The Saiyan Way [Invite]

Got into a fight with an elite? Taori raised a brow as he wondered what that was supposed to mean, though he figured it out after a moment or so. He supposed he didn't always get along with the upper ranking soldiers above him when he was younger - though it didn't quite ever get to the scale of causing explosions. Maybe some explosive shouting, at worst. And a couple punches here and there, on occasion. So, what was the Arcosian doing here, then...? Taori was about to ask him that, but then the other Saiyan started rambling about, uh... Stuff.

Alpinia and Taori exchanged a slightly concerned glance as the rowdy, low ranking Saiyan began to ramble on about he had been exiled, and how he hated Saiyan society and how his boss was a weakling. It was unusual to hear a soldier so brazenly whine about such menial worries, especially to complete strangers. That was the sort of thing that did get you punched by your superiors. Although, with a power level of 18,000, this Matoto guy was probably outclassing most of his peers and even his superiors. It was doubtful any punches would do more than lightly bruise him.

"Just relax, kid," Taori said. ...Was he older than him? It was quite difficult to correctly guess a Saiyan's age by looking at them. Taori and Alpinia both hardly looked much different than when they had finished their growth spurts around age eighteen. "I was born a low class, too. Once you show them what you're made of, people tend to change their tune." Of course, he'd had to claw his way up the ranks over years and years, but other Saiyans hardly looked at him as a low class warrior anymore. "Yeah," Alpinia chimed in, "And they said I was an elite, but I don't even fight! Pay those classifications no mind, they're useless."

And as for the Arcosian... Taori frowned as the lizard spoke up again, his black eyes glancing warily at the creature's oddly shaped head. Emperor of Arcose, huh? Well, all of these lizards seemed to bestow fancy titles upon themselves. He was probably hardly any higher ranking than your average- "Oh, the honor is ours, your highness!" Alpinia suddenly said as she bowed her head. Taori glanced over at her with clear discomfort on his face, but he didn't say anything that might embarrass her.

And then the lizard addressed Taori directly, with a rather confrontational question. Taori snorted. "Let's just say the last time I ran towards an explosion and found an Arcosian waiting there, I got put through a wall," he replied. "And another guy got sent into the stratosphere." "That tends to happen when you fight an Arcosian, though," Alpinia added after she finished her bow. "They're crazy strong - stronger than anything in the galaxy, apparently!" Taori rolled his eyes. "Only as far as we know," he quietly grumbled.

Taori raised an eyebrow as Matoto replied to his comment about self respect. He had to say, he'd never quite seen a Saiyan warrior of his power level... Whine before. Sure, everyone complained, here and there, though he'd never encountered one who did so at every turn, and even seemed to scoff at the idea of being a so-called 'self-respecting Saiyan.' Taori was honestly feeling a bit disappointed in this boy who he had only just met. Were there really warriors so weak-willed among their forces? ...No wonder they were struggling against the Tuffles.

In fact, Matoto seemed far more interested by the lizard's offer of joining his little mercenary group, which was even more of an insult to his Saiyan heritage. Taori could only imagine none of Matoto's ancestors would've even considered abandoning their people in the midst of a war, yet here this boy was, jumping at the offer. And then the lizard chimed in again with more of his self-righteousness, prompting an unamused glance from Taori. "Look, I'm sure you do mean well," Taori relented. Azoth was probably not pure evil. But... "But you come off as awfully patronizing. Don't go assuming you're the only man in the galaxy who can solve its problems."

Additionally, the lizard glanced over at Taori as he mentioned the fact that he had killed two people, as if he were challenging Taori to say something in protest. Taori snorted. So, that was how to get under the lizard's skin, huh? He probably couldn't stand to not be thought of as the best person in any room he was standing in. Egomaniac.

Alpinia looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation as Azoth posed his vague challenge to Taori, although Taori firmly replied, "I don't think you actually believe, deep down, that incapacitation is 'just as good' if you've still killed people. And neither do I - which I suppose is something we can agree on. That sometimes you do need to kill in order to keep the peace. It's not a pleasant business, but it is how things are."

As for Matoto, Taori glanced over at him. "Self-respect might not put bread on your table, but neither does sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. If you think joining a crew of space white knights is the only way to improve your quality of life, I don't think you've looked all too hard." Alpinia shot Taori a look, as she felt he was being a bit too unsympathetic, but he just shrugged at her. He couldn't say he had much of a way with kindness - and in his experience, a firm hand was usually more effective than a soft one.