Third Time's The Charm(ing Convalescence) [Zuqetta]

"And I told you..." a trembling, but familiar voice would speak up, "Rather than... be out here fighting-" she'd say sniffling as she approached, "-you should be spending time with your mom!!" she'd exclaim, years in her eyes as she looked upon the beaten, mutated form of Yakito.



Before him was no reoccurring doctor, but a past acquaintance, a tentative friend, the Saiyan Monarch that left a literal scar upon a small fox during their first encounter, Zuqetta. Yakito was the only one harmed and changed; but while the harm he suffered was physical, the harm the now much smaller Zuqetta suffered had been emotional. So much had fallen apart so quickly, Lottus was lost, Patch was dead and buried, Tulse was in recovery due to Zuqetta's own tantrum, and here before her was a lad no longer a fox, one last jab by the now dead Yangcong.

"Yakito-" she'd say with a sob, "Why!? I told you that fighting was dangerous! I said that there were people even stronger than me out there!" she'd say as her hands wiped away her continuous stream of tears, "You coulda died! And what? It's okay because your Mom will be cared for thanks to Ticoga!? That doesn't make it right!!" she'd yell, her brow furrowing, though whatever anger she had would quickly deteriorate back into sorrow.

"If you died, she's be sad... how long do you think she'd be able to go on for without her little boy?" she'd question, her sniffling occasionally interrupting her words, "And... and even though to lived this time... LOOK at you!" she'd shake her head, placing a hand on the glass, "All your pretty fur is gone... you look like a sausage!!" she'd cry, likely feeling worse for Yakito than he felt for himself, "A stupid, buff sausage!!"

Hr hand would slide off the glass of the pod, her shoulders slumping as tears continued to flow. From the door a bit behind her, one of the medical staff could be seen almost walking in; with a quick slam of Zuqetta's tail upon the floor however, the individual would quick turn the other way, leaving Yakito and Zuqetta to themselves.

Zuqetta wanted to say more, but before she could, something else would in her place. Something small, something delicate and hardly noticeably with its complete lack of energy. "Kyu-? Kyuuuuuu~!" the creature would squeak in an adorably high pitched fashion, popping out from the right side of Zuqetta hair and poking out onto her shoulder. It looked around aimlessly, lacking any kind of understanding of the situation; it couldn't even understand how Zuqetta was feeling, but seemed to nuzzle against her cheek regardless.

"Mn, not now Chibi-" Zuqetta would remark, seemingly calming down quickly thanks to the creatures affection, petting it's ears as she spoke, "I'm tryin' ta scold someone..." she'd continue, laughing just a bit as the little fox-kit squeaked again, licking Zuqetta's cheek and continuing with the nuzzles.

Zuqetta would pull back, taking notice of the glass as it began to crack. She attempted to calm herself as she listened to Yakito speak, finding and understand as to where he was coming from with his actions. Yet despite this, she would still shake her head, eyes closed and brow furrowed. Eventually, Yakito's aggression would catch up with him, and the tank which held him would shatter, releasing the man and causing him to drop to the floor. Zuqetta felt the need to go to him, a concern over his well-being, but hesitated; the man wasn't finished speaking, but what he would say next would serve to do the opposite to what he may have been expecting.

The scowl Zuqetta wore only worsened, and without hesitation, almost on reflex, Zuqetta's hand would come up to swipe clean across Yakito's face. "THAT'S NOT LOVE!!!" she'd exclaim, her tears continuing, though much more angrily, "Killing and love NEVER go together!!!" she'd shout, her face contorted as she seemed to struggle to find words, only for her to drop to her knees beside Yakito, her expression becoming one of defeat.

She would reach out again, this time much more slowly, placing both arms around his shoulders before pulling herself in cautiously to hug him.

"I didn't go off to fight Yangcong, or the swordsman that killed Patch, or anyone... I just wanted to save my cousin. Even when I stopped Gira, I didn't fight her to stop her... and what she and I gained from that, was love." Zuqetta's body trembled, her voice shaky as she spoke, "When I reveal my power, most stop seeing me for who I am. They don't care about my likes and dislikes, they don't recognize me for my appearance... they only see a number, and only feel a pressure, and their immediate reaction if fight or flight..."

Zuqetta would pause, stifling her tears and shaking her head; she'd swallow, feeling a weight in her throat, but would continue, "Saiyan Monarch, be it King or Queen, it makes so many imagine a big, strong, intimidating Saiyan warrior." she'd say, looking back up towards Yakito with a pained expression, "I'm just a girl who wants to help my people... I want them to live healthy, happy lives, and yeah my power helps to defend that, but I don't gain more and more for the purpose of fighting!"

She would finally pull away, rubbing her eyes of her tears and taking a deep, calming breath.

"I'm sorry I slapped you... that was mean... as was--" she hesitated, wanting to apologize for the scar she noticed upon the mans face; she would not however, understanding that to apologize would be to deny the lesson she was trying to teach back then, "Protecting your mom isn't a bad thing to do, but leaving her alone is. And the one who threatened her wasn't even there, this "Maxzus" guy... their were some Mazoku, but not him... only Yangcong. If you died, it would have been for nothing, and the dangerous guy who threatened your mom would still be out there somewhere." she'd explain, her voice sounding more and more tired.

She recognized the name all too well; the name of the one who kidnapped Lottus, the name of the one who was a dear friend to Gira. She felt so conflicted, but wouldn't defend his actions; it might have hurt Gira's feelings to know that Zuqetta wouldn't, but she had no intention of insulting Yakito with such a thing.

"Getting strong also isn't bad, do it, and if someone bad shows to hurt the people you care about, then defend them." she'd remark, taking another breath before looking back up towards Yakito with a determined gaze, "But you shouldn't seek out war, you couldn't even beat Yangcong." she'd say, shaking her head and quickly amending her statement, "Yangcong hurt others, but lets say you were strong enough and defeated him. You're a hero now, but you don't care about that. All that matters is that the people you care about are safe." she'd explain, "But Yangcong had a friend, someone stronger than he was, stronger than you. They're upset over what you did and come after you; you've now endangered those around you with a threat that previously had no interest in you." she'd say firmly, "And if you fail to defeat them? Then even if you survive, those around you might still suffer..."

Zuqetta sighed, her determined expression fading as her gaze lowered to the ground. Her tail slumped, stretching along the floor with barely a mild twitch even.

"You'll get stronger, and defeat them too... and the cycle of hate will continue with someone new, over and over for all eternity, disguised as an action of love."

Zuqetta would wipe away her tears as Yakito began to explain things proper; to her surprise, there was much more for the Squadron than merely being soldiers. It was something that helped Zuqetta to smile, Ticoga seemed to treat his Squadron much like how Zuqetta treated those of the Dreadspawn. Ticoga proved much more stalwart a leader however, apparently never missing a beat; Zuqetta on the other hand had simply wanted a family when she chose to take over what remained of the Galactic Frontier. She'd done her best to maintain a commanding attitude, but her crew had long since understood that she was no military leader; to her credit however, none amongst her crew had ever brought it up or stood against her, instead merely covering for any of her mistakes.

Now was different however, mistakes were made that couldn't be so easily covered, and Zuqetta was realizing the cost of war in a way she'd never wished. She'd seen some few skirmishes between Saiyans and Tuffles in the past, and had even been attacked herself; but as much as she disliked those experiences, it was nothing she couldn't handle. This was different; so many dead, so many wounded, and not merely cuts and abrasions. It wasn't a simple massive burn or stab through the chest that would scar, not a simply slice of an arm that could be reattached. Yakito's entire form had been altered, and though she didn't yet know it, Ginko had suffered comparably worse.

None of this mattered to Yakito however, he seemingly didn't even take notice of his appearance, such a thing was arbitrary to him. Tertiary when compared to fulfilling his duty as part of the Squadron. To that, even as his anger boiled and his power increased with his passionate explanation, Zuqetta would still look towards him with an expression of respect. Finally, Yakito would drop; his power overflowing, almost burning, but Zuqetta's Mana Veil would protect her. She placed a hand on Yakito's head, petting it gently as she offered a kind smile; her tail flicked about behind her with much more enthusiasm despite the clear weariness she seemed to exhibit.

"That's admirable." she'd say, plain and simple, before pulling her hand away.

She seemed to grimace a bit, holding her left wrist; she would wince with pain as she touched it, unaware herself that the bone had been fractured. Internally she'd laugh, wondering if it hurt due to slapping Yakito too hard; she'd ignore the pain however, looking back up towards the man.

"You're strong, stronger than me in the way that matters." she'd say with a bit of nervousness; her eyes became a bit watery yet again, but she refused to let the tears flow this time around, "I'm not a soldier, or a warrior, or anything like that... I don't want... don't want to go through this again." she'd state, her gaze dropping as her expression became more pained, "So many died... so many got hurt, and... and I got so angry with Tulse, that..." she closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm not like you Yakito-" she'd say, her voice trembling once again, "I'm not like Tulse, or Ticoga, or the Squadron... I'm not like any of you..." she'd say, tears falling from the corners of her eyes on onto the floor below despite her attempts to hold be, "But... no one seems to see that..."

It may have been how she felt, but even in the moment that she said it, it couldn't have been further from the truth. Her pain and tears were immediately tended to by the creature that DID see that she was different, both in this life and its previous life. A small bap from it's paw upon her cheek, before the creature would give a worried yip and begin to lick with concern, snuggling against Zuqetta's neck and cheek in an attempt to distract her from how she was feeling.

Zuqetta would bring a hand up, petting the forehead of the tiny little fox creature; already she could feel her self-depreciating attitude melting away. Of course, hearing Yakito agree so quickly with her about how she couldn't be the same hit a bit hard, however the man had no intention of stopping there. As he continued, Zuqetta would feel a warmth come to her chest; she certainly had a bad habit of focusing solely on her own negative qualities, but as Yakito would point out, the good qualities were there.

Battles in the future were sure to come, and villains would need to be stopped; she may not have had the same strength of will in her to meet those threats beyond her borders, but that was what individuals such at Yakito was for.

Zuqetta would smile, blushing just a bit, bringing the palm of her hand up to wipe away the remainder of her tears both from her eyes and cheeks. Yakito spoke similarly to Ticoga when it came to how she was changing things around in Sadala, a departure from the previous ruling monarchs and their pension for continuous war and battle. Whether this would be a truly positive outcome for the future still remained to be seen, but it had certain been something that'd begun to shake up society far more than anything else had in the past fifty years.

"I agree-!" she'd remark as Yakito spoke of the growing bond between the Saiyan Kingdom and Arcosian Empire; she'd finally stand back up, taking a deep breath as her calm returned, "Hehe, Yaki, whatever classes you're studying in seem ta be doin' you wonders." she'd say with a laugh, looking up towards him. She'd pause, her eyes widening a bit, "You've gotten big, and in such a short time!" she'd remark, though it wasn't merely his height she was remarking on, "Your energy, Yaki you just suddenly buffed up!" she'd exclaim with intrigue, circling Yakito and tapping his arms and back to get a good look at him.

She'd nearly compared him to Lottus, but didn't think Yakito would take kindly to such a comparison. While his previous outburst might have given her a bit of surprise, her trust in him had kept her from flinching. With the changes happening to so many, such levels of transformative power were hardly anything new. This however? This was different! She was certain his power was quite a bit lower prior to his outburst, and his state had been fairly weakened. Now however, it had grown, and his fatigue was seemingly lifted, he seemed to move about just as spry as ever!

She would stop before him, ceasing her intrusive examination; she laughed, but would quickly bring a hand to cover her mouth, attempting to stifle it so as to not cause confusion.

"Heheh, seriously... when you showed up at the Brawl Hole that day, you were so small, weak, and uncontrolled. Just a bratty little kid-" she'd remark with a pleasant sigh, "Now your big, so much stronger, and even with that outburst, I didn't fear you'd lose control and attack me in the least." she'd smile, looking back up to Yakito, "I'm proud of you, you've grown a lot with Ticoga."

Her gaze seemed regretful despite her smile and it was clear where she was looking; while she tried to maintain eye contact, the occasional flick of her eyes gave away her stolen glanced towards the scar on his face. She'd hurt him, caused a permanent blemish and reminder upon him all because she refused to accept his way of thinking. She felt hypocritical, that she would allow Saiyans to follow their own way to the point that it would potentially get them killed, but not afford the same to Yakito, or any other that wasn't a Saiyan for that matter. She couldn't take back what she'd done, and didn't know the path he might have taken even if she could; that didn't mean she couldn't make amends for the future however, the past ever being something to look back on and learn from.

"Yaki--" she began, pausing to take a breath as she steeled her confidence; she'd back away from the man, placing both her hands together before her to adopt a more regal posture, "The mission on Namek." she'd state, her voice giving a firmer air of confidence, "For the Armored Squadron and Arcosian Forces, the mission was a complete success. I know you were unfortunately removed from battle before the end, but the castle was destroyed, the faction of Mazoku that followed Gandigan have been uprooted, and there were no casualties amongst the Armored Squadron."

Zuqetta would give Yakito a moment to absorb the information, taking a much needed breath to calm the turmoil she felt inside. She thought of Tulse's anger, and the words she spoke; she thought of the accused weakness, and the actions she'd been taking since the battle ended. Even if she didn't want to go off and fight, even if she wanted to live a peaceful happy life, she was still a Queen,, she was still powerful, and needed to move as such. She couldn't allow the same outcome to happen due to her weakness, and the injuries she'd caused Yakito and Tulse would both act as a reminder of that.

"Unfortunately, my personal mission to retrieve Lottus... was a failure." She'd continue, her gaze dropping for a moment as she explained, "In my foolishness, thinking I could protect everyone and be everyone, I'd left the task of escorting my cousin away from the castle, to a squadron member. I received word that this squadron member was attacked, and my cousin was no where to be found after. The squadron member lives, but I do not know his condition..."

Zuqetta intended to visit the member once her visit with Yakito was concluded, but it'd have been a bit before she even could. While she didn't know his condition, medical staff had made it clear that it was critical, and the man had been in the operating room for what seemed like endless hours.

"Yakito, these something I wish to say... but, first I need to hear your thoughts." she'd say, looking back up towards him with an intense look, "That whole battle, to my arrival, Ticoga's, Yangcong, the orders issued, everything. Please, if you will; as a soldier on the ground who witnessed every bit of the conflict and charged recklessly against Yangcong, give me your assessment on the battle, and tell me what YOU believe was lacking..."

Zuqetta closed her eyes, listening intently as Yakito gave his meager recount. It was short, to the point; a perception from one clearly not a strategist, but enough to easily understand. Once he'd finish, Zuqetta's eyes would open, her gaze directed towards the ground as she thought. As Yakito had said, it truly was an impromptu situation, only made worse by a failure by some to follow order and a sudden change in the plan.

"Even as rushed as they were, both I and Ticoga prepared strategies for our forces in advanced." she'd remark, sighing, "It was indeed a failure to follow through with the plan as it was laid out that led to such chaos, as well as-" she'd look back up to Yakito, looking over his appearance, "-unforeseen events."

She'd cross her arms, intent to bring a thumb to her lip to think, but the act of crossing her arms caused her left wrist even further pain. "Gah!" she'd wince, immediately holding her arm away; a sharp pain surging from her wrist, through her hand, and back up her forearm, "Maybe I DID slap you too hard?" she'd question, the little fox creature upon her shoulder yipping with clear concern.

Zuqetta would dematerialize her gauntlet and sleeve to get a better look at her wrist; upon seeing it, she would immediately flinch, going pale and cold. She'd been bruised before, but never like this; injuries she'd sustained typically healing within minutes thanks to her magic. She could feel magic gathering at her wrist, but the process was slow; her wrist was swollen, purple with a greenish tone along the edges of the main bruise. Looking at it now, the pain was amplified; her previously blissful ignorance had run its course, and it was clear now that she'd suffered an injury of her own in the battle.

"Ge--- p-pain!" she'd state plainly, reeling back and clutching at her arm. She'd nearly clutched at her wrist itself, but fear of causing further pain prevented her from performing the foolish action, "Owowowowow, Yaki!" she'd call out, looking back towards Yakito with concern, "What is this!? What happened??? I didn't hit you THAT hard, I'm sure!!" she recoiled, her tail wrapping around her waist defensively as she glanced around in confusion, unsure of the next action to take.

She seemed to near by frantic, but would pause; a realization came to mind almost immediately, the start of the battle playing back through her head. She recalled rushing past Ticoga, intending to go after Tulse herself, only to witness Gira charging the Emperor. A split second decision had sent Zuqetta to intercept; her arm extended to catch Gira's fist, and Zuqetta felt something... something like a "crack", the same something she felt from Tulse though not nearly to the same extent. This had to be it however, Zuqetta had never blocked such power before, let alone heard her body react in such a way.

The realization wasn't calming however, as her attention would turn back to Yakito, tears nearly beginning to form once again in her eyes. "Is it broken!?"

Zuqetta's personal panic was exasperated by Yakito assumed affirmation that she may have indeed broken a bone. In all the fights she'd been in, she'd NEVER broken a bone! Even the harsh training her father gave had never left her with any broken bones!!

She rose to her feet, her grip with her free hand tight around her left forearm; her teeth held tightly together as she hissed with pain. She paced back and forth, unsure of what to do; sit and relax? Jump into a healing tank? Find a senzu? HYPER CHARGE HER WRIST WITH MAGIC!?!? Yakito warned her not to move before rushing out, returning only mere moments later, quick enough that Zuqetta was prevented from doing anything brash.

Accompanying Yakito, was a Doctor who quickly made to introduce themselves before reaching out and requesting Zuqetta's wrist.

She was hesitant, hardly thinking straight, the biggest thought in her head being that if they touched it it was only going to hurt more. Her face and momentary reluctance wasn't lost on the Majin, who glanced over to see Yakito in a panic himself; he'd smile awkwardly before turning his attention back toward Zuqetta.

"Now, now, your majesty, I won't hurt you. Here, look-" Arcana would pull up his sleeves, leaving his arms completely exposed; he'd show off both his hands, squeezing them tightly and causing them to squish and bulge, "See? Softer than any pillow you've laid your head on." he'd remark with a smile, holding out his palm once more and poking it with his other hand just to further show off how squishy he was.

The sight calmed Zuqetta bit, and thought still hesitant, she'd reluctantly hold out her arm, placing her wrist in his rather large hand.

"It hurts!" she'd cry softly, teary-eyed, "I-Is it broken!?"

The doctor would move his hand over towards Zuqetta's good hand, which still held her left arm in a death like grip. Gently he'd help her to release said grip, before turning his attention over towards her afflicted wrist. His gaze was sharp and focused as he began to gently prod at the area around the wound, causing Zuqetta to flinch slightly.

"Can you still move it?" He'd ask, to which Zuqetta would immediately shake her head in adamant refusal to even try, "Eheh, how about your fingers? Could you move those for me?"

As simple as the asked question, Zuqetta would indeed begin to move her fingers; simple up and down motions as she worried doing more would cause her to move her wrist. The doctor would nod, giving a pleasant hum as he smiled; he'd reach his arm off to the side, the appendage stretching out to fumble through the nearby drawers.

"Tell me your majesty, have you ever been in a fight?"

Zuqetta would nod, initially confused by would answer, "Y-yeah? Plenty-"

"And have you ever broken anything before? Or perhaps sprained something?"

She'd shake her head profusely, closing her eyes as she noticed the mans appendage returning, now separated into several smaller hands that each held something different.

"It's okay to close your eyes, I'm just going to apply a bit of salve. You'll feel a cooling sensation, and the pain will start to fade." he'd remark, opening a bottle of something, "If it begins to hurt, let me know." he'd remark, already getting to work, "While I have you, tell me your Majesty, do you enjoy being aboard the Relentless? Besides now of course, have you been enjoying your stay?" he'd ask, "The whole ship is aware of your presence you know, you're quite the celebrity."

He'd look over towards Yakito for a quick moment, giving a soft nod and gesturing with a head tentacle to play along.

Zuqetta was initially confused, now CERTAINLY wasn't the time for small talk! She'd have rather the doctor just focus on fixing her wrist, but wasn't about to be rude about it, especially not with her wrist still being held. She took a moment to think, her eyes closing even more tightly as she did indeed feel the cold chill the doctor spoke of.

"I do, but I wish it was under better circumstances!" she'd exclaim, shaking her head as she prepared herself for oncoming pain, "I don't think anyone's really aware of me though! I'm not THAT special!" she'd say, nervous, but blushing a bit from the remark.

Zuqetta's face would redden a bit as both Yakito and the Doctor showered her with what she saw as unnecessary praise. Her attention had completely turned from the Doctor, and over towards Yakito instead as he went on explaining the positive impact she was likely to have. While she was of course happy to hear it however, she couldn't help but to shake her head dismissively. The slight blush she had fading as she recalled the battle on Namek, and especially those final moments.

"No, as much as I'd like that, it's impossible." she'd say in an almost defeatist tone, "You don't know everything that happened, especially with my outburst..."

Her expression become one of self-loathing as she thought of Tulse; what could have been solved with a simple explanation, or perhaps at most a gut punch, was instead solved in what Zuqetta believed to be the most vicious way. There were so many more alternatives, but Zuqetta had taken the path of least resistance, least resistance for her that was...

"If the universe could see us better, I'd love it! But... I'm not so kind OR graceful." she'd say with a sigh, "I'm just as much a brute and barbarian as the rest of my people, resolving things with violence when I reach my boiling point."

The Doctor made no further comment, leaving things to Yakito while he worked; bandages being unraveled by one of his additional hands while a syringe and vial were prepared in another. From the back of his head however, where Zuqetta couldn't see, would stick out another hand which would give Yakito a thumbs up before making a circular motion, implying he should continue the conversation. To Zuqetta's own credit however, she didn't seem to focus too hard on the negative, as she quickly began speaking up again on her own, offering a smile to Yakito as she did.

"But, that doesn't mean I won't still try, and you're right, working together with Ticoga is sure to be the stepping stone to a better future!" she'd say enthusiastically, "Actually, that was what I was gonna mention! Before--" her gaze shifted, her attention once more diverting towards the Doctor as he worked, her skin going pale as she unfortunately reminded herself of the situation she was currently sitting in.