Saiba Sighting (Open)

It was then that Gandigan asked a curious question, one that brought pause to Zuqetta. She'd cross her arms, thinking for a bit; why would she be there? If she had no intention to take the crown, then why attend? If she didn't care who ruled over the Saiyans, then why care if Taori was actually defeated? There wasn't even anything to worry about, with Taori's strength, it wasn't likely any besides maybe Lottus could even beat him, and Lottus certainly didn't seem like the type to care about ruling anything, at least not when she last met him. Zuqetta was beginning to realize how hung up she was on things that concerned Taori, and it frustrated her; she felt like she was no different than she was a few years ago, but that wasn't true at all.

"Vanguard... maybe?" She'd respond, clearly not too certain of what she believed her purpose to be, "It'll sound redundant, but I really don't care who calls themself King or Queen. I wouldn't listen to their orders anyways, I couldn't care less about that, but..." Zuqetta would take a deep breath, organizing her thoughts before continuing, "Anyone who wants to fight Taori, has to go through me first."

It was a childish statement, or at least she felt it was. She was no one important when it came to the Saiyans; she never attended the academy, she wasn't part of the military, and her noble house was all but gone save for herself. As far as anyone would be concerned, she was a nobody, people didn't even remember that she was the initiator of the challenge which led to Amara's rule. Her words could have been misconstrued as her defending Taori, but that wasn't the case either. She could feel it in her chest, likely the most childish feeling she'd become aware of; she wouldn't allow anyone to defeat Taori, if anyone was going to defeat him, it would be her.

With Lodi released, the saiba-pups would rush off to play alongside the still fairly fresh saibaman. Zuqetta's response had struck a cord with Gandigan, but she was too unsure of herself to really have any reaction to his outburst. She'd think about things a bit more, staring up at the sky as she continued to lay against the mama wolf. She found Gandigan's assumption at the end a bit funny, but that also made her curious about Alpinia a bit.

"You know, I don't actually know how Namekian's have children." Zuqetta would say, seemingly at random, "I've never actually seen a Namekian child before, and I don't think I've seen uhh, any girls amongst you." She'd continue with a tad bit of confusion, "Do you have a mom and dad? I had parents, but my mom died pretty much right after my birth, and my dad? Well, he was a shit face with no love in his heart, and I schemed to have him killed when I was fourteen." She'd explain in a rather dry manner, her expression stoic as she simply continued staring up towards the sky, before eventually giving a heavy sigh.

"No, no itch for the crown, at least not right now thankfully. As for Taori? I met the guy when I was fifteen, he's a bit too old for my taste." She'd say with a snicker, "I'm surprised you'd even suggest that, no... I can't say it's somethin' I'm hiding, because I'm not even sure of it myself. Rather than dwell on my reasoning, dwell instead on this. I couldn't beat Taori when I fought him, so if a challenger can't defeat me, what right do they have to fight Taori?" She'd explain, a smug grin coming to her face as she spoke, "Besides, they'd have to be a coward to throw a fuss in that situation, I'll have you know that when I fought against Amara, it was she and another that fought me. Two versus one, not a one on one fight at all. The strong stupidly accept any challenge, and I'd gladly do it again." She'd finish, her tail swaying about pleasantly as she found comfort in her response.

"Oh, actually I guess there IS one thing I'm keeping to myself, something I've never told anyone-" She would refrain from continuing however, curious of Gandigan's response to what she'd said so far.

"Not even my sister-" Zuqetta would respond , deciding to jump to her feet, laughing a bit as she turned to look at Wulfo, "-and no, not even Wulfo heh heh, though, I suppose Wulfo can hear it now." She'd say, sighing contently before turning back towards Gandigan, her eyes sharpening with a bit of a determined attitude.

"Funnily enough, you asked a good question right there. No, I wasn't mad when the two decided to fight me at once, and what was decided after they beat me was up to them, after all it wasn't like I held the crown to begin with, I was just the one who started the challenge." Her tone slipped, becoming a bit rougher as she recalled the crown challenge, "No, hardly any even remembers that I was there, that's no so bad. The ones that do however, they have a misunderstanding." She'd continue, her smile dropping as her tail whipped behind her, "It was a calculated misunderstanding mind you, one I intended people to have. They think I lost, and from their perspectives I did, I wanted it that way. What I've kept to myself though? What brings me more frustration than I can describe? Isn't that I lost-" She'd say firmly, her eye twitching slightly as the ground beneath her feet cracked, "-it's that I gave up."

Her expression had distorted to one of sheer rage, but she'd turn her face away from Gandigan, clenching her fist as she tried to calm herself. The magic that hid her power began to slip as she lost concentration, too distracted by her anger. For the briefest of moments, Gandigan would be able to feel a large portion of her power, around eighty percent. With a deep breath however, she would be quick to regain control of her magic and her energy would be snuffed out yet again.

"What was going through my head? I couldn't tell you." She'd say with a huff, "My stupid self thought I was being so clever, but I was simply being a coward myself. A coward too afraid to follow through with anything... ANTYHING Gandigan!" She'd yell, not knowing why she was telling Gandigan this of all people, "I tricked my fathers servants into attacking him in the night and burning down our home with him in it, but I don't even know if he actually died. I told my sister we'd travel the galaxy together, and then I left her behind, abandoning her for years. I vowed to protect the Tuffles, but when Zriracha got hurt, I chickened out and ran away to keep her safe! Over and over, I've run away, and in the end, I gave up in that damn fight! I... have NEVER followed through with anything." She'd bite with a dark tone, glaring back at Gandigan before taking a deep breath to calm herself, "I spouted so much bullshit about changing things for my people, slow and steady as my idea may have been. I don't care that I lost, I care that I quit... and heck, I never even stayed in contact with Amara afterward..."

"Sorry, don't mistake my outburst for anything..." She'd say, looking back up towards the sky as she calmed, her expression once again becoming as mellow as it'd been before, "I don't intend to make the same mistakes of my youth."

Gandigan's reveal was heavy, too heavy for Zuqetta to possibly respond to; she couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like for him to have lived as a cannibal, no matter what his reasons were. It was a similarity many Saiyan's who still believed in older ways had; invade planets, kill and possibly eat their population. The Saiyan's of old were different however, they didn't do it out of a need, they did it because they were just plain evil. It wasn't fair to compare regrets, and Gandigan was feeling like one of those people in a group that constantly had to one up others with a story of their own. If his words were meant to console Zuqetta in any way, she didn't feel it, but she wouldn't berate him either for trying.

"It's funny how you constantly break down things said into the simplest of forms." She'd say with a smile, sighing as she turned to face the cave, "You're like... equal parts warm and cold hearted, I can't even really describe you. I wish things could really be as simple as you melt them down to, but they're not-" Her tail would beat against the ground, cracking it before sweeping away the dust and pebbles in agitation, "-it doesn't matter to me if I can try again, because despite what you say, the past is very much in the past. Unless I can go to the past, I can't change what occurred back then, and the consequences that followed." She'd remark, continuing to look up at the sky with a scowl, "Sure, I can make amends, and obviously I can do something different in the future. But that won't change what happened in the past, or anything that occurred between then and now."

Zuqetta was feeling deflated, though had much more on her mind than she normally did. While not every part of their conversation had been the best, she at least still felt better for having it rather than remaining alone with her thoughts. The red sky above was dimming however as the sun waned beneath the distant mountains, she knew their conversation would have to draw to a close, and she'd rather have not allowed it to be in a negative regard.

"Anyways, I think we've had a long enough chat. I'm glad I was able to help get you started on speaking with the Saiba's, assuming you still intend to try that." She'd say as she turned back to look over a Lodi with a smile, "And, don't misunderstand. I ain't lookin' for comfort-" She'd say firmly, "-this shit's been on my mind for awhile, and I just felt like tellin' someone. Considering you're basically a stranger, hell if I know if I'm even gonna see you again after this. Doesn't have the same feeling of permanence to tell you as opposed to my sister or anyone else close to me." She'd finish with a bit of a laugh.

Surprisingly, Gandigan was the first to speak up in regards to the waning time. Zuqetta would glance back to the Namekian as he declared his intention, giving a slight nod as she smiled. "Good luck with all that. And in the event you die? Good luck with what comes after." She'd say, laughing a bit as she watched the way Gandigan scooped up Lodi, "I'm sure you'll pick up his trial soon enough, I mean, heck, we spoke about it earlier ourselves remember? Last I heard, the man was bound for Earth, hence my example." She'd remark, "But hey, things can change quick, ya know?"

There was nothing more to be said between then as Gandigan rushed into the sky, Sadala bound. Zuqetta would watch for a few moments, giving a yawn before taking notice of the Saiba-pups as they tried to ambush her legs with nuzzles. Her eyes would glance from side to side, ensuring all visitors had left, before she would scoop up one of the pups and nuzzle the creature with her cheek. "Awwww-bubububuu~ Uo's da cutest widdle guy!? A-ju are! Yes ju are!!" she'd affectionately ramble as she carried the pup with her back to the cave, "Uo wants to sleep on da sofa wif mama? Ju~? Is it ju~?"

While disappointed that she didn't get the chance to thank Gandigan for the conversation, she knew it wouldn't likely be the last time she met the man. She'd been given plenty to think about, and felt some solace on being able to get some pent up thoughts off her chest. The man had been nothing but a series of criticisms, and was entirely unapproachable, but at least that'd make it easier to care less if Gandigan chose to give up and remain in Otherworld. If he didn't? Then all the remained was whether his outlook on things would be the same when next they met.