The Monster and the Man (Zoki)

    Watching intently as the currently nameless creature reared back onto its (multiple) legs into a standing position, only to lean directly into his face with an inquisitive look of its own. As though the alien-looking being found the Saiyan just as interested as he did it. It was, sort of cute, in an odd way. Even in spite of this thing having torn apart a fully grown Saibaman just a few seconds ago, Dion could sense that it held no hostility, nor any inherent animosity within its being. It found food, so it feasted- who could blame it for that?

    Things took an even greater turn as the creature leaned back and appeared to gesture toward itself with its many wiry tendrils. Feeling somewhat confused, Dion's mouth opened as though to continue his line of questioning, only to stop and hang agape with what came next. His eyes widened as he could hear an audible voice start to reply to him in clear, albeit broken, English. 

    Blinking, Dion appeared shocked, unable to speak at the mind-boggling sight before him. Before beginning to laugh at what the beast had come to say. Did it really just call him a Tuffle of all things? He was sure Amara would have gotten a laugh out of that statement too. 

    Honestly, it surprised the enlivened youth that it took an encounter with a being beyond that of science and imagination to finally be mistaken as a Tuffle. Sure, he was miles taller than the majority of their peoples' tallest specimens, and lacked the air of intelligence that many of them also had about their person, but he still expected the mistake to come more often than it had.

    Either way, that was besides the point- Dion had much more interesting things to get into with the assuredly sentient creature in front of him anyways.

    Unsure of how to properly approach greeting it, Dion hesitantly put his hand out to shake, retracting it and putting back forward several times over before finally keeping it out toward Zoki to shake, saying in an animated, yet still cautious tone of voice, "O-oh, my apologies then friend! Your, intimidating demeanor led me to believe otherwise for a moment, eheh."

    "M-my name is Dion, Dion Hofferson. And, uh, just for the record, I'm actually a Saiyan, not a Tuffle, haha. Though, I gotta say, I can't quite tell what you happen to be. Mind if I ask you a little about that, uh..."

    Another question now popped into his head as he stopped midsentence. Could this thing have a name?

    "...Well, do you, uh, have a name I could call you?"
    
PL: 20,000 - WC: 449 - TWC: 1451


    Dion took note of the endearing, imitative nature of the biological behemoth in front of him, giggling like a little school boy at the way it put forth, took back, then put back forth its claw to eventually shake with him- the outside of the appendage feeling as hard-shelled as Dion thought it would. Firmly grasping it, the bartender shot the bug-looking beast a wide grin, all sense of fear or concern now wiped clean from his expression as he spoke in a chipper tone, "W-well, like I said, my name's Dion, and I am indeed a Saiyan- real glad to meet you Zoki! You're quite an interesting lil' critter, you know that?"

    Realizing the two hadn't disengaged from their handshake yet, Dion laughed sheepishly as he moved to pull away, his expression shifting from great curiosity to mild concern as his ears picked up on the harsh gasps of air his unlikely companion made every single time he moved to speak. Great exhalations near-shaking the entirety of Zoki's being, as though he struggled to make even the simplest of sentences form. This raised several questions- most of them tied still to his origin and birth, but seeing as he could barely tie several words together to form some semblance of an understandable thought, Dion believed that to be a topic of conversation best saved for later.

    For now, the Saiyan would do Zoki a favor, and keep things to a relatively surface level of simplicity. Offering a reassuring grin, Dion patted the beast on where he thought Zoki's shoulder would be on his body, saying in a comforting tone, "Don't push yourself too hard, okay, friend? I can hear the great gasps of air you're taking in with every word you say, so I'll try and keep my questions short and sweet for you to answer to."

    "A-as for why I'm here, well, that's..." Dion's face flushed slightly red at the difficulty he found with answering that particular question. He didn't want to look like a weirdo, even if it was in front of a debatably even weirder individual by nature, and he also didn't want Zoki to feel bad for intruding on what he wanted to be some much needed time to himself. So, taking a moment to think, Dion responded in the best way he could, stating simply, "I-I came out here to try and enjoy the nature of Plant- y-yeah. I've always had a taste for the planet's whole 'wasteland' aesthetic, you know?"

    "P-plus, it's been a while since I've been home, and I wanted to try and soak everything in before I inevitably left again." 

    One might question the complexity behind the answers Dion was giving to Zoki. Who knew if the thing even understood half of what he was talking about? Still, Dion believed in giving benefit of the doubt, and wanted to treat even the most odd-looking of compatriots with the utmost respect they deserved.

    Plus, something told Dion that Zoki was treated like a monster enough on a daily basis. Maybe he'd enjoy the change of pace he was offering to him?

    Moving on, Dion decided to stick to his promise of keeping things simple, and simply turned the question that was asked at him back on the beast himself, asking Zoki with a curious glint in his gaze, "What about you then, Zoki? Why are you here? These your hunting grounds or something? Got a home you'll be going back to soon?"
    
PL: 20,000 - WC: 588 - TWC: 2039


    Head tilting slightly in confusion, Dion realized just how demeaning it must have been for what he presumed to be a highly intelligent creature to be called nothing more than a wasteland 'critter'. His face suddenly flushing red, Dion patted where he thought Zoki's shoulder would be located if his body was more, regular-person-looking, saying in an apologetic tone, "R-right, Zoki, your name is Zoki. Sorry about that friend, didn't mean to disrespect you at all. Hell, you're more intelligent than most others I've met in this life, so I'm sorry for not treating you better in response."
    
    A scientific anomaly that could learn, speak, and even feel? What a fascinating discovery. And simultaneously also very sad, seeing as the poor thing appeared to be on an aimless path through a purposeless existence if what the bartender was hearing was anything to go off of. Clearly, Zoki was more alike to the young man standing before him than either of them previously realized.

    Both aimlessly wandered through life, unsure of what they were truly meant to do. Though, admittedly, Dion at least had some sort of idea to build off of. Zoki, on the other hand, looked like a completely clean slate- free to do whatever it wished to carry out on a whim. But something told Dion that the beast was looking for a greater calling than just whatever it feels impulsive to do.

    Nodding as Zoki reiterated its need to constantly feed, Dion held up a hand to pause it for a moment, moving to each of the currently motionless saiba-bodies left around them and picking them up onto his shoulder. Once all gathered up, the Saiyan dropped the pile of bodies at Zoki's feet, gesturing toward what the beast probably considered a buffet as he said in a welcoming tone, "Go on, have at it then-! I don't got anywhere else to go for a long while, so I don't mind you digging in while we have ourselves a nice conversation."

    Once Zoki would begin to eat, Dion would sit down next to the gargantuan companion of his, patting the top of his thighs and sighing contentedly as he watched the thing eat for a few minutes, fascinated by the action before saying, "Can't imagine they taste very good... gonna have to introduce you to a proper meal once I get myself some proper cooking supplies!"

    The elephant in the room, however, still remained- what with Zoki apparently having nowhere to come home to after this encounter was due to be over. A more concerned expression came upon the young man's face as he asked Zoki with a curious, yet worried tone, "So, you really have nowhere to go from here, Zoki? Don't it get lonely being all by your lonesome? Why not find a place to stay?"
    
PL: 20,000 - WC: 478 - TWC: 2517


    Eyebrows widening in surprise at the sudden shift in pace of intake of air coming from the beastly companion, Dion was pleasantly greeted by the sight of Zoki apparently doing what they considered to be their equivalent of laughter- a strangely cheerful expression on their (admittedly hard to read) features as they spoke on about how this would be quite the learning experience for the both of them. Even after all that the young man's been through in his life, it seemed as though monotony was never one of the things that remained a staying point. There was always something new to learn, something fresh to learn about, and Zoki just so happened to be his breath of fresh air for today.

    Ever the learner, Dion aspired to be.

    Now having a bit of a chuckle himself, the bartender looked on at the fascinating sight of Zoki feasting on the remainder of the bio-mass that he had gotten for him, replying to his original statement with a continued cheeriness to his tone, "Glad you seem just as eager as I am to learn more about each other Zoki, haha- apparently pretty well-attituded about it too!"

    The mystery of the other being's origins continued to grow, however, as Zoki spoke on its ignorance of what it meant to actually cook a proper meal before eating it. Shoving down the need to drag Zoki to the nearest restaurant or eatery to have the beast experience what a real feast can offer to it, Dion instead focused his energy on raising yet another inquisitive eyebrow toward the currently engorging science experiment, asking, "You're quite enthusiastic about eating, yet, you don't know what a properly cooked meal means? Whoever, or whatever, made you, they really did a terrible job of teaching you the ins and outs of the cosmos, friend."

    Tapping a chin contemplatively in light of the revelation of Zoki being Tuffle-related, and most specifically tied to the capital of Tuffle activity on Plant, Dion decided to save his questions for the end- saying in a chipper voice to Zoki as he pulled a knee to his chest to rest his head upon, "My home? Well, it used to be Plant. When I was a little kid, anyways- I moved pretty early on to Earth to find a better life with my little brother, Carro."

    "Most of my adult life was spent on Earth, but nowadays, I find myself bouncing across the cosmos more often than I'd like to, really, eheh. I'd love to go home soon, now that you mention it..."

    A forlorn glint in his gaze appeared as he thought fondly of home. Of Carro, of Capper, and of their little robot friend Bud all housed together under the familiar roof of the Diono's restaurant they called home.

    "... One of these days, I'll go back. But, I've got some business I need to tend to."

    Looking back at Zoki again, Dion flipped the same question somewhat onto it, asking, "You said you were from Hatchi, right? How come you don't go back there? Is that where you were, uh, created? Something go wrong?"
    
PL: 20,000 - WC: 529 - TWC: 3046


    Indeed, Dion thought, most people were born with the ability to learn and to grow- but to be made for the sole purpose of learning and evolving was an interesting prospect. He always found that part of science experiements gaining sentience undeniably intriguing. The thought of something being given consciousness of self and the world around them only to be let loose upon an unsuspecting populace without any sense of what to do or how to think or what to feel was one that caused Dion a bit of pain actually to think at length about. To feel potentially so lonely, so aimless, and for what? For some group of scientists' sick game? It made his heart hurt for the somewhat unbeknownst beast.

    At least, it would hurt more if he didn't then learn that the creature's presumed keeper had already been done away with. Doctor Pafle, was it? Dion made mental note of the name for later, maybe Amara's smartly brained self would know some connections to such an individual. Hell, maybe she could find a nice home for Zoki after all of this was said and done. He didn't think it capable of harming others of course, at least not on purpose, but the bartender believed it better for the thing to have a place of calm and solitude for itself to come back to when it started getting homesick. 

    Though, from what it sounded like, it seemed as though Zoki was set on making the entire cosmos its home- his eyes following the beast's gaze up toward the sky with a smile accompanying the motion as he said in response, "The universe is a real pretty place, friend. And if what you're saying is true, I think you'd have one hell of a time trying to learn and grow amongst the best of what it has to offer!"

    Looking back at the beast, Dion's expression shifted from one of lighthearted encouragement to one of sudden concern, the pain in its face worrying the young man to no end. He reached out to place a calming palm upon the creature's massive exoskeleton, patting him gently as he waited out the strain on Zoki's expression to pass. He wasn't exactly sure where these spouts of suffering were coming from, but if it was anything similar to the ones that he himself experienced due to his eldritch sickness from time to time, he was sure it couldn't be the most pleasant experience.

    Crossing his arms, Dion's belief in creating a house and home for Zoki only seemed to grow and grow, his heart aching at the mere mention of the potential past conditions the poor thing has had to put up with. 

    "Sounds like a pretty lonely place you had to put up with, Zoki. I hope there isn't anyone else having to put up with that type of treatment," Dion said as he picked and finnicked at the hood and robe still left upon his shoulders. "You ever think of roosting up somewhere else? Making a home for yourself? Or is the whole, 'lone wanderer' thing you've got going on what you're sticking to for now?"

PL: 20,000 - WC: 534 - TWC: 3580