What's a Date Anyways? (Zuqetta)

What is this?

Lifted into the arms of another, something that went against her warriors pride, and yet she had allowed it!?

What is this??

Carried off into the sunset, lifted high into the sky above, she had clung to Dark's shoulder; it wasn't as though she would fall, and if she did she could fly... so why was she doing this?

What the hell is this!?

They'd returned to her ship, greeted by her crew in equal parts cheers and awkward smiles. Dark's victory had already reached them, an it was cause for celebration; while a great many in the Outpost that lacked skill and experience had failed to see the true threat that Ban had posed, the same wasn't said for Zuqetta's crew. The knew their captain could have overwhelmed the creature, but by sticking to a Saiyan's honor code, Dark had proven himself a warrior above warriors, and this was cause for celebration.

The crew expected their captain to return in her usually loud manner, announcing a feast as she often did anyways with little reason; yet the standoffish captain that tended to push away from friendlier interactions with others was now in the arms of another, face flushed as she clung to him willingly. None would remark on the sight, none foolish enough to potentially incur the wrath of their captain or the one she clung to; once released however, what had happened next made ignoring the new situation much too difficult for the average troop to ignore.

Taken by the chin, currently eye to eye, Dark was quick to place his request for his promised prize.

Had it been money? A grab at fame? Perhaps a ship and crew of his own?
Did he want to become second in command of her fleet? Perhaps he held delusions of grandeur and sought to claim the entirety of Zuqetta's possessions as his reward, becoming the new commander of her city ship, the Freezing Horizon and all its accompanying vessels?

No, it had been nothing of the sort; Dark requested only one thing, and it was something that left Zuqetta momentarily speechless before she stumbled over her words with an affirmative and excited yes. His request was for a day off at best, a causal request to get away from the dreary sights of Plant and to take a moment to relax on some other planet. Plant had been nothing but war and fighting so it made sense, and a day to get away from all the war, see the sights, and enjoy a nice fight with a rival of the past may have seemed like a pretty good day off to a warrior like Dark; to Zuqetta's ears however, she understood only one thing... Dark had asked her out on a date!!!

Now in the present moment, a light carrier craft flew through the skies of Konats in the direction of Dark's request.

A deep blue sea that stretched into the horizon, accompanied by equally blue clouds that softly dotted the skies. In the distance, islands aplenty of emerald greens that contrasted pleasantly with the tranquil waters. The vessel that carried Dark and Zuqetta approached one said island, one that housed a resort and further in, some few residents that would likely be unaware of Zuqetta's more criminal exploits in lux, but quite aware of the once televised Konats tournament. Not wanting the hassle, Dark had made a request to jump from the ship to the waters below; allowing the small crew of five who'd come along as guards to dock the ship on their own.

While an idea for a plethora of outfits had come to mind for the occasion, Zuqetta found her wardrobe limited when Dark had given a location in mind previously for where he wanted to go. A date at the beach, swim gear absolutely required! There were plenty of different styles she could have worn, her standard swimming attire being that of a simple, white two piece bikini. She wanted more however, it was a moment to show off! She could transform, perhaps take what many considered a more "cute" appearance of herself and don an equally cute, frilly swimsuit that would normally clash with her true, muscular self... but this was Dark, this was a Saiyan warrior!

It had been difficult, but with some calculated thinking, Zuqetta had taken to donning the black underlay she traditionally wore beneath her armor. Such attire was water resistant, and would act well as swimming attire; she could show off her figure with its form fitting elasticity, while also maintaining a Saiyan's battle ready appearance. She'd admittedly used her magic to decrease her height by roughly two inches so as to have the benefit of looking up at Dark rather than eye-to-eye, and could only hope Dark would hardly take notice less she have the uncomfortable moment of having to explain hr magic to him. Exciting from the changing room onboard the ship to see Dark garbed similarly to herself however, Zuqetta's face would redden yet again as a thought shot through her mind, WE MATCH!!!

With Dark's question, Zuqetta would rush to his side and take his hand as the bay door would slide open before the two. The ship moved at high speeds, with the sight of nothing but waters below; but this would hardly be an issue for she and Dark.

"Heheh, hell yeah!" Zuqetta would respond with a sharp grin, "Let's do this!" She'd exclaim as she jumped backwards off the ship, pulling at Dark's hand to attempt pulling him with her in his suggested free fall to the waters below.

The cool sharpness of the wind as their bodies reached what would have normally been terminal velocity; the brisk impact of the water as the two plummeted harshly into the water. Zuqetta held herself closely to Dark as they dropped, separating only once they'd reached the water, with the friction of the impact itself being what forced them apart momentarily. Zuqetta would rise quickly, breaking free from the waters surface with a gasp as she began to laugh; only to find herself suddenly assaulted by a sporadic pelting of pseudo rain as Dark shook the water from his mane.

"Hehehe, stop!! Kinda pointless ta shake out the water WHILE we're in the water, yeah!?" Zuqetta would laugh as she dipped her head beneath the water momentarily in an attempt to pull her hair back.

Zuqetta would take notice of how expressive Dark seemed to act when under situations beyond simply fighting and couldn't help but laugh. From the way his ears twitched about, to the way he seemed to display a much more excitable, and childish side to him. So caught up in the moment as she was, she was completely oblivious to how she held herself; disregarding her usual "high and mighty" self as she just enjoyed what she interpreted as a date. It was a feeling she never thought she'd be able to experience considering how things had been all her life on Plant, but perhaps that was the issue, she'd always clung to Plant. It was the imported books fro Earth she'd grown up reading that gave her such desires in the first place; and it was her few visits to Earth that brought moments of joy to her. Plant was merely where her home was, or rather, where her people were; but it was becoming more and more clear that the planet was nothing more than a hellhole of violence.

"So! What made ya decided on Konats?" Zuqetta would ask curiously as she narrowed her eyes upon Dark with a sly grin, "Heheheh, just interested in checkin' out some elf girls~?" She'd tease, thinking about Cambia and Crotona as she did so, "Don't worry, I wouldn't blame ya if that's really the case!" She'd finish with a sharp grin.

Zuqetta couldn't help but to laugh as Dark gave his assessment of Konatsians; it seemed she was the only one between the two of them who found a strange allure and beauty in their appearance, but to be fair, she'd also grown up reading a great deal of Earth fantasy novels. She was interesting in the "instrument wielding" comment however; it was strange and curious that Dark would cling to such a specific aspect when describing them, she'd have to inquire further at some point in the future, but for now she'd focus on their time together.

"Can't argue with ya there~!" Zuqetta would chime in happily, "I much prefer places like this, and Earth over our... homeland." She'd remark with a slight tinge of guilt in her voice.

She was born in Sadala and so felt a minor attachment for it, but considering how long she'd been trapped in her manor growing up, she found herself caring less and less about Sadala itself and caring more about its people. It was something she wanted to share with Dark, a strange interpretation that she'd tried to get across to Jagaimo during the fight for the Crown; Dark was quick to direct the conversation to a certain grievance of his own however, and if was something that Zuqetta knew she'd have to explain properly. She gave a heavy sigh as she dipped her face beneath the waters surface; she'd spent so much time manipulating the scenes from the background, that being up front about her intentions felt truly trying.

"You mean... the tournament, right?" She'd begin, averting her gaze as she remembered the spectacle, "Yeah, I'm... sorry about that." She'd apologize with another heavy sigh before throwing herself back and taking to float upon the waters surface, "See, I had never even entered to win, I had no such intentions to begin with. If I did, I'd have contacted someone strong ta partner up with-" She'd explain as she stared up to the partially cloudy sky above, "-truth is, I was taking measures to draw the attention of the universe to the Saiyans. It's... a personal assessment, but I found the progression of our people to be in a decline." She'd say firmly, with a less than pleasant expression, "Rosemary mind controlled and manipulated them, Taori led them into a war that equated to no more than a sporting event; something that left an air of grievance and confusion amongst the populace. While there were plenty who went along with things well enough, there were just as many who didn't. Time was passing, and the fact that a sixteen year old kid at the time was out gunning elites and military veterans was pissing me off!" She'd exclaim, slamming her fist against the water before giving a heavy sigh and allowing herself to sink.

She took a brief moment beneath the water to calm herself, realizing how infuriated she was becoming; though for Dark, she wondered if this was exactly what he wanted. She felt a hint in his previous comment toward a continuation of the fight he deserved; getting riled up now, they could have had a free for all without anyone or anything to stop them. She was more than willing to indulge, but for the moment she just wanted to explain herself properly and couldn't allow her emotions to overtake her yet again before she could. She'd quickly break free of the waters surface, taking a deep breath as she pulled her hair back yet again, before turning her attention to Dark with a serious expression.

"My purpose for joining that tournament was to fight Taori; I wanted to show off the power of the Saiyans, and what better way to do it than to force the King and his top gun to show off their powers?" She'd continue once again, "I don't know what drew them away, but that plan went up in smoke... so, I changed tactics and decided to use you for my plan. My first attack, I was well aware of the consequences of you hadn't stopped it, and I couldn't have cared less. It showcased the power of the Saiyan's for the entire universe to see; more importantly, it showed off your heroics as being the only one capable of stopping it, and once my partner was defeated, I was able to also showcase the "compassion" of the Saiyans as well." She'd finish explaining, performing air quotes in her final words as a sly smile came to her face, "I'm sorry for pulling you into my plans and manipulating you like that... heh, that's uhh, not the only time I've done such a thing, but that's a story for another time!" She'd conclude with a sharp grin.

Dark hardly seemed to mind the manipulations Zuqetta had expressed, which was a great relief considering how Zerori and Lilith had taken such news; rather than express any negativity to the information, it in fact seemed like Dark was attempting to encourage Zuqetta, alleviating the concerns she held. Giving a brief speech of his own as he rose into the air, Zuqetta couldn't help but to laugh a bit at the final remarks Dark made when referencing legends. His aspirations felt childish, but she liked that; she'd had similar aspirations once, but had pushed such thoughts to the wayside as time went on.

"Y'know, you're really strong." Zuqetta would remark with a gentle grin as she looked up towards Dark, "And I ain't just talkin' about your physical strength or battle power, ya got... a different kinda strength aboutcha!" She'd laugh before proceeding to hover out of the water, materializing a hairband and pulling her mane back into a high-ponytail, "-But, we can talk about all that later, hehe, don't think I haven't picked up on all the hints you've dropped." She'd continue with a sly grin, crossing her arms as she reached Dark's height before giving a sarcastic sigh, "I figured a simple apology about that whole tournament thing wouldn't cut it-" She'd shrug, "-well then, how d'ya wanna start this?"

The two drew closer as they spoke; Dark seemed a bit more on the flustered side after Zuqetta's forwardness, but didn't seem any less disinterested than before. Being so near as he made his final remarks, she simply couldn't resist; with narrow, sultry eyes her gaze would lock onto his as her arms came up around his shoulders.

"Sounds good ta me~" She'd say with a wink, before quickly attempting to move in closer to Dark to steal a kiss.

In spite the actions taken to simulate Earthling courtship however, Zuqetta's mana veil would suddenly drop and allow her energy to flow freely. As it did, her tail would quickly shoot around to coil around Dark's leg before Zuqetta would take to suddenly attempting to launch Dark downward back to the waters below. It was time to make up for the miss opportunity back during the tournament; there were no more judges, and no more expectations keep or plans to stick to. This time, the two were free to enjoy themselves to the fullest as they fought without a care in the world.

"Let's go kitty cat!!" Zuqetta would exclaim with a laugh, before charging towards Dark wherever he'd fly off to.