The Carnival

[Orion]

It wasn't a habit of Orion's to catch fainting strangers. Most of the time, if someone was a stranger, then that marked them as a prime candidate vying for the saiyan's execution. A little paranoid perhaps, but it was the mantra he had adopted in order to survive. People he thought he could trust were in fact wolves in sheep's clothing, therefore anyone who wasn't even on Orion's radar was labelled as an enemy until they could demonstrate otherwise. Guilty until proven innocent, he always said.

Yet, at the same time, as this feverish young man collapsed in the middle of the fair without any company, Orion couldn't help but assist. Sure, maybe a shred of his former self would have shown this level of compassion to a total unknown, but the situation was different. Everyone here was just as much a prisoner of Gamer's sick virtual reality as he was. No one was here of their own volition if they had been "persuaded" in the same manner as Orion. Therefore, anyone wandering the carnival, except for that filth encrusted lizard Szar, was a potential innocent victim of the nerdy ringmaster.

Maybe his chance meeting with Victoria loosened him up, as well as his final strike on the monster truck. Launching the dual missiles into the black beast's grill was tantamount to tossing the last energy blast of the battle that decimated an entire army's worth of opponents. It was satisfying. Even the nefarious intent of CAL, the motorcycle's AI program, couldn't thwart the decades of honed skill that Orion displayed in the victory.

Whatever the reason, he had chosen to help him. His skin was pale and his steps jagged and unrefined before he lost connection to the ground. Something was wrong with him. Perhaps he received some sort of viral infection from the last event he partook in? He wouldn't know until he was conscious again, which could have been any time.

Orion carried the torpid youngster away from the deserted field and back towards civilisation. He located an unused bench and plopped Juno onto it. The black haired youth's head slumped over the headrest of the chair, his mouth ajar. Several passers-by shot curious stares at the unconscious man but Orion ignored them. No one rushed to their aid or attempted to stand in and interfere with the situation, which was good. Orion didn't know what he would say to any questions.

"Hey, kid," Orion said, looking him over. "Hey, wake up!"

No response. The one eyed saiyan clapped his hands right next to Juno's ear, hoping for movement. Still nothing.

Orion grunted. Maybe this kid was in worse condition than he thought. He left the bench only for a minute to search for a liquid to douse over him. A nearby food stall provided soft drinks in varying arrays of size. Orion ordered the largest container that was available and returned to Juno. He was still out like a light, dead to the world. No one had investigated the unconscious youth since he departed.

With little hesitation, Orion hurled the contents of the soda cup into Juno's face. The raven haired youth startled awake, spraying cola from his lips and coughing wildly. He leaned over in an attempt to calm the fit.

"Oh come on," Orion moaned. "It wasn't that bad."

Juno recovered and looked up at the soda throwing antagonist. "What the hell was that for?!"

Orion cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm just trying to help you out here, kid!"

"Some help!" he rebutted, sponging the sticky soft drink from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Why don't you throw a hot dog down my pants next?"

"You better watch your tone, kid," Orion seethed. "You collapsed out there and I dragged you back here to wake you up again. If not for me, you'd probably be dying out there."

Juno calmed himself long enough to recall what happened previously. "You're ... you're that guy who caught me."

Orion crossed his arms. "You're welcome."

"Th-thank you," Juno replied. "I'm feeling a lot better now." His brow raised as he tenderly poked his abdomen. "The pain's gone now." He attempted to stand up but instantly felt a swoon, dropping back into the bench. "I think walking's out of the question right now."

Orion slumped down beside him. "Juno, was it?"

"Yeah, that's right. You said your name was Orion?"

The veteran nodded before sighing and shaking his head. "Since when did a saiyan warrior perform the duties of a common nurse?"

Juno's eyes narrowed. "Saiyan? Did I hear that right?"

Orion met his gaze. "Yeah? What of it?"

"Well, I have saiyan blood in my veins, you know."

Orion whet his lips before replying. "I'll take it that you're a half-breed, judging by your answer."

"Yeah, I am," Juno informed. "I don't really know a lot about my heritage, though."

"Figures," Orion answered scornfully. "The dilution into human blood seems to have an amnesiac effect."

"What can you tell me? About the saiyans, I mean?" Juno pressed, becoming more alert.

"You don't know anything about them? Hmm. I suppose a brief lecture wouldn't hurt." Orion cleared his throat. "The saiyans are the mightiest race in the whole galaxy. Our very names make planets tremble in fear. There is no adversary we cannot defeat. I happen to be part of the elites, the strongest and best of the saiyan race."

Juno didn't know what to make of that, but he was enamoured. So far it sounded like Orion was tooting his own horn, but eventually he would get to the juicy parts, the parts that would cure his desire to delve into his roots.