Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2014 18:51:46 GMT
After a rough crash landing and a painful tumble, Agrio had learned very quickly that this new and strange planet was not a very welcoming place. While he tried his best to keep to himself, both for the sake of upholding his own personality and because he had almost no idea how to communicate with the few beings he had seen, he had come to this planet on a mission and knew he would have to reach out for help eventually. The trail of his people had gone cold after the sudden ambush of a massive beast that led to a painful fall. While he had tried to rest in a cave, his injuries had started to bother him. He suddenly felt dizzy and realized he had not only suffered a good deal of bruising on most parts of his body, but was also now victim to a concussion. He exited the cave he had taken shelter in only recently to get a few breaths of fresh air and some daylight. Stumbling toe over toe and dragging his arm along the wall of the cave as he walked outside, he looked down into a large chasm that he had almost fallen into previously, had it not been for his ability to fly. Looking to his right, a small path led up to another clearing, and he decided to try and get some idea of his surroundings. However, he wouldn't get far; his concussion began to worsen and he couldn't keep his eyes focused, causing him to collapse at the top of the path and sink into unconsciousness. Taking an unwilling nap in a bed of long, green, grass, the memories of the events that led him into this situation played through in his head like a broken record. While it was indeed strange, he could have almost sworn he felt as if his body were floating a few feet above the landscape instead of remaining stationary. In very little time his thoughts began to die down, allowing him some much needed rest. He felt stationary again, and owed the strange sensation of movement to his mind playing tricks on him. A nightmare soon began to play out in his head, with visions of a fiery explosion after a crash landing of a ship full of Namekian people. He began to toss and turn and felt a small jab into his ribs, then a few more, before bursting awake and snapping to a sitting up position with a small yelp.
Confused, he looked around him.
This was not where he had fallen unconscious before.
He looked over at a kindled flame in a stone fireplace, and as his vision began to return to him, he looked down at what he could only assume was a dwarf or child Earthling. A thumb in its mouth and using the other hand to poke him with its index finger, it tugged on his wrist a little bit as if to check if he were actually real. He wished he could communicate with it a bit better but as of the moment failed to find the words. The strange little creature shook its mop-like head of hair and removed its thumb from its mouth, muttering something along the lines of ''Grahbah''. Agrio blinked at the small Earthling a few times before an older Earthling with gray hair and a long beard walked into the room, joyously picking up the small child and bouncing it lightly in his arms. Agrio could hardly understand what they were saying to each other, but the older one seemed to be praising the younger for a job well done. The elder sat down the little child and it scampered off into another room, with the elder pulling up a chair. ''Can...you...understand...me?'' It spoke slowly. While Agrio was terrible at speaking this language, he had learned some about it, and understood it when heard a lot better than he could actually speak, read, or write it. He nodded slowly in response then pushed his palms together in front of him, bowing at the elder in gratitude. The elder then pointed a finger to his chest and continued to speak slowly. ''Jinhai. My name is Jinhai.'' He smiled warmly, then turned his palm over slowly to point to the Namekian. ''You?'' While the Namekian had direly wished to avoid contact with the people of this planet and just do what he came to and leave, it seemed now he had no real choice, and by the looks of things he owed this man for dragging him away from wherever he had lost consciousness. The corners of his lips formed the crack of a slight smile. ''Agrio''. Suddenly the little earthling entered back into the room and clambered up on Jinhai's lap. ''I'm Yingtai!'' Agrio looked between the two of them; was the little Earthling the old one's child? The ages of them looked too far apart. ''Yingtai is my grand-daughter,'' the elder began with a smile. ''I'm glad I found you. You were out cold in a field when I saw you, and wolves had started to gather near you.'' Agrio wouldn't speak but merely listened, nodding along as the elder spoke. He roused the Namekian out of bed and sat Yingtai down, and she ran off into another room, probably to play. ''You are at a temple. Well, part temple, part village, really.'' The old man smiled and opened the front door, which led out into a courtyard with beautiful trees along the edges.
Agrio followed him around taking in the sights, as he assumed he was being given a tour. They passed a few more courtyards and a large gate, and in one of the courtyards he saw a squad-sized coalition of Earthlings sparring with each other, under the supervision of one that looked much stronger. ''Oh, don't you worry about them'', the elder smiled. ''We're plenty peaceful. We've just had some...ehh...issues, as of late. Why, some of the guardsmen actually were cross with me for bringing you here, you know.'' He rummaged a hand through his beard and Agrio was captivated by the martial artists still. Their movements were fluid and practiced, aggressive but focused, and he hadn't entertained the thought of seeing anything like it on Earth. Some were even sparring with weapons, both bladed and blunt, and while they trained fiercely with each other they always held back just enough as to not injure each other. They were clearly experienced, and Agrio attempted to sense their levels of ki, if any. The resulting reading was for the most part guesswork; it was actually very low, low enough to the point where he now thought they were hiding their actual prowess. When he blinked back to his senses, Jinhai gave him a clap on the shoulder. ''My word is trusted around here, Agrio. You don't have to worry about anyone giving you trouble.'' With another one of those warm smiles, he continued the tour past a small shrine; within it, Agrio saw a weapon. It appeared to be some sort of ornate staff, suspended off the ground by a rack designed specifically to hold it and it only. Jinhai spoke up again. ''That old thing's been here as long as I have! It was actually the treasure of the man who found this temple, you know. He carried that thing everywhere.'' Agrio nodded with curiosity and then continued to follow the old man, smiling as Yingtai came scurrying up behind them and requested a ride around on her grandfather's shoulders. He lifted her up and continued walking, and the little girl gently poked and played with the Namekian's antennae.
''We have plenty of room if you need to stay a few days. Just relax, it looks like for the most part you're healed up well; i've never seen anything like that before. You were only asleep for a few hours and you look much better than when I found you. Still, enjoy the hospitality, you look troubled.'' Agrio shook his head. ''I...will work.'' He muttered awkwardly, his obvious lack of proficiency in the language showing clear as day. ''Well, if you're sure...there's plenty of chores to do if you want to stay busy.'' The Namekian smiled and nodded, and watched as an elderly woman struggled to carry a few buckets of water on a pole. He stepped over and lifted it from her shoulders, and she smiled and followed close behind, showing him where to drop it off. Yingtai had evidently followed along as well, and removed her thumb from her mouth and reached up, making a grabbing motion at the Namekian. Her grandfather smiled from a distance away and gave a soft nod, and Agrio lifted her onto his shoulders. She gripped his antennae and he winced a little bit. ''Gentle, little one.'' He muttered softly. As he continued going about his chores, she gave his bald head a soft pat and gently gripped his antennae between two fingers each, pretending she was steering him around with them and giggling all the while. He kept himself very busy carrying water, polishing the guards' weapons, and making repairs on various things around the temple. Soon, daylight turned to evening, and a loud bell sounded. Agrio gripped his ears in intense pain, causing Yingtai to give a mean glare at the one responsible. Confused, the young man who rang it walked off after beckoning the two of them to follow him. Yingtai motioned that she wanted down from his shoulders, and once down she scampered through two large doors. What the Namekian saw was impressive; it was a large dining hall with one huge table, where seemingly everyone gathered for meals. Being offered a seat and taking it to be polite, he sat with the people as they ate and conversed. Even though he only needed water to survive and didn't require food, he didn't want to offend anyone and ate all of what he was given. A few hours of finishing chores later, night fell.
Yingtai grunted, annoyed, somehow knotting her pigtails in place as she was getting ready to sleep. Agrio helped her remove the knots in her ties, and she thanked him and ran off to bed.
''It seems like everyone's gone and taken a liking to you, Agrio!'' The elder smiled. ''You've been so helpful today. Some of the more stubborn guards are still being grumpy about it, but plenty of people really appreciate having you around. You can go ahead and sleep in the bed you woke up in. It's actually a spare, y'know. You worked hard today, my friend. Get some sleep, you sure deserve it. It made me tired just watching you do all that.'' Agrio bowed respectfully with the first genuine smile he'd had all day since he began to bond with Yingtai. He fell into a deep, restful, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, comfortable and easy sleep.
Confused, he looked around him.
This was not where he had fallen unconscious before.
He looked over at a kindled flame in a stone fireplace, and as his vision began to return to him, he looked down at what he could only assume was a dwarf or child Earthling. A thumb in its mouth and using the other hand to poke him with its index finger, it tugged on his wrist a little bit as if to check if he were actually real. He wished he could communicate with it a bit better but as of the moment failed to find the words. The strange little creature shook its mop-like head of hair and removed its thumb from its mouth, muttering something along the lines of ''Grahbah''. Agrio blinked at the small Earthling a few times before an older Earthling with gray hair and a long beard walked into the room, joyously picking up the small child and bouncing it lightly in his arms. Agrio could hardly understand what they were saying to each other, but the older one seemed to be praising the younger for a job well done. The elder sat down the little child and it scampered off into another room, with the elder pulling up a chair. ''Can...you...understand...me?'' It spoke slowly. While Agrio was terrible at speaking this language, he had learned some about it, and understood it when heard a lot better than he could actually speak, read, or write it. He nodded slowly in response then pushed his palms together in front of him, bowing at the elder in gratitude. The elder then pointed a finger to his chest and continued to speak slowly. ''Jinhai. My name is Jinhai.'' He smiled warmly, then turned his palm over slowly to point to the Namekian. ''You?'' While the Namekian had direly wished to avoid contact with the people of this planet and just do what he came to and leave, it seemed now he had no real choice, and by the looks of things he owed this man for dragging him away from wherever he had lost consciousness. The corners of his lips formed the crack of a slight smile. ''Agrio''. Suddenly the little earthling entered back into the room and clambered up on Jinhai's lap. ''I'm Yingtai!'' Agrio looked between the two of them; was the little Earthling the old one's child? The ages of them looked too far apart. ''Yingtai is my grand-daughter,'' the elder began with a smile. ''I'm glad I found you. You were out cold in a field when I saw you, and wolves had started to gather near you.'' Agrio wouldn't speak but merely listened, nodding along as the elder spoke. He roused the Namekian out of bed and sat Yingtai down, and she ran off into another room, probably to play. ''You are at a temple. Well, part temple, part village, really.'' The old man smiled and opened the front door, which led out into a courtyard with beautiful trees along the edges.
Agrio followed him around taking in the sights, as he assumed he was being given a tour. They passed a few more courtyards and a large gate, and in one of the courtyards he saw a squad-sized coalition of Earthlings sparring with each other, under the supervision of one that looked much stronger. ''Oh, don't you worry about them'', the elder smiled. ''We're plenty peaceful. We've just had some...ehh...issues, as of late. Why, some of the guardsmen actually were cross with me for bringing you here, you know.'' He rummaged a hand through his beard and Agrio was captivated by the martial artists still. Their movements were fluid and practiced, aggressive but focused, and he hadn't entertained the thought of seeing anything like it on Earth. Some were even sparring with weapons, both bladed and blunt, and while they trained fiercely with each other they always held back just enough as to not injure each other. They were clearly experienced, and Agrio attempted to sense their levels of ki, if any. The resulting reading was for the most part guesswork; it was actually very low, low enough to the point where he now thought they were hiding their actual prowess. When he blinked back to his senses, Jinhai gave him a clap on the shoulder. ''My word is trusted around here, Agrio. You don't have to worry about anyone giving you trouble.'' With another one of those warm smiles, he continued the tour past a small shrine; within it, Agrio saw a weapon. It appeared to be some sort of ornate staff, suspended off the ground by a rack designed specifically to hold it and it only. Jinhai spoke up again. ''That old thing's been here as long as I have! It was actually the treasure of the man who found this temple, you know. He carried that thing everywhere.'' Agrio nodded with curiosity and then continued to follow the old man, smiling as Yingtai came scurrying up behind them and requested a ride around on her grandfather's shoulders. He lifted her up and continued walking, and the little girl gently poked and played with the Namekian's antennae.
''We have plenty of room if you need to stay a few days. Just relax, it looks like for the most part you're healed up well; i've never seen anything like that before. You were only asleep for a few hours and you look much better than when I found you. Still, enjoy the hospitality, you look troubled.'' Agrio shook his head. ''I...will work.'' He muttered awkwardly, his obvious lack of proficiency in the language showing clear as day. ''Well, if you're sure...there's plenty of chores to do if you want to stay busy.'' The Namekian smiled and nodded, and watched as an elderly woman struggled to carry a few buckets of water on a pole. He stepped over and lifted it from her shoulders, and she smiled and followed close behind, showing him where to drop it off. Yingtai had evidently followed along as well, and removed her thumb from her mouth and reached up, making a grabbing motion at the Namekian. Her grandfather smiled from a distance away and gave a soft nod, and Agrio lifted her onto his shoulders. She gripped his antennae and he winced a little bit. ''Gentle, little one.'' He muttered softly. As he continued going about his chores, she gave his bald head a soft pat and gently gripped his antennae between two fingers each, pretending she was steering him around with them and giggling all the while. He kept himself very busy carrying water, polishing the guards' weapons, and making repairs on various things around the temple. Soon, daylight turned to evening, and a loud bell sounded. Agrio gripped his ears in intense pain, causing Yingtai to give a mean glare at the one responsible. Confused, the young man who rang it walked off after beckoning the two of them to follow him. Yingtai motioned that she wanted down from his shoulders, and once down she scampered through two large doors. What the Namekian saw was impressive; it was a large dining hall with one huge table, where seemingly everyone gathered for meals. Being offered a seat and taking it to be polite, he sat with the people as they ate and conversed. Even though he only needed water to survive and didn't require food, he didn't want to offend anyone and ate all of what he was given. A few hours of finishing chores later, night fell.
Yingtai grunted, annoyed, somehow knotting her pigtails in place as she was getting ready to sleep. Agrio helped her remove the knots in her ties, and she thanked him and ran off to bed.
''It seems like everyone's gone and taken a liking to you, Agrio!'' The elder smiled. ''You've been so helpful today. Some of the more stubborn guards are still being grumpy about it, but plenty of people really appreciate having you around. You can go ahead and sleep in the bed you woke up in. It's actually a spare, y'know. You worked hard today, my friend. Get some sleep, you sure deserve it. It made me tired just watching you do all that.'' Agrio bowed respectfully with the first genuine smile he'd had all day since he began to bond with Yingtai. He fell into a deep, restful, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, comfortable and easy sleep.