Financial Nonsense (Open)

As the long winded Financial Officers continued on their mind numbing ravings, the Tuffle lieutenant was possibly the least bored looking person in the room. Compared to the rest of the PTO members gathered in this location today, the majority being officers and other people of import, it seemed that Banaan was perhaps the only soldier that looked attentively at them as they spoke. This, of course, was not because he was enthralled by the musings of higher finance, but rather because it was his duty to be. It bothered him how many actually did not pay mind to these meetings, mainly because those were the ones who needed to most.

It was not difficult for the diminutive man to look comfortable in the rather large chairs that they all sat in, however he certainly was not as accustomed to it as those around him. Without so much as batting an eye, he could see the higher ranks that continued to bleed the organization of smaller assets. While those people were not in the same section as himself and Captain Nix, most of them being the aforementioned soldiers that twisted and turned in their seats. No, his issue was with those above, that we’re paying no attention and simply speaking quietly to one another, some of them even having brought brought alcohol or other comforts with them.

Truly, though, it did not matter to Banaan who these people were, as they were the result of the weak leadership that has begun to spread dissent and laziness into the ranks. Being the only person close to Captain Nix, he was proud to be in a position of strong leadership. He hoped that the Captain and his aspirations proved true, and sooner than it seemed to be moving along. His silent protests continued as he watched, absorbing every detail and number. With his perfect memory and recall ability, if anything were to come up later on he would be able to reference it easily. It was the entire reason he was here, as the Captain made sure that someone was paying attention to the drivel.

It was at about that time, the Tuffle noted that it was always around the same amount of time into these types of meetings, that Captain Nix adjusted in his seat once more, positioning himself nearer to his lieutenant and speaking out of the corner of his mouth softly. Banaan was not surprised when the changeling had asked him about the food and remaining suffering that they must endure, as again it was roughly the same every time. Business had a way of hitting the Captain directly in the stomach, and ever since being in his service and being pushed the way he is, Banaan had gained the hunger of a Saiyan himself, though he hated the analogy. “It shouldn’t be much longer now, Captain.” He spoke softly, his eyes still locked on the screens. “You have a habit of asking at the same time each meeting, Captain, meaning that we will likely be finished soon if you can handle it. Our part is largely finished; it is the waiting that is the worst part of course.” He always seemed to speak with a cold fact to his tone, one that he was glad the Captain especially appreciated rather than take any offense. Banaan was likely the only person able to get away with speaking to him on even ground, and even then his reverence to his leader was evident.

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The Tuffle merely let out the slightest of snorts when Captain Nix implies that he may be incorrect, as both of them know it was as unlikely as an Ape appearing in the middle of the room and thrashing the place. He, for his part however, remained ever calm and vigilant as the proceedings began to wrap up, noting that once again the financial plan was certainly not directed towards their company in the slightest. The vetting process not only netted them the best recruits, Banaan noted, but apparently the highest profits in many regards, with so little to spend it all on.

It was as he predicted, and the meeting was adjourned without much delay. Watching as each of the officers hurriedly rushed to leave the accursed room with their sanity in place, Banaan lingered as he watched the Captain for his next order. It was likely, as he had mentioned previously, to go and feast themselves over a decent banquet of foods and delectables. The thought did bring a small discomfort to the Tuffle’s abdomen, and he adjusted in his seat for the first time that evening. He had lost the taste of food years ago, but regained it after his modification and service to Nix. It seemed that whatever processes went on in his body to make him as powerful as he was, they also ran on his appetite far harder than before. It was perhaps one of the only things he looked forward to outside of combat. However, he still waited patiently for his command, as it was not his place to initiate, but rather Captain Nix’s.

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As expected, the moment that the meeting ended, Captain Nix did not hesitate in the slightest in leaving the dreadful place. As he motioned for the Tuffle to follow, Banaan swiftly moved to follow him in step. As he shadowed the changeling, the two of them easily made their way through the crowd, their small stature making it a simple matter to get around even the larger simpletons that refused to carry themselves aside. It was only a minor frustration when the two were waylaid by others, who attempted to speak with them about the state of the Saiyan homeworld. The Tuffle found it annoying that even now he had to listen to drivel about monkeys. It wasn’t quite that he hated Saiyans, but he had many reasons as to why he harbored his negative opinion. The conversation did bring him a touch of amusement, hearing these simpletons speak as though they actually understood the terror of the Saiyan race. None of them had as much, of any, combat experience relative to Nix and himself, and yet they felt they had the place to speak of it.

Finally breaking free of their social imprisonment, the two eventually made it to Banaan’s personal vehicle. Many people would likely think that the sight was humorous at least, with the two of them approaching a practical toy car compared to the size of everything and everyone else around them. The Tuffle didn’t mind, however, as his size belied his strength, and of course the Captain’s as well. The vehicle was a sleek black on the sides, with yellow over the top from front to back. It was expensive and custom made, and more resilient than it looked. Hopping into the driver’s seat with Nix beside him, he began to pilot them to the nearest restaurant that his Captain enjoyed, a place with private seating for someone of his caliber and plenty of food.

Banaan listened as Nix had once again vocalized his dissent with the state of affairs in the organization. The Tuffle nodded once before speaking himself. “It is true that Shibo is pitiful in comparison to the previous rulers of the PTO. He only holds his position because he has been allowed to. The Royals made their bed when they decided it was necessary to continually throw themselves at a planet full of unerring savages, and in the wake of their foolhardy conquest, a trader was able to take the throne. It’s no surprise that the value of power was traded as no more than a commodity. They all simply need a lesson in why the organization is standing. If not us, then someone else will make the attempt, eventually.” He had no qualms in speaking so bluntly about the leadership, nor Nix’s aspirations for seizing power down the line. It was a simple notion to him; the weak weren’t meant to rule, and the strong would prevail inevitably.

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The Tuffle was not surprised by the silent agreement that followed his statements. It was a simple matter of truth, as he had mused before, and did not warrant much more in addition. Arriving at the restaurant, Banaan followed the changeling through the process of getting seated. The building itself was somewhat lavish, but he enjoyed the privacy that came with such explicit displays of wealth.

The two of them made their way to their booth, and upon being seated he once again noted the size disparity between themselves and others who would be seated in such areas. Whereas around six or so normal sized people may fit here, you could put half again the amount of Banaan and Nix in the same spot. The Captain wasted no time in ordering a buffet for himself, and simply hearing it made the Tuffle salivate slightly. Upon his turn he ordered somewhat differently, preferring a larger serving of meats, cheeses, fresh bread, and assorted fruits as well. His main entree would be a rather large roast cooked medium, a special favorite of his here due to the seasoning that the restaurant used in particular, and to drink he would order a rather large milkshake. His hunger for sweets was as great as his need for the rest.

Banaan was content to sit in silence as they awaited their food, feeling no amount of awkwardness in the presence of Captain Nix. When the changeling brought up the deserters, he merely nodded, as he knew that Nix had a terrible memory when it came to people. He only concerned himself with notable individuals, after all. “Many of them were indeed unimportant, although a few of them were more notable than others.” Banaan shifted in his seat slightly, as though to find a more comfortable position. “One in particular being the human female, Hikaru Emori. She was particularly skilled at most things tested, as well as she survived more than one punishment, one of them yours. She fled during a colonization effort and sabotaged every ship in the hangar besides hers. The report says her ship was damaged in her escape, but she has not been sighted as of yet. That was three weeks ago.” The Tuffle was lightly uncomfortable speaking on this manner, but did well to hide it, minus his sight adjustment in his seat. 

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Banaan, grateful for the interruption of conversation due to the arrival of the food, began preparing his meal as well, sipping at his large milkshake. He nodded as Captain Nix continued to speak, his memory slowly filling in the gaps as it tended to when he focused on something. Hikaru would have been a difficult one to truly forget, as humans are not a common sight amongst PTO forces, let alone a woman with her personality... or perhaps her lack there of. She had allowed herself to be singled out rather early in her training, in a manner not dissimilar to the Tuffle’s start in the organization.

Yes, perhaps that was what captured the interest of Banaan when it came Hikaru. There was something about her that he found... a kinship in, possibly. Something about that dead, glassy eyed stare that he felt in his core, that reminded him of himself when he was lost and bereft of purpose. He would never admit such a thing, of course, but it was true nonetheless. He felt nothing for others, in any true capacity, and yet he had felt it necessary to drag her to her feet every time she fell. The Tuffle blinked a couple times, attempting to return to the conversation at hand without showing any further signs of thought. “The report states that she revolted during a sweep. The soldiers were bringing the native inhabitants to heel, and she protected a small child. The soldiers beat her into submission and executed the girl in front of her, although a large amount of this information was on recording and left out of the official report.” The lieutenant had a touch of irritation across his features as he mentioned the last detail. “I had to find that information myself. They imprisoned her for the time being, and before they returned she committed to her escape.”

Describing the events out loud did more to anger him than most things would have. His personal feelings aside, the entire situation had caused a mass amount of interruptions and chaos in the operations of the last three weeks. Furthermore, the failure of anyone to do so much as give him a real heading of her ship was much worse. “Currently, as I said before, there have been no sightings. I have narrowed the search to a select few systems, but our men have failed to give anything informative. With a damaged ship she could not have gotten much further than my projections.” Banaan thought little of the explanation. He doubted that the Captain would wish to go on a fully orchestrated manhunt, however he did not doubt that Nix was pondering the situation at hand to some extent. The Tuffle attempted to put feelings behind him in favor of the succulent foods he had been steadily consuming between statements, the roast being exceptionally juicy and flavorful and the rest matching in quality.

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