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Post by Reikiko on Mar 24, 2016 15:32:09 GMT
"Hika-nee, where are we going?"
The childish voice of Yuki resounded through the air as the little bio-android was being walked along the streets of the South Capitol. Although she enjoyed going to the city, especially whenever she joined it Reikiko could sense the confusion of the child when she stopped at the outskirts and nodded at the hybrid who was accompanying them. Hikari's sober expression told her enough, and after a moment of silence she turned toward the child, gently scooping Yuki up in her arms, allowing the little one to climb onto her shoulder.
"We're visiting someone Yuki."
However, this only seemed to confuse the child even further, declaring in a worried tone.
"But why is Rei-mama not joining us?"
Hikari sighed gently as they turned at the corner of the street, explaining in a calm and gentle tone.
"Because right now this is someone she can't meet."
Yuki's shoulders dropped lightly, a sorrowful look appearing on her face as she asked in a worried tone.
"Why? Is Yuki going to meet a meanie?"
In response to the question Hikari chuckled softly, shaking her head gently as she explained in a gentle tone.
"No, the person we are about to meet is a very kind person, and it's for that reason Reikiko can't meet him anymore."
Albeit it seemed those words only confused poor Yuki further, and at hearing the child's sigh the hybrid chuckled as they arrived at their destination. She was rather quick to find a seat, little Yuki looking around curiously as she sniffed the air for all the scents that were around. Hikari in the meanwhile had gestured for a waiter to come, giving her the chance to alert someone.
"For me some herbal tea please, and for the little one something with apples if possible, whether it's apple juice or just an apple, anything is fine, she isn't really picky. Also, please let Mister Liang know that an old friend is here in the hope of meeting him."
And with those words she waited...
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Hikari and Yuki are at the tea-house, Reikiko is a modest/few blocks away from the building, but her presence can likely be felt.
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Post by Liang on Mar 28, 2016 7:47:27 GMT
It was no secret.
The past couple of days, Liang had been a disheveled mess. It had been nearly impossible for him to focus on training, let alone sleep. His mind was weighed and burdened by a confusing hodgepodge of thoughts, none of which could arrive at a clear and sensible answer. Vi-Poi and Cipher had come to his rescue on the moon, but the thought still crept in the back of his mind and the depths of his heart what would have possibly happened had they not been there. As of late, he'd spent a lot of time at Tiger Tea, either in the basement level attempting to get some training under his belt or sleeping, or in his office on the ground floor trying to get some of his paperwork done. He was midway through filling out a stock form when all of the sudden a creeping and familiar presence took him by surprise a few blocks away, causing his third eye to shoot open and for him to snap the head off of his pen against his desk in shock. It took him a few seconds to calm down, but eventually the calm came. After what happened on the moon, why was she hanging back? This didn't make any sense. Pinching the bridge of his nose and squinting as he now realized his stock form was drenched in ink, he crumbled it up into a ball and tossed it across the room at the trash can, bouncing it off the rim and onto the floor. Grunting in frustration, he'd stand up and walk over to place it in and as he stood up from his bend, the entry bell for the tea house rang. They'd been a lot less busy today than they were usually, but a good amount of regulars had still stopped by. It was curious, what with her practically around the corner.
He could have sworn he heard a child's voice. It was strange. Closing the Eye and keeping it shut for now so as not to scare the little one, he'd put on his best friendly smile and step out of his office, grabbing a menu on his way. The staff member that greeted them first nodded quickly and headed his way. ''It's a simple order. Just some apple juice for the child and herbal tea for the lady.'' And that was when he knew. He nodded, holding out a hand in a halting gesture. ''Hey, i'll get it. Don't worry about it.'' ''Are you sure? You don't seem all that alright since these past few days.'' ''I know, I know. I know them, they're friends of mine. It'll be okay. Go relax.'' The staff member nodded and returned to the break area while Liang sank into the back, gathering up a few apples into a small basket. He grabbed a cup of apple juice with a straw and garnished it with an apple slice over the rim, and grabbed a fresh pot of herbal tea, putting on gloves as he grabbed a mixture of fresh herbs and ground them with his covered hands over a cup before pouring in the hot liquid and stirring it up to blend in the flavor. Hanging the basket off an arm while he carried the drinks with his hands, making his way to the front counter. He sat them down with a smile as well as the basket before taking a seat.
He smiled to the child before turning to Hikari with a curious look. ''So what brings you here today? I can feel she's close... is something the matter?'' It was clearly a stressful situation for him, but he was trying his best to hide the fact.
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Post by Reikiko on Mar 28, 2016 17:07:58 GMT
Liang's arrival was greet with the little bio-android staring at him, or rather the goods he brought along with wide-sparkling eyes of excitement. With them being set down Yuki carefully looked as the glass with apple juice, her focused observation showing she was really intrigued by the liquid. It seemed Liang had decided to go straight to the point, causing Hikari to smile briefly as she lowered a hand into her pocket.
"A pleasure to see you again Liang, but I guess we should come to the point and answer your question. There is nothing in particular the matter, well depending on how you perceive things."
She slowly rose her hand out of her pocket, and holding some sort of parchment she handed it over to Liang. It would likely have confused him a bit, and if he was to ask her anything or try to open it he would have heard Hikari continue speaking.
"It's a letter... from Reikiko."
However, upon opening it Liang would have likely noticed something quite peculiar. It didn't seem like a traditional letter at all! There were various lines across the parchment, but they clearly weren't letters, in fact it didn't seem eligible at all!
"Difficult to read isn't it? Try to focus a bit more, I think with your perceptive skills you'd likely find it."
If Liang took the advise of the hybrid to mind, he would have likely spotted that among the scribbles and lines and dots there were some darker stains on the parchment, and then in a very shaky effort it could be read.
s o r r y
Those letters repeated themselves over the parchment, accompanied with the darker stains.
"I apologize for the illegibility, I offered to write a letter for her, but she insisted on doing it herself, but she couldn't even properly hold such a tiny pencil with her hands while within her true form. You likely are aware what those stains are, right?"
It didn't take a genius to figure it out, albeit as if to help him out a bit the little bio-android who was peeking sideways from the glass declared in a sorrowful tone.
"Yuki saw that! Rei-mama was stabbing that paper with pencil really gently. Yuki was surprised at how focused Rei-mama was! But Rei-mama seemed really sad... Rei-mama was crying and saying something."
Hikari gently raised a hand to pet the child's crown before she continued her explanation.
"It was the only way she could think of how to tell you, for she doesn't consider herself allowed to face you again after what she did."
She waited for a moment as Yuki looked back at the glass of apple juice and mused softly.
"Yuki is going to take this challenge... Yuki will drink like human! Like Rei-mama taught Yuki!"
And with a rather adorable sound the girl nommed down onto the straw before she started to suckle the liquid out of it, the apple juice quickly bringing her into a blissful trance, ignorant of the ongoing conversation.
"I should properly introduce you to the little one. Her name is Yuki, the only child that is left out of the 3 that Reikiko had."
Her smile faded away after a moment, and now her tone grown more serious.
"Surely you felt it? Bing has died, and with his fall the Solar Saiyan Empire didn't just strike a decisive blow against us, Reikiko believes the one who slain him became stronger than anything we faced before.... Even stronger than the administrator."
She paused for a moment, a long sigh escaping her lips when she finally continued her explanation.
"Surely you noticed it. First the fall of Avalon, the burden of shouldering the deed of helping Earth kill her best friend and the invasion of the Saiyajin Empire. Constantly Reikiko has been forced to see the people she care for be forced to endure whatever hardships others throw our way. Despite her way of acting you should know better, right? You were there on Avalon, you knew the true Reikiko."
She shook her head firmly, and her tone clearly started to show her sorrow.
"The real Reikiko is way too kind and caring for others, someone who lets herself be influenced too much by her emotions. The destruction the Saiyajin Empire brought upon the cities, the sorrow and suffering she witnessed as refugees flooded the ship she had used to shelter them... It became too much for her. She didn't want to see anyone get hurt or suffer again, she wanted to find a way to end all conflicts and turn the galaxy into the Avalon you helped build."
She closed her eyes briefly, and for a moment she rested a hand against her chest, as if to calm down the emotions she was feeling right now.
"However, she is in the worst possible situation right now. Terrorized and traumatized by the feeling of the presence that killed Bing she is in a state of panic, she of all people understands that Earth needs to destroy this thread before it's given the chance to strike, for if it strikes we won't endure another invasion. She tried to discuss it with the Administrator before, but he insists on taking a passive approach and letting the Saiyajin Empire make the first move, to slap our cheek again and turn them the other before we strike back. She doesn't want to see a repeat of such events, and as a result she was determined to find the power to destroy this threat by herself."
A deep breath followed when she opened her eyes and gazed straight at Liang's own.
"You... the Administrator.... Cipher, you were never meant to be the ones to grab the bait she had placed by allowing her student to try to commit such a prank. She already had to accept the sacrifice of Walker, a dear friend of hers, she even had to devour her OWN children just so that Earth would stand a small chance should they already invade. Do you genuinely think the Blue Banner Army will win, even with a weakened Reikiko at their side? Such a thought is naive. The Administrator's decision to remain passive, you wouldn't understand the pain it caused her. All this time she is making sacrifices, shouldering such regrets and for what reason? Because we'd better be off training and playing cards while an overwhelming enemy is given the chance to walk into our gates?"
She sighed softly, speaking in a softer tone.
"You were never meant to be a target, you weren't even meant to be an enemy. You were one of Reikiko's dear friends, but what do you think is happening now? The people Reikiko cares for the most are all preventing her from saving the place they all call home. Even her best friend, the Administrator himself is ignorant of the true danger that awaits us, because he became conceited in his power, and overconfident in the power of KAOS."
Hikari had decided to take a brief sip from the tea before placing the zeni for the bill on the table while rising from her seat, tapping Yuki's shoulder, something that snapped the child out of her trance.
"But Yuki didn't finish apple drinksies yet..."
Hikari smiled sadly at the girl and shook her head gently.
"Finish it quickly. Liang, the only thing I'd like to ask of you: If you still care about Avalon, about the memories you made with Reikiko there. At the very least come to West Capitol at the end of the week. Please see Reikiko's answer, the real Reikiko's answer for yourself."
if Liang wanted to stop them, then now was the chance, for Yuki declared happily.
"ROGER! YUKI GOING FULL POWAH! TURBO-BOOSTAH!"
Almost like a super hero she made a goofy pose, one that Liang would likely recognize as a very specific part of the KAOS pose, yes the pose that if Vipoi forced him into the posing would have been Liang's own. and then she started to suck as fast as she could on the straw, afterwards patting her belly with a content sigh.
"Yuki won, Apple drinksie was a worthy opponent."
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Post by Liang on Apr 10, 2016 16:38:23 GMT
He found himself in a state of interested curiosity as the woman began, with the child happily enjoying her treats. It did bring a smile to his face to see the little one having such a delightful time, but he stayed focused on the topic at hand. Apparently, nothing in particular had gone wrong. She paused briefly and handed off to him a piece of parchment, neatly folded for ease of carry. Blinking a few times between her and the parchment, he was clearly confused. What could this be all about? He hadn't seen nor heard from Reikiko since the moon incident, but he could faintly feel she was nearby. Was she hiding from him? Could she not bear to see him in person after what had happened? A small pang of anger at the memory dripped slowly within his heart, causing his blood to warm ever so slightly. After being told what it was, he peered down to it, carefully unfolding it and laying it down on the counter in front of him. It was...hard to read. Strangely so. It certainly didn't look like writing. ''Yeah, it's very difficult. I don't think i've ever seen something quite like this. I'll focus a bit more.'' Luckily, visual perception had been recently claimed as one of his specialties as a fighter. Sweeping his bangs back and tying them into a sloppy tail slowly, the Eye on his forehead opened up lazily before he took control and cast its gaze downward; his two primary eyes read it for what it was; the Third however read outside of the lines, taking it in as a whole. His mouth slowly began to open in shock, all three eyes widening at once. s o r r y... It was like a hodgepodge of a chaotic, scrambled mind's thoughts desperately trying to find its way through the tube of a pen. It was like it couldn't quite fit; there was too much, so it had been simplified. His Eye then scanned over the darker stains as the young woman spoke. Tears...? She was crying? The little one confirmed the notion, and that barb of anger wedged inside of his chest slowly began to melt away into a slow, sorrowful flow down into the pit of his stomach. It wasn't that the felt guilty; he felt sorry for Reikiko. It dawned on him now and finally that he wasn't supposed to be the one to show up on the moon. The topic changed after a brief pause and change of tone, causing Liang to fold up the letter and keep it tucked away and give Hikari his full attention. Nothing could have prepared him for the words that escaped her lips, however. Bing Gan was dead. ''Wait. Wait. Bing...? Bing Gan. Bing Gan, the kami of Earth is dead!? How can you be sure?'' With a gasp of realization, his thoughts tossed him into a flashback on the surface of the moon. After Etoru, Reikiko, and Hikari had departed, he had felt... something. At the far edges of his panicked senses, something had faded away into nothing. Something weak, struggling, and fighting. It didn't die out quietly. It extinguished like a roaring, powerful flame. That was Bing's energy. ''On the moon...'' He gulped, continuing with a slightly shaky and sorrowful voice. ''I felt him die. I didn't know what it was in the middle of all of that, but I think deep down I knew exactly what had happened. Maybe it takes just hearing it to connect the dots. Who? Who killed him? He was one of the strongest fighters on Earth- no, probably in the galaxy at large! Was he trapped or ambushed or something?'' His tone had gone hollow and monotone, his eyes glazing over as he struggled to accept the reality of the hard truth. The only beings that could have had a chance of killing him were Super Saiyans, and it would have taken several to do so. He nodded along as he listened to Hikari's tone change once more, and she began speaking of the days of Avalon. It struck a happy, touching chord for the young man. ''Of course I know better. That's why I was so scared. It wasn't just the fact that she was going to absorb me; it was the fact that even after all of that history, I see her on the Moon and I felt like nothing within that history mattered anymore. The way she spoke to me, and gazed at me how she did. I didn't feel like I was having a reunion with Reikiko. After all that time and all those memories, she was prepared to kill me.'' He continued to listen as the conversation steered toward what sounded to be an inevitable second assault from the Saiyan Solar Empire. From the sounds of what had been explained, this was the primary reason behind Reikiko's recent motivations. The thought of it scared him as much as it did her; countless lives were lost the last time. '''I always disagreed with letting the Queen leave here the first time. Something deep down told me they'd be back someday. I understand why Reikiko is fearful of the event. I think everybody is. Maybe that's why Poi is so focused on training; we blunted them once, and he must want to do so again. It's already past time that we can do anything to stop them before the fact if Bing is dead. As long as the Queen is alive, this is going to keep happening. It sounds cold, but we should have killed her when she was beaten before.''Whether or not people agreed with him, that was how he felt. Killing her may have made her a martyr to her people, but when it came down to facts, as long as she was alive the Solar Empire was a threat to everything not inside of it. ''I don't think the Banner will win. You're right, it's naive to think we will. The sole reason Earth won last time is because we all came together from different walks of life and defended our home. No one faction can handle something of this magnitude. It's going to take the same fighters as we had last time and plenty of new faces on top of that. Even that may not be enough. But now with all of these recent developments, one of the most important things that we still have time for is to grow our strengths to make a larger whole when we all come together once again. I don't want Reikiko to think she has to face this alone. I don't want anyone to feel that way. I wish we would have struck sooner, but it sounds like now we don't have time for that...''He would nod in agreement to her final request before her departure as she hurried the little one along in finishing her juice. The child warmed his heart immediately with happy surprise as she perfectly emulated his KAOS pose before finishing off her apple juice adversary, celebrating her victory. He smiled down at her as she commended her opponent for a good fight. Looking back to Hikari just before the pair would leave, he'd respond. ''I''ll do my best to make it. I promise. I'm sure you can understand how much is on my mind right now, especially after all of this. Tell Reikiko that I understand now. She can come see me sometime if she wants to. My head's an absolute mess, so i'm going to take a little bit of time to sort some things out. Thank you, Hikari. I appreciate you stopping in to clear all of this mess up a bit. Tell Rei I said hello, by the way.'' Smiling faintly after them, he wouldn't hold them up any longer; they were likely just as busy as he was, if not more so. It was probably better to let Hikari get back to watching over Reikiko anyway; in her panicked state of mind, who knew what could happen?
Oh, if Liang only knew...
[Thread Exit! I'll take PL, please. I had fun with this one Rei! Sorry for the hold-up!] |
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Post by Reikiko on Apr 16, 2016 12:22:37 GMT
(I'll be asking for PL also then ^^ thanks for the thread Liang ^^ and no worries)
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Post by Zerori on Apr 18, 2016 7:43:28 GMT
Reikiko 1,708 <-- Word count1,451<-- PL gains411,011 PL --> 412,463 PL~-~-~-~ Liang 1,973 <-- Word count3,828 <-- PL gains188,009 PL --> 191,837 PL
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