The Business Keeps Booming![Zeni][Raisu]

(Thread PL: 74,103. Heavy weights on. Weighted PL: 18,525)
West Capitol. It had been hit during the Saiyan invasion, but thankfully it was still standing. Raisu had not intended to come out this way, but something about the city drew him to it. It had been a while since Raisu had been to a city. Quite a while indeed. The last one he’d been too had been South Capitol during the invasion. South Capitol had been his home, the place he grew up and partially became that man he is today. It hadn’t been a good time watching the destruction, but it was something he had to do. It was about closure. And he had never intended to enter the city limits, but sometimes fate has different ideas. Chaz and Ibby had rushed into the city to try and evacuate civilians. Raisu could not have let them go on their own, especially after he felt their ki signatures. They would have been screwed if he hadn’t followed them. That was when they first met, too. Since then, he’d become something like friends with the duo. They were good people. They meant well, even if they had a penchant for getting in trouble.

But West Capitol was different. As Raisu walked down the street, people were celebrating. Soldiers were all around him, cheering, dancing in the streets. Probably happy just to be alive, thought Raisu. But he imagined that there must be a certain pride in repelling the universe’s most bloodthirsty empire. Not many people could make the claim. Raisu’s mind went back to the Saiyan queen’s broadcast. She had seemed to confident then, the head of the Arcosian Empress held like some kind of toy. They’d won a victory that day, but they had been denied one here. One could say this was the pride of the Earthlings. But that pride came at a big cost. So much destruction, so many lives lost. People would be feeling the aftershocks of this war for years to come. And the aftershocks would be small and personal. Coming back to your home after being a refugee, only to find it destroyed. Entering your old apartment that is somehow still standing, only to find it looted. War brought out the worst in people.

Raisu found himself pulled along the path by the throng of people. This was the kind of motion you couldn’t stop, but only hope to be a part of and that it would dump you out somewhere halfway decent. And so he let himself be taken. There was no use fighting it. He just had to let himself be part of the celebration. He looked around, looking for a place to hop off and continue the merriment elsewhere. And up ahead, he spotted it. A sign hung above the street. “The Monkey’s Paw”? Seemed a good as place as any to hop off. As the crowd passed by the door, Raisu pushed on through and into the bar.

As he entered, he looked around. A few soldiers and a man with blue hair taking shots at the bar. He was behind the bar, and Raisu figured this must make him the barkeep. Raisu came up to the bar, a grin on his face and pulled up a stool, sitting himself right at the bar.

“Hey. I see business is going good,” he began conversationally, “How about you hit me with your best shot?”

Raisu gestured to the drinks behind the bar. He could use one right about now. And might as well make it one that counts. He had to enjoy life while he still had it.

The bartender poured him a shot of whiskey and slid it down the bar to him. The smell of the shot hit him first. It was a deep, musky smell that had some real kick to it. Singing crashed all around him as he wrapped his hand around the glass. Perhaps he should have tempered that statement. Even by the smell of it, it was awfully strong. But it was too late now. He’d just have to take the shot, or else look like a fool. Before he could take his shot, a man turned on him, one with blue hair. And then he began to speak to Raisu.

The man called him a young pup, which struck a small chord within Raisu. Dammit, thought Raisu, he was nineteen years old. An adult. But then he asked if he’d done his share of the fighting. Something about oozaru. What was that? Were those the giant apes the Saiyans had turned into? Raisu had to admit, he wasn’t particularly well versed in Saiyan lore.

“You could say so. Knocked a Saiyan or five out. Gave ‘em what was coming to ‘em.” he said, referring to the Saiyans he’d fought alongside Chaz and Arlic. Of course, there were the ones he’d knocked out by himself outside the city. Nice spaceship they had. Good thing it was his now. Maybe he’d sell it, too. He didn’t need a big ship like that.

Either way, Raisu turned to face the man, still gripping his shot. And then the man’s ki hit him like a truck. He was a strong guy. A real strong guy. And he had a tail, but his was blue. Was he a Saiyan? Raisu hadn’t seen a Saiyan like that before. But Hell, he hadn’t met more than a handful to begin with. Maybe there were different kinds. Or perhaps the man was a hybrid like himself. And then the man made his own comments on Raisu’s tail and red hair. Yes, Raisu must definitely embraced a brawler’s life.

“Yeah, you could say I did. Gotta let loose sometimes, you know?”

And with that Raisu, quickly downed his shot. It burned like Hell on the way down, like someone had dumped coals down his throat. Raisu could feel his mind lightening almost immediately. He signaled to the barkeep for another. Might as well keep going. Despite the burn, there was a strong, enjoyable taste to it. Cleared the sinuses, too. He could start to see why BREU enjoyed his drink.

Breathing harsh, still trying to recover from his shot, Raisu turned his gaze back on the Saiyan.

“How about you? You seem the type to enjoy a good fight.”

Of course he did. You didn’t get that kind of power by picking flowers and reading poetry. You had to fight for it, earn one bit at a time, a chunk with each punch. And besides: he had a Saiyan tail. That part almost spoke for itself.

Raisu frowned at this. He didn’t look like a warrior? What was that nonsense? Raisu liked to think he looked like one. He could certainly hold his own against Saiyans, androids, and all that good stuff in between. Who was this guy to not call him a warrior? He might have a bigger ki signature than Raisu, but damn, Raisu wasn’t that weak himself. At least the man had added an addendum that appearances weren’t everything. The man was right about that. Raisu had met some downright strange folks who had exceeded all his expectations.

The blue haired man poured him a drink instead of the bartender. And it was a pretty big glass, too, more than the last shot. More than he was expecting or ready for at least. But, Raisu felt almost as if he had something to prove to the man. Perhaps it was the man’s ki that made him feel that way. It was certainly an impressive signature. Raisu’s hand wrapped around the glass and he nodded at the man. He must work here, or be the own, Raisu decided. He certainly seemed to be comfortable with this place. “Thanks,” he said.

Apparently the man had been fighting in the South Capitol. At the mention of South Capitol, Raisu immediately lifted the glass to his lips and shotgunned his drink. It burned like fire and his throat constricted as the liquid worked its way down, but it was all he could do. South Capitol was a sore spot for him.

“Ah, really? I grew up in South Capitol,” he interjected.

Apparently the man had fought a Saiyan named Natto. The name meant nothing to Raisu, but by the way the blue haired man said, Raisu could hazard a guess that this Natto fellow was really strong. At least as strong as the blue-haired man himself. Maybe stronger, but Raisu didn’t know. But apparently, this Natto was still on Earth. Maybe Raisu would run into him sometime. Of course, if he’d invaded South Capitol, Raisu was likely to try and break his neck, as poorly as that might end for him. But Hell, his pride might demand it.

Had Raisu seen anything strange of late, as the man had said? He was certainly right, strange was an umbrella term these days. Much broader than one might expect. But for Raisu, a lot of things were strange. He’d had quite the sheltered childhood. A lot of things in this world were new to him.

“Strange, eh? Well, a few weeks ago, I met some kind of alien android that ran on alcohol. Destroyed a whole village. We fought, then some Namekian showed up and we blasted him away.”

Raisu nodded, recounting BREU. The alcoholic bot had been his fiercest foe in a while. The alcohol was starting to find his tongue now, and Raisu could not help but add to his previous statement.

“Yeah, real weird guy. Called himself a Brenchian, whatever that is. Between you and me, he was kind of asshole. Smelled, too.”

The man spoke with confidence as he recounted the tale of how he’d killed the man who set the Saiyans to raging and then killed the Saiyans themselves. Impressive, if it were true. But he believed it. The man was rather powerful. He could probably handle a few Saiyans. Certainly more than Raisu could handle. There were some crazy people in this world. Some crazy strong people, too. And, generally, the two qualities went hand in hand. You had to be crazy to take on a bunch of raging monkeys. Well, Raisu wasn’t going to comment on that. He’d let the man tell his story and enjoy it. Though he briefly wondered who this Aspa character was, and how the man had dealt with him.

The man played with his cigar, puffing smoke into the air. Raisu had never smoked, and he had no desire to, though the smoke did smell good. Sweet even. Not like anything he’d smelled on Earth. And Raisu had smelled his fair share of tobacco. It came with being a traveler. Lots of people smoked. On streets, on busses, everywhere. But it wasn’t for him. He went on to speak about the Saiyan Natto again. And his girlfriend, or something, Tomoroko. He warned Raisu of them, saying to be weary if he ever encountered them. Were they that much of a threat? The blue haired man seemed to think so. Apparently they’d changed their tune, but that wasn’t enough for him. They’d still been involved. And they were full blooded children of the Empire. Raisu nodded, filing the name away in his memory.

“Gotcha, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”

He went on to recount his battles further. He’d put down this Aspa guy first. Then put the hurt on Tomoroko, but spared her. Raisu raised an eyebrow at this. Apparently the man had mercy. An interesting quality for a Saiyan, even a halfblood. But Raisu couldn’t judge. He had his own mercy. Stupidly enough, it was all he had. The man continued to pour Raisu drinks. Raisu nodded thankfully. He could get used to this. He was already getting used to the burn, and the taste wasn’t bad. Even if his mind had begun to feel light.

The blue haired man seemed particularly interested in the mention of the Brenchian bot. It even broke the veneer of his confidence. Well, that was interesting. Raisu lifted the glass to his lips and downed about half the glass. Now that tasted good.

“Well, I dunno. When I met him, he said he was after the town’s special whiskey or something. But then he kind of destroyed the whole town, saying they tried to poison him. But he was really drunk. Like, totally wasted. He could still fight, though,” Raisu explained, his own words starting to show the telltale signs of alcohol.

The blue haired man raised an eyebrow. Was he confused, surprised, or somewhere in between? Or was he even any of those things? Raisu’s mind had begun to swim, and so he the man’s face was almost a mystery to him. But hey, the man had topped off Raisu’s drink again, so he was not going to judge. Raisu could get used to this. Maybe he’d make it a point of stopping by and talking to the blue-haired man. He was kind of interesting. And besides, there were drinks. That was always a good thing. What was a bar without drinks? Boring, that’s what.

Apparently, the blue haired hybrid did not know the Brenchian bot that Raisu had encountered. Raisu shrugged. He hadn’t expected him, too. It sure would have been interesting, though, if the blue haired man had dramatically stood and shouted ‘That’s my brother’ or something of the like, Raisu snickered to himself. He didn’t know why he found that funny, but he did. Raisu lifted the glass to his lips as the blue haired man continued, draining the glass again. Now the burning had dulled on the way down, but he was still enjoying the taste. His mind didn’t protest as it became more clouded.

The blue-haired man spoke of Natto and his crew once again. Don’t trust them? Raisu was way ahead of him. Now, Raisu might be a little naive, he’d admit that himself, but this Natto guy had invaded his home. Raisu would not be very generous to him, regardless of what Natto said his intentions were. Sure, people can change, but Raisu had a hard time believing that of an Empire Saiyan. The blue haired man commented on the fact that Raisu did not look like someone who had been to the fatherland, Vegeta, even admitting that he had not been there himself. Once upon a time, Raisu had wanted to go, but no longer. It was where garbage congregated.
And then the man said he did not look like a killer. Apparently, the man had done some killing himself. That Aspa fellow he’d mentioned, and probably a number of nameless Saiyans, but anyone else? But Raisu was glad to hear that he was a protector of Earth. They could get along in that way, at least.

“Nah, man,” he said, alcohol affecting his words, “Killing’s wrong. I don’t do that.”

Hell, he’d even spared the Saiyans he fought in the South Capitol. And he was going to spare the one that had pursued Arlic, Vivi and him from the city, but Arlic had killed him. Raisu had been a bit upset at that time, but he supposed it had to be done. He still didn’t like thinking about it. The man ran a hand through his hair and looked almost forlorn. What was running through his mind? Raisu wouldn’t pry. It wasn’t his place to do that.

The man asked Raisu about how he had grown up. Lots of people were doing that recently, but now his filter was gone. The drinks had seen to that. Raisu pushed the glass aside and opened his mouth, ready to speak.

“Well,” he began, “I grew up here on Earth. Lived in South Capitol the whole, just up until recently. My father was the Saiyan, my mom was the Earthling. Between you and me, my dad was a real mean guy. At least that’s what I figure by the stories my mom told me about him. He left before I could remember him. He’s lucky. If I remembered his face, I might just go and remove it. Never been to Vegeta and I really don’t want to go now. A bunch of assholes up there. I’d rather stay here where only about half the people are assholes.”

Raisu finished, having taken up the glass during his talk. He was incredibly interested in it for some odd reason. He turned to face the blue haired man.

“What’s your story? And your name? I think we’ve talked long enough to exchange names.”

It seemed that the blue haired man and Raisu had a difference of opinion on killing. The blue hybrid’s approach was more pragmatic, less compassionate. Raisu couldn’t say he blamed him, these days especially. And then there was the intimidation factor. The blue hybrid made a good case for his killing. But killing someone else? That would just leave a bad taste in Raisu’s mouth. Unlike this drink, which was quite delicious. He’d have to compliment the man on his taste in drinks later. The man seemed to be feeling the effects of the alcohol, too. The man gave Raisu a grin, sly and worldly, but there was a warmness in it too. They might disagree on something fundamental, but Raisu felt that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy. Of course, that could be the alcohol thinking. He couldn’t forget about that. Or could he? What would he remember tomorrow? Raisu was not excessively drunk, just tipsy, but the night was still young. There was plenty of time left to get inebriated. And he was in the perfect place for it.

But to speak of the man’s gruff nature, it sure was something else. It seemed everyone he met these days were exceptionally ruthless, if well meaning. Did Raisu have that kind of attitude him? Maybe. There was that violent side that came alive in him whenever the going got rough. The side that liked to fight and cause pain. The side that drove him to grow stronger. It had a way of coming over him when he least expected it. It was hard to control, but he tried to make the best of it.

The man let out a groan in response to Raisu’s questions. Had Raisu hit a sore spot? Perhaps. Raisu had come to find that hybrids rarely had easy lives. It was a consequence of being caught between two worlds, it seems. There was a duality to their nature that they couldn’t escape, and it was hard to cope sometimes. But the blue haired man seemed to be doing well for himself. But Raisu knew that was rarely indicative of what was going on below the surface. Perhaps the man suffered because of his parentage. Or perhaps Raisu was projecting a little too much. He had a bad habit of doing that sometimes. And the alcohol wasn’t helping.

The man explained his heritage. Half-Saiyan and Half-Brenchian? That made him like BREU then, who was part-Brenchian and part machine. So that was why he had been interested in his mention of BREU. Perhaps it wasn’t everyday a Brenchian came out this way. Between this man and BREU, Raisu had only met two. Or perhaps he’d only met one, if he combined their two halves. Raisu laughed at his own mental joke. That was the alcohol, doing its job. Apparently he’d grown up with his mother, a Brenchian official. Interesting story. Raisu only knew of the Brenchian Gemini by ear. Until recently, he’d never heard of it at all. And the man had left young, not caring for his family or the army. And he’d struck out his own, killing and sleeping his way across the galaxy. That last part didn’t sound so bad to Raisu. He could do without the killing part, though. Raisu was left curious, though. The man had been especially vague.

The man went on to say that he ran with the BBA these days and introduced himself as Jarvis. A respectable enough position, though Raisu had some grievances with the BBA. Like when he had met Polar and had run into the squad of soldiers. Or how they had dealt with North Capitol. Or how their leader had been a genocidal robot until recently. But besides all that, they were cool. They did their job well enough.

And then Jarvis said something that really caught his attention. He spoke of trinkets that could grant any wish and he even showed Raisu the trinket. It was brilliant little ball, bright orange and with a single star on it. It was beautiful. Raisu could hardly tear his eyes away from it. Any wish? That sounded amazing. And then Jarvis put it away.

“Wait, what is that? Tell me more!” Raisu said with enthusiasm. He really wanted to know.

The man hesitated for just a moment, as if he was considering not telling Raisu. had the alcohol gotten to him and he had said too much, or did he simply have trouble finding the words? Was there an easy way to describe what these magical balls were, these baubles that could do anything? Jarvis took up his drink and drained it, seeming quite satisfied as it parted from his lips. Raisu waited on the edge of his seat for the man to speak. He needed to know more about these ‘trinkets’, as Jarvis called them.

He called them special and hard to find. Obviously. Raisu had been all over and he’d never even heard of any of these things. And apparently there were multiple of these little orbs. Did it take several to make a wish? How many? Three? Ten? A hundred? And they were worth so much, so much that Jarvis had considered selling his own, but stopped for fear of selling to the wrong people. Raisu didn’t blame him. There were some scary people out in the world. It was much safer with Jarvis. After all, up until this point, Jarvis might just be the strongest person he had ever met.

“So, can these things do anything? Like, say, fix the destruction the Saiyans caused?” Raisu asked, dreadfully interested now, He’d have to try his own hand at finding these if that was the case.

For a moment, he imagined it: turning back time on this attack, making things right, as if the Saiyans had never set foot on Earth. It was a nice thought, but probably one outside his capabilities. But Hell, he could try it.
Jarvis continued to drink. He certainly seemed like a man who could control his drinking. Unlike BREU. Briefly, he wondered if those of Brenchian blood just really liked alcohol, in the way that Saiyans liked fighting. He was two for two on that hypothesis.