Tea Time (Closed)

Thinking about Azoth neither hurt, nor was nostalgic; she hadn't suppressed the feelings she once had for him, she simply didn't care. Her outlook on not only him, but on life, had changed; where once she used to have the same childish drive to be a hero as Azoth, now she simply wanted to enjoy herself. Did this mean she had given up on doing 'the right thing'? Not at all, but she no longer felt a need to place herself in harms way for others; nor did she feel an overwhelming push to act upon or against things that didn't align with her personal views or morals. She'd learned well enough... Azoth's heart was in the right place, but he used his power to force his view upon others. In any case, such things were in the past and she had no intention on dwelling on them; now was the time for new adventures, even if that current adventure entailed answering Lilith's current, uncomfortable questions.

"Why do ya seem more curious about my past than our future?" Zuqetta would say with a laugh as she crossed her arms, "Aren't ya more interested ta find out where I intend ta take ya after all this? curious about the stars? The crew? Anything like that??"

Zuqetta knew she'd given the girl the chance to ask whatever she liked, but questions about her past wasn't what she expected; she was starting to feel like she was on trial! She'd give a sigh and relent however, it made sense to be a little bit curious, and she'd already learned from her mistake with Zerori... withholding information wasn't always the best choice.

"Well... maaaaaaaaaybe I'd be able to fund at LEAST the crew, but that'd be a waste of savings." Zuqetta would begin before turning her gaze up to the night sky, "I'd prefer to get my bearings and have my own stable source of income before makin' such decisions. But... that's not really what you're askin', huh?" Zuqetta would lower her gaze to Lilith and give a sharp grin, "Your question has a simple answer, I'm from here, Sadala. I'm a noble, err, was a noble I suppose." She continue with a shrug, "I dunno how nobles lose their titles, and I dunno if I even had one ta begin with. My mom was from nobility I guess, and my dad was from lesser nobility and married into her family."

She'd never really thought of where her actions placed her on the scales of lineage; by all technicality she would still be nobility, but with her manor destroyed she didn't exactly have any records to refer to any longer. Sure, the castle archives or even the information citadel likely had information on her family... but she also didn't feel like learning about it.

"Anyways, 'nuff of that kinda stuff!" Zuqetta would begin again as she perked up and ushered Lilith towards the guild station, "We gotta get you registered with my crew!" She'd cheer, "This here is a mercenary guild station; small building, handles simple matters; not quite as big or fancy as the mercenary guild headquarters, but they can at least handle job requests and paperwork!" She'd finish as she tugged Lilith along through the entrance of the building.

Within, it would appear just as small as Zuqetta had described; with hardly a soul in sight besides a sleeping clerk and a man looking of a board fill with requests. The building was dull and poorly lit; the bell that would have normally chimed upon opening the door was missing the hammer to actually allow it to do so, and so remained silent. There were a couple tables and an assortment of non-matching chairs to sit at; it was clear this building didn't see much traffic considering there was an actually Mercenary Outpost not too far from the city. All in all, it was a quaint little establishment that would do as Zuqetta said; get the job done!

Zuqetta found Lilith's reactions humorous, but would remain on track; there were only two actions she needed to take her today, and the first of the two was the far simpler. She would allow Lilith to wonder as she asked her question; choosing instead to focus her attention on the sleeping clerk as she approached the front counter. Removing a folded scouter from a pocket within her cloak, Zuqetta would activate the device before quickly loading up some necessary information she required for the exchange.

"Oi!" Zuqetta would announce as she slammed her fist into the counter; startling the clerk awake, "I got a turn in; info and signatures are on the scouter." She'd explain as she passed the device to the man before leaning against the counter in an impatient manner.

"Turn in? Turn... oh, right!"

The man was clearly still trying to get his bearings; whether he was lazy or not didn't matter, just so long as he did his job. He would take the scouter and link it to a data pad he held; probing the device for the information he required to sign the job off as completed. All the while, Lilith seemed to wander about with the curiosity of a child in an unfamiliar environment.

"Yo, got whatcha need? It's signed off by the company holder and the commissioner both; as for the pirates? I completed my part and drove them off, their fates after that were left to an Emperor of all things." Zuqetta would explain as her tail swished about from side to side.

"An emperor you say?" The man would question enthusiastically as he adjusted his glasses, "One of 'em triumvi-things of Arcose!?" He'd ask as she he unlinked the scouter and passed it back to Zuqetta.

"That's the one alright, crazy huh? Didn't expect ta bump inta royalty of all things out there, hehe!" Zuqetta would reply with a sly grin, "Anyways, mission complete, yeah?"

"Right, right, I've updated the request and the reward has already been forwarded to your account." The clerk would answer as he pressed a few more options on he data pad before putting the device away, "Still, an Emperor of Arcose... fancy that, pretty soon, ye might not be chewin' the fat with the rest of us. You'll be movin' up ta high places!"

"Chewin' th---? I have no idea what that means, but dude, don't put that thing away! I got more business!" Zuqetta would say with an annoyed scowl; dealing with old guys like this was always trying, "I need ta register a new crew mate!" She'd finish, pointing back towards Lilith with her thumb as she stood up from her leaned position against the counter.

"Zat so?" The clerk would respond with an apologetic nod before gesturing towards Lilith with a wave of his hand, "Well, get'r over here, lemme have a look at 'er!"

Zuqetta would laugh as Lilith approached with her typical haughty attitude; the girl seemed annoyed, but it was to be expected after having been ignored. Her questions were the type to get answered as they were being asked however, so Zuqetta felt little point in explaining what was about to come.

"Her name's, Lilith." Zuqetta would begin; tapping on the counter to keep the clerks attention, "Log her in as a Shin-jin; aliens that think they're gods or somethin'." She'd continue with a snicker as she glanced back at Lilith; teasing her slightly with her comment.

The clerk was quick with his data pad as Lilith approached; in spite of his age, he seemed to handle the input of information surprisingly spryly. While he looked Lilith up and down with a stern expression, he had taken to inputting the information Zuqetta told him immediately. He would lift his data pad up towards Lilith and press an icon upon it, causing a 'click' sound to chime as if he had just taken a picture. Quickly however he would look down towards the data pad and then back up to Lilith before giving a long, heavy sigh; rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he began to speak.

"I dunno how to tell ya this girly, but I don't think you'll make it as a merc." He would begin before placing the data pad down and crossing his arms, "From what my device says, you ain't got a lick of power to speak of. How old are ya kid?" He would ask with a concerned expression as he glanced at Zuqetta with confusion; questioning why she would attempt to register someone like Lilith of all people.

Zuqetta would shrug upon noticing his glance, knowing exactly what he might have been thinking. Lilith certainly didn't look the mercenary type; she seemed more like she belonged on a stage, entertaining the wealthy or something. She had a kind expression and clearly wasn't too knowledgeable on things out in the world; but Zuqetta had once felt much the same about herself. That wasn't to say she thought Lilith would change to be like her; merely that, you couldn't always judge a book by its cover.

"See what I mean?" Zuqetta would say to the clerk before turning her attention to Lilith, "Ya got no tail, and ya ain't some midgety tech wiz; which makes ya an alien to our world." Zuqetta would explain with a mischievous grin, "And ya call yourself a goddess, so my description ain't off." She'd continue before listening to Lilith suddenly get defensive against the clerk for his actions.

It was funny to see her react in such a manner; he certainly used a much older model of scouter than Zuqetta was used to, heck, she was surprised such models were even still used. To think the man was trying to take some candid photos of her though? That was just hilarious, and the reaction was priceless. The man explained his intention, which prompted a rather long response from Lilith. Zuqetta knew the girl held herself in high regard, but to hear her drone on at such length was a bit much.

"Ehhh, I'm just gonna put eighteen, zat okay with you?" The clerk would state, directing his question towards Zuqetta; completely ignoring Lilith's ramblings.

"That's fine, just get us an ID for her in Arcose format and label her as... logistical support? Yeah, a safe status like that or somethin'!" Zuqetta would state as she turned to watch the man get to work on his data pad.

While each mercenary guild handled things differently from planet to planet, Zuqetta very much liked the organized feel of the Arcosian network. The Saiyan network was far too simple; giving you merely a name and number for accepting missions, as well as a kill count in some cases. Arcose on the other hand featured a plethora of information upon ones ID, it just made things feel so much more official and honestly a bit like a status in a game.

"Listen-" Zuqetta would begin, turning her gaze back towards Lilith, "I'm not gonna tell ya ta change how ya talk or nothin', in fact, feel free ta stay the way you are whenever you're with me. If anyone tries somethin' against ya, I'll handle 'em." Zuqetta would explain before giving Lilith a rather serious expression, "When you're by yourself though... take things into consideration. Not everyone is as tolerant as me and honestly, this universe is pretty godless as far as I can tell." She'd warn before giving a sigh, "Least, that's as far as I can tell. I haven't met any worshipers while I've been out there."

She would turn away from the counter and lean her back against while while her tail flicked about below with agitation. She could think of quite a few who might have had an issue with Lilith calling herself a goddess, but she also hadn't seen those people in some time, so wondered if perhaps it was fine. Still, just the fact that people like that existed meant there was a chance for trouble, and if she wasn't there to protect Lilith then she wanted the little goddess to exercise some restraint.

"Don't go belittling others so much just because they ain't gods." Zuqetta would order, much like a mother scolding a child, "Be more respectful to the different people ya meet out there, and even if they praise you, don't let it go to your head!"

The clerk would finish with Lilith's ID and a lamented card would print from the bottom of the data pad. Zuqetta would immediately reach her hand over her shoulder and be given the card in a most natural manner, as if it was something she'd done before. With their business concluded, Zuqetta was ready to leave; before she could however, the clerk would suddenly speak up.

"Ay uhh, before ya leave, didja wanna settle the matter of your crew's name?" He would ask reluctantly, "You've been around a bunch and ya seem to be growin' your numbers, ain't gonna be long now till ya get personal requests for your organization... what'll I tell people if someone asks for ya?"

Zuqetta would sigh before glancing back towards the clerk, "Direct them to Zuqetta." She'd say firmly, "I don't have an organization, it's just me." She'd finish curtly before continuing her way out the door, "Let's go, Lilith."

The clerk would shrug, it was none of his business; for now, it was time for him to return to his nap.

Upon exiting the building, Zuqetta would give a heavy sigh; she knew that question might have been coming, but wanted to avoid it all the same. She wondered if perhaps just was suffering from a kind of ptsd about the idea; her view on organizations wasn't too favorable after the Galactic Frontier fell after all. Shaking her head, she would ignore it for the time being and begin to guide Lilith to their next destination; the clerk hadn't pushed the issue after all, so there was hardly a reason to dwell on it.

"Yep, work there is done." Zuqetta would state as the two walked down the street towards the Radditsu District, "I know it probably didn't look like much to you, but that's 'cause you were lookin' at the final results!" She would explain with a grin, "The job itself is already done, what I was doin' was turning it in for my reward. And as for registering you-" She'd continue as she flicked the ID card she held back towards Lilith, "Catch! Hehe, and don't lose that, it'll be what we use to identify you as a mercenary from now on."

The business portion of what Zuqetta had planned was complete, but she still had some personal tasks to attend to. With the Mercenary Station having been on the edge of the noble district, the two would find themselves in the Radditsu District almost immediately. Down the street and around a few corners, it wouldn't take long for the two to arrive at a familiar, old looking apartment complex. Zuqetta would remain mostly silent during the walk, allowing Lilith to ask her many questions if any at all. Her mind was too distracted by the nostalgic sights to properly concentrate on conversation; though as nostalgic as she felt, the feeling was also different.

"That damned old..." Zuqetta would begin with a heavy sigh while she looked around; before quickly cutting herself off.

While the area might have looked familiar, it was utterly in shambles; after Blizzards attack, many such places found themselves in utterly destroyed states. The King had taken efforts to restore the city since the attack, but there was no way he could help every area at once. This particular street was one of the lesser area; and more importantly, was the area where Vennel once lived...

"C'mon, we're heading inside." Zuqetta would say firmly as she kicked aside the fallen gate to the complex.

There was a time when one needed a key card to get within the complex; now however, not a single individual lived here in an 'official' capacity. The original residents of the apartment complex were gone; whether dead or simply moved out, Zuqetta didn't care. The new occupants of the complex were those who had lost their homes, and were without the power and/or funds necessary to replace them. The two would make their way up the stairs and down the first hall the led straight to the back, to the final room of the complex on the left. Most of the rooms were either far too dilapidated to live in, or were filled with too much junk; almost intentionally, as if to make the complex less of a favorable hangout for the less than savory sort.

Vennel's apartment however, remained intact; intact, and lively with a number of guests...

"Yo! Guess who's back!" Zuqetta would exclaim excitedly as she banged her fist upon the door to the old apartment; immediately being met with the sound of several locks and bolt being undone.

"Zuq! It's you!" A kindly, young Saiyan woman would answer as she opened the door with a bright smile.

"What's up, Clova! Heh, didja miss me?" Zuqetta would respond with a sharp grin as she took the girl into a quick, one armed hug, "Where are the-?"

"Zuky!!" A small child would scream out excitedly from within the apartment; prompting the reveal of a small horde of children to rush out towards Zuqetta excitedly, referring to Zuqetta as 'sister' and greeting her return.

"Hey brats!" Zuqetta would cheer as she knelt down, taking as many into a hug as she could, "I told ya, I ain't a sister to none of ya!" She'd respond with a mischievous grin before directing her attention to the oldest of the rambunctious bunch, "And it's Zuq, ZUQ; if ya ain't gonna say my whole name then at least say Zuq, don't make random shit up!" She would laugh as the she tried her best to listen to each of the small stories each child wanted to tell.

The apartment had become something of an orphanage temporarily; to prevent criminals from taking refuge, Zuqetta had taken to destroying or cluttering the rest of the rooms in the complex so as to dissuade them. The only two rooms that remained were Vennels apartment, and the apartment directly beneath it; Zuqetta had busted a hole in the floor to allow movement between the two floors, but had sealed the lower room up completely so it couldn't be accessed from the outside. After having reinforced the whole design so as to keep the location secure, it was then that she had taken in all the current residents that now called the location home.

"Who's the shiny lady?" One of the children would say bluntly upon noticing Lilith.

"Her?" Zuqetta would question as she pretended to mull it over, "Heh, my girlfriend!" She'd say confidently; prompting a laugh from the horde of children.

"You can't get a girlfriend!!" The children would tease through their laughs before they began to crowd around Lilith.

"Ouch, harsh!" Zuqetta would laugh before standing back up and turning her attention to Clova, "Hey, get your scouter, I gotcha a gift." She'd state with a soft smile, prompting a nod from Clova before the girl would walk back inside to locate the device, "Yo brats! Back inside!" Zuqetta would say firmly; causing the children to rush back within the apartment, laugh and cheering the whole while, "Heh, sorry for the sudden noise." She'd sate with a long awaited sigh as she turned her attention back to Lilith, "Come on in for a little bit, you can say hi ta everyone." She'd finish with a wink as she gestured for Lilith to enter the apartment; closing the door behind her should the girl have entered.

The two would walk inside, and Zuqetta would be quick to show off the area while the children continued to gawk and play around. It was understandable considering Zuqetta had never brought a guest over before, but Zuqetta still couldn't help but to feel just a bit embarrassed by the fact that they were all watching. She'd ignore the feeling however, guiding Lilith towards the kitchen area first and foremost; a Saiyan's favorite place, even if it wasn't quite as stocked up as Zuqetta would have liked. Immediately upon entering the apartment, it would be apparent just as small the living space was. One could see the opposing wall only a short handful of meters away, with a shambled hammock and broken helmet sitting by the window. Directly to the right of the entrance was the kitchen area; the size of which was only large enough for about two adults at most.

"Welcome to the humble abode I once called home!" Zuqetta would cheer out as she opened up a cabinet and removed a a tube of nutri-paste, "Here, help yourself." She'd continue as she tossed the tube over towards Lilith; only to hear an elongated groan from the children who crowded the 'living room' area, "The heck is wrong with you guys? Ya hungry? Want some too?" She would question with a sly grin; knowing just how disgusting nutri-paste tasted.

"We want REAL food!!!" One of the children would cry out, "Those stupid tubes are yucky!" Each of the children would continue to groan and whine for food in unison; joining forces in their complaints.

"REAL food ya say?" Zuqetta would question, crossing her arms as she raised and eyebrow towards their remarks, "This paste contains all the vitamins and nutrients needed for you guys ta grow into big, strong Saiyan Warriors! Ya got the nutri-paste, ya got plenty of water, the heck MORE could ya guys want??" She'd continue teasingly; doing her best to hide her laughter as she spoke.

"That stuff ain't food!!" One of the boys would yell; his remark immediately followed by the girl beside him, "Yeah! I want steak!" She would yell, "I want a saiba-dog!" Another would add, causing a reaction amongst the children as they each began to complain for the types of food they used to eat.

As fun as Zuqetta tried to make the situation seem, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of remorse and empathy for the children. They were children of whom had lost everything they had in Blizzards attack after all, most of them were too young to even realize what it was they lost. Lower and upper class Saiyans alike live in this little apartment now, and Zuqetta regretted not having the ability to see them to better homes. She knew she could have gone to the king about the situation, and it was likely he would even take to assisting them; even if it was just to raise his own image amongst the people. Unfortunately for everyone, Zuqetta's own pride is what prevented the children from the potential of better living conditions; she'd taken to financing their needs all on her own, and was intent to continue doing so unless they chose to leave themselves.

Before Zuqetta could respond once more, Clova would return with a beat up, old scouter in hand; quickly approaching Zuqetta with an pleasant expression. "Was there any trouble this time?" Clova would as as she passed the scouter to Zuqetta, "Couldn't we just take jobs with the city? There's plenty of us here, and even if the younger ones stay behind, the older ones could certainly take at least one sai-"

"Enough." Zuqetta would snap in a slightly raised tone, interrupting Clova mid-sentence, "I told ya before, I got this, 'kay?" She'd follow up as she connected her own scouter with Clova's; trying her best to speak in a calmer, kinder tone, "Ya agreed when I brought ya here; I'll handle the funds, you handle the kids. Your only job is to keep them fed, clothed, and educated." Zuqetta would say firmly as a chime went off between the two scouters.

Of all the children, Clova was the oldest; a Saiyan girl who'd lost her home and brother, but had taken to rescuing as many during the disaster as she could. Child was a stretch, as the girl was fifteen and even more mature than her age would suggest. With all the other children ranging from the ages of three to eight, it made sense to allow Clova to handle everything; the girl didn't have the personality to be a fighter, but made a good caretaker.

"Anyways, no trouble." Zuqetta would say plainly as she passed the scouter back to Clova and gave a confident grin, "Heh, I even added in a litter extra for ya guys! Get these kids some meat, fill their bellies for the day, my treat!" Zuqetta would exclaim, doing so loud enough for the children to all overhear and begin to cheer out excitedly, "I'll watch things here, but I can't stay long."

Clova would give a heavy sigh, worried about Zuqetta's well-being in spite of her protests, but would accept reluctantly. "Okay... if..." Clova began, before taking a deep breath for putting on a brave front, "If you say things are okay, then I'll believe you." She'd finish before rushing to the door, "I'll be back quickly with some supplies! Lee'Ak, Pinsha, let's go!" She finish, calling over the two oldest of the children, a boy and girl, before heading out the door with the two of them to head off to purchase supplies with the funds Zuqetta had procured.

With that out of the way, Zuqetta would take Lilith's hand and guide her out of the kitchen and to the only other door in the whole apartment. "C'mon, she won't be too long, lemmie show off the place!" Zuqetta would say with a grin as she guided Lilith through the apartment; giving her the quickest of tours of the tiny place.

The apartment felt much bigger over a year ago when Zuqetta had been smaller, and had been the only one living in it. It was also much cleaner back then, owed to the fact that Zuqetta had been the type to stress clean. Zuqetta couldn't help but laugh a bit as she remembered how things used to be; Onnio did always used to say that she looked like she was from a shampoo commercial from Earth. Onnio was gone, and had never seemed to return; his broken helmet had been given to Zuqetta a while ago by a soldier, roughly around the same time that Vennel's scouter was given to her. While she kept the scouter secure, the helmet stayed with Onnio's hammock near the now cemented window. A busted television sat in front of a now destroyed couch that looked like it'd been jumped on much more than one too many times; overall, the living area of the apartment looked rather undesirable with how ripped the carpets were and how cluttered with drawing the walls were.

Zuqetta would sigh as she showed it off to Lilith before guiding her to Vennel's room; the only other room in the apartment. She knew that the kids would need a larger space soon; Saiyan's could be rather destructive after all, and it wouldn't be long before the apartment would fall to ruin at the rate they were going. It'd be something she'd worry about some other time however, for now, she would keep her attention on Lilith.

"Go ahead and take a load off!" Zuqetta would offer, gesturing to Vennel's old bed.

Vennel's room was much different than the rest of the apartment; mostly due to the fact that the children weren't allowed inside. It was clean, and well maintained; Vennel's old armor rested upon a manikin in the corner of the room, while upon a shelf sat letters and books of varying degrees of difficulty. A single teen girl trying to educate a whole group of children must have been difficult, but Zuqetta had faith in Clova's abilities. Zuqetta would take to sitting in the chair next to the desk, closing the door behind them as she did so, so as to not be disturbed by the playing children. If ever there was a time to ask a question, now would have been that time.