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Post by Melody on Oct 17, 2019 18:18:16 GMT -8
The pig demon duchies have been historically competitive with one another for power, it had taken Melody twenty five years to train as a swordswoman in order to duel Duke Trumpet and remove him from his long term position in a grueling defeat, he was removed to appoint her as Duchess of Truffle Village. Duke Glacier became renowned for having trained her personally, inspiring a bunch of riff raff to strive and claim the same fame among the duchies; the best method was to challenge Melody directly to improve. One such trainee was from Tundra Village, a young spunky kid by the name of Icecap, who kept constantly crossing paths with the Duchess. With every defeat he became stronger but eventually the bitterness took over, failure was no longer acceptable to him, and he loathed her to the core. It was uncommon to murder someone from vacating their position, it had been centuries in fact, and it was greatly looked down upon by everyone in the Western lands. It was not chivalrous to the duchies as many were samurai with a sense of honor despite Melody personally recognizing survival among the fittest.
Rumors that Melody was severely injured from a fight against a mysterious samurai was a hot topic among her villagers and that was Icecap’s opportunity to strike. He was past trying to fight her in an even match, his heart had become like ice, and he hacked into Truffle village’s accounting software finding the ferry ticket order receipt for South City of Southern Islands. No time had been wasted to take a hovercraft to the Island to get ahead of her, he watched her disembark the ferry, watched her get dressed in the clothing store from a high window, and even being exposed to that particular sight made him more excited to have her gutted.
On the boardwalk Icecap was creeping from the shadows, watching Melody drink a horseshoe crab milk shake to regrow a tooth, and she eventually explored the crowded tent shops that sold the common trinkets found at sea, along with apparel, and nautical effects to cover entire fabric covered tables.
Melody lifted her white framed sunglasses over the top of her head, she pulled the strands of her green hair behind her ear, exposing her badly bruised neck that was still healing in hideous colors. While browsing a jewelry booth she scratched at the white tape that covered her left cheekbone while her violet eyes looked at a pair of tear drop gold pearl earrings. The jeweler was quick to pull out a mirror on a stand so that she could put them on and be interested enough to purchase them explaining that the earrings were worth its weight in gold to buy a casket according to pirate standards. It was a cruel morbid joke which the Duchess glared at the shop keep for going overboard with. After putting on the earrings she was uncertain on how she felt about them thinking that the dangle design would get caught up in a fight. Melody even went as far as to remove her short sleeve terry cloth hoodie past her shoulders to expose the navy blue straps of her swimsuit to pose in the mirror and then nodding in disagreement that she did not care to buy them for being impractical. The earrings were removed and put back on display shrugging as she walked to the next booth smiling at a bunch of hand carved, painted sea turtles, with bobbing heads.
“Oh these are so cute.” Melody said out loud and looked up at a shirtless scrawny tan boy wearing blue swim trunks who was minding the booth.
“My grandpa made them all. Three for six Zeni or eight for ten Zeni lady!” The kid was a bit snobbish as he ate an onigiri wrapped in seaweed almost stuffing his entire mouth full and hard swallowing it in a loud gulp. He wiped the snot from his face and kept staring at the sword on her back. “Is that a real sword? I wanna see!”
Melody recently became fond of children mainly because they were so brutally honest. For a while she was thinking about taking on apprentices of her own and it seemed she could attempt it now to test her patience before trying with any of the children at Truffle village; without risking the disappointment of turning them down.
“Yes, do you want to learn some sword techniques that I learned when I was your age?” The duchess smiled, “My name is Melody what is yours?”
“My name is Aoi! I wanna learn how to sword fight!” He practically jumped out and over the booth triggering all the wooden turtles to nod their heads at once.
“Alright Aoi, lesson one, keep your feet apart to align with your hips while holding the sword.” She used her individual toe skin tight wet-shoes to tap his feet apart and unsheathed her sword for the boy to take. The grip was too big for his small hand so he had to use both to hold the sword dual handed. With outstretched hands she observed that he had balancing issues from standing up too straight, “Bend your knees slightly and roll your shoulders forward, but do not lock your elbows, you want most of your limbs to remain partially bent for flexibility.”
The boy did as instructed, the crowd of people walking around them to give them space, and avoiding the sharp sword he was holding. It was then that Icecap closed in, wearing a baseball cap, and a black gi that was the same color of his soulless eyes. His hand was placed on a wooden sheath at the front of his belt knot, he gripped it firmly, and used the cover of the moving bypassing tourists to snake his way behind Melody to strike her while she was slightly bent over teaching Aoi; aiming to suddenly pierce her kidney with a six inch tanto blade.
@bass
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Post by Bass on Oct 17, 2019 18:58:41 GMT -8
BIG BURRITO BONANZA!
The burrito stand was basically Bass's guilty pleasure. A food stand that had quickly developed into a mobile burrito assembly line was known to produce some of the tastiest burritos in this district of South City. Located just at the entrance to South City, for a place located on an island that just so happened to be the coast. It was with that philosophy that the Namekian had like he did every day, decided during his brutal training's lunch break to push himself even further with a run across the city towards the shop. After all the reward was plenty worth the effort. Moving up to the stand Bass took a seat on one of the stools and spoke up towards the employee standing there accompanied with the owner of the shop. It was an understatement to say the owner and Bass knew each other. They were pretty good friends and he was certainly a great customer for them. Bass alone must've put six months of salary into Burritos over the past who knew how long. Years went by and every day he found himself coming to the same place for the same thing despite trying so many other different places to find a spot that topped the mouth watering taste of a Burrito.
"Hey Acoron, how's business going today? I'll have the usual. Uuuuh I think I'll go with tw- actually make it three regular burritos please." He said. Honestly it was almost shameful that both the employees and the owner knew exactly what kind of burrito he liked. The mouth watering combination of a white tortilla packed with nicely steamed rice, assorted vegetables, refried beans and ground beef was amazing. When you went and added cilantro, onions, pico de gallo, lettuce, cheese and sour cream or chipotle sauce respectively it launched the flavor to an entirely uncharted level of tastiness. The best part about it is that it wasn't fine dining, for a simple low cost that level of tastiness was Bass's to keep. On top of that it was packed with- if worked into training genuinely healthy nutrients that would make for good muscle building. Watching the fine art that's assembling a burrito go underway as the employee loaded it up with a little extra of everything Bass watched in anticipation for the wrapping. It was always a tense moment, and he'd been keenly familiar with the intense difficulty and inversely skill required to fold one up without letting anything spill out and cause a mess. He'd seen his fair share of disasters and in all honesty he'd caused some of his own in the time that he tried to work a burrito stand based on his inspiration. It was absolutely dreadful until you got the hang of it, having to first fold up the sides and then bravely flip the backend over it all to dexterously tuck it underneath all of the toppings without damaging the tortilla. Once that was done it was smooth sailing with a nice toasting in the press for fifteen to thirty seconds.
Shelling over a bunch of Zeni for the three separate burritos Bass would hold them in a bag in his left hand and stand up. He'd take these ones to go, but not just for any reason. For the first time in a long time he could actually sense a power level that was above twenty, not just one but two of them. Sensing power was a skill that he was glad to have picked up over his time in the Southern Lands and by now it had been keenly developed to the point where it was alongside his other senses as something he just tended to do with little to no effort. Wandering through the boardwalk foot traffic and the various shops he got closer and closer to the source of this. One was still while the other was in motion, peculiarly enough approaching the other. If he had to hazard a guess he could only assume that at the power level he was sensing the individual didn't have a great understanding of sensing other power levels, so the concept of him closing off on the other source led him to believe they were likely friends travelling together. Walking down another alley to cut closer faster he'd come into the same lane as the two of them just about at the same time Melody was being closed in by Icecap. Spotting the baseball cap in the crowd and closing his eyes for a moment to isolate that as truly the individual in question, a closer eye and a perception forged from intense training and a lot of fighting lead him to spot a knife in his hand. Worse yet is he was approaching the woman from behind.
Just in case Bass followed from moderate distance. Suppressing his power level to almost nothing in the event that they could sense energy sources allowed him to be sure that he wouldn't be caught in his slow pursuit. Wading between bodies as the gap between Icecap and Melody, and Bass and Icecap closed he started to realize that this might be more nefarious in nature. He was suspicious before, but generally a friend might be inclined to call out and they certainly didn't have their hands ready on the hilt of a sword no less. Narrowing his eyes he picked up the pace and moved forwards quicker, causing him to bump into someone. They staggered off into the crowd and nearly fell over, shouting. Though a single voice in a bustling environment was nothing, and the fact that this guy was approaching the other power level with those particular conditions led him to believe they were an assassin.
The thought alone left a sour taste in his mouth, he was glad he'd be eating those burritos after he handled this and not before. As the distance became but a couple meters and the blade was pulled from the sheathe that it rested in Bass stepped forward and moved even faster. He wasn't just trying to stop the guy, he was genuinely angry. A wave of energy burst from him as he released his suppression all at once, blowing the hats off of nearby people and sending the ones right near him almost stumbling. When Icecap brought back the blade to impale Melody, he'd find a hand attempting to grab the scruff of his shirt to prevent him from taking any closer movement. Attempting to thrust forward, the blade just stopped a couple of inches short. Immediately the Namekian let out a simply disappointed and disgusted grunt as he attempted to lift Icecap overhead and slam him into the ground behind him so that the blade fell from his hands. Staring down if he was successful, Bass simply spoke a simple few words.
"You disgust me. You're no better than an animal." As far as he was concerned this needed to be addressed before Melody in his mind. His actions weren't subtle by any means, so he figured she might notice what just happened.
WC: 1185 | TWC: 1185
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Post by Melody on Oct 17, 2019 22:44:49 GMT -8
Melody felt two separate presences an immensely powerful one and a notably familiar one but still embraced Aoi for impact as her peripheral vision was obstructed. The tanto sliced through slivers of woven threads of the Duchess’ terry cloth hoodie before a blue streak took Icecap to the ground along with a booming voice to express further insult. The moment she turned around to look over she witnessed an intensely blue namekian pin down Icecap against the wooden boardwalk planks. With a loud thud followed by the sharp resonating sound of the tanto hitting the ground, it was immediately surmised that an attempt on her life was made, but what happened to Icecap to change so dramatically that he would attempt murder? He was past the breaking point of nearing her power level only to give up and attempt an assassination. It only took one look into his black eyes, like a bottomless void, to determine that the gleam he once had was gone and he grimaced with a bloodlust expression that was yet to be satiated. There was a maddening obsession the young man found difficult to quell and it shocked Melody that her rival had lost their way but in truth she was no different from him; in the sense that she would one day cross the threshold of having to claim a life in order to achieve her goals. With a deep breath, followed by a sigh she gently reclaimed her sword, and walked with Aoi back to his booth.
The tourists began to walk back, further away from the site fearful yet curious, and eventually the authorities arrived in droves. The red and blue sirens of hover cycles broke the crowd away, the policemen consisted of uniformed beast men and human females all of which were wearing navy blue caps who immediately secured the perimeter. After several witness accounts they all accused that Icecap made attempt to stab the intense green haired woman until the namekian stopped the assault. It was in this time that Icecap was dragged out of the way of Bass and arrested the platinum white haired human wearing a black gi to be taken to jail towards an incoming patrol car.
In the back of Melody’s mind, with all the fights she encountered prior to her arrival, she thought the police involvement was pointless, the laws were there under a false sense of protection of its citizens, and society was very different on the island compared to the Western lands. Bass knew that all too well as he was assimilated to not only living amongst the citizens but also working alongside of them fully aware that there were laws and protocols to follow. Why did he remain in the confines of this bubble? Based on how he was dressed he did not wear any clothing that indicated he was part of any martial art school or carry a visible weapon of his prowess. His take down of Icecap was like a breeze of wind based on how fast he moved to intercept and it made her upset to know that she was only able to see the end result. Beneath the guise this namekian put off he had been training for something while pretending to be something else entirely.
“Do you happen to know the name of the culprit? In order to book him we need a full name, statement, and your cooperation.” A small voice spoke up.
A curly blonde female officer stepped in front of Melody but she kept her stare at Bass with a judging expression before they could face each other directly.
“What do I look like to you? A push over? I am not saying anything without a lawyer. Contact Duke Glacier of the Pig Demon Duchies, located in Orchestra village. He can answer everything you need to know. Now get out of my face!” Melody breathed through her teeth.
The policewoman was startled, it was clear that Melody was not the type to snitch in the lamest of terms, and the tiny uniformed woman felt discouraged as she turned to look over at Bass who was twice her height. A bit unnerved by how tall the namekian stood she managed to speak up. “Ahem. You w-w-wouldn’t happen to be compliant in order for us to serve out proper justice? You can come to the station anytime to make a full report, mind just giving me your business card if you have it?”
“Tch.” Melody was right if he possessed such a thing as a business card he was living among society as something that was not suitable for a warrior, it was completely contrast and a bit ridiculous to say the least, she crossed her arms then, and all this haute attitude was the result of the turmoil she was going through trying to resist expressing any form of gratification. The Duchess thanking anyone was worst than actually getting stabbed by Icecap and it was hurting her pride most of all; if he demanded it of her the shock would allow him to read her like an open book.
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Post by Bass on Oct 18, 2019 18:43:59 GMT -8
Turning towards the police officer after waiting for the situation to right itself for the better part of a few minutes Bass simply nodded and fished a hand in the back pocket of his dress pants. Pulled from it was a sleek and simplistic business card, sometimes less was more and in this case the design of his business card was bold, to the point and informative with a look that'd make a minimalist appreciative. Written on the front of the card was Bass's name to start. Following that in descending order was his phone number, his email or email equivalent and finally it finished with the company website and any additional online information that might exist. Offering it over he'd speak.
"I'm afraid I don't know the name of that individual. If I did I'd share, but I simply intervened when I saw something was about to happen. Statement..." He mused on the thought of coordinating a series of events that would be palatable for the police department and not a bunch of far fetched nonsense they weren't overly familiar at dealing with. "Upon arriving in the area,-" He started, lifting his bag of warm burritos in his left hand. "-having been at the Big Burrito Bonanza stand just a little ways down the boardwalk I noticed a suspicious individual with a hand on the hilt of a sword. Curious, I tailed them for half a minute or so until they began to unsheathe the weapon to attempt to stab the woman present currently. I cannot speak for their relationship, I just stopped a tragedy from happening." He would say, glancing off to the side before looking back towards the officer.
The officer to which in particular had started to take notes, suddenly in crime scene mode. Taking a statement was generally prepared but with Bass just being so fluid with getting into the important bits the officer had to fumble and start jotting notes down quickly. With a small lingering silence tailing after he had finished speaking while the note-taking was wrapped up Bass spoke once more in a more informal regard. "I'll try to make my way to the police department some time this week. I can't make any promises but if I'm needed you have my card there, just call anytime before..." He raised his wrist to check his watch. "Ten o' clock. By then I'm in bed watching TV. Unless it's an emergency, I guess." He'd say with a light shrug of the shoulders.
"O-okay. Sure, we'll keep that in mind. We appreciate your cooperation Mr. Bass, and apologize for this upset to your day. We'll look into this matter to see if there's any connections to this individual from the police department within the city that might also pose a threat to public safety. I'm glad you're safe as well ma'am. Goodbye for now." The officer stated before taking several steps back then turning to regroup with the rest of her team. Letting out a sigh the Namekian just dropped his shoulders a little as the authority was on their way. Almost without thinking now that to him the tension had faded, he reached into the bag and pulled out a burrito wrapped in tinfoil. Carefully unravelling the cover of the burrito with a single hand, dexterous pinches of his fingers to do so, he'd then realize to look back up towards quite literally the reason he'd even caught this guy in the first place. From what he had gathered while that assailant was approaching her, she'd been showing a kid something? At least from his understanding, it was combat related. Speaking up with the burrito in hand he addressed Melody.
"Either you're new in town or you ransacked my tree, either way you've piqued my curiosity. It's rare that I see levels as high as yours in cities. Martial Artists tend to be loners out in the woods." He said, muttering something about a 'Kiryu' under his breath. "Something in particular bring you here- in the event you're new to town that is. Not sure if you wanted to be discrete, but I'd advise if you did learning to suppress your power level. Hopefully that terminology doesn't go over you're head. If it does I can show you. I actually have a scouter with me." He said, with his free hand taking out a little tidbit from a satchel looped around his shoulder and dangling at the side of his hip. With his other hand he bit down on the burrito and just, in almost too casual of a fashion in his mind awaited a response. Though just when and if she'd speak he'd interject. "Oh, right! I'm Bass. Also want a burrito? I have two more."
WC: 794 | TWC: 1979
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Post by Melody on Oct 19, 2019 1:47:05 GMT -8
Not even the police knew who Bass was apart from being extremely blue and quite tall when he revealed his business card. What was the meaning of all this? A warrior in their own territory was often recognized by its citizens, granted the island was dense in population, and there were hardly any notable people to cross paths with—how was it even possible to miss him? Melody double blinked finding it all bizarre and unusual to what she was used to growing up. The various methods listed on the business card to contact the Namekian was abundant, which meant he was easily accessible to anyone who possessed such information, and he briefly mentioned not to be disturbed at a specific time at night. From her own experience as a fighter she spent the whole day resting, eating, and training there were no set hours of operations as a Duchess if a monster attacked her village at odd hours of the night. Only the weak retired from their mighty prowess which was the total opposite of who this casual namekian had been. It was unlike Melody to care, his involvement with Icecap, and the fact that he aided her in keeping Aoi safe did not make it optional in her agenda.
In the end of the entire ordeal he did not demand any gratitude as a result of his actions, which he still hung about even taking a bite of food seemingly quite relaxed until he directed his attention back to Melody who had been analyzing him the entire time. While she could sense powerful beings in turn she was not the type to hide her own abilities like he had been; she only knew what he was capable of because showing Aoi techniques caused her guard to be brought down and to make matters worse she did not sense him coming. What gave it away was the moment the tanto blade cut a single white thread of her newly bought clothes that made her alert and later being unable to see the speed Bass was moving in. There was a long drawn out pause before the Duchess spoke to him for the very first time.
“I am new in the sense of visiting the island...I have been training this whole time back at home in Orchestra Village.” If he had been listening to her bark at the female officer earlier he would assume that she was once under the guidance of Duke Glacier who she mentioned by name. Bass continued to mention a couple of things that changed her perplexed expression to a neutral as it seemed he was second guessing who she was as well.
“A tree that increases your power? That sounds far fetched. Is that a children’s story book?” Melody sneered then, blushing as she realized she actually said it out loud to someone who had been masking his ability as a formidable fighter, and she was forced to avert her violet eyes away for a second in order to recover. It was unlike her to even remotely spend so much time with a stranger after her last encounter with a particular samurai, so she was unfamiliar with the process entirely since she ended up fighting. It seemed that for the first time she was going to be able to carry on a personal conversation despite everything she had been through.
“I understand your meaning of lone martial artists in the woods. I found myself in a similar situation except it was the desert, I never got his name, and I lost a tooth after that fight so I came out to the island to regrow another one.” Even when Melody spoke about the blue horseshoe crab involved in regrowing a tooth, being that he lived among humans, Bass would know that it sounded like she was speaking from a story book tale as well, but was genuinely honest despite all the mystery involving their meeting.
“Suppress my power level? Why would I do that for? In fact, why do you do it? I did not detect you coming apart from seeing you directly at close range. Are you hiding from someone? How is that different from what Icecap had been trying to do?” Melody grimaced after being reminded that she was left unchallenged by her long term rival. Then after that she was given a name and she simply replied with a smile of confidence, “Melody, Duchess of Truffle Village, one of the oldest lands around known for growing high-end mushrooms. I am quite far from home but I can still conform with the fashion of the island by wearing swim wear but what exactly are you wearing with this weather? Even the police women were wearing skirts and the beast men shorts with their uniforms. Are you sure you are local?”
It was obvious by now that Melody had no idea occupations outside the scope of protecting a farming village existed, quite removed from the outside industrial growth, and the social order it involved she required a quick lesson. Being offered a burrito piqued her interest more than expected, even a stand of her green hair perked up in response like an antenna, “Yes, please. Sharing food is a sign of amistad... to most people unless it becomes a problem and you have to fight.” She said simply as she watched Bass look through his belongings.
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Post by Bass on Oct 19, 2019 8:48:38 GMT -8
Orchestra village. Tilting his upwards a little to reflect on the name he couldn't help but associate it with the naming convention Namekian's often used and as such assume it was a village of Namekians. Yet looking towards Melody it was clear that was a species she simply was not. At any rate she'd continue to speak and with her next words his response was almost comical. Taken back by the low blow associating what in his mind was a very real and very powerful tree to a fully grown man throwing about this children's book story like some kind of delusion hit it right where it counts. His mouth just parted in shock and he clutched his heart. "Of course it's not a children's book! I'm..." He took a moment, tapping the side of his head as he drew up the number he could recall for his age. "Twenty four. I think. Though if you don't know what it is I think it's pointless to explain, since you didn't take from it. Besides, it's not like I'm using it anymore anyways." He said with a shrug, followed by a sigh.
"You came here to regrow a tooth? I get that us Namekian's can do that, but you'd probably be looking for a dentist then I figure. There's some pretty good clinics around the city, but you're ultimately looking at an implant as opposed to an actually natural tooth like you had before. From what I understand those are irreplaceable for must sub-species of Earthling." Then she'd go on to talk about suppressing power levels as he'd suggested, it was a cool trick to have but her words were quickly blowing him out of the water so to figuratively speak. Why exactly did he suppress his power level and why did it matter? Tilting his head to the side he just started with a long,
"Uuuuuuh... I don't think I'm hiding, no. I wasn't aware of anyone being after me. Though a fight at my calibre might be risky for chance of collateral damage, so ideally if there's a fight I'd rather someone find me and ask to take it elsewhere. Though if someone was coming explicitly with the purpose of fighting me...-" He gave a little shrug, "-I suspect they'd not be up for a chat really. Why do I do it? I mean I learned it because I remember fighting some sort of robot that asked I suppress my Power Level so they had a fighting chance in a spar. At the time I had no clue how to, so I just literally held back- I thought those two things were the same thing. When I learned otherwise, I thought it better to just pick up a small and not so difficult to learn technique. Though the more I think about it the more I'm starting to realize I did it just now because I'm an asshole. I just wanted to see the look of surprise on Icecaps face maybe- if he could even sense Power Levels. I wasn't really thinking why, just did it." He'd shrug, literally clueless as to the actual answer so it'd seem.
"He was trying to murder you, I tend to hold the belief that people get what they ask for. I don't really feel guilty about surprising him even if that was the case. Not that him knowing would've necessarily changed the final result though. I take it you don't want me to tell the police this guy's called Icecap, right?" He asked, if she answered then he'd listen but otherwise he moved on and responded to the introduction she gave.
"Duchess of Truffle Village. Like, nobility?" He mused, rubbing the back of his head as he took another bite from the burrito in his hand. Almost- ALMOST speaking with his mouth full he'd mumble gibberish before swallowing and talking normally. "Melody, you could say the name carries a nice..." He squinted. Was he going to do it? His eyes narrowed, before finally he finished his sentence. "Melody to it." He gestured finger guns, bazinga. "Still, I can't say I ever expected somewhere to specialize in mushrooms, but I guess there's a place for everything. And uuuuuh..." Swim suit? Bass raised one brow and tilted his head. That was certainly a daring approach to fashion, despite the heat- at least that's what Bass thought. Though he'd answer her question, "I mean I wasn't both in South City if that's what you mean, in fact I haven't even been working here for the majority of my life. I moved here a while ago from North City actually, and before then I made a shameful miserable existence ransacking villages as a goon of Piccolo Daimao. Not the best thing to have on the resume, but I suppose if I'm being honest it's a time I can't exclude. Even so you'll find that while perhaps in this district semi-formal dress code is rarely seen, where I work at a sales company it's the expected dress code. Everyone I work with dressed similarly, dress shoes, pants, a nice plain shirt and tie. Though all of this questioning and lack of understanding why my life is the way it is makes me curious. Tell me about where you're from? How life is so different that this life seems foreign."
Upon asking that, he'd extend his arm into the plastic bag to fetch out another warm preserved burrito wrapped up in tinfoil. It had vegetables, ground beef, rice, cilantro, pico de gallo, lettuce, onions, cheese and sour cream specifically. Though for all she knew it was ultimately pandora's box if she was the type to be paranoid. Thankfully Bass considered that and told her what he'd gotten on it.
"I didn't know I'd be sharing lunch today so hopefully you like it. It's rice, vegetables, ground beef, cilantro pico de gallo or fancy tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese and sour cream. There's another one in here with Chipotle sauce if you'd rather that one." He said, biting down once more on the burrito he had in his hand.
WC: 1019 | TWC: 2998
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Post by Melody on Oct 19, 2019 15:00:10 GMT -8
Time had pass at a point that it was getting crowded by beach visitors, so Melody moved over to a nearby metal and wooden bench on the boardwalk. However, Bass was quite tall and it was starting to hurt craning her neck so far back to look up and make proper eye contact with his intensely black sclera eyes with a brilliant blue irises, so rather than sit on the seat, she perched herself on top of the backrest part of the bench.
“Twenty four? I am Thirty, which means I am -san and you are -kun age matters after all. Not so sure about Senpai or kohai.” Melody half chuckled at that thought, there were still social stigmas about society as a whole that she still had to learn but had little time for with her position as Duchess.
The mention of dentists fixing teeth made sense and one existed in her own village to treat the residents; the Duchess explained that only a cosmetic tooth could be drilled into her skull after a consultation, one of her loyal subjects by the name of Portobello recommended the calcium healing properties of the blue blood horseshoe crab. It had worked with someone else who had a missing pinky finger but only the bone and tendons had grown back without the tissue and skin.
“So I was able to regrow it,” She slipped her finger in her mouth to pull on the skin of her cheek to show that she had no gaps for a moment before adding, “I am different from most humans. I just have to be careful and not get punched in the face. It was a bad decision that I must learn from since I was trying to finish the fight early, I could have prevented it from happening in the first place.”
Melody listened in to the explanation of controlling power levels, the reasoning why anyone would, and what Bass personally did it for; the city was too dense and if he had a full time job to do he needed to blend in with the masses or risk endangering them. “Hmm, I never thought it was possible to control power like that on top of being able to lower it. That would explain why villages get attacked, the duchies always have their power levels active, and we accept being challenged for our position as leaders in a duel by the entire region. It either encourages or deters attackers just to get it out of the way.”
“Icecap? The police are just doing their pointless jobs of reporting every incident in a mass pile of paperwork to meet the holiday bonus quota, without my statement, even if you divulged his name, they still need my statement to press any charges. Since he did not commit murder he is just going to be bailed out by Duke Glacier. We always fight and I always win but this time I put my guard down for a helpless human boy running his grandfather’s trinket stall, and was going to take the hit. It was the first time he has been...so...backhanded. Our mentor, Duke Glacier, has not trained us in those methods of fighting; apart from the man having little words to say in the first place, he is more focused on swordsmanship, and I guess Icecap was tired of losing. One could never tell what someone is thinking, when he tried to assault me without properly challenging me, he was still risking being able to take the throne of ruling over Truffle village and its residents. The duchies will not recognize that as a win. Everyone from Westernlands have their own ways of controlling villages among them following a samurai order...I have not had the chance to explore those villages yet, I have only been to the neighboring villages of Tundra and Orchestra…”
Melody raised her hand to do the bazinga motion to mirror Bass, curious to what it was, and watched him continue to eat, slowly, yet carefully as if enjoying every bite of his burrito.
“Well, I have to credit my music talented parents for naming me Melody when I was born. You are the first person to tell me directly, thanks.” She smiled for a beat, “I like your name, too. Do you have any musical talents? Unfortunately I gave up learning music to pick up the sword instead.” At that point she clasped the belt across her chest, from her shoulder, towards her hip at an angle, and back around where her sword had been sheathed.
The mood changed a bit when Bass mentioned King Piccolo, everyone around the world knew of it, and she frowned since it changed society significantly ever since she was born into cataclysmic social change. He made up for it by single-handedly handing her a tin foil wrapped burrito, which he held out like they were like 1-inch diameter cylinders, but they were were in fact 3-inch in diameter in her hands, she could hardly hold it in one hand without risking it falling apart so she had to use both.
“This looks amazing. I love food.” Melody nibbled it at first and the small bites made it seem like an average human would not be able to finish it but she had the prowess of 50 average joes so she had to eat more to feed an entire platoon; her intake would only increase the stronger she became.
“If you are this far from the beach, why would you wear a suit? Is it waterproof and all weather resistant or something? I heard of fabric being able to assimilate to the weather...but I personally enjoy wearing different clothing to match the fashion...I suppose everyone has their own style...but you stick out a bit for someone who hides their power level trying to walk about unnoticed.”
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Post by Bass on Oct 19, 2019 21:34:45 GMT -8
Sitting down at the same bench Melody walked towards, he chose to just treat it normally. Not that he helped it look like a proper bench given he was nearly seven feet tall. Glancing to the left he finished the rest of his food up quickly, taking out the second burrito from the bag and beginning to unwrap it. " Uuuh, oh. Right, honorifics." Bass said, as if he had never even considered using those. Perhaps he was just too familiar with people not telling him to given he had a stature that made most normal people not want to talk back too. " I can't say I'm used to using those, but sure. Melody-san. I don't even know what they mean honestly." He'd mention with a light shrug of his shoulders. Then looking towards her again as she pulled back her cheek to reveal her teeth, on top of raising his brow he simply gave what she had to say a listen before responding. " I mean if you say so, can't not believe the facts. I've met a lot of Earthlings with weird mutations, maybe they frikked a monster or something generations back." He said with a shrug, " Or some kind of Demon from the Demon Realm." He added, letting out a thoughtful hum as the he followed along. Taking a bite of his food he watched the passing crowd and raised up his watch to check the time. He still had fifteen minutes until his break was over, worst case scenario he just teleported and flew there in under a minute if it came down to that. " Control power? Well, it's just about manipulating your ki usually. Sometimes it's different, different schools and teachings employ different tricks that ultimately meet the same ends. I've been learning a lot about utilizing ki in my training recently actually. I find I have a habit of limiting myself to my physical strength alone when arguably the most power can come from enhancing your strikes with raw energy latent in your body. Though I've always been rather gifted in that sense, can't say I didn't luck out when I came to be." He mentioned and laughed lightly, taking another bite of his food. " That being said yeah, it can get pretty precise. If it was anywhere other than a city that I don't want to get destroyed I'd not be suppressing it. Just I know there are way too many overzealous uncultured fighters that'd go to the largest thing they could sense and cause a scene. This might be arrogant if it weren't true, but it's also usually a waste of my time when it's just some mook who isn't putting the time in to actually become strong. The ones that take it seriously I leave to fate to cross paths with; so hey." He said, gesturing her way. " Maybe that's you, I dunno." He said, before listening to her talk about Duke Glacier and Icecap. " Desperation makes me nauseous to see. To be there is a very clear answer to being inferior- tell you a bit of a recent encounter I had; came across some island. Yes, one of thousands. Weird place, had some evil-doers holed up inside and when I got to the bottom of it I found someone that made me shake. All they had to say to me was they wouldn't even give me the humiliation of defeat, and I knew I couldn't beat them then and there. What did I do? I came back here and started training harder than ever before, and I'll keep training until I can beat them. What your rival or whatever did was try to take a shortcut. Only the honest and humble will make it far, so I believe. You don't have to be good, just honest in your intentions and willing to back your goals with strength be it strength of the mind, spirit or body. Perhaps he had a 'if I can't win, nobody can' mentality. That tends to explain those self-destructive decisions." " Even if Icecap gets bailed out, I'm sure if his behavior continues as is years into the future I'll get involved. I have a goal to unify the world under strong leadership. Me. And in the process of getting there I want to find competent and powerful fighters that can stand with me to defend Earth from any threat that it may face. Call it ambitious." He said, cramming the rest of his burrito in his face only to chew it up like a blender before swallowing. " I suspect I'll be in the Western Lands in three months. If you're back there by that point I'm sure that's where we'll meet again." He said, before lowering his head to listen to her talk about music. Nodding his head, he'd then shake it to answer her question. " No, I don't. I do however listen to music quite often. It gets me into a head-space forcefully if I'm not naturally getting there through other means. Though the question I have for you is why sacrifice one or the other? Do both. There's always time in the day to do more, and I strongly believe the best path is to make every minute you can count, and any minute still left is room to be filled as the need rises. Train and then learn music, rinse and repeat." He paused for a moment, " I also love food, and uuuuh suits. I mean it's not necessarily a suit, but I'm wearing this here and now because I'm on my lunch break actually. Ends in..." He raised his watch, looking again. " Thirteen minutes, so we'll need to cut this short soon. Regardless, I think we should meet up again some time.
And yes, I do tend to stick out. Being so far from where Demon Clan Namekians hang about people aren't as quick to call me out on that, but I do cause the occasional panic that I need to try and retroactively calm down. It's not a big deal though."
WC: 1008 | TWC: 4006
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Post by Melody on Oct 20, 2019 6:33:44 GMT -8
Having a time limit for an office job seemed strange, as if every minute worked mattered as much as the limited break, and it was fortunate for Melody to be able to try delicious food during her visit of the Island although it was obviously meant for Bass to eat all three. Either way, sharing is caring and this was the first time she was offered food and it did not end up in a fight by someone she just met. The thought of having trace amounts of some kind of demon blood somewhere in her human genetics was starting to sound familiar as it would explain why her parents abandoned her as a newborn; having just met the salaryman she was not about to divulge her past and finished the burrito in no time at all as she listened in to his explanation of utilizing ki differently from what she was used to.
Melody laughed at the mention of uncultured fighters considering they met precisely because Icecap had fallen into that role, it was obvious that she did not fear getting wounded to find any trace amounts of humor in it, and the whole ordeal was a joke at this point since the result was vastly different from expected. Her violet eyes looked up as she imagined the encounter Bass was explaining that took place on an island, nodding a couple of times in assurance as she listened to him carefully, and it seemed that he was unable to best his opponents. Did the humiliation of defeat mean death? Personally she was on the brink of death before she was instructed to pick herself up and learn how to fight but that is a story for another time.
“I can handle Icecap, we have been rivals for a long time, and his little psychotic episode just might be temporary…” There was a hint of doubt in her voice followed by the empty stare she had when she looked over to meet his gaze.
“Society has changed quite a bit, even if you went against the most powerful foes to become a hero, at the end of the day there is a social stigma involving oppression and the social divide between wealth and the power that comes with it. In order to influence society at all, you need zeni, that is what I am after, and I honestly do not care for the actual economics behind it but to amass it and then distribute it in a controlled environment so that no one has to beg for food on the street. Most importantly for the children who have so much potential to change the future without the restriction to become something greater than me.”
The thought of the namekian visiting the villages of the Western lands would definitely shift some of his perspective and ambition. Most importantly the culture shock involving the duchies compared to the atmosphere of South City, even if he achieved being the best, how did he plan to unify all the villages? Each one was unique and different relying on its own village leaders to take care of its residents from the wilds. Since she had to explain where she was from it was most likely because he needed to travel the world a few times to fully understand what he was up against or if his job as a salaryman required it.
“I should be back home by the time you visit so feel free to come through Truffle Village and I can pay you back for the burrito—assuming you enjoy other cuisine.”
Learning how to play an instrument during training was out of the question, she acknowledged that other people found it enjoyable to listen to it, and despite being from a village that specialized in it she needed to overcome her past. It was part of the reason she wanted to become rich and famous as a renowned fighter because it was all she knew. It would take a lot of convincing than just a few words for Melody to change.
“Well, there are no ferries to get back home at the moment due to some rumor of a shark randomly destroying boats out at sea which the coast guard is attempting to handle, and I am staying on the island longer than expected so I am enjoying the break from being a Duchess.” She smiled as she lowered her sunglasses from the top of her head, “You mentioned a scouter earlier, I found a broken one some time ago, and one of the music tech specialists from Orchestra village repaired it by modifying it with a cellphone. It has an on-screen display so that I can read my email on the screen, access the internet, and listen to music. I have to issue voice commands apart from the basic control panel to utilize it...though now that you have divulged what it can actually do I plan to save up enough zeni to get the latest model. So if you see me again maybe you can bring up some of the music you are into.”
After a beat she sighed, “I have to admit that I skipped classes at school too many times to properly learn about namekians, apart from what they look like, and I actually have forgotten what the differences are so you are going to have to tell me more about your kind so I can remember. Next time around though since you have to get back to your duties.”
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Post by Bass on Oct 20, 2019 22:04:40 GMT -8
Taking a moment to wrap the plastic bag around his hand four times, he'd finish tying it into a solid knot by looping it through itself before pulling it taut. Careful not to rip it into shreds, he pocketed the garbage which contained the tinfoil in his pocket so that he could throw it out at the next trash can he passed by. Listening to what Melody had to say he just mused quietly and brought an arm up to rest on the back of the bench, gazing forward towards whatever scenery happened to pass them by. Foot traffic or ocean waves, or actual traffic. It was always something like that in South City. Raising a brow at her emphasis on Zeni, Bass shrugged. " Perhaps you're onto something. I was never one for heroics, the things I might do may be to protect people but it's not done for the sake of protecting them. It's so that they can do what they want to do uninterrupted so Earth as a whole can be more efficient. So in that sense is why I used to use the term World Domination before I knew any better. With that being said I've seen what you're talking about often, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't offer some of what I made to the people who needed it more. I remember a bout in an underground fighting ring here. Came up against a Saiyan that seemed to be fighting for something important. Never got a moment to ask him just what it was he was fighting for, but it was something close to him and he was there because he had no other choice, not just for the fight. Needless to say despite coming out victorious I forced him to take the prize money. I just hope he did the right thing with it. Perhaps that's part of what I intend to do with The Momentum Corporation. As it stands it's a small thing, a newly renovated office building; my first choice when I was promoted to Branch Manager following record breaking quarterly profit reports for the company as a whole. I'm hoping that within the year I can take control of Corporate and hijack the CEO's spot. Renew and rebrand the company to be something more than just a sales company. Something like Capsule Corp, you know? So in that sense I'd agree with you. Zeni does make a difference, and with the initiative Momentum could take in getting there I firmly believe I can give people the resources they need to pursue their passions, if only because I hope it pays off and the investment was worth it. Though I understand sometimes it just never is." Rolling his shoulders and resting his palms on his knees he prepared to stand, doing so once she mentioned paying him back for the Burrito. Waving a hand dismissively he just gave a subtle shake of his head. " You don't have to worry about that. After all, it was just a tiny bit of Zeni. Plus it wasn't even my own cooking. Still, if you insisted I wouldn't turn down the offer. So in that case, sure." He would say, scanning the environment for a trash can. Spotting one, he raised both hands in a form similar to tossing a basketball before sending the garbage sailing on its way. Thudding right into the bin there was a satisfied little fist pump as he complimented his own aim, turning back towards Melody when she'd finished speaking again. " Shark? A single shark destroying boats?" He asked, one eye squinting in suspicion. " I doubt it was a coincidence that I sensed a potent power level when I was travelling over here. I stopped to do a favor for some fishermen and while I was underwater netting schools of fish I felt something nasty. If it was naturally I felt it best just to leave the thing be, but if that isn't the case it's always possible it could escalate. I'll play it by ear, I suppose. Though if it becomes a serious problem I'm probably going to take the initiative and go bag me a mega-shark. And I'm sure it's difficult being a leader, especially when there's less law and order to keep people along guidelines to make your job easier. As Branch Manager all I have to do is keep people on task, pretty simple. Still, gives me a little look into the world of leading, and good that it does given what I want to accomplish." Listening to her talk about her modified scouter, he just nodded his head. " They're easily purchasable in the cities, might be best to grab one while you're here. That modification seems pretty handy to say the least, hopefully that on hand techie of yours is doing good, that's a level of talent you don't often see. And yeah, for sure. When I come to your village I'll bring some of the music I listen too. A lot of it is probably going to throw you for a spin, a lot of the music that comes from singers in the cities is completely different from the stuff made out in the rural chains of villages and settlements through the lands. Though I think that adds character, music always has a sliver of spirit based on where it came from." He would take a couple steps away as their meeting was coming to a close, turning back to address her final statements. " Of course, I'll have too. The short and sweet crash course is that all we need is water, we regenerate really quickly and even faster if we concentrate and focus aaaand technically we're neither male or female. Though I tend to associate more with males, just because my build and appearance closer resembles them." He said with a shrug, before waving. " See you around Melody, and I won't be leaving it to chance if we meet again. You're piqued my interest, so it's a matter of when and not if. Though I have to get going. Best of luck in town, you just might need it with how hectic it can get." Cracking a smirk, he'd turn and start jogging off. Crunched for time, the Namekian simply tensed his body and teleported to close most of the distance back to where he needed to go, only doing so once he was practically out of sight.
WC: 1076 | TWC: 5082
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