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Post by Achido on Aug 31, 2022 17:33:30 GMT -8
Smoke began to fill the air as Achi was grilling up some steaks below the treehouse Ty and himself had put together years ago. The man was humming to the radio that was playing some sort of popular R&B song he never heard before. It was rather catchy and had Achido flipping the steaks while tapping his foot and humming along to the beat. Before he knew it a familiar sound echoed throughout the forest around him. A smile instantly perked up on his lips and the sound seemed to get closer. "She always smells my cooking." He mumbled to himself before chuckling.
Just where the clearing ended and the forest began, there was a small opening with a small dinosaur snout poking out as each nostril began sniffing at the air. Within a split second the raptor rushed forward with its head down low and jumped up like it was going to pounce its prey, only to land next to the grill while pushing the side of its snout at the arm of Achido. The young man couldn’t help but burst out in laughter before speaking. "Come on, girl, you will get some as well! I could never forget about you!" He then gave the dinosaur a soft pat on the head before grabbing a steak with the tongs and tossing it up for the raptor to munch down. In the blink of an eye the raptor had jumped up and swallowed the steak with ease.
Once the meal was finally finished, Achi sat at the small picnic table and enjoyed the steak while listening to the music playing. It was peaceful, even with the raptor darting back and forth by the large tree for some odd reason. It wasn’t anything unusual because the young man had seen some crazy behavior from the animal but thought that was their natural way of living. Either way, he didn’t think too much of it, so he continued to eat the juicy steak with the radio playing loudly on the edge of the table.
After he finished up the meal and cleaned up, the young man reached in his pocket for his phone to text Konja. "Hey, come to the treehouse. And if you don’t know where that is, just sense me out." He pressed send and put the phone back in his pocket, before reaching up and climbing the ladder to the treehouse. He reached for the glasses in his pocket and went inside to do some research on his computer until Konja showed up.
Word Count: 425 Total Word Count: TBD
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 1, 2022 6:12:04 GMT -8
Konja took a big bite out of an apple as the monkey boy show concluded, at least in this area of the Pilaf Kingdom. Or... was it Empire? The Empire of Pilafland? It was ruled by Emperor Pilaf, after all, so it must have been an Empire. Though it seemed that be it a Kingdom or Empire didn't really exempt your nation from being infiltrated by Tuffles, if that bunker down here a few years ago was any indication. Still, it was amusing that the Emperor was gracious enough to make light of his image, what with the constant harassment by monkey boys. Surely a caricature of this one Saiyan who gave the Emperor and his vassals a fair bit of trouble. Otherwise they wouldn't have made him such a recurring nuisance. Granted, the monkey boys always got what was coming to them, because in the end, any ruler who had a good image had to protect that image. That was when her phone buzzed with a text. Konja whipped it out with the grace of someone who had been using it for two years. Not the butter fingers that used to drop the thing several times a day. The phone was probably thankful for that if it could feel anything. It was a message from Achido, an invitation to meet join him at "the treehouse". She had heard of it before from Ty. Never actually been there herself, but she was aware it was somewhere here. The question was where, exactly? She opened the colourful map of Pilafland that was handed to her and looked about the seven sectors. There was also a large tree-covered area that was not marked. This was odd, considering how from the way it was shaped, it seemed to fit seamlessly into the greater design of the Empire's territory. Konja sighed as she folded the map and stuffed it back into one of her many vest pockets. There was still so much of Pilafland that she had yet to explore. And well, the treehouse was one such place. The cashier and possible Taco King shift manager decided to just follow Achido's advice and sense him. With a little hop, she blasted off into the air and followed the direction of ki radiating from her training partner, dear friend, and... well what else was Achido to her? That kiss from two years ago was still on her mind, and she wondered. Did she try to improve her understanding of Earther courtship customs? Apart from what she learned that day, not really. She figured it would be more interesting to learn on the fly. If he intended to pursue courtship, then she was certainly open to receiving it. She just had no idea how to proceed, and would rather find out from experience rather than reading or watching online videos. Konja soon found herself above a heavily wooded area, the canopies of trees stretching out for miles in all directions. The vast metal spires of the Pilaf Empire were just shadows in the horizon. Soon, however, she spotted a clearing, within which stood something you could certainly describe as a treehouse. The Saiyan landed near the base of the tree, near which roamed a person-sized feathered lizard of some sort. Like a Tyrant Lizard King, but much smaller. It didn't seem to be hostile, so she could probably ignore it for now. Maybe Achido kept it as a pet or something, like the stray cat that kept coming back to the dumpsters behind Taco King at the end of her shift. She'd always give him something good to nibble on before she rode home. Judging by the still-lingering smell of grilled meat, it was probably the case. Sure, it might have mostly dispersed by now, but a Saiyan nose could pick it up easily. Not sure if she should climb the ladder and knock, or do something else, Konja just cupped her hands and yelled up at the tree house. "Achi, it's me! What can I help you with?"Not that she expected him to need her help with anything important. Given his gravitation toward the sciences, the most she could help him with in such an enterprise was maybe carry his equipment around. Technically, she could volunteer to serve as a guinea pig in an experiment, a useful thing given her endurance. But the mere sight of medical equipment continued to send her back to that awful time and place when for six whole years, Tuffle scientists did everything from cut her open in various places, to remove, reinsert, or reorganise her organs, or insert all sorts of machines, to beat her down with new versions of power armour. All while she was awake. The reason she opened with that, was simply from more than two years of serving all sorts of people at the Taco King cash register. It was now ingrained into her brain. So... now, she would see how she could give Achi a hand. 833/833 Achido
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Post by Achido on Sept 2, 2022 20:43:49 GMT -8
Achido sat at the desk typing away on the keyboard and staring at the screen endlessly. He was going over Thermal Systems and how to maintain the temperature of certain vehicles in the most extreme environments. "With the right components and manpower I might be able to pull this off." He spoke softly, thinking out loud. The young man pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes for a moment. The stress was getting to him and he needed an escape, that is exactly why he was trying to get a hold of Konja. He wanted to get away from his work and not worry about what was going on in his life.
Just as he heard the voice of Konja, he quickly put the glasses back on and stood from the desk to finally make his way towards the balcony of the treehouse. Achi looked down with a smile on his face and a hand waving excitedly. "Konja! Hey!" He said with excitement, before hopping over the railing and landing next to the saiyan with a hand on her shoulder. Achi pulled himself close and kissed her cheek softly. "I needed a distraction from work and life, I guess. There wasn’t a real reason for me asking you to come over. I just enjoy being around you, that’s all.." He admitted.
With a smile still on his face the young man turned as the Raptor began to approach from his left. She was new to Konja and the scent she was picking up had a different odor than the animal was used to. "You better calm down, Foxxi! Konja is a friend.." He said, pulling his hand from Konja’s shoulder and bringing it closer to the Raptor’s snout. The animal slowly leaned in and sniffed Achi’s hand but quickly pulled away with a grunt, before hissing and growling at the saiyan. "I said no!" He shouted and quickly bonked the animal on the head. Foxxi shook her head a bit before growling at the blonde man.
The animal was only confused because she had only seen a few people in her lifetime and none of them were fully like Konja. Foxxi was only half the size of Achi and Konja but could easily take down animals twice their size if they were starving. The Raptor kept her guard up but knew better to attack, so she kept close to Achido for the time being with her bright yellow eyes stuck on the saiyan. "Don’t worry, she is just protective of me, I am sure she will grow to like you just as I have." Achi smiled, placing his hand on the head of the Raptor and stroking back her feathers with each pet he gave her.
Achi looked around at the surrounding forest, then took in a long breath, and exhaled with a slight sigh. "Want to go for a walk? I haven’t explored the area all too well around here. Would be nice to see what else is out there without flying all over the place." He continued to pet Foxxi, pulling a small piece of jerky out and feeding it to the Raptor, while waiting to hear what Konja thought about going on a walk. Achi had taken a strong liking to the saiyan and cared about her opinion on the matter, and also wanted to make sure that they were doing something they both enjoyed.
569/994
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 3, 2022 4:06:20 GMT -8
It was not long before Achi appeared over the treehouse's balcony and came down to welcome Konja with a kiss. It was to the cheek, but she had not read or seen anything about those. What few kisses she saw on TV were much like that first one after their little race. Did it mean the interest had gone down? Or was it more because the intensity had gone down rather than the interest? At least on TV, those kisses were for very emotionally charged moments. Then it would make sense, reasonably speaking, that it was the latter case. It was definitely a safe assumption to make. With the words that followed, it definitely sounded that way. Someone who didn't need a reason to drop by, whose mere presence was already enjoyable. It wasn't that he enjoyed sparring with her, though that was certainly one of the first things they did after they met at the Taco King counter. It wasn't that he enjoyed racing with her, or eating at Cayle's birthday with her, or anything like that. He enjoyed being with Konja simply because she was Konja. And even if what they did was something as simple as distract each other from things like work, that was good enough a reason for Achi to call her over. "Then I'll be as distracting as possible!" Probably an awkward thing to say. She hadn't gotten that much better with people after two years, but hopefully he understood that intent. He then went on to pacify the feathered lizard, "Foxxi". Well you definitely didn't give names to animals you didn't consider a pet. Maybe she could give that stray cat one too, though that would mean she'd had to adopt him... It wasn't like she wasn't already taking care of him by giving him food, right? Maybe she should go all the way with that. Konja watched quietly at just how so. It appeared to have an fine sense of smell, and either didn't like Saiyans, or her in particular. She giggled. A rare event itself, as she tended to keep quietly to herself. But what else would you do if you saw a cute animal recoil in self-preservation. "Yes, I can see her dedication to her master. I'll do my best to be likeable!"Well those were wise instincts for sure. But time would prove she was no threat. Certainly not to this creature with such vibrant plumage and protective affection for Achi. She followed his gaze around the woods past the clearing. Growing up in badlands, then spending six years in a cell and various labs... Finally adapting over the next two years to a jungle-filled island with coastal settlements... Konja had her share of environments, but a forest was different. At least, that was what the Exploration Channel explained. Forests were not the humid jungles, but were their own matter to explore. Even the kinds of trees in forests were different from jungle trees. "Yes, I think it would be interesting to explore a new bio-dome."She'd heard the word "biome" used a number of times to determine different environments and the like. Not just on the Exploration Channel. Mainly it was used by kids who were into playing this game called OreCraft. Where you... mined for ores and crafted things. Not just with ores, but other resources too, like wood you could find in a biome with trees. One would think having heard it enough times meant she honestly knew the word by now. Nope. For Konja and her limited vocabulary, it was bio-domes. Which... even kind of made some strange sense. But in any case, she was already doing stretches in preparation for their hike through these woods. "Will Foxxi be joining us?"[626/1459] Achido
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Post by Achido on Sept 4, 2022 10:24:22 GMT -8
Achido couldn’t help but to crack up at the response about a bio-dome. "This is just a forest, Konja. A biodome would be a closed ecological system created by man or woman. At least, I think that’s what it would be." He attempted to correct her, just to shrug it off for the time being. Achi actually really enjoyed having Konja around, even if she wasn’t as intelligent when it came to things on this planet, but she was one hell of a fighter and super intelligent when it came down to that, and that alone with what attracted the young man from the beginning.
With Foxxi by his side and not seeming to move from there, Achido pulled out another piece of jerky and handed it to Konja. "If you feed her, she will develop a bond with you, only if you do it often, though." He mentioned, patting the dino on the head softly. Raptors were known as pack hunters, but this little one was left alone with the other eggs the chickens were laying. Luckily Achi spotted the odd looking egg and made sure to take great care of it until one day the little bugger hatched. Little did he know, he was the proud owner of a Raptor for a couple years now.
The young man looked over at Konja and smiled, reaching over to hold her hand before they headed out on their walk. "She is always around, Foxxi won’t go far from me, so she will be with us the whole time, even if you don’t see her." He admitted to the saiyan woman, leaning over to turn the radio off before starting their way through the dense forest that surrounded the treehouse Ty and Achido built.
As the human pushed apart the slim path that Foxxi had made on her own adventures throughout the forest, while still holding onto the hand of Konja. "This should be fun, I haven’t really checked out the area, which is kind of dumb on my part but oh well." He admitted, while following the path Foxxi created. The Raptor was just on the other side of Achi, pushing away the bushes with her long snout, while whipping her tail back and forth, which had created a much larger path for them on the way out.
The sound of water flowing had caused Foxxi to dart ahead to get herself a drink. Achi smiled and let out a little chuckle. "Someone was thirsty. Once we get to the river, we can take a short break if you’d like? I brought some snacks as well so it won’t be so lame!" Achi pulled out a small box that was filled with capsules and made sure to show them to Konja. Capsule Corporation was known for their fancy capsules that held objects inside, even catering food to large families and friends could all fit inside of the tiny capsules.
489/1,483
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 7, 2022 7:56:32 GMT -8
Konja blushed at her error, but quickly recovered and pounded her palm under a fist as Achi explained the difference. Finally, she understood what a bio-dome was. "I see! Then what do you call.. um... a place with certain plants, animals, and climb-mate? It sounds like bio-dome and the kids playing OreCraft keep talking about them. Like which of those places is best to build a house, or something."Not that it was ultimately too important, but if Achi was going to explain what that place wasn't called, then she might as well find out what it was actually called. Might as well complete the lesson, right? Well, he could tell her a bit more about it while she tried to get Foxxi to like her. The Taco King cashier took the dry-preserved meat with a smile at Achi's instructions, and stooped down to offer it to the raptor. It wasn't her first time trying to build rapport with an animal, of course. But even within the same species, animals were like people in that each one had their own personality. Would Foxxi learn to appreciate her the Saiyan way? Using the fastest path to the heart, the stomach? "Here, girl... She sniffed it first, hovering pensively. As though trying to process what this was. On the one hand, it was jerky. Smelled a bit like Achido too, as Konja's own nose could tell. But then, there was the smell of Konja, who was holding it directly. Mixed signals, leading to some moments of indecision as Foxxi considered the options. In the end, she bit off the half of the jerky strip that had not been fouled by Konja's fingers and dashed over to Achi's opposite side so he was between the two of them. Konja looked down at the unfinished jerky and chuckled, wagging it like a mother disappointed her kid didn't finish their dinner. But well she didn't know what that was like, and seemed to just be instinctive about it. Instead of nagging, though, all she had was a simple compliment. "She's a clever girl, that one..."The Saiyan took Achi's reaching hand, meeting him halfway as they started their walk. As he explained Foxxi's continuing presence, she nodded and looked behind Achi to see if she could catch a glimpse. Not quite, but somewhere in the foliage, there was a hint of plumage. And she could definitely smell the feathered lizard too. He wasn't kidding. Konja wondered what he did to so thoroughly tame an animal that she was entirely loyal and fiercely protective of him... But that could be asked later. As he said, Foxxi would always be around. For now, she would look around at the green forest, minty bushes, and streaks of light pouring in from little gaps in the canopies above. Leaves crunched under their feet. And the smell of rain after a long dry spell hung strong in the air. "I did a lot of exploring back home on Planet Plant. You'd be surprised how much you could find in a desert valley."Crags, crevices, caves, and corners hid lots of things from view, and going in to explore them was always a treat. You never knew what you might find hiding from the heat of the sun. Foxxi darted ahead, toward the sound of running water. Just for now, they were alone. At least, as much as they could be when surrounded by all sorts of tiny life in the woods. Achi proposed snacks once they got to the river. What Saiyan would refuse the offer of snacks? "Yes, I think we could use that break... and those snacks.." She licked her lips. "I can dive for fish too, if you're up for seconds!" Achi of course understood their people enough by now to have a good estimate of what counted as enough snacks. He was probably keeping a pile of goodies in a capsule somewhere on his person. Konja did remember to make sure first though. "Erm... if by break you mean just sitting down by the river, I'm alright with that too!" Given how hard life was on Planet Plant, even swimming for fish was considered relaxation. Well catching big fish was exciting. So in that sense it was a game rather than a break, but if it was just little fish, then sure, that'd be a nice break. [731/2190] Achido
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Post by Achido on Sept 7, 2022 16:45:58 GMT -8
Achido wasn’t surprised by the response from Konja about her confusion on Biodome and Biome but it did indeed make him laugh for a moment. "Oh, you’re thinking of Biome! They are categorized by the climate, animals, and plants in the area. This here." He paused and brought his free hand up, motioning to the area around them for a short time. "Is known as a Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome. Which means you will see a lot of green around the area with some small and medium sized wildlife." He added with a slight nod.
As Konja and Foxxi began to interact, it seemed that the raptor was unsure at first, sniffing at the jerky slowly and realizing the several different scents on the one piece of jerky. The animal did not seem to care, snapping forward in a flash with a chomp. Foxxi only took half the piece of jerky and luckily not Konja’s entire hand. The interaction caused Achi to wince, hoping that the animal didn’t bite off more than it could chew. "Phew!" Is all that could escape his lips after seeing the animal almost chomp down on the saiyan’s arm.
The pair continued holding hands and walking through the dense forest, pushing aside the bushes in front of the thin path so they could get through easier. Foxxi darted off to the right and crouched down low to stay hidden, while continuing through the wooded area without making any noise. Her eyes were on Konja most of the time, studying her every move and probably wondering who she was, and why she was even there. The sound of a twig snapped in the distance, causing the raptor to bolt ahead to see what made the noise and possibly even hunt it for another meal.
With the sound of water flowing and slightly splashing getting louder, Achi began to smile wide and pick up his pace a bit, hoping that Konja would do the same in the process. "Hear that?!" The excitement in his voice rose quickly before moving faster down the path. "Sounds like it’s flowing pretty fast, too!" He stated, while in the process of trying to make sure he wasn’t dragging Konja around behind him.
As they made it to the clearing the river was only about the length of a small car away from where they came out of, causing Achido to quickly stop dead in his tracks. Foxxi was already sipping from the flowing water with blood on her snout, meaning that the noise she heard was indeed some sort of animal, at least hopefully it wasn’t a humor or alien of sorts. To the right of where they stood a small waterfall with a few deer at the top looking down below. The human continued to smile and stepped forward slowly.
When he neared the edge of the land, Achi plopped his butt on the grass and patted the ground. "Have a seat, my feet are already sore. Looks like there are a lot of fish in there so you could easily catch something if you wanted to." He admitted, while putting his attention back on the raptor for a moment. Konja had said something earlier about her homeworld, which got the brain juices going for the blonde man. He looked over to her and smiled warmly before speaking. "You mentioned Planet Plant earlier. Can you tell me about that place?" He asked curiously, while picking at the grass with his free hand. Achi was genuinely curious about this saiyan and her home planet because he felt a close bond with Konja, and he was more than willing to explore that bond further.
612/2,095
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 9, 2022 4:01:16 GMT -8
As Konja thought, Achido was more than willing to give the right word. This time, she paid much closer attention than all those DynoTubers talking about the ideal place to build an OreCraft house and the best way to develop it for resources. Biome. Biome. Bye-owm. "Bye... owm..." she muttered as he said the word, and explain exactly what it meant. An area categorised by the climb-mate, animals, and plants that could be found in it. Achi directed her attention to the forest around them. Yes, this particular Biome. A temperate, de-seed-you-us... forest biome. "Does that mean there are other kinds of forests? If this kind has to have two words to describe it." Did temperate mean hot? Then there must have been cold forests, of course. The Exploration Channel did mention bored-real forests in the north full of snowy trees in the winter, and moss, and deep soil... In any case, this was helpful to know. Even on Planet Plant, she had only heard of forests, far away beyond the horizon. The fertile lands that the Tuffles had kept for themselves. When she was younger, before the years leading up to the war, she heard that the Saiyans and Tuffles got along well. Their people were a hardy one, in any case, and perhaps only looking back, they realised they were being swindled. But when they first arrived, they welcomed the challenge of taking the barren land and making it thrive. So to see forests of many kinds on this planet, with their tall trees of many variations, was quite the sight. Konja giggled at Achi's excitement as they sped up along the path to the river. Yes, she remembered being like that too, in the patient moons between planting and harvest. Or the fallow moons between harvest and the next planting season, where they too would run down to the Tuberosum river. The older kids who already knew how would always win... because they flew. But that was probably not the best option in a forest like this. And so they ran. Foxxi had already beaten them there, knowing the way and having already made a fresh kill. Now it was a matter of slaking her thirst after that meal. The Saiyan warrior within Konja brought her to a smile. This was a predator, like the white fangs and the thunderclaws. On Planet Plant, they would have competed against her kind to catch the biggest quarry. And the children would have been taught to avoid them if they didn't know how to fight well enough yet. "The fish can wait then," she took the offer to sit down, especially now that Achi was asking her to tell him more about Planet Plant. Konja looked up at the canopy of leaves above, past the gaps to the cloudless blue sky. She imagined it was still out there somewhere. Along with her kin, the descendants of her Clan. It made her smile again, the hope that maybe they could meet again someday... "You've probably heard it many times from us by now. Planet Plant is the Saiyan homeworld... well, I should say it's the second one. My father told me stories of how we came from a different world, the ancestral homeworld Sadala. Other than that, I know almost nothing about it."The Taco King cashier sat down and took off her shoes, tracing circles along the callouses beneath her feet. She didn't start wearing sandals until she was maybe five or six. And going around barefoot in the badlands understandably would lead so hardy extremities. It was an idle movement, with nothing significant behind it. Just something she always did before taking to the river. Konja dipped her feet in. "And while I can't save I've been everywhere on Planet Plant, not even other bye-owms, the small part of that world where I lived and worked and played... Some people might call it harsh, but it was home. It was my childhood." And it was certainly better than the six years she spent as the Tuffles' lab monkey. "When my ancestors arrived on Planet Plant, the Tuffles welcomed them, so I'd heard. They kept the green forests and fields to themselves. Even the cold snowy lands. For my people, they set aside the barren wastes. Maybe because even though they had advanced technology, they felt no need to improve those areas, when they had their towering glass and metal cities."She began to skip stones now. Something they used to do at the river before really jumping in. "My ancestors didn't mind. 'Our people are strong', father would say. The elders saw it like another battle, I guess. But instead of fighting others, we were fighting against nature. In my day, there were many little kingdoms in that wasteland. Oftentimes fighting each other, sometimes, at peace. But the three biggest were the Kingdom of Vegeta, the Queendom of Koriandr, and the Archduchy of Okra. My clan, Clan Korm served King Vegeta. We lived in the Tuberosum River Valley, a short run from the riverbank."Konja looked over, wondering if the way she approached the question of Planet Plant was not quite what Achi expected. She spoke of history and some politics, rather than biomes, necessarily... Hopefully that wasn't a disappointment. [881/3071] Achido
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Post by Achido on Sept 10, 2022 18:50:21 GMT -8
Achido sat there with his hands picking at the grass and listening to everything Konja was saying about Planet Vegeta, and then she spoke about their real homeworld, Sadala. He heard stories from Tiger Lily and Cayle but nothing too serious until recently with all the experiments that he spoke about. It was something that the young man didn’t like to talk about because they were his friends and it made him mad to think that people would even do such things. He grabbed a handful of the grass and ripped it free, before tossing it to the side in anger. It was short lived as he began to focus more on Konja.
When she finished speaking about the three major kingdoms on the planet he gave a soft nod before giving her a response. "This King Vegeta guy, he must have been pretty great, right? I assume so because of how your clan served under him, unless it was more of a forced alliance?" He was very curious and wanted to ask her a million questions about her past, but he also knew that there was a good chance that Konja may get upset during their conversation. Was it something he wanted to risk, even though he felt like he needed to know her past in order to know her fully.
Just as Achido looked across the river to see what Foxxi was doing, the raptor seemed to be nowhere in sight. It wasn’t anything unusual as the animal loved to venture off in the distance as long as she was able to see and smell Achi. Little did the human know, Foxxi was actually protecting the area because of what she had hidden deeper in the forest. There have been poachers in the past which have come to the forest in search of bear pelts to make a fortune, which was probably why the raptor didn’t quite trust Konja at first.
With the conversation flowing on much like the river where Konja had soaked her feet in, Achido looked over at the beautiful saiyan and smiled. "From what I can tell you saiyans are extremely powerful. I have not met anyone stronger! Although, that Tuffle Cayle mentioned does seem pretty strong, too. But if we keep up our training, I think we can overcome anything in our path." Achido went on about the saiyans so the conversation could continue. He was interested in everything he was hearing from Konja. Not only for his own good, but the information would be great to have for future references.
He smiled lightly and pulled out the box he showed Konja earlier before opening it, and tossing one of the capsules to the ground by his right. A cloud of smoke appeared as the capsule popped open and a blanket, picnic basket, and flowers appeared perfectly on the ground beside them. Achi grabbed the red roses and handed them over to Konja. "These are for you. It’s a sign of, uh, me showing that I care about you a lot. More than a friend." He said, while blushing heavily. This was his first time actually trying to impress a woman and he had no idea how he was doing, or if he was even doing the right thing, especially to a female saiyan like Konja.
553/2,648
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 10, 2022 23:35:44 GMT -8
As Konja shared the Saiyan story, she saw no obvious indication that Achido was bored. If anything, mentioning how the Tuffles treated her ancestors on their arrival might have reminded him of the more serious things that had been done to them. The young human chucked a handful of grass into the wind, with visible anger. He even asked about King Vegeta, and if he was a good leader, or simply one powerful enough to force the clan's service. "King Vegeta was I feel, the strongest Saiyan in the world. I hadn't seen him myself, but my father never ran out of stories when he served in the King's Army." Before Yakku of Clan Korm was injured beyond service, at any rate. After that great loss, he stayed home to raise his daughter to surpass him and his kin who died in that horrendous mission. "But father admired him for more than his power. King Vegeta was also cunning and wise. Wise enough to know when to negotiate rather than fight. And cunning enough to negotiate the best results for each side... which usually meant citizenship in his Kingdom. Both sides would win out greatly, but it especially meant the Kingdom of Vegeta would grow stronger, and become better at protecting its people." And based on what Renkon had told her, by the end of the war, King Vegeta had completely unified the Saiyan race. Ultimately, then, the welfare of the whole race was intricately connected to the welfare of the kingdom. And in foreseeing and creating that connection, King Vegeta truly was the wisest and most cunning Saiyan King of his time. "That's why I serve Cayle. He is wise and cunning, like King Vegeta... but in his own way. A different way that I think, is more fitting for this world we're on now. More than that, it's because I know for myself that I can trust him. King Vegeta was distant, a hero I know only from my father's stories. But Cayle is my precious friend. The brother I never had."Konja looked up again at the cloudless blue sky, the river parting the ceiling of leaves to allow a great view. She playfully kicked up to send water into the air, much like she did back on Planet Plant. Instead of a little splash like she had expected, it momentarily cut all the way across the river, blasting a wave of water into the air. For but a second, the rocky riverbed was revealed, and some fish flopped about on the rounded stones, before the water reasserted itself and the river continued to flow. She gasped in brief surprise and blushed in embarrassment. It... strangely tied in to what Achido was just saying about the power of the Saiyan race. "I think a lot of that is thanks to Planet Plant. I don't... really understand the science behind it. But everything is much heavier there. If I had to guess, ten times heavier. Everything. From leaves, to plates, rocks, food, even the water and dirt. And because everything was so heavy, we got used to it."The Taco King cashier thought back to her first experience attempting to farm on Earth. "When I first tried to plough a field here on Earth, the hoe flew out of my hands because it was so light. So to get used to how light everything is here, I put weights in everything, even my clothes." She unzipped a pocket along her left side and pulled out a pocket plate of... what did they call it? Tungsten. "Sometimes I forget, though."Why were the Tuffles so squishy, then? Maybe it was because they'd been here for a long time now. So long they'd forgotten how heavy things were on Planet Plant. And so they turned back to their technological ways. "Yes, I think so too. If he's their leader, then he must be at least as smart as King Vegeta. And while being smart isn't what I'm best at, I can train with the best of them too!"It was at this point that Achi opened up a capsule to reveal a picnic set. Complete with a blanket, basket of the snacks, and a bunch of blood red flowers. If she could remember what the Exploration Channel said, these were roses, and they briefly mentioned they were a popular expression of courtship. Konja blushed as she took the bunch of flowers into her arms. Blood rushed to her face. She took a whiff as Achi explained his intentions. Yes, there was no question about it. This was a kind of courtship. How did one respond to this? She had no idea. All she ever saw on that one show was the woman accepting the flowers and then, it moved on to how roses were useful for medicine and even tea. Ah, but they did smell very alluring. Setting the bunch down on the blanket as she moved there from the river, Konja drew one stalk out, pinched off a petal, and tossed it into her mouth. Now roses, they didn't actually taste quite like much. They were mostly fragrant. But a Saiyan's nose was truly sensitive, and their taste buds could make the most out of something that tasted comparatively bland. Her face lit up into a pleased smile, one hand pressing on her cheek, eyes squeezed shut as if one had just eaten a valentine's chocolate. "Thank you, Achi! It tastes wonderful!" She ate another petal, and the sensation danced along her tongue and nose again. As someone who grew in a harsh environment, where everything that grew was either used as food, fuel, shelter, or as part of a survival tool of some sort, it was only natural. Saiyan gardens were first and foremost, vegetable gardens. Everything could be eaten. The Tuffles might have had purely aesthetic gardens, but she'd never seen such things. Certainly not in the sterile white lab she was imprisoned in for six years. And so for Konja, a bouquet of roses was more or less the same thing as a box of chocolates. A romantic offering you could eat! 1026/4097 Achido
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Post by Achido on Sept 11, 2022 12:15:56 GMT -8
Achido had taken a liking to all the talk about King Vegeta because from the sounds of it, the king of saiyans reminded him of his very own father. He was brave, strong, and persistent along with many other things. All Achi could think of was all the days he stayed at the Dojo to train solo with his father. The man continued to push the young boy, helping mold him into the man he was today. Achi had no issues with how his father pushed him at first but then the young man met Tiger Lily, Cayle, and Konja. All three of them have gained his trust from their past adventures and a bond that seemed stronger than anything he knew.
When the saiyan female spoke of Cayle, he couldn’t help but to smile lightly. Cayle taught Achido so much in the past, even taking him on as his mentor to get stronger than ever. The training was intense, almost as intense as the stories they shared together during that period of time. "At first, I wasn’t sure what to believe when it came to Cayle. I felt like you all were the bad guys, but then the truth came out about the Tuffles and their experiments. It literally shook me to my core, thinking about how many innocent lives they took just to be used as lab rats." The emotions were enough to slow his speech and lighten his words.
With the blanket laid out and the conversation still going on, Achido leaned back against the large tree that shaded the picnic area where the pair sat. As Konja began to speak about the gravity on Planet Plant, he raised a brow and thought to himself for a moment before finally responding to her words. "Konja, I think you and I will have to head back to my lab when this is over. Your information on Planet Plant slash Vegeta could be very useful to the team I put together. I have been.." He paused for a second unsure if he should reveal everything now, or to wait it out like he had originally planned. "Well, I have been working on something in private and I have a team on the job every day. I think you might be able to help out with the information you know of that Planet." He admitted, before leaning back against the tree once more.
It was at that moment when Achido watched as Konja began to stuff the rose pedals in her mouth one by one. He let out a laugh and slapped his knee at the same time. "Heh! You aren’t supposed to eat them, Konja!" He stated, then began to laugh some more, and finally got control of himself before speaking once more. "Most people put them in a vase until they die, then toss them out, but I won’t complain if you eat it. Just make sure to watch for the thorns! But thank you, I appreciate you, Konja." He finally finished speaking for the time being and pulled out a dish for the female saiyan and himself.
As Achido poked away at the dish and stuffed his face with no shame, he stopped for a moment and looked back to the river to see that Foxxi had returned for another drink. When she popped her head up from the water, she looked directly at Achi and Konja making a chirping type of noise, as if she was trying to say something to them. He didn’t think much of it at the time because of how much he was enjoying his time with Konja, but there was something off causing the animal to quickly scurry back into the dense forest once again. He just shrugged it off and continued to pick at the food before peeking up at Konja with a smile. "I hope you like it! My mom sent me a bunch of food this morning and I figured nobody better to share it with than you!" He blushed lightly and shoved a piece of meat in his mouth to shut himself up.
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 18, 2022 23:05:32 GMT -8
"Had it been two years ago, I wouldn't have understood what you meant," Konja stopped eating the rose petals after Achi explained the correct way of treating them. Keeping them in a vase seemed like such a waste, though. Certainly, they were beautiful, but she was still trying to grasp the idea of a purely aesthetic gift. Was a plant not beautiful because it had strong wood for building, or delicious fruits or healthy herbs? It was why the few times she passed by jewellery stores, she would try to imagine what purpose those bejeweled rings served. If you collected enough of them, would they make for good punching equipment? Surely to have such tough gems at the head of a punch had to hurt! That said, now she was at a loss on whether she should finish the rest of these fragrant petals, or put them in a vase somewhere. Achi did say he didn't mind either way. But still... "But given certain things in my culture that terrify Earthers, I'm inclined to agree with that first impression." Not a lot of civilised Earthers would dare eat the body of their fallen enemy, for example. And while Saiyan cannibalism had been a point of debate between certain clans on Planet Plant, there was no disagreement that dead Tuffles were delicious as roab, especially when roasted. For that matter, any slain foe that wasn't Saiyan was fair game for a good post-battle roast. After all, it would be a waste to leave behind bodies that were in prime condition to have attempted to fight a Saiyan. At least now, Achi understood where they were coming from. He brought up that he was working on, well, something that could be aided by her knowledge of Planet Plant. She could only stand up to briefly bow before sitting back down on the blanket. Some formalities were hard to get rid of, especially when you grew up mainly interacting with her father. "I don't know how my small life on the homeworld can help, but I'll do my best." What was his team working on, anyway? Konja had noticed over those years that he had become more scientifically inclined. Things that were likely beyond her reach, and more in the realm of the high-minded Tuffles. The obvious difference was he was taking it in a direction that did not involve poking her everywhere with all sorts of needles, or cutting her open while awake to rearrange her organs. The fast food cashier shook the memories out of her immediate mind. This was not the place for such recollections. Not that she could control when they returned, but this was the worst timing. She took a deep breath and reached for an egg sandwich, part of this great picnic set Achi's mom had sent him. Her first instinct was to reach for the large whole ham. But it somehow brought back the sight of Tuffle surgeons hanging some part of her that they had extracted from her torso. Waving it in her face as it continued to beat loudly, animated by the tubes they had plugged into it to keep it going. There were no scars to separate it from a nightmare. But she knew what had happened. It must have been their advanced healing technology. How else did so many open cuts leave her skin unblemished? "Please thank her for me. This is great!" Konja finished the sandwich off in two bites as she noticed Foxxi come and go after making a little ruckus. If there was anything living in the wastes taught her, it was that animals had a certain sense for important things, whether food or danger. Comparable to Saiyans in many ways, but in some ways more specialised.. "Say Achi... do you think Foxxi was trying to tell us something?"Whatever it was, though, would have to wait. It would be rude to leave all this food behind. Smiling back at Achi's meat-stuffed face, she reached for another sandwich. [669/4766] Achido
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Post by Achido on Sept 24, 2022 15:38:30 GMT -8
The sun was shining bright and glimmering through the leaves from the trees that surrounded the pair. The wind was calm and the air was warm, but the air around the river seemed to give off a nice little chill. Achi continued to munch down the food and finally looked over at Konja as she spoke. "If they taste good you can finish those off, I promise I won’t be upset. I can always get you more flowers to put in a vase somewhere, or I can surprise you with some more delicious food!" He began to chuckle lightly, while shoving more of the meat into his mouth.
The young human was enjoying the time he had with Konja, hoping that they could learn more about each other in the process of this whole picnic, but it seemed that Foxxi had other plans for the two of them. The sound of the raptor calling out for help was heard in the distance, echoing throughout the entire forest. The noise was loud enough to cause Achi to put both hands over his ears. He pulled them away and listened to what Konja was saying. "If not then, she is definitely calling for help now!" He replied, pushing himself off the ground, while offering his hand to help Konja up from the ground.
Foxxi continued to cry out for help, yelping louder and louder as each second passed by. "Konja, we have to get to her now!" He called out and instantly pushed off the ground to fly in the direction of the raptor. Achi had let go of Konja in the process and hoped that the female saiyan would follow after him to see exactly what was going on. He weaved in and out of the trees of the forest and pressed on until he could finally see a trail of smoke and Foxxi in the distance. The smoke seemed to be caused by a vehicle that hurried off into the distance, as if it had done something very horrible.
Achido slowed down as the raptor was merely feet away from him, so he dropped to the ground and landed gracefully, before taking a few steps towards Foxxi and instantly feeling nothing under his feet, the young man fell down in some sort of hole in the ground. The raptor jumped down with Achido and landed next to him, so he lifted his hand and began to stroke the back of her neck before speaking. "You’re ok, girl. What did those people want with you?" He asked in a soft voice, but it was at that very moment that Achido saw broken eggshells scattered around on the ground by their feet.
Achi had forgotten all about Konja for a split second and looked up from where he just jumped down from, and the young man began to yell for the female saiyan. "Konja, down here! You will not believe this!" He shouted with both hands close to his mouth so that the words would hopefully travel further so that Konja could hear him. Foxxi poked her head at the broken eggshells in a sad manner, then looked to Achi and made a soft noise, as if the animal was distressed and upset. "Wait, these are your eggs?! Did those people come in and take what they could from your nest and leave?" He asked the raptor with a serious expression on his face. It was at that moment that Foxxi began to make another noise as if she were agreeing with the young man.
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Post by Konja of Clan Korm on Sept 28, 2022 5:15:28 GMT -8
"Then I'll take them as is for now." Konja continued to pick at the rose petals. Although she set them down as soon as Foxxi called out again. Something was definitely going on. With nothing more than a nod, she was up on her feet after taking Achi's hand. The picnic and science experiment would have to wait. Right now, Achi's baby was in danger. How would Konja react if that stray cat got in trouble? As she blasted off in pursuit of her friend, she concluded that it was impossible to blame him. After all, she would probably do the same in his place. The more she thought about it, the more likely she was going to adopt that stray once she got back to Ensalada. But for now, there was definitely trouble up ahead. Foxxi standing on the ground with a smoking vehicle running away. If not in guilt, then at the very least, fear of retribution. Achi swooped down to check up on how Foxxi was doing. And then he fell down a pit of sorts. As much as she wanted to pursue the perpetrators, there was the fact that Achi was not in view. It wasn't that Konja didn't on an intellectual level know that he would probably survive. After all, he was a fighter, and he knew how to fly. Rather, it was more a matter of instinct that she flew down there to follow him. "Achi, are you alright?"That depended on how you would answer the question. On the one hand, he was physically fine. The pit wasn't even that deep. On the other hand, he was surrounded by broken eggs, stroking Foxxi who mourned. She had seen something like this before, when a bird cried over its next when the eggs were stolen. Konja never met her mother. But seeing animals like this, made her wonder if her mother would have cried like that, had she been alive to find out Konja was captured or possibly killed by the Tuffles. That was something unforgivable. Fire burned in her eyes. "Achi. Take care of Foxxi. I'll catch the maggots who did this."The Saiyan rose back up into the air. The smoke plume was further now... but it would be trivial to catch up to it. Maybe two years ago, she would have some trouble because of how poor she was at flying. But now, she had learned enough to be pretty good at it. Besides... she was a militia scout. Tracking things, especially machines that stuck out in the middle of natural places like woods, was part of her specialty. She blasted off after that vehicle. Once she caught up, she would flip it over, tear off the underchasis, and grab whoever was in there, along with Foxxi's chicks. The latter would be brought home. The former would be brought to Achi for questioning. At least, that was the plan... [488/5254] Achido
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Post by Achido on Oct 1, 2022 14:54:57 GMT -8
As Achido continued to stroke the long neck of the Raptor to help comfort her, he could see that Konja was angry with what had happened, causing her to speak up on the situation at hand. Achi gave the female saiyan a firm nod and watched as she began to levitate from the ground and out of the hole where Achi and Foxxi were currently waiting. He was clearly upset and wanted to help Konja, but he also wanted to stay and comfort the animal because of its loss. "Don’t worry, girl. I know Konja and I promise you she will bring back your younglings." He pressed his head against the Raptor and gave Foxxi a hug. "I promise you, Foxxi." He said softly.
The large truck was cruising with a trail of dirt and dust following them through the wooded area until they finally found a gravel road to follow. There were two men up front and three others in the back of the vehicle with the baby Raptors that were being held in cages at the moment. The cries from the animals were loud enough to travel outside the vehicle. If Konja couldn’t hear them crying out, she would most definitely be able to see the trail of dust from the truck on the gravel road. "Yer drivin’ too slow, ya muck! Put yer foot to tha ground now!" The passenger called out, as he held onto the handle connected to the door.
While Konja was on the hunt for the crooks, Achi looked up from where he was, staring out of the hole for just a moment and began to smile. "Hey, let’s get out of here and wait up there. We can walk over to the river and get you a drink." He suggested and flew up and out of the hole with ease, then landed at the edge, and looked down at the animal for a moment. Foxxi quickly hopped up and with her claws from her feet, she pushed off the side of the wall and out of the hole next to Achido. She whimpered from the sadness of her babies being stolen and waited there with Achido for the time being.
It was not long after Achido and Foxxi hopped up from the hole when he sensed someone trying to sneak up from behind them, so he quickly turned around to spot a clean-shaved man with long black hair that was in one braid down the spine of his back. Beside him was a small dog-like animal that seemed to be modified with armor and weapons of some sort. When Foxxi turned around and noticed the pair she quickly began to growl at them as if they were a threat. Achi and the man just stared at each other, as if they were eyeing one another up to see exactly what they were up against. This was all going on as Konja was currently chasing down the group that held the stolen animals.
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