06-11-2008, 03:58 AM
A warrior does not show pain. A warrior does not show weakness.
Those mantras had been drilled into him since birth. Bardock was a warrior. He would not show pain. He would not show weakness. Somehow…somehow Violet could just pick up on it. That irked him. Not only that, but she was insistent on interfering. Turning his bad wrist over, however, Bardock couldn’t really argue with the results. He still couldn’t bend his fingers, and he wasn’t going to be able to mash anyone’s face in with it, but the aching throb had subsided. The brawler could hardly stomach—a statement in itself—the taste of that tea. It was somewhat reminiscent of dirt and wood mixed together. Whatever was in it was working, so the pay-out was even. He’d been sorely tempted to just shove her off, because he hadn’t asked for her help, except she’d used his own logic against him: the partnership was only as strong as its weakest link. Bardock could hardly call himself a weak link, yet her words had simply elicited a smirk from him and he complied.
They ducked and weaved through the trees, the saiya-jin taking up the rear. With every passing hour, he was feeling more and more rejuvenated. Not long now before he was able to really cut loose again, and he looked forward to cracking a few more skulls before it came down to the wire. As his eyes passed from one side of the horizon to the other, they would eventually land upon the human in front of him and hover longer than they should have. Bardock wondered if she even thought about Seventeen’s death at all. She certainly didn’t show it. Maybe he was the only one who’d considered the repercussions, ironically enough. Her form was still burned and bruised, which was going to limit her fighting capability. Her back alone, which had probably received the brunt of the blast, had been horribly charred. A back that he had felt every curve, every contour of…
Bardock squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to banish the thought. He chose to do so during very bad timing. A branch loomed up from out of nowhere and smacked him square across the nose. The wooden bough snapped and broke off, and his head jerked back for a moment at the impact, body still moving forward. Violet looked over her shoulder, curiosity and alert flashing in her eyes.
“A tree was in my way,” he explained gruffly, frowning.
She tried to hide a smile as she turned to face front again.
When they’d reached the final coordinates of their destination, they stopped. All of this moving around seemed so irritating. They were like rats running around in a maze, unaware of what lurked behind each wall, scampering this way and that just to survive. Bardock’s hearing aid picked up an interesting noise in the distance. He jerked the earless side of his face towards the sound his actual ear hadn’t been able to pick up. The roughneck smiled as he recognized what it was. He dropped his gear and began to walk off. Violet looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to.
The saiya-jin strode along a beaten uphill path, pushing past a wall of foliage, and his smile turned into a full-on grin when he discovered what he’d been looking for: a small waterfall. It fell along a slick vertical of bedrock, feeding into a beautiful punchbowl pool. One of the few things Bardock loved in the universe was water. It was calming, and was able to keep him grounded when no physical outlet was available. Upon approaching the bank of the pool, the saiya-jin kicked off his boots and fumbled with his armor and shirt. Things were a lot more difficult when you only had one hand, and although the pain was dulled, it probably wasn’t a good idea to be using it for any sort of task. The pants were a little easier. Bardock turned around and dove in back-first in nothing but his boxers. He emerged with a gasp. The water was freezing. Keeping his bad arm cradled against his chest, he kicked himself along to the center of the pool and towards the falls, using his tail as a little furry rudder.
Fortunately, there was a shelf of rock that sat underneath the tumbling liquid, and Bardock pulled himself out with his free arm and sat on the edge. The ice-cold water cascaded around his shoulders and over his head, numbing his body. He bowed his head against the massaging flow, letting his muscles deaden. There was no better way to spend the time as he waited for the last of his full energy to return. The fighter went so far inside the numbness that he didn’t even hear the angry shouts of the human as she discovered what he’d snuck off to do.
“You’re going to ruin that splint, you dummy!” she hollered.
Only one thing passed through his mind.
A warrior does not show pain. A warrior does not show weakness.
Those mantras had been drilled into him since birth. Bardock was a warrior. He would not show pain. He would not show weakness. Somehow…somehow Violet could just pick up on it. That irked him. Not only that, but she was insistent on interfering. Turning his bad wrist over, however, Bardock couldn’t really argue with the results. He still couldn’t bend his fingers, and he wasn’t going to be able to mash anyone’s face in with it, but the aching throb had subsided. The brawler could hardly stomach—a statement in itself—the taste of that tea. It was somewhat reminiscent of dirt and wood mixed together. Whatever was in it was working, so the pay-out was even. He’d been sorely tempted to just shove her off, because he hadn’t asked for her help, except she’d used his own logic against him: the partnership was only as strong as its weakest link. Bardock could hardly call himself a weak link, yet her words had simply elicited a smirk from him and he complied.
They ducked and weaved through the trees, the saiya-jin taking up the rear. With every passing hour, he was feeling more and more rejuvenated. Not long now before he was able to really cut loose again, and he looked forward to cracking a few more skulls before it came down to the wire. As his eyes passed from one side of the horizon to the other, they would eventually land upon the human in front of him and hover longer than they should have. Bardock wondered if she even thought about Seventeen’s death at all. She certainly didn’t show it. Maybe he was the only one who’d considered the repercussions, ironically enough. Her form was still burned and bruised, which was going to limit her fighting capability. Her back alone, which had probably received the brunt of the blast, had been horribly charred. A back that he had felt every curve, every contour of…
Bardock squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to banish the thought. He chose to do so during very bad timing. A branch loomed up from out of nowhere and smacked him square across the nose. The wooden bough snapped and broke off, and his head jerked back for a moment at the impact, body still moving forward. Violet looked over her shoulder, curiosity and alert flashing in her eyes.
“A tree was in my way,” he explained gruffly, frowning.
She tried to hide a smile as she turned to face front again.
When they’d reached the final coordinates of their destination, they stopped. All of this moving around seemed so irritating. They were like rats running around in a maze, unaware of what lurked behind each wall, scampering this way and that just to survive. Bardock’s hearing aid picked up an interesting noise in the distance. He jerked the earless side of his face towards the sound his actual ear hadn’t been able to pick up. The roughneck smiled as he recognized what it was. He dropped his gear and began to walk off. Violet looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to.
The saiya-jin strode along a beaten uphill path, pushing past a wall of foliage, and his smile turned into a full-on grin when he discovered what he’d been looking for: a small waterfall. It fell along a slick vertical of bedrock, feeding into a beautiful punchbowl pool. One of the few things Bardock loved in the universe was water. It was calming, and was able to keep him grounded when no physical outlet was available. Upon approaching the bank of the pool, the saiya-jin kicked off his boots and fumbled with his armor and shirt. Things were a lot more difficult when you only had one hand, and although the pain was dulled, it probably wasn’t a good idea to be using it for any sort of task. The pants were a little easier. Bardock turned around and dove in back-first in nothing but his boxers. He emerged with a gasp. The water was freezing. Keeping his bad arm cradled against his chest, he kicked himself along to the center of the pool and towards the falls, using his tail as a little furry rudder.
Fortunately, there was a shelf of rock that sat underneath the tumbling liquid, and Bardock pulled himself out with his free arm and sat on the edge. The ice-cold water cascaded around his shoulders and over his head, numbing his body. He bowed his head against the massaging flow, letting his muscles deaden. There was no better way to spend the time as he waited for the last of his full energy to return. The fighter went so far inside the numbness that he didn’t even hear the angry shouts of the human as she discovered what he’d snuck off to do.
“You’re going to ruin that splint, you dummy!” she hollered.
Only one thing passed through his mind.
A warrior does not show pain. A warrior does not show weakness.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
_=Pass you by, it's all in this life you have
Pass you by, good-bye to you=_
Pass you by, good-bye to you=_