Scene #2073:

Owner	Pose
Yunomi Stadler	WELL. HOW INCREDIBLY AWKWARD IS THIS. So while the Union is buzzing like the little hivemind they are about this strange new development. Yunomi is surprisingly reserved. She arrived promptly, clad in sandals and cargo pants and a T-shirt, wearing someone else's slightly-too-large hat on her head. She's in a booth, nervously ripping a bagel to shreds with blue and red painted nails. Her stomach flipflops. That was not something she expected to hear. Ever. ... at least while she was awake.
Gohan	As the Bar and Grill is chosen as the place of the meeting, Gohan shows up in casual attire. A white t-shirt, blue jeans, black sneakers. If anyone didn't know better, he'd look like a really buff high schooler. However, the one he's coming to meet does know better. And so, he approaches unassumedly, smiling softly as he slips into the booth across from Yunomi. "So," he says, ordering a beverage. Soda. Bright green. He likes it on occasion. "I'd be arrogant not to expect you to view this all with a concerned mind," he says, waiting for his drink. "I can tell you're nervous. In our last... encounter... We were far more on the violent side. I..." He looks sad for a moment. "I know I've caused a lot of problems with all this. I won't ask forgiveness. I know I can't get that. Not ever, most likely." He shakes his head. "But I assure you. This is a genuine offer. You can offer to fight for it if you want, but know that I WILL let you win."
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi raises an eyebrow at the nervous bit, and glances down at the bagel, and then back up at the half-saiyan in the casual wear. And she pushes the plate of bagels over t ohim. "Have one." she orders, and she leans back. She purses her lips a moment as she considers his words. And when she speaks up, with a casual sort of air she adopts. "Eh. It would be a farce. I'd probably just insult your parentage until you got angry enough to fight for real, or some other jackass will come down and interrupt both of us for some lesson of togetherness." she points out, and she leans back in her seat. She's lost a great deal of her vinegar frmo the last time they met. This wasn't a Guardian defending her homeland against impossible odds... ... this was a broken young woman. She doesn't even raise her eyes up to meet him. "I forbade people from going after you afterwards because you let the humans and yokai go without a fight. I nearly died." and her face goes soft. She traces her fingers around the rim of her glass. "Some days, knowing how I failed my kami, my people... I wish I had."
Gohan	Gohan snatches a bagel, staring down at it. It occurs to him, probably too late, that this was probably a slap in the face. He had seized it, unprovoked, then defended her attempt to take it back. Even though he had stayed true to his word and evacuated everyone, it didn't change facts. He had seized it, and was now trying to give it back. 'Here's your home. I know you'll never get it back legit, so here.' No doubt that is what SHE heard. He listens carefully, nibbling on the bagel before tearing into it for real. He swallows, and the sound is a bit loud as she mentions forbidding people to go after him. He looks at the table's surface, burning in the cheeks. At the last bit, though, he slams a fist on the table. "Enough!" The tone of voice surprises even him. It's not anger, or sadness. It's regret. "Enough..." he says softly. "Wishing you had died isn't going to help anything, okay? I feel myself giving this speech a lot, oddly enough. But, listen. What I did... it was awful. It was a terrible thing. I did it for all the wrong reasons that I thought were right at the time. Now I see I... was just flexing my power because I had it. It..." He shakes his head, putting a hand to his face. "I try to justify it in my mind. I did it because of this, or to do that. But what matters is none of it happened. And now all I'm left with is shame." He shakes his head again. "I wasn't meant to be a conquerer, no matter how bad I wanted to believe otherwise at the time for some stupid reason. I'm a guardian. And so... I have to try and make this right. And I'll keep trying, even if I never get it done."
Yunomi Stadler	She jumps, and the tanuki physically recoils, her ears flicking backwards and her arms coming up to try and deflect an incoming blow. A few other patrons turn to take a look at what's happening, and the carefully created towel of Bagel tumbles down, bagels making a glorious, rolling escape across the table. Yunomi realizes that she had been holding her breath, and when she releases it, it comes in a squeak. "You know what? No." And she rises up a little, and she points a finger. "You came into my homeworld. You flexed your muscle. /You/ decided you were going to take a role, and you just" she waves incredulously, her hand outspread and her arm motioning helplessly for a moment, "come on all sad-puppy to the /talkshow channel/ to say--" and she imitates his voice, "'You can have your land back Yunomi I even planted a tree or two and we're all cool now!'" her head waggles, her ears going in opposite directions almost comically. "You don't have to 'make it right'. You won, Gohan. I lost, and I lost a lot, but that's the lot in life I got." she points out. "Are you going to go around and give weird half-peptalks every time you get a fight over with? Because seriously, that's going to make for some /really/ awkward reports."
Gohan	Gohan sits calmly as Yunomi reacts, his hands folding across the table. He suppresses the urge to laugh, mainly because it was a justified reaction. She couldn't be sure he wouldn't try and attack. It would be foolish to keep your guard down. His guard, for those watching, is totally down. He closes his eyes. He knows what's coming next, and as the tirade flies at him, he flinches a bit. However, his face is implacable until she's finished. He clears his throat, then opens his eyes. "Fine," he says, "My outreach was clumsy. I'll admit that. How else was I supposed to get a hold of you, however? I doubt you would respond to a personal message from me, after all. So I did what I felt was best." He shakes his head. "I'm not saying we're cool, damnit!" he says, voice a bit sharper than he intended. "I'm not giving Namamura back out of charity or pity, okay?" He focuses his gaze, and he keeps up the mask. "You keep saying I don't have to make things right. You keep saying that. Let me ask you. Just because I don't have to, does that automatically mean I shouldn't?" He sighs, shaking his head. "Fine. What do you want from me?" he asks, "I've tried doing this gracefully. And you have reacted as such. Not that I blame you, of course. I know the Union as a whole has been dealing with Major Stark's death." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "So what do you want? Should I beg you to take it back? Maybe I'll just give it to the Union as a whole! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO GET THE POINT ACROSS THAT I'M TRYING TO DO SOME SMALL RIGHT TO A MASSIVE WRONG!" He slams his fist into the table, glaring across the table. It's not an angry glare, though. It's one of pain. "Please. Give me some stipulation."
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi throws a bagel during Gohan's all-caps reply, not even flinching when the table gets beat up, and maybe it bounces off Gohan's head. Maybe he ducks it. But she throws it. "Cool your freaking jets. You are the /worst/ date ever." Yunomi replies cooly, trying for levity. "I'm trying to keep my calm, but faced with the guy that nearly killed me, twice, yeah I'm a little edgy. And so were the twenty or so people buzzing in my ear. Major Stark wasn't really in my circles; I have my own death in the group to concern myself with." she replies, and she rubs one arm, her ears pinning back. "Even if I were to get Namamura back, its people have settled in new homes, began new lives in a far off place. I may never be able to use the powers that faded from me. I can't ask others to resettle in a place where they will not feel protected, Gohan. No more than I can beg you to let your conscience go."
Gohan	Doink. Gohan falls silent as the bagel bounces off his head, landing with a thud on the table. He tilts his head in confusion, flushing slightly. This wasn't a date, was it? Damnit, he's way underdressed. He focuses back in, though, blinking. "The Union has suffered another death?" he asks. He sounds concerned, not proud or mocking. "I hadn't heard about that. And... well... nearly killed is a little dramatic, don't you think?" He picks up the thrown bagel and bites into it. "I never had any intent to kill you. You fought too admirably for that. I... guess I did kind of hit pretty hard though..." He scratches his nose in embarrassment. At the end, though, he smiles. "Well then, maybe I can offer a solution to that." "It just so happens I have a group of men that is, in very short order, going to be out of a job," he says, "I'll have to trim the fat so to speak, but there are some solid fighters in their ranks. I could have them aid you in guarding Namamura until your powers come back or whatever. Or permanently, as the case may be." He shakes his head. "Yes, I want to ease my conscience," he says, "It's tearing at me. But I also... well... damnit to hell. I want to see what it was like before I invaded it. It seems so sad right now."
Yunomi Stadler	No, it wasn't a date. Yunomi doesn't date world-stealing mama's boys. :\| Yunomi shakes her head. "No, it wasn't in the Union. It's something I have to deal with outside the ranks of the Union." she states, "And let's face it -- even if it did happen before Stark's death, pretty much anything the Major did took up a lot of attention in and out of the ranks." the tanuki explains. And she frowns. "If you wanted to see it how it was before..." She states, and she holds up her hands, and closes her eyes. HEr fingertips claim a ghostly blue glow, and glamour ripples around them. The two were still in the booth. THere were still bagels scattered around. BUt they were in the middle of a clearing, in the woods around Namamura. The steep cliff of the extinct volcano's caldera to his back as he looks out over the countryside in spring. The roar of Kaeru-hime's waterfall echoes in the distance. THe wind ripples softly, but touches neither skin or hair, stirs no clothing as it tiptoes by. The grass gives off no smell beneath their feet, nor the blossoms carried on the phantom breeze carry the smell of trees in bloom. The mid-spring leaves rustle, quaking in their presence. But this is not just a land of peace; it was also one with scars. A burned shrine, its sanctuary razed to the ground and leaving a black mark. A faded, rust-colored stane against a once whitewashed wall. Spent shells, their brassy jackets catching the light might be able to be seen. In the distance, the river Nama loops lazily, and ther eis smoke rising from the village forge in a whispy trail as the smoke gleefully escapes. Birds flit in the air, their ghost-song carried to Gohan's ears.
Gohan	He's not a mama's boy. :\| Gohan inclines his head. "Regardless... I'm sorry for your loss," he says, sounding as though he was sincere. "I suppose so... It's still a fairly substantial loss." He closes his eyes. When he opens them, Gohan finds himself standing in Namamura. It looks like how it does now, but bearing the scars of his invasion. He stares in wonder, his body trembling as he looks around. He closes his arms around himself as he looks at the projection, fear coming to his features as he takes it all in. "This... this is..." He grips his head, closing his eyes. "Fine, fine!" he calls, shaking his head. "Wait... this wasn't my invasion... was it? What happened here? I saw shells..." He looks up, misty-eyed. "I... didn't realize... what sort of damage I was doing..."
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi is sitting across from him, calmly eating a bread donut. She splits it open. "Nope. These scars aren't from you. We fought nearer to the village the first time, and right off the harbor the second. We're inland, here, near where I was born." she explains. And she won't say that she's enjoying his reaction... but she's not a bit sorry that he seems a little upset. She looks over her homeland, and feels a fresh pang of stabbing pain in her heart. And the vision fades away. The sights and sounds of the room around them return. "I don't think any of us realize the damage we do. There's not a whole lot of consideration... we're kind of an 'in the moment' thing." Yunomi replies thoughtfully. "So... there. That's a bit of Namamura before the first time we fought. That's the Namamura I lost, and with it... part of myself."
Gohan	Gohan's eyes go to the table as she recalls the illusion, body still trembling. "So... you were born here," he says after a moment. "Who were the first invaders, then? It seemed like you had things... pretty well in hand before I came along..." He trails off awkwardly. He would never be able to hold a normal conversation with this girl, it seemed. Gohan places his hands in front of him. "So... when you say I left you for dead, you meant because I stole your home. Not just the physical pain." He shakes his head. "Then I suppose this was an insult." He stands up, brushing his eyes. "I guess I understand." He smiles weakly, crossing his arms. "Some things can never be undone."
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi never holds normal conversations. You should hear her weird ones. "Dunno. If it wasn't you, it might have been one of the Neo-Saiyans. Or Freiza. Or some sort of demented clockwork anamatronic from beyond the fifth dimension -- who knows. Someone might have actually killed me. Or Beli. Or could have destroyed Striker Eureka or gone through and viciously began to ritualistically kill off youkai. The important thing is..." she motions, and gives a helpless shrug. "You can't undo the past. Namamura may be where I was born, but..." she frowns. "It's not my home. And I felt satisfied, though saddened, when I left, knowing that you wanted to... you know. Be at peace or something. I did a flyby once. Nothing was ripped up and you didn't turn it into some riced-out ganger fantasy-land with barbed wire and broken glass..." she drinks a long gulp of her water, and sets her glass down. "So you have that going for you." And her ears prick up. "Well... at first I thought it was an insult. Now... it's more like trying to assauge your conscience. Which is something I can't do." she gives a bit of a shrug. "I'm not a holy warrior. And I leave absoltion to the the professionals." She looks down at the glass. And she considers. "I'll take... stewardship of Namamura. Your 'retiring' teammates can live there as long as they don't go ripping up the place."
Gohan	Gohan looks at his glass, still full of green soda. He picks it up and drains it, setting it back down as she speaks. "I guess..." he says, staring at his glass. "It could've been any of them. But it was me. I have to bear that responsibility..." He shakes his head. "Despite what people may think, I'm not a murderer. I... I have a deep rage that can come out from time to time, but actually killing..." He looks up. "I take no pleasure in that." "I've tried to take care of it. I... Enjoy it. It's very peaceful... Good for meditation," he says, sheepishly. She knew all of that, of course. As she continues, he shakes his head. "Maybe that was it at first," he says, "but now... I just want it back where it should be. I... won't be able to escape what I've done... You've shown me that. I want you to take it because it is yours. Yours and your people. And, I will instruct my guardians not to cause any trouble for you. I swear it."
Yunomi Stadler	"Good." Yunomi states, and she gives a nod... but then at the deep rage, she gives a wry smile. "Bah, you're half saiyan, right? Pretty sure 'rage' isn't what happened. You enjoyed a fight. You won. I can't begrudge you that... but... look. One: The reason I'm not forgiving you is because you suck, and you've ripped open several wounds, but let's get one thing completely clear." She picks up a bagel. "I would not have bought you food if I didn't think you had some weird redeeming quality. You are welcome to /peaceably/ come to Namamura, but I'm not going to ask its inhabitants to upset their new lives and move /back/. Two:" And she takes a very serious face. "I'm not forgiving you because there's nothing I can forgive. Get it through your skull there, bagel boy. I don't hate you."
Gohan	Gohan nods. "Half human and half Saiyan," he says, "And, no, that day I didn't feel it, but it's there. Waiting. It's... sort of frightening in a way. No, that was just me attempting to flex my muscle like a moron. But, as I said, I can't do anything about it now." He winces slightly as she says he sucks. He doesn't suck, does he? Lame... "I deserve that," he says, frowning slightly. He does, however, smile just a moment later. He picks up a bagel. "I guess I didn't think about that. Weird redeeming quality, huh? That's... quite a compliment from you, I think. I hope." He chuckles, biting into the bagel in his hands. "Thanks for the bagels, in that case." The last part shocks him enough that he drops the bagel. "Sa... wha?" He tilts his head. "You... you don't hate me?"
Yunomi Stadler	"Yeah, well, remember how you stewed next time you feel like flexing a muscle. Or take it out on slave-owning worlds and start a rebellion." Yunomi chides playfully, and goes to stand. "I've already taken care of the bill. Eat the rest of the bagels. They're full of bagely goodness and soul-searching vitamins." she offers... and she goes to grab her backpack. "And no. I don't hate you. Hate is an almost useless emotion. It doesn't solve anything. It doesn't do anything productive. It destroys you, from the inside out, and turns you into someone you don't want to be." she smiles, and plucks another bagel off the pile. One for the road.
Gohan	Gohan smiles softly. "Don't worry. I don't think I'll be doing that manner of showing off again any time soon. Not only because of the weight it has on my heart, but also because I no longer have a reason for it." He closes his eyes and takes a breath, then opens them again as Yunomi collects her backpack and tells him to finish off the bagels. Sold. He can totally do that. He smiles a bit wider, then nods. "Wise words," he says, "... And oddly fitting, I think. But that's for another time. I'll take you up on that ability to visit. I promise I'll be good." And, with that, his attention diverts to the plate of bagels.
Yunomi Stadler	And Yunomi glances behind them... and tries to disappear. She tries to blink her body, to instantly go from one side of the room to the other. The power hasn't returned. It wouldn't be so easy. Punishment continues. She gives a wan smile, and with Gohan's attentions set on the delicious bread donuts, she turns to make her way back not to her homeland, but to Home -- the city of Ravnica awaits.