Get To Know Me

So engrossed in emotion as she was, Zuqetta hadn't taken notice of what her actions had caused in the least; in fact, she hadn't even realized she'd made any aggressive motions. Slowly the flush of her cheeks would lessen, as she calmed herself, though her smile still as strong as ever. "But, I mean like... I'm not opposed- hehe, maybe not now, but maybe soon~" she'd basically be muttering to herself like a ninny, before she'd catch the attention of a curious Wulfo's grumble. "Wulfoooo -OH!! XIAO!!!" she'd exclaim rushing atop Wulfo to the kitsunes side.

Zuqetta would examine the kitsune cautiously, before attempting to flip the fox onto his back; laying his head on her lap, she'd materialize a box of tissues and first tend to his bleeding. "Xiao, what happened!? Who did this to you!?!" she'd exclaim, clearly worried for the foxes condition; she'd quickly glance around their surroundings, attempting to sense out any enemies, "Someone hiding their power maybe? I don't sense a saiba-raptor for miles..." she'd question, before having a realization, "AH! Is it residual destron poisoning!? Is it not all out of your system yet!?!?" she'd question frantically, making to embrace the fox in an attempt to comfort him, "If you were still sick you didn't have to push yourself to come here Xiao! I don't know how to heal like Jinx, I'm sorry for pushing you so far!"

Zuqetta felt an initial panic as the kitsune's fox began to grow a shade of green; however just as abruptly, the fox would kick back to life before explaining the situation, much to Zuqetta's embarrassment. The only other to endure such situations had been Dark, someone part Saiyan like herself, someone who could deal with the natural roughness of a Saiyan girl. It worried Zuqetta, already she had a low handle on controlling her power; whenever it was unable to be sensed not being because of her suppressing it, but due to her hiding it with magic. And while the fox showed a deceptive display of his health and strength, the fear that he'd be caught up in something dangerous due to her still nagged at the back of her mind.

"I'm sorry, Xiao-" she'd say rather quietly, her gaze wandering off for a moment before she'd give the kitsune another embrace, this one with notably less strength behind it so as to not hurt the fox. She was worried of hurting him again, but as she embraced him, something small would click in her mind. An assumption really, and one grounded in curiosity, a curiosity she'd been unable to indulge in when their conversation was a bit more serious prior.

She'd release the kitsune, looking upon him curiously; her brow furrowed as if in a deep thought, her own fox ears twitching anxiously. Suddenly, her ears would stand straight up, her eyes widening as the idea formulating in her mind reached its conclusion. First, a question for the kitsune; and with it, a possible request. "Xiao, how exactly do you eat souls?" she'd ask warily, unsure if it was a touchy subject for him, "Ahh, I'm not askin' ta learn by the way!" she'd try to assure; bringing her hands out before her, she'd look at them for a moment before clasping them together and looking back upon Xiao with an expression that mixed her concern and curiosity, "It's just, can you eat... only a little bit? Of a soul that is?" she'd ask somewhat meekly, her gaze darting away with every blink.

The idea of eating a soul seemed strange to say the least; she wondered if it'd be interesting to watch, if not a bit morbid all things considered. After all, what did it look like? Was there blood and gore involved? Did the soul itself even have an appearance? Perhaps it looked like the creature Xiao was eating; or perhaps it was just a small puff cloud like those souls in Otherworld she'd seen when sneaking in. As Xiao explained more, she at least figured there wouldn't be much gore; it actually sounded funny and familiar what he would explain, causing her to laugh a bit as she recalled a puffy pink character in a game that Russ had lent her.

As Xiao panicked, coming to a swift conclusion from her question, her ears would reel back. "I just thought..." she'd whisper, but wouldn't continue on, not actually knowing what it was she was thinking.

Having one's soul devoured likely wasn't a pleasant experience, at least, that's all she could assume. The fact that he couldn't was disappointing, she wasn't intending to die anytime soon after all, and something told her that Xiao may not have been so keen on trying even if she did die. She was having a silly thought, that's all it was... but, could he really not?

"They have to be dead." Zuqetta would mutter, bringing a finger to her lip as she thought, "Dead... Or, just not alive?" she'd ponder, her ears twitching with her racing thoughts while her tail swayed curiously behind her.

To be alive meant so many thing; breathing, eating, sleeping, having a pumping heart or two, blood and whatnot. So to be dead, was to be missing all those things. Zuqetta would lit her head, giving Xiao a rather serious look before deciding to get up and leap off of Wulfo. She'd step several feet away, her back towards Xiao; she'd glance back at him for a moment, before looking away once more and holding her hand out before her. Xiao was different; forget sensing mere ki or magic, he could sense souls. That said, he may have very well been able to sense what was about to happen next.

A concentration of magic, a transfer of energy as the medium, until Zuqetta's very soul would begin to be siphoned to the palm of her hand. Then, with a flash of light, Zuqetta would materialize a rather large great sword; the blade was both wider and taller than her body, and had an immaculate sheen to it like no other blade, as if imbued with life. The blade didn't breath however, it didn't eat, it had no blood or a heart, and it certainly didn't require sleep. It was merely a sword, a rather big one, imbued with a small portion of Zuqetta's soul.

"My soul forged greatsword." Zuqetta would remark, flipping the weapon through the air before stabbing it into the ground. She was actually a bit surprised herself; she hadn't summoned it since using her Saiyan Queen transformation, so she never realized it was so much bigger than her true self. that hardly mattered however, Zuqetta would turn back to Xiao; smacking her lips as she wore a rather hopeful expression. "Can... you eat this?" she'd question softly, "It's a sword, so it's not alive, but... it has a soul now." she'd explain, giving Xiao a soft smile.

Xiaolan's jape wasn't something that Zuqetta felt comfortable with, but she'd react no further than closing her eyes for a moment to offer those she killed a moment of silence. Those she'd killed up till not had been bad people; invaders seeking to claim portions of Plant, Pirate's who sought to steal resources, but it didn't make the feeling any better. Who she was now wasn't who she was back then, but that wasn't an excuse; would she make the same decisions now? Most likely, but at least now she'd give them a chance to speak or even flee; the person she was before was... ruthless.

Opening her eyes, she'd see Xiaolan deciding to take the plunge; his eyes were of a keen interest, alluring in a rather strange way that she couldn't explain. In spite of the pull she fight, Zuqetta would remain where she was while he approached the sword; remaining silent and allowing the fox to try his attempt. The result, incredible! A strange aura of something, the soul most likely, was pulled from the sword; as it vanished into Xiaolan's maw, a shiver would rush through Zuqetta's body. The soulless sword would crack, inevitably shattering; as it did, Zuqetta would drop to a knee, feeling as though she was suffocating. Xiaolan had been in the act of asking her condition, but would immediately drop himself as well, and in a much more violent display.

What was this?
So cold, so empty...
It feels wrong, it feels like something's missing...

Zuqetta calmed herself, forcing her energy to raise to heat her body before applying her Mana Veil to protect herself. With the application of her Mana Veil, the chilling feeling would vanish and she'd find herself capable of breathing once again. However, something didn't sit right... she'd just been thinking something except... she hadn't. Those weren't HER thoughts, but she'd still heard them; she hadn't a clue what that was about, but there was no time to worry about it.

"Xiao!" She'd exclaim with a sharp expression, rushing to his side and placing a hand on his back, "It hurts!? Has eating a soul ever hurt you before!?!?" she'd question worriedly; was her soul truly so toxic as to harm him so? She'd shake her head, caring little for the reason, "Cough it up and spit it out Xiao, you don't need ta eat my soul if it hurts you like this!"

Panic ensued as Xiaolan's condition showed no sigh of letting up, worsening even as the fox tried his hardest to cough up the portion of soul he ate. All the while Zuqetta would feel a chill that rushed through her body, contradicting the burning sensation she felt upon her skin. She was a Saiyan however, and unfortunately used to the pains felt from combat; she could easily ignore any feelings of discomfort she felt upon her form while she focused on Xiao. Then, a sudden relief; any pain she felt was gone; at the same time, Xialan would release an unnatural beam of light into the sky. An attack? It felt similar, but something told Zuqetta that this wasn't the case.

She'd pay the light no mind however, having witnessed Xiaolan's collapse after the event. She'd quickly help the fox onto his back, taking hold of his hand while she looked over his condition. "Xiao! Your energy feels weak!" she'd exclaimed worriedly, "Water?" she'd grimaced, she couldn't materialize such things... but a sudden realization, she carried a rather unique water on her person, one charged with a magic that restored stamina!

Pulling forward her breastplate, Zuqetta would procure a capsule and pop it without hesitation; the magic bottle of water being revealed from the puff of smoke. She worried Xiao might choke on the rather electric texture of the water, but it likely couldn't have been worse than he already felt. Popping off the cap, she brought the drink to his maw; as she began to help him drink however, the sudden impact of a sword plunging into the ground near them would startle her.

"What?" she'd would pull at the fox slightly, drawing him away from the blade a bit before picking up on the sensation she felt from the weapon, "Xiao, you coughed it up-" she'd remark, lifting her hand towards the weapon, "It looks different, but--" No, this was different; another shiver would shoot down her spine and out her tail. She could feel herself in the weapon, but if he'd merely coughed up the soul then there shouldn't have been a weapon at all; hers had erupted after all, and something about this blade felt... darker, but familiar.

"It's... mine... and yours?" she'd question, Xiaolan's energy resonating in the blade in an equal manner to her own. It explained a bit considering the sword continued to exist; the power of materialization being a technically invisible one, she'd already attempted to dematerialize the blade the moment she'd lifted her hand, but it wasn't responding. Then, it'd occur to her, a strange sense of serenity; she held her hand to her chest, while the blade felt a bit dark, she herself felt... peace. It was as though sinister thoughts and schemes that were constantly suppressed in the back of her mind were simply... gone.

She'd look at the blade once more, it was as beautiful as it was a bit terrifying; then her gaze would return to Xiaolan once more, her expression a mix of unsure emotions. "Xiao..." she thought of asking so many questions, but held herself back, instead attempting to lift Xialan back to a sitting position for him to better drink the water, "How're you feeling? Doin' okay?" she'd ask, giving the fox a kind smile.

Zuqetta would tell the fox that she was doing fine, somewhat better than fine in fact. While she had a strange empty feeling, it wasn't necessarily an unpleasant one, and said feeling was steadily melting away as time passed. The blade itself, being the cause of said empty feeling; the soul was a complex device, and what was severed from her was her desire to fight. Such was her mindset whenever she summoned a blade through the use of her soul forge; blades created in this manner were made for one purpose, that being to fight. Not to protect another, or even to defend oneself, but to severe and slay; these weapons were created with destructive thoughts in mind, and such had been the portion of her soul supped away by the kitsune.

Now, Zuqetta felt a silence, a peaceful one, one that brought with it calm and satisfaction. It wasn't as though her every destructive thought had been exorcised; by the deeper thoughts, the darker ones that constantly whispered to her, the ones she felt the constant feeling to suppress... these were the thoughts that had stopped. Thought that originated from over a year ago, from the time she'd lost herself in the chaos of her lies and rage. The time she'd taken the guise of Saiyan Queen, the time she'd forced the crown on another, the time she'd attempted to rally the masses of Earth into war. The other her who constantly spoke of the next plot and ploy, that other her was... gone. As Zuqetta looked upon the blade however, she could feel that other self.

She'd explain the situation to the fox as best as she could, though whether any of it would make sense to him was another story. In the end, she'd reveal more truth to him, and their serious conversation would come to an end. Meaningful moments would be shared, ultimately it would be decided that Xiao would keep the sword in his possession; Zuqetta was more than happy to be separated from that other half. Zuqetta and Xiao would spend the rest of the day together; she'd take him to the city of Sadala, where they'd simply enjoy each other's company.