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Post by Suri on Mar 26, 2020 10:53:25 GMT -6
Suri sighed as she entered her workplace, closing the doors to the Diono's and putting the downpour outside behind her. It was a rainy morning, the sky darkened by the absence of the sun as it hid behind the clouds. Today, she had come earlier than usual. Earlier than anyone else. She'd make herself busy by preparing to work early.
Suri placed her umbrella in a holder and looked around. The whole place was dark and devoid of any life aside from the Majin girl herself. Suri walked further in, the lights remaining off as she let the glow of her irises guide her through the darkness. She glanced at the pub's empty tables, and the bar counter, where the very seat she sat on when she first came to this Diono's was. The exact place she met Dion again, and got offered a job from that same bartending friend... It had been quite a while since, Suri realized.
Her job application had been accepted without much resistance, with Dion, the CEO of the chain being so supportive of her hiring and whatnot. Of course, it wasn't like Suri was without merits, otherwise she wouldn't have even considered herself worthy of working here. She could cook already, and she was used to making meals for many, so it didn't take too long before she learned the ropes. After working in the restaurant's kitchen as a chef for some time, Suri had enough confidence to call herself(not out loud) a somewhat decent chef. She enjoyed working here, and her coworkers were so nice...
Laying a hand on the counter, Suri weakly smiled. Pleasant thoughts. She needed them right now. Recent events were not as pleasant to think about.
After the madness that happened at the mountains, life continued as normal...or, it was supposed to. Suri had tried her best to continue on with her daily routines and such. She wasn't quite the same as before, however. The events of that day came back to her at moments like this, when she had no distractions from her thoughts. All alone like this, with nothing to do, no company but herself, she couldn't help but think back... The stakes had escalated so quickly. When Suri followed Dion on his way to Mount Frappe, she wasn't expecting to get involved a fight which ended up deciding not just the fate of the Saiyan's friend Aurora, but also putting lives at risk, ending some, and even risking the Earth briefly. Moments from that fight still stuck with Suri, her shortcomings, fear for her friends' lives, and the horrific implications of death, all loomed over her.
Suri tried her best to push the memories of the fight out of her head, though it wouldn't go away at the wave of the hand like that. They would linger throughout the day, yet again... Suri, now noticing her tears, wiped them from her eyes with a handkerchief as she started walking toward the back to get ready for work, heading for the changing room. Perhaps in the meantime she would occupy herself with her ph... Oh. Right, it was still broken from when she had dropped it. With a defeated sigh, she'd put it back in her pocket.
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Post by Dion on Mar 27, 2020 12:48:40 GMT -6
"The rains making my hair look all flat.."
While the idea of a rainy day itself wasn't exactly the biggest turn off he could think of, Dion still did have his gripes about them as he flew through the light yet ever growing drizzle of rain coming down on this gray-looking day. It wasn't exactly the best of days to be out and about flying, but, seeing as his body wasn't exactly ready still for any long amount of time spent for anything physically taxing, in this case jogging to work, and he had a bit of a time table to keep, being airborne was really the only way he'd be able to make it to work on time. It'd be quite embarrassing for the owner of the brand to be late to work, even if he had his reasons for being late. Wiping his face of the many droplets that had adorned it during his time within the clouds, the Saiyan lowered himself slightly in order to try and avoid being as close to the clouds above as possible. Scanning his surroundings down below for a couple moments, his eyes lit up as he saw in front of him the faint skyline of East City within the distance- with Dion now picking up some speed as he made his way toward the city.
Eventually, he touched down onto one of the more clear sidewalks, taking out his phone and checking the time as he began the walking portion of his journey- one arm held upward above his head in order to prevent the rain from soaking his only electronic in possession. A relieved sigh came from his lips as he saw that he was actually quite early. It was hard to tell with the sun being blotted out by the rainy day vibes. Continuing on his walk, Dion's mind took on a more tranquil yet somber tone to go along with the weather, his thoughts drifting toward that of the mountains and the madness that had occurred within its ranges. Less now on Carro, or Aurora (his robit friend ensured him several times that she was within stable conditions, thankfully), or even Kalabas- but more on the less focused on of the group. Reno, Russe, and Suri especially of the lot. He was busy at the time, but not blind to what she had been put through during their time of strife. I mean, the girls power level fluctuated constantly in response to her unstable emotional state, of course he'd be at least a little worried about her wellbeing.
A concerned frown started to grow on his features. The last thing he remembered about Suri before blacking out was her tearing up, Kami he hoped him losing consciousness didn't bring her anymore grief. If she came into work today (if she didn't he honestly would understand) he promised to make sure that she was alright. More emotionally and mentally than anything physically, considering she didn't take at all the kind of beating that Aurora or even Dion did, thankfully.
His thoughts and mind slowly cleared as eventually he found himself walking on quite familiar pavement, his gaze immediately going to his right, stopping as he finally had reached his destination. Walking over to the front doors, he checked the locks, surprised to see that the doors were unlocked. Who else would be up this early? As he opened the double doors to his establishment, everything started to make a little more sense.
An amused grin now came upon his face as Dion saw that it was exactly who he had wanted to see who had decided to set up shop early- Suri. First shaking himself off and taking off his rainjacket, readjusting his bartender wear underneath, Dion then walked on over to her, tapping her on the shoulder just before she left into the changing room. Once she turned around to face hm, he'd shoot her a small smile- asking in a concerned but all the more chipper tone, "Heya Suri, awful nice of ya to come into work so early and, uh, especially after such shocking recent events. And, speaking of recent events,"
He laid a hand on her shoulder, patting her there a couple times as he continued, "Is, everything ok? I know I kinda left you on a bit of a worrying note, what with fainting and all that. But other than that, I did see how, shaking, the shit that was happening was to you. So, I just wanted to make sure everything was relatively alright."
This was the first time they'd be seeing eachother in person after the mountain incident, so Dion wanted to make sure that everyone else was getting along okay within his minor absence.
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Post by Suri on Mar 28, 2020 10:52:33 GMT -6
Had she been too deep into her thoughts? Suri hadn't heard Dion's entry, and she didn't notice his arrival until he let his presence known with the tap-tap of her shoulder. Surprise caused the Majin's upper body to jolt up, and she swiftly turned around to see who just appeared behind her. Immediately, her glance was set on the familiar face of her friend, Dion. "D-Dion! When did- I- Uhm..." Suri muttered, before her voice trailed off, not knowing what to say to him first.
Dion's presence was unexpected, but comforting, to Suri. Was it due to the smile present on Dion's face, his hand on her shoulder? Or was it the relief she felt from seeing him, and knowing that he was up and about once more? Perhaps it was her kind friend's immediate concern for Suri. Suri appreciated this very much, but didn't know if she wanted to make Dion worry more. Not when he and everyone else were so much worse for wear. So, Suri responded with a dismissing shake of her head. "I-I...I'm... I'm fine. It-It can't compare to what you all went through." Suri's voice trembled as she averted her eyes, and tried to hide her handkerchief behind her back. "Everyone else including you got beat around in the fight, and Aurora even had a heart attack. Belle, that poor little girl had to watch her uncle be k-killed, and Mr. Hofferson...he had to be the one to do it... And you...you fainted after everything was over."
With a worrisome, tearful look, Suri would face Dion once more. "I-I should be asking you if you're okay, you know?", Suri said, her gaze moving to inspect Dion's face and body to see if he was, while one of her shaky hands went to hold Dion's hand that had been placed on her shoulder. "Did you get home alright? Are you going to be okay, starting to work so soon?"
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Post by Dion on Mar 29, 2020 2:03:54 GMT -6
His already present concerned frown began to grow as Dion saw the very thing in Suri that he did in Carro- the willingness to take all the weight of their problems onto her shoulders before she was willing to spill her guts all too familiar to the bartender. He's seen it enough from Carro, and was not about to have it happen to another close friends of his, no. He did wait at least for her to finish before taking any action, listening to her wavy yet steady tone as Suri began to reinstate just how much the two of them had been through in the last day or so. What with Carro and his near breakdown (more physically this time than mentally, Dion was, thankful to see- any more mental strain and he was sure Carro was going to break), Belle having to watch her own uncle die before her own eyes by the hands of her surrogate father, and then to top it all of, Aurora nearly was felled by cardiac arrest (not sure exactly how that worked for Arcosians, questions for later) and Dion was felled by utter exhaustion as well as the shock factor from seeing Carro's robot cat mom Leo for the very first time.
Dion could see why Suri thought her problems minuscule compared to their own, but no matter what the problem big or small it deserved to have a solution to it. And besides, Dion didn't think of what she had been through as minor at all. Being thrown into the fray so quickly after her recovery of her comatose state, being egged on and at the same time criticized by the only other Majin there, and being verbally insulted, attacked, and confused on all sides before the chaos was even close to done was pretty major to him. Not to mention Kalabas getting a cheap shot on her (he saw him hit her with that gigantic spoon) as well as the whole "the Earth almost died under my watch" shock factor from the whole thing. So she wasn't really convincing in her arguing that she was completely fine.
As Suri began to attempt to survey Dion's own state, her hand gently clasping over his own, a somber smile slowly came upon his face as he said, "Oh, Suri, dear, you're gonna have to try a bit harder than that to try and deflect the concern unto me. You're clearly not taking this the best of ways, so please, let me help you along a bit, alright?"
He'd then slowly begin to wrap his arms around Suri, intent on pulling her into a close hug, his chin resting on her shoulder as he continued in a lower, softer tone, "Suffering, no matter how big or small, should have any place in the lives of those I care about. Speically' a life such as yours, Suri. Don't you ever downplay your own pain for the sake of other peoples wellbeing. I've seen too much of that, and it almost never turns out well."
After holding her in comforting silence for a little while within the embrace, his hand gently patting the back of her head, Dion then said, "Cmon, sweetheart- just tell me what's been paining ya, and I'm sure it'll turn out well for the both of us."
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Post by Suri on Mar 31, 2020 16:06:05 GMT -6
She was fine, Suri had said. And yet, she was doing an awfully awful job of pretending to be, with her unskillfulness at hiding her emotions. Dion saw right through her practically nonexistent facade, stopped her from redirecting the concern from her to him. Suri muttered, "I-I'm not..." Dion knew Suri wasn't fine. He knew, but he wasn't blaming her, no. He wanted to help. Suri was left speechless, motionless for the moment it took for Dion to hug her.
"Eh-" A wide-eyed Suri flinched, but her brief surprise was soon overtaken by warmth, from both the embrace and Dion's words. Comfort, from being told that she was cared about, and that Dion was willing to listen to her woes regardless of severity.
"..." Silently, Suri wept for a short while, slight convulsing and tears being the only immediate signs. The Majin's metaphorical heart was slowly opening up in preperation to talk about her worries as her head was being patted by the Saiyan.
Suri sniffled a couple more times. And then, as her tears subsided, she tried to pulled away to look into Dion's eyes. "I'm not...downplaying anything, Dion..." Suri whispered, and let out a sigh.
"I can't stop thinking...about what happened in the mountain fight." Suri began, recalling the events that occured in Frappe as she spoke. "I got afraid. Kalabas was powerful, and he moved so quickly, I didn't think I could do anything to stop him. But I wanted to try, so I tried to calm myself so I could. In the process, I brought out some kind of powerup from within myself, but it didn't matter in the end. I-I tried to talk to him, to convince him to stop, but..." Suri's voice reached a crescendo before stopping, her eyes closing shut as she remembered Kalabas's attempt to destroy the Earth. "...I put faith in the humanity of the wrong person. You remember what he did. And now... I feel like I've done nothing, even when everyone could have died."
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Post by Dion on Apr 1, 2020 16:03:39 GMT -6
As the Majin girl within his arms quivered gently for a couple minutes, tears streaming from her eyes and staining his bartender wear on the shoulder from where her head laid, Dion let out a steady and relieved sigh, glad that she was finally opening up to him truthfully- instead of unhealthily keeping it bottled within like Carro usually did when it came to trauma. Besides, he would have asked her about it without end if she didn't open up then and there anyways. Not in an annoying manner, but often enough that she would most likely eventually spill due to either his persistence or the inability to keep it all locked up any longer. Either way, Dion was glad Suri trusted him enough to hear her woes. He turned his head to look at the front door for a couple moments- seeing as to whether or not some random bystander would be interrupting them at all during their moment of closeness and momentary tranquility. He was glad to see that there was no one batting an eye, and so his attention returned to the blue and feeling blue gal before him, wishing now that he had some tissues somewhere nearby since she did happen to cry quite a bit.
He wasn't exactly sure if that was a good thing or not.
The bartender made therapeutic partner was about to say something as Suri backed off to look him in the face clearly, but quickly stopped himself as Suri began to speak herself. He felt more surprise than anything as Suri began to speak about what was paining her, as it was precisely the feelings that he had toward the situation himself. It was, interesting to see that both were struggling with their place and values within the world of the bigger players such as Kalabas and even Carro. He decided, though, that such a discussion was best done sitting down rather than standing up. He gestured toward one of the booth tables in the back of the Diono's, saying, "Do you mind, Suri, if we choose somewhere a bit more comfortable to have this talk?"
If she didn't mind, Dion would guide her with a comforting arm around her shoulders toward the booth, sitting down on the cushion seat and scooting in so that Suri could sit next to him. Once she was all settled down, Dion would look straight ahead- a faraway look on his face as he thought about what he should say next to try and alleviate some of her belonging insecurities.
"To be honest, I find your attempts to reach out to Kalabas, even within his broken state, quite admirable, Suri," Dion said as his eyes returned to gaze at her, a warm smile back on his face. "But, I think what we both failed to realize, was that, not everyone deserves a second chance. And that the safety of others comes first before the chance of saving someone already so far gone. No matter what you think though, you did contribute."
"I mean, honestly, if I hadn't gone Super Saiyan, everything would have been reliant on you. You were one of the strongest people there! Can you imagine that? You were incredible."
However, after that statement, Dion drew his gaze straight ahead, watching for something he couldn't see for a couple moments as he finished, "But, I can get why you think even with your power up you did nothing. I mean, I went Super Saiyan, but, what did I end up doing in the end? Carro woulda came anyways, and it wasn't like I could have saved the planet from destruction either. So, I get it, I understand why you feel useless. But.."
Putting his hand on her shoulder, he shook her gently as he said, "..All we can do, is hope to get stronger to ensure we can make a difference later on. And even then, and even though I find it hard to see sometimes, we did do something. Without us there, Carro would have had to allow the other stronger, more powerful opposition get free reign. So even though we didn't deal the final blow, or matched up to the strength of the more powerful players there, we still held a purpose that no other could have."
"..I-I hope you feel a little bit better, Suri. If there's anything else I can do, please, I'll do whatever need be."
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Post by Suri on Apr 2, 2020 16:38:32 GMT -6
No customer was probably going to enter the Diono's yet, as the pub's lights were still off. And it was pretty early, so no one had come to work other than Suri and Dion. So, this gave Suri plenty of time to cry, and spill her worries to Dion. Plenty of privacy, especially if they would be secluded in the booth in the back. "O-Of course, Dion..." Suri didn't mind at all, moving locations to be seated. She didn't want Dion's legs to start hurting, and it seemed Suri herself also would need to take a moment to calm down. Suri walked, letting Dion guide her to the booths. She used the short amount of time she got to slow her breathing and think more calmly, and she magically conjured some tissues to wipe her tears with.
Dion was the one to speak once they were seated. Suri grew silent as she listened to her friend's thoughts.
He- He didn't think her attempt at diplomacy was foolish? Suri returned a surprised expression, while thinking back to the chastisement she got for it. Dion...he understood, because he had also seen hope in Kalabas? He had tried to save his life before he died. And yet, both of them had thought wrong. Suri's gaze headed down to her knees. "...Hm." She agreed. 'Not everyone deserves a second chance.' That sentiment was starting to find a place within Suri's mind as well. Though Suri wanted no one to die, she was going to have to choose who to save.
A "W-What?" left the shocked Suri's mouth as her gaze headed back to Dion, when she was told of her own strength. She assumed this was before the arrival of Carro and everyone else, but still... Her, being comparable to Super Saiyans? "I didn't know I was that strong..." Suri's expression darkened as her guilt of not doing anything with her power only increased tenfold. Dion seemed to understand that feeling too, having felt the same. But Dion provided optimism in his words, which resonated with Suri ...Yes. She thought. She had failed, but she hoped to do better in the future. And, it was relieving to think that; 'She had done something, back then.' "I hope you're right. I'd like to think that..."
Dion had helped clear the clouds in Suri's mind, his reassurance and comfort had eased her thoughts. "...I do. Thank you, Dion. I feel so, so much better." Suri said this with a small smile, before she drew closer, intent on hugging Dion one more time. "...And I know what to do now. I need to get stronger. I want to. Physically, and mentally, so that next time, I can do better...so that I won't get scared in the middle of battle, like I did at first. A-And when Russé was taken hostage."
After that, Suri would meet Dion's eyes again, determined to ask him... "S-So, uhm..." Suri struggled to find her words, even though her request would be somewhat simple. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you like to help me with that? In other words... Would you like to get stronger, together?" No idea how exactly, but... They'd find a way, right? Suri offered Dion a hand to hold.
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Post by Dion on Apr 8, 2020 0:16:43 GMT -6
The bartender was momentarily caught off guard by Suri utilizing her magical ability right in front of him in order to conjure up some tissues for her issues, but his brain soon enough remembered the fact that she was quite magically adept- images of Suri creating that giant scoop to carry the ice cream flavor known as Kalabas in it before all hell broke loose swiftly entering his mind as a way of remembrance, and an embarrassed expression was soon on his face as he began to truly wonder if he was hit one too many times, or if he was experiencing some sort of mental debilitation from what he had experienced within the mountain range of Mt. Frappe. Dion quickly snapped himself back at the topic at hand though, his face showing a bit of an amused surprise on his face as Suri herself apparently never realized that she herself could very much compete with even the strongest of them there. Even in the midst of his unyielding rage, Dion could sense the sizable power level emanating from the focused fighter, pride swelling as he fondly recalled her strengthened resolve. Not only that, but even though she wasn't perhaps nearly as combat gifted as, say, Scallio or Aurora, her magic as well as her regenerative ability (he didn't know exactly when he learned about that, he could have sworn it was from either his last interaction with Suri or perhaps from Patrona, but it wasn't necessarily too important) more than made up for the gap in raw strength. It was quite the equalizer, and a place of comfort that Dion could draw from in order to stay within his powered up state.
Thus, it made him feel a bit better hearing that Suri did wish to believe she did make a difference with her massive power level increase- because to Dion she sure as hell did. In fact, if it wasn't for her power increase, he wasn't sure even in his Super Saiyan state whether or not he'd be able to utilize his own newfound power and keep within the form long enough for Carro to had come along, as the stress and fear induced from the duke's incredible power was only slightly quelled by the presence of both Aurora and Suri. So while she may not have done much directly (which he did disagree with) indirectly, and perhaps unknowingly, she helped catapult their chances of survival much further than what it could have been.
As he heard to his delight that Suri indeed felt worlds better than she had upon entering the Diono's, Dion was about to say something when he was cut off by the Majin going in for another close hug. He did feel a bit flustered at the interaction- he was a flirty sunnuva gun when he wanted to be, but with his closest friends he was quite genuine, and even more so bashful at physical contact, so he was caught slightly by surprise by Suri's sudden boldness. A light flush appeared on his face, a content smile warming onto his features as he wrapped his arms around her once more, this time letting them stay securely around her as she pulled back slightly.
"It looks like we've both got the same goals then," Dion said as he listened to exactly what Suri wished to achieve in the coming weeks whilst recovering from this life changing event. "Like I said, even as a Super Saiyan I felt as though I did little to the weighing scale overall- what with Kalabas still outgunning me in pure strength, and Carro coming in anyways to turn the tide, it seemed like I went Super Saiyan for nothing. A fact that did dog me for a while afterward. However.."
Keeping one arm still wrapped around her, he used the other to pat Suri on the head, continuing as he said, "..If you're determined to keep pushing forward, to make sure the next time this happens, you'll be more than prepared to protect everyone once more- what kind of person, no, friend, would I be if I didn't start getting my shit together too? It would be as though I really did go all blond bartender for nothing, and that would be a spit in the face to everyone counting on me from here on out."
Upon hearing her request, Dion's grin widened, his smile warming even further as he used the hand that was patting Suri to interlock now with her hand offered to him, gripping on it tightly (but not too tightly, he didn't want to hurt the girl now) as he spoke in a genuine and tender tone, "Jeezums, that's quite the steely gaze you've got there Suri- I haven't seen you this determined in a while. How could I ever refuse? Of course I'll stick with ya on this journey of yours, however long you want me to stay. It helps that I love your company anyways, so it would be nice to have an excuse to stick around you more often, yeah~?"
Once a flirt, always a flirt- besides, it was their little running gag, something only those two could share, which Dion thought helped to make their relationship feel much closer and genuine. Shows both of them that they're comfortable in eachothers company enough to pop little quips like that.
After a couple moments of simply sitting there, staring into Suri's face, completely content with leaning on the wall behind him as they held their close embrace- it was quite comfy there- Dion decided that if they were gonna start progressing further together, they needed a plan. A contemplative look on his face as the fledgling Super Saiyan began to plan things out, saying in a bit more of a serious tone, "I think, personally, that if your power is derived from a sense of calm and serenity, that if we get strengthen you mentally first then the physical advantages'll come along straight a ways after. While it was comforting to sense you at such a high level of strength, I could also clearly sense that you nearly fell out of it several times while in a panic within battle."
Realizing it could be interpreted that he was being incredibly critical of Suri, just as Sanbu was with her, he gave her a slight squeeze with the arm still wrapped around her, saying quickly in a reassuring tone, "Now hold on just a second- I'm not blaming you or trying to criticize you that harshly. It is simply something I noticed, and I put two and two together and have come to a pretty solid conclusion. If you have anything of the contrary to say, or just anything else to add that could help us with a starting point to begin building at, let me know."
And so, he waited patiently to see exactly where Suri thought she stood.
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Post by Suri on Apr 9, 2020 22:55:27 GMT -6
Suri nodded. Her and Dion. They had the same goals, had felt the same worries and feelings of powerlessness. But Dion had shown Suri that there was a way forward, which Suri was willing to take, willing to trust Dion that he was right. Next time, she wanted to be better.
Suri averted her eyes as her face was lit up with purple. Suri's embarrassment had finally fired up, with the triggers being Dion's comment about her steely gaze, and his flirtiness. She smiled, though, listening, all the while. And giggled, at the last bit, before she said "Yeah, yeah. ...But thank you, Dion. I...want to help you as well, if there's anything I can do." in a more genuine tone, peeking back up at Dion. "I did say 'together', didn't I?"
Suri went silent, taking in the thoughts and plans that Dion shared. Her hand, the one that wasn't being held, went to her chin as she pondered. It was true, Suri needed to stay calm. Losing one's calm seemed like a surefire way to lose one's life as well, in such life-threatening situations. Also, well, it wasn't true that the entirety of Suri's powers derived from calmness, but she certainly seemed to need it to make full use of her strength. Suri's eyes widened as she heard about how she was flickering in and out of her powerup, yet another fact she had been unaware of, yet another fault she would blame herself for.
Dion shifted to reassuring Suri all of a sudden, perhaps he had noticed her expression turning sour? Suri shook her head, and said "N-No, don't worry. That wasn't harsh at all!", returning Dion's reassurance with her own, and a pat on his arm as she continued. "In fact, I might need that... I think you're right, mostly. My power doesn't come from calmness, but it would certainly help. I can't do anything with what I have if I'm too scared that I can't use it...to move, to act, to hurt someone else. Maybe I need more experience with fighting outside the safety of tournaments."
"And...I should be willing to hurt people if they want to hurt others. Right?" She too, remembered the red Majin's criticism after Suri's hesitation in the hostage situation. She also remembered being stabbed in the back(or rather, whacked in the head) after attempting to show mercy to Kalabas. And she recalled, Ochra, Chime, and Carro, ending the situation with a single, killing blow each. Suri's lower lip quivered at the thought of potentially ending someone's life. "I-I just...don't know how Carro or Chime do it."
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Post by Dion on Apr 10, 2020 0:43:50 GMT -6
D'aw, she was just so cute when she was all flustered. Dion's smile only grew as he saw the Majin girl before him look away for a couple moments to hide her embarrassment, with the bartender choosing not to push forward too much on that front. He didn't wanna come off as some creep after all. Besides, it would be a jerk move to start leading someone on when he himself knew that he was still struggling with moving on from Kuma. He remained hooked on her, something that he most definitely would need to confront head on later in the future before it started to affect him too negatively. But, for now, Dion was more than content with simply keeping company with the person just in front of him. As she so helpfully stated, they were in this together, and so Dion couldn't afford to be thinking about anyone else for now. As Suri peeked back up at the Saiyan, he shot her a wink, saying in a reassuring tone, "And together it shall be, m'dear. Though, I wouldn't mind taking the brunt of the load if it sometimes gets a wee bit much to carry. Don'tcha worry about a thing, I'm quite used to it, so hopefully you won't need to be supporting me that much moving forward. I'd much rather it be vice versa."
His selfless nature shining true, the bartender's words rang with a sincerity near none could match. From childhood to present, Dion's seen too many a folk out in the world who went without a helping hand, and so he felt it necessary for him to then undertake much of the burden unto his shoulders for the sake of others in order to prevent such negativity from spreading. Even if it cost him both physically and mentally each time, he thought it worth it every single time.
Indeed, Dion had been slightly worried by the horrified grimace shown from Suri as he did touch upon the topic of her dropping in and out of her transformation, letting out a relieved sigh as she reassured him that he was not crossing any boundaries he was not meant to cross. He really cared about the lass, but, sometimes he wondered if he ever was a bit too overbearing in his approach. He listened intently as Suri began to spoke, his hunch of her power being, albeit not entirely directed, from a sense of calm and control being seemingly confirmed with her words. He understood the hesitancy behind Suri's use of such power as well, knowing that the thought of harming another living being can be difficult for some, especially when that some was Suri herself. It came somewhat naturally for Dion as he was of the Saiyan race- it was done out of necessity, out of need, on a daily basis. For Suri, she had grown up without a need for such bloodshed; she was still relatively green, the only things giving her a real puncher's chance being her incredible power and potential coupled with her magical affinity.
So, not only did Dion support the idea of her entering some tournaments to get used to doling out the pain and to sharpen her combative skill, he also wondered if Suri would be at all opposed to Dion acting as a surrogate mentor of some sort. Seeing as he had a decent track record with greener fighters, and that they were close enough that Dion would know the kind of style that would fit her the best and bad habits for her to fix, the bartender thought it would be helpful for her to learn a thing or two from him.
And, lastly, her final point for growth related directly to Dion's own need for growth. The need to learn that not all people deserved a second chance. While he seemed so quick to assure Suri of such a philosophy, Dion himself was still quavery on the topic. His morals now conflicting with the real world reality of good and bad. Again, something best saved for later. They were here to help Suri, not Dion.
After a couple moments of contemplation, he started, saying, "The tournament idea is a good one, yeah, I think that'll help you get used to the idea of actively fighting another person with the intent of harm. In fact, I really wouldn't mind training with you personally to help you along the way. If you can get used to beating my face in, then the thought of busting some evil stranger's chops should come a bit easier to you. You've got a lot of untapped potential, Suri, the prospect of molding you into an even greater fighter is actually quite exciting to me, prolly the Saiyan in me talking there, eheheh. Magic and strength all in one-? A lethal combination."
Realizing that Suri was still coming to terms with harming others, and that his choice in vernacular may bother her a bit, he'd chuckle flusteredly again, muttering, "S-sorry. You're still, getting used to hurting others. But I'm serious when I say you've got potential. And it would be a privilege to have a hand in utilizing that potential for the greater good."
Finally, came the hardest point to address, Chime and Carro's actions upon Mt. Frappe. Once he found the words he thought would work best, Dion spoke, "They did it, well, out of necessity, Suri, It needed to be done. I'm a strong believer that it should never have to get to that point unless there was no other option to exhaust, and it seemed to them that all other options were indeed exhausted when you take into consideration what that sick duke of the Saiyan empire did.."
His gaze hardened, body shivering as he continued, "He's a genocidal maniac who probably didn't deserve any other fate, whose very existence threatened that of the ground we lived on."
Shaking himself back into a state of somewhat steadiness, he squeezed Suri gently as a sign of assurance that he was alright, as he now said in a more resolved tone, "Got kinda carried away there. But, point is, yeah, I completely get where you're coming from. However, sometimes, it is just as you said. There are times when we need to put aside the mercy for those of whom that are without it. It is an ugly truth, but one that I hope we both eventually come to terms with."
Feeling now as though he had touched upon all the needed points, Dion looked around again for a couple moments, now asking in a more flustered tone once more, "U-uh, by the way, you don't mind me holding you like this, right? I-it's not like anyone would see us or anything, b-but, I get it if you may be uncomfortable.."
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Post by Suri on Apr 12, 2020 17:03:07 GMT -6
"...Hm." Suri only hummed in response, saying neither a yes or a no. While it was comforting to hear that Dion was willing to help with her worries, the thought of Dion carrying his own by his lonesome...well, not so much. She supposed it was something that would come up later. As far as she knew, Dion wasn't struggling with anything else.
Right?
In response to what Dion said about her idea, Suri smiled...with a tinge of nervousness, as her message may not have gone through properly. She'd wait til the end before correcting him, though. To Dion's apology, Suri shook her head, and said "It's okay. Uh, I think you might have misunderstood a bit. It's not like I've never fought, I've done it before. Usually, it was either for sport, in tournaments and so on, or for training, sparring with friends and such. They're safer, compared to...y'know, fights where there are no rules, where people don't have the other's best interest in mind, where someone can...die. I guess I've been in a few situations like that too, just not as often." Though, Suri's smile didn't falter. The thought of training with Dion was a pleasant one for sure, and she'd express such in words so the mood wouldn't darken again. "I'd love to train with you, though! I'm sure it'll make me a lot stronger physically, especially since you're a Super Saiyan now, and all. Using my potential for good... I'd like to do that." It was why Suri had been trained to fight, after all, by her uncle, aunt, and by Nashi...
The next topic, as hard at it was, was one that needed to be addressed. After taking in what Dion said, Suri ducked her head. As much as she didn't like the idea of ending someone's life, she knew that that 'someone' may not care about hers. Kalabas didn't, she had found out the hard way. "Yeah...I understand. I remember what he did. I know it needed to be done. Carro, Chime, I don't blame either of them for anything. I want to come to terms with it like they have, but I just... I guess I'm worried...about them." For all the time Suri had known of the two, she hadn't been aware of the burden they carried. Most of all, she couldn't imagine the pain of being killed.
Perhaps because Suri had been too absorbed in the serious topics they were dealing with, she had forgotten the position she was currently in. "Huh?" Suri met Dion's eyes. Then looked to see that she was still in Dion's arms, and... Her face was imflamed with embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I-" She'd try to pull away from the embrace, words frantically spewing out of her mouth. "I didn't realize, I-I- How long- I hope I wasn't making you uncomfortable, uh-"
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Post by Dion on Apr 14, 2020 3:09:54 GMT -6
"Oh." Dion's face flushed slightly as he saw he was assuming a bit too much of the lass- chuckling embarrassedly as his statements made it sound as though Suri's never at all fought before. Of course he never meant to portray her in such a light, however, he could definitely see where he went wrong with his approach. Attempting to backtrack a bit, he said in a more flustered tone, "S-sorry about that Suri-! Didn't mean to make ya out to be some sorta dolt who didn't know anything about swinging a fist or two. It seems pretty common sense to assume you've had some sort of past in fighting, I mean, you don't get as strong as you happen to be without it, right? However, it would seem like I have much to learn about you still, considering I didn't even know about your tournament past and such. You got people you spar with already, you said? That's real good, and real nice of them to do, I'd love to meet the rest of your friends if you don't mind! Heck, maybe the whole lot of us can get together for a little training session or something- Kami knows we all kinda want one of those, considering, well, yeah, you know what I'm getting at."
A more resolved grin appeared on the Saiyan's face as Suri did show inherent interest in training along with the bartender, shrugging as she noted his Super Saiyan status, saying in a matter-of-fact tone, "Just because I've got the option of blond hair doesn't make me instantaneously or inherently more combat ready than any one of us. As you saw, even I got eventually dwarfed when everyone and their Super Saiyan mother came to crash our little 'party' of sorts. All the more reason, of course, to try and get stronger then, right?"
A faraway look on his face appeared as he continued, muttering, "I have heard stories and rumors now, of powers that surpass beyond that of even the Super Saiyan status, but of course I think myself currently only able to scratch just the surface of such potential power.."
After a couple moments spent contemplating how much he had to go, he snapped himself back to reality, turning back toward Suri and sheepishly scratching the back of his head once more as he said, "But yeah! Seems like we've both got potential in need of being refined, and what better way of doing so than doing it with some good and more than competent company right? I won't rush you that much though, I wanna make sure you're fully recovered physically after that whole scuffle atop the mountaintops. Emotionally and mentally you might be fine now, thankfully, but physically as I know all too well could most definitely be a completely different story."
As for Carro and Chime's wellbeing, Dion nodded, patting her reassuringly on the head again as he said in a comforting tone, "Hey, who do you think brought me home-? Of course when I woke up I went to go discuss things with Mr. Hofferson, and while he isn't completely altogether just yet, I left him in much better shape than he had started. Or so I think, but his robotic body is a bit harder to read than, say, a pretty face like yours is. I don't blame him though, guy's got a lot on his mind, so I think what he needs is just a little bit of a healthy mix of being left alone and being offered continuous help and support. Since he isn't much of a venting sort, sadly enough, I hate that he bottles it all up, but, it's hard to get him to open up. I think he believes it to be a weakness, but, it's never a weakness to ask for a little help..."
Once Suri realized the position that the two were in, Dion let out a small fit of laughter, saying in a much more lighthearted tone, "D'aw, you're adorable when you're flustered Suri- but it's really quite alright! I just wanted to make sure you were fine with staying like this, since, well, you haven't been hearing any complaints from me quite yet, have you?"
If she still chose to leave the embrace, or if she chose to remain in it, Dion would all the same lean backward- the only difference being Suri being in his hug still or not. Either way, he'd look into Suri's face for a couple more moments before asking, "Before we get into the details of our potential training sesh, have you heard anything from Aurora at all? I've been worried about her ever since I woke up, and I haven't been able to contact her at all.."
He knew that currently she was hospitalized for her injuries, Carro told him that much at least, but he wasn't sure exactly when she'd be up and at em again. Hoping that Suri's already visited her perhaps, Dion asked her about Aurora in hopes of seeing whether or not she was indeed at least conscious after the whole ordeal.
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Post by Suri on Apr 19, 2020 22:39:05 GMT -6
Suri, shocked that Dion was apologizing again, quickly shook her head and added, "O-Oh, nothing to be sorry about! It wasn't like I was offended or anything..." while trying to change her expression to a smile for reassurance. People she sparred with already? Well... "Not...regularly. As of late, I've only had a few one-off spars, and not too much regular training. I lost contact with a lot of friends because I was MIA for so long, and my old master is...occupied with something." Dead. He was dead. Suri grimaced at the last part, though she tried to hide away that sorrow right afterwards. With a sigh, she continued. "So, yeah. I could use some regular training for sure."
"Dwarfed..." Suri repeated. She realized, it did make sense. Unlike everyone and their Super Saiyan mother(including the actual one), it had been the first time Dion went Super, as far as Suri knew. "Huh... Well, I guess." Suri said in response. Right, another reason to get stronger. And another reason to obtain a method of sensing energy already, geez. She had been unaware of so many things just in the mountain fight alone. How strong Suri herself was, how strong everyone else was, how strong Super Saiyans were, how apparantly the legendary status's level of power wasn't as unreachable as she had initially thought.
Suri nodded. She agreed with Dion's sentiment, of course. They needed to refine their potential, and that would come much easier if they made the effort together. Oh, Dion worried if Suri had recovered from the fight? Mentally, she wasn't at a 100% still. But in terms of physical condition? She was fine! Genuinely, Suri said, "I'm fine. Really! It's not like I got hurt in the fight like you guys. Even if I had been, I would have fully regenerated by now, surely." A whack to the head was nothing compared to being pummeled or torn apart, was it? "But, how about you, Dion?" Suri returned the question, this time in a non-deflecting manner as she knew Dion had received more damage during the fight, and he couldn't recover as fast as she could.
Dion had had a talk with Carro too. Suri had thought that would have been the case, considering where Dion had been dropped off. And Suri had also realized, Carro's insistance that he was fine even when he wasn't as he tried to keep a strong face. Even when it was half-melted. It reminded her of herself a bit, though the Majin's broke down much more easily. "Hm... I got that impression too." Yeah, from Carro. "Have you, uh... Talked to Chime yet?" Suri asked with a slight nervousness in her voice.
There was a lot more of that when Suri was all flustered and such, so much that it started to blur the world around her. The stream of words coming out of her halted when she heard 'adorable', at which point she retreated to the corner of the booth seat and hid her face there. At least the back of her head didn't blush like her face did. She didn't even have blood and it was all magic, couldn't she just, turn that off or something? She just wanted to hide inside of a mousehole forever...
Then Suri was snapped out of it when the topic shifted. "...Ahem." Suri cleared her throat of nothing, before looking back at Dion again. Turns out, it could be turned off after all. The fire of embarrassment died as it was replaced with a cold expression, a mix of concern and guilt.
Aurora.
Suri remembered her all too well. Even though she didn't know the Arcosian at all, other than the fact that she was friends with both Dion and Reno, Suri remembered the moment Aurora had a heart attack, ingrained into her magical mind. Suri had cried because she thought that Aurora was going to die, because she was afraid, and didn't know what to do. She had panicked in an emergency. What if Carro hadn't been there, and neither Chime, what if...
"Oh." Suri realized that she had gone silent, and spoke up. "Sorry. I hope she's alright, but... I haven't heard anything, either." At this point, Suri had only spoken with Carro, Chime, and Dion post-fight. "I'm not sure where she's even-" Suri paused, retracing her memories and remembering where she saw Aurora being dropped off. "Actually, I think she was dropped off at Crop Co, so Mr. Carro probably knows. Are you able to contact him?" Suri asked.
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Post by Dion on Apr 22, 2020 0:28:23 GMT -6
Dion frowned (Something that he was seemingly incredibly prone to do for this conversation specifically, not necessarily good) as he realized the impact of being in a comatose state reached far beyond just a loss of training time or even falling behind on present time trends. He couldn't possibly imagine a world where everyone he had known and loved had simply moved on without him, never to be seen by his eyes once again. Perhaps he'd have his family still, his mother and father weren't the abandoning type, but to lose people like Carro, Russe, Aurora, and Suri herself to the very sands of time? It was terrifying. Coupled with the fact that the thought of laying complacently, doing nothing, letting life pass him by without a say in the matter already frightened the naturally busy bodied Saiyan bartender, losing everyone that he had come to hold dear to him was not his idea of a good time. He felt incredibly sorry for the girl, even more so than he had already- his pity well could be classified at this point to be damn near bottomless- and so tried to lighten the mood, and himself up a bit, by saying in an impressed tone, "While I can't at all imagine losing any number of close friends from something you couldn't control yourself, it is still all the more impressive then that you've been able to get to this level of strength relatively by yourself. Pat yourself on the back Suri, you're not nearly as green as you think you are."
And, like the majority of what he had been saying to her during their conversation, Dion was being completely honest. It took him what felt like years up to this point to even have a taste of success within strength, and yet, it was as though Suri was able to get up and go after it with what looked to be ease. The bartender wasn't jealous, oddly enough, instead he felt a strong pang of pride within himself, proud that she had already been putting in the hard yards in order to be prepared to defend her friends, her family, and her home, no matter the cost. All the more reason to help her along with it.
He clucked his tongue a couple times as Suri went on about how she was seriously, at least physically, in primed condition. As she attempted to prove her case, Dion looked her up and down, staring at areas on her where he had thought he spotted slight wear and tear, looking incredulously, shocked at the Majin race's regenerative ability- gently brushing against them with his free hand and seeing whether or not it felt healed enough. Once satisfied, his eyes returned to lay on Suri's face just as she began to inquire about himself. And, as badly timed as it was, the back of his neck where Kalabas had slammed his fist into shot him a bit of sharp, fiery pain, making the lad wince a bit before he could actually answer Suri's question. Rubbing the only area where he had actually been nicked, Dion replied in a convincing enough tone, "I think I'll be fine, Suri. It was just that one blow Kalabas had managed to the back of my neck there. Surprised that with his accuracy and power that he didn't snap my spine, really, he was damn close. Nothing but a bit of rest time with Carro and Leo couldn't fix though. They made sure I was all good before i was on my way."
The gravity of such an injury then hit him slightly- he could have become paralyzed from the neck down from such an attack! His face a bit gravely flushed, he looked down at his lower body, as though he expected to start losing feeling within it immediately as he did. Thankfully, no such thing occurred, and Dion thanked his lucky stars that he was apparently made of tougher stuff that he didn't give himself enough credit for.
However, again, he didn't wish to make it all about himself. He was here to help Suri first and foremost, and while she seemed like she was regaining her bearings quite nicely, he'd rather be safe than sorry. So, Dion continued to listen intently, replying now more sheepishly as she asked whether or not he's made good with Chime, "N-no, not quite, eheheh, but I do plan on paying them a visit up on- what was it called? The Lookout, right? Sorry, I've only just found out about his importance and all that. Heck, didn't even realize the planet had a guardian until all this had happened, oddly enough. Weird, ain't it?"
"...well, you learn something new everyday, I guess."
And finally- after a bit more of a flustered frenzy from Suri, which forced a bit of an endearing laugh from him, it was really just too cute- came the topic of which he held the most anxiety about. His heart sank slightly though as he heard that she hadn't been in recent contact with Aurora, but quickly regained some semblance of optimism when he heard Carro possibly might have a clue as to where she was.
"Thankfully, I have Mr. Hofferson's personal line," Dion muttered as he patted his pants pocket where his phone laid, a relieved sigh coming from his lips.
"Thanks for that, Suri, I've been worried about her ever since I regained consciousness. I'll be sure to let you know anything I find out as well. I know seeing her, go through all that, probably wasn't the best of things to help with your already panicked mindset. Are you still shaken at all from that? If you are, don't be- unlike anything else involved in that situation, there was truly nothing more you could do, and you still did much as it was."
Once that final reassurance had been made, and Dion felt as though he had done all he could without actually actively going out to train with the lass, he sat up straighter within the booth- allowing his arms to move upward behind his head in a more relaxed position as he let out a content sigh. Looking to his side, he raised his eyebrows at Suri, saying, "I hope everything looks a bit clearer and feels a bit better than how it was when you came in, eheheh. I hate seeing you all down in the dumps like that, and you look better with a smile on your face anyways. After all, you're never fully dressed without one, right?"
"...So, anything else I can help with? We've got all day. And I'm prepared to spend all day if needed."
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Post by Suri on Apr 25, 2020 20:55:52 GMT -6
Just for a moment, Suri's expression turned to that of a concerned one, worried that she had said something wrong. However, it shifted to a more...bashful one at what Dion said next. "Oh..." Suri sure did blame herself and self-deprecate a lot, didn't she? It was a constant throughout the meek Majin's life, mostly sprouting from her personality and nature, emboldened by anything that she thought was a shortcoming of hers. So when she was told by another─ by her friend, Dion─ to be proud of her accomplishments, that it was okay to pat herself on the back... Suri felt a weight being slowly lifted, one she didn't realize was even there. Yet the conversation up until now had been removing it ever so slightly. "W-Well, I wouldn't say it was all on my own, but... I will." Suri finally said.
"U-Uh, Dion?" Suri questioned, flushing at the examination, before all that went away, all of it, when she felt her metaphorical heart sink at Dion's pained wince upon touching his own, apparantly still present, wound. "Oh, gee..." Suri said, eyes widening at the realization of the potential damage Dion could have received, but "Okay." she said. Her concern had already been dismissed beforehand, but it would remain in the form of occasional glances at Dion's neck.
Suri had been a bit hesitant to ask Dion about talking with Chime, because she remembered Dion blocking the Guardian's blast aimed at Kalabas, and wasn't sure what Chime thought about that whole ordeal... "Oh yeah... N-No, not that weird." Suri said. Dion reminded Suri of herself last year, back before she became a student of Nashi, before she met Myu and learned about stuff like The Tower and The Lookout and The Dragon Balls. "I'm not sure if it's common knowledge or anything like that." The existence of the Lookout was, apparantly, but Suri wasn't aware. "I've heard stuff about him a lot from people that know him, but this was the first time I met him too, actually! Even though...I was training right under his house..." Suri started to grimace, her mind filling with regret of not paying a visit to all the Godsquad members beforehand. But then, enthusiasm returned as an idea popped up in Suri's head, and she verbalized, "Oh! I can take you there, if you'd like. Want me to come with, too?"
Suri was reminded that Dion knew the President personally, and had even known that he was secretly alive within a robot body(!). That news would have been a bigger shocker to Suri if she hadn't been busy panicking and all that. "Oh, right, you already knew him beforehand, didn't you?"
Speaking of panicking, "Okay..." Suri said, though she wasn't sure if there was truely nothing she could have done back when Aurora had her heart attack. What if she conjured up a bolt of electricity, if not a defibrilator? And surely there was one inside that medical supply capsule. That thought, Suri would push into the back of her mind for now. That was the past. What was important, was how Aurora was doing in the present, which she wanted to know as well. "Please do, tell me when you find out."
And well, Dion thought right. Overall, the talk with Dion left Suri in a better place than where she had started, with a lot of her shadowy negativity over herself being cleared away by Dion's rain of compliments. "Mhm. Again, thank you...for today." Suri leaned back into her seat, closing her eyes and letting out a relaxed sigh. And she smiled, a tired, yet satisfied grin. Anything else? "Well..." Suri pondered briefly, hand on her chin, before suggesting,
"Would you like to have a training session...? After work? Or uh, maybe on the weekends?"
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