Trusting Strangers (P, NK, Zuq)

It was nice to know she'd improved Laezi's initial opinion of Ayu, even if it might've only been by a small amount. She thought briefly of teaching Laezi not to judge a book by their cover, but after considering how the conversation had gone so far, decided it best to lay off the perceived potential parenting. Laezi's own mother was likely doing just fine on that front... though thinking about that, it did beg a different question... why exactly was Laezi out here all by herself? Fighting against armed thugs no less!?

It was something to question later,as Laezi suddenly began to shoot into a bit of a tirade, surprising Zuqetta just a bit. The young girl seemed to reach a conclusion of her own, equating Zuqetta's mention of the world being more complex than the simple shades of black and white Laezi saw, as an insinuation of things being "gray". Be it choices or actions, Laezi seemed to be under the impression that Zuqetta had been saying nothing was clearly defined, a plain splotch of gray that denied the morals of good and bad, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.

Zuqetta wouldn't interrupt Laezi however, happily allowing the girl to get her thoughts out. It was something that brought a smile to Zuqetta face as she was able to get a clear view of Laezi's own morals, and she would nod in response as Laezi finished.

"That's quite right, I think you made a good choice too! And I'm glad you think I made a good choice!" she'd respond, blushing a bit at the unintended compliment Laezi had given her, "But you misunderstand, I said things weren't so black and white, but that wasn't an implication that they were grey." she'd correct, holding up an index as she spoke, "Rather, the universe is a myriad of colors, mixing and separating constantly. In the span of a single moment, you could seek to help another, a clearly good choice. But you could be attacked by the person you sought to help, and your choice to help them changes. Just because it changes doesn't mean you swapped to a bad choice, but it also doesn't mean you're necessarily making a good choice depending on what you do next."

"Even more complicated, imagine you met a man starving in the desert? Offering him the food you have is a clearly good choice, but what if he ended up being a bad guy?" she'd ask rhetorically, "Without your help, his fate was unknown and dire, but by helping him regain his strength, after the two of you separate he could return from wherever he came from and begin to commit crimes! By helping him, you would have hurt others." Zuqetta would explain in a rather serious tone, leaning forward as she spoke, staring intently into Laezi's eyes.

She might have come off as intimidating, but quickly her expression would soften and a smile would return.

"Still, does that make your choice to help the man bad? Not at all!" she'd smile, "Examples can be even more complicated, like giving away money to someone because they needed it when you were meant to instead buy food or medicine for your family. Another situation in which you help another, but it causes harm to someone else. Heheh, but, there's no reason ta go into example after example, as I said, things weren't soooo black and white, but that doesn't mean nothing at all is black and white." she'd say with a nod, "This moment now was clear as could be, you did a good thing. Hehe, I was super hungry, so thank you Laezi for being so kind!" she'd finish with a wide grin before relaxing back in her chair.

"Still, you didn't answer my previous question, and with how much thought ya put into your retort of morals, I can tell you're tryin' super hard ta be an adult." she'd remark, "Is the reason too difficult to explain? Or somethin' you'd rather keep to yourself? I won't pry if that's the case, but then it'd mean you're keepin' secrets like you said your mom told ya not to do!" she'd tease slightly.

And so one of the two curious questions had finally be answered. The answer was short and simple, but it was enough, more than enough in fact to tug firmly at Zuqetta's heartstrings. Solitude was something she understood all too well; fifteen years of isolation, knowing only the fist of your father wasn't a life she considered good. She had amenities however, something certain Saiyans were more than willing to focus on, ignoring all other things. To that, it made sense to Zuqetta now, the choice to abandon childhood and seek out adulthood, childhood had never been kind to her after all, so she herself was quick to grow up, making it hypocritical to question Laezi so.

Zuqetta would rise silently from her seat, making her way to Laezi with purpose in her steps. Between her silence and stride, she may have come off a bit intimidating. Perhaps Laezi would freak out and strike her, or jump away and question her; regardless, Zuqetta would continue to Laezi, reaching out with both arms once upon her and wrapping them firmly around the girl.

"I'm sorry."

Zuqetta would apologize; did she have anything personally to apologize for? Maybe not, but she would apologize regardless. She squeezed Laezi tightly, enough not to harm the girl, but to hopefully share her warmth with her. Her tail would lift, wrapping around the two snugly; she lift a hand to Laezi's head, resting it upon her for a moment before patting her strange, rubbery, mandible hair stuff.

"I'm sorry Laezi, kid or adult, I'm sorry you've been so lonely."

She didn't know what Laezi might have gone through, and for the moment felt too afraid to ask. She knew that admitting to such loneliness however couldn't have meant anything good. When she herself told her sister the truth of her past, it wasn't a happy story; she felt tears welling up slightly as her mind raced with assumptions on the matter, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry, especially not when she'd yet to learn the whole truth.

Laezi might have had enough of the impromptu hug, and so Zuqetta would pull away. She moved to arms length, her tail still wrapped snugly around them both; her expression was intense, focused, but would soften quickly as she smile at Laezi.

"I have a friend, he's an alien, a Moginian he says." she'd begin to explain, "He says that his people become adults at the age of eight. You're eleven whole years old, yeah? Hehe, so you're already well and true an adult!" she'd say, hoping to encourage the girl; she'd still be a child in Zuqetta's eyes, but empathizing with Laezi's plight, she could afford Laezi this much.

"You've already proven as much by giving me food and by how smart you are with everything said, you're a good adult through and through." she'd add, "There's no more being lonely for you Laezi, we're friends after all! You can't be lonely if you have friends!" she'd say, clenching a fist with a determined tone, "You've helped me, and I'll help you, that's how friends show they care for one another!" she'd say excitedly, before calming down and placing her hands on Laezi's shoulders, giving the girl a wholesome smile, "So no more pain, okay?"

She felt the tightness in her chest return, but did well to suppress it... or so she believed, but whether she wanted it to happen or not, she couldn't prevent the tears from welling up in the corners of her eyes as she wished for Laezi's pain to go away.

There was an initial pain as she saw Laezi's own teary eyed face, but the Majin would quickly wipe away said tears. From her gestures, to her words, Laezi ironically came across as the little girl she proclaimed not wanting to be. Zuqetta felt relieved however, relieved knowing that her small gesture had done something to affect the girl if only a bit. As Laezi opened her arms, making her small request however, tears would flow from Zuqeta's already watery eyes. Without a moment of hesitation, she would move forward, wrapping her arms around Laezi once again, "Absolutely!" she'd exclaim, nuzzling her head against the Majin's.

If a hug was all that was necessary to melt the icy feeling around Laezi's heart and brighten her day, then Zuqetta would gladly give an endless plethora of them. Yet as happy and relieved as she felt, Zuqetta felt equally worried and pained. She couldn't help but to think of how Ayu must have been feeling back on Plant, alone at the Palace with none besides attendants to care for her. At the very least, thanks to Tunic, word of Zuqetta's safety was made known, but the thought of it was no less painful. It motivated Zuqetta further, she knew she needed to get back to Plant as quickly as she could... but now, there was Laezi.

"Laezi-" Zuqetta would begin, continuing to hug the girl, "Do you... have anywhere to go? A home to stay at, that is?"

She asked her question cautiously, thinking of how their conversation had gone thus far and the situation the girl was in. Here, in the middle of what Zuqetta could only assume was a random place in the woods. Why was Laezi alone searching for food? Why was she being attacked by armed thugs? Why did she want to be an adult so much, what was the cause of this loneliness? The real question Zuqetta wanted to ask, was where Laezi's mother was... Laezi had already mentioned learning from her mother a couple of times, but the facts surrounding her gave Zuqetta a terrible assumption. So she'd refrain from such a question, having a bit more tact at least in this moment...

As Zuqetta rubbed the back of Laezi's head, she began to calm herself at the same time. She was becoming far too emotional, but the situation Laezi was in was all too familiar to her, something made ever more evident by the answer Laezi gave in response. There was no home for her; Zuqetta questioned for how long this had been the case, and what had caused it, but didn't dare verbalize such thoughts. By Laezi's slight quivering tone and shaking form, it was clear that the topic was a sensitive one, and one that Zuqetta knew she herself wasn't mature enough to tackle. Perhaps it wasn't the healthiest thing to do, but Zuqetta chose to take Laezi's answer as it was and continue from there.

She would release Laezi from her hug, her face returning to a bright smile that hid her worry for the girl. Her hands remained firmly gripped to Laezi's, her hope to instill a confident vibe even while released from their embrace.

"Well then, how would you like to come live with me?" Zuqetta would ask with a kind smile; though in the back of her mind, she worried the little Majin may fear leaving her home world, and so she would quickly reproach her offer, "That is, not on the planet I hail from-" she'd explain, questioning internally if Laezi even knew there were more worlds than Earth, "-but on my world ship, The Eclipse!" she'd say enthusiastically, "There, many like you and I and so many more are gathered, we're a family, even if not related by blood. Heh, and I know I said ship, but it's way, WAAAAAY, bigger than you might think! Inside, it's like being in the biggest city you've ever seen!"

She'd never gave much thought to how she would describe the inside of the Eclipse, the design truthfully being beyond her understanding. What began as a merely an oversized ship with some few additional facilities, had since grown beyond measure, becoming large enough to dwarf both Sadala and Hatchi. It was impossible for a ship of such mass and magnitude to even make port upon a planet, but for those of the Dreadspawn that lived upon it, this was actually idea. Thinking of this however, Zuqetta knew she had to be a bit more honest with Laezi, as it simply wouldn't have done to invite a child to live with a band of mercenaries, regardless of how said mercenaries may have regarded themselves.

"Actually Laezi, I haven't been entirely honest with you-" she'd say reluctantly, before becoming a bit frantic, "Ah! That's not to say I've been lying to you! It's just, I haven't told you everything about me, and I don't want you to mistakenly think I intended ta mislead you..." she'd say worriedly, remembering how it was Jagaimo felt upon learning the truth.

Zuqetta would grip Laezi's hand a bit more tightly, moving forward to offer Laezi one last hug before finally backing away properly. She smiled, though that smile would fade slowly as she felt a bit of worry and shame for what she would say next. There was no shame in admitting her relation with the Saiyans, however, to not only bean adult but ruler to a people yet be in such a weakened situation on a foreign world, she couldn't help but to criticize herself.

"As I said, my name is Zuqetta-" she'd begin, taking a deep breath, steeling herself of the potential of ridicule and rebuttal from Laezi, "-current ruling Monarch of the Saiyan's." she'd say firmly, "My Queendom is on another world called Plant, but where I invite you to live, is amongst those I truly consider my family, my Mercenary Guild, Dreadspawn." she'd offer with a much firmer air of confidence, her smile returning as she continued, "We have no planetary base, rather, we live aboard our worldship as I said, traveling the stars as we see fit, visiting any world we like and living as we please. If you have no where else to go, you're more than welcome to stay with us, and can freely return to Earth or visit any other world you like, whenever you like!"

As Zuqetta spoke of Dreadspawn, there was a clear happiness in her expression, one greater than even when she was enjoying their brief meal. Her tail swayed playfully behind her, seeming weightless as it swept gracefully in the air, ever the obvious tell of Zuqetta's mood. She was prepared to include amenities for Laezi, but refrained, not wanting to overwhelm the girl. Such explanations wouldn't have mattered anyways if Laezi declined, so Zuqetta decided it best to first listen to Laezi's response to what had been said already, the revelation of being a ruler possibly already being a shock to the Majin assuming the girl understood the concept.

Laezi seemed hesitant at first, the cogs in her head clearly turning from the influx of information that'd just been offloaded upon her. It didn't take long for her to reach a decision however; accompanying her little sniffle and soft smile, was acceptance. Zuqetta beamed, she couldn't have been happier with Laezi's choice; she wasn't sure what she would have done had the child declined, but abandoning a child out in the woods certainly didn't seem like too great an idea.

"Heheh, you'll love it, without a doubt!" Zuqetta would exclaim, rushing Laezi into a hug once more; this time far more excitedly as she lifted Laezi into the air and spun around, "But hey, none of that "your majesty" business, you can still call me Zuq!" she'd say with a smile before setting Laezi back down on her feet.

She'd back away, dispelling the remainder of her magic in the area besides the ropes that bound the presumed thugs. Holding out her hand, a small white scouter would materialize, a sleek newer model folded close. Zuqetta would move it towards Laezi, giving a light smile as she opened up the device and turned it on.

"Have you seen a scouter before, Laezi?" she'd ask, quickly following up, "This little device here will allow you to remain in contact with me and the rest of Dreadspawn. But these two button specifically--" she'd explain, passing the device to Laezi as she showed off the functions, "--this one here connects directly to a really kind old lady, I call her Gran, but her name's Madame Maitake." she'd say with a wholesome smile, before pointing to the second button, "This one though, this one will connect directly to my own scouter, so you can always get in contact with me when you need me."

Zuqetta would smile, allowing Laezi the chance to get accustomed to the scouter; a worried look came to her, as she knew she wouldn't be able to depart with Laezi immediately. There was still some traveling she had to do on Earth, and for the most part she was a bit stranded herself; she wasn't sure how long it'd take before she could have access to a ship again, but be it one-hundred days or just one, it felt terrible to offer a place to Laezi only to then tell her she'd have to wait.

She thought of her safe house in East City, the one she frequented when in her guise of a human. Perhaps it'd have been the perfect place fr Laezi to at least rest safely until she could be picked up, but with how the Earth was to outsiders at the moment, Zuqetta wondered just how much Laezi would have to endure...

The excitement Laezi displayed was endearing, even Zuqetta was able to sense the change in the little Majin's demeanor as they shared their excitable embrace. No longer was their a dreariness or dour mood lingering in the air, and Laezi returning a hug of her own would set Zuqetta's heart at ease. She raised a brow momentarily at the nickname Laezi had chosen, but chose not to push against it.

"Zuqy, huh?" she'd muse, giving a small laugh as she thought of its similarity to a certain other friend of hers, "Hehe, okay, but only you can call me that." she'd insist, patting Laezi on the head as the girl began to show her excitement for the gifted scouter, "And if that's the case, then I'll go ahead and call you LaeLae, it's plenty cute itself, and suit you just as well!" she'd declare with a bright smile.

It felt strange to have a nickname to be referred by; it was rare to not simply be called Zuqetta, even just "Zuq" was something she could only recall two people calling her. Laezi's choice gave Zuqetta a warm feeling, a pleasant one, and she hoped that giving Laezi a nickname of her own would do the same for the girl. As Laezi declared her excitable love, Zuqetta with simply smile, softly patting the Majin's head; she wouldn't mention it aloud, but she was glad Laezi was still capable of expressing her more childish side despite her desire to so badly be an adult.

This however, brought Zuqetta back to the reality of the situation...

Earth was a dangerous place right now, and even armed with a scouter to contact her, Zuqetta would need to leave Laezi alone for a bit while she rushed to regain a means of travel to Plant. Once she had her bearings again, Zuqetta knew she'd return to Earth, but she worried for Laezi, wondering how safe she would be on Earth during the time she was away.

"Laelae--" Zuqetta would begin, materializing her own scouter and inputting a quick bit of information, "--I'm gonna send you something, a place to go... if you want to that is." she'd remark, and as if on cue, Laezi's own scouter would chime with the newly received message, "The message as a map and tracker, when you open it, markers on the scouter will guide you to my capsule home here on Earth, over in East City. We'll have to part now for a little bit, but you can at least have a place to sleep and eat safely if you go here."

Zuqetta wondered if the trip itself would even be safe, already she found herself constantly chased and assailed by Earth forces and so-called "vigilantes" seeking to take down the "dangerous Saiyan". She counted her blessings that, as a Saiyan, she seemed to be distracting the majority of Earth forces by simply existing, giving her some small solace in Laezi's chances of making it to the safe house. Zuqetta didn't allow her worry to display on her face, instead giving a confident expression to keep Laezi's hopes up.

"The scouter will act as a key too ta let you in, but don't worry, it'll only be for a little bit!" she'd assure, "I'll be back before ya know it!" she'd say with a cherry smile.