Scene #302: Visiting Gine

Owner	Pose
Serori	A familiar presence appears over Raditz's home. It feels like a warm spot of sunshine striking the back of his head -- /there/, but not a glaring, savage force. It's subdued, almost gentle. Either Serori has taken the time to suppress her energy output, or she is still so exhausted from her fight against Kisaragi that she's not a threat. If the former, she could still be dangerous; if the latter, she's at a greater risk herself, coming here in such a condition. Not that it matters much. With his ability to ascend beyond Super Saiyan status, Raditz is the region's Big Bad even when Serori's at her best. He'll find her hovering high above and slightly away from his abode, in a nervous posture of crossed arms and lashing tail. Serori is dressed in loose sweatpants and a t-shirt which manages to disguise her physique. She looks anxious enough to appear much younger than her age, but that might also be because she looks so...normal. Not much like a saiyan warrior at all. Maybe if she'd scowl a little -- well, she's not scowling, is she. She must be tired.
Raditz	Raditz would in fact find her hovering there, if Raditz was in fact in the area. As it stands, his presence isn't actually felt at all in the vicinity of his home. He must be out doing some Union business, who knows? In anycase, the Saiyan is not here. Someone else is, however. Merra happens to doing some various home duties outside, and as she does it, her motions seem give the appearance of something a bit more martial. Each movement has a purpose, no wasted energy. It's like martial arts practice in the form of doing home chores! And strapped to her back while she does her work is a little messy auburn haired child, who seems to just be gleefully enjoying the bouncy way that momma is moving, at least until she blinks and looks up in the sky at something... Blink Blink...
Serori	It doesn't seem like a very good idea to approach Merra unsupervised, but Serori's desire to see Gine is exactly the kind of thing to make her somewhat stupid. After exhaling a short, sharp huff of air through her nostrils, she decides to drop from the sky. Merra couldn't possibly fail to see or feel Serori's descent: the wind whistles, and the saiyan lands without her usual poise, choosing to make noise in order to avoid startling the human woman. "Merra," Serori calls. "I came to see Gine, but I will leave if you tell me to go. I'm not in the mood to have my ass kicked." What's this, a satchel in Serori's hand? "I brought something for Gine. I can leave it here and just go, if that's what you want. Or I'll take it and keep it. It's -- I don't care. Whatever you decide." Is Serori babbling? Near enough to it. An awkward, hard frown presses down on her lips, and her glare turns guarded, like she expects Merra to respond through challenge or mockery.
Raditz	Merra might not have noticed Seroir's presence before she made her approach, but it was hard to miss the sound of human flight occuring. She blinks and turns her gaze to spy the tresspasser, and there's a moment where she shifts her stance to put herself more in between Serori and Gine, seemingly on maternal instinct. Merra holds herself wary as she gives Serori a quick once over, before her stance eases up just a little, "I can tell. You seem to be pretty beat up." She pauses for a moment before reaching into her pocket and pulling something out, though she clutches it in a manner as to not let Serori see. "Just toss the bag this way." She then tosses what's in her own hand towards Serori. A small item, easy to catch. It looks like a bean. "Why are you doing this to yourself, Serori?" Merra asks. "It doesn't take much to figure out why you're here... You're looking at my daughter, and seeing a missed opportunity, right?"
Serori	Serori snatches the bean up. Its existence raises questions. Why does Merra have a rare senzu bean? How did she come by it? When did the fat cat start producing the things again? A glance up and far away reveals Serori's line of thought. Should she try to get some, herself? Would it be a worthwhile thing to try and take? A swish of her tail dismisses the thoughts, returns Serori's black-eyed attention to Merra and the baby. The bean is pocketed for later enjoyment. "I am worn down, but I am still capable of defending myself. There isn't any reason to worry about me." Serori tips her head to the side. "A missed opportunity? Not exactly. Your child is not what mine would have been. Despite her half-breed condition, she represents the next generation, and I have an interest in making sure she is brought up to be healthy, strong, and ambitious." Serori tosses the satchel toward Merra, careful not to put too much behind the throw. The packet is very cold, and slightly squishy beneath its brown paper wrapping. "Raditz knows nothing about babies except what you have taught him, and I am willing to bet saiyan babies are foreign to you both. He does not know about her need for high levels of iron and protein in her diet, or the B12 vitamin." Guarded, evasive, Serori continues. "There will come a phase when she is only violent, and then after that, she'll settle out. Raditz no doubt cares for Gine, but he was never trained to be a...eeeh. Breeder." Serori turns her head, but her gaze remains slanted toward Merra. "I just want to see her from time to time."
Raditz	The Fat Cat probably started producing the Senzu beans as soon as Vegeta was out of the picture. Merra catches the satchel easily and carefully inspects the contents once she's satisfied that it doesn't explode on her or anything. "Healthy and strong I can agree with, though what her ambitions are I'd rather make sure she recieves my guidance. Thank you for the information though. We've kept her asleep during the full moon, of course. Raditz has mentioned the possibility of training her to control her behavior in the giant monkey form, but that's a risk regardless. We'll see what happens when it comes down to it." Merra tilts her her head, and smirks, "Breeder? Is that what they call the job, Ohoho?" She laughs, "I might not be a Saiyan, but I think I know how parenting works. Unlike Raditz's Nephew, Gine will be raised with a more balanced lifestyle. An education as well as Martial Arts training." Merra hmmms a little, "Seeing Gine might be an issue. Just because I've made no effort to send you away today, it doesn't mean that I'm not watching you..." Her smile disappears as she says, "Your influence is not something Raditz would take kindly to, and nor would I if I smell even a hint of something sinister."
Serori	The packet contains what looks like beef liver. In fact, it's almost definitely beef liver. Fresh, bloody beef liver. Yum. Serori's tail bristles at the unfair comparison made of Gohan. "It's not Gohan's fault he was denied a 'balanced upbringing' -- his mother fostered in him a deep love of learning, but after the...after the /other/ Raditz showed up and Son Goku died, Gohan /had/ to be trained as a fighter. After the incident on Planet Namek...that's when Gohan was forced to become a warlord. He still studies, you know. He reads a lot, and challenges his mind often." 'The other Raditz.' The villain who Serori had known and loved in her youth. The Raditz Merra's wed is connected to his other self in name and history alone. Serori had ignored the truth for a long time in pursuing her doomed relationship, but some part of her had never failed to make a distinction. Would the evil Raditz had wanted her? Maybe it was only Raditz's redemption which enabled he and Serori to have anything like romance... "It's not an official title or anything," Serori grumps. "It's just a fact. Females are expected to know more about child-rearing than males. We rarely had to use the knowledge, but some mothers were more hands on. Males only did the work of finding and claiming a mate. Mostly." Serori's scowling again, some color on her face. "Is that really so hard to believe?" As to that last accusation -- Serori remains bristled up. "I have no intention of stealing, harming, influencing, or otherwise affecting your offspring in a way you do not find worthy of your approval. As I said, she is not /mine/ -- I have no /care/ for her upbringing, aside from a desire to guarantee she is kept strong and healthy. I am not going to /hurt/ her. I would never hurt her. She is only a baby."
Raditz	There's a moment between all this where Merra finds herself looking back to the satchel containing Serori's gift, and then says almost incredulously, "You know, they do sell this in supermarkers, right?" Not that it's stopped her from doing her own hunting, but yes, cow's liver generally in the market. The fiery haired woman hmmms for a moment, "Only a baby, mmm? Didn't you say yourself that she represents the next generation?" She takes a moment to gently slip the baby-back pack off her back and takes very much confused and distracted Gine into her arms, "I would think that the next generation of the Saiyan Race would be very important to you since there's literally a handful of you left." There's a pause, "You say 'other Raditz'. He told me that in his timeline he died in that fight with his brother. Has any other popped up in the Multiverse?"
Serori	"Tch. Don't be so ungrateful. It's a gift, and market meat can be cleaned and processed in strange ways. A fresh kill is best for the girl. You could say 'thank you.'" Serori turns toward Merra again once Gine is in the human woman's arms. The interest (and perhaps care) Serori has for the child is apparent at once. Gine's movements are followed, and the child's voice given full attention. The bristling along Serori's tail smooths out, allowing the limb to return to a relaxed loop around her waist. Serori is content to keep her distance, respecting Merra's desires, but she is otherwise as intensely fascinated as she could be. "...yes. She's the first saiyan-blooded child to be born since Trunks. She is the start of a new generation, and that is significant, but it does not mean she is anything more than a baby." A baby, yes, but a saiyan baby -- something Serori has long debated how and when to produce. The maternal instinct in Serori is pretty strong, when it chooses to be. From the guarded look on her face now, it must be exerting itself then and there. "S-saa. There was another Raditz, once. He came to this planet to recover his brother, Kakarot -- Son Goku. Son Goku joined Piccolo in repelling Raditz, but he had to sacrifice himself to make sure Raditz was killed. That version of Raditz was an unfiltered saiyan warrior. Son Goku tried to show him another way, but was refused." That version was the one she'd loved. "Son Goku later was restored by the Dragon Balls so he could face Prince Vegeta and his cohort, Nappa. A city would have been destroyed back then, if you remember. A-ah...then, everyone went off to Planet Namek, where Son Goku died..." Is she rambling, just so she can look at Gine a bit longer? It's at least interesting that she's no longer adhering to Son Goku's saiyan name, Kakarot. Some sign of respect for his son, perhaps? "I do not think any other Raditz has been around in all that time."
Raditz	Merra rolls her eyes at the indignant response about the meat, before replying, "Thank you." A little appeasement never hurt. "Has Raditz ever told you that be believes he should still be dead? Not a guilt thing, mind you, more of a case of something has caused him to be alive when he shouldn't be." Merra bounces Gine in her arms as she continues, "He's come to the conclusion that, unless it's a universe where the Saiyans became a dominant force, there's not a single iteration of himself that should be alive after confronting his brother."
Serori	Serori crouches to drop her chin into her palm. Deep thinking follows, and Gine gets a break from all the scrutiny. "Mmh...I don't know...Raditz's fate was altered big time by the destruction of our homeworld. Son Goku's was altered whenever he hit his head. If the Multiverse has taught me anything, it's that infinite possibilities exist for any of us, so I do not think Raditz is right. But, right or not, I do not remember him saying anything like that to me before." She remains crouched and thoughtful for a long moment. "Where is he today, anyway?"
Raditz	Merra takes a moment to speak some baby talk to Gine, for the briefest of time, before the return of her attention to Serori, "Oh, he said he was going to fight some sort of grinning giant. He described it as being very creepy." Merra hmmms, "But yes, it's something that's bugged him for years. Though the Multiverse provides a number of ways to ressurect someone, he doesn't think there's anyone who would have wanted him alive enough to put the kind of effort to bring him back."
Serori	"Stupidity and compassion run wild out there. No doubt, someone had a reason. Maybe he shouldn't waste his time wondering about it and accept he was given a second chance." Serori shrugs irritably, and stands up again. Two or three steps are taken forward so she can cock her head and get a better look at the child. "He will only distress himself considering the possibilities, hm? Sometimes, it's better just to accept your fate, and not waste energy wondering why." Serori's lips cock up in a short-lived smirk. "The only other alternative is to decide the fate you want for yourself, and to make it happen at all costs. But I do not think he has any desire to change the man he has become. So be it. Someday, I will step back from fighting, and begin my family, too."
Raditz	"Perhaps, but it still haunts him. The sooner he finds answers, the sooner he'll be able to be at peace with the idea that being alive isn't a bad thing." Merra says conclusively. And then, off in the distance, someone's energy can be felt approaching, and even Gine looks up in the direction of it, perhaps sensing but not really comprehending what it means. Merra too blinks and looks out, "And it seems he's on his way back. It would probably be best if you head on out."
Serori	"Probably." Serori debates sticking around for an ass-beating for no more than an instant before her mind's made up -- it's not worth it. Hell, she still has to find out whether or not Gohan's mad, and if he is, she had better be at one hundred percent if she's going to stand her ground. Sighing, the saiyan lifts herself gently into the air, achieving a height of three freet before she gives her farewells. "I was serious about not hurting her, you know. And if something else threatens her, I will do what I can to keep her safe -- even if it means keeping her father alive." On that happy sentiment, she rockets away, hopefully too quickly for Raditz to catch up.
Raditz	Not long after Serori takes off, Raditz lands with a triumphant drop, yelling, "Once again the world is saved from giants with stupid grins!" He grins and looks to Merra and greets, "Hey Merra.." He sniffs the air a bit... "Is that cow's liver?" Merra rolls her eyes before throwing the slab of meat into Raditz's face, "I'll have to visit the butcher tomorrow."