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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 25, 2020 18:38:33 GMT -6
RISE AND SHINE
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
LEO had gotten so used to her casual presence around her peers that she forgot the sight of a fifty-foot tall giant robot cat with deathly sharp fangs and claws might be startling to someone who didn't know her. Dion had already exhausted himself, and the shock of LEO's existence clearly didn't help. The least she could do was make sure he made a smooth recovery now.
Carro had briefly told her of the saiyan before this mess- they were on good terms, and the littler robot had already grown quite fond of the saiyan, so she was content knowing her friend had someone new to help him. But after seeing the newfound Super Saiyan's choices unfold in the depths of Mount Frappe, she couldn't help but to feel a little overprotective and feel worried about his influence on her partner. Still, for a newly unleashed Super Saiyan, he seemed to handle himself well. Much, much better than the rage Scallio succumbed to with his first transformation, at least. A stern lecture could wait until Dion was properly back on his feet.
The feline lied on the castle hangar's steel flooring, swiping through sets of projected holograms. Reports, scans, some messages from Carro about his ideas for what to do next, paperwork, and bills. The President himself had already gone up and cooped himself up in his workshop to work on god knew what. She could still feel the crushing stress bearing down on her partner, but amidst that was a bit of eagerness about whatever he cooked up, even if it was dwarfed by even more emotional baggage. LEO glanced back to the opened doors of the medbay where she'd taken the saiyan to rest- she'd done all she could by bandaging his injuries and running some vitals scans to make sure he wasn't at immediate risk of death. All that was left to do now was let his body rest... though she was unsure how long that would take. Waking up to the same shocking sight of the colossal cat through just outside the door likely wouldn't be ideal.
Eh, it would still probably be awhile. LEO rested her head on a raised claw, continuing to sift through the holograms with a wide yawn. A lot weighed on her own mind too, but Carro was right about one thing- there was still work to be done
[UT1] Ki Suppression lowers LEO's PL to 100. She CAN be sensed as per usual!
Carro is currently not present, but he'll pop in soon!
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Post by Dion on Mar 25, 2020 19:21:44 GMT -6
'I'll find a way...I'll find a way... I'll find-"
"-fuckin' hell-!"
The fledgling Super Saiyan woke up from his flashback inducing slumber with a start, shaking the very medbay with his shouts, his hair lighting up into its now familiar looking blond color once more before quickly flickering back into its more usual looking black color. The colors resembling his emotional state in a way, Dion soon calmed himself down as he realized he wasn't exactly where he expected to be once he awoke from the abyss. His eyes quickly narrowed themselves, trying to adjust themselves to the artificial lights lighting up the area around him, raising a hand upward in order to help with the process. As his sight was able to compute exactly what his surroundings were, Dion recognized the look of a medical wing of a building from anywhere- mostly from the equipment and such scattered everywhere around him and the IV drip attached to his wrist. He was both glad and, slightly grossed out, that he was still within his bartender uniform. Well, the tatters that were once his bartenders uniform, anyways. Overall though, Dion felt, alright. A bit shaken within the morals and mental department, but physically quite alright. The only real question he had was where he was, but knowing Carro and his helpful nature he was most likely somewhere he wasn't too far away from, so he wasn't too worried about it.
Perhaps against his better judgment, Dion popped off the IV drip in his wrist, setting it off to a table located next to his hospital, well, medbay bed, slowly getting to his feet- nearly falling on the ground again due to what he assumed was an iron deficiency. He was able to steady himself though before faceplanting onto the floor, and soon enough he was leaning against the doorframe of the entrance to the medbay, looking out of it into the castle hanger, straight at the gigantic robotic cat who had happened to be the last thing he saw (besides snow) before he blacked out entirely within the mountains.
Now looking at her, Dion wasn't really that terrified, nor surprised- he faintly remembered Carro mentioning something about a cat named Leo that he himself created back in that little bar oh so long ago, but he never really went into detail about it, He could now see exactly why he didn't quite go into much detail. Part of the reason why he remained not that shocked was also due to the fact that he was well aware such creatures of this kind of origin existed- Ursa the tiny robot bear came clearly into his mind as an example. He hoped she didn't feel offended over his actions.
Speaking of someone feeling negative over his actions, a deep sinking feeling came to him in his stomach as he remembered the interaction he had with Carro as he tried to save Kalabas. Looking back on it now, Dion knew he acted like an idiot- but, something that he strongly believed was that so long as there was life, there was chance for change. Ripping that chance away from the, albeit terrifying, Duke of the Saiyan empire seemed cruel. But then again, just how many lives did he take and thus how many chances did he himself take away unjustly?
The moral turmoil was giving him a headache, and so he forced it down yet again in order to focus on the more important topic at hand- checking on Carro as well as making good with Leo.
Walking forward, he approached Leo- stumbling slightly in his stride- a cool, calmed, yet all the more tired look coming from him as he did. Once he was a couple yards away from Leo, he looked down at the gigantic feline, his characteristically charismatic charmed smile coming upon his features as he greeted her, a raspier yet still quite chipper tone upon his tongue as he spoke, "Heya there. Didn't quite catch your name during all that moshpit mess on the mountaintop, my feline friend, so would you mind if we reintroduced ourselves real quick? The names Dion, if Carro hasn't already mentioned me, and speaking of our mutual friend, I was, uh, wondering..."
A bit more of a somber tone now laced his words as he continued, a guilty look in the bartenders eyes accompanying them, "..Is Carro doing okay? I get it, I'm probably going to be hounded for actually trying to spare Kalabas, I know, but, I don't really care about all that. I deserve it anyways. I just wanna know if Carro's okay, and, well, if he hates me now, eheheh."
He said that last part as a joke, but..
...the fear of it being actual reality was quite present.
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 25, 2020 20:36:37 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
LEO narrowed her eyes, halting her busywork at the distant sound of movement in the medical bay. Was paranoia finally getting the better of her and she was finally starting to hear things? She tried to return to sifting through the holographic reports, but finally found herself prying her gaze away with an alert from her scouter systems to see Dion up and awake, though clearly still not in any condition to be standing upright. Her jaws curled in a mixture of concern and plain unamusement. Did this make four or five idiots that kept pushing themselves under her watch? She lost count.
"First things first, you clearly aren't doing well on your own two feet. Sit down." LEO lectured before introductions could be organized, though to be honest she would be surprised if Dion hadn't gotten up seconds after regaining consciousness. "I am LEO. Carro's partner." She lowered her head to be a bit more on-level to the much smaller bartender, though even a single tooth in her jaws was larger than the average man. Her eyes were the exact same green as her aforementioned partner, and though Dion had never met Carro in his organic state, LEO's own ki resonated with an energy that didn't feel quite like just one person thanks to the influence from her linked friend.
Though at the mention of her friend, LEO's bored expression turned grim. She had seen eveything- felt everything Carro felt in full when they were one in the mountainside. The visions, the agony and doubt, every ounce of pain he felt was her own and vice versa. However, her face shifted again when Dion mentioned deserving a very stern lecture and Carro hating him. She'd heard this spiel countless times before from her own partner and his friends. "You say that like he's capable of truly hating anyone." She hummed, half-teasing despite the truth in her words. Carro never seemed to bare ill will towards anyone. Revenge was something completely alien to him, for better or worse.
"Though, to answer your question... Carro's..." Her gaze trailed upwards, green pupils glowing brighter. Her subconscious filtered through her link to her friend- whatever he was doing, it seemed he was either too focused or too tired to notice LEO's presence in his mind as she sifted through his emotions and thoughts through the Life Link. LEO grimaced. Somehow his mind felt worse now. She remained still, as if in a trance, silently taking in the echoing trauma, the shame and guilt, and every other painful thought striking her friend's soul. She shook her head as if in pain, snapping herself back to attention. "Kais above-- Not good, though that's an understatement." He'd told LEO he just needed some time alone to himself. He'd be over it before she knew it! Lies and slander. But she couldn't think of anything that he'd listen to that would help off the top of her head.
She sighed, raising her head again and narrowing her gaze. "Though I can tell just from looking at you that you aren't much better off either." Her claws tapped at the floor. With her already substantial list of self-blaming idiots, she liked to think of herself as experienced in treating those thoughts, but boy did she have her work cut out for her today...
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Post by Dion on Mar 26, 2020 16:25:12 GMT -6
A mere minute or so into talking with Leo and Dion was already feeling like a big dumb idiot. He was about to object to him being all out of sorts when all the sudden his legs began to feel like jelly underneath him once more, his body weight suddenly being too heavy for him to support, leading him to nearly falling backward onto his butt again. Thankfully, the bartender managed to balance himself on his tail, which remained relatively unscathed throughout this entire ordeal, surprisingly, allowing for it to lower him slowly to the ground into a sitting position. As much as he would love to argue with the robotic cat mom, she wasn't titled cat mom for nothing- he was indeed quite fatigued, and it was a chore having to remain on his feet for long periods of time, so he allowed himself a short respite by following her orders and sitting down. On this level he could see just how much Leo dwarfed his own size, his frame not even being enough to match that of one of her teeth. An embarrassed exhale came from the battered and bruised Saiyan battler, considering this would be, what, the eighth or ninth person he's ever met who's taller than him? Then again, Leo was Carros creation, so he allowed himself a bit of a pass on this one.
Nodding in response to Leo confirming her relations to Carro, Dion felt as though he could sense the aforementioned President of Earth's very energy resonate from Leo herself- a strange thing indeed. Was he hit a bit too hard in the head back in the mountain ranges? Or was there something greater at work here? Questions like that though could wait until after Leo was done with what she had to say, as he's already given both she and Carro enough trouble as it is. Or at least, that's how he looked at it.
He chuckled a bit in response to Leo really questioning whether Dion himself believed that Carro could ever hate someone. Now looking back on it, the bartender found the very thought of it blasphemous- his lil robit pal didn't have the heart nor the guts to ever hate someone in such a way. He found that an admirable quality, one that he wished to embody within himself through his own actions.
"Yeah, that was a bit of a dumb question," Dion muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he let out another flustered laugh. "Carro wouldn't hurt a fly. The only time he'd ever do such a thing would be either to protect his family or his, people.."
Immediately his thoughts came to that of his words back when he had finished off Kalabas, his responsibilities of President of Earth outweighing the need for a second chance. Another frown came upon Dions face as his mind returned to that darkened place, but was quickly shaken off and instead replaced with a look of concern as Leo began to voice her own worries with Carro, confirming Dions gut feeling that something was a bit off with his friend.
Waving off Leos statement of him not being exactly better off than her creator, Dion replied in a chipper tone, saying, "Ms. Leo, right? I'm as fit as a fid-"
He winced, clutching the back of his neck immediately as a tinge of pain brought a stop to his words. Shaking it off, Dion continued, saying in a bit more of an embarrassed tone now, "I-I'm alright, I mean. Maybe not the best shape of my life, but, breathing, and that's sometimes all we could ever ask for. But, if somethings wrong with Carro..."
His eyes trailed upward toward the ceiling, where Leos own gaze had went when talking about Carro, as he continued, "..I've gotta be there to help him. I get it, we barely know each other Leo, and hell, I barely know Carro myself. In fact, it's a privilege, no, an honor for me to be as close to him as he considers me. Nonetheless, no matter what I think I'm valued to him, it doesn't change the fact that if he's in pain I've gotta stir him out of it."
His fists clenched slightly out of, what he perceived as frustration toward Carros self-deprecating nature, during his tangent, "This isn't healthy. I don't need a PHD in mental psychology to know sanity draining pain when I see it."
Dion's gaze then returned to face Leo, a more genuine smile now coming upon his features as he half pleaded half asked Leo, "So, please. Take me to my friend. A little pain'll go a long way if it manages to help someone so much more important than me."
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 27, 2020 12:32:00 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
The same unsurprising expression persisted on LEO's face during her entire interaction with Dion. She'd seen this song and dance time and time before. "I wasn't referring to your physical state." The feline looked Dion up and down again with her blunt words. He was neither physically nor emotionally in a good place- if there was one benefit to dealing with Carro's own symptoms, it was that knowing the signs made analyzing Dion like reading an open book.
LEO sighed again in a mixture of annoyance and thought. Still, if he was anything like Carro... "...Even if I did say no, I feel like you'd find a way to try it anyways." She teased again with a wave of her claw, dismissing the holographic panels to push herself back upright. Though Dion had yet to earn the mech's full trust, she was willing to help him help her partner. One of her cannons lowered to the floor, crackling with energy. "Though let me make a few things clear first..."
"If your own wounds didn't tell you the message already, it'll do neither you nor him to push yourself too far. Fighting fire with fire isn't going to get you very far." While a wake-up call of seeing traits similar to his own reflected right back at him, Carro's plate was already overflowing as was if the intense pressure LEO felt in his mind was any indicator. There was a reason he'd covered up or turned around most mirrors in the castle. "And of course, if you somehow make things worse, you'll be hearing it from me." She doubted that would be the case, but the feline could never be sure of things these days. If that happened, the poor saiyan would be in for a few hours worth of lecturing from the oversized cat.
With a pulse from her cannon, the air beside the two shifted to open up a small portal, caving inwards to reveal passage to another hall in the castle. "He's in his office- first door on the right." LEO turned her gaze away to return back to her own work. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake by enabling all this.
"Ugh--" A crumpled blueprint fumbled through the air, landing beside a can overflowing with similarly squashed blue sheets of paper. Piles of folders and paperwork filled with technological gibberish were stacked atop the President's desk. The only spot that wasn't littered with paper, smudged measuring tools, or short pencils with their erasers completely worn down was where his laptop rested, not much better off as it chugged with several tabs too many opened on its screen. The curtains were all pulled shut, leaving only the artificial light humming from a spinning ceiling fan to color the office.
Carro had important work to do, and he had to do it soon. No amount of trauma or a lack of focus would change the fact that time could be running out, and he had to use every single second of it to assure his home would be safe. Carro sighed and slumped back into his chair, looking at the fresh piece of blueprint on his clipboard. Though he kept telling himself to focus on the work and nothing else now that he finally had the alone time he'd sought for, it didn't stop his mind from drifting in increasing fears and lingering anguish. The flares of orange that usually spewed from the vents on his head had long since faded with his heightened emotions, though it didn't stop him from slumping over in his seat and trying yet again to get his newfound work done. His door had been left cracked open, but as far as he knew he didn't have to worry about any visitors yet...
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Post by Dion on Mar 27, 2020 14:03:39 GMT -6
A bit of a confused expression sprouted onto his features as Leo reinstated that she wasn't talking about his physical state when musing over his wellbeing. Which confused him considering that he felt decently well- no, there was no way...
..Was Leo implying that she could indeed feel the moral imbalance within his heart? Dion shook his head at such an incredulous thought. There was no way! It wasn't even the fact that she was a machine that he thought such an idea was incredibly improbable, he could care less about that known fact, but any being able to read that deeply into someones mental and emotional psyche just felt incredibly wrong to him. Wasn't that a breach of privacy? Whatever it was, it made Dion feel slightly uneasy. But, no matter how he felt, Leo was right. Looking down at his feet, he raised his hand in front of his eyes, staring at nothing in particular. The goodness and optimism that he had spent his whole life cultivating after being thrown into the gutter by life over and over again was being once again challenged, and this time by something he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to bounce back from. Even in light of this incoming problem, Dion shook it off- returning his attention to Leo once more as she began to lay down some ground rules. His own problems, again, could wait, Carro was in much more dire need than he would ever be.
Dion nodded near instantly as Leo advised against using a fire versus fire type of stratagem when dealing with Carros physical and emotional strife. He already knew the type of person Carro was upon his short yet all the more telling experience with him within his bar all those nights ago, and he knew going straight at the problem was not going to work. It needed to be, like an IV drip- slowly but surely working their way to facing the problem and doing away with it once enough strength and confidence had been grew. Once Leo had also left him her warning of if he were to instead make things even worse, Dion smiled sadly at her, saying as he got to his feet once more, "If anything, the person who would be making anything worse for Carro, would be Carro." Which wasn't a false fact, Carro had a bad habit of undertaking all of the weight unto his shoulders when there was really no need to. So, now, Dion was prepping himself to try and take some of that very weight off of him.
Upon the portal's opening, Dion shuffled backward a bit, surprised at the many superhuman abilities Leo seemed to harbor. Just what kinda tech was she made from? He knew Carro was a genius, but nothing on this kind of reality warping level. Returning to reality after a couple seconds of musing, Dion nodded a small thank you to the cat mother, eventually stumbling into the portal and into the corridor. The portal shutting behind him, the bartender followed Leo's instructions to the tee, going directly to the first door on the right as she instructed. The door was already open a touch, but deciding that he didn't want to give Carro another heart attack by just barging in unannounced, he decided to first knock.
After rapping on the door for a couple moments, Dion eventually opened the door fully, a friendly smile on his face as he looked around the interior of Carro's coop. While he himself wasn't a super stickler about cleanliness and organization, the state of Carro's room was in utter disarray. It sent a chill down Dions spine just looking at it. Walking around the president's private quarters, stopping by the overwhelming pile of blueprint trash within the garbage basket, the bartender pushed down on the trash to make a bit more room for the rest of the crumpled papers around it. Beginning to clean up a bit by putting the rest of the trash within the basket, Dion looked up at his already quite close friend, a sly smile on his face as he asked him, "So, I hope I wasn't too heavy of a dead weight while traveling home with ya, Carro. I gotta say, I'm real sorry about all that."
Getting up, he walked now directly to Carro, placing his arms at his sides and looking around the room once again before his gaze returned to lay on Carro- his arms now being spread open as he raised his eyebrows at him, asking with a now wider smile as he waited for Carro to either decline or take the offer of a hug, "You look pretty stressed my guy. Almost like the first time we came upon eachother. Well, how about we pick up where we left off?"
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 27, 2020 22:08:20 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
Carro flinched upright at the sound of a knock on his door. He instinctively shrunk down, peeking over the back of his seat in anticipation as his thoughts started to run wild again. His fear was brief, though, as he quickly recognized Dion as soon as he entered... though the other saiyan's presence brought with it a whole different set of worries. "Wh- I-- n-no, of course not, don't be sorry!" He shook his head as Dion apologized for seemingly nothing. "But should you seriously be walking right now? I-it's like five flights of stairs to get up here! You should rest!" He spoke with shaken concern while leaning out of his seat, unaware of LEO's involvement though it wouldn't have changed his stance either way.
Though at the proposition of a hug, cogs turned in Carro's head both literally and metaphorically. He lessened his grip on the arm of his chair to get up, but found his gaze trailing back to the papers stacked on his clipboard, "U-uh, once I finish up my work. Besides," He slumped back into his swivel chair, resting an arm behind his head. His tone was surprisingly relaxed compared to LEO's harrowing concern over his condition. "I-I'll be fine, don't worry- I'm just overthinking things, as usual. Just a day or two and it'll be like nothing happened!" He wished that would be the case. Carro had just gotten better at bottling his emotions. Besides, the last thing he wanted was people worrying about him when they had their own worse problems he needed to fix for them, and when they still had bigger fish to fry.
"The only thing I am stressed about is how you're doing! You can't tell me you wouldn't be shaken up by everything that went on there! I've handled stuff like this before, but this was like your first time!" And hopefully last, if he had anything to say about it. Deflecting his own problems to focus on another's was a strategy that worked for him so far. He couldn't sit down and take a break when there was still so much to lose and so much to do! Forget about the oppressive weight of the lives he'd taken, or the powerful pull of the disassociation from his robotic form's sensory deprivation- this was much more serious.
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Post by Dion on Mar 29, 2020 0:24:24 GMT -6
Things were not at all going according to plan. He had thought that Carro would've received Dion's conscious and active status a bit more openly, thinking that seeing Dion a-ok and up and about would instead bring his robit friend a bit of relief instead of even more drastic worry. What put him off a bit more was Carros reluctance to even embracing his Saiyan friend- but then again realizing that he must've caught him at a not exactly prudent time, and especially not a time for hugs of all things. Muttering an embarrassed apology, Dion looked around once more, looking for something to sit on and eventually reached out for a surprisingly empty trash bin. Flipping it over so that the flat side was facing up for him to take a seat on. He scooted on next to Carro (his height enabling him to still be on eye level with the president) looking at the papers before leaning back a bit, sighing. It was indeed quite exhausting to think of just how much stress Carro must have been putting aside just to see whether or not Dion was really alright. Made the latter feel quite guilty. He had to do something that would calm the carrot's nerves, least for a little while, so Dion immediately began to speak.
Starting off with how he got there, Dion explained in a reassuring and comforting tone, "Don'tcha worry Carro, Leo may or may not have had a hand- well, paw, in getting me over to ya. While I am feeling much better as opposed to being facedown in the snow unconscious, even I'm well aware of the fact that I wouldn't be able to survive an entire flight of stairs, much less five, to climb up. Physically, overall, I'm perfectly fine. Even Leo- albeit indirectly- agreed with me at least on that statement." Perhaps he was twisting things a bit, but he wanted to hit home that there was no need for Carro to stress anymore of his heartstrings out on something that was perfectly under control.
Continuing, Dion then leaned forward a bit, folding his hands together and resting his chin on top of them as he said, "While I do admit you're looking better these days- outside appearances are only one part of the story. Leo also told me that you weren't exactly in the bestest of spirits, so you might as well just come clean with it Carro. Hell, even I could tell without her added two cents that somethings weighing in on you. Well, perhaps not just one specific thing, but, shits been getting to you pal."
And then upon Carros interest as to how he was able to hold up so well, perhaps more mentally than physically, a faraway look in his gaze glimmered as he replied in a distant tone, "It would be an injustice to me, my family, and to my friends, if I went through all that I did all those years ago to only break apart here. I can't afford to. I've progressed too far forward in order to let something like this break me. I've got a reputation to keep, friends and family to take care of, and if I allowed myself to start wilting under pressure then I can kiss my and their futures goodbye. So, I keep myself together. But, yeah."
His eyes shifted downward.
"It gets, rough. Even after achieving Super Saiyan I still felt outclassed, outgunned, outmanned- once again useless in light of so many more capable and ready fighters. You make it sound like I'm making it look easy, but no, god no- it's anything but. I'm just barely making it by. But, like I said, if I start breaking apart- everything I've built and dreamt into reality starts drifting apart. And I'm not ready to let that happen. And if I wanna prove that I'm still ready to take the punches, and take the hits, I'd better start showing the mindset, and the stature of a real fighter. Which means."
Now, his gaze returned to Carro, a characteristic smile returning to his lips as he finished, "Being able to take the beatings life throws at you like a real champ. Cheesy, yeah, probably. But maybe a lil' good ol fashioned good, some good ol fashioned hard work,is all that the world needs from time to time."
"Now, how about we put you on the hotseat for a bit best bud-? What's been irking you lately? What can big brother Dion do for you?"
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 30, 2020 22:37:52 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
Carro's expression soured. Of course it was LEO- who else? He thought he had felt a headache earlier- that had to be her scouting out his conscious. He shook his head regardless, refocusing himself onto the more important matters at hand. Said important matters surely weren't the unrest and horror stirring in his own soul. His expression turned discomforted as Dion mentioned Carro's assumed mental state as just that, not well, though he only responded with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. It wasn't a yes, nor a no.
Quickly, though, shifting the spotlight onto Dion had the effect of getting the topic off himself as he'd hoped. His friend spoke of his own mental state, and how he couldn't give up for the sake of his friends and family, causing Carro's own gaze to sink with empathy. The crushing fear of breaking apart being the undoing of everyone around him wasn't an unfamiliar thing to the robotic President. Neither was the pressure to keep pushing forwards, the will to get up no matter how many times either of them got knocked down. For Carro it felt like being trapped on a treadmill with a deep, fiery pit at the other end awaiting him if he ever stopped running. He didn't want Dion to ever feel that pressure.
Carro seemed to stare into space for a few moments as his thoughts wandered, but shook his head to snap himself back to attention as soon as he realized Dion was talking to him again after a moment of awkward silence. "O-oh, uh--!!" Carro began to fumble over his words, his self-perpetuating mind trying desperately again on instinct to whip up another way to deflect the topic. "I-It's really nothing to w-worry over. Like you, uh, said- I-I've just gotta truck through the beatings the universe throws at me every other week." He tried his best to mask the exasperation in his tone. He didn't remember the last time he took a break. "Besides," He rolled his eyes with a weary smile and dismissive wave. "I can't spend time worrying about myself when there's still work to do- this isn't over yet."
A sigh, though it wasn't accompanied by breath, trickled out of Carro's speakers. "...You know how last time we talked, I told you about the people who... you know..." Carro clasped the metal over his missing heart. Even death wouldn't let him rest. "...O-one of them was there. Vocado. I don't know the specifics of what lead up to it, but..." Carro trailed off and averted his gaze.
"I'm sure you felt that ungodly power that came from that enormous blast. I-it was aimed at Vocado, but Nashua-- she took it for him. And then he, y'know... shot her through the heart." Carro had watched the scene unfold from afar. It was obvious the two had once been close. It was obvious that once before, there was good in Vocado- good Nashua wanted to save. But it was gone now. "And then I became a-a murderer, yadda yadda yadda, you know the rest of the story." Carro spat out the word murderer like it was poison. Even if Kalabas and Vocado were threats to Earth, he felt unclean. It was like something had been torn from him with those acts, leaving him incomplete.
Carro slowly inhaled. "My point being," He clasped his hands together and turned back to Dion after his brief venting. Back to business. "One of them was there." The eyes on his screen turned deathly serious. He raised a single finger for emphasis. "One." The repetition would hopefully serve to drive the point home. Someone was missing from the slaughter that day. The battle had been won, but the war trucked onwards.
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Post by Dion on Apr 1, 2020 14:25:58 GMT -6
It would seem as though that Carro had learned nothing from their previous encounter, and as his robot president friend opened his mouth to speak, a small knowing smile appeared upon Dion's face as his deductive reasoning built from years of working with and learning to read peoples emotions within the bartending business immediately came into play. With Carro being as he was, which was a robot, there was no avoiding such a fact that many chose to tip toe around as it was a bit of a sensitive subject, Dion did initially find it hard to find ways to read him- as he lacked physical and bodily habits and giveaways that a normally more organic person would have within places such as their facial expression and habitual little physical ticks (scratching at the neck, rapid blinking, etc). However, something that the bartender still could read incredibly well from him was from his speech. His speech patterns, the way he talked, as well as his choice in wording and phrasing gave him much to work with, and this was most definitely a situation wherein Dion could read much from what Carro gave him to work with. He was surprised that Carro didn't put in some sort of countermeasure to this by now, but, perhaps it was for the better.
As Carro began to talk about what Dion had discussed, what with not allowing life to keep you face down in the dirt, he found his word choice and phrasing incredibly telling, each stutter coming to him as though he was still attempting to convince himself of his hard work ethic, and the fact that he added in how the universe apparently threw him for a loop every other week indirectly giving him more ammo to just how much Carro had on his plate if he felt the need to bring up the consistency of such problems being brought up to him. His concern only grew as he continued, but Dion was very much proud of Carro for attempting to put up a brave face in order to keep at the work he needed to finish.
Once the Hofferson started to delve into the mountaintops cast of characters, specifically the appearance of Vocado, Dions smile shifted into a frown- the atmosphere of his growing more somber as he began to discuss how he had slaughtered Nashua with nothing but a smile upon his face. He knew that this man, the murderer of the lad in front of him, must have been a different kind of wicked to kill someone like Carro, but, he never realized it was to this sort of level. Something told him that while Kalabas still had some sort of good going for him, that this Vocado was simply too far gone. There were those that words alone cannot reach.
And the fact that Nashua herself still found it necessary to find the good within him and to spare him, well, that part was also incredulously surprising to him. And while to most it would seem like just another betrayal, it gave him a small seedling of hope. That his philosophy that all can have some sort of second chance did live within the world today.
But still, Vocado had demonstrated that he was not deserving of such a chance. He who is without mercy, shall not have it. Something had to be done, and so there and then within that room with one of his many victims, Dion promised that he would bring down the evil and any evil that would associate or be created from Vocados madness- no matter the cost.
However, just as Carro helpfully pointed out, Vocado was one of many of said evils, and so the bartender knew just how much of an uphill battle the two of them had to face in order to finally bring tranquility to not just Earth, but perhaps even the entire cosmos. But, if they were to engage such a problem head on, Dion had to make sure Carro was mentally sound- and that if the time to kill arose again, that such guilt wouldn't take such a toll on him as it did now.
Sighing, he held his dear friend by the shoulders, looking at him dead in the eyes with a stern expression as he spoke, "Carro, you must learn to let it go."
"It is no sin to fight for the right cause. I know how it feels, Carro. You are gentle, you don't wish any kind of hurt on anyone. But, it is because you cherish life, that you must protect it from those who wish to see nothing but for it to burn. No matter what price it may have. You aren't a murderer, that makes it sound like you kill Kalabas where there was no need to. You are a man who did what he could to protect his people, his home, and his family. Nothing more, nothing less."
"So, please, don't let it weigh on your mind so much. You aren't any less of a good man than the rest of us. Hell, you're a better man than the majority of us. So don't you dare think this took anything away from what you truly are."
After waiting for his response, Dion then stood up- walking to the middle of the room with a more calculative glare on his face as he asked, "So, you said one, correct? What does the remainder of his forces look like in terms of numbers and trouble?"
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Apr 4, 2020 12:35:14 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
"..." Carro's expression remained blank with his friend's attempted reassurance. By all means, his words should have struck something with Carro- he should have felt even just a little bit better. But the persisting memory of Dion's actions at the mountain made his words feel hollow. Was he just saying things to make Carro feel better? That was appreciated, but he had the lying department covered already. Besides, he couldn't be worrying about himself. He was the last thing people should be worrying about when there was still so much left to lose. Suffering and pain just came with his job description, after all. So he kept his mouth shut.
Now, Vocado's lingering forces and the actual things to worry about, those he could talk about. "First off, lemme make things real clear. Again." He cleared his throat on impulse despite a lack of a neck. "As you said earlier, just because you're a Super Saiyan, that doesn't mean you can be taking on the world just yet. If you see any of these guys while you're on your lonesome, you run or you'll die. No questions asked, just run. Capiche?" He pointed an accusatory finger. If the whole "attempting to spare Kalabas" stunt was anything to base his friend off of, he was prone to making good-hearted, albeit incredibly stupid decisions. And that was something their enemies would take full advantage of, if his own bloody murder was anything to go off of.
"As I went over last time, that Cress is ten times worse than Vocado. I don't think I need to repeat myself about him. Thing is- it's concerning that he wasn't at the mountain. It's like him and Vocado are a two-for-one package, and yet he doesn't show up to the battle where I slaughtered his partner." His persisting disdain for his own murderous actions aside, Carro somehow found himself more worried by the fact that Cress didn't show up. It was a lot easier to end things without him around, but if he wasn't there, then by the gods what could be more terribly important for the monster to dedicate his attention to? He had to still be somewhere on Earth- Cress wouldn't just up and drop the hunt for the Dragon Balls on a dime when he likely had some in his possession, would he?
"And of course there's the whole legalities and discussion to be had with the Queen about how horribly irresponsible she's been with keeping her own people in line, the fact that Kalabas is still undead and coming back from death seems to just be a thing ghosts can do, that red-haired saiyan who caused the mess on the mountain in the first place and how I don't think he'll be keen on keeping my being secret like the rest of you-- I can go on for hours, really." He didn't need to pause to catch his breath mid-rant anymore, that was one small plus of being a machine. Yet he still sounded completely exasperated. While Carro didn't need physical rest, his mind had been working overtime despite his refusal to acknowledge it.
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Post by Dion on Apr 8, 2020 1:10:32 GMT -6
Just as Carro resisted the urge to speak, Dion had to restrain himself from a tired sigh as he saw that his reassuring words went in one robotic ear and out the other. He knew that the president was a naturally talkative person, especially upon instances in which have left gaping and painful holes within psyches and physicalities of those he cared about and he himself. So the unnaturally and uncharacteristic silence that followed swiftly after his small tangent was a telling sign that Carro was not at all willing to open up about his problems just yet. Dion thought just yet due to the fact that he was sure he would be able to get his friend to open up just a little bit, just enough so that a little pressure would be taken off. But he knew damn well that he wouldn't at all make it easy for him. If the robot cat mom of his own creation couldn't reach him, it was gonna be one hell of an uphill battle for Dion to even get close to cracking the egghead's protective shell. It was either that, though, or allow Carro to be consumed by his inner demons. Something that Dion wasn't ready to see unfurl before him.
However, continuously slamming his fist into the immovable object that was Carro's emotional barriers before him was only going to strain the relationship between the two further- and Dion rather that not happen, so instead with a quick dejected glance down at his shoes, the bartender listened in on the more strategic part of the conversation, specifically the whole warning part about his recently achieved status as a Super Saiyan. He felt a bit hurt that even after his first reassurance in that bar so long ago that he'd have to reiterate such guidelines once more, but then again, he was big dumb in attempting to save Kalabas in the first place- so he guessed that was Carro's form of chastisement in his actions. Nodding, Dion now leaned against Carro's desk, saying in his characteristically quippy tone, "As I said before- I'd have to be a whole nother level of drunken idiot in order to jump into a situation like that where death is literally inescapable. In the coming weeks, I hope to become strong enough that this won't be at all a problem, but, we'll just have to see how much I progress. But you have my word that if things aren't looking good, I'll high tail it outta there."
Though, just as Carro was able to lie about his wellbeing, Dion could just as well fib a bit about his intentions as well- as deep within his naturally good natured heart he knew that if he saw a situation going south he wouldn't be able to stop himself from intervening. But in order to ensure Carro keeps his head, Dion said what he wanted, perhaps needed, to hear.
As Carro continued in his briefing of Cress, Dion couldn't comprehend someone worse than Vocado, especially someone potentially stronger than Vocado- if Vocado was indeed one of the power levels he had sensed just outside of the mountain caverns he had found himself in. Someone with greater strength than that? The notion seemed inconceivable to Dion, but he allowed his friend to continue on uninterrupted, considering he was the one with long reaching past with the group, not he.
Ignoring the part about Queen Kayen mostly, legalities and such bored him, and since she didn't seem to have too large of a hand on the situation that had just occurred, Dion didn't really consider her a threat needing to be dealt with so soon. However, the fact that Kalabas could seemingly return to the land of the living at will only made his insides scrunch up even further. Closing his eyes for a moment, covering his face with his hands, he muttered in a guilty tone, "For Kami's sake, not only did I disregard your past and potentially whoever the Namekian's past with Kalabas was, but it wouldn't have mattered at all anyways if he had lived or died. I'm just the world's biggest scumbag today, aren't I?"
He didn't exactly blame himself- he didn't go around parading himself as a hero of justice or anything anyways, just a man who wanted only the best for everyone. But now it seemed his big act of heroic bravado made him out to be nothing more than an ignorant fool, and so now Dion stewed within his failure for a little bit- morals being challenged once more and philosophies he once put his whole faith within now being shaken as the gravity of his actions now hit him like a sack of bricks.
After either Carro attempted to console him, or just enough time had passed for Dion to remember the point of all this, the bartender reopened his eyes and returned his hands to his sides, muttering, "I-I'm sorry. I know you may think talk is cheap, but it's the only way I've ever known, and I hope you find some value within this poor fool's words."
Shaking the negative vibes away, knowing that there was too many people counting on him to bounce back, Dion returned to a more business like stature. Crossing his arms and looking now straight ahead, he said to Carro. "The Queen sounds like a whole nother' issue that can be resolved after the imminent threat of this Cress is put to bed. Another man like Vocado wandering the cosmos is too great a risk to ignore. Do we have any leads on him? How strong is he in comparison to his leader? Does he intend on finishing what Vocado and Kalabas started?"
"And as for the red haired Saiyan, I doubt he's that loose lipped. Now, I get that my gut feelings haven't always been on point, but, I doubt that giving away such a secret helps him in any way. Besides.."
Remembering his hesitation when having Aurora right where he wanted her, he spoke, "..Something tells me that unlike Kalabas, there's still something to salvage."
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Apr 9, 2020 23:39:43 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
Carro stared intently, gaze narrowed at Dion's reassurance that he'd stay away from Cress. After a moment his posture relaxed to a degree, buying into his words after a few moments of critical observation. "You better." He kept his gaze narrowed, though neither he nor his friend stayed on that topic for long with other elephants in need of addressing.
With his mention of Kalabas's undead nature, Carro found himself clenching his palm over his core in response to Dion's guilt. "I-It's not your fault, y-you--!!" Carro leaned out of his seat- nearly falling out, though his plugged tail kept him upright. "-You couldn't have known! If it weren't for his stunt with literally trying to blow the planet up, he'd have had me fooled too, likely!" Carro wasn't nearly as good as reassurance as he usually was with dozens of problems with the weight of the world on his back, but it didn't stop him from trying. He slumped back into his seat with Dion's next words.
"...T-there's still value in pacifism and just... talking things out. I know it." There was a twinge of doubt in his voice, though he'd seemed to be trying to talk himself into believing it. His pacifistic values brought him his closest friends and family, but also his worst nightmares. "Some people can be helped, others are beyond saving. I've learned that the hard way that you can't heal people when they refuse to give up what made them sick." His grip over his heart tightened. It was cold and motionless beneath his palm. Dead.
Carro shook off his worries. Back to business- Cress was still their number one problem. "Right, right. W-when he and Vocado, u-uh... you know..." He vaguely and hastily gestured to his own body. "...He was physically weaker than Vocado at the time, but gods, he was so much nastier of a fighter. No mercy, no negotiation, nothing like Vocado to take advantage of. Just ruthless efficiency." At least with Vocado he could trick the monster into a monologue or use his arrogance against him. With Cress, they'd have to fight fire with fire. "He and Vocado had a close camaraderie. If he's in kahoots with that red-haired saiyan, and he tells Cress that I'm alive and murdered his friend, then..." He really had to get some more security in the castle. And soon.
"In terms of his goals, he seems to just be a mirror of Vocado. Y'know, the whole death tree and planet-eating and genocide business, gathering the Dragon Balls, all that damned nonsense." Carro was tired. He'd have passed out from fatigue is he was physically able. He just wanted to go a month without worrying about a Kingdom turncoat trying to consume his planet. Was that too much to ask?
At the mention of something worth saving in Scallio, Carro's expression twisted. "I hope so." He admitted with a breathless sigh. "But I have my doubts. If he thinks aligning with people for galactic conquest that would end trillions of innocent lives is okay, then I wouldn't get your hopes too high. Though I suppose we don't know the details of their relationship..." For all they knew, Scallio could have been tricked or forced into whatever buddy-buddy relationship he had with those world-eaters. Somehow he doubted that, though. There was still a flicker of hope in his voice- he wouldn't complain a bit if they could bring the other saiyan to reason. He did seem to have some redeeming qualities, if his concern for that Heran was any indicator. He seemed to back out of his bloodlust towards Aurora, too... Carro didn't want to get his hopes up.
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Post by Dion on Apr 14, 2020 2:14:20 GMT -6
The fact that Carro was naturally not that intimidating of a presence (not because of his being a robot, but just because after getting to know the innocent bean, it became apparent that threats were not at all his strong suit) and he was attempting to intimidate Dion into standing down before such a situation made the young Saiyan male nearly laugh- however he was able to stifle the onslaught of laughter that nearly bursted from his chest with relative success, his face only turning up into a grin as any hintings toward such a fit. Overall though, he didn't mean to tease Carro. He knew his robit friend meant well, but, threatening was simply not an area he had a handle on. He had much more success with diplomacy and, what did one of their mutual friends put it as-? Talk-no-jutsu? Odd way of putting it, but it was even more oddly fitting. But, just as Carro quickly realized, Dion soon enough also addressed the fact that there were much bigger fish to fry than Carro's attempt at forceful intervention. They could discuss that all at a later time, perhaps over brunch, or, something. No, it can't be brunch, Carro can't eat for Kami's sake-
Moving right along, Dion immediately knew he was in for another reassuring rant of sorts as soon as the president placed a hand over his core, him being too slow to interject and say anything before Carro was about to go right on another tangent, talking about how it honest to Kami was not his fault that he was woefully unaware of Kalabas' ability to quite literally bounce back from death, and if Kalabas himself hadn't chosen to destroy the Earth and had instead gone the more conniving cunning path of attempting to dupe the group for mercy, he would have been tricked as well. Dion somehow doubted that, considering the Namekian (who he has yet to ask about, he probably should do that, they seemed important) seemed to know exactly what needed to be done, and the other, more powerful Super Saiyan would have most likely finished the job if either of them couldn't. But it was still a bit comforting to hear.
The twinge of doubt that he had let loose in his voice in his next statement caught Dion slightly by surprise. He was unaware that such human error occurrences could happen within a more robotic body, but, then again, Carro designed it himself didn't he? So of course it was going to be more organically mirrored than just another robot bod. However, this only made Dion feel all the more conflicted within himself. Life, on a repeated basis, had always given a lot of those of whom he knew personally seconds chances, whether it be in a traditional or non traditional sense. So why was it that when he attempted to administer the same thing life was so keen on giving he gave it to the very person who didn't at all deserve it?
He did begin to understand Carro's standpoint on the matter a little bit more now though, choosing to pat him on the knee as he reassured him in a more resolved tone, "It's fine, Carro, I got the message now. I just, need time to come to terms with it."
And so, they returned to the more business part of their conversation- a slight flare of anger burned within the bartender as he heard that Cress indeed had a whole hand in Carro's demise, his hair flashing blond for a couple seconds before slowly reverting to black as he calmed himself back down. Blind fury wasn't going to get them anywhere, if anything, it was just going to get them killed. Continuing to listen in a more restrained manner, the description of Cress immediately brought to mind the Saiyans of old- bloodlusted, without mercy, focused on nothing but getting whatever job needed to be done, done. Something that Dion would have found perhaps, respectable, if not for the whole, you know, murdering one of his closest friends part. Such characteristics however were bound to have faults, however such reads he would not be able to have until he was able to interact with him in person. But, from the looks of it, that was not going to happen anytime soon.
Dion resisted the urge to roll his eyes once he heard Cress' sort of motivation, finding it more tiresome than anything actually frightening at this point So bland and uninspiring. At least this way it didn't make anything all the more complicated though. Either way, his madness was to be ended all the same.
Once they touched upon the topic of Scallio again, Dion nodded even through seeing Carro's twisted facial features, insisting, "Listen to me Carro- this guy had gone through all that trouble for his partner, or at least, that's what I was able to pick up from that whole mess of his. When I first entered the area, I saw that there had been someone completely encased in ice- most likely Aurora's handiwork now that I think of it- and when I was face to face with the man himself he was going off about avenging someone that Aurora had brought under harm that he himself did care about.
"If he was really that far gone, he'd have no moral code all the same as Vocado, Kalabas, or Cress- but here he is with someone that he's actually come to value as a partner, and perhaps even, dare I say, a friend. He still cares, and that characteristic already sets him miles apart from Cress, Kalabas, or Vocado. Which can either be proof of him still being salvageable, or.."
He looked down at the ground, muttering in a darker tone, "..something that we can possibly take advantage of."
Looking back up at Carro, his optimistic smile appeared once more, him now speaking in a lighter tone, "I'm hoping it doesn't get to that though, and I do hope he finds his way out of the hole he's dug himself into. But, I am planning on getting strong enough to start handling the likes of he and the others. Which begs the question."
Deciding that it was time for a steer toward lighter topics, Dion stood up, hooking an arm around Carros shoulders and pulling himself closer to him with a widening grin as he asked in an excited tone, "What say you to some good ol' fashioned training, eh Carro? I'm sure you've got some gadgets or doohickeys that'll help us peel off toward the direction of greater strength, hm hm?"
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Apr 21, 2020 16:58:37 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE / NOT PRESENT) || LEO's PL: 100 (SUPPRESSED)
Carro slumped back in defeat when Dion tried to ease his own worries by explaining that he just had to come to terms with the whole "sometimes violence is the answer" thing. He knew better than anyone how difficult that was. In spite of the lives he took on Frappe, Carro himself had yet to come to terms either, questioning if he'd truly made the right choice. But it was the burden of a leader to make the hard choices, take the blame, and sacrifice so none of his people had to. Right?
Though the tiny President flinched slightly at the flicker of gold in Dion's hair- most times he saw that form it didn't end well for him- he too just felt exhausted talking about Cress. He felt immensely fearful with a head filled to the brim with doubts and worries too, but that was besides the point- Dion didn't seem too upset by it, so he was surely just overreacting.
With his own doubts about Scallio, his friend still persisted on the belief that there had to be something in Scallio worth saving. Carro too had seen his care for Narissa- the mere thought of her life being lost, even if it clearly wasn't Aurora's intention, was enough to drive him into a fit of rage as a Super Saiyan. Hopefully the entire thing was just first-time-Super-Saiyan recklessness and wouldn't happen again. "I'd be more inclined to believe that if this was his first time doing something like this. He tried to wipe an entire town of Earthling innocents off the map for just the thrill and some cash, from what I can tell, a few months ago." Carro rubbed his face with an exhausted sigh. "I swear to god, if Kayen somehow doesn't get him in line and he pulls something like this a third time..." What could Scallio possibly do next to top his previous stunts? Destroy a planet?
"...Kalabas, Cress, and even Vocado- they all had people they cared about, too. But even then..." He'd seen the genuine, brotherly bond between Vocado and Cress. Kalabas's rage at the mountain was likely only because he'd killed Vocado, too- Belle had told him that they were close. Carro shook his head with a robotic whimper, quickly shutting himself up. He didn't want his friend to face the tidal waves of uncertainty and doubt that he was constantly swimming in, and yet here he was projecting. But still, as Dion said, it was something they could take advantage of if the worst came to pass. The thought only made Carro grimace further. He didn't want to hurt, to trick, or to kill least of all, but every good deed he'd given before was punished.
Thankfully moving onto a lighter topic, Carro tilted his floating head at the mention of training. "Well I do have some training rooms and tech back at Crop Co, but... Shouldn't you recover a bit more before we run off and fight again? You literally just woke up a few minutes ago." He narrowed his eyes. The only reason Dion was talking to him now was because LEO helped him get up here. "W-we've been talking for long enough- you need to go get proper rest! I don't want to see you in my office again until you can make it up the stairs without 'Lee, got it?!" He leaned out of his chair with another pathetic attempt at intimidation. With another sigh, he'd turn the swivel chair back around to his laptop. There was still work for them both to do, and he wasn't going to bother his friend with his little problems or make him feel worse by opening up.
...Downstairs, LEO was already groaning to herself in frustration and defeat as she felt Carro bottling his emotions right back up just as he was finally starting to crack.
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