Orientation

[Jorlaxl]

The path through the wilderness finally yielded after a long walk. The white trail he left behind originally became ingrained into the soil, leaving a concrete path for one to follow through into the beginning of the school grounds. Jorlaxl was still holding Amaranth's hand, and finally he let go when the school proper was in sight at last. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jorlaxl smiled and said, "Well, here we are, Ammy! I'm not sure about you, but right now, I could really do with a nice shower. Follow me, I'll give you a quick tour." Walking up the slowly inclining path and up the stairs, Jorlaxl opened up the door, leaving it open for Amaranth.

Walking through the first room in the school, the corridor on the right diverged into a few branches, where one of them were the rooms for the students. Walking down the hallway for little more than a few seconds, Jorlaxl stopped on the first door on the left. Making a small contained ki "blade" on the top of his finger, Jorlaxl cut away at the very top of the door, inscribing "Amaranth Rixoir" on the nameplate. Turning to face Ammy, Jorlaxl stated, "Here, since you're my first student, you can get the room closest to the kitchen and the other training facilities. In your room, you'll find a fresh pair of training clothes, a comfy bed, a tv for whenever you want to laze around, and a shower in the back."

Smirking to himself, Jorlaxl waited for Amaranth's response. What would she want to do, after being shown all of these free amenities?

[ammy]

The walk wasn't too terribly long, and Amaranth enjoyed talking with Jorlaxl on the way there. As the school came into view, Amaranth felt a knot begin to grow in her stomach. How did she know this was really the right choice? Maybe she was just rushing into something. After all, how long would she really be on Earth? Maybe this was all happening too fast. As Jorlaxl let go of her hand, she hung back a couple of steps, a nervous expression flitting across her face for a moment. With a deep breath, Amaranth followed.

She smiled, following him inside. The tour was little more than a walk down a hallway and stopping at her new room. Amaranth didn't mind though, she was sure she'd had a chance to explore later. She watched as he made a blade from his ki and engraved her name on the door. Nice trick. From what he described, the room sounded pretty great. With a grin, Amaranth turned the knob and walked in. She whistled softly, looking around.

"Wow, this is awesome, Jorlaxl," she said softly,turning to take in the room. Going over to the window, she pushed back the light curtains to see a nice view of one of the training grounds. Turning back to him, she smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Jor. This really is great."

[Caius]

Caius walked up the mountain, noting the long furrows in it's face. Deep scars, left by the landing of Suki's entourage and the subsequent ravaging of the land. The craters in the distance, left by the rampaging Antary. The short skirmish between the human Zach and their former liege lord. Caius's extended fight with the courageous Toshio. Caius's head filled with mental pictures. Most vividly his final strike at the ape Antary, the one that took nearly all his power. Off beyond the initial cratered landscape lay a large deep one, already filling up and darkening, with rainwater, lichen, and other hardy species. It was growing over faster, and the landscape was smoothing around the manmade pucker in the Earth's immaculate skin. Caius climbed towards Jorlaxl's eminent power signature, much closer to his than the others he sensed, and more familiar. He stood above a small ridge, and saw a clearing in the distance. Caius's robe flew out behind him, his guitar strapped to his back, his sword at his side. He hadn't seen his friend in a while, and wondered how he was doing.

In their absence Caius had taken up lessons from a strange man he'd met in the streets of the city, a man who seemed distantly familiar to Caius, somehow, yet at the same time alien. He was a wizard with the guitar however, and the melody, which had potential to be both placid, could rapidly change in tessitura and rhythm and become aggressive and hard-hitting. Much how Caius began to like this...music. He'd been exposed to the strange sounds when traversing the busy streets, speakers emanating the latest hits. He hummed one of them to himself, as he walked over roots, past vines.

"...hm hum drum dm dm mm..."

He swept past a bush, and saw a building looming before him...it looked very formal. Clean cut, the lines of the building traced out vaguely regular rectangular shapes. Coming around to what appeared to be the logical facade of the building, where the forest had cleared out to make an inviting atrium. Caius looked up at the tall doors, and above was inlaid a symbol. Beyond the portal Caius felt two signatures, a smaller one that was masked prior by Jorlaxl's familiar, and larger one.

"...hrm and this is crazy, but here's my number so hm num dum drum..."

Caius threw open the doors, and yelled out to his partner in crime, through the darkest time, and sometimes with a twist of lime. He petitioned him to tell him where he was, and what he was doing in such a dark building. Caius walked down a hallway, with empty doors, and saw Jorlaxl standing outside the door to one. He walked over, arms at his sides, petitioning for a brotherly embrace.

"Ayyyyyy! What's been happening!"

As he passed the open door, he looked in and saw a familiar face. Some grain...some plant...something...Ivy...Willow...Amaranth! It was Amaranth! Caius stopped his advance, and turned, arms still hanging outwards, in a warm greeting.

"Oh, I see you've met this strange girl too! And you, Amaranth! Glad to see you're acquainted with Jorlaxl, you have good taste in friends."

[Jorlaxl]

As Amaranth slowly walked into the room, admiring her new surroundings, Jorlaxl slowly felt the pulse of something he hasn't felt since... a while, for sure. Closing his eyes for but a moment, he recognized the ki signature of a certain someone who he's grown rather attached to over the course of his employment to the monster Suki. Turning around from Amaranth's new room, he saw his old friend Caius of all people walking up to him!

Sporting a toothy grin, Jorlaxl saw Caius' arms raised in anticipation for a great hug, and he was more than willing to oblige. Giving Caius a giant man-hug felt good, as he hasn't seen his friend ever since their time together in the hyperbolic time chamber, and he wasn't sure if he was alive. Judging by how lively that this Caius looked, Jorlaxl was sure that he was better than ever. Looking at his back, Jorlaxl saw that Caius had some odd object strapped to his back.

"Hey Caius! Oh man, it's been forever, dude! How has life been treating you?" He was truly happy to see his friend, and this opened up an opportunity in his mind. Grinning, Jorlaxl continued, "Believe it or not, I own this place, now. Yeah, I'm the headmaster of the Crane school!" Pointing through the door at Ammy, Jorlaxl said, "so far, this is my only student. Would you be interested in joining?"

However, Caius called out Amaranth's name as if they were old friends! Looking to Ammy, Jorlaxl said "Wow, Amaranth, you get around, don'tcha?"

[ammy]

Amaranth heard the singing before he appeared, his loud call to Jorlaxl confirming who it was. Caius, the demon-man she had met her first week here. Amaranth crossed her arms, leaning against the window. She watched as the two gave each other a large, gruff man-hug. She watched with a small smile as the two greeted each other warmly. It seemed like they were old friends and quite close. She couldn't help but wonder where they had known each other. Maybe while working for this "Lord Suki" character that Jorlaxl mentioned? And if so, was Caius still working for him? Would prove to be a threat in the future? She hoped not.

She hung back as the boys caught up, not intruding on their reunion. Jolaxl, already in an excitable attitude before seemed even happier now that Caius was here. She couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped past her lips as he asked Caius to join the school. It seemed like he was relentless in trying to get students. Well, he did ask her to join within only minutes of meeting her. Maybe he was asking everybody and anybody he came across and Amaranth was the only one who said yes. Though, whether that was a good decision or a stupid one, she didn't yet know.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Caius, who called out to her. she rolled er eyes and pushed off the wall, coming over to them. She stepped into the hallway, raising her middle finger to Jorlaxl for his choice of words.

"That has yet o be seen. We have only just met. I'll just have to take your word for it, demon boy," she replied, smiling, her eyes light with mischievous humor. Her tail moved lazily back and forth as she took in his appearance. It had been weeks since she'd last seen him, at least two if not three. Noting the guitar on his back, she rose a brow.

"Taking up music, eh? By the way, your singing needs work," she teased.

[Caius]

Caius laughed a little. Jorlaxl was master of this school? Interesting. Perhaps he had good reason for starting up such a school. Caius's curiosity was by this point quite beginning to get the better of him, as something did indeed seem different about Jorlaxl, some quality about him that made him seem worthy of such a title as Master of the Crane school. Caius took off the guitar on his back and put it down. Stretching, he leaned back against the wall, relaxing a bit. The walk up the mountain had not been easy, and he still did not know why he'd set off in the first place. All he knew was that he was glad he did.

He pulled open a small portal and procured a six-pack of beer, cracking one open and tossing one over to Jorlaxl and another to Amaranth. He thought about Jorlaxl's proposal. If he needed help setting it up, or possibly running it, that was something Caius would gladly help with. Plus, judging by Amaranth's room, the amenities were nice. An actual home...that was something Caius had never set aside time to even think about.

"You know what my answer's going to be, Brorlaxl. I'll always be glad to help out. You know, bros before..."

Before finishing the common saying, he gave a glance at Amaranth, and giving a rakish grin, chuckled, truncating his speech there to avoid any further offense.

"Actually Amaranth, Jorlaxl was probably the first person I met on this planet. Well, one of the first. I crashed a party he was having by smacking a giant panda with a fish. I then killed him, only to have him come back to life on me.

Good times, those were. He was loath to admit it to himself, but he enjoyed the time afterward. Not just the adventures with Jorlaxl, but the entire rampage on Vegeta was fun. He'd come a long way since then, but he would always be at heart a dog of war. He loved the conflict, and even though Gurin had convinced him that Suki's heartless ways were detrimental, he can't say he didn't enjoy being in his employ.

"Why yes I have taken up music, and I'm actually pretty good at the guitar."

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

Serori had easily taken up an old habit of hers, flying around the Earth, just for the sheer thrill of it. She loved to fly over the ocean, watch the waves lap up, get close, and see the water spray away from her speed, laughing, spinning, having fun. This was not something she was able to do often, and almost always had to be done in solitude.

While enjoying a rather raucous flight, Serori just happened to be passing near Yunzabit Heaights. It was here that she noticed something that she realised she had been missing greatly. She could feel the auras of her two best friends, Caius and Jorlaxl. Swooping down to land on the ground, she found herself on a trail, leading up into the mountain. She could not see the end, or where it went, but felt the need to see her friends again, and so traversed the path.

Through trees, wilderness, and past wild animals, she walked up the mountain, until eventually she came upon a concrete trail. It looked fresh, and led to a building. This is where her friends must be, as this is where the auras were coming from. Serori then felt a new, strange aura, one that she'd never seen before. She could feel no heat as from a fight, so whoever this is must be a friend of theirs. 'A friend of a friend is a friend of mine,' Serori thought cheerfully, and walked in.

Opening up the huge doors of the building, she did indeed see Caius and Jorlaxl, as well as another woman. She had very long, blond hair, reaching to her hips, blue eyes, and a fair figure. What caught Serori's attention, however, was her tail. Unlike Serori, it wasn't thin and brown, but rather bushy, curly, and looked almost like a wolf's tail. The three were in the middle of a conversation, and although Serori hated to interrupt, she was very glad to see her friends again, and too excited to keep herself in.

"Jorlaxl! Caius! It is so glad to see you both again!" She waved, eyes shut, beaming brightly. She was her normal self, not shy, even though she was in the presence of someone she didn't know. "It has been too long! What are you doing in the middle of this mountain?" She walked to the group, and faced the woman, smiling widely. "Hi! I'm Serori! I'm a good friend of Caius and Jorlaxl! It is very nice to meet you!" Serori bowed, hoping that this woman forgive for her intrusion, and make an excellent friend.

[Jorlaxl]

Jorlaxl's eyes lit up as Amaranth made a rude gesture in his direction. Chuckling joyously like this reminded him of the old days, before warfare became less of a job and more of a moral struggle. Caius and Serori were his comrades, and they cared about the fun and camaraderie, not how it grew among them. Working for Suki was interesting to say the least, but now it seemed more in the past than ever.

Catching the beer lightly with one hand, he opened it up with the other and took a sip, curious. After only a moment of confusion, he guzzled the rest of the refreshment with a renewed sense of gusto. Whatever this mystical drink was, it was more enthralling then the gaze of Calypso. Looking at Caius appreciatively, he nodded and said, "this stuff is delicious! What exactly is it?"

Caius' comment about joining the school filled the bio-android with joy, though. Finally, he was starting to get some students. Now he could finally gain some renown around this planet of his. He always felt a sense of patriotism towards Earth. Perhaps it's because of his construction here? Either way, it didn't really matter why, only that it's there.

Caius' comment about their meeting made him attempt to trifle back a laugh. "Yeah, Ammy. The first time we met, Lord Suki made us fight to determine who was more powerful, and therefore who would serve him best. As it turned out, Caius was stronger. However, I have a nasty habit of... persevering through all but the most grievous of injuries."

It was then that Jorlaxl felt another power signature. It was familiar, yet it felt a lot more powerful than it was the last time he felt it. Turning his head curiously towards the open doorway, he saw his old saiyan friend Serori come dashing into the doorway. Grinning widely, Jorlaxl hugged Serori tightly, having missed her presence since their time in the hyperbolic time chamber. After their embrace ended, Jorlaxl said, "Well, if it isn't my saiyan friend Serori! How did you find my hidden sanctuary? This is a new school that I'm opening up, would you like to join?" Smiling, he motioned towards Amaranth. "This is Amaranth. She's nice enough, as long as you don't rub her the wrong way." Winking at Amaranth, he flashed a wolfish grin at Caius.

[ammy]

Amaranth caught the can, staring at it quizzically before the smell of Jorlaxl's open one caught her. She wrinkled her nose slightly and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. She could be sure that she wouldn't like this Earthen drink, though Jorlaxl seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Holding the can lightly, she focused more on their conversation. Bros before what? She hadn't ever heard that saying before, though judging by Caius' suggestive grin at her, she could only guess. Rolling her eyes, she listened to his story, quite confused. She was slightly even more confused with Jorlaxl's explanation.

"You people are so weird," she muttered, shaking her head. It seemed that there was quite a bit of history behind that story. Before she could remark on his new musical skills, the sound of yet another coming in caught her attention. No more than a second later did a girl with long brown hair and a hyperactive attitude come rushing in. Like Draxor, she had a monkey tail, leaving Amaranth to wonder if she was a hybrid or a full Saiyan. If even that at all. She called out to them and Amaranth raised a brow. Seems like Jorlaxl's friends are popping up everywhere. Wonder who will walk through that door next, she thought dryly. Her suspicions of the girl's bloodline were confirmed as Jorlaxl greeted her. She sent him a dark glare before smiling lightly at the girl.

"Nice to meet you. Please don't listen to either of these men in regards to me. They aren't exactly experts," she said. Amaranth paid no mind to Jorlaxl's wink and grin. Having grown up around men all her life, she was used to this and most of the time, worse.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you worked with them under this 'Lord Suki' as well?" Amaranth asked, guessing her answer would be a yes. The three seemed very close, something she had often seen during the war back home. Warfare seemed to create bonds stronger than anything she's seen. Well, almost anything.

[Caius]

Touketsuki Yakedo, dread Icer King.

"Yes, we were all underlings of the bloodthirsty Icer Warlord Touketsuki Yakedo, prior to our collective judgment to swear against his increasingly psychotic tendencies. He became a liability, and we betrayed him. He threatened to destroy the Earth, and we joined the force dedicated to stopping him.

Gurin, reincarnated warrior and guardian of Earth. Their inspiration, their guiding light. There is so much he could tell you, so much he could say. He remains, our power, our inspiration. In the end, it was his resolve to live as something better than his heritage and the line of broken promises and betrayal behind him that had inspired them to fight for justice.

"Now don't be afraid, we're always looking for new friends. Had Jorlaxl not come back from the dead and come after me, we'd never have met. Had we not been so welcoming of the double-murdering homicidal Serori, she wouldn't be the beautiful well-adjusted girl you see here today, friendly and happy. We can help you too, and we know you have a lot to offer us.

He turned to Jorlaxl, and gave a big grin, nearly bursting with happiness.

"The Students of the Crane School doesn't quite cut it, nor does the 3 Musketeers anymore, if there's 4 of us. Even though there were 4 musketeers, but that's besides the point. What should we call ourselves?

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

"Well, if it isn't my saiyan friend Serori! How did you find my hidden sanctuary? This is a new school that I'm opening up, would you like to join?"

Jorlaxl? In charge of a school? This amused the young Saiyan woman, but in a way, it made sense. After all, having trained with Jorlaxl, Serori could tell that he would not be a bad teacher of a fighting school. "Sure, I'll join. What's the tuition fee," she joked, laughing. "And as for finding your school, well, I just felt yours and Caius's powerlevels, and just followed them here."

Smiling, he motioned towards Amaranth. "This is Amaranth. She's nice enough, as long as you don't rub her the wrong way." Amaranth interjected.

"Nice to meet you. Please don't listen to either of these men in regards to me. They aren't exactly experts." Serori laughed at this.

"Well, of course not! I can assume that they've only met you fairly recently. And I know they're always joking around."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you worked with them under this 'Lord Suki' as well?" Before Serori could answer Caius interjected.

"Yes, we were all underlings of the bloodthirsty Icer Warlord Touketsuki Yakedo, prior to our collective judgment to swear against his increasingly psychotic tendencies. He became a liability, and we betrayed him. He threatened to destroy the Earth, and we joined the force dedicated to stopping him."

Serori folded her arms in front of her chest. "Sadly, this is true. Although, I can't say I regret joining him. After all, had I not, I would never have met these two. They are truly the best of friends, and I wouldn't trade them for the world." She smiled at both of her friends, and then Amaranth. "Maybe we could get to know each other well, and become good friends."

When Serori had fininshed, Caius gave a large grin at Jorlaxl. It was obvious how excited he was at the conjoining of four compatriots. "The Students of the Crane School doesn't quite cut it, nor does the 3 Musketeers anymore, if there's 4 of us. Even though there were 4 musketeers, but that's besides the point. What should we call ourselves?"

Serori sat in thought. She wasn't sure what exactly they should call themselves. The Bombastic Bitches just didn't seem right at all. Being the only thing she could come up with, she raised her shoulders in a shrug.

[Jorlaxl]

Smirking at Amaranth's evil eye, Jorlaxl listened intently to Caius and Serori's telling of their exploits under lord Suki. Nodding where appropriate, he began studying Amaranth as they were telling their stories. Curious as to why she wasn't pining over the two war heroes in front of her, Jorlaxl began wondering what exactly this alien was all about. There's definitely more to her than meets the eye... Caius began mentioning a title for themselves, and for that, Jorlaxl had no clue.

"Caius, what are the three muskateers?" Grinning at Caius' non sequitor jab. There was really no concrete name for the four of them, and although they are quite able bodied fighters, no simple name came to his mind. After a time of thinking, Jorlaxl said, "I'm not sure if a name for us is necessarily important yet. I mean, at this rate I'll have a load more students at this school in no time, so why rush a name for them all? I say we wait until we have a more concrete idea of what it is we stand for and want to happen in this crazy world."

((I'm so sorry for the wait and the utter lack of content. Someone stole my muse -.-))

[ammy]

Icer Warlord Touketsuki Yakedo... Amaranth could only guess that Icer was yet another race she did not know of. Her homes had many good relations with other planets near by and yet, she recognized not one race here on Earth. To say it was a bit unsettling was a bit of an understatement. She could only wonder how far her parent's influence and knowledge could stretch. Had the Eyrie ever been there? Had her father? Were they even aware of these species, so clouded in mystery that they were?

She listened quietly as the two spoke their short tale. It wasn't that interesting of a one, truth be told. It seemed that many beings like this Lord Suki seemed to be quite psychotic. She could only wander though, what was this creature's purpose? Did he wish to enslave the entire galaxy? Or destroy it? Was he a tyrant or...

Amaranth stopped herself right there. It was dangerous to go down this path, to bring up memories far too twisted and painful right now. Instead, she'd focus on the here, the now. It was only then that she noticed a stinging pain in her arm. Glancing down, she noticed that she was digging her nails into the soft flesh of her forearm. Her hand relaxed and she laid her palm over the marks quietly and discretely. It was when she felt Jorlaxl's gaze on her that she finally looked up, both Serori and Caius saying their bit.

She locked eyes with the bio-android that had brought her here, a soft question dancing around in her blue orbs. What was he staring at her for? To gauge her reaction on this creature they had served? Or the brief suggestion of what they had done before quitting? He would find no judgments from her though. Stories such as these were not foreign to her. She had had many men come before her family with similar stories. They had discovered how horrible Blake had been, how mental he was when it came to his desires. She had born witness to those very mad desires, the scar on her back and the ones in her mind evidence of it.

She glanced at the three, lost in thought. Many times, those very men had turned on her family. One particular incident was when she was in the medical ward. A wounded man had come to them for help, his body riddled with scars and gashes both old and new, most of his face burned off. As she had walked by his bed, he had leaped out and upon her surprised form. He had wielded a scalpel and tried to cut her heart out. Amaranth had finished him off quickly and after that, they no longer allowed people who once served under Blake into the castle or on the grounds lest another incident like that happen again. So it was only natural to wander what was truly going through the heads of these three. They seemed kind enough, but appearances can often be deceiving.

"Why put a name to it?" she asked, curious, drawn out of her thoughts and memories by their talking. Like Jorlaxl, she had no idea who these musketeers were and why there could only be three. And while Caius maybe thought they needed a name to show their friendship here at the school, it was hardly necessarily. After all, Amaranth didn't exactly know when she'd be leaving. It could be tomorrow, or next week, or three years from now.

[Caius]

"No name then. Suits us, doesn't it? A couple of nobodies...well, except for you, princess.

He said this turning to Amaranth, the newcomer. The addition to their motley crew would be quite welcome. Sometimes Caius grew tired of Jorlaxl's obfuscating and joking, and at other times Serori's distracted, nearly reticent manner of speaking put him off. An expanded group dynamic would be appreciated, at least. Gurin's past had always been a mystery, he had been an ally, not an uneasy one, but still, removed from the group. Now as guardian of Earth his duties kept him from further explaining himself to his former colleagues. Caius didn't realize how much he craved to be social, yet he lacked the impulse nor the bravery to try and strike up conversation with people.

Perhaps it was the stares he got on the street, his albino-like complexion made him stand out. He'd adapted to more normal styles of dress, often wearing a plain black v-neck with some jeans, but the dark colors only further contrasted with his abnormal appearance. That and his waist length hair. He noticed the people step around him, and look at him warily, as if he were going to snap at any second and attack them. When he thought about this he wondered what he really was like during his previous life.

Thinking to himself about his first conversation with Amaranth, he knew now what he needed to do. For the first time in Caius's short life, he had time to himself, essentially. While he was sure his fellow Traders - no, friends, would continue training and hitting each other, Caius had a more important duty. To find out his past. Why he was who he was, and where he'd come from. Inwardly he was introspective, on the surface he grinned, always the jovial one of the group.

"So, now that all the students of the Crane School have gathered, what would you have us do, Master Jorlaxl?"

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

Serori shrugged. "Name or no, we all seem to be getting along well, and I think that's all that really matters. Training under Master Jorlaxl should be well more than fun." She mock bowed to her new Master, before looking at her wrist. Well, I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm pretty tired. Its getting kind of late, and I would definitely like to train tomorrow, Jorlaxl, if you don't mind. And you two guys. I think we'll get along very well." She turned to Caius, hugging him, before turning to Ammy. She stood awkwardly, for a second, before talking to her.

"Well, seeing as we're new friends, I'm not sure whether a hug or handshake is in order. Or possibly just a good night." She would allow Ammy to make her own remarks, before turning to Jorlaxl.

"Jorlaxl, if you would please show me to my room? I'll talk to you all tomorrow, look forward to training with you guys!!" And with that, she would then follow Jorlaxl to her room, where she would sleep fitfully, and for a long time, not waking up until the next afternoon.