End of a Race, Start of a Marathon (Open)

With her energy greatly suppressed so as to not arouse suspicious or worry from those who could either sense it or use technology to read it, Zuqetta would stroll along the confines of the city; a city currently holding a bit of celebration over their newly appointed leader. Zuqetta wore her new magical ensemble, a gift from Zerori; with her hood on to hide her her Saiyan mane and her tail tucked neatly beneath the jacket like a belt around her waist. Though Azoth had told her it was fine to walk about the city, and to merely use his name if she had gotten into any trouble; this didn't mean she would go around strutting her stuff like she own the place.

It was nice to see the city so bright and cheery; and was something she had desperately wished Sadala could experience. She hadn't been back to the Sadala Capitol since Rosemary had vanished, and at that point the city was in utter ruin and chaos with rioters and looters running amok. She knew a new King had decided to take over, so many he had made things better by now. One thing was certain though, no matter who ruled over her unruly kin; that place would never be as peaceful and enjoyable as the Tuffle home of Hatch City was.

Zuqetta would sigh as she walked the streets, wondering what the planet must have looked like before her kind had shown up and made a mess of it all. As she passed by a particular location however, she would suddenly hear a great deal of accumulated conversing; with one standing before the rest with the givings of a speech. It had seemed she had arrived a bit too late to hear it however, as the whole of the group erupted in cheers and merriment. She questions what the excitement was about, but considering the circumstance it was easy to deduce that it was another celebration for the new Chancellor.

Zuqetta would make her way along the side of the crowd, hoping to make it over to the familiar lone figure who had just finished his speech. Though she herself was small, there was no doubt that even with the varied sizes of Tuffles; most were even smaller than she, so it was best not to draw too much attention to herself.

She'd make her way nearer to the man, hoping to catch him in a moment in which he wouldn't be in conversation with any of the other attendees. While she could have simply asked her questions to any other in the room; this mans strangely towering form seemed the least intimidating to approach. Plus, he'd juts finished a speech, so clearly he was the guy in charge; at least of this gathering.

"Hey there!" Zuqetta would call out cheerily as she approached the man, "Celebratin' the new Chancellor? Cheri I believe their name was?" She'd ask; tugging at the tip of her hood a bit more to make sure it was secured.

Luckily, her daily briefings with Azoth had kept her at least THIS much up to date on the matters taking place around the galaxy. He might not have known about everything going on at any given time, but considering his vested interest in the peace of Plant, he knew this much. Zuqetta on the other hand knew incredibly little; but that's why she was here, wasn't it? To learn more before the hopeful meeting of leaders would occur; the last thing she wanted was to make Azoth look like a fool due to her own lack of knowledge.

---

Korado seemed like a decent person; familiar as well, though she couldn't place as to why. While initially, Zuqetta thought of keeping her identity a secret, she would instead decide against it. Azoth had said that Cheri was someone who wanted peace between the Saiyans and Tuffles; and while Zuqetta knew nothing about the new Saiyan King, she'd hoped that the installment of this new chancellor would soften relations between the species. Plus, it was merely a name, a mere name never hurt anyone!

"Zuqetta!" She would say happily with a grin as she took hold of Korado's hand; keeping aware of her grip as she did so, "Hehe, well I'm glad ta see everyone's in high spirits about it." Zuqetta would comment, "If I might ask, besides the obvious like finally bringing an end to a several decade spanning war, what other positive things can everyone look forward to from this new Chancellor?" She would ask in a soft, curious tone, "Admittedly, I've never met them, and don't really know anything about them first hand. Have... you met them though? Are they nice?"

Zuqetta tried to watch her words as she spoke, worried that she might come off as a reporter; or worse, as a spy, assuming this man had already deduced her race. She could only hope that he was of a more reasonable sort; she was here to enjoy the celebrations just as much after all, though it wasn't as though she wouldn't have understood some possible reluctance to speak with a Saiyan.

---

Zuqetta listened intently as Korado explained the situation; both about the on goings of the Tuffle side of Plant and about the demeanor of the Cheri individual. She was glad to hear that even others considered her to be a good person, and great choice as leader; it seemed like Azoth's assessment had been on the money. Though, it was a curious case that it had taken so long for the Tuffle's to establish a proper leadership; but there was no way for Zuqetta to know how politics with the Tuffle's worked compared to with the Saiyans. Especially how it was basically like playing "King of the Mountain" when it came to ANYTHING relating to the Saiyans.

"Hehe, well I'm glad ta hear it!" Zuqetta would say with a soft smile, "Let's just hope the Saiyans are as reasonable..." She'd continue sharply before giving a long sigh, "I mean, it's not like they're ALL bad... but, considering how THEY select their leadership..."

Zuqetta couldn't help but speak as though she herself wasn't a Saiyan; she felt so segregated from the rest of her kin, and had little idea about how Taori would handle things. It couldn't be helped that she felt so negative about how things were back over in Sadala; after all, Rosemary had left things in a terrible state, and Zuqetta was beginning to doubt that ANY Saiyan could properly restore any kind of order, let alone maintain it.

---

"Heh, even more good news then I suppose." She'd say with a smile, "Wish I could meet him though, judge him firsthand as it were... Saiyans can be... deceitful." She'd say solemnly as she thought of all those who'd betrayed her trust up to this point, "But, if you trust him, then I don't see no reason ta sew any doubt!" She'd affirm, trusting in the words Korado spoke as they aligned neatly with the things Azoth had already told her.

It wasn't too difficult to trust the man before her, even if she did sense a weird energy coming from his pack. People had their secrets, so she wouldn't pry; what was most important was that he had the same positive outlook as Azoth. It was possible that all Tuffles were simply positive people, it'd have made sense considering how negative Saiyans could be after all. It was his words on how a ruler maintained their position that really stuck with Zuqetta however. Rosemary had held the seat, did everything wrong, and Taori came to step in. No one opposed the decision for Taori to lead, so perhaps that made him better after all; though, it wasn't like ANYTHING could have been worse than Rosemary.

"My... experiences?" Zuqetta would state questionably as her smile quickly abandoned her; replacing itself with a darkened frown, "Not something..." It wasn't something she wanted to talk about; but feeling bad about herself felt even worse than the truth of it all, "I... lost my family..." Zuqetta would say softly as she thought of Vennel; leaving out anything else besides the one thing she considered most important.

Though Zuqetta had been sheltered her whole life, it wasn't as though the war had no affect on her. The war stole a mother she never knew, and caused her father to lock her away for fifteen years. She had known nothing of the world when she first ran away; and found nothing but wonder in everything she learned when she compared it to everything she'd once knew. She had no strong feelings for her mother, and hated her father, so the war should have seemed like a blessing since it allowed her to meet Vennel.

But Vennel...

"I had no other family than my sister, Ven... and now she's gone." Zuqetta would say softly with her head lowered; her energy fluctuating slightly as she tried to suppress the emotion, "She was a fool... everyone who yearns for war, they're fools; and the Saiyans are the apex species of fooldom." She would finish sharply; a clear indicator of her disdain for the war and the many Saiyan's she knew that continued to instigate it.

---

Zuqetta would give a deep sigh as she tried to push away the memories and emotions of such trying times; she'd never taken the time to really process the situation, and certainly wasn't about to do it now. There were far too many things at once that had happened even if she wanted to do so. From the failings of others, to her own personal failings; the whole situation that spanned the course of her life weighed on her with an unnecessary intensity. She had the encouragement of others like Azoth and Zerori; but though their words eased the pain, it couldn't be erased. Even now she still blamed herself for the loss of her friends, Onnio and Rensou; and even for the loss of her sister...

"What... what about you?" Zuqetta would ask as she cleared her through and tried her best to stop thinking about the past, "Any rough experiences on your side?"

She wasn't actually curious, she just wanted the conversation to move forward to make it easier to forget. She at least somewhat accomplished what she had come here to do after all, ascertaining how the populace felt about their new leader and the prospect of the ending war. It may have been a bit too earlier to refer to the war as such, but Zuqetta was hopeful; while what Korado said made sense when it came to the display of actions, she also knew how hard it was to speak positively about someone if you didn't trust them. So the trust that Korado and Azoth both had for Taori and Cheri was more than enough for Zuqetta, at least for the moment.

"Heh, here's ta hoping the rough experiences stop with these new leaders by the way... that'd be nice." She'd say with a soft smile as her gaze lowered, staring at nothing in particular as thoughts threatened to plague her mind.

If this failed, if Taori failed; what would happen then? There were still a great many Saiyans who wanted war, Taori would need to stop them; he would need to lay down the law and be the leader that Rosemary wasn't. If instead, he was exactly like Rosemary though... If he took the throne, then did nothing with it; what would be the point of it all?

Were there truly so many that would covet that damned fancy chair for nothing more than a fancy title to go along with it!?

Zuqetta would shake her head before taking a deep breath; realizing her emotions were beginning to get the better of her. Her energy control already wasn't the greatest, and suppressing to such a low level was difficult; the last thing she wanted was to lose herself in her emotions and accidentally release her energy. The tensions the might follow afterwards weren't likely to be the best if that happened.

---

As Korado spoke of those he lost, Zuqetta would lower her head and close her eyes; giving them a moment of silence. She knew she wasn't the only one affected by the war, but she'd never bother to ask others of how it affected them until now. Rensou had once told her that he was a Tuffle creation that was meant to infiltrate and rise in the ranks of the Saiyan people, before inevitably killing off the Saiyan leadership. He was incomplete however, as such, he was free to choose his own destiny; it was disappointing then that his destiny would lead him to his own ruin. An ambition that wasn't his own burned within him, and that ambition proved to be his undoing. Zuqetta had been the cause of this unnecessary ambition, as she had once wanted to lead her people in order to bring peace; now however, she understood that such a position wasn't meant for her. She was still a child, still growing and learning; an adult like Taori had to be the one to bring an end to this, he NEEDED to... or else...

Lost in thoughts of her own, Zuqetta whole body would tremble as she snapped back to attention at the sound of a single word... Yangcong...

Zuqetta would clench her fist and bite her lip as she did her best to contain her overwhelming anger. Her energy would steadily begin to rise, but with all of her being she would do her best to keep it suppressed.

"Yangcong..." Zuqetta would whisper through gritted teeth as she took notice of Korado moving about the room.

Her tail was frizzing up with anger and becoming uncomfortable to keep wrapped around her waist; but she would endure, she wasn't long from departing the party anyways. Korado spoke once more as he moved nearer to the drinks, causing Zuqetta to release a deep breath through her nose; he was right, this day was meant to be a celebration of the good, not a recollection of the bad.

"Yeah... heh, yeah, I'll drink ta that!" Zuqetta would state as she examined the drinks closely; ensuring to took hold of whatever non-alcoholic beverage was available, "To Cheri, and the peace she's sure to bring!" Zuqetta would declare to Korado with a wide grin, raising her glass up as she tried to enjoy the celebration alongside the rest.

Even should her hopes be placed a bit too high, she felt it better to enjoy the best rather that simply prepare for the worst.

---

Allowing the calm to wash over her, Zuqetta would enjoy her beverage; doing her best to ignore the negative feelings from remembering the past. Those things were no longer of any concern for her; though, she didn't yet have the maturity to let things go so easily. The ravings and cheers of the party would be a great help however, as it became easy to lose oneself in the cacophony of sounds. The night was still young however, and she could hardly think of anymore meaningful conversation that wouldn't have been either completely forced of otherwise out of left field entirely.

"Well, it was pleasant ta make your acquaintance!" Zuqetta would tell Korado as she finished her drink, "But, I think it's about time I take my leave. Hehe, don't wanna stay up TOO late after all!" She would jest, playing the youth card as she disposed of the cup proper and gave the man a casual nod.

With that, she would linger upon the party for a few moments longer as she made a slow departure; soaking in the good vibes as she did so, before inevitably departing the area. Though she had no intention to truly retire for the remainder of the day, there was no reason to explain her future plans to anyone else. She would make her way from gathering to gathering upon leaving; gleaning as much information as she could about the current state of affairs, simply hoping that things remained as peaceful as she and Korado spoke of.

---