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Post by Om-Yogu on Mar 4, 2020 23:53:28 GMT -6
Thread PL: 179,935
Fishing. It was a thing. A thing that Yogu was doing right now. Yeah, he had resorted to fishing to pass the time when he wasn't searching for a way out of this cesspit. " Ya know, sometimes I just wanna fuckin scream. This is like screaming for the soul." That's what he thought to himself as he stood on the edge of the Great Lake, casting a line out into it. He had always enjoyed fishing as a kid. But just because you enjoy something doesn't mean you do it regularly. Or that it's much more enjoyable than staring at a wall. There was that anticipation about it that Yogu always liked. You never knew when something was going to bite on the line. Especially when the water was so murky from all that blood. Was it actually blood? He'd have to ask an Ogre. Fishing was also a good time to reflect on things. Like what had been happening for the past year and a half or so. But when he tried to decompress all of those thoughts by himself, he felt the need to cry. And scream. And what felt like his brain was about to explode. Maybe he needed to talk to someone about the trauma he had experienced in recent times. He wasn't entirely sure he was supposed to be okay with dying again. And the fact that he had taken an innocent life, and pretty much just laughed it off with them in Yemma's line. He hoped that Chime, Oboe, Carro, and everyone else gave him a lot of shit for what he did. Some reason to actually feel bad. Because for some reason, he just didn't. And that scared him. The tugging of the line snapped Yogu out of his thoughts. " Oh- Oh shit!" After a rather intense back and forth between Yogu and the fish, he finally won! " EW! THE HELL IS THIS THING?!" It definitely... Looked fish-like? It looked like a fish and a demon had a baby. The thing was an unnatural shade of red, had three eyes, and Yogu was pretty sure it was trying to enter his mind using telepathy. Whatever it was trying to tell him, Yogu didn't want to know. A few minutes later, and Yogu had a small campfire set up. The fish was being roasted right over the fire! Just about as good as any food you could get in hell! At the very least, it was leagues better than whatever they were selling at those crappy food stands nearby.
OOC: Yogu goes fishing. Come sit down for a bite and chat. |
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Post by Vocado on Mar 19, 2020 3:26:10 GMT -6
Thread Power Level: 200,000
Somehow, some way, Vocado always ended up back at this miserable lake. Whether through circumstance, teleportation, or simple bad luck, it always ended here. Every road he took, every alley and avenue and hidden pass he searched-- all to the Great Blood Lake. It felt like the Kai's were watching him; making sure every lead that seemed like some way or another to escape was so viciously wrong that he felt foolish for even entertaining the notion that he'd found a path into Heckway.
Today, or at least what he perceived to be today, he'd probably wound up at the lake a good dozen times. The discolored water was seriously starting to piss him off. He had half a mind to try blowing the whole lake sky-high, but he imagined that trying to do that would somehow summon a dozen heroes to the lake's defense.
"Tch."
As he turned to try another lead, he heard something in the distance. An exclamation of disgust and shock. He spun on his heel, and in the distance he could see someone... Fishing? People did that kind of thing in Hell? It seemed so innocuous. So calm and ineffectual and boring. How could someone subject themselves to such torture? Better still: how in the world did someone actually catch something?
He waited, for a time. Watching from the distance and the safety of cover. His surveillance took some time, but revealed, eventually, to Vocado's surprise, that his target was Yogu. How he ended up in Hell was certainly a mystery, but a decision the Saiyan couldn't help but laugh about. Just how badly did this one screw up to still end up here after their brawl?
It didn't take long for the brat to finish his camp, and even shorter for the fish to begin cooking. It looked rancid already.
With a cold sneer, Vocado blasted the fire with a thin beam. Why he did it, he wasn't sure, but it was bound to get some sort of reaction.
"I'm pretty sure even a corpse can be poisoned by something that disgusting."
Vocado took to his feet, sliding down the hill he'd been watching from, before rolling to a seat across from Yogu. His face held a smarmy grin. The kind he'd had when he killed Carro and Nashua.
"Guess Yemma likes us both equally." Kicking his feet up on a particularly large rock, the fallen prince chuckled at his would-be killer. "How's your stay so far? Enjoying the amenities and wonderful customer service?"
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Post by Om-Yogu on Sept 12, 2020 0:38:18 GMT -6
So there Yogu was, minding his own business, about to dig into some demon fish, when it fucking explodes! " Holy shit can I get one thing in Hell?" It seemed not, because whoop de- fucking doo it was Vocado! There he came, rolling into Yogu's camp talking about the safety of demon fish. His tone was dripping with sarcasm, " Well thank you for saving my life from the scary fish! So glad to see you turning it around! Do you want a medal?" Yogu leaned back on his seat, a log that looked about as dead or tortured as anything else around here. So, there Vocado was. Right in front of him. No one else around. The exact dream scenario Yogu had wanted for what felt like forever. But he didn't feel anything looking at the villain. Complete neutrality. No want to fight, no anger. What'd be the point of letting that all out here? It wouldn't mean anything even if he won. Vocado keeps going, asking how he's liking the place, " Well, this ain't the first time I've been down here but it seems like more of the same. Yemma apparently likes to add crimes down by demons that possess you to your track record. Keep that in mind, in case it ever happens to ya 'kay? Heaven's wayyyy better, I'll tell you that. They got actual food there, even though you don't need it. It's actually really nice and peaceful. So I'm thinking it wouldn't really be your style. Wasn't mine much either though." Yogu got onto his feet and began fixing the campfire. He doesn't look up from his work, " If you're looking for a fight, I'm not gonna give you one. Beat me up if you want, I couldn't care less." There, one ki blast and the fire was back up again. Yogu remained silent for a time, staring at the fire with a frown. Eventually, he broke his self-imposed silence. " Hey," He started, " Back when we fought for the Dragon Balls, I asked you somethin'... If you regretted what you had done. And you said yes. Did you... Did you mean it when you said that? Do you mean it now?" Yogu finally takes his gaze off the fire, trying to look Vocado in the eyes. Trying to see a hint of any emotion behind them. He was sure that burning hatred would never go away for Vocado, no matter what his answer was. But it didn't hurt to know, right? Understanding each other might be better than just blind hatred for one another. He had a feeling Vocado wouldn't care though, he just came to rub Yogu's self-inflicted death and the collateral damage in his face. He must have Vocado down to a T by now. The frown wouldn't leave his face.
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Post by Vocado on Sept 12, 2020 5:15:51 GMT -6
"Sure. I think a nice gold medal would look wonderful. It'd accent my cape wonderfully."
He jabbed a thumb behind him, only to realize the bright red cloak was absent. Strange. Hadn't he worn it recently? No, surely the last time he had it on was before Kayen dethroned him. In fact, he hadn't even seen his cape in a while. It went missing ages ago now. He'd need a new one when he revived, or perhaps it was too tacky for the modern era. Yogu would've found a way to make fun of it, surely.
In all honesty, Vocado was pleasantly surprised by Yogu's apathetic annoyance. He wasn't bursting at the seams down here in the pits. Instead, he was much like Vocado. He saw no point in taking out one's aggression when, win or lose, neither one of you would even keep your wounds for an hour. Hell was strange like that. Shouldn't pain be amplified? It'd make sense given the legends.
Yogu's mention of heaven caught his ear. He'd been there before? Interesting. One had to wonder if perhaps the boy's unorthodox method of revival was the root cause. He mentioned something about Monster, but it didn't feel quite right. Could someone truly be judged on the actions of someone else in control of their body?
"I'm glad you're in the talking mood. I don't see much point fighting down here. Training ones self is fine and dandy, but a death match means nothing when both contestants already lost." He poked the halo floating over his head with idle interest, looking up at it while Yogu blasted the campfire back into power. "It's strange, but being dead is nice in that way. No reason to settle old grudges. Not in the same way, anyways."
As the fire crackled, his interest in the floating ring was interrupted by Yogu's question. Vocado remembered the conversation well. He'd been furious, then, but he did let a moment of weakness shine through. That was before the cavalry arrived.
"I think I did," he started, letting his finger hook on the inside of his halo. "I regret it in a way, but it doesn't feel right. It's the kind of regret a criminal feels when he's caught. It's not like being wrong and feeling wrong... It's like being a kid with his hand stuck in the cookie jar." His eyes met Yogu's gaze. There was genuine emotion behind his statement, but it wasn't sorrowful. It was as if Vocado was parsing through his feelings about the past year as he spoke them aloud. Maybe he'd change his mind one day, but in the here and now, he meant what he said.
"I don't regret taking the actions I did. I just regret that I failed, and that I lost people important to me. It's not that I didn't want to hurt others to get my way, its just that I didn't care enough about anyone other than me." He pursed his lips, and nodded. "I guess that means I'm in the right place."
The finger above him slid free, and he let his hand rest on the gnarled wood he'd made his seat. "You failed, you know." He turned away, watching the lake to distract himself from the self-deprecation he was about to employ. "Not that it matters or anything. You and Nashua died, but I only lived a few more minutes. Since I failed, I can guarantee both of you will be alive in the coming months, if not within a few days. I just figured I'd clarify the exact play-by-play."
"Do you regret that, I wonder?" He glanced sidelong at Yogu. "Since everything worked out I suppose it doesn't matter the way my failure does, but it could've led to catastrophe. I could've had a Senzu Bean in my pocket, or Carro could have failed to arrive. You were my only out that day. The only one I'd allow myself to take, anyway."
The options were always there, of course, to concede or feign possession. Chime was a smart kid, but even he could be fooled with the right acting. It didn't feel right, though. Lying through his teeth that far into the throes of battle was a coward's end. He couldn't let himself die a coward.
"It was a stupid play, but impressive nonetheless. With some refinement, that'd be a useful technique."
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Post by Om-Yogu on Sept 14, 2020 2:39:43 GMT -6
There was a surprise, a real answer. Clearly, Yogu really didn't know as much about Vocado as he thought. He wanted to say something as Vocado talked, some quip or insult to throw at him. Something to make Yogu feel better about the guy's answer. But nothing came to mind. He just stared. The answer didn't click with Yogu initially. He put a hand over fist, placing it under his chin as Vocado came to the conclusion he was in the right place. A pit formed in Yogu's stomach when everything clicked; he supposed he felt the exact same way about what he had done then. He didn't regret being that pissed, that out of control. He believed deep down he was fully justified in that. Or that he had used an attack like that with so many people around, not even that he had killed Nashua. It was that he didn't get Vocado; that's what he regretted. So what separated him from being as bad as Vocado? He didn't have an answer. The absence of an excuse, some reason for not being as low as Vocado makes Yogu visibly tense up, " ...Guess I'm in the right place too then." His eyes dart down back to the fire as Vocado reminds Yogu that he did, indeed, fail. He then also pointed out how little it mattered in the grand scheme of things. Which was kind of true? It still mattered a whole lot to Yogu. He wondered how things would've gone differently if Nashua wasn't there to get in the way. Why did he think that way? He knew it wasn't Nashua's fault he didn't kill Vocado. And yet when he thought back on how things could go different; it was about changing others' actions and not his own. He didn't want to think this way, he knew it was wrong. But for some reason, he just couldn't help it. Maybe right there was the difference between him and Vocado; they both knew their actions were wrong. But Vocado didn't seem to care and Yogu doubted he'd ever start to care. Yogu cared but couldn't help himself. It was like being possessed again, but there was no demon behind it. No big scary Monster to put the blame on. Just himself. His brain felt like mush. Then he remembered he'd have to continue this conversation with the person who was his literal worst enemy on top of this. Awesome. Yogu wanted nothing more than to keel over and die again right there. Vocado asked about Yogu's regret, and it felt like all of the ghost boy's thoughts were plastered all over his face. He didn't bother answering, he was sure the message got across by his expression alone. Vocado continued, letting Yogu know he was the only out the man had that day. And he knew that was the truth. It was clear just how uneasy that fact made Yogu, " Yeah, but you didn't have one did you? And Carro did show up. You lost." He took it as an attempt for the guy to get in his head. He wouldn't let himself get caught up in thinking about what could have gone wrong. There was already more than enough stuff that actually did wrong that Yogu still had to process. Then he brought up the attack that was used, calling it impressive. " It'll be leagues better by the next time we fight. I'm never gonna let another one of my own attacks do me in, cause that was dumb." He felt he understood Vocado well enough to know that stay in hell forever either. He'd be back in some form in the land of the living, " When you do get back from here, we're all gonna be waiting ya know. And we'll be a helluva lot stronger than we are now. Especially me. It ain't gonna be Carro, Kayen, Nashua or whoever else you should worry about." Yogu hops to his feet and walks away for a moment, coming back with an ash-colored stick. Sitting back down, Yogu leans forward and starts poking at the fire, " Don't mistake what I'm sayin' for encouragement though. If it was up to me I'd have you reborn as grass and then turned into cow shit."
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Post by Vocado on Sept 14, 2020 5:48:10 GMT -6
He didn't think the comments would make the boy downtrodden, and as expected Yogu didn't seem the least bit deterred. His comments were just as sharp, though it seemed a more intentional set of jabs than Vocado's had been. The Saiyan smirked, turning fully to Yogu rather than giving him idle glances. "Lost I did, but not without making it that tad bit hollow. So many lives scarred that day." He thought of Chime and Oboe. The two of them had been proud and peaceful until he arrived. Carro didn't escape without mental harm either, though no amount of precaution from Yogu could've prevented that. "The Dragon Balls can't reverse emotional trauma. If you were a true-blue hero like the rest of your cavalcade, then you'd have taken some time to think about that. Maybe you and I are closer kin than either of us realize."
It was an interesting thought to consider, and one Vocado decided to press on. One never knows what nerves are the most sensitive until they prod and poke. "Just how much of Monster was really his own action, I wonder? Even if he was solely autonomous, it certainly seems like he's rubbed off on you." Vocado chuckled. "Ahh, if only I had the luxury of an excuse like that. Would've saved me heaps of trouble."
Yogu doubled down on his self-confidence, stating that not only would his technique improve, but that he would be the only real threat on Vocado's radar. It was starting to get cumbersome now. Every able-bodied fighter on the block thought themselves worthy of rivaling Vocado, and in some cases they certainly wouldn't be wrong. He'd written Nashi off the moment he laid eyes on him, and yet it was impossible to beat the feline in a straight fight. That was ages ago now. He'd grown since Nashi. Killed far better than him, too.
"Tch. I forgot how cocky you could be. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but do you really think I'll be sitting on idle hands down here? I've already begun devising strategies for each of you individually... Not to mention the inevitable mountain of onlookers that'll come to your aid." He spit at the ground at the notion. Sure, he'd won fights dirty before, but the heroes had a knack for overwhelming odds. Whenever it seemed he'd have the upper hand, two or three or ten new allies would spill from the woodwork.
"Besides, I've got something you'll never hope to achieve." His hair rose for a flash, and flecks of gold wisped from his Ki. "There's more to the Super Saiyan state than even I have access to, and I have all the time in the world to study its secrets."
The air was tense for a spell. For a moment, it seemed as though Vocado was going to take a swing, or perhaps at the least explain the inner machinations of his plan.
Vocado clapped his hands together, resting them on his thighs as he took to his feet. The fire was roaring once again, so why not get some grub? "I'm hungry! Or at least my soul is telling me that this is the time I'd usually eat while alive. Why don't we try that fishing thing again?"
Grabbing a stray stick from the ground, he searched for a line of some sort to tie to it, only to come up short. Rolling his eyes, he leaned his head over his shoulder to look at Yogu, and gave him a dull glare. "Got a spare?"
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Post by Om-Yogu on Sept 19, 2020 23:05:29 GMT -6
Vocado annoyed Yogu. But he was right, the victory did feel quite hollow. Pretty much everyone left the conflict changed. And not for the better. Nashua, Vocado, and Yogu dead. Carro, Chime, and Oboe scarred. It really felt like no one won in the end. And now Vocado was pulling a 'we're not so different, you and I' kind of thing. Yogu spoke in a semi-defeated tone, " Yeah, sure man, whatever you say." He looked at the thought of that with indifference. Even if they were similar, he'd start trying to do the exact opposite of what Vocado would do from here on out. With middling success, knowing himself. But the more interesting thought was just how much of a difference there was between Yogu and Monster. It had consumed his mind way back when on Vegeta. As much as Yogu would like to believe Monster was a separate entity, he just... Wasn't. He'd been apart of him since birth. It wasn't that he was a parasite, a leech feeding off of Yogu. They were two halves of the same whole. Yogu was quite literally half a person without him. That's why Chime's spell didn't work, that's why no matter what Typha had done on Namek he couldn't be reasoned with. It was like an addiction, not to alcohol, or gambling or drugs, but to violence. A horrible, inescapable part of Yogu that got too big and overtook him. It scared Yogu, but he had to admit that some part of him reveled in the violence. And to some extent, at least a small part of why he wanted to fight Vocado so bad was to feed that addiction. His hand hurt. Looking down, he realized he had a white knuckle grip on his own hand. Could he really not hold a conversation with Vocado without letting him get in his head like this?
Seemed like Vocado wasn't taking what he said seriously. Yogu didn't expect him to. The saiyan went on, talking about how he'd have all the time to train, about how he had strategies for every hero that was there, and so on. A smirk grew on the ghost boy's face, if he didn't know any better he would think Vocado might be a bit afraid of what he said. Hell, he even went Super Saiyan to prove his point for a second. The tenseness Vocado put out was met with laughter by Yogu, " HA HA HA! Come on man, you think that gold hair shit's still a big deal? I think every saiyan I know can do that now! 'Side from Carro, of course." Vocado hopped to his feet, declaring it was now time to eat. " ...Are you kiddin'? Ya know if you weren't such an ass all the time we could've eaten the fish I had already CAUGHT right?!" Yogu rose to his feet, grabbing his makeshift fishing rod. He turns back to Vocado to see him asking for a line. Yogu angrily shout-whispered, " ...Are you serious... Wanted to be King of Vegeta... Can't even find a line... Dumbass..." The boy pulled a line out of seemingly thin air and passed it off, " I got these lines from a spider the size of me that breathed fire, so if it snaps you're finding your own." Yogu gave Vocado a pat on the shoulder as he passed him. Taking a sit down, Yogu attaches a hook made of wood to the end and infuses it with a pulse of ki before casting it out. " Hey, do they teach you how to fish on Vegeta? Better question, where the hell do you guys even get water? I never saw any lakes or oceans when I was there." Yogu sat in silence for a bit, taking in the peace and tranquility of fishing in hell. It honestly wasn't that bad. Yogu sighed, looking up at Vocado, " You're confusin' cockiness with confidence ya know. It's a thin line between them, but you got it wrong. You must've felt it too, back on the mountain. Since you'd dealt with Monster before, I would've been sure you'd recognize his energy then, when I threw the punch. It was for a split second, but I had full control over whatever slim part of Monster I still got left. And the result of that... Well, you saw the aftermath." Yogu hopped to his feet, setting down the fishing rod and beginning to pace. " Not only that, but Chime ripped out a good chunk of Monster and put it into a jar on the lookout, at least half of the guy! I just need a bit of prep before I go and get it and I'll be freakin' set! And then who knows where I can go from there! So I guess like you and that Super Saiyan nonsense, I got a lotta secret discoverin' to do myself!" Just then, his rod began to move, getting tugged towards to lake. " HEY!" Yogu dives, grabbing the rod and scrambling to his feet, yanking the rod as hard as he can. " C-COME ON YA DAMN THING, BUDGE!" Whatever his hook had caught onto, it wasn't moving an inch. " H-HEY! Vocado! Help me out with this thing would ya?! It's gonna be a real big one!"
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Post by Vocado on Sept 24, 2020 5:33:24 GMT -6
"Tch. Laugh all you want now, but a cliché is overused for a good reason. See how many giggles you can muster when I fill your lungs with holes."
Did he take offense to Yogu's response? Sort of. He understood it in a way, and yet couldn't help but to respond so negatively. It was his people's most illustrious form, and now it'd been reduced to a gag. A joke no better than something a two-bit comedian would overuse at some seedy dive bar. The Super Saiyan Bargain Sale was in full swing, and apparently it was an actual phenomenon. He remembered reading some crackpot theory about fluctuating Ki at a universal level some ages ago, but with the growing number of powerhouses in the galaxy, the theory seemed more credible than he'd thought.
"Sure, but that fish was lame. Partly because I didn't help catch it, but we'll forget about that. If you're good at this sorta thing then it'll only take us a few minutes at best, right?"
Vocado took the line and attached it to his stick a few moments later. The intricacies of fishing weren't a complete puzzle to the former prince, but he wasn't exactly a professional either. Watching Yogu's method, he decided it seemed simple enough, and drew out some of his own Ki to use as bait in the same vein before casting into the water. From there, the only thing left to do was wait.
It only made sense that they'd chat in the interim. Yogu's first question was curious, though. He'd almost forgotten how odd their planet seemed to outsiders. "We have the Namekians to thank for that, at least in the modern era. They immigrated during the Saiyan-Mazoku war; a batch of disillusioned Dragon Clan mystics is what I've read. When the war ended, they asked to become permanent residents, and we began incorporating one anothers way of living into our respective cultures. They helped us cultivate what remained underneath our war-torn land, and we taught them how to hunt and protect themselves."
In truth there was more to it than that. Being a barren world made it hard for the Namekians, especially starting out. Greenery especially was a taxing task, usually turning out a sickly yellow due to the harsh soil. Eventually though, they did make it work. Maestropolis was fairly self-sufficient in its era, though, and most of its agricultural advances moved into the main cities proper. All that being said, it certainly felt like Vegeta-born Namekians were becoming rarer and rarer these days...
"Before that there's no definitive answer. Since our planet is desolate the main assumption would be trade routes or... Aggressive purchases at less-than-market rates." Vocado smirked. "Vegeta is more of a trophy world than anything in the grand scheme. Places like Shikk and Kabocha keep the lifeblood of the kingdom flowing proper, whereas Vegeta is simply the most well known. I think the important thing above all else is that it stands as a symbol of our durability as a species. To survive and even thrive on a world so barren is a seemingly impossible feat, and yet our ancestors lasted long enough to get the two of us to chat, I suppose."
Man, talk about a history lesson. If Yogu didn't doze off during all of that, then he definitely deserved a medal. "Sorry," he shrugged, ignoring his line for a moment. "History is my favorite subject."
Yogu got to talking more, and his words gave Vocado pause. Monster was still alive after their battle? How annoying. He figured a solid sword to the noggin would put anyone out of commission for a while, but apparently they needed some secret sealing technique to do him in, and even that wasn't enough to actually kill him!
"Doesn't exactly sound like a fair fight," Vocado chided. "You earthling folk do love to gang up on people. Carro and Leo, you and Monster... If you want to talk about gimmicks, lets start-- THEREEEUUHH!"
Vocado was interrupted by his fishing stick being yanked forward. He dug his feet into the ground, but no good. Try as he might, both him and his pole were being dragged toward the lake's edge! With an annoyed groan, he smashed his foot through the ground, tethering himself to it for at least a moment.
Not long after, Yogu's pole seemed to snag something as well. Loosening his tail from around his waist, Vocado shot it to the side, wrapping it around the bottom of Yogu's fishing rod and gripping tight. It wouldn't be as much help as reaching over proper, but the extra stabilization might help Yogu focus on the prize.
"Talk about coincidence, eh?" Vocado spoke through strained breaths. This thing was huge, and whatever it was, it seemed to want to eat Vocado as much as he wanted to eat it. This was a battle of raw strength. Would he need to power up to snag this thing?
"I thought fishing was supposed to be calming!"
For now, he held his position, losing ground ever-so slowly. If Yogu was able to free his own fish, then Vocado would be able to focus his full attention on reeling in his own. Dinner was almost in there sights...
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