Time in the Stars(Akassa/Open)

[Conri Lane]

The championship was over, he was the crowned champion of the galactic tournament, and he suddenly became incredibly famous. It was all a little overwhelming from having been someone that had been barely known by a select group. It was hard to adjust so quickly to the change, which was why he had managed to find a way to hide for the time being. Still, he had something else to do right now, he couldn't relax just cause the tournament was over. Finding his way to the food vendor from the first time they met, he wasn't sure why he thought he would find Akassa here. Then again, he had no idea where else to look for her, he might need to ask around a bit to see if someone could point him the right direction. Though, he'd have to be careful with the Saiyans, make sure that they didn't misunderstand his intentions.

"Hm, let me have one of those, eh?" he figured he would give it a try at least, he didn't know exactly what kind of food it was. Sitting on one of the benches, he decided to give it a couple of minutes before he would go looking for her. There were a few things left to discuss with her now that the tournament was over. He doubted that either Akassa or Ninjin knew that he had been hired by their father, after all. It would be an amusing thing to see both of their reactions when he told them that little bit of news. Sometimes it was fun to have things happen like that, random series of events falling into place neatly.

Still, there was a more pressing reason for him to be here, it was something that he felt that needed to be done. Whether she would agree or not, he would just have to wait and see when the time came. Leaning back, he stared up at the ceiling to the space station, wondering how his future was going to be changing from now on with the way things happened.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

Akassa’s time on Alpha Prime was almost done, only several more things to take care of and she would be heading back home. It had been an…interesting journey since leaving New Vegeta and despite all those she had met and everything she had done, the Princess was looking forward to returning home. All she needed to do was settle a couple of things with some vendors she wanted to visit, gather her things, and head home later this evening. Walking down the same street she had been on several nights ago she snorts some as she strolls by the restaurant she had eaten dinner at, glancing inside to see it rather empty since it was a bit early still.

A shock of blue hair caught her eye, the oddly color hair could only belong to one half-saiyan. Pausing for a moment she debates if she should go in and congratulate him. Part of her knew she should, for he had proven himself the strongest in the tournament, even utilizing Oozaru in the very end…a form she could not control. Still her pride begged her to just move on and finish with her business; it was not easy for any Saiyan to admit another was better them, especially not a Hattori. Snorting some she finally makes up her mind, turning to head into the establishment.

Almost always a forward woman the Princess moves right up to his table, almost seeming to do so in an aggressive manor if one didn’t know her.

”Congratulations on become Champion Conri.” Akassa extends her hand to him as a show of respect, as much as it stabbed at her pride to do so. When they had first met she had been able to manhandle him with ease, yet somehow he had become stronger than her and won the entire tournament. Normally she did not shake, but since he was not a member of the Saiyan Military she didn’t think saluting him would have been right.

[Conri Lane]

It seemed that things had turned in his favor when the person that he had been looking for had walked right up to him. Although, it almost seemed like it was something of an aggressive manner, but he was pretty sure he'd done nothing wrong. At least, not in the sense that she should be angry with him, but who knew what all had happened while he wasn't around. Lots of things could have happened, so it was hard to pinpoint her mood. Well, still she was extending her hand and it was rude to leave someone like that, so he took her hand and shook it.

"Thank you, it was a close fight though. This fight and the one against Ninjin made me realize I have a lot to work on with fighting," he admitted. While more would be boastful or downright arrogant about winning the tournament, he was looking at each fight with a learning eye. If he could figure out what he did wrong with each fight and work on that, he could turn himself into a much more powerful fighter. It would take a lot of time and effort, but the results would be well worth it in his mind, it might allow him to match more easily against powerful opponents. Of course, that was a bit of wishful thinking, but the potential was there, and he wouldn't allow it to go to waste.

"Ah, before I forget. I would like to apologize again about the other day," he wouldn't make excuses for it, even if he did tell her the truth, it would seem like he was using it as an escape. Instead, if she was angry, he would let her vent however she wished until they were once more on decent ground with each other. Conri should in fact have been thankful to her, considering she had rescued his father for him, and that meant quite a lot to the Half-Saiyan. "I would also like to thank you for saving my father, I know he's okay because he's the same pain in my ass as he always has been," despite the words, there was a hint of happiness laced into the words he spoke. While he and his father didn't see eye to eye, there was no mistaking that they were indeed a close family.

"Would you care to join me?" he offered, motioning to there being plenty of room at his table. If not, he would at least make sure to talk with her a bit, before he indulged in his meal. There were a few things to discuss and he figured now was the best time to do it, since he had found her. In fact, that had worked out well with his plan, it was probably luck but he wasn't going to complain about that either.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

Returning the shake with a firm grip of her own the Princess, offers a small smile. As he mentions his fight with Ninjin she realizes she was still a little sore about the match. He had not done anything to her during it, but when he had defeated her brother he had also removed the Hattori line from the tournament. Truthfully it was only Ninjin’s fault for not being able to defeat the half-saiyan, yet she still resented him for if, even if only a little.

From the moment she had met Conri Lane she had not been able to get what she felt was an accurate read on him. At first he had seemed rather easy going and almost care-free, casually smoking as he talked to her in this very restaurant. Then he had seemed the typical half-saiyan as a talk of a spar between the two seemed to get his interest peaked, the two quite obviously sharing a love for fighting. Yet even before their session had officially begun his tongue had betrayed him a little as he revealed there was more to his entering the tournament than his own choices. Their “discussion” of the matter had quickly escalated, but despite the fact she was royalty he had not simply given her the answers she wanted, not without fighting back a little. Many the Princess had met were afraid to even lay a hand on her just because of whom her father was, Conri had not been so reserved.

Now, here they were again in that same diner, the only difference being that she was paying respect to him for his hard won victory. His apology and the thank you for ensuring his father’s safety was met by an upraised hand. She had of course helped him keep the man safe and he may have been a bit rude to her that day, but she too had been less then civil. On top of it all she had let his two cousins get away, two individuals she should have handled with ease.

”It is no matter, we both can agree there were events that did not unfold as we wished that day.” As he motions to the chair she hesitates a moment before ultimately deciding to sit. Akassa knew she almost always demanded respect out of others so how could she not show it to him now? By winning the tournament he had proven himself a powerful fighter and he was unquestionably the Champion, it would be disrespectful not to take his offer so she sat.

[Conri Lane]

She held up her hand as he apologized and thanked her, causing a slight lifting of one of his eyebrows in response to that. Then she explained the reason for it and he understood where she was coming from with that, he would accept her gracious offer to leave it at things just going badly. He was surprised that it was her that suggested it as well, he hadn't figured she would given how she first reacted when she found out. He'd been nearly choked to death and then he kind of blasted them both to separate corners, it'd been mostly an act of desperation, but it had worked out well enough. He still remembered the pain from having blasted himself at close range with such a powerful attack, still he supposed it was preferable to being choked.

"I can agree to that," he nodded, taking the agreement so that they could move past the subject. If she was fine with things like that as well, he wouldn't argue the issue any further, it would be pointless and unnecessary. She seemed to hesitate when he offered to have her join him before taking the seat, he was glad that she did, it would be easier to talk this way. He supposed that he should just come out and tell her about the encounter with her father as well, no point in beating around the bush.

"I had actually been looking for you, so that we could talk. I had a run-in with your father a good bit of time ago," he started, waiting to see what her reaction to that would be before continuing. It was going to be hard to explain the situation as well, considering if she had strong feelings for the Queen like she did the rest of her family. That or the part where he made her look silly could just be left out of this conversation, probably best for the latter option really. "He had hired me to help with investigating Prometheus Zex, I was wondering if you'd found any information on him?" he figured he would see what was known and try working to gather whatever else there was to find about him.

There was something else that he wanted to request from her as well, but one thing at a time to not jumble all of the conversations together. Plus, he figured he would get the important stuff out of the way first before making the second request, just to make sure nothing interrupted it.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

Now seated the Princess seemed almost distracted, or at least unfocused as he began to speak, quite a bit on her mind at the moment. So much had happened on Alpha Prime compared to her other ventures off of New Vegeta. Come to think of it this tournament had been the longest time she had spent on a foreign planet or station at one time. Sure she had been to Earth dozens of times, but that trip was a short one and she rarely stayed for more than a day or so. One day she would take a long trip there, one to locate her real mother. It was something she wished to do even if her father didn’t approve of it, she would just do it as “part” of a mission.

No matter what she had on her mind, the mention of her father draws her full attention to the half-saiyan across from her. Like their previous meeting a single mention of her father or family was enough to draw her in. Always devoted, almost to a fault at times, the Princess took great care and interest in anything that had to do with the Royal family. In her past it had been used against her several times, by those looking to exploit her, but in the end she had made those individuals regret it. His words draw a small snort form her, a smile then forming on her lips. So her father had shared his concerns with someone outside the family had he?

The whole Hattori family had been a little suspicious of the tournament itself, or at least its promoter. Even Celeh, the Princess’ bodyguard had brought up the fact the whole event seemed a little suspicious. Akassa’s eyes had been open the whole time she was on Alpha Prime and although it had gotten her into several strange circumstances, one even involving Zex, she had seen no proof of anything unsavory. Thinking a moment she lets her smile widen some, trying to be a bit friendlier now for perhaps Conri had some information he could share with her.

”Not much to be honest, at least not anything beyond what is held in the public archives. How about you Conri? I hope my father’s request was not a waste of his time.” Leaning on the table some with her elbows, her forearms laying across each other the Saiyan Princess looks him in the eye. Being a little nicer now she seemed interested and when Akassa was interested, she always tried to be nice. After all, Conri was no enemy even if he wasn’t exactly a friend.

[Conri Lane]

Her attention had been wandering a bit until he had actually said the magic words of her father, then she was paying full attention to what he had to say. He chuckled mentally at that, it was interesting to see how she reacted to different phrases, it helped him get a better idea of how to talk to her. He'd eventually figure things out, but for now he supposed caution was the better approach here, as anything was likely to happen if he said the wrong thing. Still there was a bit of an opening since he'd mentioned being hired by her father, maybe he could gather some information here before he revealed the next bit of information.

At least, that was the plan until she admitted not finding much on him that wasn't public knowledge anyways, which meant that he would likely be the one with the best opportunity right now. "Well, I haven't found much, but I do have this; that was delivered earlier," he mentioned, showing the invitation that he had received inviting him to the monarch's estate. He would need to gather as much information while he was there and see what all was useful compared to what was already known about the man. Not really the easiest way to go about it, but it would have to do for gathering information, he was a professional so coming back empty handed wasn't really an option.

"What information that I could get from a dinner conversation would your family find the most useful? I likely won't be able to ask too much, but maybe something that would be good. I'll also at least get a general feel of his estate layout while I'm there," he figured that was something that not many people were privileged with the ability to gather. The issue was making sure that he could see where all of their security was at, but maybe that wasn't as important as just getting the layout itself. He would wait for word from Akassa, however, as to what would truly be the useful part of the information since she likely would know better.

Then they could go from there and figure out how he could gather information while he was at the dinner, if he knew what to look for it would be much easier.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

At first she was disappointed, wondering why he had wanted her to sit if all he was going to say was that he had found nothing. Of course when he drew the letter and presented it to her she seemed quite interested. Taking it she looks it over for a moment before passing it back to him. A dinner invitation, why did Zex want to meet with Conri? Looking over at him the Princess’ eyes narrow a little. How was it this one was always speaking with leaders? First he had apparently been hired by her Father and now he was being invited to the home of Prometheus Zex…she wasn’t sure what to think of that. Yet he was still offering to find out information for the King, so he seemed to be on their side. Then again it might be possible he was playing both sides, only in time would it become clear.

”If you intend on accepting you should first and foremost find out what he wants from you. I am sure the invitation is not simply so you can enjoy a meal chat with each other.” Chewing her lower lip a little Akassa was sure there was more to this invitation then just friendship. Perhaps he just wanted to use the newly crowned Champion to promote something, but wouldn’t he have done that during the closing ceremonies? Pulling herself from her thoughts she looks to Conri again.

”You are going correct? It is an invitation so you do not have to go, although I think it best you do. If anything is brought up that is worth knowing you will share it with my father or I correct?” Akassa still wasn’t completely sure where this one’s loyalties lie. Based on what she had heard about his statement during the closing ceremonies, for she had not watched them herself, she knew he had desires of his own. Yet he was “working” for her father and now going to meet with Zex. She planned to keep an eye on this one, just in case.

[Conri Lane]

The moment he showed her the letter he got a wide array of looks from her, but the most prominent was the narrowed eyes, apparently she didn't like something with it. Was she suspicious of the letter as well or was there something else on her mind? It was hard to tell, as she seemed to get that look a lot with him. That just seemed to be his luck lately though, well, after winning the tournament at least since that was the biggest good thing to happen to him. Still, he just seemed to have really bad luck with women and that was never a good thing, even if he just wanted to be friends. Stupid luck turning badly on him like that, after getting him a good win as the tournament champ.

"Hm, true. It seems rather odd to send an invitation to me just to have a dinner and a chat," he hadn't really considered that Zex might have an ulterior motive for inviting him to his house. Stroking his chin, he supposed he would just have to find out what it was at this point, speculating could only do so much for him. It was decided then that he would accept the invitation and see what was waiting for him at the house of the leader of Alpha Prime. Plus there was free food, he was half-saiyan turning down free food was akin to blasphemy for them and just wasn't done.

"Yeah, I had planned to accept it anyways because free food is never a bad thing. I'll let you know everything I can that I find out from Zex," he had to remain a professional first and foremost. If Zex actually hired him for the mission as opposed to just requesting him to do something, then he had no official reasons to not say anything. If he was hired and asked to be silent about the details, then there was nothing he could do about it, of course that would create a conflict of interests in the first place. Which is something that Conri would have to avoid, even if it meant turning down whatever had been offered up to him. His integrity as a professional was far more important to him and he wasn't about to go betraying one employer for another, that was bad business and bad for business.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

Akassa just nods as he agrees to keep her informed. She wasn’t at all sure what the meeting would entail, but she could at least report to her father that she had a man on the inside of the small, private dinner. The Princess knew her meeting with him in several hours was not going to be a pleasant one so it might work in her favor to have something to offer. Rolling her neck slightly the half-saiyan then stretches a little before starting to stand. It was not that she wanted to disrespect the Champion by leaving so early, but as far as she knew their business was done.

Sliding her chair out as she stands Akassa smiles some, wanting to leave on the best note she could despite the other things on her mind. ”Thank you Conri, and congratulations again on winning the tournament. I must be on my if we are finished here, please understand I mean no disrespect.” Of course if he were to have something else to discuss with her the Princess would not just walk away, but if they were done she did not plan to linger. Standing she was currently looking down at him, her red bangs hanging down over the scouter she now wore. If anything Conri might think her looking a little more official compared to the first time they met, not sitting in a restaurant licking her wounds after her loss to Ninjin.

[Conri Lane]

There were so many possibilities here that it was hard for him to not look at as many as he could, leaving out too many could mean disaster in the future. So, while he was going to be in a rather precarious situation and would need to try getting information, the fact that Zex could try to hire him would make things a conflict of interests. That would require him to turn the leader of Alpha Prime down based on those very conditions, whether it was likely to happen or not was irrelevant. It was a possibility and that was the main issue that he needed to worry about with this situation, the variables were endless though and thinking too much would just be detrimental.

When she stood, thanking him and mentioning if there wasn't anything else she would be leaving, which made him consider the next part even more. He wasn't sure when the next time they would meet would be, so this part could be the only chance, that meant it was quite literally a now or never sort of scenario. With that, he nodded and then stood as well, "Actually, there is one more thing I would like, if you have the time that is. I would like to pick up where we left last time...not with the you choking me part, but the sparring part. We never did get to finish that, so it would be interesting to try it now with how much has actually changed," he had been referring to his own power level, which if his senses were right wasn't too far off from the different between him and Ninjin when they first fought.

"If you're too busy I can understand that, but I just figured it could be fun to see the outcome after all the events we each have gone through," he chuckled. It probably wasn't the best way to ask this question, but there weren't a whole lot of options. It would be up to her whether she wanted to go through with it or just save it for the possibility of them meeting in the future. Which he wouldn't blame her for, she was the princess of the Saiyan Empire after all, so she likely had a lot more responsibility put onto her shoulders.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

It was true she was quite busy, needing to get several tasks done before meeting up with her family to travel home. Yet…as a warrioress she found it difficult to walk away from such a challenge. The half-saiyan sitting before her had beaten her brother in the tournament, that alone enough to prove he had been at least equal to her in strength. On top of that he had won the entire tournament, he was the Champion and it was her chance to fight him. Deep down the Princess knew she should be on her way, but her own pride and desire to test her strength does not let her turn away from the table. Instead a smile slowly forms on her lips as she gives him a slight nod.

”I accept, did you have an area in which we can do this? I do not think the owner of this restaurant would appreciate a sparring session between the two of us.” Taking a look around the eating area there were several different groups of people sitting down to enjoy meals or drinks. Akassa was able to picture the havoc that two fighters such as themselves would wreak on such a confined area if they were to start their match here. Even if they held back such a place would not due, but she was sure that Conri realized that as well. After all, the coliseum had barely contained his match with Frigid.

Still on her feet the Princess waits for him to rise and lead them to whatever place he had in mind for their match. In the back of her mind there were several items nagging at her, but the thought of a fight was quickly overwhelming them. Since her defeat in the tournament she had only had one real battle against anyone, even if it had been a spar. The daughter of King Hattori was not one to enjoy sitting idly by as the Universe rolled on, she was a creature of action. Their first match had been interrupted by information he had revealed to her, this time that was not going to be the case. Akassa was going to give him everything she had and the Princess was confident she could best him.

[Conri Lane]

It seemed his question had managed to get her attention as she hadn't said no to it right away from being too busy, which was a sign that he might be able to get his request. Now it was just a matter of whether she would accept the challenge or not, which he could see the temptation in it as he was the current crowned champion. Which meant she could test herself against the champion, something very few were able to do and it was a challenge of battle, all the things that most Saiyans would jump at quickly. With her taking the time to think, he knew she was at least interested in the idea. Which was confirmed by her next question of where they should go as the owner wouldn't appreciate his place getting trashed.

"Yeah, I've got a place where we can do this," he smirked as she accepted the challenge. This would be a fun little match, and they could see how things changed from the way they used to be when they first attempted to spar. He began to head towards an empty area nearby, something he had seen on his search for the princess in the first place, it was out of the way with no construction in the way. Just an open lot for them to use for right now, and one where people wouldn't be getting hurt or in the way, fame did tend to come with a bit of a downside at times. This, however, would be perfect to not have to worry about any of those things and it was plenty big enough for them to fight it out, even though it was going to be a spar.

"Just as a heads up, I'm currently wearing some training gear, so my power level is only half of what it would normally be, that alright with you?" he figured he'd ask what her preference would be for the spar. Whether she wanted his full power or if she didn't mind him using the weighted, he readied himself for the spar, making sure to stretch out his muscles before they actually got started. This would be fun, and with nothing to interrupt them this time, they would get to have a bit more fun in this little spar since he could match her power a lot better now.

[Queen Akassa Hattori]

Following in silence the Princess’s eyes stay on Conri, quietly assessing the Champion. Although she had spoken with him on several occasions now she still felt she didn’t understand him. Honesty she doubted that she ever would, the half-saiyan was just too different from her. Unlike her ordered and structure life he seemed to follow his own path, making his own decisions as he saw fit, minus the incident with his father of course. The two of them both seemed to enjoy a good fight, but even in sharing that quality they were quite different. While Conri appeared to relish in the competition to be found in fighting it was slightly different for her. Akassa did love to fight, but it was not solely for the competitiveness for she also had a strong streak of pride. Perhaps it was because she was a Hattori and felt there was more she needed to prove with every breath she took. Snorting she offers a shrug to her own thoughts, figuring it wasn’t worth further analysis, just enjoy the coming spar.

When Conri stops and turns to face her she takes a glance around, the area relatively devoid of any major structure or people, a perfect spot for the two of them to go at it. With his voice bringing her attention back to him once again she smiles a little at the mention of his weighting clothing.

”That is just fine for I too am wearing training weights. This is no fight to the death so why not get the most out of it.”

Rolling her shoulders some she then reaches up to take off her scouter, tucking it away in her jacket. Fixing her bangs after, a strangely feminine gesture compared to her rough style of fighting, she was ready to go. Having already read his power with it, and aware of the transformations he possessed she was able to roughly calculate his power should he raise it above his current state. Finishing her short stretches with a roll of her neck her brown eyes level at him, a small smile coming back to her lips.

”Whenever you are ready we may begin…Champion”

[Conri Lane]

There was truly nothing that was set in stone about Conri, he was the type to decide things for himself and to never let others dictate what he could or couldn't do. That was something he would never stand for, on the other hand he was not completely an innocent person himself, there were things in his past that he wished he could change. However, now that his father was out of harm's way, he could relax a bit and truly be himself now. This was the one time he would be truly able to enjoy his battles without feeling any kind of pressure about losing or anything, instead he would let loose and have fun. He could not ask for a better opponent for this moment either, he knew that she would do everything in her power to win and would thus push him to improve himself as he reached to stand as the victor himself.

"Very well, the weights will stay on. We'll make sure to get a good workout from them in return."

That was good, he wasn't the only one that was being restricted by weighted clothes, and it would be more of a fair fight. Then again, maybe the other alternative was actually better, it was hard to decide at times which way worked more for him. Shaking his head, now wasn't the time to get caught up in things like that, he had a fun little battle awaiting him with the princess of New Vegeta. He wondered how many people actually got this opportunity and how many would actually take full advantage of it like he was about to do. A smile of his own forming as she offered him the first move for this round of sparring, he supposed he should take the offer as well since he let her go first last time.

"Alright, I'll be making the first move then, Princess," a playful wink at her own title. Though it wasn't meant in a disrespectful manner either, just more of a fun nickname that he could use for her. Dashing forward it looked like he might just charge straight at her, but midway through he jumped into the air and used his psychokinetic ability as a platform to launch even faster over head as he fired off a few Ki blasts to distract her as he dropped behind and aimed a kick for her back.

(Sorry for the wait!)