'd recovered that key component of his own identity, he felt a sense of relief. The name did not bring him any discomfort or negative associations. The person staring back at him from his reflection now looked like a face he could feel...proud of, if that made sense."It's a little annoying. But at least it seems to have helped trigger my memory to return that much. Buy the little brat a treat or something, maybe." he watched the mother wagging her finger at the boy as he mashed the food with his hands. "The pain would be worth it if I could remember more. Maybe I just need to hear certain phrases or words to jog my memory. But my name doesn't sound exactly like that word 'vegetables' so maybe not all words in your language will make it possible for me to recognize them. But we can try. If there are sound broadcasts I can listen to those and hope something comes along to awaken more dormant memories." he suggested.He wasn't sure what the new items he was being served were, and most of them weren't hot so he couldn't get a hint as to whether they would be good based on smell. He picked up something that ended up being a slice of apple pie. He picked off a piece of the crust and rubbed it on his tongue. A bit bland. He took a bite out of the slimy yellow stuff in the middle and smiled. "Wow...this isn't bad at all." he popped the rest of the apple slice into his mouth. He took a large bite of the pie, crust and all, and found that while the crust was bland on its own, it complemented the taste of the apples inside it. "Huh...how about that." he laughed, not knowing about such culinary subtlety. "One part doesn't taste very good, but when you mix it with the other, it makes them both even better." he suspected she already knew this, but she seemed to think it was, perhaps, 'cute' that he was discovering these basic things as if for the first time.He tried more things. A pear, a small plate of spaghetti, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, crackers, a bag of potato chips, some cheese cubes, a bunch of grapes, a Sloppy Joe, a slice of pizza, and a tuna sandwich. He seemed like he wasn't full even after all that, but when he finished all of it, literally ALL of it, he didn't then ask for more. "I think I'm definitely going to like it here. Something tells me food wasn't something meant to be enjoyed where I came from. Probably eaten just for survival. I'm betting I must have been some kind of soldier." he reasoned, putting pieces together, not least of all his seemingly instinctive lust for violence. "I forgot to ask, what kind of outfit was I wearing when you found me? Or was it too damaged to really tell? That might give some hint about who I was before." he remembered something that might confirm his hypothesis. A military style uniform might have been a giveaway if he was a soldier."Is it important to find all these dragon balls? If you could wish for anything, one person's memories isn't really all that important in the grand scheme of things. It sounds like, at least your family, doesn't have any real wants. Is it more about doing something no one else has ever done before? If we even found one, that would still be something impressive. Maybe we don't have to look at it quite that way, as the only objective being finding all of them and making a wish." he shrugged, not knowing whether he would actually want to know the real truth if it was bad. Could he wish that it wasn't bad? Was that even something possible to wish for, since it would likely involve time travel and erasing his reason for being there on Earth to find the dragon balls in the first place? Just the thought of it was giving him a headache. "Anyway, I'm on board helping hunt them down. I just don't want you to get your hopes up and be disappointed if things don't turn out how you wanted them. I don't want to see you hurt or sad." he reached across the table and put a hand over hers.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Don t worry, I can get a radio set up in your room so that you can have something to listen to. Just don t try to overload yourself, though. Remembering one thing is enough to give you a bad headache. Remembering too many things at once might be potentially dangerous, Bulma said as she started to dig into her plate of food. Still, she couldn t help but watch as Vegeta powered his way through one dish after another, easily surpassing what even a competitive eater could comfortably get through. There were a few moments when she caught herself staring too much, but she couldn t help it. The specimen across the table from her was so...fascinating, unknown to her as well as to himself. Yet somehow, fate decided that it would be her to find him, this mysterious creature from who knows where. But why?His question about what he had been wearing pulled her from her thoughts, thankfully. O oh, umm...some sort of royal blue bodysuit with a white chest armor. There was some sort of emblem on the chest, but it s hard to make out what it was due to all the damage it took in the crash landing, she explained before taking a sip of her drink. White boots and gloves, too. The doctors bagged everything up for my father to take home. It s most likely in his lab, so we can look there. Maybe the clothes and armor can help you remember some things as well. Just based on your appearance, whatever you did before coming here was something physical, so you could be right about the soldier thing. Finishing her food, Bulma slid her plate off to the side and took a brief moment to glance between her single plate and his numerous ones. Well, looking for the dragon balls will definitely add some adventure to my life. When your family is rich, you can basically have everything you want. The latest fashion, the newest tech. You re automatically thrown into the rich people club and most of those people are pretty fake on the outside. Inside, they re pretty stuck up, thinking they re better than everyone who has less money than they do. I guess you could say I don t have any reasons to want for anything. But that life just gets so boring. It starts out fun, but then you get used to everything. There s no adventure, no excitement. I m either being asked to go to some party or asked to go out on a date by someone who just wants to tell his friends they re dating Bulma Briefs. She sighed, feeling quite tired of the lifestyle. Sure, it was nice to be able to pay for what you want, but there was no lasting fun in that. Nothing memorable to come from it.But now, she had an alien in her life. No one could say the same, and if he really did help her in her search for the dragon balls, then her desire for adventure would certainly become a reality. The feeling of his hand resting over her own made her smile, and she turned her hand over to lightly squeeze his. You don t have to worry about that. I know there s a possibility that they might not even exist. One thing my dad tells me is that sometimes, the journey is more important than the end result. And who knows, maybe helping me search might get you to remember some things about yourself along the way. With her free hand, she picked up her drink to enjoy a little more of it. Still, there s a lot riding on this for you as there is for me. Have you thought about what you ll do once you have your memories back? she asked. I mean, there are so many ways that could end up. What you remember could be either good or bad. You could pick up where you left off or start something new, you know? As she spoke, her thumb unconsciously stroked along the back of his hand. I guess this could be a case of we ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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He was too preoccupied with devouring his way through the hospital cafeteria's inventory to notice Bulma, or for that matter, virtually everyone else in the cafeteria staring in awe at his appetite. Even if they didn't know he was an alien visitor, just that behavior alone would be remarkable on its own and get attention. He did look up and nod when she theorized it would be potentially dangerous to remember too much at once. Just remembering his own name had been agonizing.She described his armor and while it did conjure up an image of his body in similar garb, he didn't feel the pain of remembering it the way he had before. "I figured as much. There weren't any kind of weapons intact, were there? Somehow I get the feeling I didn't need to use any. It's more like...a kind of instinct, muscle memory that my brain doesn't have to rely on. I feel like I always fought hand to hand, without needing any kind of weapons. If I'm strong enough to survive a spaceship crash, I must be pretty powerful in a fist fight." he reasoned, holding up the non broken arm and clenching his fist. It was barely noticeable but the table did shake slightly from the minor shockwave of doing so, without even making contact with the table. He didn't think anything of it, having no conscious memory of energy projection ability he possessed."So if we run into any trouble during the quest for the Dragon Balls, they better think twice about messing with us." he thumped his chest, trying to seem macho. "I can understand feeling bored when too many things are going your way. Everyone likes a challenge. Just don't let it overwhelm you. I obviously got in way over my head to end up like this." he rubbed his cast, squeezing it a little and feeling the fiberglass dent under his fingers, folding as though it was made of paper. Rather than testing his strength any further, he let it go, not wanting the flimsy thing to keep his arm from setting the bone back into place so it could heal properly. Though at the rate he was recovering, he would probably no longer need it the day after when he woke up the next morning.He narrowed his eyes when he thought about what to do if and when he got his memory back in its entirety. "Well, if this is how they treat soldiers where I come from, they can forget calling me back to duty." he snorted. "I'd rather lend my services to a place that has more respect for me than that. Someplace that doesn't deserve to have hostile invaders ruining everything. I should probably work on getting stronger while I'm here, to make sure I can handle anything that might cross our doorstep looking to start trouble. I wonder just how strong I am just as it is now. But I won't try to exert myself until your doctors give me a clean bill of health. I don't want to have to spend more time in this place than I have to so hurting myself doing something reckless is the last thing I'd want to do right now." he resolved, smiling confidently.
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Dragonball: A New Beginning (Mathim x Siouxsie Asylum)
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Well, muscle memory is probably the best form of memory. Your mind may forget things but your body will remember routine things. Maybe you were some kind of soldier who fought in hand to hand combat. It wouldn t be surprising, though, considering the frame you have. Bulma placed her drink down to slowly flip through the sketchbook, scanning over some hastily written notes while her other hand continued to idly hold the alien s hand. You should definitely take a look at the clothings that you came here in. That could probably confirm any suspicions you have about being a soldier before coming here. Consciously, her hand lightly squeezed his. If what you remember turns out to be...not the greatest thing ever, this could be an opportunity to change things for yourself. I m not telling you what to do with your life. Just sharing my thoughts, that s all. And I wouldn t think less of you if things were bad in your past. I mean, you haven t done anything bad since being here, and I don t get the feeling that you will. I guess I just don t want you to think that whatever your past holds will decide who you are. But maybe I m just getting ahead of myself. Who knows, you could be some powerful defender whose ship went off course. We won t really know anything until you re able to really start remembering those details. She released his hand, almost hesitantly, but the young woman didn t want to make anything feel too awkward for him.After closing her sketchbook, she leaned back into her seat and listened to him speak of the need to be cautious until he was fully healed a statement she supported strongly. Good point. You should definitely take things easy until your body is 100 percent. Thankfully that won t be too long. Your body has been healing pretty quickly. Even the minor cuts and scratches you had when you arrived are barely there. The doctors are barely able to keep up, since they would normally have someone in your condition here for at least a month, she explained, eyes fixed on the ceiling for a moment as she thought. But once you re well, I think we can find ways to test your strength. Might even be able to construct a place for you to train. That would probably take more time since we have to get a good idea of your strength beforehand. And considering you were able to survive such an intense crash, the probability of you being much stronger than the average martial artist is pretty high. Bulma leaned over to reach into her bag, pulling out what looked like a video communication device. I almost forgot I had this. It belonged to one of my friends before we stopped being friends. It s been in my bag for a few days, but the battery on this thing is still good With a smile, she handed the device to him. It was fairly compact in design and looked somewhat simple to use. The red button is used to turn it on and off. The blue button will let you call my device directly. I won t be able to come to the hospital every day while you re here, so this is a way for you to reach me until you re discharged. Much better than those bulky mobile phones people are all about these days. Just ignore the big pink heart sticker on the back. I can t seem to take the thing off. I ll give you a call on it once I m home. I can keep you company that way. She sighed, taking a moment to close her sketchbook and stow it into her bag. I should probably start heading home, though. I can t be out too late since I have school in the morning. But I ll definitely stop by afterwards and bring you more food. No gross green stuff this time, though. I promise. She stood up, putting her bag onto her back before gathering the numerous bowls and plates. I ll walk you back to your room. Speaking of rooms...I ll need to get my parents comfortable with the idea of having a guy my age in the house. They ll probably have our rooms on opposite ends of the house. The last statement made her chuckle. Mr. and Mrs. Briefs were very easy going, but still maintained certain rules for their daughter.
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"You promised you would never leave..." (Pand0ra and Sylvis)
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Bella! BELLA! She jerked her head up as the sound of Charlie's shouting finally broke through the haze of dreariness about her. What? She asked Charlie quietly. Dark brown eyes glanced around the living room doing a quick inventory. Floor cleaned couch arranged properly. Everything was at is should be. She looks at Charlie quizzically, unable to determine why he was shouting at her. I ve been talking to you for the last five minutes, have you heard a thing I ve said? He asks with a sigh of frustration. Bella had been under a cloud of depression ever since the day the Cullens left. He had hoped that after a month or so she would get over the odd boy and move on with her life, but his daughter was a lifeless husk. Sure, she worked, she ate, slept, breathed, and talked. But that spark of life, that will to live, was simply absent. Sorry Charlie, did I forget to do the dishes? She asks with concern. Bella had been on her best behavior for a while now, she couldn t imagine why he was yelling at her. No He responds with a sigh. When are you going to go out with your friends? All you ve been doing for months is droning around. Maybe I should send you back to Renee That woman could brighten anyone s day. This thought sparked a pang of pain within him as he thinks back on when they were young and in love. Shaking his head, he looks back up towards Bella, taking in the lifeless pale skin, the darkness under her eyes that marked long sleepless nights, and the book in her hands that she had been staring at for the last thirty minutes. Bella frowned, tilting her head, which caused her dark brown locks to shift before saying. Mom and Phil aren t even in Phoenix right now. I would just be living in an empty house. Breathing out a long breath, she asks. Did I do something wrong? I ve been getting good grades... going to work, staying out of trouble She closes the Calculus book she had been reading, visibly giving Charlie her full, undivided, attention. Charlie shifted uncomfortably in the recliner across from her. No, you haven t done anything wrong, but, when are you going to get over that boy? You ve been moping around for months. You haven t gone out with friends, or brought anyone over in all that time, the only times you leave the house are when you go to work or school. Staying inside all the time isn t healthy. He had more he wanted to say, but for now, that would have to do. So, the problem is I don t have a social life? She states with a flat tone. Unbelievable, she had been doing everything right, and now he was going to get on her case because she wasn t wasting time on frivolous things? Fine Charlie, I ll I don t know, go to the next party on the beach, is that ok with you? She tossed that out there because honestly, she couldn t think of anyone she wanted to hang out with off the top of her head. At least if she went to a beach party, she could just hide in the shadows thrown by a flickering fire and work on homework without Charlie getting any more annoyed. Sighing, he says. That will do, for now, but you need to remember, you have friends you know. He looks outside, then down at his watch and starts to stand. It s getting late, I have work in the morning. Try to get some sleep Bella. With those parting words, he started to make the way up the stairs. Once Charlie s door shut, Bella sighed, standing from the rather warm seat she had been sitting in, crossing to the light switch by the door, she turned off the lights before going up stairs to her own room. It was going to be a long night. Every time she fell asleep, she would dream about that party that had ended it all. About the boy she loved. Even many months later, she still remembered the feel of his icy cold, marble smooth lips on hers.
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"You promised you would never leave..." (Pand0ra and Sylvis)
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"Ah, young love,"Victoria sighed wistfully as she trailed her fingertips over one of the three framed photographs above the fireplace. Each photo showed the same couple two smiling, happy young people. Newlyweds."It's so nice while it lasts, isn't it? But then the years pass and he starts to get restless and reckless and soon you'll find yourself wondering what you ever saw in him in the first place,"her tone turned bitter as she stared at the young man in the photograph. Blonde, like James had been."Could be his persistence. The way he hunted you, chased you for years and years, never giving up. There's something to be admired about that. That's what drew you in his persistence. But his cruelty, the beautiful, intoxicating way he could turn even the most basic hunt into a game of terror and pain that's why you stayed."Behind her, she heard a whimper, followed by a muffled sob. She didn't turn around and instead made her way around the room, trailing her fingers lightly across the furniture and decorations. It was all very 21st century. Very modern and banal. Victoria's lip curled in distaste."But of course, there's always something new and exciting out there. A new revolution, a new war, a new girl with a mouthwatering scent that drives him to the point of obsession."Nearly black eyes rolled in resigned annoyance."I mean, it was fun the first time around. She only had one vampire protecting her. An easy kill. But seven? What in God's name was he thinking?"she asked her own reflection as she came upon it in the long, thin mirror against the wall. The inhumanly beautiful redhead in the glass stared back at her with the same look of anger and incredulity on her perfect features.That look was quick to fade though as Victoria paused for a moment to admire her own beauty and reached up to brush a stray curl away from her eyes."Men,"she muttered."Even after four centuries, I still don't understand them. When they're not thinking with their cocks, they're thinking with their bloody noses. Who needs common sense when you've got supernatural strength and beauty, right? Wrong!"she shouted, the glass of the mirror cracking beneath the tip of her index finger. There was a muffled, startled yelp from behind her, then more sobs.Victoria took a breath and continued in a calmer tone."That is the type of reckless thinking that can get you killed."Turning away from the mirror, she sauntered over to the couch where two people were seated next to each other. These were the same two people from the picture frames above the fireplace. A man and a woman in their mid twenties, both rather average looking by human standards. Both had their arms and legs broken in various places so that they couldn't get far even if they were brave enough to attempt an escape. Both were gagged with bundled up items of clothing to muffle their screams and sobs."I warned him,"Victoria told her captive audience."I begged him,"she hissed, speeding closer to the man, enjoying the way he flinched at her sudden close proximity. There was nothing more intoxicating than the look and smell of fear on a human."But he didn't listen, did he? He never did. And now he's dead."Pouting, she reached out to brush the damp blonde hair from the young man's clammy forehead."All because of her an insignificant human girl. I have to wonder, what is it about her that would make a coven of vampires kill one of their own kind just to protect her?"she muttered thoughtfully, searching terrified blue eyes as if she truly expected to find the answer there. She didn't.Disappointed, Victoria sighed and straddled the young man's lap, taking great pleasure in the muffled gasps and grunts of pain brought about by the movement."I bet you're wondering what any of this has got to do with you, aren't you, Pete? You've never even met Isabella Swan. Don't worry, you're not missing much,"she assured as she caught one of the tears rolling down his cheek with the back of her finger."I have to kill her, you see. I have to avenge my mate. Even though he was a fucking idiot, still loved him, and he's dead because of her. So, I have to kill her, to make them pay for what they did, to make her pay for the role she played in it. But I can't make it too quick, you know? Where's the fun in that?"Victoria grinned, an excited gleam in her eyes."No, it needs to be slow and painful and beautiful,"she added with a whisper, framing his face gently with her hands."I can't risk losing control and ending it too soon. So, I need to make sure I'm properly fed before we start. And that's where you come in, Pete. You see, you and Laura are the main course,"she told him as she leaned in and brushed her lips against the side of his throat."Isabella Swan will be dessert."A few hour later, when Victoria silently made her way into the Swan home through an unlocked window, she was freshly showered and dressed in a lacy purple dress, courtesy of Laura Hansen's closet. It would take days for anyone to notice that the Hansens were missing, weeks for their dismembered bodies to be found deep in the woods, and by then, the animals would have taken care of any evidence that could point to a vampire attack. Their deaths would forever remain a mystery.There were two heartbeats in the house. Victoria knew that the girl lived with her father, who served as the Chief of police in Forks. It was amazing, how easy it was to get information out of humans, even before one started breaking bones. She had considered killing the father Charlie Swan before having her fun with his daughter, but ultimately decided that killing the Chief of police in such a small town would draw too much unnecessary attention. Perhaps once she was done with Isabella and ready to leave the area. But until then, he was nothing more than a mild annoyance.Victoria had been suspicious and careful at first, when she heard that the Cullen coven had disappeared from the area. It seemed unlikely that they would leave their precious human pet behind. But after weeks of careful surveillance, she had determined that they were, in fact, gone. At least for the time being. The faded scents around the girl's bedroom confirmed that there hadn't been a vampire around to visit in at least a month. Victoria's powerful sixth sense told her that they wouldn't be back anytime soon so she wasn't too worried about her little game being interrupted tonight.Isabella appeared to be asleep. Judging by her rapid heartbeat, it wasn't a very peaceful slumber. Did she dream about James? Did Victoria herself ever feature in the girl's nightmares? She could only hope. Smiling at the thought, she closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and hovered above the sleeping girl, careful not to touch her just yet. Victoria inhaled deeply and felt the familiar flames in her throat, slightly dampened thanks to the wonderful meal she'd had earlier. Some part of her even enjoyed the burn of the unquenchable thirst.Satisfied with the knowledge that she'd be able to control herself, she placed a hand carefully over Isabella's mouth and lowered her hips, trapping the girl beneath her weight."Wakey, wakey, little bird,"she called in a sing song voice."Nap time's over. Tori wants to play."
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"You promised you would never leave..." (Pand0ra and Sylvis)
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Bella proceeded to get ready for bed, slipping off her jeans, the jacket and shirt she had worn all day. Grabbing a set of clothes and a towel, she headed for the bathroom. Turning on the water she finished getting undressed and stood under the steaming water as it beat against her bowed head, her neck and shoulders, as it slipped down around her flesh she felt the tears starting again. Heart in her throat, tears burning, she lightly hit her head against the wall. Why did you leave She sighs to herself. Standing there for a time, memories flashing, the time that damn fool boy thought he could trick her into not thanking Him for saving her The first time he had carried her Months and months of memories flashed through her, the pain was like a knife, every time. Even when James had stalked her, and when he tricked her, she still remembered the control it had taken for Him to pull the poisoned blood out of her body without draining her dry. If you had just turned me, it wouldn t have been a problem any longer. She muttered to the shade of the boy she loved. Finally, realizing that the formerly hot water pouring over her had now gotten distinctly cold, she pushed herself off the wall, swiping a hand across her tear stained eyes, she got out of the shower, proceeding to dry herself, and slide on her pajamas before dropping the dirty clothes into the clothes basket. Walking softly into her room while carefully drying her hair, she looked towards the window. The one that He had snuck in time after time. With pain stabbing into her heart, she looked around, not really expecting Him but she could always hope right? Nope, the boy she loved was no where to be seen. Same as he had been for weeks. She still left that window unlocked in invitation, begging him to return in the only way she knew how. They had all gotten rid of their old phones, even Alice She looked around and then said to the empty air. Please come back, Alice. At least there was an even chance the psychic vampire could hear her. Not that it would help. He wouldn t come back just because she begged Alice to convince him. Stupid boy s nobility had sentenced their relationship to the gallows. Sighing morosely, she finally crawled into bed, curling up into a ball, she closes her eyes and starts to breath deeply, keeping her mind carefully blank, it was the only way she could get to sleep these days. Bella. A smile creases her lips as she looks around the indistinct clearing. Ah, she recognized this one. This was the day He took her for a run in the woods. Turning on her side she was leaning in towards Edward when she realized Those eyes weren t a lovely golden hue, nor even the pitch black of hunger. No, this was the red of a hunter. Eyes widening as she takes in those blond locks, the slender hand caressing her cheek. Hello again Bella James stated with that cruel smile. Bella screamed and bolted to her feet, attempting to run away. Strangely, he let her go. As she was running, the forest clearing lead to a room all on it s lonesome, mirrors on all four walls, a wooden lacquered floor four pillars, and in the middle of one wall, a familiar voice called out. Bella, Bella no, come back. It was her mother s voice this was how he had drawn her in last time. Tears streaming down her face she turns, realizing in that moment that... somehow this dream space had her in the middle of a now infinite dance studio. The sound of nails on a chalk board came to her ears, as her stalker walked along the nearest wall of mirrors, drawing a screeching line through each priceless glass panel. You know, it s not half so fun without your protector around to swoop in to the rescue. James stated while eyeing the doe eyed human paralyzed at his approach. A razor sharp smile offered, just as she turns to run into the indeterminate distance, the vampire practically flew to her, pinning her down to the floor, he leaned in and whispered in her ear with a strangely feminine tone Wakey wakey little bird. Nap time s over, Tori wants to play. Brown orbs open on a darkened room as she screams in horror mentally. It took a moment, the transition from sleep to wakefulness made all the rougher by the fact that her dream state, and reality where meshing strangely. A cold strong hand was laid over her mouth, an equally cold, marble hard body pinning her down. She smelled a strange scent. It wasn t His, but it shared a quality with His. She looked into the red eyes perched above her. Bella screamed into the hand, suddenly thrashing as she tries to dislodge the vampire. It was useless of course she probably didn t even make a whimper loud enough to wake her father in his room. There was no shifting that immovable shape pinning her down either. So close to help, and yet so far. It took her a long thirty seconds to realize her helpless situation, but, when it sunk in, the girl finally relaxed into that calm that comes from knowing you can t do anything to help yourself.
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"You promised you would never leave..." (Pand0ra and Sylvis)
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Victoria waited patiently as the girl screamed and thrashed beneath her. She tilted her head curiously, wondering what could possibly be going through a human's mind in a moment like this. Most humans didn't know what she was, when she first attacked. This girl was well aware. She had to know how dangerous vampires were, how utterly hopeless her situation was. The thought brought a smile to Victoria's face."There, there,"she cooed in a deceptively tender tone, using her free hand to brush the hair ever so gently from Isabella's face.The human calmed down much quicker than Victoria expected. She wasn't foolish enough to think that the girl wasn't afraid of her after all, she couldsmellit so the sudden calm must have come from the girl accepting her fate. It was almost impressive. So many of them didn't stop fighting until the very end."I'm going to move my hand. You're welcome to scream for help. I'm certain your father would come running to your rescue at once. Of course, I'd have to kill him too then,"Victoria said, sounding almost regretful at the thought."I'd have no choice. It would be over quickly, for him, if that makes you feel any better,"she assured."I have no need to see him suffer. Although I would make sure that he knew why he was dying. That it was all your fault. Would he forgive you?"It was a genuine question born of true curiosity.Her memories from her human days were very faded now, but Victoria still remembered her own father a cruel, sadistic man. James hadn't been the only one to teach her about pain and cruelty. But she had lived long enough to know that not all fathers were like that. Isabella Swan didn't appear to be sporting any bruises or welts, although Victoria would have to get her clothes off to know for certain. Her gaze trailed thoughtfully down the girl's form as she considered it for a few moments.Smirking, she lifted her gaze back to brown eyes."I suppose you could scream and we'll find out,"she told the girl with a wink before moving the hand from her mouth.
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"You promised you would never leave..." (Pand0ra and Sylvis)
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Bella s eyes where locked with the crimson orbs starting down at her with inhuman hatred, a cold sweat breaking out over her body. She wasn t even wearing the armor of sturdy clothing. So, if she tried to run, barefoot, and in such a flimsy outfit, she wouldn t get far uninjured, even if Victoria was like James and enjoyed playing with her food. As the hand is lifted away, the first words out of her mouth where. How did you get past Edward? She asks, trying to brazen her way out of this. Maybe if she could bluff Victoria into thinking Edward was returning, she would focus on escaping instead of killing her? It was worth a shot. To bad she literally had nothing that would pierce that marbled skin. It would be satisfying to stab the immortal threatening her. Even if it ended with her dead in short order. As she processes the woman s threat against her father, she visibly rolls her eyes and fires back with a bit of a hiss in her tone. I m not stupid enough to get anyone else killed, give me that much credit. As Victoria gives a lingering look down her frame, she narrows her eyes. If you re looking for injuries, look at my wrist, and my x rays. Though I ve long since healed from James oh so tender mercies. Ok, so, Bella was being reckless to the point of insanity. But, in her mind, if she could provoke the vampire, maybe Alice would see what was happening and send Edward for her, before, Victoria made her suffer for weeks on end. Bella thought about James, his thoughts while tormenting her, and then applies that mindset to the woman perched above her, but with the tinge of not just the hunt and excitement, but also the desire for revenge. It was enough to make her already pale skin bleach white as she thought of all the horrible things the vampire could do to her would, do to her, unless Alice saved her.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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As soon as the sun began to rise on the horizon,Lilyopened her eyes and looked up at the sun, feeling it's warmth almost immediately. She looked around slowly and realized she had fallen asleep on Zanagi her gunman. That was a super bad idea. She had fallen once after falling asleep high in the air. She couldn't help it though. She didn't want to join any of her fellow beastman down below. They were all followers, incapable of freely thinking for themselves. They just followed orders blindly, aiming for the extinction of any human that dared set foot on the surface. The worst part though was that they liked it. They enjoyed policing the surface, keeping it barren and barely filled with any signs of life. Well, there were plenty of animals to hunt. Speaking of which, she was pretty hungry.She got up and stretched, her red eyes surveying all beneath her. It looked as if the others were slowly waking up. Though she didn't see her General anywhere. Perhaps he also felt like hunting? Who knew...he liked to do a lot of things on his own. Even though she was the only one who was brave enough to approach him, he still remained distant from her. Sometimes he would even tell her to leave him be, but..she just felt like he was different from everyone else, who blindly followed orders. He knew something that no one else knew, and she wanted to know what it was. She climbed down Zanagi and once her feet touched the ground she took off, going to a nearby river. Fish was good, she wanted that to eat. Oh, and she needed to wash her face. Being cramped up in Zanagi all day while they traveled to find Dai Gunzan. After seven long years, they had finally gotten a lead on where it was, and Viral wanted it back.She didn't know what the big deal was. Perhaps maybe he wanted to crush the last thing that could give them a fighting chance? Though their spirits were already broken after losing the majority of there comrades when they dared to go against Lord Genome. For some reason this felt really, really wrong to her. No doubt they wouldn't be expecting an attack after so long, but...what could she do? If she tried to speak against them, it wouldn't take long for her to be branded a traitor and delivered straight to the very being that was responsible for her creation. She was skating a thin line of ice as it was, because unlike anyone else she would actually ask for a reason to carry out an order instead of just doing it. It made others talk. She was an outcast, that was for sure. The others sensed that she didn't have the same blind dedication as they did.Finally, she made it to the river. She sat on the bank and allowed her bare feet to submerge in the water as she splashed her face a bit so she could clean up. Though her thoughts did not stop there. During the great battle between the human resistance and the beastman, she had to kill many people, and she hated it. She hated that there wasn't a reason other than the fact that they were human. It took her a long time to sleep after that day, because she felt like she had snuffed out innocent lives just because they wanted to live freely on the surface. She wondered exactly how long she could continue living this way. She felt blind, helpless, and guilty.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Seven years.It had been seven years since those filthy apes dared set foot in Teppelin. The leader of the human resistance, Simon, had tried to kill Genome in his own throne room. However, he'd missed his chance when the Spiral King managed to overpower Lagann that pesky little red Gunman that could fuse to another and hijack it for its own purposes. Genome had nearly killed the digger, and it was only with Rossiu's timely intervention that they'd managed to escape. The large Teppelin Gunman too was far too powerful to destroy on their own Team Gurren had suffered heavy casualties, as did the Beastmen. But their superior firepower and tactics overwhelmed the apes, and had them go into hiding.But now that the humans were on the run, Genome ordered them found and executed on sight. Given that his four Supreme Generals had perished during various encounters Thymilph, Adiane, Guame and Cytomander, in that exact order the King was pressed to rise a new leader. The obvious choice wasViral having served under two Generals and survived several encounters, as well as saving Adiane, he'd proven himself more than capable of leading the remainder of Beastman forces.Which he was doing as of right now: Viral had given the order to find and seize the Dai Gunzan, as well as kill every last human onboard. For too long those naked apes had desecrated his former commander's flagship. Even if Thymilph was a cruel bastard, he respected the General almost as much as he worshiped the Spiral King. He'd sworn revenge on Kamina, but after learning he had died in their first encounter aboard the Dai Gunzan, all he had was his desire to take the battleship for himself.But a certainsomeonehad conveniently decided to go missing more than likely out hunting for food, but still, his senses told him something else was bothering her. Of course, with what he'd been shown, she had some sense in feelign that way. But he wasn't going to say anything if he did, it might just push everything apart. And it was all hands on deck for this operation. He'd gone after her on his own, after several skilled subordinates had no idea where was she was. Thankfully, his sharp sense of smell and bioelectric detection capability proved to lead him right to her plus, with the barren and stony flat environment, there weren't many places to hide effectively in this area.He eventually found her cleaning herself at a stream likely she was fishing too. That woman loved her fish whenever she could get her hands on it. But the way she held herself, she seemed to be moping. Again. Scratching at his long blond hair with one of his clawed hands, his narrow golden hues focused on the soldier before him as he approached her just what exactly was her problem, he wondered. "Lily!" General Viral shouted, a slight breeze kicking and rustling his clothes. "You're lucky I found you. The others were talking of leaving you behind. We should get going before the trail goes cold, and we both knowtheydon't like to stay in the same location for too long."
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Lily had finished washing up and was now on shin deep in the river, her back turned towards the direction she came. She was so focused on catching fish that she didn't even notice her general come from behind her. She had caught one tiny fish but it wasn't enough, she was still hungry. Then she saw it...one of the biggest fish she had seen in a long time headed down stream towards her. She did not move her feet, but she was in a crouch, preparing herself to grab at it with her claw like nails. Though as soon as she was about to pounce, she heard her general shout her name and lost her concentration, losing balance and landing face first into the water. Oh great. That was embarrassing. She quickly rose to her feet and got out of the river, her hair and clothes dripping wet. "General Viral...I'm sorry. I must have been gone longer than I thought." She started to shake her head back and forth wildly along with her body, trying to get the majority of the water off her and her dress. Though once she was finished, she noticed that she had gotten him wet."Ahhh! Oh god, I'm so sorry! The wind must be strong! I'm uhhh...I'm just gonna go back now, okay?" She gave him a sheepish smile, and then broke out into a light jog. Crap. What was wrong with her? She never really liked water so it was almost like a reflex for her to shake like that. Her tail twitched in agitation as she slowed to a walk and then sighed. "Umm...actually..." She began quietly, her expression once again distraught. Since they were away from the others it was as good as time as any for her to talk to him about what had been bothering her. She wasn't really sure that he cared...after all, the only thing he was concerned about was continuing to follow the trail. Still, she wouldn't be able to let this go.She waited for him to catch up with her, and she turned to him. He really did have a scary expression, but then again he always did. Many were afraid of him, and for a good reason. There were lots of legends about him and the way he held himself just reinforced them. He was only one person and yet he took the place of four generals, doing all of their jobs single handedly. There were rumors that eventually there would be four generals again, but right now Viral was doing fine by himself and no one else had proved themselves worthy. Taking a deep breath, Lily finally spoke. "When we take back Dai Gunzan...can't we just let the humans go? I mean, they haven't really done anything these past seven years...it's obvious they don't want to fight us anymore. They're just trying to survive is all."
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Viral raised an arm in tim to shield himself from getting splased in the face the water from the stream wasn't that cold, especially since the sun almost always shined out here. But still, the weight from the unwelcome moisture addition aggravted him just as he lowered the limb to see where Lily had been, she decided to shake herself dry. And get him even more wet. She would receive quite the glare, his lips closed tight but his narrow slitted pupils even narrower."Good. We need to stay on course." was his only reply to her statement it didn't matter than she'd gotten ahead of him. He only walked slow because he was trying to squeeze some of the water out of his clothing. But when he did catch up to her, it was because she seemed to have stopped. Was she waiting for him? And if so, for what reason? It wasn't like he didn't know the way back to the campsite. "What is it?" he asked her, his tone conveying a sense of urgency.His answer came in the form of an unexpected question, his eyes widening in surprise Lily, aside from being one of his best trackers, was vital to the defense of Teppelin. She'd killed so many was this what was really bothering her? "Lily. You should know better than to ask that question. Be lucky you're not in camp alone right now." he then replied to her question. "But the short answer is no. The humans want us dead just as badly as we want them dead. If we stopped for any reason, they'd hit us hard. As long as they have the will and ability to fight, they are a threat and must be dealt with."And with that, he just walked past her and added, "Come on. And for your own safety, don't talk about this while we're among the others. Last thing I need is a bloodbath among my own ranks because of your sentimentality."
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Lily knew that she would be scolded for asking such a question, but she didn't care. When she got her answer, she wasn't satisfied at all. How did he know what the humans wanted? Granted, she didn't either, but she wouldn't mind talking them and asking. Besides, even after learning that Nia was the Spiral King's daughter, they accepted her. If both races gave each other a chance, they surely could co exist. At least that's what she believed. When he walked passed her, she followed closely at his heels."But General!" She cried out, though deep down she knew there was absolutely nothing she could say to convince him. So she stopped herself. "Fine..." With defeat in her voice, she walked back wit him towards camp."It's about time you came back, Lily!" One of the more stuck up of her comrades growled just as she was sighted. "You're lucky you have vital skills to our cause, otherwise we would have just left you behind!" He taunted. Lily just glared at him and then went back to Zanagi. Now that the sun was fully up, it's silver plating shined brightly. She just gazed at it for a moment before sucking her teeth and jumping into the cockpit. Pressing a button, Zanagi came to life, and the hatch closed with her inside of it.If no one will hear me out, then I guess I'll just have to find answers myself.She thought to herself. What she was considering was punishable by death. She didn't want to continue living like this though. Kept in the dark, not being able to think freely. She might as well be dead already.As their group started to move out, Lily trailed behind sluggishly as she started to think about how to best go about this. She would let Viral have Dai Gunzan back, but she wanted to save these humans. She had killed many of their brethren and she felt like she had to make up for it. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to look on her radar. It hurt that she was about to betray the her people, but...she couldn't do it. She couldn't kill one more human without knowing why.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Viral finally arrived back at the temporary base of operations if only they had their ship back, he thought. It had everything they needed: Refrigeration, running water, and most important of all armor and weapons. He looked around the camp many were either snoozing in the heat of the sun or working on their blocky stout mechs. Some seemed to have just gotten back from hunts themselves. He felt too exposed out here granted, he was no slouch in hand to hand or Gunman to Gunman combat, but having his unit separated like this was a bit unnerving.At least on the Dai Gunzan, the central radar could be linked to each individual mech and their progress tracked. But now he had to trust everyone kept their eyes on their sectors while many in his unit were capable, the truth is a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And there were a significant number of weak links here. Unfortunately, unlike his former commander, he did not have the luxury of terminating slouchers. He needed every body he could get.After a few hours of letting his troops cook their meals and get themselves ready, he climbed to the top of his personal Gunman the Enkidudu and shouted, "Alright! Enough sitting around! It's going to get dark soon! We should head towards the mountain range to the east and make as much progress as we can! Get your gear and load up! We're moving out in five minutes!" A collective "Yes, General!" rang out from the crowd, and soon the campsite was abuzz with activity.Right on cue, the group moved out five minutes later hoots and hollers shouted over the intercoms about what they would do to the humans once they found them. Several times, Viral had to shout at them to shut it and watch their sectors it was something they always did and something he tolerated usually. The humans hadn't been seen in years, so in their minds, what were the chances of them being attacked? They were on the run, an enemy on their trail with their King's blessing and the drive to exterminate not just out of duty, but out of pleasure and wanting.Two of the rowdier Beastmen, piloting what appeared to be giant green blocks with faces, stout legs and long arms, noticed that Lily's Gunman was trailing behind and gave each other a knowing grin. Time to have some fun with her. "Oi, aren't you supposed to be closer to the front? You are one of the trackers, right?" commented one, the communication coming in on a private channel. "Bet you she's trying to think of some way to charm General Viral, aren't you, Lily? We see you trying to cozy up to him. Too bad those fat lumps on your chest don't help, hahahaha." said the other. "Tell you what, why not let us have some fun with them? We like 'em big just as much as anyone else." both then said, one right after the other in a rather perverted tone.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Lily was hearing everything her pack was saying about what they would do to the humans. It was rather annoying, though technically it was the only thing to do other than watch their individual radars. Zanagi had an especially superior radar that had a much longer range than most beastmen's gunmen. When she was closer to a cub, she had a different one. One that she couldn't even remember the name of. It was pretty crappy, but after proving herself at being the best hunter of her ranks, she got Zanagi and had been with it ever since. Even when it was badly damaged in the last uprising, she managed to get it fixed up and working even better than before.She growled and then turned the public channel off. She didn't want to hear them anymore. It was probably a bad idea, but if General Viral needed to speak to her he could always hop on a private channel directly to her. He probably wouldn't be all too happy with that. After all, if someone spotted something she needed to hear about it. Though she was positive this would be another day of just trailing behind those humans. Ugh, this was a pain. She leaned her head back and sighed. Her recent decision to betray all the people she considered family...more or less...was weighing on her heart. Lily was loyal through and through, and this was the first time she had thoughts about leaving. She wouldn't raise a hand to her own people, at least not yet. She just wanted to help the humans.Suddenly a private channel opened up and she opened her eyes. At first she thought Viral had already found out she turned off the public channel, but then she heard two obnoxious voices over the channel. Damn it, these two just messaged her to cause trouble. At first, she was about terminate the channel, reaching towards the button to end communications. Then she heard them talk about how she wanted to charm Viral and her hand stopped. She started to blush, and no doubt they would see her face thanks to the camera that would come on when a channel was small enough. She could also see their ugly faces as they made fun of her. Her? Trying to charm Viral? For a moment she was silent as her heart began to race when she thought about him. It was true that she did enjoy being around Viral more than she should have despite him being wary of her. Though trying to charm him? No.Then that remark about her "lumps". It made her wrap her arms around her body and glare into the camera so both of them could see. "Shut up! You shitheads don't know anything! Mind your own business or else! Don't forget I'm superior to you both in every way. Or do we need a demonstration?" She gave them a challenging glare, though a grin was on her face. An evil looking one. Lily was pretty damn level headed...unless you pushed the wrong button. Her boobs were definitely the wrong subject to talk about, especially so lewdly. Though she also wasn't too happy about them mentioning General Viral. Rumors didn't need to spread about that within their ranks. Or maybe it already had? Who cares, if they poked at her too much she'd show them some fun...just not the kind they requested.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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The two beastmen grinned as Lily so formally challenged them having been previously under Thymilph's command, fear of something wasn't exactly in their playbook. "Ohoho, she's even feistier than usual! We haven't found the humans yet, so count me in for a fight!" one of them said, smiling at Lily, whilst the other stated, "Let's just hope you can keep, Lily! Hopefully you'll be more useful as a punching bag than a soldier!"Viral, meanwhile, was up ahead of the pack while he didn't have quite the radar abilities of a Gunman like Zanagi, it was something to be said about his machine's mobility and array of weaponry, from the single cannon aboard his head to the missile launchers. Combined with its multi jointed design, it was truly a devastating Gunman. Even still, the particle cannon was something he wanted to try and utilize to its fullest however, now the humans had his damn helmet. And when he took back the Dai Gunzan, one of the first orders of business would be reclaim that lost piece of the Enkidudu."Sector 4, report in" he commanded all that was said was, "Nothing on visual or radar fields, General". A short statement, but that's what he needed. Viral ran through the other units, asking for status updates and coming up short on every single one. An aggravating prospect, but he couldn't afford to lose his head. Little did he realize what was going on toward the back of his platoon."Sector 27, report." Viral stated, only to be met with silence. Damn it, was Lily still moping? "Lily! Report!" he shouted he then punched a few keys and accessed the override channel, only to find her being harassed by two of his own and in turn threatening them. "Great..." he mumbled he then called out, "Company, halt!" forcing the unit to stop in its tracks. Turning his mech towards the back, Enkidudu removed the scythe from his forehead before a cannon shot fired, landing right in front of the three troublemakers, sending a shockwave that blasted all of them onto their backs."Andri! Etoc!" his voice carried out over the barren lands, his Gunman's 'mouth' moving to form the words. The two beastmen that had been giving Lily a hard time were quite slow to get up in their mechs, but when they did, Viral was standing before them. "General! It's not what you think!" Etoc started to say, but Viral cut him off "Shut it! If I catch either of you slacking again or bothering anyone on duty, I'll gut you and leave you for the carrion feeders! Plain and simple. Understand!?" Both were silent for a minute, but then said with fear saturating every syllable, "Yes, General!"He then turned his attention to Lily, "And you, I want you up front with me. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not about to lose the human's trail and I certainly don't need you compromising us because you can't keep your temper in check." Lily was a great fighter, but at the same time, she could be unstable. And given what she asked of him before, it was obvious now he needed to keep a very close eye on her. He then gave the command, "Alright! Forward! Extend spread to fifteen hundred meters! And don't leave a single stone unturned until we reach the mountains!"
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Lily was about to pounce, the blades on Zanagi's "fingers" extending from the tips. Though before she could do anything, suddenly a blast of energy exploded in between her and the dickheads that egged her on. She was immediately thrown back, though she used the jets on Zanagi's back that was meant for forward lunges to completely stop her fall. With a burst of energy Zanagi was back on it's feet. "Momma would never let you fall, Zanagi." Lily cooed to her machine, caressing the wall next to her. She really did love her gunman. "Who did that?! I'll take you all on!" She screamed out loud instead of over the intercom.....Only to realize that the one responsible was her General. She quickly placed her hand over her mouth and hoped to Teppelin that he didn't hear her at all. Perhaps his own screaming at the idiots who started it would drown out hers. When Andri and Etoc were yelled at she grinned. "Ha! Serves you both right, you bottom feeding plebeians." Lily assumed that their private channel was just that..still private. Though Viral probably heard her as well. Though her supposed victory was short lived when Viral turned towards her and ordered her to stay up front with him. Ugh... "Yes sir..." Lily said hesitantly as Zanagi's blades retracted and she followed Viral to the front. This wasn't even her fault, but whatever. Just because she was up front didn't mean she'd have to work any harder.....Lily was half asleep when suddenly Zanagi detected something on the far end of her radar. She jumped quickly and then looked around, wondering where the noise was coming from. The pinging was...oh crap. It was another gunman, way off into the distance. No doubt it was Dai Gunzan from the energy readings she was getting off of it. So they were close...looks like the humans weren't moving. She wished she could warn them, but...she knew that if she tried anything and was found out, she'd be cut down almost immediately afterwards. Lily bit her lip as she debated what to do. The only way she'd truly be able to save them is if she fought alongside them.Opening a private channel so she would not have to hear the others talk, she took a deep breath and spoke the words she really, truly did not want to say. "General Viral, I found our targets." Lily started, though she didn't sound too happy about it. More than likely they hadn't detected them yet. "They are due north west of us. They don't seem to be moving." Lily sent Viral their exact coordinates and waited for his orders. No doubt with the information that she just sent, he'd come up with an attack plan to ambush and surround the humans. She would just have to figure out a plan to intercept his and at least evacuate the humans from the Dai Gunzan. Maybe if Viral got his ship back, he'd stop looking for them...
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Viral just moved with the company, putting the incident behind him he was a General, and he had a unit to lead after all. Breaking up fights like this was actually one of the more constant things about this job: Most Beastmen were grunts who loved trying to prove who the 'alpha' was. It was one reason why Genome created the hierarchy, as well as the Divine Generals: He needed to ensure that some form of cohesion existed so that they could keep the surface free of apes. And now that he was one, it was like having a hundred or so disposable fodder at his beck and call. Except he wouldn't play as fast and loose with their lives like his former superiors did.But then, to shake him from his own mental dwellings, Lily's voice came from the onboard comm array followed by the transmission of the location of a very large signature. Well, at least she was still focused on finding the humans. Still...Something about it seemed too good to be true. However, he ordered his troop forward until they reached the side of the mountain a giant hole seemed to be drilled into the side of it. And it was roughly the size of the flagship seems they went in and likely down. Those apes loved playing in the dirt."Damn it" Viral muttered as he stared at the gaping entrance, biting on his thumb in contempation and impatience. What to do, he thought. No way he was risking sending everyone in, but he couldn't take too few either. Though he couldn't wait forever as night was encroaching, and unfortunately, he had to make a decision: Send everyone in and risk them running out of power partway through the fight, send in a small group to scout out the area, or wait and let the sun come up so that they would have more time to engage the humans. After all, it was a relative handful of smaller Gunman versus an admittedly experienced yet likely shorthanded crew in command of a Dai Gun.Plus, there were a few notable enemies onboard: The leader Simon, a redheaded crackshot, the Spiral King's daughter Nia, and one of Adiane's little 'creations' that she herself had failed to exterminate. He still winced from the last time they met granted he was weaker then, but it was one of the few times he actually almost died. Still, he was weakened like the rest of them and perhaps that would play to his advantage.To avoid giving away their position from potentially intercepted communications, he used visual signals to force everyone to spread out. Once that was done, he then pointed to four random Gunman two of which were Andri and Etoc and ordered them into the cave. They hesitated at first, but Viral reaching for the scythe blade on his Gunman's forehead again was more than enough motivation to carry out their duty. The signal he gave Lily was one of 'Stay right here, and don't move." Before long, the blackness of the entrance seemed to swallow them whole as they disappeared into the mammoth cavern. Minute by minute ticked by, and nothing was heard. Suddenly, however, a bright light flashed from the dark depths, proceeded by a massive column of fire and ash and shaking from the force of the explosion."What the hell?! Form a perimeter! Nothing gets out! Lily, Bo, Zanr, on me!" Viral then shouted, his mech charging into the now well lit cavern entrance small pockets of flame pocked the inside, providing a set of lantern like glows for the small squad to follow their comrade's path. What came next was a big surprise: A massive crater formed at the very center of the cave itself, charred debris from the wrecked Gunmen he'd sent in. Unseen by the others, Viral's hands clenched in rage what the hell had they done?! "Those damned apes..." he growled suddenly Bo spoke up, "General...It appears they removed the IFF module and rigged it to transmit automatically." Viral then snapped, "That's obvious, you moron! Otherwise the flagship would be here! Go outside and tell everyone we're setting up camp for the night!" Zanr and Bo just kind of looked at each other, intimidated by the General's aggression, before going off. Viral then shouted, "And make sure you yell out the safeword! I don't want to see any fratricide!"
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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The closer they got to the energy reading, the more Lily became suspicious as well. The humans should have had their own way to detect them even if they were being as stealthy as the could. Though she said nothing, even when they approached the entrance of the cave. Mhhm...totally screamed trapped. Though Viral decided to send in those two idiots before and not her, so she just stood their and watched from the safety of outside and not in that death trap..the humans weren't stupid, they would just crawl into the side of a mountain and trap themselves when they had to know they still had enemies out thee.Though despite knowing this, she still nearly jumped out of the cockpit of her gunman when she heard shots fired. Were they really in there?! Though a deafening silence followed...it was over too quick.She heard her generals order and immediately followed it. She was definitely curious and wanted to know exactly what had happened. Though it didn't take long for her to get her answer when she approached the cave entrance with Bo, Zanr and her general. The closer she got the more obvious it became as to what had happened. She almost wanted to laugh at the humans and their cleverness, though to be honest she was sad to see her brothers slayed by such a simple trap. Even those two that had bothered her before didn't deserve such a sudden, awful death. Though, this was how life was. It could be given just as quickly as it could be taken away. They were all living on borrowed time...At least though, it was rest time again. Even though the sun was still up, it wouldn't be for long. Lily didn't really have much reason to stick around, though Viral hadn't given her the order to leave with the other two. She wondered if he might try to inspect the cave for more clues or something. When the other two were gone, Lily decided to speak to her general. "Suppose the good news is that they don't have their IFF module anymore?" It wasn't really meant to be a joke but it really did come off as sarcastic. Lily didn't mean to draw more attention to herself by acting so indifferent that the humans had killed four of their own. However, how many of the humans had they killed? Innocent ones, sometimes even the ones that stayed underground?All it took was a few stomps with their gunman to crush and entire village of humans underground. Perhaps they just thought the entire world was better if only the beastman existed, even though they were imperfect with their unquestioning obedience. They rarely ever did anything they weren't ordered to do, which was absolutely boring to Lily. She wanted to do something other than aimlessly wander around looking for a reason to use her gunman against defenseless, harmless creatures. Like maybe actually create something once that wasn't a weapon. Maybe using Zanagi to build a little village or something. She didn't know..she didn't know how life was supposed to be like but she knew that what she was living wasn't how it should be."I am sure we will catch up to the humans soon, General." Those last words of hers were..extremely unenthusiastic and almost robotic. Like she was only saying what she was expected to say. Oh, that was what she was doing...
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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*Elsewhere*Deep within a large cavernous complex sat a Gunman of massive proportions holes in its armor the size of the fists on its 'arms' surrounding the control bridge still remained, and dents covered just as much area. One of the legs that allowed it motion was heavily damaged, and the blade which tipped the bow of the deck was completely broken off, leaving only a jagged stub. Humans and Beastmen worked on fixing as much damage as they could, having found spare metal and parts from scavenging missions of old battlefields.Needless to say, the Battle of Teppelin left much more than just physical damage to their home many lives were lost that day. On both sides. And despite their valiant efforts, they were defeated and forced to run. Live to fight another day, as a wise man once said. Something thatSimon, leader of Team Gurren, kept in mind as he stood on the bridge of the ship. Thanks to some advice from a friend, they'd spent the better part of seven years digging a massive labyrinth of tunnels and caves they decided to stick underground, and use the thick rock to block as much of a radar signal as possible.Simon just seemed to watch the tunnels it certainly wasn't an ideal setup, but it was the best they could do. Their current location had only two points of entry: One mainly was to be able to funnel any enemy forces through a single line, and the other would serve as an emergency exit point should things get too out of control. Soon enough though, a large man his body covered insimplisticarmor, and his arms wrapped in thick bandages approached and stood next to the leader, auto rifle in hand."I'm guessing they fell for the trap. Just like you said they would."Simon commented to him, to which the man replied dryly "Seems that way though they could have easily avoided it." Giving a sigh, he then added, "It might not be much and I know it was not an easy decision to make, but we needed to throw them off our trail. I want to thank you for trusting me."Simon grinned,"Hey, that's what friends do, right? Besides, nice to see that you mellowed out for a change, Exodus."Exodus glared at Simon, his golden hues narrowing as he stated "I asked you not to call me that anymore. You know what that name means to me." Simon's face softened it was true, that name did carry more scars than most might ever want to admit."Sorry. You were called that for so long it's still kind of a habit."the digger replied, to which the man added with a smirk, "True. Still, Irula is the name I was given. Even if it was by that bastard." Like Nia, he too was 'thrown away' as the journey had revealed to him apparently the King didn't like it when his children asked too many questions. However, there seemed to be no 'mass grave' for the princes even now Irula wondered what happened to his sons.Regardless, Genome liked him even less when Simon and Nia broke the mental conditioning Adiane forced on him as part of her twisted experiments to weaponize the humans against their own brethren last he'd heard, the remaining enemy forces were to kill him on sight instead of trying to capture him alive like they had before. Finally, Simon broke the silence and asked,"Wonder how Yoko and Kittan are doing they should be back soon right?"Irula shrugged, "Don't know. I just hope he's not being too much of a handful, though I can understand his pain all too well." Simon nodded just as Irula's story had been gruesome, Kittan suffered a terrible loss of his own: His three sisters, the only real family he had left on this world, were taken from him just like that. The blond haired man pretended that he'd accepted what had happened, but everyone could see he was still shaken by it even after all this time. Even still, he had yet to do anything rash, and so far he seemed to be alright.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Very shortly after the two men began conversing,NiaandYokojoined Simon and Irula on the bridge of the ship. Nia was her normal, cheerful self..she had to be sometimes in order to keep the group motivated. Especially her lover, Simon. Sometimes the loss of Kamina and the others on Team Gurren would shake him up. Though Nia knew that all of those that they lost would want them to keep living, so they could one day try to defeat her father one more time. Even though it had been seven years since they had lost so much, Nia still held onto hope that one day they would have the strength to fight again. Humans shouldn't have to be forced to live under the surface like this...and after their defeat, she wasn't so sure if anyone else would rise up to the task as they did so long ago. Not to mention, their actions had led to beastmen becoming even more hostile towards the human race. If they didn't defeat the Spiral King, it would just be a matter of time before they went extinct..."Greetings Simon! Greetings brother!" Nia ran over to them as Yoko sluggishly trailed behind her. She first gave Irula a hug and then Simon. Though Simon also got a kiss on the cheek from her. "I have heard the wonderful news...Brothers trap seemed to have work? So are the beastmen off our trail now?" She asked as she looked toward Irula. Nia had no trouble accepting him even though she had never really spoken to or seen him before. Though she did know that they indeed came from the same man. He just had that feeling about him...and she was happy that he had decided to come join their cause instead of doing what Adiane had trained him to do."Yeah...great job, Irula. I was a bit skeptical that they would fall for that, but they seem as stupid as ever. They're so desperate to get Dai Gurren back from us...guess they'll follow any energy reading they pick up. Still..we should really keep our guard up. I don't think we should stay here for too much longer." Yoko told the two men as she adjusted the strap of her rifle. She had never stopped carrying it around with her..not even once. She was always on the defensive just in case. Even though they always were one step ahead of the beastmen by always traveling at night, Yoko just felt more comfortable having it on hand.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Simon and Irula turned to see the two women coming onto the deck of the Dai Gurren the former ruffled the gradient hair of the young woman whilst the latter sweeped his lover into a hug as she kissed him. Honestly, she was the largest part of why Simon was able to snap out of his funk after Kamina died it was like she said, he didn't have to be his 'Bro'. He just had to be himself."Seems that way for now, Nia. They're probably scratching their head at the moment, trying to figure out how we pulled that off.""Yeah, well...Simon had to give his approval, and Ron and Kittan had to help me wire the damn thing." He then gave a slight snicker, "Never was any good with electronics.""That was more your thing, Harbinger. God rest your soul."Irula commented mentally, his thoughts wondering back to the first woman he'd ever loved. And how she'd sacrificed herself so that he wouldn't fall to Adiane that fateful day. He was, in some small scale, hoping to make things work with Yoko. She was like his former beloved in so many ways. But it seemed like things never really clicked. Just as well though...He'd been far too unstable in the past. Put her and her comrades in danger more times than was acceptable for the sake of his bloodlust. Nearly got himself killed just as many too. Besides, he knew of her attraction to Kamina, and didn't want to insult the man's memory by trying to 'get with her'. Even seven years later, it didn't feel right trying to do anything that might jeopardize the platonic relationship he developed with her.But that was then Simon, Nia, and many others of Team Gurren finally helped him see that there was more to the future than dwelling on what was. Shaking those bothersome thoughts from his mind, he focused on what was at this moment. He was glad the trap worked nonetheless, as it had bought them some precious time to widen the gap. They had some trouble getting it to relay the proper signal at first, and now that they had to use the only means to identify friendly targets as bait, it was going to be extremely difficult to avoid friendly fire in case of future engagement. A problem that could be remedied marginally in the meantime, but would require a full replacement if they wished the same level of IDing capability."But more to the point...We're still a fair ways from Littner. But once we arrive, we can restock on ammunition."Simon then added so far, moving at night had been in their best interest. With most of their larger Gunmen destroyed, it was unlikely they would have a repeat of the hot springs incident. Irula nodded, "Like Yoko mentioned, we should ready ourselves to leave soon. The first shift is about to come in. Yoko, Kittan and the rest can take their sleep if they need or want it. I'll take Gimmi, Darri and some of the other Supers, have the three of us sweep the area." And as if answering the call, a particularly burlybull humanoidemerged from the bowels of the ship, his massive form dressed in simple cloth to cover his broad chest and hide his shame. On his shoulder sat a red furred rodent, munching on what appeared to be some kind of desert fruit from the storage areas below. His dewy yet menacing green hues peered at each of them, before giving a nod and addressing Irula, "Sir, the first group has been accounted for. No signs of Beastmen activity in the immediate vicinty. We are clear to move on your command."Irula smirked and replied, "Mota, you don't answer to me anymore." He then gave a nod towards Simon, "He's the man in charge now. But good work on the headcount." Funny thing about time: It could make things that happened a long period before appear to have happened sooner, and vice versa. Not too long, these 'Supers' other products of Adiane's twisted mind would have joined him among the ranks of the Beastmen had he and his now deceased squadmates not destroyed the labs where they were churned out like clockwork and liberated the majority of them. While ultimately incapable of using Spiral Energy to its fullest, they were some of the only forces that could run their Gunmen at night, as well as operate longer without going needing to enter stasis. Thus, they were very valuable soldiers. Something the former Spiral Prince had learned after his own 'creation' or 'rebirth', depending on one's perspective.Even after the Battle of Teppelin, Irula knew some remained: The question was, how many? And were they still loyal to their King? If his conditioning was anything to speak of, then it would be safe to surmise they were still under Genome's thumb.Mota nodded and replied, "Of course. But there was one more thing: The one named Kittan. I apologize if it seems misplaced, but I worry for him. The loss of loved ones is never easy, but if I may be so bold...I fear he might become how you used to be, Irula, if he feels too isolated." Irula let out a sigh, "Kittan's tough, but I agree with you to an extent." It wasn't much of an extent, but it was fairly obvious Kittan was hurting more than he let on. Besides, the last thing anyone needed was having someone be as volatile as he used to be again. It was understandable to be that pissed off, hell Irula knew that feeling better than anyone. So full of rage and hatred one might burst from the overload.Simon seemed agreeable and added,"Yoko, could I ask you to check in on Kittan in a little while? I'll stop by as well after I see Ron."Irula then slung his rifle over his back and stated, "Well, I'mma round up the second shift. See if we can't sniff out any interlopers. Mota, let's go." And with that, the man and Super disappeared to travel to the Gunman deployment bay for their turn at reconnaisance.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Nia watched her brother and Mota leave, gazing after them as if lost in thought over something. She was always worried whenever anyone left to make rounds, but that wasn't what was bothering her. Lately she had a bad feeling, especially when she heard somehow the Beastmen had found their trail and had been following it for weeks. Even though they were safe at night, she just felt...bad. She held onto Simon's arm, intent on following him to see Ron. Looking at Yoko, who was glaring at the floor as her fingers tightened on the strap of her rifle, she spoke up. "I am also worried for Kittan. I have tried cheering him up, but he is not receptive to my words." Not the way Simon was, but Simon had lost one big bro and not three little sisters like Kittan did. He was also older than Simon was, if that made a difference. Yoko nodded and turned her back."I'll talk to him. There's not much I can say that I haven't already said over the past seven years though. Oh, and Simon? Don't forget...you've got a big day tomorrow with Nia. Don't you dare forget." The day Yoko was talking about was his and Nia's anniversary. Nia wouldn't stop talking about it, but men were sometimes very forgetful. He had forgotten at least twice in the last six years of their relationship...and even though Nia seemed to forgive him for it, Yoko would know when she was disappointed. Especially because every year she always planned something special for him. Even when they were on the run, with their lives constantly in danger...Nia always made sure that they remembered how to have fun. Or at least she tried to. Kittan didn't seem very responsive to it.Yoko left the two alone so she could talk to Kittan. It was always a little awkward sometimes, because they were very close. Lamenting in the loss of their loved ones, even though her love for Kamina was obviously different. She walked over to the port side of Dai Gurren and found Kittan in his usual spot. He seemed completely out of it, probably thinking about the loss of his sisters once more. She knew that Kittan probably wanted revenge, and running away from those responsible for his sisters deaths was probably demoralizing to do every day, but..there was now way they could fight back with their forces as they were. "Kittan..." Yoko began as she walked forward to greet him. "What are you doing alone out here?" She knew what he was doing, but...well there were only so many ways to start the same conversation.Nia walked with Simon to see Ron, holding his arm tightly to him. She really appreciated Yoko for reminding him, but she knew that he wouldn't forget. Well, maybe she didn't know, but...the times that he forgot, they were under a lot of stress. "Simon...Do you ever think about challenging my father again?" It was probably a question out of the blue, but...she was tired of running away. She couldn't really pilot a gunman or shoot a rifle like Yoko and her brother. So she really couldn't suggest this to them. Though she did wonder how Simon had felt about it, and it had been quite some time since she asked that question. Years in fact.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Simon just grinned and rubbed the back of his head he'd been good about most of his anniversaries, but he did forgot a couple of times. This year though, he had prepared something in advance for Nia. Something special, and nothing would make him forget it. But nonetheless, he started to walk off to meet the eccentric engineer onboard their mobile headquarters. The external repairs were going well enough, but the Spiral amplification system was starting to fritz out thankfully, Ron had kept it going well enough so far, but they would need to either scrap some of their own Gunmen or somehow find spare parts through abandoned battlegrounds or surprising hostile patrols.When Nia asked her question about if they might face her father again, Simon seemed quite taken aback it had been some time since she asked that. But he never did really give her a clear answer, did he? "I think about it a lot, Nia. And someday we will. But we've had to move slowly and try to visit other villages to see if people might want to join up. We also need to make sure we have everything we need that's why Littner is one of our stops."A futile effort really ever since news of their defeat at the hands of Genome spread, it was near impossible to convince those that heard of it which was mostly everyone to want to willingly come along. Simon couldn't blame them for not wanting to risk their family's well being as well as their own, but the fact was they needed more people and supplies before they might even have a shot at the Spiral King...And the non cooperative attitudes kind of aggravated him. But there was nothing he could do about it, so they just let it go.Eventually, the pair would find Ron tinkering away in the engine room seemed he added a long white coat to his attire today, the surface already streaked with grime. Just as they approached, the flamboyant mechanic exited from a service hatch, wiping his hands on his sleeves. He then noticed the two and smiled,"Simon! Nia! How are my little lovebirds today? Don't tell me this handsome boy forgot again...Naughty naughty."Simon flushed and tried to retort,"Ron, come on...It's not till tomorrow."But Ron then laughed, replying"Oh, Simon...I was just testing you."before patting him on the head and adding,"Good boy for remembering though."He then crossed his arms and asked,"So, the engine's good to go. We just need to cycle it for a few minutes and we'll be ready to start this train rolling again."Now it was Simon's turn to smile,"That's great, Ron. Can't tell how glad I am to have you around, because we'd be up the creek."Ron just giggled and replied, placing a delicate hand to his cheek,"Oh, Simon, flattery will get you everywhere."Kittanwas at the port side stern of the ship, silently working on hisstar shaped Gunman. Everyone else was busy getting themselves ready for departure, but Kittan had already finished and opted to spend his time in here. The patrol he had with Yoko and the others was relatively uneventful not even a damn mouse stirred in the barren rocks.Even though he worked with dogged determination, those bright blue hues of his seemed...empty. Hollow, even. Like the life was just gone, leaving this husk in its absence. He pulled the goggles off his eyes, having just finished a weld on one of the retractable 'spines' of his machine before climbing down. Dark circles were heavily apparent, evidence of many a sleepless night.Just as he was ready to call it in, he turned as he heard a familiar voice."Yoko..."he muttered, then adding in a very neutral tone "Well, I finished almost everything else, so I thought I'd fix up some needed patchwork." He then put a hand to his eye and rubbed it, trying to get the sleep out of it."Anyway, was there something you needed? I was about to head to the mess hall and get some food. Wanna come with?"he then asked her truth be told, he was feeling a little hungry and some of Old Man Coco's cooking might give him some more energy in case they came across anything.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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It was a fair answer. Without anyone who'd support their cause, they couldn't even hope to win. They're numbers were thinned out so heavily that they could barely keep themselves out of range of the enemy. Constantly moving ahead of them during the nights. It made them start going nocturnal themselves. Nia just wished for peace, but she knew that would be next to impossible with her father still around. Maybe one day they could find others brave enough to fight with them. They had the experience and the knowledge, they just needed willing pilots, and from there more gunman. Nia sighed softly before taking his arm and leaning her head against it. One day they'd find more people..one day something would motivate someone enough to want to join their cause.When they saw Ron, Nia smiled at him and waved hello. The news that he brought was great. They could start traveling again. Lately they had a few issues, and honestly it was a little tense not being able to move around when they needed to. Especially because of how close the enemy was getting trying to find them. Every day was a bit of a gamble, but...at least they wouldn't have any problems for a little bit longer. Hopefully they'd make it to Litner soon. Nia couldn't help but laugh at the exchange to two men had carried. A caress of the cheek from Ron usually made Simon nervous, so Nia just squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Ron. It's not flattery but the truth. You are definitely the reason why we have lasted this long. This Gunman is not easy to take care of." She told him.******It was always hard seeing Kittan when he was like this. He once was just about as energetic as Kamina. He used to greet her so loudly, and he always had this gigantic smile on his face.Not anymore.Yoko grimaced a little, her eyes narrowing just a fraction as she tried to bring herself to not be irritated. It was an awful feeling towards a man who was already so defeated. She didn't need to make it worse, but sulking really wasn't going to bring back his sisters. Or anyone who had died. Honestly she had tried to be careful around him but maybe she should tell him how she truly felt about the matter. Or maybe she should just keep her mouth shut and skirt around it just like everyone else. She really didn't have time for this, she could barely keep herself together..."I'll go with you. I didn't need anything, I just wanted to talk to you. It's been a while since you really talked...to anyone." She told him as she started to walk with him.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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"Especially since we're running low on spare parts, dear but don't you worry about that! I'll keep this ol' baby running smoothly till we get to Littner."Simon just snickered leave it to Ron to keep spirits up even when things were looking grim. And he had a special surprise for Nia the next day. One he was hoping she would enjoy.Just then though, there was a knock. "Oh good, Simon, you're here too". then said the voice of Irula, Simon and Ron looking to see the bandage covered warrior. It was no secret why he had to be covered like that, given his 'condition', but he was putting on too much of a brave face for someone's liking."Irula, you really need to take your medicine I know the doses are running low but it's been long enough. We have more than enough to make it back to the village."Ron chastised, a more serious tone in his voice. The man replied, "Actually, I was coming down to see you for just that...Give me the syringe and I'll head out. Is there anything we should look for?"Ron then handed the tiny needle, filled fully with a fluorescent green liquid, over to Irula who just shoved it in his arm, face squinching as the burning sensation overtook him. "Damn...Heh, stings a bit." Irula tried to joke, Simon then adding"Just don't push yourself too much, alright? Last thing we need is something to happen to you out there."Ron seemed satisfied by Simon's simple statement, answering the previous question while retrieving the needle, ""Hmm, I have yet to go through the salvage brought back from the first party. Granted, it wasn't really scavenging they were supposed to be doing, but any material is welcomed. If you happen to find any conduits from decrepit Gunman, that would be appreciated. Some of the contacts from the reactor are suffering corrosion, so it would be best to replace those soon."Irula just nodded, but then Simon stepped forward with a small folded piece of paper,"I know this is a lot to ask, but if you happen to find this...Could you bring it back?"The man took the slip and opened it, eyes widening a little at the item in question. But Irula just smiled and put it into his cargo pocket and replied, "Sure, no problem. And sis, keep an eye on him, yeah? Don't let him get into too much trouble while I'm gone". And with that, he patted Nia's head and went off, starting the next shift of patrols.Kittan just walked on, marching all too resolutely toward the chow hall. He was just trying to live on for his sisters, and if people thought he was sulking then they could go fall in a chasm. His sisters were the reason he was able to smile, to be so full of life. He lived to make them happy, to keep them safe it was like their deaths just sucked all the purpose out of him."Yeah, well...Been busy. Trying to keep the Gunmen in shape ain't easily, 'specially since some of the Supers haven't seen the inside of one. Irula's been trying to help train them in case we need the bodies, but that means more work for everyone." he then replied a little more heatedly than he wanted to hell, it was partly in thanks to former Prince's allies that they'd been able to make it this far. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. All this running around's had me on edge, you know?"The duo would then arrive at the mess hall, Old Man Coco and several smaller Supers working the kitchen to craft recipes from the plants and game meats brought back to the ship by the hunting parties. Meat was considerably scarcer due to the fact that the scent of even the best cleaned kill could lead the enemy back to the Dai Gurren. After getting his food, Kittan and Yoko were then seated at a table, the former asking "So what's new? I know I haven't been out and about...But I don't really want to talk about me. How are you holding up with everything?"
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Nia held Simon's hand, watching her brother walk off. She was so worried about him all the time, but she had to believe he could hold his own. He had survived with her, after all this. He was strong, despite his sickness. "What did you ask him to get, Simon?" Nia asked with curiosity, her eyes turning to him.***"Oh...as well as I always have." Yoko muttered as she leaned back in her chair. She didn't have much of an appetite, but it had been that way for as long as she could remember. It disappeared when she lost Kamina, and the only reason why she ever ate was to keep her strength up so she could go on to live another day. To fight another day. She wasn't sure how, but she'd get her revenge on the Spiral King. It didn't satisfy her that Kamina's killer was dead..no. She would finish it...someday."You know, you'd think we'd get used to this kind of running around. We could never really stay in one place, even before all this." She began as she stared at her food. She paused for a moment as she debated on what she wanted to say. She didn't want to seem to insensitive, but she was just..numb to it all. "I'm tired of running, Kittan. I know it seems hopeless right now, but...one day we'll defeat him and get revenge for your sisters, and for Kamina...and everyone else who isn't here with us right now."
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Simon just rubbed the back of his head as Nia asked him,"Just...A little extra something for tomorrow"Ron just smiled happily to see two people in love always brought light to his day, and made these moments of crushing despair much easier to bear."Alright, lovebirds, I think it's time you two be somewhere else, don't you agree? We're probably going to be starting her up soon...HEY!"The genius then called down the hatch, a voice over the intercom stating "We're just coming out! No problems on our end!"Ron just crossed his arms and nodded,"Good, now we just need to wait for the all clear from the night team. Then we can start making headway again."It really had been too long since they stopped moving, but their external sensors were still heavily damaged and the armor integrity was less than optimal.Yoko had a point: They never did stay in one place, even if they went the wrong way more times than anyone would probably admit. And honestly? He wasn't hungry either, but he knew he hadn't eaten much so he was going to force himself to even if it made him feel sick to his stomach."Yeah...I know, I just wish that day would come sooner rather than later. If I had just taken care of Viral..." Kittan had the opportunity during the Battle of Teppelin, but once Rossiu intervened to save Simon they knew it was over. The Spiral King was just too strong, but at the very least he would have been more encumbered trying to rise a new leader. None of the other Beastmen were as intelligent as Viral or the four former Generals, at least not to anyone's knowledge. And with Adiane's super soldiers still a relative unknown, however few there might be...Everything was just so difficult.Like always though, the conversation didn't last long eventually Kittan just pushed his tray away. This time he did manage to eat almost all of it, but the others he usually asked if anyone else wanted to finish his plate. And in doing so would get a generous second serving. "Alright...Going to try and get some rest. I suggest you do the same, Yoko." the blonde man stated tiredly, standing up and walking to his quarters.Irula and the others finally made it to the surface, his ownGunman one that had no name emerging first. The blued hue of the metal was worn and chipped all over add that to the dents on its surface and the image of a battered, worn down machine was quite disheartening. More of a custom build from his time before meeting Team Gurren, it was actually a bit easier to find replacement parts for since it had no energy weapons on its being. The plating on the fists was still not in great shape, but they were designed to allow him to fight like Viral's Enkidudu.The others soon followed behind him, spreading out and searching for anything that might have snuck up close. The lands were so barren, still, lifeless it was like the Battle of Teppelin robbed this world of the will to live on. Granted, everyone was thankful there were no enemy Beastmen yet, but they would have liked to see more wildlife than just the prey species they hunted for food.After an about an hour of searching the immediate vicinity, no one in the team picked up anything nearby. Simon and Nia were both up in the main control tower, waiting by the radio for the all clear. Just then, Irula's voice came through:"Irula to Dai Gurren, area is clear and free of hostiles. I repeat, area is clear and free of hostiles."Simon just nodded and pressed a button for the intercom,"All hands, prepare for start up. I repeat, prepare for start up."There was a bit of a lurch less than a minute after Simon spoke those words, the massive legs of the Dai Gun starting to move through the tunnels. And it wasn't long before the gigantic mech finally broke the surface through one of the exits. The plan was to try and use the twilight hours to maximize land travel digging through the rock with Lagann was safer, sure but considerably slower. And besides: The eve before their anniversary was a perfect night to see the evening sky.Letting out a sigh of relief, Simon just grinned,"Man, I'd almost forgotten what this looked like."He knew they would have to go back under again, but at least the endless view of rock, rock and more rock all too reminiscent of his time in Jeeha would be put on hold for now. The stars twinkled and the oranges of the eve were tracing through the event horizon of the last light.But what waited for them ahead one could only guess.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Nia was so happy to see see the sky, and be able to breathe fresh air. She still wasn't used to being underground even after seven long years, and she was horrified that there were people who had lived their entire years underground. She wished she could change that, but how could she? Even she couldn't bring herself to try to convince more people to fight alongside them when they had lost so badly against her father. Sure, they had picked up a couple of people along the way, people who didn't have a place in their villages or were survivors of a horrible earthquake that the beastmen had caused to destroy their village. But almost always, they simply found those people new homes.Almostalways, anyway. There were a couple of people, mostly younger kids that wanted to get their revenge on the beastmen some day. One of the most spirited, yet quiet of them was a girl who couldn't speak, or at least Nia had assumed it to be so since she had never spoke since coming aboard. Every time they surfaced, that same girl would rush to the deck of Dai Gurren just to see the sky. Nia could see her even now from the tower. Her name wasReina, even though she couldn't speak she at least told them that through writing."It's beautiful," Nia responded to Simon as she looped her arm around his, resting her head against his shoulder. "I wish all humans got to see this view without fearing for their lives." Her tone was sadder than it should have been, at least on this night. She was supposed to be happy today, so she just took in a deep breath and gave Simon a smile. "I'm thankful that we at least get to see it, though. At the very least."
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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Simon just stared into the night sky, a confident smile on his face he was truly lucky to had landed a girl like Nia. With her by his side, he felt like he could take on the world."Bro...If you were here, I know you wouldn't like me running. But I'm doing it to keep everyone safe.". It was true, Kamina was always on to go for it all...But with how badly they were beaten, they needed to regroup. Once they were back in Littner, the former digger knew he would have better chances organizing a resistance. At the very least, they could get the Dai Gurren repairs almost fully if not fully completed.Placing his arm over and holding her a little more tightly, he just said"Don't worry, Nia one day people will see this. They won't live with a ceiling over their heads any more, and they won't have to be afraid. But it is nice out right?"If they were still above ground by tomorrow night, then he could make his surprise plan come into effect. And if Irula brought what he was hoping could be fond in this area a request he'd made before in the past then it would make this anniversary even more unforgettable.The big question though, was how far were they to Littner? Supplies were lowering, and Irula's condition was worsening by the day. If they couldn't formulate more of the medicine, there was a very real chance he could die in the next few months. There was another thing he needed as well, but they just didn't have the resources to make it operational if they could find more scrapped Gunmen, they might have a shot though.The time came, however, as the sun began to rise. And after quick work and really stretching the clock, they were back underground once more. Per protocol, the main entryway was forcibly collapsed to block enemy movement."Aww, man morning can't come later? I was really hoping to actually see the sunrise this time."Simon muttered after yawning sleepily at the very least, he would sleep a few hours while Nia's elder brother would take over watch duty so Lagann would be able to do the majority of the tunnels. They actually went deeper this time, since a test run by the first crew showed lowered rock density in the general area. They had to dig so that they could use the higher load bearing granite to keep the cave from collapsing on them, which meant extra work.But eventually it was done and Simon returned to the ship, seeing the others that used Jeeha's hand drills coming back absolutely covered in dust and rock. A typical day here on the Dai Gurren but how long could they really hold out?
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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The sun had barely come up, and Lily was already wide awake. She had to move, and she had to do it fast. She hadn't gotten far when she separated from her pack, after all she had left just before sunset after they had triggered the human trap. She had told Viral she was going to scout the area really quickly to make sure the humans weren't near, and just never went back. He would probably think she got stuck somewhere after running out of solar power, but if she didn't rejoin them soon he would get suspicious.Especially when she disabled her communication channel indefinitely. Yeah, she was doing this. She was going to find those humans herself and talk to them. If she could convince them to give back the ship the stole, she could drop them off somewhere and tell General Viral she killed them. It was the perfect plan...hopefully.Lily was extremely happy when she finally found their trail again. It might have been pure luck, or maybe she just had a feeling on what direction they were traveling after their clever little trap. They traveled above ground during the night and then they seemed to disappear underground during the day. How far could they really get digging underground like that? She would have to move fast, otherwise she would lose them.Without her pack slowing her down, she was able to fully take advantage of Zanagi's speed. It was a lightweight gunman, meaning while it wasn't as durable as others, it was faster. Especially when she installed numerous, or perhaps a ridiculous amount of jets in it's legs, feet, and back. She would catch up them today, and then figure out their course of travel underground.Eventually, the trail started to go cold, but Lily knew better.***As usual, there was a warm meal awaiting everyone who came back from digging, including Simon. It was the only real way Nia knew how to help, even if they didn't have much to eat. She was thankfully a good enough cook to make limited ingredients into amazing dishes, and it kept their crew happy, mostly. Of course, not even the most delicious meal could bring Kittan out of his depression, and Nia didn't feel like he wanted to be around her. She could understand why, perhaps he was reminded too much of the sisters he lost when he looked at her."Looks like everything went well out there." Nia told Simon when he joined them all in the mess hall. Digging was unfortunately a dangerous job, and even though Simon did most of it with Lagann, accidents did happen every now and then. "Is my brother still on watch duty? He needs to eat breakfast too." He did better when he was properly nourished. If not, the sickness only got worse and the medicine seemed to wear off faster. She really hoped they were close to Littner.
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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)
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No one aboard the Dai Gurren knew of their sole tracker, as she still a fairways behind from where they were now. Of course, the giant 'footprints' left by the colossal mech would make it a bit easier to follow them, hence why they traveled underground more often than not. The scouting party had not returned quite yet, performing one final sweep above ground before they would return inside.Simon still chuckled at the memory of Nia's first attempt at cooking he personally thought it was fantastic, but for whatever reason it wasn't a huge hit with the others. Now, however, she and Old Man Coco were the finest chefs on the surface world or at least that's what Simon would say."No, he said he was going to do an extended search alone everyone else is back though. Said he would be back in a little bit"Probably not something she wanted to hear, but Irula sometimes did that. Still...With his experience, there were few Simon knew could handle themselves on the outside.Irula meanwhile, was looking around in his Gunman near a cliff wall about ten miles from where the Dai Gurren was 'buried', trying to find the very thing Simon had wanted him to look for. Finding it at night would have been easier, but hopefully the residual dawn would still make it somewhat simple to spot. After a few more minutes, his eyes rested on what he was looking for. "Simon, I'll give you credit: Nia's going to love this". It was a rare luminescent flower, one that produced a vibrant pink glow. The petals were long and evenly spaced, seeming to hold their weight with only the tips drooping in a rough bell shape. He didn't know what it was called exactly, but it was something he'd seen before.However, right as he was getting ready to dig it up, he heard something.Smelledsomething that sent a cold shiver down his spine.A threat.A low rumbling growl left his throat, his eyes flashing dangerously as he muttered, "Beastman". It had to be nothing else that had this scent would have followed them out here. Seemed the flower would have to wait and he was too far away to go back and warn them. And he couldn't risk radio communication, since he knew that bastard Viral was smart enough to equip a unit or with a radio analyzer. That meant he was alone...He would have to deal with this threat by himself, something he knew about as he ducked behind and had his Gunman start to make his way up the back. If he had the high ground, he might be able to surprise these assholes.
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