"Center yourself. Before you go anywhere, you need to start here."
Your eyes slide shut as Sensei Carrick murmurs quietly, across from you.
"Mind Projection is meant to be a difficult art, years in the preparation, decades before true mastery. I have never known a Seer to do it deliberately in fewer than seven years. You have done it in two. But it is dangerous regardless, especially considering where you're going. So first...center."
You peer inwards, focusing in on the ball of light that you know as your ki. You anchor yourself to it in an exercise you've done a million times, and then cast away all thought, all emotion.
"Good. Now, this is going to be risky, so I want you to remember to leave if there's a problem. Get in, and make sure you don't startle him. And make sure to come back."
You don't respond. You're already halfway out of your body, and his words are echoing to you down a distant well.
"Now...go."
And so you do.
* * *
Gone.
* * *
The landscape blurs by beneath you as your Sight tugs you onwards. The surface of Garenhuld, darkened in the grip of night, is an indistinct blob, as fast as you're going.
It's not your top speed as a Super Saiyan, but you're a shade at the moment. Even this is faster than you can readily perceive.
But it's only a moment before you screech in towards a house, through a window, towards a bed, closing in on a young boy's head-
* * *
Jaffur's been growing his hair out. Either that, or he simply hasn't cared to trim it. He isn't a Super Saiyan this time. What was before a nearly stereotypical mop of hair has lengthened to the point where it tumbles down his back, over his shoulders and down his chest, and in strands in front of his eyes. Almost like the oldest pictures of Yamcha, if Yamcha had even more hair, and took care of it even less well.
He's meditating.
You take a moment before getting his attention and swallow, nervous. You've spoken with Jaffur, yes, but only briefly. You didn't have a great handle on him before all of this happened. Now he might as well be a total stranger.
But you came here to talk, and he is expecting you.
You look around. His mindscape is still a blank and empty white, littered with white boulders. Taking a steadying breath, you step up to one of the boulders and rap on it with your knuckles.
Jaffur stands in between heartbeats, finger out with a dot of ki glowing on its tip, leveled on you. For a heartbeat, the two of you stare at each other.
Then his finger twitches slightly to the side. "Focus Ray."
The beam screeches past just over your shoulder, vanishing into the distance. Jaffur smirks, straightening. He nods. "Scion."
You snort, folding your arms and leaning against the rock. "Jaffur."
He chuckles. "Been a while." His tail lashes. His grin shows teeth. "How about a spar?"
You have finally established contact with Jaffur Vegeta. What will you do now? Choose all that apply. Top three options win. Those are not the only three you will be able to take, just the only three which the immediate next update will cover.
[ ] Have a spar.
[ ] Decline a spar (write-in reasoning).
[ ] Chat (write-in topic; may be chosen multiple times. NO MASSIVE SUB-VOTE SPAM. Must re-vote in a mainline vote like, "[X]" for each topic).
[ ] Hug (because hugs are the cure-all for social if you believe this forum. )
[ ] Write-in
THIS VOTE IS NOT YET CLOSED.
Finally.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING SO GOD-DAMNED LONG FOR THIS!
Ladies, Gentlemen, and those of unspecified gender, after FIVE YEARS, I FINALLY GET TO HAVE JAFFUR PROPERLY ON-SCREEN AGAIN!
Poptart has been waiting very patiently for this.
BULLSHIT, BOLDTEXT, PATIENCE DOESN'T ENTER INTO IT!
Extremely patiently. Heh.
I hope you all have enjoyed this update. And now it's time to chat. Have fun with it, folks, and I will see you next time!
Five years of Sealing, and finally the two Scions stand face-to-face again. Separated by time and the Seal, how have they changed? And how will they relate to each other? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball AE!
TWO-HOUR MORATORIUM TO CHAT BEFORE THE VOTE OPENS
These pieces were lifted from the character sheet and Year Seven action plan of a thread called "Shy Superhero Quest" on the alternate-universal webforum Adequate Momentum. It seems to be QMed by some schemy individual calling themselves "Brilliant Baklava..."
Troublemaker:
Garenhuld culture isn't very kind to people with overactive imaginations. It's earned you a reputation. Increased risk of Awkwardness Points manifesting during social situations among Garenhulder mundanes.
Strongest Girl Alive:
Karen Marsden and her father Brandon are both deeply impressed with how fast your powers have grown. Despite years of training and an arsenal of skills you can barely understand, Karen can rarely match you in raw power. You're even starting to catch up to her father! Minor bonus to learning superpower skills. The first two Awkwardness Points per year are automatically nullified by this trait.
Carrying A Torch:
Much to your surprise, you realized that not only was the mystery girl Karen Marsden secretly a superhuman like you, she's also. Um. Nice. Really, really nice. Negates Secret Identity penalties when dealing with Karen. Minor bonus to all actions likely to improve relations with Karen. Major bonus to all actions taken with Karen's direct support. +20 to Willpower when Karen is in danger. +1 AP per year... which must be spent on a 'Carrying A Torch' action. Increased risk of Awkwardness Points from interaction with Karen or the other Misfits.
Curious [FOUNDATIONAL TRAIT]:
You've been a curious girl for as long as you can remember. You like to ask questions, you like exciting answers, and learning new things is thrilling to you. Minor bonus to all forms of learning. Major bonus to all projects or programs that involve gathering information.
Imaginative:
You dream about space travel and magic, and strange technologies no one has ever heard of. On practical-minded Garenhuld, this makes you kind of unpopular. Major bonus to devising new, innovative ways to solve problems. Major bonus to coming up with 'unexpected' explanations for strange events. Comes with 'Troublemaker' reputation.
Vindicated:
Superheroes are real and you're not even the only one. Space aliens walk among us, at least until your friends and Karen's dad get done knocking them back down. You were totally right about a lot of things people laughed at! Reduced penalty from Awkwardness Points.
Hope For Tomorrow:
Superpowers are a thing, and you can fly, and the coolest girl in the world is, um. Um. Is your best friend. If things don't go too badly, the future is going to be great. A lot of things are still intimidating to you, but life is slowly getting better. You feel more motivated and less anxious than you used to. +1 AP per year. Reduced penalty from Awkwardness Points.
Shy [FOUNDATIONAL TRAIT]:
You are, and have always been, something of a wallflower. Okay, a lot of one. Minor penalty to social checks involving an Ally, major penalty to checks not involving an Ally. Minor additional penalty to actions that involve interacting with large groups.
Awkward:
Talking to people is hard, you sometimes feel like you should just give up saying anything ever, and it sometimes takes you an overwhelming effort of will to get through situations your extroverted friends don't even realize ARE situations. Certain types of situations cause you to accrue Awkwardness Points due to undermined self-esteem. Skill and Willpower checks can randomly trigger Awkwardness, which nullifies the Awkwardness Points but applies a variable penalty to the check.
Stutter:
Your stutter is both a cause and an effect of your shyness. You can only speak with perfect clarity during virtually stress-free situations, and enough stress causes you to become totally incoherent very quickly. Minor or major penalty to social checks involving stressful situations, or things difficult for Maya to say. Increased risk of Awkwardness Points manifesting during social situations.
Superhuman [FOUNDATIONAL TRAIT]:
When you were six years old, your powers awoke and you defeated a bear with your bare hands. Something about you is special. You feel like you could do almost anything if you practice long enough- physically, at least. Allows you to learn superpower skills, though self-training is hard. The first Awkwardness Point per year is automatically nullified by this trait.
Still in force, but bonuses are superseded by 'Strongest Girl Alive'
Super-Secret Identity:
After how your parents reacted when you were six, you internalized the lesson that you can't tell anyone about your powers. Heavy vote weighting against revealing your powers, even to your most trusted allies. Superseded by 'Secret Identity'
Secret Identity:
Karen believes you! Of course, she'd have to, because she has superpowers too, and because did everything up to and including kick her in the stomach at Mach One to get the message across. She says her family has powers like yours and hers, and that they know a lot of other people who do too. Heavy vote weighting against revealing your powers to mundanes and superhumans not known to you personally. Superseded by 'Not So Secret Identity'
Not So Secret Identity:
The secret of your powers is very, very out. The good news is, apparently Karen's family was only one of a huge number of secret super-families that were keeping their powers hidden just as well as you! Normally this would let you (literally) fly under the radar, the way you like it. Except that you were caught on camera beating up a big evil alien, and everyone knows you did it. They like to talk to you about it. It's terrifyingly embarrassing. Vote weighting removed, but there is a risk of gaining Awkwardness Points when discussing your powers with non-Ally mundanes.
Actions Available! 7 Base, 1 from Hope For Tomorrow, 1 from Carrying A Torch
Opportunities available! Please read even old options carefully; some have changed from last year.
Some things, you just want to do for yourself. They don't have anything to do with your powers or your social life.
[] The Examined Life (1 action)
Your life's given you a lot to think about. You want to take a step back, slow down a bit, and try to figure it all out. Can be used on any trait except Carrying A Torch and Superhuman, which must be further developed during play.
[] Family Ties (1 action)
With the secret of superpowers revealed to the world, your parents have realized that you were telling the truth all along. It would be... a lot less hard to repair some of the damaged bridges between you and the rest of your family. This action suffers less penalty from Stutter. Shy and Not-So-Secret Identity penalties no longer apply.
Just because you're training to save the world from aliens, doesn't mean you don't have to finish that Social Studies project with your friends.
[] Attend School (Mandatory, choose one of the following)
-[] Slack in School (1 action)
There's an army of evil aliens coming in a year or two. Studying and doing your homework just isn't that important by comparison. Your grades are likely to suffer from this. If your parents notice the decline and start worrying, your relationship with them will worsen, and there WILL be Awkwardness.
-[] Maintain Grades (2 actions)
Your homework and studying are hard, but not too hard. And you have help from Gemma and Karen! It takes up a fair amount of your time outside of school, but you've held on so far while still doing everything you need to.
-[] Improve Grades (3 actions)
If you really worked at it, you could probably improve your grades. Maybe you could learn not to freeze up on pop quizzes! Your grades are likely to benefit from this. High probability of nullifying one or more Awkwardness Points
[] My Best Friend (1 action, may be taken more than once):
In particular, there's one person you want to spend more time with this year. Take the time to improve your relationship with one person in particular (including Karen). Standard social penalties apply to the outcome.
[] The Power of Learning (1 action)
Even outside of school, knowledge has always fascinated you. Maybe you can learn something from self-study? Effect: Become a bookworm in (insert field of study) or just read as widely as possible if nothing specific catches your eye.
With great power comes great scary possibillities.
[] Help Train the Other Misfits (1 action)
Since Karen decided to teach the others, you've always been willing to help her. Jaron was strong enough to help against the aliens, even if his powers seem strange. The others don't have any powers to start with, but they're beginning to learn. If you invest some extra time teaching the Misfits on top of what Karen does, maybe they'll get stronger faster than they would otherwise. They'll appreciate it. Maybe Karen will too? Moderate probability of nullifying one or more Awkwardness Points.
[] Experiment With Your Powers (1 action)
-[] Write-In Details
You can fly and shoot lasers. Karen and her dad can teleport. The lizard-alien from the year before last shapeshifted into a huge monster form to fight Karen and Charles. Who knows what you can do with your powers? Warning: At your current skill level, this could be dangerous without a teacher.
[] Start Superheroing (1 action)
-[] Write-In Details
You know you want to. After the battle at the school, the world knows about superpowers, so there's no secret to keep anymore. There's nothing actually stopping you from making a costume of your choice and just doing it, is there? At least part time, a little? Except, um. You might get in trouble. Warning: Sooooooo much trouble.
[] Improve your Energy Reserves (1 action, may be taken multiple times)
Everything else about your powers comes from how much energy you can channel through your body. While your skills have grown in so many ways, most of the increase in your power is coming from your rising level of energy. One action in this is mandatory. Can be taken multiple times, but diminishing returns may apply.
Just training up your energy reserves probably isn't going to be enough to handle the aliens, or whatever else might come after them. You need to practice your superpowers in and of themselves, and become better at using the energy you have.
[] Train Hand-to-Hand (2 actions):
When Karen stopped holding back, she showed you showed you exactly how far you had to go. And you went there. If you train hard, you may be able to surpass her in overall skill.
[] Train Energy Manipulation (2 actions):
You have a long way to go here, but you're getting better. If you keep practicing, your options for long range combat with energy attacks will really start to open up. Eventually, you may even be able to learn the secret of teleportation.
[] Train Talents (2 actions):
You're still struggling with your noncombat talents, too. Karen seems to control her energy effortlessly. Even with no advantage over you in raw power, she can fly like a cross between a hummingbird and a fighter jet, and you are pretty sure her ability to sense life-energy is a lot better than she lets on. She miiiight know what everyone on the planet had for breakfast. You think. She seems to be unusual compared to the other superhumans you've met, but that just gives you an idea of how far up the ladder goes. Time to start climbing.
[] Train Specific Skill (1 action, may be taken multiple times)
Improving your overall skills will help you become more effective. But if you want, you can choose to focus on any specific combat technique or talent known to you. This includes noncombat talents such as flying, along with the more obvious combat techniques.
At least one action must be dedicated to this category
[] Train With Karen (1 action)
-[] Optional: Specify Skills
This is a pretty safe option. While some of her relatives might know more about superpowers, Karen likes teaching you, she knows a lot, and she seems pretty impressed with how far you've come. If you keep working at it, maybe she'll be even more impressed. This action can only be taken once. Karen is a workaholic. You suspect her REAL superpower isn't super-strength or super-speed, it's super-busy-ness.
[] Curious About Karen (1 action)
Paying close attention to Karen taught you that you weren't alone in the world, that there were other people with superpowers! She's such a mysterious person, though, and you think there's at least one or two more important things about her that you haven't figured out yet. Important things! If Karen has any more secrets, you have a chance of learning at least some of them. Maybe not a good chance, but a chance.
[] Confess Your Feelings (1 action)
High risk option! Maybe you should finally tell Karen how you feel. You have no idea how she'll react or if she'll be interested. Bonus from Carrying A Torch AND penalties from Shy and Stutter all apply.
[] Get Over It (2 actions)
...Maybe you should just give up. You'd really hate to do that, but what if this just can't work out? What if she's not interested? Or maybe it's you. Maybe you're not good enough. Will remove 'Carrying a Torch' trait and disable 'Carrying a Torch' actions. Other consequences, both good and bad, will depend on character actions and die rolls.
[] Write-In (actions variable): You are Maya Webley, and you have your own ideas on what to do.
Kakara stood in front of the class. The point of oral presentations was to get people over their shyness and used to public speaking. Kakara however had never had any problems with public speaking and could likely ace this presentation in her sleep. But she could do better then just get a good grade. For this presentation she was going to give herself an extra credit assignment, not just impress the teacher and show her knowledge of the subject. She had deliberately been last to pick from the available topics in order to get the one that her classmates found the most boring.
With the secret of ki out, Kakara was much more free to experiment then she had been before. With this new freedom, she had made an interesting discovery. People not used to telepathy tended not to recognize it. In fact, if you sent the thoughts quietly they were likely to think the thoughts their own. This has interesting applications and gave a whole new meaning to the saying that every conversation has multiple levels.
With her mouth she said "A fabric softener is a liquid composition added to washing machines during the rinse cycle to make clothes feel better to the touch."
With her thoughts she said the exact same thing. This had the effect of adding extra emphasis and importance to her words. They heard her not just with their ears, but with their minds.
"These products work by depositing lubricating chemicals on the fabric that make it feel softer, reduce static cling, and impart a fresh fragrance."
'[The feel of soft fabric],[The idea of static cling and how it can be annoying], [The smell of fresh fragrance that smells good]' Sometimes she would add in extra context to her words that would be impossible to convey with sound alone.
The presentation went on in the same style. This was the fourth presentation of the day. For the previous 3 presentations the class had been nearly falling asleep. For this presentation the students were all on the edge of their seats hanging on her every word.
"In conclusion, fabric softener is a vital and important part of our daily lives."
'[The idea of scratchy itchy clothing and how glad we are that we don't have to deal with it]'
The class rang out with enthusiastic and loud applause. Many of them rubbing their clothing between their fingers with new appreciation.
[X] Chat (Current unsealing plan)
[X] Have a spar.
-[X] Tell him about your current power limits.
-[X] Also mention you have a trick you want to try and this is the best place for it. (Golden Oozaru)
[x] Initiate Vegetan Social Protocol Seven
Partial Circle
It takes a moment of thought, but you're willing to give him what he wants, this time. You let an answering grin spread across your own face, and his own grows.
"Sure thing," you say, pushing away from your rock. "If you think you can keep up."
"I haven't just been sitting around," he says, rolling his neck. "Don't be too confident."
You snort. "Well, no need to worry there."
You tone draws his notice. He cocks his head.
"The way I'm here doesn't bring my full power through," you say. "Only about a twentieth of it."
He grunts in annoyance. "Shame. Well, what do you have?"
"Patience, Scion," you say, laughing. "Something I ought to do, first."
He gives you a guarded look. "And?"
You close your eyes for a second, thinking back to your protocol lessons. Vegetans have something for everything, and you reach for protocol number seven- no, not seven, that the death match challenge, never seven.
You reach for protocol thirty-eight, and open your eyes. You put your hands on your thighs and offer a shallow bow. "Scion Jaffur, you have suffered for a long time. This is the fault of your mother and my father both." Active and primary fault, leaving secondary active fault and corrections for responder.
Out of the corner of your eyes, you can see him twitch in surprise. "...secondary blame falls upon your mother," he says, the words coming slowly as he slides into the formula after years of disuse.
"I am not at fault," you say, filling in the next section. "But I was there, and failed to stop it." Responsibility by inaction or failed action, primary; secondary and corrections for responder.
"It was my failure as well," he says, warming to the pattern. "We were the super saiyans. We both failed. My family's failure was secondary."
"I am sorry for the suffering you have endured," you say. "I wish I could have stopped it." Sympathies, and now promises. "I swear that I will see you freed."
He stares at you for a moment. Then he says something -- so quietly, you can't hear it. "...thank you."
You tense slightly. Crap, did you screw something up? "What?" you ask.
"Nothing," he says, shaking his head. "I accept your apology, and your promises."
You stand, releasing a silent sigh of relief.
Jaffur is giving you a look you don't know how to decipher. "...I'm guessing your father taught you that?" he says.
"He did," you reply. "I, um...I got it right, didn't I?"
He snorts. "Yeah, flawless. Obviously you're not used to it -- bit abrupt starting it up -- but you hit all the steps." He shifts, looking a little uncomfortable. "So...we doing this, or what?"
You perk up a bit. "Yeah, we are." You form a ball of ki in your hand. "I actually have a new trick I wanted to test out, and this is the best place for it."
His eyes light up. "That so? What is it?"
You grin. "You'll see. Just remember-"
"-power level, yeah," he replies, settling into a stance and firing up his aura. It snaps into his usual trick, clinging to his body. "I'll be careful."
"Alright, then," you reply. You throw the power ball past him. "Burst open and mix!"
The ball pops behind your fellow Scion, and you feel your muscles seize up.
Jaffur gives you a disappointed look, his guard dropping. "Wha- Oozaru? Are you kidding me? Free to experiment and try anything you wanted, free to build up Super Saiyan as much as you liked, and you went with Oozaru?"
You swell, fur spreading across your body and snarling in exertion, you voice dropping several octaves. "He- heh. Don't...count me out."
He crosses his arms. "What, gonna sit on me?"
The transformation finishes. You grin. "Don't tempt me. HA!"
The air pulses yellow as you transform. Jaffur skips back with a shocked yell. He stares up at you.
You cackle in glee and open your mouth.
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBANG
A beam blasts forth from your mouth and impacts on the floor. Jaffur rockets out of the dust cloud and comes to a halt at your head level, unscathed.
He's absent his usual smirk. Instead, his gaze fixes on you with honest, disarmed admiration and awe. "Incredible," he says.
You smirk and feel yourself out. Power level's cut, just as expected, but also just as expected, while your speed is cut in half, you're tougher and stronger than ever.
You pound a fist the size of a car into your palm. "Right, then. You waiting for something?"
Jaffur snaps out of his stupor, throws back his head, and laughs. "You've changed!" he says. "Let's see if it's enough! Charon's Breath!" He brings his hand back to his shoulder before bringing it around. The beam is right on target. You knock it aside with only a minor singe, and fire another mouth beam. He dodges, but you're already mid-leap, swiping at him from above. As he dodges, you fire again and send him tumbling through the air.
"Enough that I didn't let you hit me with that again," you say, watching him right himself.
He shakes his hair out of his eyes. "Good." And then he blurs into motion, catapulting blast after blast at you so quickly you can hardly track them.
You block the first two without trouble, but the twenty after sting. You snarl and lash out with a blast of your own, but Jaffur has already moved on, and another hail hits you from the side. You turn, and blast, and he moves on again.
After a few moments the two of you start to stalemate as you grow used to the pattern. He launches a salvo, you block and respond, he evades. After a few exchanges that go nowhere, you break the tense silence. "So I'm guessing that you have questions?"
He blurs back into view, hanging back a bit out of reach. "A few. How about you?"
"They can wait," you say. "I need to tell you what's been happening."
"Please," he says, letting his aura flicker out as the two of you settle into a momentary ceasefire. "How did Maya get involved? I don't think anything has shocked Jaron as much as that did."
"She's a ki mutant," you reply. "She figured out that I had, 'powers,' after I was a little careless when we all started sparring."
"Hm, before Jaron joined you," says Jaffur. "Otherwise I'm sure he would've noticed too. So, is she in on the Masquerade?"
"Only for ki," you say. "We're planning on telling her the rest before the aliens come, though."
He nods. "I suppose she'd almost have to notice eventually, if you're teaching her. But if she's not helping with that, what have you been doing? You told me that you'd found my cousins?"
"I did," you say, drawing your hand back and getting ready to start the spar again. "I've been working with them for over a year. Dodonpa!"
Jaffur lights up and dodges the strike before zooming towards you along the ground. "Uncle Raditz always has a plan."
tsew
He phases in right in front of your face and kicks you in the nose. You snarl and fire blind, grinning when you hear an, "Oof," from him.
When the stars clear form your vision, you see him recovering almost a mile away. "Got some distance there," he says with a breathless laugh. "What's the plan?"
"Dandelor," you say, folding your hands together. "KIKOHO!"
His eyes widen, and he tried to dodge, but the edge of the blast clips him and he spirals into the ground with a yell. A cloud of debris scatters everywhere.
Then the ground thumps, and blue light clears away the cloud. He drags his aura back in with ease. "You have been practicing." He folds his arms. "What does Uncle Dandelor plan to do?"
You sigh. "...Jaffur, he had to tell us."
He stares for a moment. Then you see his eyes close as he sighs. "...darn it, I was hoping...well, whatever." He opens his eyes again and gives you a rueful smirk. "At least we both know each other's secrets, right? 'Cause you're a..." He blinks. "...no Scion has ever been a Sorcerer. Or a Seer. And there's two of us."
Silence falls, broken only by the hissing of your auras.
"...what the heck are we-?"
"I don't know."
You stare at each other for a moment.
After a moment, Jaffur defaults to his usual. "Focus Ray."
You hit the deck. "CHEEKY LITTLE-!" You roll to your feet. "KAMEHAMEHA!"
He laughs merrily as he tumbles out of the way of the beam and hits you with a small blast in return. "So, what's Uncle Dandelor's plan?"
"GET BACK HERE!" you roar, charging at him.
"Oh, come on," he says, drifting lazily backwards. "You know you can't catch up like that. I'm already faster."
You snarl. "DODONPA!"
He goes through a little loop. "...so you actually seem slower than you should be right now. I didn't think Oozaru worked like that."
You come to a halt, glaring. "...it doesn't, usually. Golden oozaru is different. It only doubles my base strength, not super saiyan."
He frowns. "...look, I don't like math. I'm not a Transmission user. I don't know how that works out."
Your eye twitches. "It means I'm getting less than twice my original power level as a super saiyan, but half of what my speed should be as a golden oozaru."
He looks annoyed for a moment before casting his eyes up and muttering figures under his breath for a moment. "...okay. I think I've got it."
You sigh. "Good enough."
"There has to be a way to fix that," he says, touching down absent-mindedly. "If you could just-" Deceit, Kakara vs. Jaffur: 73 vs. 42 WHAM
Jaffur yelps as your fist pounds him into the ground. You snatch him up before he can recover and squeeze, holding his limbs in to his sides. You lift him up to eye level. "Gotcha."
He gives you a strained grin. "CHARON'S BREATH!" His mouth opens, and you have just enough time to jerk your head to the side so the beam hits your cheek instead of your nose as it screeches out of his mouth. He slips out of your grip and flashes away. "You didn't think that was just a name, did you?"
You grumble under your breath, rubbing at the burn on your cheek. "Yeah, yeah. You know I would have bashed you against the ground instead of gloating if this were a real fight, right?"
He shrugs. "And I wouldn't have let my guard down. Call it a draw?"
You sigh. "Sure." You turn and blast your power ball out of the sky before suppressing the transformation. "Anyway, I'm going to need you to turn around for a second." You shift uncomfortably as you resume human form.
He gives you a quizzical look. "...why?"
You grimace. "There's always a little bit of hair that sticks around loose."
He cocks his head. "...and?"
You sigh and grab the hem of your shirt, lifting it by an inch. "Turn around."
tsew
He phases, he turns so quickly. He stares determinedly off into the middle distance, back stiff.
You lift up the hem and jump a few times, strands of thick brown hair falling out in a little shower. You brush yourself off and let the shirt fall again. "I don't know why it doesn't all go back in. You can turn around now."
He turns, flushing brightly. "...it doesn't stick around down-"
"It does, but I have underwear, so it's not worth taking them off," you say, blushing yourself. "Just...stop talking."
"Right," he says, shaking his head.
You sigh and go to sit on a rock. After a moment, he sits down on another across from you.
"...what even are these things?" you ask, patting the rock.
He twitches as you do. "...my memories."
You jerk up into the air. "What?!"
"I touch them and I see the memory," he says, shrugging. "I don't know why it works that way. You can sit down. I feel it if you touch it, but I can ignore it if I know it's coming."
"...so can we destroy these if we're not careful?" you asks, setting down.
"Sure we can," he says. "New ones pop up after a while to replace them."
You nod, and silence falls for a moment. "...wait, you tested this?"
He gives you a sardonic look. "Wondering why?"
You wince. "No."
Again, a quiet falls. Jaffur leans back against his rock, looking into the sky. After a moment, you follow suit. The sky isn't showing anything at the moment; it's just blank. You wonder if that means Jaron's asleep. It'd be the right time for it.
"What's the plan with Uncle Dandelor?" asks Jaffur.
"Now that I know I can find you, I'm going to be running messages from him," you say. "He's going to teach you enough that you can burn down the Seal from the inside."
He looks up at you. "What about Jaron? I'm not hurting him."
"You don't have to," you say, lifting yourself up onto your elbows. "That's Dandelor's job. He'll keep Jaron safe while you burn everything else."
Jaffur sighs in relief. "How are you going to do that, though? You told me that my mother sets watchers."
You shrug. "I can use Instant Transmission. I'll have to save it for when we need it, but I can get him out to the Senzus and under their wards. Then we get you out, and my Grandma, your Grandpa, you, and me, rally together all the supporters we've spent the past few years gathering and tell my Dad and your Mom that the Sealing is done, and it's not coming back."
He nods, but he looks conflicted. Whatever it is, though, he doesn't give it voice, looking off to the side. "...do you know what time it is?"
You blink. "Uh, no? I mean, I don't think I've been here an hour."
"You haven't," he says without thinking. "I just wanted to know what time it was when you left."
"Eight, maybe? How do you know it hasn't been an hour?"
"Jaron never takes more than an hour to make his way here after he falls asleep," says Jaffur.
You blink. What? I knew Jaron came here in his sleep sometimes, but it sounds like he shows up every night!
As before, choose all that apply, with the top three results winning.
[ ] Jaffur! Explain!
[ ] Chat (may be chosen multiple times; choose once per subject; no sub-vote spam).
[ ] Hug. It's never too late.
[ ] Punch him in the face. Because reasons.
[ ] Write-In.
[-] Any variant of, "No Hug." It lost, folks.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
I had a lot of fun writing these two bouncing off of each other.
We'll go a few rounds of this format before I start offering the option for Kakara to leave. Technically you're mission complete here, but I'm sure you'd riot if I brought it to a halt now.
I hope you enjoyed the fight scene! I hope you enjoyed the talking! I hope you enjoyed in general! And I hope you have fun with the discussion. I'll see you all around the thread!
BLAH BLAH BLAH, TWO-HOUR MORATORIUM, BLAH BLAH BLAH, DISCOUNT NON-COMPLIANT VOTES, BLAH BLAH BLAH YOU KNOW THE DRILL
Confusion melts smoothly into annoyance, and you frown at your opposite number. "Jaffur!"
He grins, cocking his head. "Something wrong?"
You grunt in annoyance, pull off a chunk of rock, and throw it at him. "Explain!"
He doesn't even bother to dodge. With a puff of air, he clears the rock dust from his face. "And you're the diplomatic one between us."
"Jaffur."
He rolls his eyes. "Fine, fine. Quirk of the spell: Jaron visits me in his dreams, every night."
You gape. "You mean that he's known the truth this whole time?"
Jaffur shakes his head. "No. The Seal went wrong, it didn't fail. Jaron knows and remembers everything when he's visiting. When he's awake..." He shrugs. "It's like it's a dream, when he remembers anything at all. Mother's work holds up, just like she wanted." He grits his teeth for a moment. "The most I can do is hints -- and training him, while he's here."
Beat.
It clicks. You sit forward. "Oh-! You- you cheaters! That's why he's improving so fast!"
Jaffur outright laughs. "Well, it's a part. He doesn't remember everything, like I said. It's just like a dream. He gets hunches. Other than that, though, nothing much. He just..." Jaffur's smile ebbs away. He looks off to his right. "...half the things my brother sees make him sure that he's missing something. He's been going around thinking he's forgotten something for his entire life. He keeps catching himself and thinking, 'wait, am I remembering that right? Did that actually happen, or is this just another weird feeling?' He's barely sure what's real." He sighs. "Mother doesn't help."
You stare, disturbed. "What-?"
"How did you come up with that new form?" he asks, avoiding your gaze.
You stare at him for a moment, gauging his mood. After a moment you decide to let the subject change pass unremarked, and lean back. "Accident. My little brother Mato and I were training our oozaru forms together. He was having control issues. Nearly blew up the bystanders. And I just-" You grimace. "...I just needed to transform. Looking back, it really was that easy. We're still saiyans, even when we're monkeys. Why should oozaru be any different?"
"But why go after oozaru in the first place?" asks Jaffur. "I mean, unless you know about the golden form, it's just a waste for super saiyans. Why bother?"
You shrug. "Had a hunch. Or, well..." You tap your temple. "Maybe not just a hunch. I don't know. I had a feeling that there was something more there."
He hums, looking down in thought. You wait for him to finish.
And wait.
And wait.
You let out a sharp sigh. "What are you-?"
"There has to be a way to get around the loss of speed," he says. "Have you tried endurance training?"
"Endurance training?" you ask.
"Yes, like how we master the super saiyan forms, that endurance training," he says, impatient. "Have you tried it?"
"Oh, so you do know about that," you mutter. "Great. Here I thought I was gonna pull ahead."
He rolls his eyes and gestures around the landscape. "Not even in literal dreams, Scion."
You hiss at him by way of reply.
He snickers. "But seriously, have you tried it?"
You shake your head, still giving him an angry squint. "No. It's powerful enough that I'd blow out the Hall's wards trying. There's just no place for it."
"Guess that's my job, then," he says, smug.
You throw another rock at him, which again he declines to dodge. He snickers, wiping the fragments from his face, and silence falls for a moment. For a moment, you're content to just let it lay. You and Jaffur never shared quiet moments like this before the Sealing. He always had this...this edge to him that prevented things from being comfortable. Which is a shame, because mock anger aside, you're quite enjoying yourself. He doesn't seem to take himself nearly as seriously as he at first did. It makes him so much easier to speak to.
But, as always, your hyperactive brain comes up with something to spoil the moment, and, of course, you're too curious a soul to just let it lay unexplored. You close your eyes and sigh.
Jaffur notices. "Scion?"
"Jaffur, what happened that night?" you ask, hating yourself for killing the moment.
Jaffur goes rigid. The easy openness that not even Jaron ever shows is gone. His face is slate-smooth and hard in a heartbeat, and every line in his body is tense. "What night?" he asks. You can't help but notice and catalog that even his anger has changed from how it used to be -- less tight and boiling just under the surface, more smooth and detached fury encased in cold water.
Focus, Kakara.
You look him in the eye. "I heard your mom talking to my parents, the night before the Sealing. She was telling them her plans."
"And you let it happen?"
Ah, there's the old fury. You hold up your hands. "I had to pretend to be asleep, My Dad came up, and..." You flush in embarrassment. "Look, when you're eight it's hard to stay awake when you're that tired and your Dad is giving you a head rub, okay?!"
He folds his arms, glowering. "Would've kept me up." He doesn't continue the argument, though; he's obviously aware of the differences at play. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The rage goes back underwater, and he opens his eyes. "Go on."
You shake yourself. "Your mom told my parents that she Sealed your dad when he was asleep, and that when she told you about her, you freaked out and tried to kill her." You look him in the eye. "Why did you do that?"
A series of tiny, almost unnoticeable microexpressions flicker across Jaffur's face before smoothing away. "I...don't remember that happening," he says. "Why would I try to kill her? Then, I mean, sure, now I- but then, then I couldn't- how could she say that, I would never-!"
You slide down off the rock and take a half-step forward, arms, raised. "Jaffur, Jaffur!"
He swallows his next words and takes a few unsteady breaths, looking away. He doesn't look back at you, but after a moment he takes a shaky lungful of air and says in a flat tone, "Maybe she wiped my memory. That would explain why I don't remember it."
You grimace. "She did say that she did that."
"There you go," he says, dipping his head. You can't see his face behind all the hair. "Guess I did it, then."
You open your mouth, unsure of what to say.
Before you can, though, he pushes off of his own rock and starts pacing, renewed and frantic energy suffusing him. "No. No, it doesn't have to mean that. She could be lying. She could be wrong. I might have attacked her without wanting to kill her. I could have just tried to leave. That'd probably set her off. I could have-"
flash
Your head snaps over as the feeling of Jaron's ki erupts onto your senses in time with a massive explosion from somewhere out in the distance. A moment later, the sound of an anguished and enraged scream echoes over to you on the heels of a rolling shockwave.
Jaffur halts in place and sighs. "Well, Jaron made it over."
"...is he like this every night?" you ask, wide-eyed at the sheer enormity of the rage and hurt you feel from Jaron's presence.
Jaffur gives you a flat look. "Imagine that every night you wake up, suddenly remembering everything that's happened to him and me. Every night it's fresh again. Every night there's more. Every night you can remember spending the last night furious because of what you've remembered, determined to hold onto something, anything, once you wake up, only to lose it all." He lifts off and starts flying in his brother's direction.
You follow. "Is he okay?"
Jaffur snorts. "Would you be?" He sighs. "This is why I have to get out. I need to be free before something happens to make him remember while he's awake."
"...why?" you ask.
He glances at you. "Because I need to protect her from him."
You gape. "What?!"
He looks away. "She's still my mother. I'm just going to kill her." The two of you approach the dust cloud as it begins to dissipate, Jaron standing sheathed in white at the center. "There are no words for what Jaron wants to do to her."
Vote all that you wish, the top three win.
[ ] ...Jaffur? Explain?
[ ] Chat (may be chosen multiple times; choose once per subject; no sub-vote spam).
[ ] Hug Jaffur. You've hit him with a lot.
[ ] Hug Jaron. Maybe it'll help him cool down and have a not-terrible night.
[ ] Try to talk to Jaron to cool him down. Jaffur could probably use a break from it, and the shock of seeing you might snap Jaron out of it for long enough to cut the trend.
[ ] Write-In.
[-] Any variant of, "No Hug." It lost, folks.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
Jaffur does not have a monopoly on being angry in this family. :lol
Chatting proceeds apace. As a general note, this is something Kakara is starting to pick up on, but I had a tough time fitting into the text: your primary limiting factor on how long you can spend here is going to be the boys' social endurance. Jaron is an extreme introvert, he's in a blinding fury, and you and Jaffur have already covered a couple of very unpleasant topics. If Jaffur is anything like his brother, he's probably quite reclusive as well. Eventually they're just going to wear out, and Kakara will start thinking more of ways to make a graceful exit than of ways to maximize her productivity per second while in this mindspace.
This is a feed straight from Kakara's social perceptiveness, so you may trust it to be accurate, given that it is not in relation to people having obvious crushes on her.
Have fun, everybody!
PER THE USUAL, TWO-HOUR MORATORIUM BEFORE THE DISCUSSION OPENS
Given the rich nature of Garenhuld's storytelling, and their deep resistance towards leaving the safety of their cities, I felt that their horror movies would be quite bland by our standards. Yet I wanted to see if I could truly frighten Kakara with a movie...
An Omake: The Sleepover "Come on, please?" Sophie wheedled, fluttering her eyelashes. Maya rolled her eyes, but didn't speak up to agree or disagree.
"I...I don't think it's a good idea." Gemina said, clearly slightly uncomfortable. Still, the hesitant note in her voice did more to spur Sophie on than any agreement could have. As if she could sense weakness, she pressed on.
"Come on, it's not like it's rated A+ or anything," Sophie pressed.
"Yeah," Karen said, "But that's just because these independent movies don't get rated. If it were, would it be rated Adults Plus?"
"Who knows," Sophie said, "Could be." Then she continued, practically vibrating from excitement. "Come on, ladies! This is a slumber party, we're supposed to push against the rules as much as we can get away with! That's practically the rule!"
Before Gemina could speak up to point out the Sophie's questionable logic, Jennifer voiced her opinion. "Let's just get it over with, already. She's made up her mind, and it's going to happen. It's just a matter of how hard she has to pull." Despite her tone, she wore a smile on her face.
"...Sure," said Karen. Maya perked up a bit at that. So Karen hadn't been objecting before? Maya supposed that she wouldn't be scared of any movie, given her secret superpowers. Maya didn't really want to watch the movie either, but if Karen was willing, Maya could hardly object. It's practically my responsibility, as the strongest, she thought.
"I'm in," she voiced quietly.
Confident that the objections had been silenced, Sophie put the disc in the player attached to the TV.
"My friends, I present to you - freshly liberated from the secret cache of movies my Mom thinks I don't know about, Lost in the Woods." Sophie tried to mimic the over-the-top announcer voice and give the title a bit of menace.
Then the movie started, and the time for talking was done.
Maya watched with interest. Like most scary movies on Garenhuld, this one featured a group of people who were far too adventurous for their own good. In this case, it was a hiking trip that went wrong, with the group inadvertently straying from the poorly-maintained path. Exactly as Maya predicted, the inevitable monster - some big, hairy legendary beast - hunted them down and killed them one-by-one.
The preteens watched the movie with glee initially, but Maya noticed Karen's face go white as a sheet when the monster showed up.
She kept an eye on her friend and teacher as the movie played on, through the introduction of the woods-dwelling loner (in this case, a syrup farmer) who acted as an explainer. She was pretty sure she was the only one to notice Karen actually break into a sweat when he named the monster.
By the end of the movie (naturally, with the monster chasing the final girl to the very edge of the city, only to be driven off at the last moment by the bright lights and loud sounds), Karen seemed to be back to normal. Only a bit of tension at the corners of her eyes gave away the fact that something about the movie had truly frightened her.
Gemina, on the other hand, was terrified. "You can come out now," Sophie said.
"Yeah, don't worry," added Jenny, "It's not like a twelve-foot furry beast is going to really attack!"
"The special effects were really good, didn't you think?" asked Sophie, "Especially when it grabbed that one guy with its tail!"
At the reminder, Gemina pulled the blanket further over her.
"Aw, don't worry, Gemma!" Sophie said, "You live even further from the wilderness than I do. And my Dad has a rifle, so any vegeta who comes to this house is going to get chased off real quick!"
Once again, Maya was pretty sure she'd been the only one to catch Karen's flinch at the mention of the monster.
"Don't worry," she whispered to Karen while the others were mostly distracted by Sophie's attempts to get Gemma out from under the covers, "Even if vegetas were real, how much tougher than a bear could they be? Either of us could beat them up easy."
[X] ...Jaffur? Explain?
[X] Chat(Regarding the conspiracy working to free him, give as much detail as you can so they know who to trust, get anything they know that might help.)
[X] UNLIMITED HUG WORKS!
Maelstrom
You stare down at Jaron as he howls again, kicking up dust into a swirling storm around him as the ground trembles. "...Jaffur? What do you mean? What does he want to do to her?"
Jaffur touches down a hundred yards away from his brother, staring at him. "When you're not living in it, it's easy to see what kind of mother our mother is. It's...not easy to watch. Jaron's already not sure what's real or not. It doesn't help that she tends to insist that he's wrong, or forgetting, or being a bad boy, if he disagrees with her." He grits his teeth. "He believes her, when he's awake. He just doesn't feel like he can trust what he sees. Thinks he's going crazy. And then he's here, and he knows that it's her fault. And..."
Jaron's aura flares. You blink. You...don't think he's meant to be that strong.
"Jaffur," you snap. "Jaron. Dandeer. What he wants to do. Answer me."
Jaffur glances at you. "In the end? He wants to do the same thing I do. He wants to kill her. But he's going to do it slowly. Take her apart with his bare hands. I'm just going to burn her heart out or something like that. He's going to crush her piece by piece. Stand back."
You look at him. "What?"
"I stopped being able to talk him down when he comes here a few months ago," says Jaffur, starting to power up. "He just needs to get it out, and you're weaker than normal right now."
"He's only human," you say, easing back a bit despite yourself. "He's improving fast, but-"
"Jaron is a Seal," says Jaffur, his power shooting into the millions as he speaks. "His nature is restricted power. But he's inside now. With me. He has as much power as I do." Jaffur's voice starts to thrum as he hits ten million, fifty, one hundred...
Your eyes widen.
Jaffur straightens. "And I've been PRACTICING."
A pulse of gold, and Jaffur transforms. It's not the wild storm that he displayed back at the Sealing. It's quiet. Controlled. Subdued. Easy with long practice.
Full-Power.
He pulls it back in, forming his customary aura. "Scion. Run."
You don't need to be told twice.
A hundred yards away, Jaron throws his head back. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
BANG.
You ride out the shockwave as his power level snaps some restraint and screams past a billion, and tumble to a halt.
Jaron stands at the center of a storm of white ki, snarling and twitching in rage. It's a more complete reversal of his usual attitude than you ever thought you'd see.
Jaffur, compact and shining, strides into that storm, parting the diffuse waves with ease. "Jaron. Just tonight, let's not do this."
Your friend locks onto Jaffur and charges.
You are intellectually aware that at your power level, Garenhuld would be dust beneath your feet if you twitched the wrong way. Most of learning how to fight at your power level involves learning how to control that energy so that you don't destroy planets and stars wherever you go. You need to ensure that all of your energy is going into your target, and pull your shots if you miss.
You haven't reached that stage of Jaron's education yet.
Jaron punches with every ounce of his might. Jaffur doesn't move, catching it in his hand without any visible sign of strain. A shockwave emerges from the point of impact.
Every square inch of ground as far as the eye can see turns into dust.
You tumble, suddenly unable to focus your vision. Everything aches. You were far enough away that you're fine, but ow your head.
You slowly manage to refocus, correcting for the blur in your vision with difficulty. You look around.
It's...empty. While there was never much of anything in Jaffur's mindscape before, now there's just nothing. The ground is gone. The memory rocks are gone. If you squint, you can maybe see something off in the distance. But where you are, it's just empty, blank, white space, as far as the eye can see.
In fact, you're having a tough time picking up Jaron and Jaffur. You frown and pulse your aura.
PING
ping
You lock onto the return.
vip
You emerge what was, going by the ping, several hundred miles away. That shockwave really knocked you for a turn. But you're by the boys again.
They're hanging in the middle of the space, blank-eyed and limp.
You flinch back. "J- Jaffur? Jaron? Are you two okay?"
They don't respond, and after a moment you drift forward and tuck them under your arms. You look around in vain, hoping to see somewhere to set them down. Nothing catches your-
tak
You look down in shock, seeing a tiny stone platform just brushing your shoes. You're sure it wasn't there a moment before. After a moment of hesitation, you set down and lower the brothers to the ground. Then you examine the platform.
It's the same stone that once covered the whole area, but now that there are edges to it, you can see that it's thin -- only a foot or so thick.
It is also expanding.
You watch as, at the rate of about a foot per minute, the platform starts expanding its area in a perfect square. Once it hits ten feet to a side, the growth accelerates.
You zip up to the top side at that point. You don't want to be trapped underneath.
As you do, you see something else happening. The platform surges upward in a place before doubling sharply down. After a moment, you recognize it as one of the rocks that Jaffur said held his memories.
On cue, you hear twin gasps from the boys.
By the time you turn, they're already both on their feet and powered up, giving each other hostile glares. You see Jaffur draw his arm back-
"Wait, wait!" you cry, waving your arms. Both of them snap their gazes over to you, with not a trace of recognition.
"Who are you?!" snaps Jaron, scowling as he shifts his stance to take your presence into account. You see another rock forming behind him.
Jaffur frowns suddenly. "You...I was trying to protect you. But..." More rocks form as the platform's spread rate increases. The boys seize up, staring blankly into the distance for a minute. Once it passes, they both slump slightly before relaxing. They straighten, avoiding each other's gazes.
"...sorry," says Jaron, angling his body slightly towards his brother as he does.
"S'fine," mutters Jaffur, shrugging.
You stare for a moment before releasing a sharp sigh. They both flinch as if only just remembering your presence. You shake your head at them, hiding the relief you feel at the end of their catatonia. "You two are such boys," you say, folding your arms.
Jaffur flushes bright red. You actually laugh at that. He looks a lot like Jaron when he does that.
Jaron, though, just frowns at you, cocking his head. "...Karen?"
The smile slips off of your face. You sigh. "Well, no. Kakara." You shrug and give him a rueful look. "Sorry. Masquerade, y'know?"
He blinks, looking lost. "...right." He looks around. "I, um...sorry that you had to see that. I just..." Grief flickers across his expression. You can see him trying to shove it into rage.
You swallow and step forward. "Kais on high, stop being so dense." You grab the both of them and pull them in a group hug. "It's okay to be mad."
They...don't really take the hug well. The instant you touch them, they freeze, and they don't relax. A voice in your head starts yelling about how badly they might react.
Luckily for you, since either one of them could kill you on accident if they even flinched, they don't panic at the contact. They just stay stiff and still for a few seconds before gently stepping back out of your grip.
It's a very awkward moment. But on the plus side, it's not tense with subdued pain, grief, and rage. You suppose that that's a positive.
Jaron swallows, rubbing at the back of his scalp. "I...it's a little weird seeing you like this. I mean, I remember, but most of the time you're..." He shrugs. "You're just Karen."
You shrug. "I'm still me. Just...taller. Without a tail."
Jaffur snorts. "You're still short as a human."
Your eye twitches. "Oh, well excuse me, Prince Jaffur! Not all of us can have the growth spurt when we're thirteen like you!" And he is in the middle of a spurt; he towers over you, now, although he's obviously not a grown-up yet.
"Yeah, and what's your excuse under Masque?" he asks, folding his arms and leaning back.
You fumble for a second before coming up with a brilliant evasive strategy. "I'm taller than Jaron!"
Jaron chokes. "For a year, maybe!"
"You don't know," you say. "I could end up taller than you."
Both of them laugh at that.
"I could!" you say, scowling.
But on the inside, you smile at the shattered tension your argument has produced.
You snort, flick your tail, and sink down into a cross-legged sit, back straight. "Anyway. This visit isn't just to talk. I need to get the two of you in on our plan on getting you out."
"Our plan?" asks Jaron, sitting as well.
"She's working with the Senzus," says Jaffur, settling down himself. "She filled me in."
"More than just them, though," you say, grinning. "I managed to get the seers on board, my grandma and your grandpa-"
"We have two of those," says Jaron.
"Our relevant grandfather," says Jaffur. "The one who will last longer than a second against her father."
"As I was saying," you growl, scowling at Jaron until he subsides, "they're rallying support among the Clans. When the time comes, we're going to spirit you away and bring you to Senzu Hall. Once you're there, Dandelor is going to keep you safe, Jaron, while Jaffur burns down the Seal from the inside. I'm going to share lessons from Dandelor until Jaffur can contact his uncle on his own, and the Dandelor will teach him enough to destroy the Seal. Then we give my Dad and Lady Dandeer our ultimatum. Dad won't fight us. He'll know that he can't win that way. And you'll just have to show him that he doesn't need to do it another way."
"Mother will fight," murmurs Jaffur.
You blink. "What? It'd be suicide."
"Doesn't matter," says Jaron, shaking his head. "She'll still fight you. She'd rather die than let you take me away." His knuckles go white.
Jaffur looks at his brother. After a moment he reaches over and squeezes his shoulder. He looks at you. "Mother won't be swayed by the odds against her. You could bring our whole race against her and she'd still fight." He sounds...grudgingly admiring.
You decide not to poke at that. You sigh. "Well, I guess we'll just have to fight her."
"We were going to anyway," says Jaron, his eyes flint-hard. "She's going to die."
You shiver at his tone. Jaffur gives his brother a guarded glance.
Pick up to one of the following.
[ ] [DEATH] Dispute that.
[ ] [DEATH] This is not the time to have that argument.
[ ] [DEATH] (x0.25) Wholeheartedly agree.
[ ] [DEATH] Write-in (permitted as always, but please make sure it is a significant departure from one of the above votes if you do).
Pick any of the following. Top three win.
[ ][AFTER] Ask about that fight. Jaffur looked like he was barely straining when he blocked Jaron, but they were the same strength. What was that?
[ ][AFTER] Apologize for the hug.
[ ][AFTER] Ask why the hug was (so very clearly) not okay.
[ ][AFTER] Ask Jaffur why he was so obsessed with you when you first met.
[ ][AFTER] Enlist Jaffur's help and tease Jaron about Sophie. Unknowingly expose yourself to return fire by way of Maya.
[ ][AFTER] Clarify if Jaron is, in fact, a sorcerer as well.
[ ][AFTER] Write-in
THESE VOTES ARE NOW CLOSED.
Trying to pick up the pace here a little bit.
Kakara is, as previously mentioned, extremely socially intelligent, despite her massive blind spot as regards Maya. Thus, she is not going to try a hug again.
Meanwhile, decisions that are utterly banal and non-controversial in any way whatsoever. This promises to be quite a quiet and calm discussion.
[X][DEATH] Suggest he hold off on that, at least temporarily. The official reason for the Sealing is that you were dangerously insane and violent. Avoid feeding into that.
[X][AFTER] Ask about that fight. Jaffur looked like he was barely straining when he blocked Jaron, but they were the same strength. What was that?
[X][AFTER] Clarify if Jaron is, in fact, a sorcerer as well.
[X][AFTER] Ask why the hug was (so very clearly) not okay.
Moving On
You hold up your hands. "Maybe don't do that."
Jaron's eyes widen. "You-"
"The official story is that you were crazy!" you say, rushing to get it out. "Your mom said that you tried to kill her and she had to protect herself. Now I don't know how I feel about you killing her at all, but I know that if the first thing you do is to kill her then, a lot of people are going to wonder."
"You want us to avoid feeding the rumors," says Jaffur, his lips twisting.
"Politics," growls Jaron.
"I hate them too, but they're important," you say. "Politics has kept your mom as Regent even though most of the Clan hates her. They're most of how we're going to keep my dad from trying to put you both back in the Seal. We need to not mess this up." Communication [Kakara vs. Jaffur, Jaron]: 82 vs. 13, -4.
Jaffur scowls. Jaron hisses.
But they both nod, grudging as it obviously is.
"I am still hurting her," says Jaron, eyes glittering.
"Nobody's going to argue that," murmurs Jaffur, giving you a look filled with dire warning.
You sigh. "Just...don't go overboard. And don't make me think about it." You roll onwards, eager to leave this topic behind you. "Hey, can I ask you two a question?"
They blink, and...
...huh. That's the first time you've seen Jaron's eyes shut for any length of time.
"Go ahead," says Jaron.
"I, uh...kinda noticed that the hug didn't go over too well," you say, giving them a rueful look. "I won't do it again, promise. Why was it so bad? I've hugged you before, Jaron."
They trade a long look. You're struck again by the uncanny resemblance between them. Masques always resemble your base, but aside from the hair and coloring differences, they're identical.
The fact that they turn to look at you again in such eerie synchronicity doesn't help matters.
"We don't get to decide who gets to touch us at home," says Jaron.
You blink and mentally stagger on trying to wrap your head around that.
Jaffur looks at his brother. "See? I told you it wasn't normal."
"Yeah, yeah," says Jaron, running his hands through his hair in agitation.
You shake your head. "I'm sorry, could you rephrase that? I'm trying to understand, but it just...it just doesn't-"
"Mother touches Jaron a lot," says Jaffur. "Small things. Tousling his hair so he has to fix it. Straightening his clothes when they don't need it. Hugs. Big ones. Long ones." He grimaces. "It's...nothing bad, it's just..."
"I don't get any space," grumbles Jaron. "If I don't want a hug, I'm mad at her. And then I'm in trouble, because I can't be mad at her, because she-!"
"Easy," mutters Jaffur. His brother subsides with a few quick breaths.
"And Jaffur has the obvious problem," says Jaron, looking at the ground.
Jaffur straightens, eyes fixed squarely on yours.
You don't look away. After a moment he nods, and you return it.
"It won't happen again," you say.
"I know," he replies.
Silence falls for a moment before you sigh and scrub at your face to chase the moment away. "Happier stuff," you say. "Jaron, are you a sorcerer? I know Jaffur is, but are you?"
They trade another brief glance. "We think so," says Jaffur. "We can't exactly test it..."
"Don't even know to when I'm not here," mutters Jaron.
"I think you are," you reply. "This isn't the first time I've been...around...like this." You gesture to yourself, in all of your slightly-transparent glory. "I told Jaffur a little while before you got here. I'm a Seer."
His eyes light up. "Oh, cool! Do you have any control over the visions yet? Is futuresight reliable? Can you-?" Something sparks in his expression. "Oh, you cheater. Gemma is going to kill you!"
You laugh. "Sorry! Wrong again. No cheating involved." You spread your arms. "I'm really new to this. I can't control the visions just yet. I can stop them if they come, but nothing else." You shake your head. "Getting sidetracked. This thing that I'm doing now is the only thing I can do on purpose, and I've done it before. I wound up in Sophie's room by accident when you, Jenny, Gemma and her were there talking about me and Maya being off on our own a lot."
Credit to Jaron, he's smart. He makes that connection fast. "You're that thing I thought I was hearing."
"Only sorcerers or other seers can see or hear me when I'm like this," you say. "Unless I'm in your head, of course."
"So I can use magic," he says, smirking.
"Probably!" you say.
"Gotta have something," murmurs Jaffur, his mouth hidden behind his folded hands.
Jaron rolls his eyes and smacks his brother on the shoulder without looking at him. "Give me time, I'll beat you someday."
"That reminds me," you say. "Jaffur, what happened when you and Jaron fought? I could feel you -- you were exactly the same strength, but it looked like you were barely trying when you blocked him."
Jaffur raises his eyebrows and lights up his aura in his own special manner.
You snort. "Yeah, I remember that. But even that shouldn't have been enough to make it so easy."
"You only fought me when I was dead on my feet," he points out. "Probably not the best way to figure out how my stuff works. But no, that wasn't all of it."
"The rest was me," Jaron says, sighing. "I can't really focus my ki that well yet. I sure could blow up the planet, but I can't really punch one person all that well."
"Teach him faster, Scion," says Jaffur.
You shoot him an offended look. "Excuse you, he spends at least as much time in here learning with you!" Then you blink, looking more closely. It's slight, but just past the edge of Jaffur's hand, you catch the edges of a smirk. "Oh, you jerk."
He snickers, pulling his hands down to reveal his full, amused expression. "Anyway, this isn't exactly a great place for him to learn."
"I don't belong," says Jaron, looking around the Seal with an edgy expression. "I always feel off here."
"...that actually makes a lot of sense," you say, looking around yourself.
"Yeah," he says. "So I'm looking forward to your lessons." He gives you an awkward smile. "And that's why Jaffur thinks it's so easy to beat me. I'm not good enough yet..."
"...and I am," says Jaffur, flaring his aura again by way of demonstration.
You glance between them. Neither of them is exactly meeting your gaze- wait, no, Jaron just remembered that eye contact is polite.
You think they might be getting tired.
Choose as many as you like, and the top three picked win. Kakara thinks she can go another round comfortably, maybe two if she has a lot to cover.
[ ] Ask after Jaffur's trick and style, since it's come up.
[ ] Ask Jaffur why he was so obsessed with you when you first met.
[ ] After a bit of time to gauge the mood, you're a little more confident of their tolerance of teasing. Enlist Jaffur's help and tease Jaron about Sophie. Unknowingly expose yourself to return fire by way of Maya.
[ ] Chat (write-in topics at one topic per vote).
[ ] Write-in other topic.
[ ] Say your goodbyes and leave.
[-] Hug (Kakara knows better now).
[-] Further discussion about Dandeer's eventual fate.
[ ] Write-in.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED
In general, folks, let's ease off the Dandeer discussion. We've had not one, but two people back out because they're sick of it, and we're a ways out anyway, so let's label it off-topic for now and revisit it later once it's more pressing.
Again, you have Kakara's social intelligence going to bat for you in this conversation. In long talks like this, Kakara will get a better and better feel of what is and is not appropriate, especially considering how uniquely talented at just that she is.
Also, phrasing can be very important when I'm describing these boys. For instance, in the penultimate narrative paragraph: Jaron is not just making eye contact, or remembering to be polite, he is very specifically remembering that eye contact is considered a polite thing to do, and the disconnect between that knowledge and his first instinct is what Kakara is seeing.
Anyway, as the text said, you're starting to run the boys low on social endurance, so pick your votes and be ready to get out of here. Hope you enjoyed, everybody! Have fun with the discussion, and I will see you next time!
[X] Ask after Jaffur's trick and style, since it's come up.
[X] Anything in particular they want Jaron to learn?
[X] Inform him about the visión all seers had. Keep him in the loop.
Something I Did?
Your hand snaps up and you point at Jaffur. "That. I wanted to ask about that."
Jaron smiles suddenly and holds his hand out towards Jaffur.
Jaffur's jaw works, and he ignores his brother.
You look between them. "...what?"
"I. Don't. Have. Real. Money," says Jaffur, gritting his teeth.
"You shouldn't have made the bet then," says Jaron, smirking.
"I didn't think you'd win."
"And I actually know her, and I told you it'd take her this long, and you bet anyway."
"You made a bet on how long it would take me to ask about your trick?" you ask, faintly outraged.
They both give you a confused look and say, in unison, "Yes?"
You reach for patience. "Why?"
"I thought it was funny," says Jaron.
You roll your eyes. "Well, I can tell the others that you're getting a sense of humor."
He sniffs. "Shows what you know. I laugh all the time. Not my fault you don't notice."
"Whatever," you say. "Jaffur. That trick. My brother Mato and I have both tried to figure out what it is. How do you do it? What is it?"
Jaffur looks at you for a moment. "I'm not actually sure I should tell you."
You frown at him. "Why not?"
"It's dangerous," says Jaron. "He blew himself up a few times learning it."
"Not that," says Jaffur before pausing. "Well, okay, yes that. But not mostly that." He shrugs. "It's...mine. I invented it. Nobody else can take credit for it. I don't just want to share it out so easy."
You sit back, blinking. "O- oh. I see. I didn't-"
He waves you down. "I know you didn't mean anything bad, it's just..." he sighs. "I'm used to it being a secret."
You shift, unsure of how to take this chat.
He beats you to it, running his hand through his hair. "Look, I know why you're curious. Just give me some time. I need to think about it before I can answer you."
You nod, grateful for the out. "I understand."
"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" asks Jaron.
You suppress a wince. Yes, definitely time to be going soon. "Anything you want to learn while you're awake?"
He blinks, leaning back. Then he looks down. Silence stretches. He looks...lost. Jaffur puts a hand on his shoulder.
You look between them. "I'm...sorry," you say. "I-"
"Nothing," says Jaron.
You blink. "Nothing?"
"Nothing," he says, still looking down.
You swallow. This is not going very well. You almost reconsider your next question.
Ultimately, though, on balance you decide to just forge ahead and have this done. "Okay, one last thing. At the beginning of the year, every seer on Garenhuld -- including me -- had a vision. something sleeping. Something big, and evil. It was waking up, and it's coming here."
They both look at you, at first with confusion and then mounting alarm.
Jaffur speaks first. "Why are you here?"
You blink. "Excuse me?"
"Why are you here?" he asks. "Why are you not awake and training your tail off?"
"Why are you wasting time training the Misfits and me?" asks Jaron, leaning forward.
"Why are you still bothering with seer training?"
"Why are you still going to school?"
"Stop, stop!" you say, holding up your hands. "What is with you two?!"
"You had a vision-" says Jaron.
"Every seer on the planet had a vision," interrupts Jaffur, folding his arms.
"-of something -- you don't even know exactly what, just that it's something -- coming that wants to do bad things, and you're spending time that's not training?" says Jaron.
"What the hell, Scion?" says Jaffur, giving you an outraged look.
"Look, I have other things to do-" you start to say.
"This is literally our job," he says, raising his voice. "Defending against outside invaders is literally what we were ordained to do when we were born. Every single seer saw this thing coming. Why did that not indicate that you needed to hit the Hall?"
"I have been training!" you say, getting angry. "I've been starting style training-"
"Starting?!" they both say, half-rising.
"I've had other things to do!" you say, defensive.
"I have seen you spend nights with the rest of the girls!" says Jaron, waving his arms as he comes to his feet. "You don't have to sleep! You are spending a night almost every week doing nothing!"
"Look, I don't spend the time training he does," you say, nodding to Jaffur. "I am different. He's the fanatic, and I-"
"I'M SEALED!"
You lean back at the force of Jaffur's shout and direct your full attention to him.
"I AM TRAPPED, IN MY OWN FUCKING HEAD, WHILE THIS MYSTERY THING IS BEARING DOWN ON OUR HOME!" roars Jaffur, swiping his arm across. "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU DO OR DON'T LIKE FIGHTING; YOU'RE IT!"
The profanity and the screaming sparks your own anger. "I didn't sign up for this, Jaffur! And I have other things to do! I need to learn how to be Lady some day -- and yes, that takes training too! A lot of it! I need to make progress on getting you out-"
"WE CAN WAIT!" says Jaron, hands clenched tight.
"WELL, WE CAN'T!" you say, snapping finally. "I'M UP IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SAIYANS HAVING TO PLAY MY ROLE AND HIS!" you point at Jaffur, who scowls at you. You take a few quick breaths. "I can't -- can. not -- be who they want me to be. I'm not a princess, I'm not Vegetan, I'm not a great warrior, I'm just Kakara! But they want you, Jaffur. So yeah. We need you out."
He turns away and fires a blast with a snarl. Off in the distance, an explosion blooms. Several seconds later, the shockwave -- dispersed to a stiff breeze, at this distance -- arrives.
"But I'm not out," he says, still not turning around. "I'm in here. You're out there. And so is this thing."
"And you're not training enough," says Jaron.
"i think I'm training just fine," you say, crossing your arms.
They both say, in unison, "We don't."
Silence falls, and stretches. The three of you stand off in awkward silence. None of you are looking at each other.
Finally, Jaffur sighs, passing his hand over his face. "Scion Kakara, this conversation has become very distressing. I believe it would be better to continue at a later date."
Your jaw clenches. Protocol 98: Expression of mutual anger and an offer of distance to defuse such. You nod. "I agree."
They nod.
That...did not go well. At all. We are back to normal voting rules for the following. As a reminder, you will come to in Sensei Carrick's hut.
[X] Leave.
-[ ] Before you go, ask if there is any other reason why this is hitting so hard.
-[ ] Just leave.
[ ] Write-in.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
This being your regularly scheduled reminder that my characters are not me, their opinions are not mine, and you should not read my voice into things they say.
Otherwise, hope you enjoyed the update, or at least found it interesting and engaging! We shall now resume our regular pace through the year!
Enjoy, folks! See you around the thread.
SOME DAY I SHALL NOT HAVE TO REMIND YOU OF TWO-HOUR MORATORIUMS, BUT I SUSPECT THAT THIS IS NOT THAT DAY.
Do not read my voice into my characters. Although it may, at this point, be obvious that the thread's approach has left Kakara somewhat isolated from other characters. This also being your friendly reminder that thread discussion influences Kakara's thought processes.
Please disregard any visuals on linked clips; they're just for audio effects.
Silver Lining
You turn and release your grip on the shade state, dissipating into a swirl of mist. You get the vague impression of exiting through Jaron's ear before whipping back towards your body at great speed, zooming in through the window of Sensei's house, and-
* * *
Back.
* * *
Your eyes open. It's fully dark now in Sensei's time zone, and the lights are on. You also hear the fire crackling. You look over and see Sensei reading a book by the blaze.
"And how did it go?" he asks, turning a page.
"...alright, I guess," you say, shifting and rising up off of the-
Oh, he put you on the bed. That's nice of him.
He hums. "Judging by the lack of screaming, you didn't get into a fight you'd have cause to regret."
"We sparred," you saw, drawing up your knees and resting your chin on them.
He snorts. "Teenagers."
You narrow your eyes. "What?"
"I said I hope you had a chance to clear the air." He turns another page. How fast is he reading? "You were meant to."
"I caught him up to speed," you sigh. "He's in. Jaron visits him, apparently, although he doesn't remember anything when he's awake. And they're both mad at me."
Sensei pauses. "About failing to stop the Sealing?"
"About my training," you say, anger rising. "They were just so- so mad! Just because I'm not training like they like to because of that thing that's coming. They don't get to judge me! I make my own choices! Seriously, how dare they?! Just because they've never had to think about long-term priorities, and they're letting their feelings getting in the way of being sensible, doesn't mean that they get to judge me for not being the same way!" You fume for a few seconds before calming yourself with a few quick breaths. "No, no. I should be understanding. It's obvious why they think like that. Their lives never made thinking like me make sense. It's not their fault that they're wrong. It's not like I can argue against emotions."
Sensei sighs. "Is this what being young and arrogant was like? Why do people miss that?"
You flush bright red. "What?!"
"I'm saying that you sound like an arrogant little shit," says Sensei, turning a page yet again. "Confronted by your only social peer and equal about your choices, including what I'd frankly call entirely valid concerns about your level of preparation in response to a threat big enough to have all three hundred of us Seers waking up in a cold sweat, your immediate response is outrage, questioning their right to judge you, and then coming up with a spiel about how it's so understandable that they're making the mistake of disagreeing with you because their experience has prevented them from developing the capacity to see sense in this context." And another page turns. "Which frankly just makes you sound condescending."
You lurch to your feet. "That's not-!"
He turns and gives you a look. You quail. It's a stern look. A firm look. A look loaded down disapproval and shame. Grandma gives those kinds of looks, although not frequently.
"I wasn't done talking," he says. "Kakara. Having your peer come out so roundly against your choices is obviously hard to stomach. Reacting by coming up with a dozen reasons for why their position can't even be valid due to their personal history, and why their very act of questioning you is outside of their rights, is the wrong response. Humans call it ad hominem, I believe, although that doesn't technically work for us saiyans."
You gape. "I...but I didn't..." You trail off.
After a few seconds, Sensei nods and turns back to his book. "Everybody has the right to judge you, Kakara, your peers most of anybody."
"I have time to train," you say, feeling quite off-balance. "This thing won't show up for years."
"Will it?" he asks, looking up once more.
A sudden, terrible doubt fills you. "...Sensei, have you Seen something?"
"No," he says, looking down again. "I tried to when you were away, in fact." He turns a page. "I was blocked."
A pit of ice drops into your stomach. "What?"
"We've been having difficult pinning this thing down," he says. "Today I presume I managed to find it, because instead of a null result, I was, as I said, blocked. Kicked out of the vision with a splitting headache."
As he reaches out to a mug of something on his end table, you notice that his hand is shaking slightly. Pain jitters.
"Are you okay?" you ask, standing up.
"I'll live," he says, taking a drink. "We don't know when this thing is coming. You weighed the uncertainty against your other obligations and decided that you'd devote minimal efforts to preparing while you cleared your plate. Your father, your grandmother, and Patriarch Yammar, judging by the amount of time they're in the Hall, decided to train a bit more. You said, 'I have to deal with long-term plans before this, and I'm sure I have time to do that.' The others -- and, I presume, Jaffur and Jaron -- said, 'But what if we don't?'"
"But why would we only have a year's warning?" you ask, unsteady. "Why wouldn't the Sight give us more?"
"It's entirely possible that we only got onto this particular track to the future at the exact moment the thing awoke," says Sensei. "Whatever awoke it may have only happened in that moment, and may have been outside what had, until then, been the path to the future. It happens, as you're aware. It may be that we're receiving all of the time we were ever going to get. Or perhaps you're right, and we have years to wait." He turns and stares into your eyes, his own filmed over. "What do you think?"
You open your mouth and then pause, thinking...
...and then, in a great rush, speculating and visualizing and seeing and Seeing-
* * *
Gone.
* * *
The skies are shrouded. Lightning arcs between clouds. The snowy landscape glows eerily from the reflected light. You, in golden oozaru form, stand beside three other golden oozaru -- your father, your grandmother, and Yammar. You are all bloodied and panting.
Across from you is a dust cloud the size of a mountain, the result of your combined volley. Movement stirs within. A massive shape shifts in the cloud. A tail runs past as, in the depths, a massive creature stirs and turns. A scaled, taloned foot crashes down just outside the edges of the dust. A head, horned and armored, rises into view, malevolent red eyes fixed on you all. It opens its mouth, fangs the length of cars gleaming in the light. Wings the length of skyscrapers spread.
It roars.
* * *
Ba̷͔̫̰̮̯̻c̻͍͉͙͔̪̦k̜͚̗̦͡.̗̥
* * *
You let out a little scream of pain as something lances into your skull and destroys the vision -- your first true, intentional vision. You clutch at your head, whining.
Sensei is standing at your side now. He guides you to sit on the bed and pinches at the back of your neck. You feel something loosen, and the pain eases. He waits.
You wait too. You don't want to say it. You don't want to dare. You know you have to, but to say it, to acknowledge it, would be to make it real, and you want to pretend even for just another second that this isn't real-
"How long?" says Sensei, his voice gentle.
Your head sinks to your knees, bitter tears sliding past your clenched eyelids. "Winter," you whisper, the sting of failure on your tongue. "It'll be here this winter." You huddle in on yourself. "It's a dragon."
Seer Ability upgraded [Novice-->Adept].
You now know the identity of what is coming your way. It is a dragon of terrible aspect and might, different from the benevolent Shenron and Porunga.
You have less than a year to prepare.
Choose all that apply and do not contradict each other. Human-facing actions cannot be abandoned; with the partial fall of the Masquerade, you are now a public figure, and a sudden and drastic change in an otherwise perfectly regular routine would be noticed immediately. Your friends would also take note, and are nosy enough to poke around until they find an explanation. This is not open for debate.
[X] Notify your father immediately.
[ ] Prepare.
-[ ] It is going to sting your pride more than you can stomach contemplating, but you're going to go to Jaffur and Jaron and tell them that they were right; they can wait. Repurpose conspiracy action by requesting a crash course in Jaffur's trick.
-[ ] Abandon your saiyan-facing stewardship duties in order to free up training time. Your people will understand.
-[ ] Abandon command theory training.
-[ ] Abandon Transcendence action.
-[ ] Abandon perfect multiform research (again).
[ ] Do not prepare.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
Here, let me get that for ya.
I expect some. I expect a lot.
I'm certain any staff members passing through will agree that Rule 3 still applies.
Once again, neither characters, narration, nor Kakara's internal monologue are representative of my personal or authorial voice. Rage against the characters, the universe in which we're playing, or Kakara herself, but do not rage against me. My voice is not in this work.
Now, all of that aside, I hope you all find this update engaging -- although I highly doubt that many of you will find it enjoyable. Here's to you, here's to us, and here's to a rousing period of discussion and voting as we move forward with the quest. See ya on the other side folks-
Oh, wait! Forgot an option.
[ ] Scream. Loudly.
Have fun, folks.
THIS ONE GETS A FOUR-HOUR MORATORIUM, AND WILL BE OPEN FOR AT LEAST 48 HOURS PAST THAT. I'M SURE IT'S OBVIOUS WHY
)
