"I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY LIGHTS IN MY LIFE!!" Jinx's arms were splayed wide, a giddy laugh resonating as the Majin soaked in the sight of the city. "SO MUCH... STUFF!" Nasibu was nice and all but reminded her more of like... a tier-three civilization with some magick sprinkles tossed in. But this? "It's enough to make a grown creature cry." Her thick glove wiped away a fake tear, and Jinx descended from her aerial view to skip along the walkways below. Despite the recent DECIMATION of Dharatan, it seemed the folks here were still impatient and unbothered. Walking like hounds were nipping at their heels, dressed in shady trenchcoats and cyber hoodies, pushing past everyone traveling even a nanometer per second slower.
"Oooh, what's that?" A brightly light neon sign - ironically struggling to stand out among all the other bright light neon signs clogging the city - pointed towards some sort of music bar restaurant thingie. Jinx couldn't read the actual Konatsian text on it, but music notes, a thin triangular glass, and a giant burger made the point of it clear enough. Now armed with actual money thanks to Acerola (and some other methods), Jinx felt confident striding into the establishment to see what it was all about.
"Ahem.. good evening, everyone! I know introductions are unnecessary, buuuuut.. it's me, Delia! I'm here to sing one of my most recent songs for you all- and best of all.. you guys get to hear it for free! Please hold your applause until the end. Heck, if you guys are nice enough, I might even stick around for some autographs!" Delia spoke into a microphone, those star-like irises of hers seeming to twinkle. "Now! Everyone relax, make sure you got a drink and enjoy my song, inspired my time spent here on this lovely planet. It's called: I Fricking Hate Sand!."
Within some little establishment, Delia had found herself on a small stage performing. Though, those that had to endure her horrendous singing would've preferred literally anybody else on stage. Their looks of confusion as they listened and spoke quietly to each other would be enough to prove that to just about anyone. Her song, which sounded as though a talentless child not only wrote the lyrics but was also singing them, went on-and-on for about two minutes. Two whole minutes of horrendous singing, that was more so akin to screeching, about why Delia hated sand.
After her little performance had come to an end, a number of those within would clap slowly for a few moments before returning to whatever they had been doing prior. Even though the applause was sparse, it was still music to her ears! "Thank you, thank you! I'll be hanging around the bar for a little while if anyone wants an autograph!"
Delia proceeded to shuffle away from the stage afterwards, eyes shifting towards the Majin that had entered the establishment at some point throughout her performance. She'd throw up a hand and wave in their direction.
"Hi, hey, hello!" She greeted. "Pretty good singin', huh? Maybe, hmm.." There was a brief pause, Delia humming for a moment before speaking up again. "Maybe so good you'd want to spend some of your hard earned cash to buy some food!? I could definitely use something to eat after that wonderful performance!"
"You'd totally be enough to lend me just a bit of cash, right!?"
"I ALSO hate sand! It gets into my pores way too easy." Nothing a bit of steam wouldn't cleanse, but that didn't mean it wasn't a first-world problem of annoyance. "Your singing is, may I be so bold as to say, roughly around average! With some extreme vocal practice, you could become the BEST on this side of the galaxy. I once knew a performer who carried a tone like a dial-up phone before they got some real magic tossed into their work. They're probably dead by now, I assume. Most Aliens don't live that long." Delia's voice was so horribly inoffensive compared to the utter garbage range Jinx had heard, but the Majin didn't much mind.
"Buuut if your tummy is rumbly, I could pitch in. I know the feeling all too well." Jinx didn't even know if the Konatsian-approved currency would be worth anything after she left the planet. ...And most of it wasn't 'legally' hers anyway, so, probably best to be rid of it. "Employee!" Cape fluttering in an invisible wind, she jumped unto a stool. "Two orders of burger and fries if you would! And some cola." She'd turn to Delia and pat the seat beside her. "Come on over!"
"Awesome!" Delia made her way on over towards the seat adjacent to Jinx, happily plopping down for some free food. She wouldn't make any arguments as to what was being ordered, figuring anything that was free was good enough for her. Her lips curled into a smile, feet swinging back and forth off the edge of the stool. "Thanks a lot, lady! I, uh.. totally left my cash back on my ship by accident. I'll pay you back someday, for sure!"
"I'unno why you'd think my singing is average, though! Your ears must've been clogged or somethin', lady! I'll have you know my singing is considered to be some of the best out there." Delia nods a few times, even if that was most certainly a lie. Still, even she knew she could always improve in some areas. "Buuuuut! If you happen to know some sorta vocal instructor or whatever, I wouldn't mind payin' 'em a visit- not that it'd help much, but it wouldn't hurt to at least stop by and all that! Heck, maybe I could even teach them a thing or two!"
"Oh! What's your name anyhow, lady?" The Saiyan asked, her hands finding a spot to rest atop her lap while she watched the employees work off in the distance.
Something told her no money would ever end up being repaid. Good thing Jinx didn't care. "My ears are impossible to clog; it's one of my special abilities." Leaning forward with a sly grin, a small puff of steam would puff through her 'ears'. "Majin Magic, as it were! Though I'll be honest, it didn't seem like the crowd was that into it either. I can dig macho self-confidence and wantin' to be the best, but sister, you ain't it just yet." Jinx suppressed a yawn, lazily looping an arm on the counter.
"Sometimes, it's a matter of perspective. If you really ARE one of the best from your home, I can buy that. A lot of isolated planets got no idea what sort of Stars are among the stars." Talent went a long way, but music was a learned skill at the end of the day. You could take any jobber without a sound-based disability and turn them into a pro with enough time and effort. "I dunno if I got any contacts for ya. Most of 'em are probably way outdated." Jinx winked, finger tapping her chin. "Though I used to dabble in it. Thought it might be fun to try something new. The market for cute girl singers is MASSIVE once you know where to look."
Ah! And here Delia was, asking her name far earlier into the conversation than Acerola or Salvo had. "The one I probably will remember is Jinx! Simple one-syllable stuff. I caught yours from those brightly colored glittery posters - Delia, right?" Some sort of Saiyan. Jinx always thought Saiyans were the muscly spacefaring warrior types, not popstars.
"Majin Magic, huh? Weird!" Delia watched as the steam blew out of the Majin's ear-hole-things, her head canting to a side. "Huh.. well.. maybe the other people just had their ears clogged, then. I'm sure they'd be up on their ears and cheering if they were listening carefully enough! Or maybe.. hmm.." A brief pause came about, the Saiyan's eyes shutting for a moment or two as she thought to herself. But eventually, she'd give a shrug. "I'unno! Maybe I just gotta keep on practicing more and knock them off their feet some other time." Maybe she just needed to work on improving her lyrics some more. Either way, her performance here wasn't the greatest, but that wouldn't damper her spirits. Her next performance was sure to be a great one. Maybe.
"Outdated, huh?" The woman's arms raise, folding across her chest as she listened along to the Majin speak. As soon as the Majin's name had been revealed, she'd pop right back in to focusing fully on the conversation at hand. "Yup! I'm Delia! Nice to meet you, Jinx. You seem like a pretty cool person, yup!" She nods her head a few times "Well, hmm. If you're at least a little proficient in singing and all that, maybe you could help give me some lessons or something! Yeah, that could work!" Though she could probably just run along and find some other teacher on some random planet, that could be a huge waste of time- and more importantly, a huge waste of money! ".. though, I'd definitely have to hear you sing somethin' before that."
"The weirdest." Jinx agreed somberly. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if the other folks didn't quite have their heads screwed on straight, heheh." At least Delia was somewhat receptive to the advice. People who doubled down and dug their heels in when receiving criticism were the WORST! Basically every Shinjin she'd ever met. "But hey! Nothing worth doing is ever easy. The most important catch to following dreams? Never give up! Pretty cheesy and prolly will make ya roll your eyes, but it's true. If singing is something you REALLY WANT to be the best at, you gotta put the work in."
The Majin nodded: "Yep," Popping the p for extra flair. "Well, Glaci is probably still around? Arcosians last a long time. Not too sure he'd be fond of taking a strapping Saiyan lass under his non-existent wing, though. No offense of course! You know how they get sometimes." Jinx glanced over at the kitchen, superior food sense telling her their meal had only just been put on. They'd only been talking for like a minute, after all! "I don't mind strutting my stuff; we're in the perfect place for it already. Might as well while them burgers n' fries are still in progress."
She'd rise from the stool with a flourish, bounding over to the thankfully empty main stage. "Wow! I recognize none of these!" Of course, popular songs and genres would shift over hundreds of years. Jinx was probably rustier than a cast iron bucket left out in a hurricane, but it'd be hard to outdo Delia's sand-based performance. "Lessgo with this one!" A simple, catchy, repetitive chorus pop song. It couldn't get much easier than that. Jinx stood tall, weaving in full body gestures and flitting about her small stage like it was the universe's spotlight.
Her voice wasn't uncontestedly the best this galaxy had ever seen, but it was smooth and vibrant, carrying the happiness of the song expertly enough to garner positive feedback from the crowd.
"Just gotta keep on workin' towards a goal, yup!" It was definitely true that not giving up was the most important part to succeed, Delia and Jinx seemed to agree on that, at the very least. "Even if I fail at something, I'd at least learn something out of failing. Probably. Though, I don't really care about being super good at singing or anything like that. Just gotta make sure that everyone knows my name and adores me. Guess singing isn't the only way to go about that, but it seemed like a good way to do it!" The young woman nods her head a few times, her legs continuing to swing back and forth over the side of the stool as she listened on as the Majin spoke. "An Arcosian? Those lizard guys? I'unno if I'd really wanna learn from one them! They're kinda.. stuck-up, ain't they? Wouldn't hurt to try, I guess."
"Oh! You're actually gonna sing!?" Her eyes trailed along as the Majin got up from their seat, Delia ready to listen to the performance that Jinx was about to put on. She hadn't quite been expecting much to come from it, but it would at least provide a little bit of entertainment whilst the two waited for the food to arrive. Her lips curled, a slight smile forming. "Alright, Jinx! Give it your best! Woo!" Delia cheered, clapping a few times for good measure.
Surprisingly, at least to Delia, Jinx seemed to be fairly talented when it came to singing! The response from the crowd in the little establishment was completely different from the one she had gotten during her time on stage. It was.. a little disheartening, truthfully- but, Delia wouldn't let it get to her too much. After all, with enough work, she'd be sure to elicit a similar response at some point. "Yeesh! That's pretty insane!" Delia called out, clapping a little louder as Jinx's performance went on. "Woo! Yeah! You're great, Jinx!"
"Aww, you're sweet! It's no big deal. My skills are a little rusty after putting that secret side of me on pause for the better part of... uhm..." Her face scrunched as if trying to remember something important. "Welp, point is it's been a long time, so I wasn't the best. And getting admiration at a cityside place where most folks don't expect talent to pop up is good for your confidence but not a good way to measure your skill." If Delia wanted FAME she'd need to do more than woo the people one place at a time - with a lifespan like hers, she'd die before making an impact!
"One day, once you're a household name, they'll put YOUR songs in places like this for people to sing! Wouldn't that be cool?" Jinx knew that upstaging Delia would maybe hit a sore spot, and she wanted to dispel any grudges or jealousy ahead of time. "You think you're gonna fly solo or try and partner up with other folks? There's different opportunities either way. Hey! Maybe WE could team up at some point." The Majin laughed lightly at her own suggestion, bridging the conversation just long enough for their long-awaited food to arrive.
"You ever been to Earth? They got some of the best food there. Some of the stuff got so popular other planets started importing the recipes and ingredients... hence this lovely burger before you!" She leaned forward conspiratorily. "Though this is probably beef substitute. Shipping the real stuff this far out costs more than a side joint like this would make back at these prices."
"Yeesh.. if that was you singing when you're rusty, I'd probably be blown away if you were singing at one-hundred percent! Still, it was good. They seem to think so, too!" Delia nods a bit, gesturing to those that had been listening along to the whole performance. "Guess I really gotta step it up with all my practice and whatnot. Maybe I'll try to enter some sorta singing competition or something when I'm better. That should be a pretty good judge of skill, right?" Surely that'd be enough for the woman to get a good idea of where she stood amongst other talented individuals.
"If I ever wanna have places like this playing my songs, I gotta figure somethin' out, at least!" Delia shrugs. Delia was a little disappointed in her own skill, but crying over it wasn't going to solve anything. Besides, Jinx didn't really seem to show any sort of negative intent by upstaging her, so the woman didn't mind it all. "Never really thought about partnering up with anyone, really. It could be cool, but, uh.. until you, I've never met anyone that'd even think of doing something like that with me before! If you wanna, we can do a team-sorta thing! It's up to you, though. You don't have to if you don't wanna."
On the topic of Earth, Delia let out a quiet hum for a brief moment, her eyes coming to a close as she thought. "Yup! I've been there Earth was a real nice place! Haven't been there in a while, but I doubt it's changed much since I was last there." Her eyes open, Delia's attention shifting towards the burger that was brought on over. "They definitely have some great food, too! Compared to the stuff on Plant, it's kinda insane how good their food is!"
"Probably?" Jinx hummed thoughtfully, head tilting to and fro. "A lot of smart people focus on something called 'sample size.' I'd say if you entered a bunch of different competitions all over the place and did good in most of them, that'd be a sign you really are a pro." In the end, music was subjective. It was sound and frequencies arranged in specific orders that some found pleasant. Describing it like that kind of sucked some of the magic out, and Jinx undoubtedly still found it fun, but she had to be realistic when providing advice. Delia might be a genuinely great singer if she had the right audience at this very moment!
"I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a free spirit. Hoppin' around from place to place. Meeting new people and seeing new things is my favorite! That doesn't mean we can't keep in contact and work stuff out, though." The whole 'plot to commit what some objectively call crime' thing may be a sticking point in their relationship. While Delia seemed like a cool gal, how OK would she be with crime!? Jinx assuaged the worry by taking a generous bite out of her burger. Tasty food was always a pleasure, even if eating edible calorie bundles meant for non-Majins was terribly inefficient in gathering energy.
"So you're on Konats, figure I might as well ask if you don't mind. Mercenary stuff. Y'know, fighting and taking stuff for money. That's pretty popular on this planet! Popular in this city at least. You into that lifestyle or nah?"
"A sample size, huh?" Delia rubs her chin a bit, a quiet hum leaving the young woman for a brief moment. It'd probably require a fair bit of effort to run around, doing all sorts of competitions, but nothing in life was ever easy! The hardest part would be actually looking for when the competitions and the like were actually going on, surely. "Well! I guess I can give that a try, too. Not like I really have much else to do, for the most part." So long as nothing popped up that required urgent attention or anything, that is. With that though, the young woman would begin turning her attention to her food while she listened to Jinx speak, nodding along at moments.
"Yeah, yup! We can keep in contact!" She'd say, pausing from her eating to do so, of course. "I kinda' do the same thing- hoppin' around between places, I mean. Though, I always make a stop at Plant just to make sure everything's okay and all. Last thing I want is to come back to a destroyed planet, after all!" Delia nods a bit, a quiet hum leaving her as a question was posed. She'd take a moment or two to ponder on it before giving a slight shrug of her shoulders in response.
"I'unno! I've never really done any sorta' mercenary work, really. I'm not, like.. opposed to it or anything. My parents used to do a lot of that stuff, actually! I do like to fight and I do like money, so doing that sorta stuff could be neat. Just, uh.. never really had the opportunity to get involved in that sorta stuff, I guess. If the opportunity did come about, I'd probably at least give it a try!" Delia nods her head a bit, sights turning away from her meal and towards Jinx. "Is mercenary work the kinda stuff you do when you're not bouncin' between places?"
"Yes, it's very scientific. Apparently, the best of the best started using data interpretation as part of their marketing ploys upward of a thousand years ago! Crazy to think that singers need mathematicians these days." Jinx took another enormous, restrained chomp out of her meal, complimenting the burger chunk with a handful of fries. Considering how ravenous the freshly woken Majin was, her mealtime etiquette was top-notch.
"Sho-" Jinx paused to swallow, a tiny belch following suit. "Whoops, 'scuse me! So. Do you have a number or something to call? I, hm, don't really have whatever the latest gadgets are so I'll probably need to pick one up, but sooner is better than later."
Hm? She lived on Plant? Last Jinx checked, that place was run by a bunch of super smart shorties. "Not Sadala? Oh, pardon the assumption. That's just where I heard the Saiyans came from."
Not opposed to it is better than morally incompatible! "Well, there's a whole spectrum. Some mercs are part-time mall cops, and others are vicious killer assassin types. What I do know is that it pays really well if you're strong, AND it's a good way to get a reputation going. Imagine that! Renowned bounty hunter Delia moonlighting as a popstar across the galaxy's fringes!"
"Yeah, yeah! Real crazy, yup." Delia wasn't the smartest, so something like data interpretation was far beyond her reach. Truthfully, the young woman hadn't even known what the heck that meant! Regardless, the Saiyan would nod her head as if she understood. While marketing and whatnot was definitely important, she had hoped that avoiding any of that nonsense would help get her further. She quietly sips on her soda for a moment or two before speaking up again. Though, the belch that came from the Majin prompted a slight snicker from the woman. She wouldn't say anything in regards to it, not wanting to seem rude or anything of the sort.
"Oh! A number? Uhm.. hm. Well! I've got my scouter so we can communicate pretty well through that, if you have one." Delia nods a few times. "I've got a little cellphone thingy I picked up back on Earth, but it can be a little unreliable for service and whatnot, so.. maybe not a great idea to use that." Quickly, the Saiyan snags a nearby napkin and retrieves a pen from somewhere. As carefully as she could, as to not tear the napkin apart, she'd write down her communication line and hand it over to Jinx. "You can get ahold of me through this number!"
On the topic of Sadala, Delia would raise a brow. "What the heck? Have you been living under a rock, Jinx? Sadala's been gone for a while now! Everyone packed their bags and got the heck outta' there! Now the bulk of us live on Plant. Dunno why Plant was picked of all places, though. It's kinda ugly." In her opinion it was, at least.
"Hum. I guess doing mercenary stuff could help me become more famous.." Delia shut her eyes for a brief moment, a hand raising to rub her chin. "Yeah, yeah! That could be a cool thing to try out- and if it doesn't work out? I could always just go back to doing other stuff!" She nods some. "Do you know anybody that'd be willing to hire me? 'Cause.. well.. I got no idea where I'd even start looking!"
"Scouter? Right, I'll keep that name in mind! Shouldn't be too hard to find a salesman or ten in Lux for high-end doodads." Taking the napkin delicately, it disappeared in a quiet *schluck!*, absorbed right then and there. "I don't exactly have pockets right now. Figured that'd do it." She'd have to remember not to fully digest the note, though tree byproduct with ink scribbled on it had an excruciatingly bland and dry taste to it; hopefully resisting the urge would come easy.
"Uhh sorta? I wouldn't exactly call it a rock, but I woke up on the bottom floor of some ancient Konatsian ruins out in the middle of some whacky golden fields. Think that's closer to the Kashvar territory? Anyway, the point is, I'm not entirely up to date on all the current events." As if to accidentally accentuate her explanation, Jinx covered her mouth as a long yawn crept free. "Euch. I'm probably, like, ten percent awake? Maybe less. Haven't felt this weak in AGES!"
Weak enough that a random Saiyan like DELIA could twist her into a pretzel if they fought! If Jinx was like any ordinary chaos Majin she'd be scheming what the best way to absorb the eccentric slammin' salmon-dressed girl would be, but Delia was friend, not food. "Well, we're in the best place to find that kind of work on this planet, as far as I know. And I might be getting into it myself. I gotta huge mouth to feed, and I'd rather just get it with dirty money than, uhm, horking anything that isn't welded down."
Was it wise to share her plot with the prospective money-maker so soon? "I may or may not have something lined up pretty soon. It'll take the edge off both my hunger and drowsiness... I hope. Maybe after that's sorted, we can touch base and see about making some sort of buddyship or team!"
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
Lottus: Friendly reminder for new folks to check the rules regarding art claims - AI Art is not accepted on Sparking for character sheets.
Apr 17, 2024 14:43:28 GMT -5
Lottus: Hey folks, got a new phone, but verification is preventing me from downloading Discord for now
Apr 17, 2024 14:43:57 GMT -5
Lottus: I won't be available until I get home from work!
Apr 17, 2024 14:44:58 GMT -5
Lottus: Feel free to dm me if needed!
Apr 17, 2024 21:13:47 GMT -5
Dingo: I'll post what you've said here up in the discord so it doesn't get missed!
Apr 18, 2024 19:19:20 GMT -5
Yakito: I am the #1 Tenrec hater (Striker will be struck)