| Wait, I Have a Date?! | ||
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| Summary: Ponset comes across the guy that showed up being chased by the kaiju sized T-Rex a few weeks past. Things make turns that she could never have predicted. Who: Joshua Fireseed, Ponset When: April 23rd, 2017 Where: Center of NeoTokyo/The Unusual Restaurant   |
Neo Tokyo is a pretty strange place to be sure, but even here it would perhaps still be rather peculiar to see a teepee set up at the side of the street. Not only a bonna fide teepee at that, made of buffalo hide and everything, but parked next to it is a sleeping, half cybernetic Utahraptor. Said raptor.. stays asleep as Ponset walks by but there appears to be a young man sitting next to it eating a corn on the cob. Ponset might recognize him as the guy that was getting chased by an angry talking T-Rex and her army the other day. Ponset actually nearly walks past before it registers with her what she's looking at and stops. "...Just... on the sidewalk?" Yeah, the fact that it's on the sidewalk is the part that seems to be the oddest to Ponset. Strange girl herself, apparently. "There's, uh, a park to the south. Wouldn't that be a better place to set... /this/ up?" "Huh?" The boy looks up as he feels someone is talking to him and he eyes up towards Ponset, still lightly chewing on his corn on the cob. His eyes widen and a smirk of recognition appears on his features. "Oh! Hey gorgeous! Aren't you the one that helped me out with Thunder a while back? I never did thank you properly." He looks around his little set up as the Saiyan mentions the park and he shrugs. "Maybe! But don't judge me, okay? It feels like years since I've sat on a sidewalk." Ponset actually seems surprised by the compliment to her appearance. "I, uh, n-no problem." She then glances away, looking slightly annoyed for some reason, but somehow she seems more annoyed with herself than with Joshua. "I just kinda... went in without thinking, I guess. Probably was in over my head, wasn't I?" She looks back at him and smiles a bit weakly. "Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with it from a... personal prefence view, but..." She looks around at the people walking a wide berth around the TP and large raptor. "...Isn't this kinda... in the way, too?" Joshua smiles again, though this time it's a gentle one rather than one full of obvious mischief. "Hey, there's very little that can prepare you for someone like Thunder. And besides, like my uncle always says, when you only have one way in just take that path." The boy flicks one of the lenses strapped to his bandanna down to his eyes and stares at Ponset. "Also, from the looks of it, you could probably take Thunder and her goons by yourself. I don't think you were ever in any real danger with all your friends backing you up." The lens starts beeping quietly looking not unlike a Dragon Ball scanner, something Ponset surely is familiar with. The Hunter then flips his lens back up and stands. "I suppose you're right though. Best I relocate before people think I'm asking for alms." "I never introduced myself properly by the way." He extends his hand in greetings. "Joshua Fireseed, at your service." Ponset looks warily at the lens, and with his comment of her being able to take Thunder by herself, she's now fully expecting that device to indeed be very much like a scouter. She used one in some of her earlier missions, so she in fact is very familiar with them. "My... friends. Well... Really more just... a lot of people that were in the area... I mean... you and her showed up right in front of the police headquarters..." She does nod at his comment about looking like he might be asking for handouts. When he introduces himself and offers his hand, Ponset reacts with a slight delay, but moving quickly in a more awkward kind of manner as she reaches to shake his hand. "Ponset Thea," she says. "And... well... I don't think we really talked?" The boy shakes the hand with a warm embrance and chuckles slightly as Ponset mentions the police. "Well! Isn't that fortunate?? I'm so impressed by the cops around here, by the way. In most worlds, the local authorities just get trashed by Lost Land denizens. You guys must get a lot of invasions around here to be so prepared." He moves aside and walks towards his teepee to start disassembling it whilst looking to Ponset over his shoulder. "No, we didn't, but I'd say that was more Thunder's fault than a lack of trying." He folds his teepee neatly and stuffs it in his messanger bag, the whole thing fitting in rather nicely in there. "Fortunately, I know just how to fix that! Wanna go on a walk with me? Hmm... perhaps that nice park you mentioned. That is of course if you're free." Joshua gives a disarming grin apparently having no trouble asking Ponset on a pseudo date just like that. Ponset shakes her head as she shakes his hand. If he was able to sense her full strength with that device, it's clear that she's certainly not even using a fraction of her power in that handshake, so she definitely has good enough control to manage day to day life among normal people. "I wasn't kidding when I said this city deals with threats her size all the time. The military didn't even get involved. I'm sure they were on their way... They have some pretty fast mecha." She lets go and looks upward. "They make fly-bies every once in a while... You've probably seen them, though they might have looked like fighter jets?" She watches as he starts tearing down the teepee with her arms crossed, raising an eyebrow slightly at the fact that it just fits inside his messenger bag. It's asking to walk with him that gets her more surprised, though. "What? Uhhh, sure, I... guess I could." She's trying to act like she's not phased by his slightly flirtatious demeanor, but she's pretty clearly thrown off by it. "It's, uh, a bit of a ways to the south," she says, turning to motion off in that direction, even though she's already agreed to walk with him. Its hard to tell if the device Joshua used scanned Ponset completely. But if it did, it just speaks volumes of Joshua's boldness as he doesn't seem to mind at all trying to romance a woman than can split him in half with her bare hands. The young man just keeps grinning enthusiastically, and nods at the mention of the military. "Oh yeah, I think I've seen some ships flying around here. I'm actually very familiar with space craft so I can recognize mechs and the like fairly well." At least he's not being a pig about it though, Joshua is just as interested on what Ponset has to say despite his flirtiness. "Hey, no big deal, I ain't no stranger to walking." His eyes widen. "Although if you want I can give you a ride on Sprinkles." Josh looks over his shoulder and whistles. "Sprinkles! Come on, girl. We're moving out." Sprinkles is, apparently, the sleeping cyber Raptor. The dinosaur opens her one biological eye and yawns before walking over to Josh and Ponset. Ponset shakes her head. "Well, I mean, they, uh, they transform around here, a lot of them do. They really do look more like fighters." As he offers the ride on Sparkles, she looks over at the rising dinosaur. The look on her face is slightly fearful... not in an afraid of the dinosaur look so much as an afraid of the social interaction and awkwardness that she's sure she'd show. "Um... I'm okay with walking, really." She then does turn to look at Joshua again. "....'Sprinkles'?" "Oooh, the transforming kind, eh? I don't get many chances to see those. More than meets the eye, right?" He cackles and may or may not be quoting Transformers. "Aww, that's alright, but I assure you Sprinkles is a good girl." Says Joshua as Ponset declines his offer and begins petting the large Raptor, who in turn goes to give a very bird like chirp and lick Joshua's cheek. "Haha! Yes, you are a good girl, yes you are~" He begins talking to the dino as if it were a dog before looking back at the Saiyan. "What's wrong with Sprinkles??" Ponset, for her part, doesn't seem to get it even if it was a Transformers quote as she just tilts her head slightly, looking somewhat confused by the sudden cackle. "Um, okay." She looks back at the dino again and offers it a slightly weak smile. "I'm sure she is, but, uh, I'll just walk all the same." She does smirk slightly as Sprinkles licks Joshua, then glances away as he looks back at her again. "Uhhh, well, I guess nothing, now that I think about it. My parents named me after a flower. I think they were hoping to make that pun, what with my father's family name and all..." "No worries at all. I'm an explorer myself so I can get behind a long trek." Joshua rolls his shoulders and looks to the buildings around him. "Still glad its in a city for a change. And one where the citizens aren't all worshiping a giant lizard and trying to sacrifice me to it." Because apparently that was his beed with Thunder back there. Joshua frowns slightly as Ponset speaks of her own name and he tilts his head slightly at her. "What pun?" He doesn't seem to get it. Then, he flips his lens back down again and lines of code start pouring down the lens which Joshua seems to read. "Uh.. so.. is your name supposed to be Flower Noodles? Am I getting it right?" Ponset pauses a moment, giving Joshua an odd look at the 'Flower Noodles' line. "....No. I'm named after a specific flower, the poinsettia." She then shakes her head slightly and turns to face south. "But yeah, always good to be in a city that doesn't want to sacrifice you, I suppose? It's not really that long a trek, though..." She glances back at Joshua with a light smile and motions with her head towards the south. "I guess we should be off, right?" Joshua slaps his side of the head and flips his lens back up. "I'm so sorry, I must have sounded like an idiot." He grimaces before he glances at Ponset once more and stares more intentently at her, his eyes narrowing a bit as he gives a smile of assurance. "I see it now though. A strong, beautiful, red. It's a suitable name indeed." His features shift back to that goofy smile again and he gestures forward. "Lead the way! Here Sprinkles!" Calls the Hunter to his dino and the two fall in line next to Ponset. Ponset definitely looks a bit uncomfortable at the intent stare, and turns to look away from him from it. "Uhhh, y-yeah, well, lemme show you. I /think/ I can find it." Truth be told, she's only come across it on foot by chance before, but she thinks she can remember where it is from what she's seen from the air. Joshua chuckles a bit at Ponset's reaction, though noticing that he's making her uncomfortable he dials it back a notch, or at least tries to anyway. Following along, he and Sprinkles look around the place on their way to the park with Joshua attempting to make small talk along the way. "So! What sort of stuff are you into?" Ponset winces ever so slightly at the question. "Ehhh... I guess I'm into martial arts... but it's not really a common type to around here, and I kinda... stand out more than I like when I practice or fight." Of course, if he was paying attention to her in the fight against Thunder, standing out is kind of unavoidable with her fighting style. "Other than that... I'm kind of into the history of my world? Mostly of the time around my great-grandparents, mostly. Not that it really has any meaning in /this/ world," she says with a bit of a sour note to her voice. Apparently she's managed not to run across any Dragonball merchendice or posters, somehow. "Really?" Joshua looks around the place brieftly before looking back at Ponset. "I may be jumping to conclusions here, but standing out seems a bit subjective. If this place had more trees and dinosaurs running around, I'd think I'm still in the Lost Land!" He points out. "I noticed that you weren't the only one with flying powers when Thunder attack so.. like.. you can't be -that- out of place here, right?" He doesn't press the point more though and he kicks some rocks when Ponset mentions her other hobbies. "It's always good knowing your history." Says Joshua with a very distinct tone of sadness, probably the first time he's not been grinning like a fool even while he was getting attacked by dinosaurs. Ponset does a double take when she notices the change in Joshua's tone. "Are... are you okay?" she asks, slightly concerned since it does seem so odd for him, from what she knows of him so far. Still, they do arrive at the park. "Oh... um, here's the park. I think I've seen people camping in here from time to time." "Oh? I'm, uh, fine." Joshua chokes up a bit, and for a moment he almost seems to be teary eyed. He brushes his eyes with his gloved hand and swallows hard, pushing whatever sadness was pouring out back in and returns to his usual winsome personality. "Heh, it's just.. kind of a long story." He shrugs. "Oh! What's that over there? Seems neat." He points towards the Unusual Restaurant. So much for going to the Park. Ponset continues to look at Joshua with a concerned look that suggests she's not buying the 'I'm fine' line at all. On the other hand, she doesn't press the issue at all, instead turning to look as he points out the Unusual. "....I think it's a restaurant? I've never been in that one... I've, uh, got a few regular places I've gone to a few times, but I don't really eat out much." "Wanna go there?" Joshua smiles, his cheeky personality reutrning to him almost in a rush. "My treat." Also, he clearly has no idea of the dangers that said request poses to his wallet when its towards a Saiyan. Ponset looks perhaps a little concerned at the prospect of it. "I... well... sure, I guess," she eventually says. She does frown slightly at the thought, though, as concerns over just how she should eat keep running through her head. "Um, I guess it makes sense for pointing out a better camping spot?" No, she still has a hard time seeing this as anything resembling a date. She's had a rough time of her self esteem when it comes to anything other than fighting. Joshua gives somewhat of an arrogant chuckle. "Don't worry about that. I got some, uh.. camping experience." No matter what way he tries, he just can't not make that sound like he is full of himself. Joshua on the other hand seems dead set on making this a date somehow, even though he can feel Ponset's insecurity. Perhaps that's even more of a reason to take it that way. He feels like he needs to cheer her up as he just can't stand seeing someone like her be sad. "Nah, this is more my way of thanking you. After all, you -did- save me from getting eaten by a crazed T-Rex. Buying dinner for the lovely lady is the least I can do." Ponset glances away again, "Okay, yeah, I suppose that part counts, but I don't see you offering to take out that blonde police officer." Of course, for all she knows, Joshua has already gone and had drinks with Officer Gabriev. As far as dealing with guys with large egos... she was trained by Vegita and Cell. Joshua's got nothing on those two. That's good! Joshua would be remiss if people though he had a larg ego. Which, to be fair, he kind of does, but he'd label it more as being confident of his abilities rather than straight on arrogance. Speaking of confidence, Joshua gives a half smirk when Ponset points out the other women that helped him out against Thunder. "Baby, I don't know if you realize it but they got nothing on you." "Also, I don't swing that way." He clarifies. Ponset keeps a smile on her face, but somehow she's starting to look a bit like a deer caught in headlights as it finally does fully dawn on her that this guy is actually that interested in her. While the smile is frozen on her face, inside she's starting to lightly panic. . o O ( Brain! A guy is actually showing interest in me! What do I do?! ) After another second of stunned silence, . o O ( Damnit, brain, you're useless! ) "I, uh, um, uh," she stammers a moment as her face grows more red. "Th-thanks," she manages to get out as she looks away. Joshua gives a gentle laugh at Ponset's reaction and waves his hand trying to relieve some of the tension. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to embarass you or anything." His laughter dies down and once again tries to reign back in the charm and act more normally. "Actually, I'm kind of surprised! I almost didn't ask you out because I figured someone like you would be taken." Josh rubs his chin and arches an eyebrow. "I'm guessing by your reaction that you don't have a boyfriend or anything." Ponset shakes her head a bit too vigourously. "I'm kinda, uh, the outcast at school, and at work things just aren't like that with anyone. I, uh... so no, I don't have anyone, I'm not taken by anyone." And no, she's not making any eye contact through any of this. Joshua keeps rubbing his chin looking quite surprised. Honestly, a girl of her stature and power being the outcast?? It's really so odd to see that she has low self-esteem. Wonder why is that? Guess he can know in due time though, if Ponset lets him. "Well, despite how reckless I can be at times, even I wouldn't ask something so bold on the second time we met." He winks. "But I'm defenitly interested." The Hunter then motions to the restaurant. "This is totally me asking you on a date though. In case that wasn't clear." Ponset looks back to Joshua again, once again looking a bit like a deer caught in headlights as she attempts to put her thoughts into order. . o O ( I don't even know the guy! ) ( Isn't that the point of a date? ) ( But what if he turns out to be some sort of creep?! ) ( Oh, like I can't defend myself against a pervert. ) and so on as such. Eventually, it seems she either has come up with enough positive reasons or no real negatives, as she quietly just nods. Of course, he didn't actually ask her out in the form of a yes or no question, but she's apparently forgotten that part. Joshua looks to the sides a few times and purses his lips. He's not a mind reader though, so while Ponset may be having an intense internal debate, to Josh it just looks like she's staring at him until she finally nods. "Cool! Come one then, let's see what this Unusual place is all about." He extends his hand towards her to lead her in by the hand. Ponset cautiously takes the hand, and she's soon whisked away into the Unusual Restaurant! She of course is remaining looking quite bewildered at all this. None of her real training has prepared her for anything like this! They never went over this in school! But at least she's more aware of what's going on than her great-grandfather was at her age. As they enter, she looks around the place as soon as her eyes adjust the lighting. "Uhh... not the most... promising of signs," she says of the sign on the door. "They, uh, couldn't figure out what decoration to have here, could they?" Joshua whistles as he looks around. "Wow, such an ingenious non-metal design." He laughs at the whole atmosphere of the place. "Oh, they're just going for the unique edgy look." The Hunter glances around a bit more before making a face. "It is a bit tacky though." He shrugs though, intending to do the best of this situation! Joshua leads Ponset to the nearest table and pulls a chair for her to sit all gentleman like. It seems to take Ponset a moment to actually realize that the chair was pulled out for her. She even almost gets to the point where she's about to take another seat when she realizes what's going on, then visably winces as she backtracks her course and takes the offered seat with a very nervous smile. "Uhhh, th-thanks," she says before looking around, then she pokes at the fake fungus that this among the decorations of this particular area. "Yeah... It is a bit... unique and tacky. I'm not sure if I like it or not, to be honest..." Joshua chuckles a bit at Ponset's reaction before quickly spinning around and taking a seat himself right in front of her. "Hey, no problem! I get it though, not used to being treated like a lady. I imagine not a lot of people try on account of your strength." Sprinkles saunters around and then goes to flop next to Joshua who grins at her before looking back at Ponset and nodding. "Eh, yeah, not a fan personally. Lets see if the food's any better." He picks up a menu and looks through it. Ponset shakes her head silently at the mention of her not being used to being treated like a lady. "Or just because I'm, you know... one of the wierd ones at school. Without being wierd in an obvious interesting way." She's referring to people like her friend Jenny... who is a robot. At the mention of the food, her stomach actually makes a bit of a noise, causing her to blush in a bit more embarassment, but then also worry herself over just how much she /should/ order. One should not order half the menu on the first date! Especially when the guy said he'd pay and is probably not expecting a bill of that magnitude. "Meh.. you keep saying weird like its a bad thing." Joshua continues to look over the menu frowning a bit about what they offer here before looking back up. "If anything, you're one of the normal ones considering what I've seen around here. There's all sort of aliens, and robots, and witches around here.. and that's coming from one that lives at the Lost Land!" Of course, Ponset probably doesn't realize the implication so he elaborates. "It's like the sinkhole of the multiverse." That explanation should do nicely, yes. "I guess I can't jump to conclusions since I don't know the details of your situation. But if it means anything you look like a pretty awesome gal to be around to me." He reaches across the table to pat Ponset's hand. He even chuckles when he hears Ponset's stomach growling. "Go ahead and order! I ain't hurting for cash." But he might after treating a Saiyan to dinner! Ponset pauses a moment before saying, "I'm, uh, one eighth alien, actually," not bothering to say that in school, being wierd /is/ a bad thing. "....And my best friend is a robot." She does flinch slightly at the hand touch, but smiles weakly in apology for it. "Um, really? Uhhh... okay... I don't know what I'm getting, so, uh, you order first?" She picks up her menu, but she's really paying as much attention to Joshua and what he orders as she is to the menu. Or rather, she's paying attention to how /much/ he orders. Joshua shrugs. "So what? That honestly sounds pretty cool. Aren't there any other aliens in school though? Maybe not necessarily of your species but of other planets?" He goes on. "Either way, I'm the Turok. Son of Stone. Guardian of the Multiverse and what not." He gestures to Sprinkles. "Oh and my best friend is a dinosaur. Really, being weird is the best thing. Screw the haters!" Josh then nods and scans the menu. "Oh snap! They got dinosaur here! I'm ordering Brontosaurus steak." He acts decidedly.. uh, urban for being the apparent guardian of the multiverse. Ponset nods a bit absently. "Probably. Knowing this city," she says, as she looks over the menu some more, but she looks up again shortly. "Guardian... of the Multiverse?" she says a bit disbeleivingly. "There's... a lot of multiverse. No offense, but you don't strike me as that strong... /no one/ strikes me as being quite /that/ strong." She looks down again at the mention of the haters. "It's kind of hard to ignore them when you have to be in school with them for hours a day." Her attention snaps fully to the menu at the mention of dinosaur being available here. Dinosaur portions are usually really large, right? "Heh, yeah. I know I don't look the part, I wouldn't blame you for thinking I'm not but a random chum." Joshua chuckles helplessly before giving a defeated sigh. "I ain't my uncle, Tal'set.. now -he- on the other hand if he told you he's the guardian of the multiverse I'm sure you'd believe him." He then clears his throat and composes himself, at least -trying- to appear like he's a guardian of anything. "I'm aware of the nature of the Multiverse. It's.. kind of long and complicated story. To put it briefly though, I'm from a planet called the Lost Land which is where the Bing Bag originated and created the multiverses. It keeps reaching across dimensions and eating chunks of other planets and adding them to its own. So.. my job is not so much save the Multiverses, just to ensure that no one takes over the Lost Land and uses it as a Multiversal hub where they can get any weapon in any euclidean and abstract reality." He breathes out. "Phew, that sure is a mouthfull. How about we order before we discuss more business." He hails over an attendant. "Yo! Two bronto steaks, por favor!" Ponset might want to consider this the appetizer. Ponset nods a bit slowly at that. "I... see. So you're less guardian of everything and more guardian of this one place that would be really bad if the wrong people got in control..." she looks around the restaurant. "Isn't that... also kinda describing Neo-Tokyo, though?" As the bronto steaks are ordered, she blinks, then motions the waitstaff over. She begins talking a bit nervously and timidly, but she seems to forget that as she goes on pointing out an... unknown number of things that she wants off the menu. The phrase 'everything from here to here' is mentioned once... Perhaps now is the time that Joshua begins to realize that, in taking out this particular girl for dinner, he may well be in over his bank account. "Basically, yeah." Joshua agrees with Ponset's description of his job title. "And you're right, the nature of the Lost Land is very similar to that of Neo Tokyo. Except.. well, the Lost Land is a planet the size of the average solar system. So.. imagine Neo Tokyo and then multiply it times a million. And sure, several places got their own armies and stuff but they spend most of their time fighitng each other. Sooo.. its like we have a million versions of the Tank Police and the Space Defense Force and they are all fighting each other all the time too rather than helping me out with psychos like Thunder, the Campaigner, the Primagen and Oblivion." He rubs his palms and arches an eyebrow when Ponset whispers something to the waitstaff but otherwise doesn't say anything. He doesn't seem to yet understand his predicament. Ponset nods slowly at the explanaition as the waitstaff makes their exit from the table. "I... see. So... you have to deal with the armies that don't make enemies with other armies? Or are they more like... individual threats?" She tilts her head ever so slightly as she is genuinely taking an interest... It's surprisingly similar to her own work as a Time Patroller, in a way, just from a different angle. "Oh its anything and everythingI'm afraid." Perhaps one of the reasons why Joshua is not wholly aware that Ponset is picking nearly everything in the menu is because he's being asked about his work, which clearly stresses him out a lot. "I have to deal with cities making war on each other due to resources, plus multiversal pirates and raiders and slavers, plus cities that just get too damn big and try to conquer everyone. Then you got freaking eldrich abominations that just decide to wake up from their billion year slumber to wipe everything from existance." He sighs. "Basically, anyone that gets sucked into the Lost Land and starts being an asshole.. err.. pardon the language. Oh and to top it all off the wildlife is crazy, everything tries to each other, even the freaking plants." Ponset pauses a moment before venturing a question. "...And whatever your boss is expects only one person to handle all that? Again... I don't think any one person is capable of doing... /that/ much work." She opens her mouth as if to say something more, but then shuts it, deciding against whatever it was she was going to say. "You'd need a team for that, at the very least," she says instead. "Well, I'm not alone doing that.. like I said, my uncle Tal'set is a total badass and he seems to have no problem shouldering all that responsability." Josh says and his tone doesn't necessarily convey a lot of enthusiasm towards his uncle. He clearly respects him but its also obvious this Tal'set also stresses him out a lot. "Also my boss is a newbie at the thing. She also got the job dropped on her unexpectedly, heck, when I met her I think she was only a year or two old, being artifically created and all that." He gives another shrug. "My uncle and I.. we do try to teach some of the more reasonable cities to defend themselves, but they always end up tragically run over, and anyone we recruit ends up getting killed. Uh.. I just can't take all the heartache of losing people. Sprinkles here is the only who's lasted more than a few months." He motions to the large raptor sleeping next to him before eyeing Ponset. "It looks like you were going to say something else..?" Ponset blinks twice, then shakes her head, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. She's a girl that likes to keep he secrets! "It sounds terrible, having all that turnover, though. I can't imagine having so many people I know getting killed like that..." She glances away and frowns, imagining Caracol, Jenny, or even coworkers she doesn't consider friends, like Fridj, getting killed. It's a possibility in her line of work, but people that get in over their heads almost always get pulled out in time. She shakes her head again before looking back to Joshua. "It sounds rough," she says quietly. Joshua grins despite that. Looks like he figured out Ponset is trying to keep a secret! No big deal, mayhap later he will find out. He does sigh though and leans back on his chair, anxiously waiting for the food to arrive so it can distract them. "Sorry, didn't mean to make things somber." He nods though at the mention of being rough. "Eh.. I try to focus more on the perks of the job. Like my uncle says." He suddnely grows serious and crosses his arms over his chest, apparently mimicking his uncle Tal'set. "The rewards of path of the warrior are few, but one of them is power beyond measure." Josh then drops the act and reaches for his bag. "Plus I can get neat things like this." From his bag, he pulls a sunflower that appears to be dancing to an unheard rhythm. "I have no idea why it does that.. you want it?" Josh smiles and offers the flower to Ponset. Ponset smiles and seems to be holding back a laugh at the imitation, then blinks and looks at the offered flower. She really looks at it hard, considering the directions she could go with this. Of course, traditionally, it's always a good thing when a guy offers a flower to a girl, right? But, on the other hand... "H-honestly? It's... kinda creepy," she says sheepishly. Josh laughs heartily and looks at the dancing flower. "You think so?? I thought it was cute." He shrugs, but of course, this is coming from the guy who treats a giant cyber enchanced raptor like a pet dog. Josh puts the flower back in his back and smiles. "No worries, I'll get you one better some other time." He says winking. "You seem to know a lot about saving the world business. So.. what's your story? What kind of super heroing do you do?" Ponset blinks and looks nervous again as he puts the attention on /her/ again. She considers a moment or two before she finally says, "I, uh... keep timeways from branching too much. But I don't do it alone... not exactly. There's... a bunch of us that do it. But... I only do it for my own world's timeways. I'm here in Neotokyo mostly to keep... things here from getting into and messing up the timelines back home. But... nothing's done that." Josh rests his chin on his open palm and sets his elbow on the table. "Ooh, a time warrior eh? I've met a bunch of those. Heey, maybe I've even ran into some of your crew. They show up in the Lost Land all the freaking time. Ever heard from a guy called Shadowman? Or, guh.. what was the other guy's name?" He starts snapping his fingers. "Shoot, its in the tip of my tongue. Oh! Cable! That's right." Ponset blinks, thinking back at the names of other time patrollers she's aware of. In the end, however, she shakes her head. "No... they don't sound familiar. Like I said... we're concenred with just... our universe, really. Well, a small multiverse. Just twelve universes, but I still just worry about my own." "Oooh, right, right." Nods Joshua. "Sorry, its just.. I get people from literally all over. You know, not unlike Neo Tokyo. I always try to bring up famous names though, helps me ubicate where someone is from and stuff." Guess he'll have to go deeper to figure out which universe is Ponset from, though it is highly likely he's actually run into a Saiyan or two in the Lost Land. Giant monkeys after all-- could have been one of them! Anyways, the food arrives soon after, including everything Ponset ordered.... Ponset lights up slightly as the food arrives! It looks like enough food for a dozen people, and that's just what Ponset ordered! "Ummm, well, I usually focus on the era where my great-grandfather was alive, so... well, there's a lot of names." She frowns slightly. "I... don't know what to say to narrow it down without just giving random names..." Joshua's jaw slacks a bit when all that food is brought over to their table. WHAT!? He thought all that food was heading somewhere else! Did Ponset really just order all that!? His eyes go wide along with Sprinkles too who's looking at the table wondering when she gets her portion. "What.." Joshua's jaw clenches and he looks at Ponset. Okay, now he just NEEDS to know. "Who is.. your great-grandfather?" Ponset has stuffed half a steak in her mouth by the time that Joshua asks his question of her. She pauses, blinks, then quickly swallows her mouthful. "I, uh... assume you're talking about the alien one? He was named Son Goku... I never met him outside of time patrolling, so I never got to really interact with him as, well, a relative." A moment of stunned silence passes. It's not certain if its because of the revelation or because Ponset just swallowed half a steak in one go. "Son Goku!!!?" Exclaims Joshua with great surprise. "Like.. from Dragon Ball!!?" Then he just starts laughing, head thrown backwards. "BWAHAHA!! Oh my Gods! Are you kidding me!? AAAHAHAH! You mean to say you're a Saiyan??" It's not a malicious laughter but he's clearly extremely amused. Ponset blinks in utter surprise that Joshua actually knows of who her great grandfather was. "I... what? There... /are/ Dragon Balls, but he's not... /from/..." She looks around, much, MUCH more self conscious now. She seems to almost shrink back into her seat, looking quite embarrassed, her face going quite red. It seems, perhaps, that she's managed, somehow, to completely avoid running into people that were able to put Ponset's world into focus like that... or any of the multitude of Dragon Ball merchendice or advertizing out there. "I... uh... one... one eighth..." she says extremely timidly. Joshua can't quite make out the words Ponset is saying considering he's almost falling over his chair with laughter. "AHAHA!! Oh!! Oh wow!!" He gasps out for air. "This is unreal!" Josh slaps his hands on the table, looking straight at Ponset. He actually.. doesn't really know how to explain so he delivers his explanation with all the gentleness of a sledgehammer. "I used to watch your show all the time as a kid!! I got.. wow.. I got so many questions!" Suddenly, it makes perfect sense just WHY Ponset is eating so much. "Please, eat anything you want. I'll be more than glad to pay for everything." Josh? Kind of a huge Dragon Ball fan from the looks of it. Ponset seems to be almost recoiling at this point. As hard as it is to intimidate her when it comes to combat, she's extremely easily intimidated socially. And right now she's looking outright pale. "I, uh, sh-show?" She's not even touching her food now, instead looking to the sides as if looking for an escape route. Wow! To think that Joshua is witness to a nearly impossible situation. A Saiyan that forgets all about her food! Thankfully for everyone present, Joshua is an experienced multiversal traveler and as such, what appears impossible to many is the norm to him. That is why he doesn't press the issue immediatly as one who meets a hero of their childhood would do. Instead, he sees that very familiar reaction in Ponset's features, the reaction of someone who realizes that their life is naught but fiction in another dimension. "Oh.." He leans back and raises both hands trying to get Ponset to calm down. "Are you not aware of transdimensional existance?" Ponset shakes her head slightly. "I.... I knew about it, I just didn't know... my universe was one of those." With the raucus behavior of Joshua having died down, Ponset is starting to sit up a bit more normally again. "I just, uh... Didn't know. I've been staying quiet about what I can do, and the people I've talked with didn't seem to recognize anything I ever described, so I just I thought... it wasn't." "Oh honey.." Joshua gets somewhat emotional at seeing the Saiyan have a bit of an existential crisis. This is probably why he isn't /THE/ Turok, Joshua is at heart kind of a kid and a softy at that. He rubs the back of his head looking a bit embarassed himself. "I know it may be hard to accept it but... -every- universe is fiction in another one in some shape or form, there's nothing -too- strange about it." He rubs his chin pensively. "The reason why peeps around here might not recognize you is probably because, at least in my world of origin, they are more familiar with your great-grandfather and the others; you know, Vegeta, Krilin, Gohan and so forth." Ponset nods sheepishly. "That's the time period that I focus on with Time Patrolling, too.... I've met them all through that. So much happened then, I guess it would... make sense." She does still squirm a little, and still is avoiding eye contact, though. "But... you didn't have to... shout about it." Joshua sighs and hangs his head apologetically. "I'm sorry. I've been over the place for such a long time that I just sort of assume whenever I'm out of the Lost Land." He adjusts his headband. "Particularly in a place like this one. I mean, it's just a smaller more civilized multiversal hub. I'm sure there's all kinds of transdimensionally popular characters running around." The Hunter looks up with a sad expression. "Sorry again...for making you uncomfortable." Ponset closes her eyes, then takes a deep breath in, then out. "I'll... I'll live. I'll still not talk about it... I don't want... /that/ kind of reaction again." "Okay, fair enough." Joshua raises his hands up to his face again and nods as if surrendering. He then places them again on the table and drums a little looking to the sides somewhat worriedly. Dang, all the stuff he wanted to ask Ponset about the Dragon Ball series and now he can't talk about any of that. There's an expected awkward silence after that before Joshua glances back at her. "So.. how's the food?" Ponset shakes her head. "I mean... like... to other people. I don't want... /that/ reaction, but, you know, if it can be at a normal conversational level..." At the question of food, she looks down at it. "Um... good? I should eat more of it before it gets cold..." Oh, there she goes eating again. For how timid she was just a moment again... she does not eat timidly. Joshua's eyes widen in delight and he leans in a bit. "Oh good! I have so much fanboying---I mean, I got so many questions to ask you!" He claps his hands and starts rubbing his palms anxiously, not at all minding Ponset's ravenous way of eating. "Oh boy, this is like a childhood dream come true! Hah!" A grin spreads through his lips. "Alright, were to begin.. well, to put things in perspective.. do you know about Bora and Upa? Or maybe met them in person?" Ponset stops eating for a moment and looks like she's thinking for a moment. "They sound... familiar... Oh, the folks in the tribe living at the base of Korin's Tower?" She frowns a moment as she thinks again. "I can't remember the tribe name... But no, I've not met them." She shakes her head. "Really, the people I've met were those involved in incidents only at 761 or later." "Eh, I don't really blame you. They were very minor characters in the show." Joshua looks to the sides and mutters. "Which kinna pissed me off." Then he glances back to Ponset with renewed interest. "But I brought them up 'cause my uncle Tal'set looks almost exactly like Bora, and heh.." He looks embarassed all of the sudden. "I guess you could say I looked a lot like Upa when I was a kid. In fact.." The Hunter frowns and rubs his chin pensively. "Now I have to wonder if they weren't based off us.. the resemblance is uncanny.." Ponset closes her eyes for a moment, concentrating again for a moment before she shakes her head with a light sigh. "I'm sorry, if I've ever seen photos of them, I don't remember them. Maybe... another question will have a better answer?" she asks slightly hopefully. "No worries, that question was mostly to help -you- out." Joshua laughs a bit. "I'm trying to tread more carefully and not drop more bombs on you." He does seem to think of better questions to ask though and props his elbow on the table, chin resting on his open palm. "Oh, I know, what are your thoughts on the Ginyu force?" Ponset shudders slightly at the mention of the Ginyus. "They're... camp. Very camp. But Ginyu is a bit of a nightmare. I honestly... found them hilarious... right up until Ginyu caught me in his, uh, signature move." "Aaaww sheeyit! He did that to you!!?" Joshua's reaction is that of disgusted laughter, which is likely not going to be appreciated by Ponset. He can't help it though, to him it feels like he's still talking about a cartoon even though he realizes its very real for Ponset. "That must have been horrible! But yeah.. they are -so- freaking funny! Best theme song too.. although, uh... I dunno if you've ever listened to that." Ponset nods at first, then shakes her head vigorously. "It was one of the worst experiences of my life... I just felt... such a panic....But I don't know anything about a... theme song?" She tilts her head. "Uhhhh... if we're from a show... that's probably just from the show. Um, at any rate, I did get.... /me/ back." She frowns again. "Obviously. You're not talking to Ginyu right now. That was my biggest screwup ever. I'm supposed to have a minimal impact, but /that/..." she sighs and shakes her head. "That was kind of a low point for me." Joshua shudders too as he imagines when he was stuck in a similar experience. "Yeah, I hear ya. Honestly the best recomendation I can give about that situation is.. don't let it happen in the first place! Whenever I run into dudes that can do that I try to bait out the technique as quickly as possible." Joshua nods sagely and mutters something about 'freaking hierophants'. "But oh man, ya gotta listen to their theme song! Here.. gimme a sec." He digs into his messanger bag and pulls out an old school MP3 player which he hooks to the lens strapped to his bandanna, the one he used earlier like a scouter on Ponset. After a pause the song starts playing and he head bangs to it a bit. "Yeeuuh, supa fightan force! Sometimes I listen to this while I'm on missions, helps me focus." Ponset actually frowns a bit at the song. "...Well... it fits them, I suppose. Childish and threatening." She sighs and again shakes her head. "Really, that's a lot of what I'd found. There's a lot of people who are... more childish than I was expecting. Even Mr Satan and my great-grandfather." She pauses a moment, then adds, "/Especially/ Mr Satan and my great-grandfather." Joshua freezes when he realizes that what he's doing is probably a faux-pas considering Ponset's experience and quickly turns off the song. The MP3 along with the cable sliding back to his bag. "Hm, yeah, but such was the nature of your universe. Just because someone was childish didn't mean they were powerful. I mean, just look at Majin Buu, right??" Josh then closes one eye in thought. "Say.. is that why you seem to be so scared about using your abilities? Because you're on a low impact rule? Ya know you don't have to do that in Multiversal Hubs like Neo Tokyo, right? I mean, from all I know about the Dragon Ball universe, you could have totally solo'd Thunder. It wasn't going to be a piece of cake but it would have been with all of us plus the Tank Police ganging up on her." Joshua snaps his fingers. "Tank Police! That's also from an anime. Dang it, I knew I recognized that name from somewheres." Ponset looks down at her empty plates. Not in a 'why are these still empty' kind of way, but more because they are what's down. "Because that kind of... display gets too much attention. I think that's part of what made me a good Time Patroller candidate... I don't /want/ attention. I'm happy getting in, setting things right, and getting out. When I'm on patrols, I don't introduce myself, I don't say hardly anything... I just deal with the problem. Only the versions of people from splinter timelines are brought to Toki-Toki City... they're the ones I've gotten to know. The ones that have trained me." First things first, Joshua recognizes that Ponset finished her meager portion and he hails the waitstaff. "Get her anything she wants." Is Joshua loaded to be feeding a Saiyan like that? It's not entirely out of the question considering he's a multiversal traveler and all. "I suppose I can understand that." Muses Josh while he takes a bite of his own steak, though not voraciously downing it like Ponset, he does have to chew a bit! "Ya got my uncle's way of thinking, that's for sure." Says he while chewing a bit more. "But I mean, ya gotta understand. You're a superhero, and for better or worse you're going to attract attention. It's not my place to tell you how to do your job.. but sometimes ya gotta go put the smack down on someone before things escalate. Like.. trying to negotiate with Thunder? That's just going to get innocent people hurt." Ponset shakes her head at the idea she needs still more food and waves off the waitstaff with a quiet 'no thank you'. She's only 1/8 Saiyan, afterall! "I suppose I do... but the city also gets by without me. It's not my job to protect the city... it's my job to protect my world /from/ this city. To protect all of my world's past from interfereance by what can come from this city." She takes a good long drink of her water, then sets down the now empty glass. "Everyone handled Thunder just fine without me. I had a backup attack ready, sure... I wasn't dumb. But in the end I wasn't needed. That... that was a /good/ thing." "Teach a man to fish, hm?" Joshua quotes that saying with some amusment. He's been to enough universes to know that the saying is common enought that it goes across dimensions, but either way he elaborates on the implications in case Ponset didn't get it. "Ya know? You're not wrong to let people defend themselves. Because if you are doing your job right then that means you're not needed." He smirks. "Your job's a lot like mine with the Lost Land.. no, I take that back, it's exactly the same job, and I can tell you this much. It's true that sometimes letting people bleed is the best way to save lives.. but sometimes, you can't really be certain of that." Joshua leans back on his chair, his attitude serious all of the sudden which is a remarkable difference from how goofy he seemed to act previously. "Amuse me for a sec. After everything I've told you.. would you say that I could beat someone like, oh I don't know, Perfect Cell?" For the record, Joshua has no power level whatsoever, or at least it feels like it. Ponset considers what's being said as she looks down at her glass, then looks up as he asks if he can take Cell. She peers at him, focussing on his ki, but in the end shrugs. "It's impossble for me to say, really. I don't sense anything... Which says to me, from my experience, you're either an android or a god. One should be able to take on Cell easily, the other... well, he ate, in a way. I'm not dumb enough to rely on what I can sense in someone. Especially not /here/." Joshua just ends up laughing again. "Bwahah!! A god!? Me!?" Another chuckle and he brushes his eye. "Wooo, I don't think I carry myself -that- arrogantly do I?" He smirks. "But no, I'm one hundred percent human. If you're wondering why you can't sense my spirit energy its because this thing I have here is hidding it for me." He raises his left hand a waves his fingers at Ponset, showing that he has what appears to be a metal claw strapped to his forearm. "But I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't fly or shoot ki blasts or anything of the sort. And yet.. well, why don't I show you?" He grabs what's left of his bronto steak and flings it at Sprinkles who eats it in a few bites. "So, I'm totally new around here but I know the Usual Restaurant has a hologram gym. Wanna head there?" | |
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