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Post by Carro Hofferson on Jan 2, 2021 17:41:55 GMT -6
THIS IS FINECARRO's PL: 100
"Pleasure doing business with you- have a nice day!" Carro waved off some departing customers. The sun had began to set over Central City, and with it another work day at Crop Co for its employees. Many were happy to see Carro doing so well, clearly he was in much higher spirits ever since his revival. The President was as chipper and hopeful to ever around everyone he met- an inspiring beacon to Earth's people to give hope to the idea that things would only get better from here.
Carro was a very good actor.
The moment he'd waved off the last few employees and was certain they were gone, the friendly smile on his face faded as a deap, shaky sigh crumbled out of his throat. Carro closed the glass door behind him, but turned to head back into the company instead of out with the rest of his coworkers. There was rest for the weary today, nor any of the days before or after now.
Carro turned to head back down the halls, now dead silent, void of the bustling life of their many employees and drones. He could make out his reflection somewhat in the clean, tiled floor. Carro stopped for a moment, looking down at the vague mirror of his face. He wiped under one of his eyes tiredly, wiping off the thick makeup he had to use to blot out the dark purple bag beneath. His once fitting clothes hung more loosely over his frame, which had somehow become even skinner over the past few months. He didn't think about the deep scars beneath them. He was fine, just like he kept telling everyone...
...Though he couldn't stop part of him from wishing he'd have someone to even tell that to again.
Where had everyone gone these past few months?
Was it something he said?
Quickly making his way to his office, Carro flipped open some blueprints again- they wouldn't finish themselves. He couldn't think about how he hadn't heard from Sulfur in weeks and how much he missed her when there were drafts that needed review, or how Van probably was upset with him and how much of a lecture he was in for if he ever found out about anything Carro was thinking when he had to work out the latest designs for more defense drones for when some wise guy would inevitably try to blow up the entire planet again. At least during these late hours, he could dedicate the energy he would normally use to putting on a mask and acting fine and dandy to his work when there was nobody around.
Unfortunately for the President, he'd left the door to Crop Co completely unlocked and cracked open in his tired haze.
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Post by Dion on Jan 3, 2021 22:58:19 GMT -6
(PL: 175,000) Something told the bartender that Carro wasn't going to be all too amused with the reason as to why he's been absent these last few, yet long lasting, months. Following the events of Scallio's attempted, and failed, takeover of the beachside planet, Dion's concern over Yogu leaving in quite the huff had grown to unbearable levels. Being the ever nice guy that he was, a double edged sword at times it seemed, the young man was set on putting aside at least a little bit of time dedicated to tracking down his former- well he says former but Yogu never formally quit, but his continued employment was certainly placed in jeopardy due to aforementioned "abandoning of the ship"- employee across the stars. He borrowed a ship from one of Crop Corporations' many locations, his connections with Carro did help quite a bit, though he did owe him a pod now, and set off at once a few weeks following his return to Earth. He expected this to be a shorter length journey- Dion was decently sure he'd be able to track down Yogu with the tools at his disposal, and was also sure that Yogu couldn't have gotten that far in his absence.
He was stupidly off the mark. And what was supposed to be at maximum a one to two week venture slowly grew into a journey that spanned over the course of several months due to him locking on and off on leads to Yogu's location, as well as just getting lost in general. Dion was a bartender, not a space traverser. His knowledge of the universe was minimal. And by minimal, it meant that it consisted of being able to get from point A (vegeta) to point B (earth). So it was a no brainer as to why it took him this long to return home.
Dion was just hoping things hadn't changed that much in his absence. He hadn't been training that much, the search again taking up the bulk of his time, so he was a bit out of practice- a dangerous place to be in considering his lack of combat experience as is. He never was a fighter by trade, he was a bartender. He may have the potential and, dare he say, the talent, to become a good fighter, but without eventual proper training, he'd turn into a bum. The Saiyan did know Leo could at least help him a bit with the bare basics, but if he wanted to continue competing at the higher level of competition against the likes of Amara, the rest of the Stargoons, and dare he say Kayen if the time ever calls for it- an increase in skill and fight IQ was needed.
All the more reason to head home to Earth as soon as possible once this wild goose chase had been laid to rest, right?
And so, once the trail went completely cold, and he wasn't busy with getting lost again, Dion finally began to make his way back to the blue jewel of the cosmos. The trip itself was uneventful, it was mostly composed of shadow boxing in the little space that he had as well as catching up on some sleep. Time went decently quick, and soon he had made his landing just in the wilderness outside of Central City.
Changing out of the now weathered Saiyan armor he had worn during his search and into a much more casual outfit comprised of sweatpants and a loose fitting gray tee, Dion exited the space pod, beelining it for Central City- taking to the skies with a happy look on his face. He was home, and ready to see how it's changed in his absence.
It was quite coincidental that he had landed near Central City, as one of the very first people he wanted to see first was Carro. Considering he had left him on his own for a while, and not exactly during his greatest of hours, Dion hoped that his closest friend was still decently okay. And, Kami forbid this, but if he wasn't, then he hoped he could at least pick up the pieces left. Soaring through the airs above Central City, he looked down below him, following the familiar streets below until he found himself staring straight ahead at the gargantuan of a building that was Crop Co's main HQ.
He watched as the majority of workers had begun to make their way outside of the building, but deep within he could still sense a remaining power signature still inside of the Crop Co building. Lurking atop the higher levels of said HQ. It was, familiar.
But it didn't make sense, the only person that ever stayed extra hours was Carro and Leo, but he couldn't sense Carro as he was- he was a robot! He didn't radiate Ki like most living beings did. Unless..
Both somewhat worried yet quite excited, Dion quickly lowered himself to the entrance of the workplace, speed walking through the open doors (and making sure to close and lock them behind him, if he came face to face with what he thought he would he wanted the two to be left alone for a little while to catch up) and making his way up to the upper floors of the building until he reached the corridor that led down to Carro's office. Slowly striding over to the wooden doors, Dion gripped the knob to the office room- hesitating for just a moment. Just to make sure that he was feeling what he thought he was feeling, and to try and shake some of the insecurity off his shoulders.
Kami, did he hope he didn't hate him for leaving him on his own this long. He loved Carro in the way an older brother would.
Exhaling and opening the door, Dion's eyes widened as he came face to face with one of the things that he least expected to see for a while. Carro, in his actual flesh, at his desk, in a familiar pose- hunched over blueprint after blueprint detailing plans and fantastical inventions that were yet to unfold.
He stood there, processing what his eyes were met with for just a moment or two before he rushed over toward him, sliding his way around the desk to hold Carro by the shoulders with a secure, firm grip, shaking him a bit as if to ensure this wasn't just some crazy dream.
It took everything in him not to become overwhelmed with emotion, and to not just spout off question after question, statement after incredulous statement- instead, Dion restrained himself, speaking in a wobbly yet still stable enough voice to get his thoughts through in an intelligible manner, "I'm, real sorry, Carro- I wasn't there for the big day."
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Jan 5, 2021 16:30:19 GMT -6
Carro's half-lidded eyes remained robotically trained on his work despite his fleshy body. He didn't hear the door creak open behind him as his vision briefly unfocused, the precise lines and neat scripture on the blueprint briefly muddling together into a blue and white blur. He remained silent, narrowing his eyes slightly and blinking rapidly to clear his vision.
Needless to say, when he felt a sudden pair of hands on his shoulders and a blurry shape suddenly move into his vision, a startled yelp- though it sounded more like a squeak- forced its way out of his throat as he jolted, now sitting much more alert and upright from the brief adrenaline rush as his eyes finally focused. At first he was worried that this was yet another Murderer of the Week kind of thing, but...
"...D-Dion-?!" Carro stammered, just as shocked as his returning friend. "I-- where have you been?!" To say Carro had been worried sick since the other saiyan's disappearance after the scuffle on Gemini A was an understatement when many outcomes more horrific than this friendly reunion had played out in his nightmares. But here they both were, in the flesh, for better or worse in Carro's case.
While there wasn't a shred of metal on the former android, Carro did not look much better since his revival. His lower eyelids were stained a dark purple, pale skin a near-white shade, nevermind the scar wrapping halfway around his neck that was part of a larger crater-like mark hidden beneath his shirt.
"...And before you ask, I'm fine. Just a rough few days with deadlines and the holidays, blugh." Carro quickly quipped in hopes of nip any concerns Dion would have for him in the bud before they'd escalate into confrontation. It was more important that he worry about his friend's health first and where in the name of the Kais he'd been, after all.
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Post by Dion on Jan 8, 2021 23:13:08 GMT -6
Dion's face slowly turned from one of great jubilance to one of further concern. Looking into his best friend's face he could see the droopy, tired nature that accompanied even the roboticized version of the Saiyan that now sat in front of him presently. Sadly, despite Carro's best efforts, Dion already was worrying more, much more about his presidential pal than he most likely wanted him to. Taking a moment to just look him over properly with his naturally calculative and inspective eye, he looked further upward into Carro's face- specifically taking note of the massive, sickly looking eyebags under his own eyes as well as the pale skin that acted as its very own canvas. Clearly his habits, despite his body being unable now to sustain them, have not changed. Which was something that would need to change if he were to take advantage, and enjoy properly, this second chance at life having been gifted to him. He slowly led his eyes downward, a bit of air being sucked in at the sight of the barely concealed scar across his neck. He gingerly touched it, frowning. Was this new? Or was it, dare he say it, from his very killer?
He assumed already that he had used those Dragon Balls that they discussed in order to bring his physical body back into being, though the young man supposed he should've asked the specific implications that would come with such a request. Wishing, he found, after thinking about it for at least more than five seconds, could have many loopholes and such that could be abused, and unforeseen consequences that could be inflicted on the person wishing in question if they weren't specific enough with their request. Was this scar a potential leftover of such consequences or lack of specificity? Or was this one left by another conflict within the months following his absence?
If it was the latter, boy, would they have quite the game of blame to play. If not, then he supposed the wishes made from these Dragon Balls weren't a complete do-over button as Aurora seems to believe them to be, and did still have their limitations that came with such power. Which made sense, he supposed.
"Sorry for leaving you hanging like that Carro," Dion muttered as he continued to look over his little brother from another mother's physicality. "Spent much longer looking for Yogu than I probably should have. He just worried me, going off like that without any notice you know?"
A more sheepish expression then appeared on his face as he realized what he just said, looking off to the side as he admitted openly, "Though, I suppose that makes me a bit of a hypocrite in doing the exact same thing to you. I'm very sorry Carro."
"But, I'm here now, and I'm ready to get caught up to speed in whatever you, or anyone else, may need help with. Though, from first impressions, Carro, it looks like you're the one in need of help at the moment."
He was already preemptively shaking his head once Carro tried to state that he was perfectly fine in this state, Dion tsk tsking him as he readjusted himself to be on a knee to stay in level with Carro while remaining decently comfortable himself. "Looks like you've got a few bad habits you need to break, most likely leftover from your past experience within your robot body, Carro. Even now, although I'm happy to see you back in your own body, I still see the stressed and taxed expression that I did with your past vessel."
"Part of me aches to quench the curiosity that dogs me deep inside right now- all about the Dragon Balls, that scar across your neck, when you managed to do this, how you managed to do this, but.."
"...We've gotta address this elephant in the room first, Carro. You can't go on like this. You'll crash eventually, and I'd rather be the one who prevented said crash in the first place, rather than the man who did nothing but witness the process as it happened."
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Jan 16, 2021 16:21:56 GMT -6
Carro sheepishly looked away at the obvious worry his friend had for the poor president's current state, instinctively tightening his grip over his own heart. Thankfully Dion spoke before he caved into stammering out apologizes, explaining his wherabouts. "Yogu's... been through some crap, especially lately, but he's improving. He visited me about a week ago, thankfully, though he was off-planet for awhile... I'm surprised you two didn't bump into each other." Seriously, the poor kid had it even worse than Carro. Carro only died once, Yogu was at... was it two or three times now? The fact that he lost count spoke enough.
"A-ah, it's fine, honest! I've been through worse- I'm just glad you're still in one piece." Carro dismissively waved in response to Dion's claimed hypocrisy and his apology. He had been... extremely lonely, especially as of late, but didn't blame any of his friends for leaving.
And then there was the sudden but inevitable betrayal as yet again the topic turned around back to Carro's current suffering. The mere mention of the Dragon Balls caused Carro's face to shift in discomfort. "I... wasn't the one who did this." He looked down to his human hands, pangs of survivor's guilt stirring a sinking feeling in his chest. It should have been Namek, not him. Why did they want to bring him of all people back instead?
And again, the mention of the inevitable crash. Kayen of all people had said the exact same thing to him earlier, and his response would remain the same. "Either I die again to that or someone brutally murdering me again. 's just part of the job- if I'm lucky it'll hurt less next time." Carro's tone was surprisingly blunt and nonchalant despite his heart wrenching words, the same tone one would use to discuss something as menial as the weather. Everyone died eventually anyways, right?
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Post by Dion on Jan 23, 2021 14:03:31 GMT -6
While the journey through the cosmos overall did offer him some benefits, the fact that he was unable to track down his former employee, nor even locate a bit of a trace of him throughout his entire expedition did annoy him to no end. So much that when Carro had mentioned the debacle even in the slightest it put on his face a very disconcerted look upon his face. It wasn't that he was annoyed at Yogu, specifically, for putting him on this wild goose chase, more so that it didn't bear as much, if any, fruit at all. He couldn't resist an eye roll as he began to speak a bit more at length upon the topic, muttering in an irked tone, "Bloody navigation systems and their inaccuracies to keep up with a moving target. Heck, half of the time I wasn't even sure if I was following the right signs, but, it's all over now I suppose. I'm glad to hear he's at least alright, seeing as he's visited you, but I've gotta ask- do you know where he's staying now at all? I'd like to see him myself too, I am his boss, and first and foremost, his friend as well." Moving on, Dion heaved a heavy sigh as Carro explained that he didn't hold him in any negative light for his actions, a relieved expression now encompassing the bartender's features as he spoke, "Don't worry little brother- I won't be leaving again any time soon, as long as I can help it. I'd rather not leave you by your lonesome anymore than I have to. I know you got your wife and LEO afterall, but I'd like to keep a close eye on you too."
His expression slowly shifted from relief to confusion as Carro stated, in a near disgusted tone it seemed (the way his face contorted whilst stating the fact, as well as how his eyes flashed with seeming guilt gave it away further) that he wasn't the one who had made the wish upon the Dragon Balls to return him to his flesh and blood form. Placing a hand on Carro's head, Dion began to put two and two together- he was much more insightful than people gave him credit for, so he could somewhat tell why Carro was so uncomfortable with such a fact.
"You wanted to bring Namek back, didn't you?"
He had learned of Namek's destruction back during their Gemini situation with Scallio. And he knew of the lives lost in such a catastrophe, and how they would be able to rewrite it through usage of their own wishing orbs. But it sounds like someone, while meaning well through their wish, was able to get to them first before Carro could do anything.
Starting to now gently caress the top of Carro's head with a brotherly like love to it, Dion sighed, saying in a comforting tone, "It wasn't your fault that you couldn't control the well meaning actions of another, Carro. I'm not surprised they chose you to bring back, especially if they somehow weren't aware of the Namek situation- you're a great man, one who deserved to have his humanity returned to him after it was so violently stolen."
Upon Carro's bluntness toward his own exhaustion though, Dion once again placed both hands atop his shoulders, looking down at the floor, shaking gently all over before staring upward into Carro's face with one of the most frustrated looks on his face anyone has ever seen him with.
"You, damn, kindhearted idiot-" Dion muttered, his hair flashing gold and eyes turning turquoise for just a moment before he was able to calm himself down. Emotional instability gained through months on months of being sent on a wild goose chase will make you less prone to be passive in your approach toward other people's BS, Dion would find.
"You didn't get your body back to waste it all again so soon. Nor do I, or anyone else that happens to care about you want that to happen ever again. What's the point of using a wish on the restoration of your body if you aren't going to take care of it and eventually ram it six feet under again? What's the point of working toward helping others if you can't even focus on helping yourself so that you have the ability to do so? What's the point of using the wish on your body instead of Namek if you aren't going to be working to keep it in order for the long term?"
"Everyone dies eventually, and basically every man's life ends the same way, with the eventual halt to our beating heart. It's how we spend that time that defines us. And you can't tell me with a straight face that you want to spend it working by your lonesome every single second toward things that could potentially help others, instead of resting and making sure you spend time and work alongside the friends, family, and people that already have, and can help others in the first place. Not only that, but this apathetic attitude you have toward your own demise is insensitive to everyone that's come to care about you, and even more insensitive to all the efforts they've put in to see you not come to any further harm. If you don't care about yourself that much, don't you think that's also acting unappreciative to everything they've done to keep yourself safe and sound?"
Sniffling slightly, he needed to pause before continuing, saying in a bit of a weaker tone, "What's the point of me coming back safe and sound if it's only to watch my best friend crumble to pieces just as quickly?"
He hoped that this more, upfront, approach would help shake some sense into the Carro before him, but, it was all hope from there on, and knowing he couldn't come up with anything more to help convince him, Dion simply sat there on his knees, face down, hands on Carro's shoulders.
"Cmon, Carro. Can't you see how much we all care? We need you, man. For the long term, rather than the short term path you're leading yourself down right now." |
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Jan 30, 2021 21:06:06 GMT -6
"O-oh, of course! I think I still have his contact info saved on my phone, I can forward it to you in a bit." More help with getting Yogu to manage his problems and his anger would be more than appreciated. The kid's problems made Carro feel like his own were tiny in comparison- he'd only died once, but Yogu? Three whole times!
But even that brief distraction was not enough to evade the confrontation he had been meandering around for well over a year now. Though he constantly downplayed them, Carro's own traumas and problems were immense, unhealthily bottling and bubbling near a breaking point. The mention of Namek caused Carro's expression to sink and his eyes to dart away. "What else did you expect? How could I look at an entire planet of millions of people and say "no, me first?"" He spoke, an anxious tremble starting to sneak its way into his tone. "Besides, Namek had Dragon Balls of its own. We would have been able to look for theirs right after we made our wish on Earth. But now..."
He lowered his head, a shadow casting over his eyes as his shoulders tensed.
"Earth's Dragon Balls are gone. And they won't come back for a long time."
There could be no more mistakes- there would be no more do-overs.
From now on, all losses were permanent.
"Oboe- the kais-damned Guru of Namek and Chime-- a-apparently they were the ones who made the wish! T-they KNEW- they had to! But why did t-they..." Carro stammered, eyes locked onto the ground as his tail curled itself around his leg.
And despite the knowledge that his next death would be his last, Carro still made the mistake of making a passing mention his inevitable demise. "A-aAAA--!!" The brief, yet familiar glow of a Super Saiyan caused fear to flood into Carro's eyes as his arms flinched. He knew Dion would never ever hurt him, but his body moved on instinct- most Super Saiyans he met brought evil and suffering with them.
After a moment, though, he'd calmed from the initial shock, though he was still unable to make eye contact with his friend as he spoke, trying to bring the President to reason. Carro's eyebrows furrowed as he wiped one of his eyes, dismissing a few tears before they could be shed. Putting his selfless intentions in a selfish light struck him- hard. His armor was finally starting to crack, slowly but surely.
"I..." Carro trailed off. What was he supposed to say? For once in his life, he felt at a loss for words. "...I-I don't know."
"I-- t-that's all it's ever been. I don't want to die, but t-that's all it's ever been on this kamiforsaken planet for the past three years! Killer, after killer, attempted genocide, after attempted genocide, after destroyed planets. Sure, these past few months have been uneventful, b-but this isn't peace, this is just suspense! It's like my life is just some sick horror movie and I'm waiting for some terrible jumpscare. Something's going to go wrong eventually a-and I have to stop it! You don't get it- I want to live but I don't have a choice!" Now that he was talking, Carro had a hard time stopping himself. It felt like a dam had been broken in his head, or someone had put some sort of truth serum in his coffee and now he just couldn't shut up even though his conscious was screaming to close back up. "I'm the President of Earth, I'm supposed to lead it and I'm supposed to defend it, I'm not supposed to let any of the people who I should be leading die before me!"
Carro slowly managed to reign in his ragged breaths after his outburst, lowering his head. He opened his mouth as if to say something- but it was impossible to unsay what had already been said. He turned his head away in a vague attempt to hide his face.
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Post by Dion on Feb 8, 2021 1:20:18 GMT -6
It was times like these that made Dion really appreciate the amount of control and the ability to decipher and split up problems efficiently he had learned from years within the restaurant and bartending business. There was quite a bit to unpack here, now that he had finally somewhat cracked the stubborn egg that was Carro hofferson- which only seemed to be the tip of the iceberg, the young man felt as though somehow he was still holding back- still though, the yolk and egg white was all but pouring out now at a frightening rate. Taking a moment to process each of his points and every word he spoke, Dion decided to start from the beginning half, looking around for a second before taking an extra pen and a piece of paper he saw on his table, placing it in front of Carro on the table as he spoke in a calmer, more reserved tone to try and de-escalate everything a bit with a smaller topic to digest, "I, left my phone back on the ship, so, just, be sure to write down Yogu's info there when all of this is said and done, alright? I assume his contact information has changed, so sadly his employee contact info's probably outdated, yeah?"
Taking a deep breath, Dion continued to address the ever growing list of anxieties Carro was now verbally writing down for him to see and have a crack at dealing with. In regards to Namek, he had to admit, he never realized that any planet had these, wishing orb devices, much less that two planets would ever come to house such items of great power. But despite this, Dion still couldn't find a reason as to why Carro would blame himself for such a move.
Voicing his counter argument, Dion patted and gently massaged the back of his labeled little brother's neck as he tried to reason with him, saying in a softer tone than what he had started off with, "You can't blame yourself for the actions of other, well meaning people, Carro. They did what they thought was right. They cared about you Carro. And they knew that if you weren't able to bring back their proud people, that you would at least do all in your power to give who did them wrong the reprisal they rightfully deserve. They trust you. Which only makes my point of taking care of yourself more important- are you going to keep spitting in the face of their wishes, and in the trust and hope that they had put within you that you would make things right by essentially undoing all that they've done?"
He knew precisely what the loss of both sets of orbs did mean, and obviously could see Carro's point of view from this. Everything they did from here on out would need to be clear cut perfect or else any losses they had couldn't be fixed with a redo button. No more idiotic showcases of self sacrifice. Which, ironically enough, seemed to be what Carro was doing now, just at a much slower rate.
Instead of pointing out further hypocrisy in light of this, and perhaps instead of choosing to try and dig deeper now into the cracks left in Carro's mental armor, Dion's softer side began to ring bright and true- with the bartender now wiping the tears away from his best friend's face as he muttered, "Oh, you well meaning young man- that's the life people like us have chosen and prepared for, isn't it? We fight, and work, and slave away at our craft in the hope that we make a difference, even if it isn't immediate like we want it to be."
Now, pulling Carro into a hug, which most likely would bring him right out of his seat, he continued, saying, "And I know you of all people know this too darn well, with every choice you make seemingly leading down the same path every single time. But I'm gonna tell you something right now- the moment you give up trying to live life is the day that you truly die. You can't give up on this second chance you've been given just because it looks bleak, and continually has looked bleak. That's, our whole moniker as so called do-gooders innit? To keep trudging forward in the hopes of making and seeing a better tomorrow? That's, why you're here, in your tiny office, working your little heart to the bone, isn't it? In the hopes that the fruit of your labor will be able to sustain the needs of a whole people?"
"So, if you can put that much effort in securing the wellbeing of everyone else, you can stand to put at least even half of that effort into your own wellbeing as well- as it will not only help your work rate in the long run, but will also one day enable you to enjoy the fruits of your labor, care free. If, not for your sake still, Carro- do it for my, Chime's, and the Namekian people and the rest of the people you've carried on your back's sake. A ruler is no ruler without his people, but a people without their ruler would be lost as well. And with the path you're forcing yourself down you're threatening to give them the latter. They're not as helpless as you think, Carro."
Now attempting to gently pat Carro on the back of the head, he finally began to conclude his long winded tangent, saying in a near whisper as he did, "We can help too. We, want, to help too. Because just as you care about us, we, care about you."
Allowing for the two to now sit in their embrace for as long as Carro would want to, Dion would eventually slowly hold his presidential pal at arms length, tilting his head and flashing him that charming Wonderboy-ish smile that people both adored him and ridiculed him for as he asked, "Now, howsabout we get you some rest, yeah? I'll let you finish up whatever else you need to here, but I ain't leaving till I'm sure you're determined to getting some shut eye."
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