Meditation is peaceful up here! (Open, Orin Temple)

Off in the distance Athren had been training as usual. He was putting his body to the absolute test as he refused to give in to the fatigue he was feeling. He had been training constantly for a handful of hours, shadow boxing, push ups, exercising. Everything that he could think of to push himself to higher levels.
During his training, Athren's scouter had beeped. It indicated that there had been a handful of above average power levels nearby. He couldn't help but arch a brow curiously. He didn't know what to expect of it, was it some kind of alien race that had just landed on the planet or something else? Whatever it was, Athren was wanting to find out. There may have been a reason to believe that they'd have some sort of benefit to him. Whether it be a hostile fight or resources for the taking, the prince wanted to investigate. Lifting himself off the ground Athren had headed in the direction of the power levels, the thought of what it could be storming through his head as he inched closer and closer towards his destination, his hair ruffled roughly in the wind as he increased his speed to his absolute maximum. When he had arrived to his destination, he didn't expect what was before him.

Having the advantage of height Athren could see everybody who wasn't inside the building. All of the warriors in the main yard were visible. This had made it very easy to spot a young woman approaching his location. ~ This should be interesting. ~ Athren thought to himself as he arched his right eyebrow up curiously. He couldn't help but wonder why this girl was approaching him, he hadn't done anything wrong nor was he intending too. He was simply curious and wanted to examine why there had been so many power levels at one spot. Maybe she was coming to see if he was interested in joining the dojo? Hell, maybe she was looking for a fight? Whatever it was, he was about to find out. When she stopped in front of him Athren smirked lightly. She wasn't a bad looking girl. Somewhat tiny, didn't look like much of a fighter but looks could be deceiving. Athren had examined her from head to toe quickly. She seemed quite tense. It didn't take very long for her to get vocal about the situation either. She questioned him like it was an issue to look around, like he was committing some sort of a crime by simply observing the fighters below. Really? Comparing him to other saiyans? This girl hadn't a clue what she was getting herself into.

Athren's black hair ruffled around in the light breeze. He remained quiet for a moment to insure she was done blurting out nonsense. Of course, the saiyan prince didn't take so lightly to her words. If she was looking to have her life ended she had definitely been following the proper path. He wasn't going to let some earthling girl have that attitude with her. "Firstly, I suggest you watch your tone. Girl." Athren said confidentially,  his posture was firm and solid. He showed no signs of being intimidated. "Last time I checked, You could watch whatever the hell you wanted too." Athren answered her question with a snappy tone. "If I wanted to attack it, I wouldn't be here looking down at it." Athren paused for a brief moment before continuing to explain himself. "It'd already be destroyed, but keep your tone up and I just might wipe it out." With that being said Athren awaited her response. Surely she wouldn't have taken overly kind to his attitude but she wouldn't be an issue to deal with. 

If she kept up her attitude Athren wouldn't hesitate to make her eat the Earth's surface. Nor would he hesitate to wipe the Temple off the face of the Earth. Everything she could do or say would now determine the extent of his actions. If she had calmed down, maybe there would be a chance to avoid a conflict. If she didn't calm down and continued with her attitude, surely the prince would act accordingly. Who the hell did she think she was anyway? Approaching a saiyan warrior like she had a chance to survive the encounter? Damn fools.

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Total Word Count: 1,026

Athren had listened carefully to her response. She explained why she had acted so hostile and Athren understood it completely. If he were back on Vegeta and it just so happened to be a Changeling stalking over his royal palace, he would've had a similar reaction. The difference would have been he wouldn't have stopped for a conversation. He would've went all out and fed his enemy every last thing he got.  While he listened to her go on, Athren couldn't help but notice her face turning a shade of red. It was an interesting thing, what the hell was it? Athren didn't experience that before, nor has he seen it. On Vegeta nobody blushed. Everybody was such a hardened warrior and didn't let soft emotions get to them. Of course, Athren had been set to train with one of his mother's most ruthless assistance. He didn't have much downtime to meet countless saiyans. She had continued to speak, she introduced herself and explained what she did. She had also taken the blame for her attitude, which had been quite reasonable considering she was in fact the one to blame. Though, Athren wasn't one to hold a grudge for something like that. She had then asked Athren about his tail, she claimed it to be unique and she had been right about it. It was a rare occurrence for a saiyan to have a tail that wasn't brown.

Considering that Athren didn't really socialize much he figured he'd take the opportunity. It wasn't very often he socialized with the Earthlings. He had figured them weak and assumed they'd only distract him from his goals. Plus, after seven years of spending a large portion of his time alone Athren figured it couldn't hurt to have a conversation. He would've opened up with understanding where she came from by being hostile but that wasn't his style, he wasn't there to comfort her or make her feel like she did nothing wrong. She asked questions, he was simply going to answer them. "You're right, my tail is unique. As are my eyes. It isn't very often that a saiyan is born without the typical brown tail and black eyes." Athren paused for a moment. "In fact, I'm the first member of the royal family to be born like this." At this point he would have paused once more. His eyes would have scanned her head to toe one more time. She would've easily been able to pick this up. It wasn't like he was trying to be casual about it. 

Now that he had answered her question, Athren had a question of his own. He wanted to understand her race more. Humans and Saiyans had completely different histories. The saiyan race were a brutal warrior race that had survived off slaughtering other races and claiming planets while the humans had been typically peaceful. Sure, they had their conflicts with one another but never had it been to the extent of a saiyan war. "I'm curious, how come your face turned red?" Blushing wasn't something Athren knew about, he wasn't ever embarrassed or put in a situation that he didn't know how to deal with. Of course, this could change if he spent enough time on Earth but only time would tell how long he'd be here for.

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Total Word Count: 1,580

Athren had noticed the girl smiling, what the hell was she smiling about? Really, Athren didn't see anything to smile about. They were just talking though it was kind of lighting up the mood. Seeing the smile Athren didn't feel so tense. He felt like he could actually relax a little bit and not be so cold about everything. It wasn't easy adapting to Earthling methods of life after he was put through some a labour intensive training schedule growing up. He didn't have time to be happy, the only time Athren had found himself happy in his life span of twenty two years was when he overcame and obstacle or achieved something. Hearing the girl sigh Athren arched a brow, she had then snapped herself together quite quickly. It had seemed she was having a difficult time explaining an answer to Athren's question. He didn't understand why, but that was irrelevant at the moment. He waited patiently for her answer as it struggled to leave her lips. When she had finally explained it Athren had another few questions. "You feel.. warm?" He paused as this didn't make sense to him. Why was she feeling warm? He was completely clueless as he hadn't ever caught feelings for anybody, sure he was attracted to females but he never got emotionally connected, his schedule and lifestyle didn't allow it. "Why?" he followed up as he wanted to know. He then went on to answer her next question. She would've noticed that Athren wouldn't lightened up, even if it was all so slight. "I haven't blushed before, at least.. not that I'm aware of. As far as affection goes, never. I wasn't exactly put in a social life when I was growing up. The Queen had specifically assigned me to one of her greatest fighters to form me into the greatest fighter I could be. I didn't have time for anything other than training." Thinking about it, it was actually quite sad. Athren had met some minor people that he would've classified as friends if he had spent more time with them but nothing ever came of it. He was alone for most of his life. It had it's up and downs, that was for sure.

She had then brought it to his attention that he didn't give her a formal introduction. It was at this point that Athren remembered that being on the throne wasn't just about having a high enough power level to defend his planet and attack others, no. It was also very diplomatic and took quite a fine tongue to negotiate with other races. He figured this was a good time to work on his social skills. "Hmph." He mumbled as he took a second or two to figure out his best approach on dialogue. "You're right, forgive me." This would've been the first time he apologized to anybody other than his mother the queen and Zaleio. There wasn't ever a need for it before but at least he accepted it with open arms. "I'm Athren." He said, his tone lightened up slightly as he managed to at least get a smirk on his face. He debated on if he should just openly say his heritage, he had briefly given a nod to it previously so he assumed that it couldn't hurt. "Heir to the throne of Planet Vegeta, The Saiyan Prince." With that being said, he went silent. He patiently awaited her next words to leave her lips. This surely could benefit him, even if it wasn't in regards to power. Maybe these Earthlings would've had some uses to him after all? Guess he'd find out.

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He had noticed her eyes go wide. She seemed somewhat surprise. Though was it really that shocking, He was a saiyan after all. It should've been well known that their training was exceptionally difficult. Regardless, he heard her out. She explained that she was in a similar situation, so they actually had some common ground. This wasn't what Athren had expected to hear but at least he found somebody he could relate too. "Hm, I'm impressed to hear a human went through a training worthy of a saiyan." Athren paused, he heard her speak of her deceased father. They had more common ground. Athren didn't really know much of his father, he just wasn't around. Athren never asked either. "As for my mother, She died in combat when I was fifteen." He said going off his memory. He could've been off by a few years but that was irrelevant. "After that, I came to Earth and I've been here since." In all honesty the seven years he spent on Earth were quite long. Though he still believed it to be beneficial. 

She then complemented his name and claimed it was an honour to meet the prince. Her smile continued to grow throughout the conversation. In fact, it appeared it wasn't leaving her face for anything. "Well.." he paused as he tried to pick the proper wording to explain his situation. "Though I might be heir to the throne, it remains empty. As far as I know anyway." During his seven year absence it was likely somebody else could've risen up to take the throne for themselves. Regardless of this fact, Athren intended to take it back if need be. "I feel as if I've still got work to do if I can fill the Queens shoes." This was the first time he would've told anybody about it. It was quite overwhelming for him. He had accepted the fact long ago but never spoke of it. There wasn't a doubt, Athren would've been lightening up more and more as they spoke. Sure, he wasn't going to be all sweet and innocent but at least he was being civil. He was impressed he was handling the situation so well. 

She had offered him an idea to pass the time and have a little bit of fun. If Athren would've trusted her he most likely would have went along with the idea. Though, he had a strong belief about techniques and he wasn't going to put himself in that position. "I'll have to decline your offer." He said as she already turned to look at the trees. "It's foolish to show somebody you know nothing about the techniques that you'll use in combat. For all I know, You're simply asking to see any kind of weakness in them." Athren paused as he scanned the environment. He had a different idea in mind that didn't seem all that bad. "From there, you could exploit the weakness and out manoeuvre me." Athren paused again, the wind ruffling his hair lightly. "I'm not going to let that happen, but.. I've got a better idea." If she would've turned to face him Athren's ocean blue eyes would've stared into hers. "I'm sure that theres something on this planet worth exploring. I know I haven't seen it all, So.. Why don't you take me somewhere interesting?" With that being said Athren would've went quiet. This was to allow her to think about a proper location. This of course was assuming she liked that idea.

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Total Word Count: 2,774

 

 It was a strange feeling but Athren didn't ever expect to make a friend out of an Earthling and have something in common with them, especially a female. In all honesty he was quite curious of what she was capable of especially since she claimed to be impressively strong, he wanted to see her flaunt her fighting ability yet he didn't want to spoil it by seeing it too soon. A little bit of suspense would do the saiyan prince some good. After all, he was trying to get this to go in a little bit more of an adventurous manor. She had attempted to cheer him up about the whole situation with his mother. She must have not known that a saiyan wasn't an emotional wreck. Athren didn't necessarily miss his mother, he just wanted to do her legacy right. There wasn't a doubt with him nor the rest of the saiyans that resided on Vegeta that she was an exceptional leader. He opened his mouth lightly. "There isn't any to be sorry about." He paused for a moment. "She wasn't an angel, that's for damn sure but she died a warriors death. That's all that matters at this point. She just casts a big shadow, especially since she was on the super saiyan tier." It was hard to believe but he was actually opening up slightly to a complete stranger. It wasn't like him at all, then again it wasn't like he had many chances to just relax and talk to somebody. During this she had moved closer to him and he wasn't sure how to react exactly. His right eyebrow would have arched as he was quite curious what she was up too. He wasn't ever an up close and personal type of guy, unless of course it was in a fight. In that case, close up would've been his absolute favourite method. There wasn't anything better then exchanging blows with somebody, especially when they had an advantage. 

She had then given him a nod of approval on his remark of him claiming the throne. She was actually being very supportive about it, it was a good positive vibe she was giving the young prince. She barely knew him but she thought he'd do well. Was he acting that professional or was she just lying to him? Athren was going to dig into this but it was useless ruining the moment. "Well, I hope you're right. Though I've got a long way to go before I'm ready." He left it at that for now, if she had wanted to dig into it more he'd answer anything and everything regarding it. Focusing on his denial of her suggestion she nodded her head and claimed to understand. She was a warrior so Athren didn't doubt this fact at all. She knew what it was like to have to fight people for reasons that meant more than just proving strength. Hell, She might have even known what it was like to fight for her life. In those situations, the last thing one wanted was for their opponent whom already has an advantage to know your moves. It just made it all that much more difficult. Athren wouldn't let himself fall into that position, there was absolutely no way in hell. He spoke up one more as he nodded his head firmly. "I figured you'd understand, You are a fighter after all." With that being said Athren went silent for a few short moments until his idea came out.

She had retorted with another faint smile. She did that a lot, Athren was almost starting to notice a pattern though he couldn't help but wonder if she was always this smiley or if it had anything to do with him being around. He understood that it was difficult to make friends as a warrior, especially in his case. Maybe this girl wanted a long term friend, maybe more? Hell. He didn't know and he really didn't want to over think the whole situation. He just wanted to enjoy the peaceful moments that they had going on at the moment.  She nodded her head and agreed to Athren's idea, she had mentioned taking him to her old neighbourhood and showing him around a few of her favourite spots. Surely, this would be interesting. What kind of spots did she like? Currently, Athren really enjoyed relaxing in nature. He liked having the sounds of waterfalls and oceans nearby. That was his past time when he wasn't fighting. He was curious as to what she had done with her free time. Surely, this would give him a sneak peak into her life. She claimed that it'd be a journey and it'd take about an hour. She had also mentioned to stay close. His retort to all of this wouldn't have been long, and it would've been in a more playful tone than she had been seeing. "Stay Close? Won't be a problem." he paused for a moment before stating what he believed to be a fact. "I am faster than you after all." With that being said, a devilish little smirk would've been plastered on his face. He then let his orange aura surround him as he blasted off through the skies with her. His hair ruffled in the nice, cooling breeze that kissed upon his skin. He would've positioned himself to her right side, he would've kept almost even with her. He let himself hang back a mere couple of inches considering she was leading the pair. If he wanted too though, he was positive that he'd be capable of passing her. Though, that'd be an adventure for another day. Unless of course she decided to play around and actually challenge him to a race. That would've been an interesting thought too.

Roughly half an hour had passed and the two seemed to be fairly quiet. That was of course up until a point that Athren caught her glancing back at him, hell. He would've even called it a stare. Was this girl warming up to him? It was an amusing thought but he didn't know for sure. He wasn't one to catch feelings. Mind you, he wasn't ever presented with an opportunity. She had asked him about his home planet and what it was like, she had claimed to hear stories but she wanted to know from him. He took a second or two before answering, surely she wouldn't be pleased with his answer though it would've been nothing but the truth. All in all, Planet Vegeta wasn't anything like it used to be. It was sitting alone in the shadow of it's former self and with it's race leaderless and all over the place with the threat of Planet Trade Organization to take over.. it wasn't going to get better any time soon. Athren's gaze returned to look at the landscape in front of him before he began to speak. "Honestly, it doesn't compare to Earth.." He paused for a moment to think back to when he was a child and how great the planet was. "We've been in war times for years, hell. I believe that Vegeta is still under threat of invasion.. Unless of course it happened already." Athren paused again as he noticed he was getting just a little bit off topic. He wanted to keep straight to the point if it were possible. "It's a planet full of wastelands and scars. It's seen countless battles over the years and It's finally building up. Not only that but without a leader the saiyan's themselves are having a hard time getting along. It's a wreck." Athren paused again as he stared down towards the Earth. "The Earth is a much better place. It's got nature, colours. Peaceful places too relax. It's bright out, hell.. It's pretty much the complete opposite of Vegeta. The only thing to do on Vegeta was train, and that was a typical saiyan day." With that being said he silenced himself. He didn't want to go on for too long about it all. He hit all the key points and that was really all that mattered at this point.

They continued to fly side by side, they're pace would've been equal. The odd time Athren would've caught himself glancing her down. If she was quick enough about it she may have been lucky enough to catch him doing it. Of course, while he was looking his ears were still paying attention to her dialogue. She had spoken about how the Earth had treated her and the legend of the Z-Fighters. Athren didn't know anything about them except they had picked a foolish name. It wasn't anything smart or intimidating. It was something silly. She had also apologized for asking so many questions. "The Earth isn't too bad. It's treated me well since I've gotten here. Though, I'll admit it can get a little bit boring at times without somebody to spar with but there isn't any use complaining. I'd rather be alone than pestered by weaklings all damn day." Athren commented. This was obviously him referring to the average human. They weren't anything special. He remembered back to when he scouter a dozen, they averaged at about five on his scouter. That was a pathetic power level for any living creature. "The environments are nice, but.. Yeah. A little boring." He then moved onto the topic of the Z-Fighters and how they sounded foolish. "I haven't heard anything about the Z-Fighters." He tried to remember back if he had heard stories of them but he just couldn't recall. As far as he could remember at this point, there wasn't any mention of Z-Fighters in his past. "Though they could've picked a more intimidating name. Something that might have actually inspired fear or respect." He said aloud, though this was just his two sense. It didn't really mean a damn thing, though he wasn't trying to be rude either.  "Also, Ask anything you want. There isn't a need to apologize." Athren said as a city was sense on the horizon. It wasn't much farther away. On the plus, it didn't seem like it had taken as long as she claimed it would. Then again, Athren was used to being alone. Time seemed to move much slower when you didn't have company.

Nearing the city now she began to talk once more. She had mentioned the name and it rang a bell. Athren had passed by it before but never actually took the time to stop in. It wasn't like he needed anything there before. He couldn't help but chuckle as she warned him of the people there. Some good and some bad. He was a saiyan, he could handle himself, he didn't need to stay close to her for that reason. "How close do you want me to be to you?" Athren asked as a way of tormenting her by getting her to blush, of course he followed it up almost instantly with another comment. "Because I'm sure I could handle whatever is down there." It was then that both of them decreased there altitude. It didn't take but seconds before Athren's white boots softly touched down on the concrete of the city.  Athren began to follow her through the crowd, he brought up his right hand and pressed the button on his scouter to turn it off. It had been beeping at every individual he had walked by and it was getting annoying, not a single one of these humans were a threat. "Damn it, this thing must be broken. Piece of garbage" He mumbled to himself before asking Tau another question. "What the hell is an arcade?" He didn't have any idea what it was, they didn't have those on Vegeta. They just didn't have time for games. They were a warrior race after all. It was then shortly after asking this that somebody called out to the two of them. This was the first time he would've been referred to as 'sir'. Tau had claimed to follow her lead and she'd handle it. He really didn't have any objections to that as it wasn't a fight. If a fight would have presented itself he was damn sure he'd be the one taking the lead. Step by step Athren followed her to the stranger.

The man had a camera in his hand and had sounded quite polite. He asked how they were both doing and then asked a silly question. He asked if they'd like a photograph and even assumed they were a married couple! Was he an idiot!? When Athren heard the man say that, Athren's eyes went over to Tau. her jaw dropped and her face turned red. She questioned him being her husband and then turned around to face him claiming that he was a friend. She had still been blushing. Athren's eyes would've me hers, he would've felt warm to the cheeks and they actually would've been turning a very faint shade of red. "Erm..  WHAT!?! ..." Athren would've paused for a moment. "Husband?" Athren would've lifted his right hand to scratch the back of his head as he tried to figure out what to do. "Uh.." he stumped himself a few times. His eyes would've now left Tau and locked onto the man that asked the questions. "Just.. Just Shut up." When Athren said this he would've turned his back to the man and crossed his arms tightly against his chest. The odd thing was, Athren didn't even say this in a hostile tone. He was actually somewhat uncomfortable and he didn't even know why. What the hell was going on?!

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While Athren was at a loss for words the human girl grabbed Athren's arm ever so softly and began to pull him away from the situation that he didn't have a clue how to handle. He heard her reply to the man whom offered to take their picture, she was quite polite about it all.  It wasn't before long that Athren had found himself in an alley with nobody around but her. Once again they were alone and to be honest Athren had preferred it this way. They weren't even in the city for long and they've already had people interrupt them, it was kind of a pain in the ass. Tau had then put the blame on Athren, there was no way he was letting her get away with that. Hell, he had even noticed her smiling lightly as she did it. "WHAT?! You're actually blaming me? I wasn't even that close!" Athren snapped back. His tone wasn't hostile, it was still quite soft.  Athren then retorted with a comment of his own. "Maybe if you didn't have such a bright glow because you're with me that would've have happened!"  When he said this he was obviously commenting on her countless smiles and happy go lucky attitude. He didn't know for a fact that it was him causing it but he had shot that little part in just for a little bit of fun. 

She then went on to call him grumpy, she claimed he'd be causing trouble if he continued to act the way he did. Not only this, but she gave him a light slap to the face. It didn't hurt at all and it was kind of amusing. "You're kidding me, Right?! Grumpy?!  You're lucky I didn't blow that fool up!" With that being said Athren began to follow the woman to the arcade. He didn't have any idea of what an arcade was though. He was almost positive that he wouldn't like it but he'd need to see it to find out for sure.

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