[PS] Barracks

[Zangya]

“Seventeen!” Kirano called, quite drunkenly.

Zangya darted after the blonde-headed human as he stalked over to his numeral-named friend—she quickly caught hold of him as he tipped over, saving him from a nasty fall into the headboard. “Hey! Can someone come get this crap out of his system?” she called. An attendant was over momentarily, and told Zangya that they had turned off the machine for the night—there was really nothing they could do. The Ader cursed under her breath, and then assisted Kirano in sitting down next to his friend. “Hi,” she said, “He’s had a bit too much to drink.”

“I can tell,” Seventeen replied. “Well, let me thank you for bringing him down here. And your name is?” the android asked her, and she opened her mouth to tell him, but Celipa piped up beforehand.

“This is Zangya,” she said. “I met her at last year’s Dante’s Abyss—I nearly killed her. We’ve reconciled.” The saiyan smiled at her fledgling friend. Zangya grinned back, nodding. “Zangya, this is Violet,” she said, pointing to the purple-haired woman, “And Seventeen. He’s an android.” The green-skinned femme looked at both of her new acquaintances, and bowed her head cordially. They did the same.

“Hi, Zangya,” Violet said, “So, this is your second time in Dante’s Abyss?” she asked, and Zangya nodded. “Well, that’s good. If I remember right, this is my second time, too.” Violet grinned, pushing a bit of her hair back behind her ear. “So we have something in common!”

Zangya smiled awkwardly. She normally didn’t associate with humans that well—Celipa was a saiyan, so she got along easily with her, and she had only meant to have a fleeting conversation with Kirano, but now she was being friendly to this human woman? It astounded her; she’d never really had a relationship like that, besides perhaps that shinobi during the Pantheon’s invasion. But that wasn’t meant to be long-term, either.

“Only a few more hours before the competition’s set to begin,” Seventeen noted. His processors were counting down. “Everyone seems excited.”

Zangya looked at him. She wasn’t quite sure she liked him being so observant to be able to tell her emotions. But then again, she supposed there was no harm in it—he seemed fine enough. She quickly found a seat next to Violet; the circle of four—well, five, if you could count the slowly awakening Kirano—stared at one another for a second, and then the silence was broken.

“So… how ‘bout them Arlians?” Celipa piped up again.

“Please,” Seventeen said.

And then, in tandem, he and Kirano shouted: “NO MORE ARLIANS!”