Second Impressions (Yuumaru)

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

Serori had grown to do everything based on first impressions. As an ambassador to an entire planet based organisation, what you did in front of someone for the first time meant a lot. It was how they would think of you then on out. You never wanted to do or say something foolish, always dressed nicely, and even to the worst of them all, you were polite. However, her first impression to Yuumaru was god awful.

For starters, she had accused him of something that was not his fault. Then, she had fought foolishly in battle. Finally, she had fled the battle, after showing that, unlike the other two Saiyans there, she was unable to avert her eyes from the moon. That damnable transformation...and after all she'd done to work out her weaknesses! She had that transformation trained down to a fine art, like the rest of her states. It was going to be many moons before she returned to her full power, although hopefully not a full six years. Having already had access to her unique transformations, wouldn't it therefore be easier to achieve them again? She hoped like hell that it did.

Her thoughts meandered lazily through her head, her body laid full out on her bed. It had been a week since her close encounter with Yuumaru, and she could not keep the man off her mind. Not with infatuation, mind you; she had vowed to never love again until she found out exactly what had happened to her Touketsuki. But instead, she was filled with curiosity. Why had a Saiyan been perusing through rubbish like that? And had he mentioned something about a rebellion? Serori's most recent memories had all melded into one, from things she had heard on the streets, whispered coarsely from throat to ear, to events she had encountered, such as Mori at the casino.

Mori...that reminded her, it had been well over thirty minutes since she'd last had a drink. It had become a habit of hers, drinking so often. An expensive habit at that, she thought to herself. She was almost certain that her mini fridge contained no alcoholic beverages, having drank the last one thirty minutes prior. But, she decided that she would check anyway. Pulling herself up with a grunt, Serori raised her arms into the air, squeezing her eyes and grimacing, as she stretched her muscles. The pain of their degeneration was still there, and atop of that was the pain of their regeneration. And still yet were pains from her fight. The thrashing and bruising she'd received while trying to calm her enraged self down was incredible. Most people knew the pain of accidentally hitting a table, counter corner, wall, or door frame. But to hit a building was much much worse. Serori's ribs ached just thinking about it, and she moved a hand to her left side, hunched over, making her way to the kitchen.

Tan hand reaching for the stark white door, with a wrench, it was pulled open, expelling its cold air, and revealing emptiness. "Damnation," Serori cursed, slamming the fridge door closed again. This meant she would have to go out...and she was in no condition. Slightly drunk, disheveled, disarrayed. Her hair was a mess, and her clothing simple rags. Serori didn't want to waste too much time before including alcohol in her blood stream again, but she also did not want anyone to see herself like this. She drug herself back to her bedroom, throwing dirty clothes onto a pile already covering the floor. Grabbing a blue shirt and white pants, she slipped those on over her naked body, before finally departing her apartment building. The liquor store was only three blocks down the road from her building.

[Deleted]

Sometimes the world made little sense, and these last few days had been no exception for the Saiyan. Firstly was the incident in the junkyard, although he had met an interesting person there, it shortly turned into a disaster with that little creature. It would have been a bad situation had they not lucked out with everything that happened afterward. If it hadn't been for that he likely would have had an easier time finding his father's old things as well. He needed to make a few more trips, but the most important items were grabbed when they were revealed. That turned out into an all around decent event in the end, if not for the fact for the grey 'majin'. At least he was sure that was the word he read in the books from Mori's house.

Mori, that was another majin, but this one was pink and a fair bit more friendly than the other one. That was also where he met that other Saiyan, who was a bit odd he had to admit. Although, who was he to talk given his hair color and the like most would think that he was odd at least. Rubbing his eyes, he was still a bit tired from the all nighters that he had been pulling recently. He needed to get something to take his mind off of everything for a bit, so he headed into the city. A cap that hid his hair while he walked like the other citizens of the city, blending in without too much discrepancy. A little trick he had picked up on when he was a kid, it was a rather easy way to change his body language even slightly.

Entering a nearby liquor store, he decided to see if he might find something in here. Whether it be some medication or possibly something that could act with a similar effect. A nod to the man behind the counter and he disappeared into the shelves of the store, avoiding being seen as much as possible. It wouldn't really be a good idea to let himself be seen on the cameras too much or by the people. Meant they had less deniability if he was walking around for them to get a good look. So stealth was the mission whenever he was picking up supplies that he needed at the base.

"Hm, let's see, what's good here?" he asked aloud, more to himself than to anyone else. It was hard to decide which one would help the best with his problem, but it wouldn't help if he picked wrong. He had to wonder what happened to that woman he met in the junkyard as well, she had disappeared as she turned Oozaru. He had wanted to help, but being left for dead tended to put a hamper on any travel plans.

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

Serori had pushed open one of the two glass doors entering the building. She took a quick glance around; now she was here, she was unsure what she actually wanted.

"Will you come inside? You're letting all the cool air out."

Serori shot the store manager a dirty look, making sure to emphasise her slow movements into the building, and letting the door slowly and carefully shut.

"You're pushing it lady. Keep this up, and I'll ban you from this store." The Saiyan muttered something about bums, stench, and rags. Serori chose to ignore him. Instead, she immediately stepped between two aisles, lined with booze, alcohol, medication, mixes, everything she could want.

"If you're just gonna look around, then get out. I don't need your kind scaring away customers, and ruining my business." This time Serori chose to retort.

"And what, pray, is my kind?" Taken aback, the man stammered.

"Y-you're a bum. You ain't got no money. And who the hell even wears those clothes?" Serori snarled, baring her teeth. She took three long strides up to the counter, leaning in close to the Saiyan man.

"Listen you mutt, I've got more money than you can possibly imagine, or will probably ever see in your life, and if you keep up this act, I can assure that you won't. Now, I'm sleep deprived, my husband is dead, and I'm out of alcohol. So, I'd suggest you let me get on my way, or your life will be hell."

The Saiyan didn't even so much as flinch.

"I suggest you make your sale quick, miss princess. Get your booze, get out, and don't come back or I'll call the cops."

Staring daggers, Serori made one final reply. "I'm glad we're at an agreement," she spat, before turning around haughtily, and immersing herself in alcohol again.

While she was reaching up to what appeared to be a nice red wine, aged seven years, Serori noticed someone. It was another Saiyan male, but this one appeared to be sneaking around. No, not sneaking...more acting like he didn't want to be seen. The only reason why Serori would have noticed him was that she'd trained herself to notice those who don't want to be noticed. It was more a precaution; being the ambassador of a hated organisation, it paid very well to be paranoid. While she was no longer in charge of said organisation, she still maintained her eyesight and skills of noticing. Serori's blue eyes followed the man, and she realised another reason she had noticed him: she'd seen him before. It was the same man that she'd met in the junkyard...

Serori placed the bottle back on the shelf, pretending to engross herself in the study of labels in front of her. She watched the man make his way through the store, and turning into the aisle in front of hers. He stopped, staring at the different shaped, sized, and colored bottles before him.

"Hm, Let's see what's good here." The sentence was said, more to himself than anything. But, Serori having been observing him, and in such close quarters, was easily able to discern what he had said. She cleared her throat softly, hoping that she wouldn't startle him.

"It depends on what your problems are. If you're depressed and don't know what to do with yourself like me, then any old shit will do, although buying an expensive wine seems to cheer me up." She would allow him time to turn around, before continuing. "Just looking to consume, don't waste your money on anything expensive. It tastes better, but you can get more for cheap. To just get wasted, I highly suggest Absinthe." Again, she allowed a slight pause. If by now he had turned around to face her (the shelves containing no wall, just bottles), she would smile, and introduce herself.

"I'm Meredith Redthew. I believe we met in a junkyard?"

[Deleted]

With years of training for his own perceptions, he had been able to hear the door open but didn't look up. It made it more difficult for people to tell who he was that way, but he could easily hear the conversation between the two. A rather large frown crossed his features at the shop keeper accusing the woman of being a bum just from the way she was dressed. Sometimes it annoyed him that people acted like this when the Elite Saiyans already oppressed those they deemed inferior. Did they not realize just what he was trying to change on this world? There was no way that he could keep quiet about this either, regardless if it put him into danger he had to speak his mind. That was the way he was, and it got him to where he was now, it wasn't likely to change anytime soon.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose he tried to relax a bit, but it was sometimes a bit disheartening to witness people enacting what he was fighting against. His thoughts had mostly closed off his hearing, he could tell someone was getting closer, but it didn't seem like it was hostile. That was the main thing he tried to indicate when someone approached him, how their steps sounded when approaching. It had been a trick he learned while living in the forest, granted everything there tended to be hostile, but that was besides the point. The reply to his question didn't startle him, he was a bit too tired for that right now but it would be rude to not reply.

"More just something to try helping me get to sleep, whether it be by medication or other means," he answered, pushing up from his knees and turning to the source of the voice. This was where he was surprised, it was the woman that he had met in the junkyard however long ago that was now. She had managed to help him in the battle, but he hadn't been able to do the same for her when she turned Oozaru. He had felt bad for that all this time, he'd wanted to try going after her, but that creature didn't seem to want to let up. "Any suggestions for what would help with insomnia? I tend to not drink much, so this is still relatively new to me," he smirked, though the question was more serious.

"I'm Yuumaru Mori, and we did meet back then," he was one to always state his name, it was something his father had given him. Until the day he died he would proudly state it to anyone that asked of it, even if they turned out to be enemies. "I apologize for not being to help you that night either," he could admit fault where he believed it was, and he believed that he could have helped her.

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

Serori smiled, shaking her head and raising her hand.

"There is nothing to apologize for. You did what you could, and I made my own mistakes. I didn't realise what a toll on my body everything has been...I thought I would have it under control. How did everything go?"

She would say this, listening, as she went towards the end of her aisle, entering Yuumaru's. Everything she said was near a whisper, loud enough only for her acquaintance to hear. She took in his strange silver hair, and strikingly green eyes. Cursing herself silently at her own, boring brown hair and fading blue eyes. She averted her gaze, however, to help him search for something.

"Medicinal...I'd try some Melatonin, but that's in the vitamin aisle. Drinks...it depends on what you want. If you're looking for a nice sleep, something soft but strong, possibly peppermint schnapps, or spanish brandy. Oh, those would go great in some hot chocolate. But if you don't care, and just want sleep. Straight up whiskey'll do it for you." Serori turns to look at Yuumaru, tilting her head the slightest bit upwards. He was tall for a Saiyan, as was she, though obviously Yuumaru was taller. Her mouth was a line, sheepish, void of emotions. She wasn't trying to hide herself from him, she just wasn't at all sure how she felt, yet.

[Deleted]

She seemed to not think he needed to apologize, but he felt it was necessary. After all, he had failed to chase the creature away before it could do real damage, the only saving grace was the people that had followed him. That had been a random act of luck though, something he couldn't continue to rely on if he wanted to survive.

"Not well, I was defeated and would have been killed if not for some friends intervening and combining their powers to protect the area. I wouldn't be too harsh on yourself, you did help me even if you couldn't exactly control your actions. I thank you for that," his voice filled with sincerity. Had she not blasted the creature when she had as an Oozaru, things could have gone much worse as a whole.

Rummaging through the bottles as she spoke about which ones would be the best for what kind of sleep he was looking for, he tried to find the one for a nice sleep. It was that kind of sleep that he needed, otherwise there was no way he would have the energy to keep doing what he did. At least, not running on fumes like he had been, so that had decided it as to what sleep he would need. So, it was either peppermint schnapps or spanish brandy, if he didn't want to go the medication route. That was still a toss up in itself, but he figured he could at least pick things up and decide later.

"I'll go for the nice sleep, need all cylinders firing at their best," if not then he wouldn't be able to fight against the corruption like he had been. When she had gotten close he noticed that she was almost as tall as he was, which was quite something amongst Saiyans. It seemed like she was keeping an eye on him from what he could tell though, which was a bit odd. As long as she didn't go telling an elite about him being here he wasn't really bothered by it.

"Oh, that's right. I promised that I would help you that day as well," he remembered the quick little conversation they'd had. He had said that he would help her, and he had every intention of keeping his word no matter what. "Is there something you need help with?" he figured it would be better to see what she needed help with and go from there.

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

Serori nodded her hair, shiny brown hair bouncing against her shoulders.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I'm not sure how much you know about technology, but the spacepod in the junk yard actually needs repairs. I need it, you see, to..." Serori's voice trailed off, and she stopped to think. What did she need it for? At the moment, there was no reason to leave Vegeta. She had a job, and quite frankly, as far as she knew there was nothing else for her on any planet. Hell, what she considered her home planet wasn't even the same anymore. From freezing glaciers and tundras to sweating rainforests...what was this world that she'd stumbled into?

Serori realised that she had been staring at a bottle for a few seconds. Snapping herself back together, she finished her started sentence. "Well, just in case. Its always good to have a backup plan, and right now, if all hell breaks loose, I'll just be stuck here." Trying to cover up the embarrassment of her pause, she stooped down to get a closer look at the drinks.

"Alright, so an easy sleep then? Let's see..." Serori's hand hovered over a few bottles, stopping on the correct one. "Peppermint Schnapps." Standing back up, she handed the bottle to Yuumaru. "I'm afraid that this place doesn't sell any hot chocolate, but there's a few stores that are open this late. Where do you live? I could give you the name of a good store on your way back, I'm sure." She bent down to grab herself a bottle as well. "I think...I think I have some hot cocoa mix at my place..."

[Deleted]

There was something that he could help her with, which was a good thing, he didn't want things to be just a one-sided exchange. She had helped him and he would help her, that was how he imagined a better Vegeta in general, whether he could get that into effect was another story. Still, he listened to what she had to say about having a space pod. So she needed to have it repaired in case something happened, that was something that he could understand readily. Going over a quick checklist in his head, he figured that he would be able to fix the space pod rather easily.

"Sure, I can fix it up for you, I'm pretty sure I've managed to scavenge the parts for it at some point," whenever he could, he would scavenge parts to make sure he was able to do repairs. With everything going on with Vegeta, he didn't blame her for wanting to have an option in case things went bad there. When she bent down to look at the bottles, he turned his attention towards them as well, taking the bottle that she handed to him.

"Thank you, I appreciate the help," he offered a genuine smile, looking over the bottle for a moment. It probably wasn't one of his better ideas, but he needed to get some rest soon otherwise he would just burn himself out. The question about where he lived snapped him out of his thoughts for the moment as he tried to figure out a way to explain without giving too much away. "I live far outside the city limits, unfortunately. I came out this way because it's been a while since I've had a decent sleep, I feel like I'm about to burn out," he figured it'd be better to be honest for the most part. He didn't reveal where he lived or who he was just yet, but it didn't feel right being completely dishonest about those things.

[Serori Yakedo-Satsumaimo]

"That'll be awesome, and sure, no problem! Its the least I can do to thank you in advance for fixing the ship." Serori was genuinely glad to help. It had been quite a long time since she'd met a fellow Saiyan whom would hold conversation with her. In fact, it was actually really nice to socialize.

"Far outside the city limits, huh?" It was strange of him to say that. Serori knew that there was nothing outside the city limits, save for savage, flesh-hungry animals. As far as the terrain, you were either in decimated desert, or mutated forests. Really, Vegeta had nothing good going on for it. Serori was genuinely curious about why this gorgeously handsome man would be living outside of the city. She mentally shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts clear. Her inebriative habits had led to a more stirring thought process when she was sober rather than drunk. Thinking clearly was an oddity now.

"You know, my house is just up the road. If you wanted to go there, rest before you make your 'journey' back across the city, I wouldn't mind. We could share a drink." It was an innocent suggestion, but easily able to be taken out of context. Serori simply wanted to help the man whom had helped her, and to repay him for the fact that she had left the battle early. Plus, this was someone whom she felt would be able to be named "friend". She had so few, if any at all, on Vegeta. Yuumaru would be nice to have around on occasion.

[Deleted]

"Well, I did make a promise to help you, it would be dishonest of me to not keep my word. Still, I do appreciate this, I've never really had much opportunity for learning a lot about different effects of alcohol...or even having conversations like this," at least not in a long while. It was still strange that it had been about twelve years since he first started in his current role. That was a long time for him to not interact normally with other Saiyans, it got rather lonely at times. So conversation like this was a welcomed change of pace for him.

"Yeah, I enjoy the scenery out that way a bit more," which was technically true, the planet could be beautiful, even the desert part. It just wasn't the full reason that he was living away from the city, but that was also a means to protect her. If the Elite found out that she had been in contact with him, they could come after her. If she didn't even know who he actually was, then she could honestly say that she had no idea that he was a wanted criminal. The last thing he would want is to put anyone in unnecessary jeopardy because they knew about who he was and whatnot.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind the company this late, I would be alright with that," he graciously accepted the offer. His mind hadn't even considered the out of context direction that could have taken. It was just sharing a drink and conversation with someone that could be a great friend, which was always nice. They seemed to get along well, so as far as he could see there wasn't much reason to not accept the invitation.

(I forgot to do this, but since Serori is dead, suppose I should turn this in for some PL)

[Requies Artog]

This thread was well done, despite its briefness! Since Serori Yakedo's getting retired/killed off, I'll only be grading Yuumaru. If this is wrong, you know how to contact me, Ser. Seems that this was spoken to soon! XD

Serori's gain: 1,720 power level.

Yuumaru's gain: 1,551 power level.

This thread is locked.