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Post by Kay-El on Apr 20, 2016 13:36:28 GMT
Thread PL: 107,725 -- “Pin!” she shouted as she more or less crashed through the Pixie’s hatch in a rush to see her brother. It felt like forever since she’d last seen the android, leader of The White List, and maybe it had been. After her trip to Earth to recruit the odd and somewhat spooky Kishi, Kay-El’s return to Vegeta didn’t last long at all. True, she’d spent some time exploring, long enough to know there really wasn’t much to explore in this arid, vast, desert of a wasteland half her lineage called ‘home.’ But that wasn’t why she’d taken off. Traveling in general seemed to spark some need within her to do and see it all, and getting out there, and now that she had her own ship it really let her taste true freedom for the first time - and it tasted sweeter than any dessert could. The Pink Lady was everything she never knew she wanted and more! Stealth drive, super fast engine and an epic paint job, to boot? Wiz, her adoptive father, wouldn’t have found anything to complain about or improve. That man made space ships of all kinds his hobby. It was good to have hobbies, things to keep you from being all work and no play making people boring and dull. Softly, she sang, the very same song that so recently inspired her to seek out more information on her biological father. The demon wasn’t in the picture when she was growing up, but the feeling she got from Uncle Sam and just in general was that that was not the dude’s fault. No, not at all, and the data disk she found only helped prove her right, in her opinion. What kind of guy gifts that to a woman they knew wouldn’t stick around but they had to try anyway, right? Even still, her father held out hope and now so would she. At least now she knew which side of the family she got her singing voice from, and the bewitching quality it held in its power. His power, her power, she got it from her father. “Pin, I’m baack!” Pin
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Post by Pin on Apr 20, 2016 21:29:53 GMT
Pin was in the ever-shrinking cargo bay of the Pixie. He'd cleared a small corner of the area for a workbench and some basic tools. At the moment of Kay-El's arrival, he was welding...something. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd been doing, if he were honest. Since returning to Vegeta, he'd grown more and more driftless. Something had changed in his time away, and he couldn't place exactly what it was that had happened. The buildings were the same, as was the landscape. So were the citizens - elites and gutter trash alike.
Maybe that was the problem. Pin had left for Namek, been defeated and rebuilt, had visited Earth and fought intense battles. Pin himself had changed, not the planet. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
When he heard the little girl's shouted greetings, Pin put down his project - whatever the fuck it is, and got up from his chair. Striding out into the corridors of his ship, he quickly found her. His ship wasn't exactly huge and she wasn't exactly hiding. Truth be told, he'd noticed that she had gone but in his haze had barely felt her absence. He felt bad about that, and would never tell her - she would be crushed by it, and even Pin wouldn't stomp all over a little girl's emotions.
"Welcome back, Kay," he said, smiling, "How was your trip?"
__________________________________________ Thread PL 94267, effect PL 565,602
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Post by Kay-El on Apr 21, 2016 16:58:49 GMT
The ship wasn’t the largest, but it was bigger than Lady, that was for sure. At least the trip got her used to space travel that her few sporadic trips before hadn’t quite done. In all the excitement of her trip she hadn’t had much time to miss anyone, but Nana and Pin held special places in her heart. She’d never tell Pin she missed Nana more, but the two were still new to each other, barely in each other’s lives for more than a few heartbeats in the grand scheme of things. “Hi Pin!” she said when they met in the corridor and she ran forward, flying up to give him a hug. Brief the hug might have been, lasting only a few seconds, but she packed as much of an emotionally charged punch as she could into it. It felt good to be with him again, right in some way, or maybe that was just wishful thinking and emotions getting in the way. “ My trip was good! I went to a few places but Namek...can we talk about Namek?” She didn’t really wait for an answer, just barreled ahead. “ I mean, the Moori Capitol - there’s so much destruction there. I helped a bit with the relief efforts but I think it would go a long way if the SSE helped more. I know you said you wanted to ally with Namek, right? But they were all in hiding when General… Mayze… tried to contact them. I think they were scared because they didn’t know what happened and some blame the SSE for it all. Maybe if you went and told them what went down since you were there it might help them see that the SSE was trying to stop that Xylo guy, right?” She had been paying attention when they picked up General Mayze, but she didn’t think Pin of all people would be surprised by that. “ Anyway, enough about me, what about you? Did anything exciting happen while I was away? What have you been working on?” Genuinely interested in her brother’s life, she looked up at him with dark, wide eyes and hoped that next time she left for Namek he’d go with her and maybe others would, too. Pin
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Post by Pin on Apr 22, 2016 22:02:44 GMT
Pin returned Kay's hug, though it likely didn't carry as much of an emotional charge. Not that he didn't care for the girl - quite the opposite - but he was still getting used to the whole family thing. Even after finding some real friends and spending time with Kay-El, Pin was still deeply mired in the persona of a lone bounty hunter. It was what he knew best and what he was most comfortable with. Still, he knew he had to go beyond, for his own sake as much as Kay-El's. They both deserved better.
"Namek, huh? Sure, we can talk about Namek," Pin said, and then he listened as she spoke to him about her time on the blue-and-green world. "Moori Capital was in pretty bad shape when we left, that's for sure. I'm not surprised the Empire is taking the blame for it. From a distance, it probably looked like a Super Saiyan was just blasting the shit out of the city. Still, I know there was at least one Namekian who knew what was happening and got away. Maybe he's still in hiding, who knows? In any case, I don't know how much good I'll be able to do for Namek. I'm just one man, and I don't quite have the authority to assemble anyone else in the empire for a relief mission. By my understanding, as far as the Queen is concerned, that mission is over. I could go to her, but I'm not certain she'd see me. I could ask Habana, I guess."
Then the girl started to ask what he'd been up to, and Pin's face visibly dropped. He'd been up to...nothing. He hadn't accomplished anything in the time the girl had been gone. He quickly force a smile onto his face and led the girl into the common area, where he poured himself a glass of Redbreast and offered her a full range of sweet drinks from the fridge.
"I've been...organizing, mostly. Keeping the Pixie maintained. Doing a lot of thinking. Boring stuff, nothing worth talking about."
In truth, he'd done none of those things. He'd even been ignoring a problem with some of the Pixie's gyroscopic systems for a few days now.
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Post by Kay-El on Apr 25, 2016 16:57:24 GMT
As she listened to Pin speak of Namek she sighed. Hell, she’d be a one-person relief team if she had to be, she’d just hoped it wouldn’t come down to that. If the SSE could show Namek through actions that they stood behind them and their people, it would go a long way towards growing feelings of peace rather than the currently harbored enmity and (possibly undeserved) resentment. “ It’s worth a shot, right?” she said, looking up at Pin hopefully. If Pin came, as one of the people who had actually been there, maybe he could even explain to Little Green exactly what happened and clear the air there. Now it all felt tense and heavy, and increasingly harder to breathe, metaphorically speaking. She frowned when she seemed to make him sad somehow. Wondering if it was something she said, or if she should say something and try to ease the sting or blow of whatever it was, she doubted it was her specifically. Unless he really was sad she’d left? The thought she might have hurt him caused another frown and then it vanished as she realized he’d probably tell her if that were the case, right? Looking around she grabbed the milk and the cocoa powder out of the fridge to make chocolate milk with. Everything looked as she’d last seen it which meant Nana was probably still cleaning up after Pin, keeping the Pixie in order if he didn’t, which made her smile. “ Well, I’m sure The Pixie’s better off for your organization… What you been thinking about?” Mixing the drink she put the ingredients back less the amounts she’d taken back where they belonged and watched through the clear glass as they mixed, dark brown powder flakes swirling through the now light brown milk. Put that way, it sounded kind of gross, but as proven time and time again it tasted fantastic. Pin
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Post by Pin on Apr 27, 2016 2:38:40 GMT
"Yeah, it's worth a shot," he said, not sure he really meant it. Still, he'd make sure to bring it up to Habana the next chance he got, if for no other reason than he could tell it meant a lot to the girl. He watched her make her chocolate milk and was glad that he'd made sure to stock it while she was gone. It had gone mysteriously missing, and he suspected Granzel but didn't find any evidence.
"Just thinking about the state of things," he answered her question. He wasn't sure he wanted to really talk about what he was really thinking about. "The Empire, the List, the Pixie. Things have changed for me in a really big way in a really short time. Even I'm having trouble processing it all, you know? It makes me wonder what my place actually is in the universe." He paused, and took a sip of his own drink.
"I'm surrounded by these immense titans of strength, and in all but a small handful of battles I've been completely outclassed. Even you've surpassed me now. I wonder what my true path is, how I can continue to serve the Empire in an increasingly escalated environment. I wonder if I have any right to command the List when two of my supposed subordinates are vastly more powerful than I am. Maybe I'm just becoming obsolete. Maybe my time is over."
He looked into his glass. He hadn't meant to say all that. It didn't even feel good to get it out there. It just felt like he was acknowledging his shackles.
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Post by Kay-El on Apr 29, 2016 15:33:44 GMT
Relaxing a little as Pin said it was worth a shot, Kay-El felt reassured in her belief that she knew she could count on him - that they could count on each other. They might not actually share blood, but family didn’t end in blood, or so she’d learned. As he continued to speak about all the things going on for him, she leaned against the wall and took a sip, looking at him seriously despite the chocolate milk mustache decorating her upper lip. She believed it was great, the things he was doing, and was about to tell him so when he kept on and mentioned feeling surrounded by immovable forces. Well, not those words, but it was a feeling she once knew so very, very well and still, despite the increase in her own strength and power, still felt every day. Of her own power surpassing his, she said nothing. It wasn’t something she felt she ought to feel bad about and so she didn’t, and saying sorry or anything like that even if she did mean it might make him feel worse. Saying nothing on that felt like the safest bet. “ I’ve always been small. Every opponent I faced had more physical strength to them, they were more powerful in every sense of the word. Actual power, size, weight, all of it - as a result, I always feel outclassed and always took my training seriously. I had to in order to survive. But I’m still young.” Even now, although she grasped at what he said, her understanding of such a deep concept was limited. “ I know you’re the best choice for the position of leader, this is your baby, so to speak. Without your leadership back at the Square that day with the Queen, I’d have felt rudderless. Heck, I never would have gone if you hadn’t,” she spoke the last part a bit shyly. “ When I set out to find you, I didn’t know anything about you other than that you were an Android and you were family. I was terrified that if I did find you, you wouldn’t want me and you’d reject me. I had a generic description of you…” she laughed and pulled out the now many folded and abused, somewhat tear stained rough drawing she’d done of him in her own, childish way. “ I showed that to everyone when I was trying to find you.” Setting it on the table, Kay-El looked at the paper with fondness. No, it wasn’t a great likeness, but it wasn’t terrible... for a five year old. “ You’re not obsolete to me, so if that matters, I’d like you to keep that in mind. A friend gave me some great advice to hang on to you with everything I have and I intend to take it. We’re family, family means no one gets left behind... “ Looking up at him, and up, she met his eyes, head tilted back. “ So let’s give it our best shot, okay? We can train together, maybe even find a teacher together… You and me, we’re a team, and I refuse to lose that. I’ve been alone most of my life and until you I didn’t mind it so much... But now I don't want to be alone again.” Pin
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Post by Pin on May 1, 2016 1:45:48 GMT
Pin looked down at Kay-El's drawing. He had to admit, it was...not the best. He couldn't judge, of course - she was just a kid - but boy would that have made for one lousy bounty poster. If that was all he'd had to work with on a hunt, he'd have trouble getting paid. And yet here she was, the strange little girl that was somehow his sister. All because she refused to give up, refused to quit. He reached over and tousled her hair as he got up to pour himself another glass of whiskey.
She had a point, and he knew it. He could redouble his efforts, train harder and more often. He may never catch up with Habana or Zerori or even with Kay herself, but he could prevent others from catching up to him. He could make sure that if Kizuki and Xylo and Koramund ever managed to claw their way out of hell, that he would be there to send them packing once more. He would only be shackled if he allowed himself to be shackled. Besides, he was a machine. Machines could be upgraded and he knew it - he'd already done it once, he could do it again.
"Has anyone ever told you," Pin said as he poured his drink, "That for a five-year-old, you're pretty goddamn smart? Because it's pretty fucking impressive."
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Post by Kay-El on May 7, 2016 17:33:05 GMT
Taking another sip and renewing her chocolate milk mustache, Kay-El grinned up at the compliment. “ I’m not really sure why I hung onto this thing for so long… I guess I don’t really need it, anymore, huh?” she looked at him curiously. Nevertheless, she folded it and slipped it back into her pocket because, hey, you never know when you might want to look at something again or need it. Not having very many possessions to begin with, she felt like hanging onto the few she did have was the right thing to do for now. “ And, besides, you’re pretty darn smart, yourself. I guess you could say I learn from the best.” The five year old went back to her chocolate milk and, when that was all gone, started tell him all about her trip to Namek and her new, Little Green friend who seemed to be running the restoration of the Capital. -- Thread exit, pl pls. Pin
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Post by Pin on May 7, 2016 17:38:10 GMT
Pin smiled, and reached over to ruffle the girl's hair. She was a surprisingly resilient and optimistic kid, considering everything she'd been through. She said she learned from the best, but it was likely Pin that would be learning from her. It looked like nothing could keep this kid down, it was pretty astonishing.
"We all hang on to relics of our past. Even androids like me. I've got this old poster in my office that Granzel just can't stand, it's great."
With that, he listened to her story of her adventure to Namek. He wasn't sure, but her description of "Little Green" sounded oddly familiar, like he'd seen this guy before somewhere...
______________ PL Please!
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Post by Kizuki on May 17, 2016 1:12:03 GMT
Kay-El: +2,904 PL New Total: 135,346 PL
Pin: +2,088 PL New Total: 105,841 PL
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