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Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)

Irula watched from the high point of the cliff, seeing only a single Gunman come through the lower floor. It seemed to be searching, like it was looking for something. He didn't know whether this was an advance scout for Viral's army or a lost human from the scattered groups of humans that actually tried to fight the Beastmen. But it seemed too...fluid, too advanced for anything other than fighting. Quick combat, at that. And given that it didn't look like any of the Dai-Gurren's own, so it could only be an enemy.

"There's no way they could have found us already; that trap should have set them back longer!" the former prince said to himself; it couldn't be helped. If it was an enemy, he needed to lure it the other way. And while he wasn't a full human himself thanks to Adiane...He had too much in common to ever betray them. Taking a deep breath, he then launched his Gunman from the cliff face, landing with a heavy thud behind this encroacher.

"Something you're looking for? Huh, Beastman?" Irula snarled venomously, the mech he piloted assuming a combat stance as smaller spikes emerged from its clenched knuckles. The armor on his could be best described as medium, perhaps medium-high strength as its design was meant to literally pulverize enemy Gunmen at extreme close range.
 
Lily turned Zanagi around as soon as she heard the gunman land behind her. Crap, she didn't think she'd run into one this soon. She hadn't thought this through, had she? Wait, she recognized that gunman. Was that who she thought he was? "Wait, don't attack!" She said as Zanagi put it's hands up to show she wasn't trying anything. "Yes, I am looking for something and I'm sure you know what it is. Or should I say who they are. I don't want to kill them though, I just want to talk, Prince Irula."

She didn't know him personally, but she knew of him and how he was one of Adiane's experiments. She remembered when he betrayed their race and helped the humans, and how he took a few rogue beastmen with him. Lily didn't know much about what he went through when he was with Adiane, she just knew he was one of her strongest creations, probably because he came from the Spiral King himself. Lily wasn't really recognizable herself, after all she was just a grunt and would always be one considering she was defective and didn't blindly follow orders. However, she was certain all she needed to do was talk to him and show she wasn't a threat.
 
Irula's eyes seemed to glow a little, the recognizable lustrous golden color evidence of his 'rebirth' as that psycho scorpion-tailed monster like to call it. One of the only three Ultras that were made and the last surviving one. She'd thought him a regular human when she seized him from where he was abandoned as a young boy. Turned out that he was one of many sons from that bastard Lord Genome. She *seemed* non-threatening, but when she called him 'Prince' that was definitely a trigger. His hands nearly crushed the twin handles for the controls, convinced she was just trying to stall to let them hunt his comrades.

"Don't ever CALL ME THAT!" he shouted, the intensity of the noise reverberating off the cliff wall and making him cringe as the speakers started to resonate, his ears ringing at the high frequency. Taking a deep breath, he then added, "If you're referring to the humans, they're long gone. But I stayed behind to make sure that they could get as far from you and that bastard Viral as possible. If I have to hold the line alone, then I do so with my head held high! I'll kill you all even if I die in the process!" Irula shouted, rage lacing every syllable. He was being both honest and deceitful, if only to try and make her believe they were further away than they really were. But his intent to murder was plain as day, and unless she had some way of calming him down, she was in for a nasty brawl.
 
Ah crap, she made him even more mad. This was going way worse than she thought it was. He seemed to still think she was apart of General Viral's force, which she kind of was...but how could she convince him that she was on their side? Fighting probably wasn't the best way to do it, but she had to make sure she didn't die in the process of trying to convince him she wasn't his enemy.

"Hey, nobody has to die! I didn't come to kill anyone, especially not you. I'm sorry, but I don't believe the humans just left you to die here against General Viral. They wouldn't leave you behind. Look, I'm the only one here, they don't know where I am! It's just me!" Admitting that would either doom her or help her convince him she was harmless. Either way, she was already preparing to use Zanagi's defenses if he chose to attack her. She wouldn't make the first move.
 
"Believe it! I'm almost dead as it is! I gave them the idea; besides, I want that asshole to find me! I want his subordinates to watch me rip his fucking head off!" he shouted back, clearly growing more agitated...Still, she did present a possibility. If she was alone, then there was one way she could prove it. His eyes closed for a few seconds, trying to run a scenario in his head; he couldn't waste time, and she'd already guessed through his bluff.

"But fine...Let's see how good your word is." Irula grumbled; within seconds, the back hatch of his Gunman opened up, the large male climbing out to stand atop it. Some of his bandages had come undone, showing patches of pale skin riddled with raw-looking, red scab-like scars. "If you truly are alone, you'll step out of that Gunman and face me. Otherwise, I'm going to tear you and it to shreds." he then called out, kneeling atop his own machine. He knew that the Beastmen forces were still numerous but weakened; if she was anyone important, then no doubt one of the thicker-headed brethren would rush in and try to take the opportunity to eliminate him to save her life.
 
That was a..fair request. She couldn't say she wasn't scared to do it. She wasn't like General Viral, she couldn't fight if she didn't have Zanagi. Still, if she didn't do as he asked, she might lose any opportunity to speak to the humans peacefully. Especially if she ended up having to fight the Prince, and if she won they'd never trust her. If she lost, she'd probably die. Ugh, this was way harder than she thought it would be! "Okay, fine!" She shouted as she slammed her finger on the hatch button. Once the door was open, she climbed out of the cock pit and left her safety net.

Something told her this was a horrible idea, but she stood proudly on Zanagi, her hair billowing in the wind as she crossed her arms. She wouldn't show that she was afraid, she had to be on equal ground in order for anyone to take her seriously. "You happy now?! My name is Lily, and I demand to speak to the human known as Simon! I know he's close by, I tracked Dai-Gunzan all the way here! My nose is the best there is! So if you don't bring me to him, I'll just track him down another day!" What the hell was she doing?! Ugh, she probably just made things worse, but she couldn't shut her big fat mouth. Always rambling whenever she was nervous...

She slid off of Zanagi and once her feet hit the dirt, she waited for him to leave his gunman before proceeding any further.
 
Irula growled as she shouted her demand; damn it, she was on to them. He had to eliminate her, else she would send word back to her comrades. With this in mind, he too leaped down from his Gunman, fists clenched and teeth bared as he readied to attack.

"Stand down"

The voice projected from a loudspeaker somewhere, and out came none other than the Lagann on its squat legs. "Irula, stand down. You've done enough; don't worry, everyone already knows and appreciates you trying to stall. But you're in no shape to fight." continued Simon, earning a stern glare from the former Prince. Simon just replied calmly, "Nia was starting to get worried, so I had one of our friends track your Gunmen and hack into the comms. I heard everything...And Irula, so did she." This made the larger male wince; he didn't like to get violent in front of Nia, but even the sight of a Beastman set him off something fierce. He tried to keep it in check, but recent events made such a powerful trigger all too easy to press.

And with this, he pulled back closer to his Gunman, Simon's Lagann coming forward before opening to reveal the digger himself. "And in case you have any funny ideas, a rifle that can take down Gunmen is pointed right at your head." he then said, motioning behind him with his thumb. His gaze hardening a little, Simon then said, "So, why don't you tell me what it is you want from me? I get the feeling you're not lying about sneaking off, but...why go through the trouble? I can't figure that one out."
 
Lily knew that Irula was about to attack her, but she was saved at the last minute by the very human she was looking for. If he hadn't come, he would have definitely killed her, so she was thankful for that. But she was starting to wonder herself why she had gone through this much trouble, but if she gave up now, it would have been all for nothing. She had to remember, death was better than living her life like a puppet, or at least it felt that way whenever she had to blindly follow orders and do things she didn't want to do.

"So...you're Simon. You're bigger than I thought you'd be." Lily began as she let her arms relax at her sides. "I went through all the trouble because I had to see who you were for myself. I wanted to see if you were the monster everyone made you out to be. If you were, you would have let the Pri..." She trailed off, remembering what happened last time she had said that. "You would have let Irula kill me, but here you are. I was so right." She grinned triumphantly.
 
Simon didn't move nor smile as she complimented his letting live, his expression passive. "Don't get the wrong idea, Beastman. I'm not letting you live out of kindness; I'm just sick of death at this point is all. And I'd rather he not kill himself over you." Irula snarled, body still primed in case she wanted to do anything heroic. "Don't let her fool you; anyone under Viral's command will say anything to save their own hide." A good point, but one Simon did not reply to.

"Needless to say, you won't be coming aboard the Dai-Gurren. Which leaves with a bit of a conundrum, as you see." The Pri.nce growled throatily and moved forward a few steps, eyes fixed on the fox-like Beastmen; Lagann extended an arm to stop him, Irula halting his movement. "Tell you what: Promise to not cross this line, and we will leave you be." At this, the tiny mech traced a line in the rock with its foot, a fairly deep one.

"Simon, I'm telling you, there's no trusting her. She's better off dead; if we leave her alone she'll just run back to Viral and tell him where we are!" Irula shouted, getting worked up again, Simon replying calmly, "Maybe...But my gut is telling she's not lying. So just as I trusted in you about the trap, trust me on this. We have enough scouts to cover this entryway, we can watch her."
 
Her ears drooped a little at his words, and her eyebrows furrowed in disappointment. Well, she was still kind of right, but she was totally failing at doing what she was supposed to. They obviously didn't trust her one bit, or like her. Still, she wouldn't give up just yet. "I can't promise that just yet, but let me say what I have to say. General Viral isn't going to stop until you are all dead. You'll be running for the rest of your lives...unless you surrender Dai-Gunzan to me. I'll tell him I killed you, and should lose interest in the rest of your pack. Or you know, you can keep running. I'm just tired of this stupid war between us. I'm tired of bloodshed too."

There, she said what she needed to say. They would probably kill her for being honest about not crossing that line, but it didn't matter. She was going to be dead anyway if she showed her tail to Viral with no explanation of what she had done when she deserted them. She really wished she would have thought this plan through.
 
"And yet you still care enough to go crawling back once we've handed it over, is that right?" Irula barked harshly, adding "Do you really think he'll stop his war? You clearly don't know how he works if you're that naive!" His breathing was a little ragged, a hand coming up to cover his mouth as he started to cough. Pulling it away, a little stain of red could be seen on the palm, tell-tale signs that whatever was happening in his body was not good. "No, all he'll do is use that damned ship to start going after every human! Above ground or not! So trust me, you'll have plenty of bloodshed one way or another!" he then shouted more hoarsely.

Simon sighed, "He has a point, you know. You can see why we can't hand it over, right?" Simon chimed in, brows furrowed in thought. What could he do? He couldn't let her aboard the Dai-Gurren...Could he? Would be a better way to keep an eye on her, and if she was true to her word...Her actual involvement with Viral's forces could be instrumental in turning the tide.

And what he said next would be the very definition of insane.

Sighing, he then just said, "I think...That maybe you should come with us for now after all." Needless to say, Irula was shocked; was he serious? "Simon..." he whispered harshly, "You're going to have a mutiny onboard if we bring that THING inside!" Simon just sighed, "We took a chance with you didn't we? We had no idea who you were, and even when all of us found out, we didn't throw you out." Pausing, he then said, "Think about it; she's probably been with Viral for some time. She can help us predict where he's going, how he'll act. What strategies he'll use. She's invaluable...AND, you and I both know how the Beastmen deal with traitors. Plus, we have to consider that the longer she's prowling around, the more likely Viral will track her and lead them right to us. Even if you did kill her, her corpse would be inevitable proof we were going this way."

Irula could see the wisdom, but such a move was a double-edged sword. Letting out a huff, he then said to Lily, "Don't pretend I like this, Beastman. One screw-up and your death is inevitable." Simon then gave her a small smile, "Well...Interested?"
 
She supposed she had never thought of it way, but then again she never thought anything through when she felt like something was right. However, she never expected for Simon to actually allow her to board the ship. He obviously didn't trust her, but she sensed there was some sort of compassion with his ulterior motives. She could definitely help them avoid Viral, but if it came down to a fight she wasn't sure if she could go against her now..former General. She cared for him a lot, but she just didn't agree with him.

He'd probably kill her first chance he got for this.

"Geeze, my name is Lily." She said to Irula with a huff. Not like she wasn't used to everyone hating her already. As long as she had Zanagi, she'd be fine. That was her only true friend. "And yes, Simon, I'm interested in helping you humans. I've killed too many of you without even know why, and I want to repay my debt. Anyway, I've delayed you guys enough. If you don't get moving, Viral's going to close the gap. He'll be able to track something as huge as Dai-Gunzan without me, just not nearly as efficiently."
 
Simon nodded at her words, knowing that Viral could still track them; but the less people they had looking for them, the harder it would be to locate them...Having one of her allies as their own would tip the balance more towards their favor. It was clear that Irula was not happy with this decision, and just hopped back into his Gunman and walked off.

"Don't take it too hard; believe it or not, he thought we were trying to kill him when we first found him." Simon explained, nodding towards her Gunman as he then spoke into the communicator onboard, "Yoko, stand down and tell everyone we're having a guest onboard...And have Nia try to keep her brother calm. Last thing we need is a riot right now." He knew this was going to be a very unpopular decision, but sometimes the 'popular' way wasn't the right way.

Closing the hatch to his Gunman, he then motioned Lily to follow, the tiny Gunman's stubby legs running quite comically back to the Dai-Gurren.
 
Lily climbed into Zanagi and followed Simon to Dai-Gunzan. It was weird, that tiny little Gunman was able to steal away their best ship? Well, she supposed it had to have some kind of special power being so puny and all.

"Your brother sure is mad. I hope Simon knows what he's doing." Yoko commented to Nia offhandedly. She didn't trust this girl, but it was hard to trust any beastman. She was sure others on the ship would feel the same way. Maybe she'd prove herself useful to them, but she'd talk to Leeron to make sure she didn't have some kind of tracker on her Gunman. Even if she wasn't some kind of spy, it was entirely possible for her to not realize that she was being tracked somehow.

"I trust Simon, let me worry about my brother." Nia told Yoko before she ran off towards the entrance of the ship so she could meet with Irula. She understood why he was upset, but his rage wasn't doing him any kind of good. It was just hurting him more, and she would have to comfort him and make him feel better about the situation to prevent any more harm.
 
Simon waited until Lily was close, helping to lead her down the smaller tunnel that served as an emergency exit; once in the cavern she would find nearly pitch-black darkness save for the lights within the enormous Dai-Gun. Or at least the conditions most humans called pitch black; thankfully most Gunmen had been designed with a built-in function that automatically adjusted the viewscreen to accommodate the pilot's eyesight. No one knew how this was accomplished, but it soon fell by the wayside as more pressing concerns always kept their attention. And a few minutes later, the loading bay doors opened to hoist both Gunmen into the Dai-Gurren's bay...Where a surprise would be awaiting their newest addition.

Dozens of Supers, all products of the former Dai-Gunkai Admiral's experiments, were all grouped up...At the forefront stood Irula, eyes glaring at the enemy coming into their home, having ignored his sister's pleas to be still and relax. Kittan was there too, standing beside the former Prince with an equally pissed off expression on his face, a heavy scowl as his eyes stared down Simon. After what those bastards did to his sisters, he lets one in to the only home they had left? "Simon...What the hell have you done? Now I *know* you've gone mental!" the surviving Bachika Sibling stated fiercely, making Simon's brows furrow; damn that Irula. He understood his anger - somewhat - but this was going too far.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Simon asked as he exited the Lagann, Irula speaking harshly "Depends. Is that*thing* going to get us all killed? Because I say we just kill her and leave her to the vultures!" Nearly every Super behind him cried out in support, shouting obscenities at their very-much unwelcome guest. "No one's killing anyone! She wants to help us, I know it!" the leader shouted back over the uproar, Irula adding "And what would you know? You might know of how we came to be, but it was HER KIND THAT STARTED IT!" He then pointed his thumb at himself, roaring "I know their pain because I LIVED IT! HOW CAN WE EVER CALL A BEASTMAN AN ALLY!?"

At this Ron stepped in, "Irula...Knock it off. We need to consider the fact that we're outgunned, short-supplied and short on personnel. I realize her 'association' is causing some bad blood to resurface, but we can't ignore the value of having one of Viral's troops aiding us. She'll be able to help us avoid him, to reach where we need to go to get ourselves resupplied." Kittan's fists clenched, his voice quivering in anger, "And what if we face him? What if she leads him to our doorstep?" His speech paused as he then pointed right at Lily, shouting "Will she fight alongside us!? FAT CHANCE!" The other Supers roared their approval at his words, ironically lifting up his own spirits a little.

It was at this point Irula stepped forward, bending over a little so that he could look Simon right in the eye, "Let me say this and let it ring clear in your head: If anything happens, if bringing her onboard causes us any more loss, I. Will. Come for you." His eyes then flicked to Lily, his words ringing with an icy hatred, "The same goes for you, Beastman. Let our presence be a lesson and pray Simon's faith is not unfounded." And with this, he threw a small bag at Simon before he and Kittan left the bay, those who were against Lily's presence following him, leaving the select few including Ron, Simon and Mota, the small squirrel-like creature on his shoulder watching with mild interest before curling up on the bull-humanoid's shoulder.

Simon let out a sigh of relief; he was honestly thinking that there was going to be a bloodbath. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. However, Mota then spoke up, "I do understand his anger...But Sir Leeron is correct. Having you onboard, I am sure whatever assistance you can provide will be invaluable." Simon smiled a little, nodding his thanks to the singular Super that seemed to see why he was taking such a chance. "Right, well...I apologize for the rudeness, my friend. But as you understand I will have to inspect your Gunman to see if you have any tracking devices. Thankfully the rock here is dense enough to block long-range detection, but if they get too close and you have a signal they'll find us easily." Of course, he was going to inspect it whether he had her permission or not...But he felt it courteous to at least ask, if only as a formality.
 
With a lot of self control, Lily managed to keep her mouth shut while Irula and his friends basically rioted against their own captain for his decision on bringing her aboard. How rude! She would never talk to General Viral like that, even if he disagreed with her. Even if she was his enemy now, she would never, ever be so ruthlessly vicious against him. Her life may not have been as hard as theirs, but even if it was, she didn't think she could ever take out her anger on her own like that. She took the princes gibes for now, simply because she didn't want to make the situation worse. However, when they all left, she let her disgust become apparent as she rolled her eyes and folded her arms again. Truth be told, she wasn't just angry, she was hurt. After all she sacrificed, this was the thanks she got?

She listened to some encouraging words from a Super that decided to stay, and she laughed a little nervously. "I'll try not to mess things up even more than I already have, and I'll do my best to help you all." When Leeron told her he'd have to inspect her Zanagi, she grimaced, but nodded nonetheless. It was only fair for them to make sure they weren't in danger. "Fine, but can I watch you? I don't like anyone touching Zanagi but me. It's my best friend."
 
Ron nodded, knowing all too well the attachment the Beastmen had to these miraculous machines, "Of course, of course. Just try not to over-react, because I may have to examine some of the internal systems." climbing up and aboard the opened mech. Simon meanwhile, had followed them up and turned to Lily, "Look...I'm sorry the reception wasn't more open. I get where they're coming from, but I can see it in your eyes. You don't follow blindly, you need a reason. And Irula has his, but if he gives you trouble...Just come let me know. I'm taking this chance because I believe in you...Just please try to tread carefully around the others."

Ron meanwhile was busy looking over the systems, lines of code running over the screens to examine the internals externally, "I can see why you love this machine, Lily. It's beautiful; I've never seen such an advanced tracking setup. Tri-band scanners, thermal overlay viewing, and long-range radar to name a few." Poking around a bit longer, he then accidentally engaged Zanagi's blades, making him jump as they put some holes in the metal floor. Chuckling nervously as he retracted them, he just said "Oops, sorry, dear! This kitty's got some claws, it seems."

He then noticed that she'd already disabled the comm array; seemed this little lady was serious. "Well, Simon, I can't find anything regarding a tracker of any kind. I'm all done in here; no frequencies incoming or outgoing that don't match our own." he then said, resetting the system to its normal state before climbing out. "Great! Thanks Ron, you're the best." to which the genius shot the digger a playful wink before heading off. It was here that Simon's stomach grumbled, himself laughing as he rubbed his nose and asked "I'll bet you're starved, having come all this way. Come on, let's head to the mess hall. It should be nearly empty by now."
 
Lily nodded to Simon as he spoke, though her eyes were completely focused on everything the stranger human was doing. She wondered why he spoke like that, not that she minded. He just seemed a little different than the other humans, but she kind of liked it.

What she didn't like was having him poke all around Zanagi's circuits like that. It was clear that he knew what he was doing...for the most part anyway. However, she was practically biting his claws until he complimented it. That made her feel a little better. "I worked super hard on installing all those parts. I'm nobody important, so I pretty much had to scavenge them from scrap gunman and fix them up so they'd work good. Took me a while to get Zanagi to what it is today, but it was worth all the hard work." She said proudly. Finally, he was finished, and she wasn't surprised he didn't find anything, she had been pretty thorough with it.

When Simon asked if she was hungry, she placed a hand on her belly and realized that all the tension had probably made her forget that she was hungry. "Well, it's been a while, I suppose. I could go for some food. I hope it's better food than what they used to have here on this ship." She muttered that last part under her breath.

Once they started making there way to the mess hall, she cleared her throat. "Thank you by the way. For trusting me. I know how horrible my pack is, but I don't think it's their fault. I know I'm different than the others...defective. We were made to follow orders from our Alpha, Lord Genome. I was like that at first, but...after a while, something changed. I don't know what. I just asked myself, why we hated humans, and why they weren't allowed to be on the surface with us. I couldn't find an answer, and when I asked around...well, let's just say I got a lot of hate for it. Threats, even. So I just learned to keep my mouth shut, for the most part, even though I already managed to ruin my reputation."
 
"Well, to be perfectly honest, we were kind of the same way. The Supers, when we first me them, we had thought to be against us like normals...So needless to say, it was a shock when we found out Irula was one. To think a father could do that to their own child...You can't help but wonder why he's doing this. I mean, I fought him and even though he's really tough...Something about him made me realize he was just a human too, with his own reasons for acting so atrociously." Letting out a small sigh, he smiled at her and added after stowing the bag in a pocket, "Anyway, don't worry about it; and I'm certain there were others that feel the same way you do, they're just too scared of Viral and Lord Genome to say or do anything." In his own way, he was trying to help her see that they weren't so different, and both experienced periods of issues with self-identity.

"By the way, we also know about how Beastmen to be in stasis for a time; nearly every pod on board was scrapped but there are a number in the lower decks that still function. Some of the Supers still have to use them, in spite what Adiane was trying to accomplish." The Super Beastman Project, an initiative devised by Adiane to incorporate the superhuman strength and ferocity and grant the longevity and lack of need for stasis as the normal Beastmen. Or at least that's what Irula had told them after they had escaped Teppelin. It was here that Boota had finally shown up, hopping up onto Simon's shoulder; the little pig-mole had always been running off as of late, searching the immediate caverns for his favorite underground fungi, when he wasn't always around Nia of course. And with how common they were, even if the Beastmen had discovered him, it was unlikely they would link the tiny creature to the Dai-Gun. And even after all these years, he hadn't really grown that much. "Boota, there you are....Oh yeah, Lily, this is Boota. Boota, this is our newest shipmate Lily." he stated cheerfully; the little guy gave a few small squeaks before hopping onto her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.

However, arriving at the mess hall they would see that it wasn't nearly as empty as Simon would have hoped. Worse still, Irula and Kittan were there, along with a surprising number of Supers and younger teens that too held a deep-seated resentment. They were trying to make her feel as unwelcome as possible, weren't they? Evidenced as such when nearly all of them looked up, disgust and anger evident in their expressions. However, instead of making a scene they all turned quietly back to their meals, a low tone by Irula telling them to leave it be for now. And even when they went to Old Man Coco, the poor guy seemed to actually cower in fear, hiding behind the counter leaving only the poofy hat he wore visible. "Coco, not you too..." Simon muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
 
Her eyes widened when Simon informed her that they knew about the stasis, which made her more than afraid of what being aboard a ship with dozens of hostiles while she was virtually defenseless. She didn't get much of a chance to voice her worry when Simon introduced her to one of his critters. Lily was a little uncomfortable with Boota rubbing against her, but she supposed the little mole was cute. She let herself smile at it, but her mood didn't last long when her eyes lifted to see who exactly was waiting for them in the cafeteria.

"Simon!" A familiar voice greeted. It was Nia, who was sitting with Yoko and Reina. She had followed her brother to try to calm him down more, but she didn't think she had been very successful. The tension was awful, and even though she was usually good at cheering everyone up, they were just too angry right now by Lily's presence. "I'm so glad you both could join us. There's plenty for you two-."

Nia was interrupted when Reina immediately stood up at the sight of Lily, eyes narrowed angrily before she left in a hurry, pushing past the beastman apologetically. Lily gritted her teeth, but said nothing. She knew if she did, she'd start something with all these angry humans. She'd just have to suck it up and hope that this would pass. She was sure if she helped them out, they would grow to at least be okay with her being there. She wasn't sure if she could fight alongside them, against her own yet, but she could at least help them avoid that scenario.

"Princess Nia, it's wonderful to meet you." Lily finally said to break the silence, mustering up a smile before glancing at the red headed woman that was across from her. She seemed...indifferent. She couldn't quite read her expression.
 
Simon didn't worry too much about any potential assault; very few of the Supers actually went down there on a regular basis and it was next to the onboard clinic where Ron and another female Super slept close to, one that was admittedly a fair bit stronger than most would realize. If there were any problems, they would be able to handle it; plus, with Irula's condition, there were times where he had to be isolated, forcing Ron to lock the main door. He would have no problem doing that if Lily would feel more secure.

But Simon was finding it increasingly difficult to comprehend the validity of his decision; would having her aboard be so wise? He still remembered Kittan's words; if push came to shove, would she fight alongside them? All Lily said was that she had tired of the constant fighting...Did that mean she despised her fellow kin? If past experiences were any indication, that was a hard no. But even if she could just help them avoid Viral until they got to Littner, that would be enough. They would restock, repair the Dai-Gurren fully and be able to at least make more of a stand should Viral's forces find them.

His train of thought was broken when Nia reappeared, Yoko following close behind her. He then gave his wife a kiss on the cheek, grateful for her turning up...Only for Reina to suddenly march past and right out of the dining hall. Yeah...This was going to take some getting used to. And Yoko's expression wasn't much better, even if it seemed impassive. But that was just her sometimes, a hard-to-read crackshot.

Finally though, Old Man Coco brought them food to a table instead of just handing it to them: Tonight was actually featuring a meat entree, with sauteed greens and spiced mashed tubers. "Oh wow, this looks so good; thanks a lot! I'm pretty sure we would starve without you!" he complimented excitedly; it was such a long day, and he could do with a nice hot meal. Coco let out a muted chuckle and lifted his hat out of respect, bowing to the Princess as he always did before wordlessly going back into the kitchen. "Join us, Lily; that way can go over some of the rules of the ship too. Just things aside from the obvious that might help you."

Irula was virtually seething inside, watching this flea-ridden mongrel sit in their mess hall. Consume their food. Eventually, he himself couldn't take it anymore, his appetite gone with the wind. Standing up, he heard another Super ask, "Where are you going?" to which the Prince replied, "Out...I need some air." And like that he too was gone, his massive figure disappearing around the corner. He could feel it overtaking him, the latent rage that turned him into a worse monster by the day and he needed to remove himself from the equation for the moment to keep the peace. Even if he'd be better off just breaking her on the spot. The man soon arrived on the bridge, staring into the darkness of the cave they resided in. For him though, it was more luminous, his augmentations counting a degree of night vision among the list. His breathing was harsh as he sat with his back against the tower wall, his muscles tight and shooting with jolts of pain.
 
"Wait, brother!" Nia called after him, but to no avail. Before she could stand up, Yoko raised her hand.

"No, stop. You stay here. I'll go talk to him." She said simply before sliding out of her seat. Before she left though, she stopped to look at Simon. "I don't know why you made the decision you did, but make sure you stick with it, Simon. If the others think you're unsure about bringing this girl onboard, it's just going to make things worse. Don't let them make you second guess yourself. I trust that you did what you felt was right." She gave him a smile before turning her gaze to the troublesome girl who had caused so much tension among their crew. "As for you, Lily...a long time ago, I didn't trust Nia. She proved herself to be our ally. Hopefully when the time comes, you'll do the same."

With that, Yoko left. Lily just sighed and sank in her seat a little. Well, that was better than just being threatened, right? Truth be told, she wasn't sure how she was going to prove anything to them. She could help them run away, sure. But if Viral somehow intercepted, what then? She really didn't want to think about it. She sniffed a little at the plate in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with this meat? Why is it all...brown?"

"It's cooked, Lily." Nia answered quickly.

"..Why?" Lily asked with a puzzled expression. Obviously she enjoyed her meat raw.

***

It didn't take long before Yoko found where Irula was hiding. She knew him better than he probably would have liked her to. She knew that he was attracted her, but reserved his feelings for whatever reason he may have had. Maybe it was because of what he was, maybe it was because of what he knew about her own feelings. Yoko knew she couldn't hold on to Kamina forever, but that was one thing, and letting herself fall for someone else was another. What if the next person she fell for died too? So many of their old crew was gone, and she missed them.

He didn't look too good, but she knew the situation. They needed to get back to Littner as soon as they could. "You okay?" Yoko asked casually as leaned against the wall with him, though she didn't sit down. She wondered what he was looking at. The only thing she could see was the dimly lit deck of the ship.
 
Simon sweated a little as Yoko told him to stick with his gut; he knew it was something that he was going to do, but honestly he was still a bit shocked at the violent backlash over bringing her aboard. Even so, she was right: Nia wasn't trusted much at the beginning either, and the talk about getting rid of her still rang fresh in his mind. The digger persisted however, and truthfully it really was her that helped him become his own man, someone worthy of the same admiration that Kamina got when he was still around.

And when she left, Simon started to eat, only to look up at Lily when she asked what was wrong with the meat. Nia's explanation was spot-on, but being a Beastman meant they rarely cooked food; it was a lengthy process to start a fire from scratch even with the right materials, and the risk of being given away by smoke - not to mention the fact that cooking destroyed much of the nutritional content and taste to natural carnivores - made the prospect unappealing.

Simon just held back a snicker and added, "Well, us humans can get pretty sick if we eat our meat raw. There are some that do it as a sign of machismo, though, but mostly it's to make it safe. And with how the cook seasons it, heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you never went back to raw meat again!" He was trying really hard to help her feel welcome, and just hoped it was working. He then paused after a few mouthfuls, stating as a piece of advice "Yoko is right though: It took people a while to get used to Nia, eventually though she managed to prove herself. And I have no doubt you can do the same...Just try to not let others rattle you. Offer to help wherever you can; anything you can do to be of use, the crew will grow to appreciate. I promise that. And if anyone does give you trouble, let me know and I'll help you...Ok?"



Irula finally managed to calm down, if only a little; it was starting to get bad too, because his whole body was tingling. He could hear Yoko's footsteps a mile away but his gaze never shifted when she stood next to him, even as she addressed him. He wasn't focused on anything of concern, just a spot on the wall to help keep his mind from tilting downward. He could lie to her and say he was fine, but she knew how he bluffed and would see right through. And though he did find someone of her personal strength attractive, he kept his distance for both personal and interpersonal reasons.

Both of them had lovers killed in battle, and it still pained him that he couldn't properly avenge their deaths. Kamina quickly grew on him as a brother-in-arms, and knowing that the one that brought about the devices for his end - and the two people he had once cared about more than anything - was still alive infuriated him. Live to fight another day, that was what he kept telling himself, and it was that thought alone that had gotten him this far.

"I think we both know the answer to that...I appreciate you asking me though. Thanks." he replied lowly, his tone neutral now that the aggravating factor was removed. His eyes narrowed a little as he thought back to that Beastman. Sitting in their home; part of him hope she choked on her dinner. Would serve her right. Still...Maybe he'd been too hasty. Simon had taken a chance with him, especially since they had no idea about who and what he really was. He'd lied to them about his origins when they first met, not out of malice but because he could see they were surviving just like him. He didn't want to worry them further, that was it.

"Yoko...I want you to be honest with me. Do you think I'm being petty? About her, I mean...Part of me wants to be glad that one of Viral's own went rogue, means one less hunting us. But...We've fought against them for so long...What do you think of her?" he then asked; he didn't mean to word it so loadedly, but it was really the only way he could have said it in his heart.
 
Lily couldn't imagine getting sick off eating food raw, but she didn't question it. She wondered how Nia dealt with people not trusting her when she first arrived here. Her eyes drifted over to the Princess who was happily enjoying her meal. When their eyes meant, she only smiled warmly at her. "The Princess never killed any of you. Of course they warmed up to her eventually." Lily stated as she dug her claws into the meat slowly. "Thank you for being so nice, Simon, but I don't mind if people don't like me. It's nothing new. I'm going to help you guys our regardless of how the others feel." With that, she lifted the slab of of meat into her mouth and dug her sharp teeth in before savagely ripping it apart. Beneath the seasoning, she tasted wild boar. She supposed it wasn't so bad.

Nia frowned at Lily's statement. That was sad, the way she spoke of herself. She didn't seem like she thought she deserved any kindness. "Well, I like you, Lily. I think what you're doing is very brave. It's not easy to go against my fathers wishes, it must have been hard." She told her as she watched her eat...messily.

***

She thought so, he was doing as bad as he looked. Still, there wasn't much they could do about that right now, other than keep him calm. She would have to make him take it easy, and as far as this business with the new addition on board, she was hoping she could calm him down a bit. When he asked what she personally thought about his behavior, and what she thought about Lily, she just sighed.

"You are being petty, yes." She simply said, never being one to sugarcoat things. "I understand why, though. You have a right to be angry at her, and to be distrustful of her. We all do. Still, we can't ignore the fact that she is useful. If Simon is right about her, she will be our best bet in avoiding Viral until we can get to Littner. We can't face him right now as we are, with our supplies low like this and the ship barely hanging on by a thread. As for what I personally think of her, I don't like her. But, I also didn't like your sister when I first saw her either."
 
Simon sweat-dropped a bit when she began tearing into the boar, her natural weapons making quick work of the meat slab...Well, at the very least she seemed to be somewhat enjoying it. He did, however, appreciate the fact that Nia was backing him up on this. Which meant she might appreciate the little surprise she had waiting for her in their quarters....He wasn't going to let today's events spoil their anniversary.

"That's the spirit" the digger commented, knowing that it was a self-defeating statement she made. The Beastmen must have treated her as nothing more than a tool if she was this uncaring of herself. All that meant for him though, was that he would have to do a little more to help her settle in. "But hey, once we're done here, Nia and I will show you around the ship and where you'll be sleeping. How's that sound?"



Irula couldn't help but smile as Yoko confirmed how he was feeling, the back of his left hand coming up to stop a chuckle leaving his lips; leave it to her to be a breath of pure honesty. That too was a trait he admired about her: Never afraid to tell it like it was. "That's true...And you weren't too fond of me for a good while after we met. Not that I blame; looking back I was a right dick, even when you were trying to help me. Then again, I didn't exactly put my best foot forward. Spent so much time looking for someone to shoot me in the back that I stopped looking ahead. To be honest I'm surprised you guys didn't boot me out of Littner or the Dai-Gurren sooner."

And truth be told...He also admired her because she was so much like his previous partner. Straight-forward and honest, beautiful to look at, and a hell of a shot. "Thanks Yoko...I mean it. I can't promise I'll be able to be all buddy-buddy with her, but I'll try and make this work. Hopefully she doesn't act like me when I first joined up." he then said, giving her a half-hearted smile; he could feel his limbs starting to shake, but with some effort he made them stop. It wasn't long before he stood, feeling a little dizzied at first. "Anyhow...I need to see if Ron's available. There's something I need to talk to him about."
 
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