Scene #1444: Just Another Saiyan Day

Owner	Pose
Raditz	Peace is relative on the Dragon Ball worlds, because there's ALWAYS something interesting going on. It's a kind of quasi-mystical-spacey world whete technology is pretty advanced and even space-worthy, but magic is still a thing. This morning there is actually peace for Raditz. Nothing is trying to kill him, and he's got no immediate missions aside from look for the Dragon Balls, made helpfully easier by managing to get Bulma to build one for the Union. So without that kind of stress, Raditz is having a peaceful day. And it was BORING. Fortunately his attempts at meditation outside the house have been interrupted by a little fuzzy haired girl that runs right into him and glomps his arm. Raditz, having been sitting on the ground doing this meditation, can't help but grin a little, "Oh no, someone's on the attack." He grins and lifts his arm up, watching as his daughter hangs onto him tightly, and blinks, "Wow, you've got quite a grip..."
Serori	Raditz doesn't get more than a few minutes to enjoy his daughter's company before something happens to ruin the moment. All of a sudden, displaced wind poofs against his back in a brief but powerful gust at the same time a blurred figure appears hovering behind him. Before he can react, the dark shape snaps into focus, revealing the audacious intruder who'd /dare/ show up at Raditz's house without much invitation -- Serori. Of course. Today, she's wearing a bright red sweater as soft as a cloud -- cropped to show off her tummy -- and a pair of simple black leggings. White high-top wedge-heeled tennis shoes complete the casual look. After lowering her hand from her forehead, she floats closer to Raditz, to peer down over his shoulder at little Gine with a bright smile already on her lips. "Aah, hello, pretty Gine!" Serori's voice gets sweet whenever she talks to 'the baby'. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she continues. "You're getting so strong already. Look at that, you're about to out-muscle your own father! I bet you get your strength from your grandfather." Belatedly, she cocks her smile to Raditz, and her nose wrinkles in amusement. "She is looking too much like you. I hope some of Merra's looks take over as Gine gets older. Hello, sorry to barge in, but you did say I could visit, right? Can I hold her?"
Raditz	Raditz's eyes widen briefly when the presence suddenly makes itself felt, but he soon relaxes a tiny bit, even though his face now has a bit of an annoyed look to it. "Oh joy, Mean Auntie Serori is here." Granted, nothing he says will be understood by the child for a few years, his expression and tone might still leave an impression. He sighs and pushes himself up to his feet, hoisting Gine up into his arms and seats her on his forearm, "Yeah, yeah, I promised you visitation rights. Just don't get used to it." Raditz glances momentarily at his daughter and says, "Nah, she's got Merra's hair color... It's all red and poofy... Still, she'll look like her mother when she's older, definitely." At the request to hold Gine, Raditz grits his teeth and nods slowly, and holds gine in a way to let Serori reach in and hoist. "This could have been completely different, you know."
Serori	'Mean Auntie Serori' gets laughter. "I promised you I'd behave if you let me visit. I'm not going to go back on my word, not for something like this. Besides, we're supposed to be allies in /some/ way. I can't endanger your ties to the Saiyan Empire just because I'm in a bad mood; I have to be a /little/ responsible." Nothing he says dents her smile, especially not after she's given permission to pick up Gine. The child is gently pried from her father's arm, and a few soft, soothing sounds are murmured as a means of easing Gine's discomfort. Serori cradles the girl against her chest, mindful of any squirming, then runs her fingertip down Gine's tail to relax its bristling. Once settled, she sits down, and just spends some time watching Gine do her thing. "Different?" Serori glances up at Raditz. "You mean like this could have been /our/ daughter?"
Raditz	Raditz narrows his eyes a little and averts his eyes away. Serori always causes a storm of emotions in him these days. There's hatred and anger at Serori's betrayal and her ambition that ran counter to his, which is one of his stronger emotions right now, but there's that tiny twinge of something else. Sadness. Regret. Lingering for a love long lost. "It's crossed my mind a few times... Doesn't matter any more." Is all he says on the subject. He doesn't want to give up that much more to his emotions. He decides to change the subject to something to at least make him less annoyed, "So, I heard this Cell wrecked your day a while ago. How seriously did you not see that coming?"
Serori	Serori lets the subject drop for his sake. He's not alone in pining from time to time, and like Raditz, she can't quite help wondering what Gine might look like had she been Serori's daughter instead of Merra's, but it's enough, she supposes, to be around a saiyan child at /all/. It at least relaxes the part of her biology yammering at her to stop, settle, and reproduce. Serori pokes the end of Gine's nose lightly with her fingertip, and chuckles at the face made in response. Raditz's question gets a heavy sigh. Speaking of pining -- well, he might not get that at all, huh? Still, she tries to explain it. "The Cell I knew was...he was probably my best friend. I hadn't seen him in a very long time, so running into another Cell -- " She looks up at Raditz, and huffs. "Imagine if you'd suddenly run into one of your old squadmates again. Wouldn't you be excited, in some way? Or what if you ran into Merra out in the world, except maybe this time she's not herself, she's an /android/, and you can't help expecting the best? Cell took advantage of that." Gine reaches up to grab at Serori's chin; Serori ignores the awkward fingers, and keeps talking. "He lied, and played off my desires, and came after me when my back was turned." Serori looks back down to distract Gine with tickling. "He got me from behind. He rendered me helpless, and then he broke my bones before I could fight." The way her shoulders bunch up a bit suggest she's still bothered by the experience. "Saa. I won't make the mistake again. I was an idiot."
Raditz	"Ouch." Raditz replies as Serori describes that experience, "I'm going to refrain from taking too much joy from your suffering, if only because you've still got my daughter in your hands." That's the side of his emotions that hates Serori talking, and he's even smirking a little. He folds his arms across his chest and says, "Frankly I've experienced enough of the Multiverse at this point to know better than to trust anyone further than I can throw them, until they've given me a reason to... The Cell your familiar with is from our version of Earth anyway... He was still an asshole." He then shrugs, "Still, this version of Cell has at least proven to be interesting... To me anyway... We had a chat over the radio, I got to pick at his brains a little... He's -nuts-, but interesting." He then grins, "We've come to an agreement. He's letting me be an Arbiter for his tournament. This should be fun."
Serori	"Oh, /thank/ you." Serori smirks at Raditz's tone and gives her head a little shake. "Y'know, if you want me to /really/ suffer, all you have to do is start singing." But there isn't much bite to her words; in fact, she sounds almost melancholy. He'll have a hard time seeing her face to confirm her mood, though. She's looking down at Gine, and her wild hair obscures whatever might be visible of her expression. "So, he's nuts, and a jerk. Of course he'd be interesting. It's hard not to be at least a little /curious/ about madness." Serori runs her fingertip down Gine's tail again; the child makes a tiny huff, then starts to get drowsy, her bright eyes disappearing under some heavy eyelids. Serori tucks her in closer, and smiles some. "So...make sure you have someone watching /your/ back. Cell's out to eliminate us. There's no telling what he might do if he has you sequestered somewhere." "Mn...will you tell me what you've learned about him?"
Raditz	"Hey, I've got a -great- singing voice. I just don't sing." Raditz says defensively, before looking thoughtfully, "Though there was this one time in Canterlot... No freaking clue how that happened." He considers that tangent for a moment more, before shaking his head and letting that line of thought go back off its merry way. Raditz now takes this moment to approach Serori, "I know what I'm doing. The Union has my back, and I will not let Cell get in a mile from here without my blowing him up. He does -not- touch Gine." After a moment more, he reaches to prompt Serori to hand his daughter back. "All I've learned is that he doesn't like the idea of the Alliance. He's not my fan either, but we've at least come to something of an understanding as to how we operate... That said, not much else to go off of... Oh, other than the fact that he eats people. Charming, that."
Serori	Serori's slow to get up. Either she's doing her best to avoid disturbing Gine, or she's reluctant about giving the girl over. Maybe a bit of both. Either way, once she does get up to her feet, she takes care in returning Gine to her father's arms, and watches with rapt interest as Raditz takes his turn providing a cradle. The sight makes her smile a little; it also makes her sigh. "Raditz." After he looks her way again, she cocks her head to the side, and takes on a very slight but serious frown. It seems to take another moment for her thoughts to be gathered; in that time, she sighs, shakes out her hair, and fidgets her weight from her right leg to her left. Her tail even gives an agitated flick at the air. "A couple of things to consider." "Whatever my wish might be, it isn't going to put Earth in any danger. So, by all means, continue to collect the Dragon Balls and to get in my way, but at least know that my wish is very selfish, and that your planet's not in any danger." Serori turns her attention to the nearby house, then back to Raditz. "Secondly, it appears I will be accepting Vegeta's insistence I become Queen over our little empire. To that end, whatever actions I /do/ take after I have the Dragon Balls...it will be to the further of our empire, and less of a...less of a /factional/ thing, if that makes any sense." Now, she drops her gaze; now, her tone sounds a bit forced, as if she is uncomfortable with whatever else she needs to get off her chest. "...I understand you hate me...and I understand why. I know you will never trust me, and that you may never like me again, but -- " She makes a small, frustrated sound. Being this open is hard! " -- if you could please -- if you could forgive me for my past mistakes, and find some way to tolerate me so that we can all be stronger together -- " Serori pulls her arms into a tight fold across her chest. She sneaks a look at him, then turns her head again, her cheeks flushing red. "Nh...n-nevermind. I'll go."
Raditz	Raditz holds onto his daughter carefully, having learned the proper way of holding a child a long time back, and he just listens to Serori as she explains the situation, nodding a little in acknowledgement. He could easily comment on why letting the Confederacy have an open house on wishes is a bad idea... However, the idea of her being Vegeta's queen just makes Raditz growl a bit. Then comes Serori's request for forgiveness, and Raditz just stands there for a moment to try to figure out how to even react to that... In the end though, he acts on an instinct... He reaches for the back of Serori's head and pulls her in for a kiss.
Serori	Serori's eyes get /huge/. Oh, he gets a good two or three seconds to exhaust the impulse -- Serori's just too /stunned/ to do anything but stand there! Of all ways to shut her up, he chooses /this/? What should she do? What should she say? Her mind races. If she socks him in the gut, he'll just take it as an attack and get all furious at her. If she fights him while Gine's present, he'll get mad about /that/, and deny her any future visits. If she denies him, he'll get embarrassed, and get angry over his embarrassment. The last thing she wants is to piss him off -- though the kiss is certainly stoking the flames of her /own/ temper... There was a time she would have liked to be kissed by him in this way. Those days were destroyed the moment she betrayed him. Maybe it's that which keeps her calm, and her desire to be forgiven. In the end, she goes easy on him. As he finally withdraws, Serori lays her hand on his forearm, and takes a half-step backwards. She's wearing an expression of regret, of uncertainty, and -- faintly -- some amusement. "...you know...we are both lucky Merra did not see you kiss me." Serori's tongue flicks across her lips; her flush of embarrassment deepens. "And you are lucky Vegeta did not see you." Serori takes a breath, and meets his gaze dead-on. The embarassment fades, to be replaced by a confidence she was lacking in seeking his forgiveness. "Can you accept me as Queen? If you can't forgive me, can you at least try to work with me for the sake of our people?"
Raditz	Raditz pointedly doesn't hold Serori to the kiss, rather he just lets her react as she likes, and when she pulls back, he too steps away, acknowledging that little decision, as he respeonds, "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't at least smack me." He says with a smirk. Raditz takes that time to suck in a breath and then release, "Nah, it's fine. I just wanted to get that out of my system. Kind of felt like unfinished business, you know? It won't happen again, I promise you that." He now regathers his thoughts, and says, "Serori, I don't think I was ever really angry that you tried to kill me. I can forgive you for that, easily. What I can't forgive you for is that you threw me -under the bus-. When trying to further your ambition became more important than what we had, that you instead made me your stepping stone, -Colonal-." A bit of contempt spitten out at the mention of the rank. He then turns to start towards the house, though looking to Serori he says, "And now here you are, trying to become the Queen of the Saiyans... I'm not going to try to fool myself into thinking Vegeta's Alliance Plan will get far. Vegeta's ego won't let it work, and who's -really- going to follow me anyway?" He shakes his head, "It's too much effort to hate you anymore. I'm just going to have to settle with sticking to business as usual."
Serori	"You think I tried to kill you because it would advance my rank in the Confederacy?" Serori's frown returns, though it's edged this time by confusion. "You don't understand my motives at all, do you. I didn't betray you for something as material as /rank/. Advancing my station was the furthest thing from my mind. I'm surprised you hadn't thought it through this far -- no, I wasn't looking for reward. I did it because I needed to be free from your influence, if I was going to make my way in the Multiverse. Just because my 'way' turned out to be a straight shot to leadership doesn't mean you were anything as insignificant as a stepping stone." She thumbs her chin as she tries to explain. "Trying to kill you was an event which continues to affect me. It was proof of my independence -- which may seem stupid to you, but consider my position -- and it also helped me realize I /did/ possess the wherewithal to do whatever I thought would be necessary to achieve my goals. I realized I could set aside compassion, greed, lust, and even /love/ for the sake of my ideal future, and you have /no/ idea how badly I needed to prove it. If I lost my nerve /then/, I would /never/ have become the woman I am today. It was my growth from that event -- and my competence and my leadership -- which landed me the title of General." Another sigh escapes, and she offers what looks to be a helpless shrug. "But I guess if you don't understand it, you don't. Just accept that it had very little to do with anything like material reward." Serori's tone shifts, and takes on a hint of steel. "And there's no /trying/ to it -- I /am/ the Queen of the Saiyans. I came to you today, seeking your forgiveness, because setting aside my pride for the good of our people is another sacrifice I am willing to make. I did not have the capacity for this a year ago when you stole the crown. I did not have it in me to kneel to you." Serori pauses for only half a second, before she finishes: "I do not expect you to kneel to me, but I do expect you to put your people first, as you once wanted to do. Against those who threaten us -- monsters like Cell, whoever else -- we must present a unified front. I am your Queen not because of my ambition, but because of my strength, and my willingness to sacrifice. Pride is nothing compared to the lives I am to lead and protect." She looks to the sleepy Gine, and back up to Raditz. Her tone gentles. "You are a good father. Your ideals will be /good/ for the saiyans to experience and understand. Don't pass up the opportunity to shape the Empire, Raditz." She squints up at the sky, then. "I'm not going to stand here and beg. The decision is yours. See you later. Give Merra my best." At that, she turns to go, leaping into the air a good foot or two as a warning -- departure's imminent.
Raditz	Raditz blinks as he listens, to Serori's explanation of her motivations, and but as he listens, his calm slowly disintegrates, and the anger that he had thought he had gotten over renews, as he takes the briefest time to gather enough energy, and with an after-image, darts back to the house. There he sets his daughter down carefully, before darting back out, putting himself in front of Serori in the air to face her, and growls out, "Oh, -NO- you don't!" There's a moment where just seems like he wants to strangle something, his hands even moving up on reflex as he tries to put into coherent thought. "You... -That's- why you did it? You threw away EVERYTHING we could have had, tried to KILL me, Because I was /SMOTHERING/ YOU!?" Raditz laughs almost as though he's cracked just a little bit, "You know, I think I'd rather have kept going with my 'Stepping stone' theory, because you're right, THAT DOES SEEM STUPID!" He roars in sheer anger and grabs the side of his head and squeezes his temples. "I thought I was DONE being angry at you! Why do you keep giving me something to be pissed about!" He shakes his head as he states, "What I did was try to keep you from being just another stupid, careless, reckless, homicidal, uncontrolled, fighting-whoever-the-crap-you-felt-like Saiyan with COMPLETE DISREGARD for the welfare of ANYONE THAT WASN'T US! I tried to show prove that we could do better than keep living as FRIEZA'S DANCING MONKEYS! That my brother's way of life, fighting for self-improvement and pushing our limits, was actually worth practicing! That Keeping doing the same crap that resulting in GETTING MYSELF KILLED was NOT worth continuing, and that Vegeta's PTO wasn't better!" Raditz's rant seems to just keep going, "But it became more than trying to keep you from being an out of control Saiyan, because I fell for you hard, despite the fact that I was Union and you were Confederate! NOW We were a security risk, BOTH OF US! More things to complicate matters, isn't that fun?" He shakes his head and then says, "And then I foughts Vegeta, and EARNED the crown! I challanged him to put the crown on the line, Vegeta accepted, AND I WON IT, FAIRLY!" He scoffs, "Get it right." He then raises a hand, wagging a finger to indicate he's not finished yet, "So I was King of the Saiyans, king of Earth too, and we were both liabilities to our factions... The obvious and EASIEST solution would have been for at least one of us to just LEAVE the Union or Confederacy, AND I WAS GOING TO! I was going to give that up so I could focus on being a KING, AND to focus on US! I was ALL SET TO DO THAT!" He then pauses and shakes his head, "But we both know what happened next..."
Raditz	Raditz runs his fingers through his hair and with a hand at his hip he says, "All because I was stopping you from leading the Saiyans along the path of Conquest... I'd have actually gotten behind that once upon a time... Things have changed, though, and that isn't for me anymore." He then laughs a little, "But apparently that was where you drew the line." He sighs and mutters, "So rather being my queen, whom I NEVER asked to kneel, you shot me in the chest, AND STILL THREW ME UNDER THE BUS! Now you could throw anything away and do whatever you wanted, NO LIMITS FOR SERORI! Because I was such a ball and chain. I was THAT controlling!" Raditz once again shakes his head as though the continued act will maybe shake some sense into the crazy world. "And when VEGETA insists that you be his queen, after he wins back his crown the same way I got it from him, FOR THE RECORD, you LEAP INTO HIS ARMS, especially now that he's got a veritable army of Saiyans versus my own court of ZERO... And now that everything is going your way, you want me to forgive you because it's just inconvenient to have continued animosity during our alliances." Raditz shakes his head and glares into Serori's eyes, "No more excuses, Serori. You never wanted me to be your king, and you never wanted me to hold you down. Congradulations, Serori, you've got -everything- you wanted. Except my forgiveness, which I won't give you... Because THEN that will make it okay for you to keep making excuses, and not accept the consequences for your actions." He then drops himself down to the ground, "Leave. Your visitation rights are revoked. You will never seemy daughter again. Don't -ever- come back."
Serori	You can't contain a volcano once it's started to erupt; all you can do is sit back and wait for it to burn itself out. Patience is apparently Serori's strategy today, for as Raditz rages and powers up and tears at his hair and devolves into a frothing /fit/, all she does is watch and listen, keeping her thoughts and feelings contained behind a quiet stare and a slow, relaxed blink. It's important that he /thinks/ she's relaxed, anyway. Tension hums away on the inside, and makes her as nervous as she gets. After he lands and levies his final, furious threats, Serori answers his accusations. "You're right. I've gotten everything I've wanted, because I've fought to make it happen. Had Vegeta not returned with his barbarian army, I'd have initiated a project to seed our species through genetic engineering and a carefully-constructed plan for reproduction and diversification. I may still pull the trigger, if Vegeta will permit me, especially now that we've got more options for purebred donors." She continues, her voice level, her eyes meeting Raditz's. "You're also right that I hope to see our kind exalted as warriors and conquerors again. There's little room for weakness in my ideal future; however, I have seen -- mostly through Taylita's efforts -- that the definition of 'strength' is far more broad than I once believed. Your anger does not make you strong. Your title as the 'King of Earth' doesn't make you strong. Your convictions, on the other hand, /do/ -- and that is part of Vegeta's vision. To create an empire that's as dynamic as it is powerful. You're supposed to be part of it, leading your saiyans however you see fit. It's how human society functions, after all. Sovereignty is respected, but when pushed into it, humanity is a /powerful/ unified force. Some are conquerors. Some are peacemakers. They make it work; we can do the same." She reaches up to scratch the small scar on her chin, still looking at him, still considering. "As to our history..." Her voice lowers. "Yes. But it wasn't /smothering/. You /crushed/ me. Had I deviated from your intended course at all, you dragged me back by force. Vegeta was the same; now he isn't, and neither are you, and I am no longer as afraid of you as I am in love with you. I have changed, you have changed, Vegeta's changed -- we've all been /changed/ by what we've been through." "You also endured something I'll never be able to understand. You carry a scar, and an immense weight. How could you not have been altered by the experience?" Serori makes a vague gesture toward his scar. "That also changed you for awhile. It made you far more terrifying than I think you realize. Becoming King of Earth was part of your healing process, but...it wasn't something I could have helped you through. You needed Merra for that, or someone like her, and you found her. And now you have Gine."
Serori	"I know you won't agree with me, that you crushed me, that you held me back, or made me do things against my will. I don't expect you to admit to it, because you probably didn't even realize it was what you'd been doing. You wanted to shape me into someone I could never become, and my entire being rebelled against you. I couldn't make it clear with words; I had to /show/ you how much I needed to be free of you. So I did." She sighs out, and lowers her arms down to her sides. "At one time, you and I were mates. Two halves of one being. I couldn't have known, on finding you again, that you'd be so...different. And you couldn't have known that I'd become so stubborn." She smiles, then, but it's a sad, forced little smile. "Something neither of us has acknowledged is the fact that you /aren't/...the Raditz who saved my life. You aren't the child I knew and idolized on Planet Vegeta. That Raditz is dead. Killed by his brother. Your brother /changed/ you, probably for the better, but that change made it impossible for us to work." She loses the smile, and steels her expression again, reflecting a calm that falls apart quickly beneath the surface. "Saa. I talk too much. I will ask for your forgiveness again another day. Maybe on that day, you'll be more accepting of who I've become, and you'll want to do your part to strengthen your people." At that point, she cocks her hip up into her hand and gives him a less serious look. "If it's all the same, I'd rather not respect the ban. When you calm down, you'll probably be less likely to uphold it, anyway."
Raditz	Raditz grits his teeth at the mention of the scar, as he grips his right hand, favoring the scar that had been inficted upon him some years back, and then he replies, "You're right. You don't understand. Now leave."
Serori	"Is that it?" She almost sounds surprised. "Fine. Think on what I've said, at least. I'll think on what /you've/ said. The saiyan people depend on us finding a way to work together, Raditz, so do what you need to do to put the past behind you." At that, Serori jabs two fingertips to her forehead, wastes a moment in concentration, and disappears.