KillamriX88

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

I can put something down tonight to help move things along, but I think it might be best to get to the next step now. Investigating Tabaga's universe is something that was already mentioned before, so we've already reacted to it in the past.

Royal Rumble!

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@Scarifar@Gentlemanvaultboy

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Cassius had made it to the ball, but... he couldn't find Katherine. Or even Christine. Or... anyone. He couldn't find a single person he knew.

It took the boy far too long to realize that this was because he'd gone to the wrong part of the event. There was a separate area dedicated to people who'd fought against the cultists, mainly the students of the schools involved in the tournament, but he'd just gone to the part where all the rich donors who hadn't fought were hanging around.

That also explained why it had been so boring.

He finally made it to the right part of the ball, and just in time to be given the perfect opportunity to locate Katherine. It was easy, because he could smell how angry she must have been. It was a smell he'd gotten accustomed to, because she got mad a lot and her clothes tended to suffer when that happened.

"Hey! I was wondering when I'd run into someone I know!" Cassius immediately cringed and swore he felt a twinge of pain in his chest at the voice of Vala Ace. "I don't know a lot of people and it's a big crowd, you know?!" THe girl jumped right in his path of tavel. He tried to lean around her, but she leaned as well in an attempt to maintain eye contact. "Um, um, Cassius, right?"

"Err, y-yeah." Cassius pursed his lips.

"Yes! I remembered!" Vala clenched her fist happily. "So, are you having fun? I'm trying to have fun! It's a lot different than most parties like this I've been to! People are actually trying to have fun here! It's great! I didn't expect to feel so out of place, but I don't mind!"

It took Cassius a second to realize what the girl meant. He noticed now, looking around, that a lot of the people his age were in... festive costumes, rather than traditional high-class attire. Vala, meanwhile, was wearing a rather lovely gown. He actually had to do a double take. It was like she was a completely different person... although she still acted the same. If anything, what made her seem most out of place was how she was still behaving while wearing the dress.

"Well, um, you look nice, so it's not so bad, right? B-but if you'll ex-" He tried to quickly duck by again, but...

"Yeah, and I still got one of these mask thingies!" She held up a little mask on a stick and placed it over her eyes. "I always liked these!"

"C-cool... but..." He took a deep breath. He really needed to stop being so nice. "Look, I need to talk to someone, OK? I haven't seen Katherine in weeks and I've been worried about her!"

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?! I'll go with you!" She grinned. Cassius had to take another breath.

Unfortunately, when she stepped aside... Kath was gone. Worse, Rurik was there. Well that cleared things up, didn't it? That must have been why Katherine was so mad.

. . .

When Katherine walked away without trying to burn multiple craters into his body with her fists, Rurik raised an eyebrow and glanced at the girl who'd interrupted them.

"Huh... I'm impressed. Normally there'd be a lot more scorch marks by now." Rurik then shrugged. "Whatever. Saves me the trouble-"

"You just can't help yourself, can you!?"

Rurik just grit his teeth and suppressed a groan. He was trying to leave!

"Hi, you two!" Vala called out from behind Cassius upon seeing Michelle.

"Uhh, do I know you?" Rurik glanced about, before pointing to himself in confusion.

"Wasn't talking to you, but hi anyway!" Vala smiled. OK. Apparently this one had a few screws loose then.

"So what did you do this time, huh?!" Cassius crossed his arms.

"Who says I did anything?" Rurik frowned back at the boy. Perhaps the greatest compliment Rurik would ever pay Christine was the fact that he hadn't broken up with her simply to avoid having to deal with this shit. Unfortunately, Cassius just kept glaring at him. "If you mean Kath, that was just her finally apologizing for all her bullshit."

". . . what?" Cassius hadn't expected that answer of all things.

"Yeah. Crazy, right? I mean, I told her to fuck off, but it still happened. Honestly I think we're making progress."

"You what?!" Cassius couldn't believe it, but yet there wasn't a hint of deception coming from Rurik, he could tell at least that much. "You're pathetic. She didn't even owe someone like you an apology to begin with!"

Rurik remained silent for a second, perhaps the only sign that Cassius's words hadn't completely bounced off of him, "Wowww, someone like me, huh?" And now he could even hear the gossip mill churning in the background.

"He was so rude to that girl!"
"Wasn't that Katherine? That Katherine?"
"What do you expect? Isn't he one of those Mephistos?"
"Did he suggest he has some sort of relationship with Christine?"
"That's a scandal waiting to happen. You think someone would do something."
"What do you expect? She's a Mephisto too isn't she?"

See? This is why he avoided people. Or at least places where he wasn't allowed to hit said people.

"Big words coming from the dipshit who stormed my school and attacked me. Or do you think you're above it all?"

"I gave you a chance to talk, you just wouldn't take it!" Cassius insisted.

"No, you just refused to accept my answer." Rurik didn't seem remotely amused at this point. If anything, he was just looking down his nose at Cassius with utter contempt. "But hey, it was about Kath right? That bitch'll drive anyone to the brink."

The next moment, Cassius was grabbing Rurik by the collar of his shirt, "Shut up! Stop twisting things!"

"Fine, fine. You want a high horse to sit on? Well here you go!" BANG! Suddenly Cassius was sent skidding across the floor on his back. Rurik let out a laugh. "Mephisto's, right?! Bunch of violent thugs! Never know when we'll go off!" He rolled his neck back and forth, as if loosening himself up. "Ah, well, probably not a great place to get into a fight, so I'll head out. Here, kid, you earned it!" He suddenly took the knife he was carrying as part of his costume and pushed it into Michelle's hand for some reason. It was probably fine. It was just a prop knife, right? Surprisingly weighty though, and with a very realistic metallic sheen- No, no it was definitely real.

Rurik may or may not have slept in during one of his naps and he may or may not have grabbed the wrong knife on his way out.

And he may or may not have handed it off after seeing security eyeing him just now... And with that taken care of, he began walking, quickly, toward the nearest exit.

Meanwhile, Cassius pushed himself to a sitting position, aggravated that he'd let his guard down and been sent flying by Rurik again. He hadn't even had a chance to even the score, this time. That said, looking around at the crowd, setting off explosions probably would have been a bad idea. He grit his teeth and slammed his fist against the floor. This wasn't like him, losing his cool. He'd learned a long time ago to not have outbursts. Someone like him couldn't afford to. If he picked fights, the second he started winning, the powers would start coming out, and Cassius's powers were just... too much. If he fought back with them, people, including himself, would get hurt.

And... he'd done that, hadn't he? Suddenly Rurik's words felt a lot heavier as they repeated in his head.

"Dammit..." he cursed under his breath.

"Um, are you OK?" Vala asked him.

"Yeah, I..." He sighed. "I'm just gonna... go..." Without giving the girl another chance to interrupt him, he got up off the floor and just walked out of the ballroom.

"Oh. OK!" Vala blinked and then looked at Michelle. "Crazy, huh?! I like this city, way more stuff happens here than back at home!"

. . .

Once Cassius was out of the ballroom, his eyes were drawn to something. He hadn't really had a plan, but... well Kath left a really easy trail to follow. Footsteps burnt into the ground, charred plants that she'd brushed past. Only a few minutes later he'd easily tracked her down. He crouched down at the edge of the pond, just staring down at the patch of shore in front of him.

"Hey, Kath. Long time no see, huh?" He tried to sound happy to see her, but, if he was being honest, he'd had the enthusiasm beaten out of him.

Royal Rumble!

Andras & Vera

-At Some Point During the Festivities-

Andras timidly stepped up to the front of Vera's house. It was not unlike the gates of the underworld itself, Andras a wayward soul wandering to a certain and eternal doom just beyond. But she had no choice. She had resolved to come to Vera as her last resort.

The day of the Rhean Ball had come, and Andras had nothing to wear. She was hoping that something usable would show up in the Root, but alas. The closest thing she had was a card that summoned a lion, which would turn heads at the ball, but not in the way she wanted. She had received help from Vera before, so she had no choice but to try her luck again. After all, they were friends... Vera would gladly help out a friend, right?

Andras's stomach turned as she readied her phone to tell Vera she was outside and needed some help. Though it was slightly unpleasant, she vastly preferred her uneasiness over clothing to the last few week's true, heart-stopping stress. She nodded to herself, thinking 'I've survived much worse. This is nothing, now!' and sent the message.

Now she just had to wait.

Vera stood in her room, looking over the outfit she'd be wearing to the ball. It was an elaborate get-up, totally inappropriate for a high-class function. She also loved it for that reason. It had all started when she heard that a few people had confused "masquerade" with "costume party." She had then gleefully and maliciously spread that misinformation. It wasn't hard. Twas the season, after all.

As a vigilante, or one who associated with them, she could even claim to know people who knew Liselotte, as a few of their number were also St. Laurel's students. She'd spun it that not only did she want to use it as a fund-raiser, but as a source of levity in light of recent events. That was her favorite part of the trick. In misleading people, she'd actually made Lise look better. Now she could either roll with it and accept the free publicity, or make a big scene and look like a spoiled brat.

Either way, Vera would be amused.

And if it blew back on her? Vera didn't care. Everyone already thought she was a bitch, only rivaled by Ria, and she didn't have friends to begin with.

Well, with perhaps one exception.

Her phone buzzed, announcing the arrival of Andras.

. . .

The door would eventually open for Andras, but it would be an unfamiliar sight before her. It was a girl with short, black hair cut tight to her head.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," the girl smirked, content to let the seconds tick by. "I bet you don't even recognize me. I'll give you a hint." She leaned forward and put her lips next to Andras's ear. "Your butt looked great in those shorts I bought you." Vera pulled back, laughing giddily. "Yeah, I did my hair and everything. I'm going all out! Now come on, we need to get you ready, your outfit just will not do! Did you even try?!"

Andras's heart sank when someone she didn't quite recognize answered. She specifically had messaged Vera instead of knocking because she didn't want to awkwardly have to talk to someone else. Her mind raced, wondering if it was a sibling, cousin... Mother?

She didn't feel any better when it turned out to be Vera, because Vera managed to find a way to reveal herself in a way that left Andras embarrassed rather than herself. "L-Leave my butt out of this!" Andras stuttered, flushing. She subconsciously grabbed at the hem of her skirt, even though she wasn't even wearing the aforementioned shorts at the moment. It was a compliment, but it ended up scattering Andras's thoughts all the same; Why was Vera looking at her like that anyway? In fact, did other people at the club also think that? She didn't have time to think about those thoughts, or she'd end up freezing in place.

She gathered herself and continued. "And I did try, but the Root wasn't providing me any formal wear at all, and you've got a lot of clothes, so I figured... I could borrow something nice..." Andras stared down as her voice trailed off, adopting a meek position. She didn't plan to be playing the "defenseless maiden" card so quickly, but Vera managed to rout her forces on the first attack.

"Formal wear? Don't be an idiot, it's a costume party! You need a costume!" Vera grabbed her wrist and dragged her inside. "And don't tell me it's not. I said it's a costume party and so it is, regardless of what that stuck-up princess says! I already got dozens of people in on it!"

. . . Earlier. . .

"I... I don't like it. It seems mean," Wolf argued.

"Oh for fuck's sake! Just wear that ceremonial armor of yours! That way you look the part, but if Lise sees you she'll think you're just representing your family or something!" Vera scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"That's... not a bad idea, actually..." Wolf mumbled under his breath.

"Of course it isn't!"

. . .

"Trust me, this is gonna be way more fun!" Vera once more insisted. "So what do you think? You wanna be a dark sorceress? Dashing rogue? Witch?" Vera grinned deviously. "Sexy kitten? Ooh, maybe a naughty police officer. I'll let you put me in cuffs." She winked with a lecherous chuckle. "And yes I have cuffs. Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."

"A costume party? But isn't a masquera-" Andras barely got to say anything before Vera gave her reasons, and grabbed Andras's hand.

Andras had to shake her head at Vera's suggestions. "I don't want ANYTHING that can be described with 'sexy!' This is a school party, isn't it?!" She stepped away from Vera, trying to regain some ground in the conversation. "Of all of those, the sorceress sounds best. But why would you even have the clothes for that?! You don't know anything of the dark arts!" Andras questioned indignantly, as if her own way of life was being called into question.

"Are you sure about that?" Vera crossed her arms and stepped closer to Andras, staring her down. "I bet I could cast a spell on you," she said with a sultry lilt to her voice. She let the moment hang a tick longer before dropping the act for the time being. "But I know you, Alexandria , and I knew you would need me to come to your rescue, so I prepared ahead of time. Also I've gone through more phases than I can count and my wardrobe doth overflow, so we have stuff to work with. And makeup. So much makeup." Vera pointed her finger at the girl dramatically. "No more games, my little demoness! I will forge you into the sorceress you always claimed to be! Or... at least you'll look the part," she said, capping it all off with an apathetic shrug.

Once in Vera's room, she flung open a massive walk-in closet. It was choked to the brim with clothes, hanging from racks, folded on shelves, stuffed into basked, and even old shopping bags. And not so old shopping bags.

"What can I say, my parents piss me off a lot and I choose to let them believe they can buy my love back. Hasn't worked so far, but who am I to disillusion them?" She sighed. "Stuff should be in here somewhere..."

Before long, Andras had various dresses, gowns, and other trappings in various shades of black, purple, and red to choose from.

"Good, now we throw in a big, gaudy amulet or something and you'll be all set..."

Andras cocked her head, thinking about the phases Vera must have went through. 'It feels like she's going through a phase right now, actually...' Andras was a little concerned with the amount of energy Vera was bringing. Maybe she was a fan of the time of year? It was intriguing enough for Andras to ignore Vera's use of her real first name.

Andras dodged the first few lumps of clothing that were tossed from the closet as Vera casually said some fairly sad statements, but a few of the thrown articles of clothing solidly landed across Andras's face.

"Ummm..." Andras thumbed through the clothing, eventually setting some of it on Vera's bed. "You know, I might have an amulet of my own in the Root, if we can't find one in here." Andras's eye settled upon one of the dresses she laid out. "I like this dress with flared sleeves, but it's way too short... Do you have a petticoat or something that would lengthen it?" She held up the black dress, and looked down. "...And it shows off way too much of the chest! Is there supposed to be a blouse under this?!" Andras feared that even the more fringe clothing that Vera had was still far too brazen for Andras's tastes.

"Petticoat? Who do I look like?" Vera stared at Andras in something akin to disgust. "I never even considered buying a petticoat. You're lucky I even know what that is! Don't be such a baby! You have to have confidence! You need to act like you wouldn't care if you walked into the room naked! You need to be so comfortable in your skin that other people get uncomfortable in theirs!" Or something like that, honestly she was making it up as she went. "Besides, low cut or not it barely makes a difference with you." She'd never been one to pull punches. "Of course, that also means you could safely go extra low cut without it being risky..."

Vera sighed, no, of course not. Andras wasn't going to suddenly be OK with that just because Vera told her to be.

"Ugh, fine, hold on..." Vera disappeared into the back of her closet, emerging again with a rather gorgeous, crimson dress that on Andras would be so long it'd almost be dragging on the floor. "I was suppose to wear this to a school dance years ago, but I missed it because I was busy being a delinquent. I was... closer to your size at the time anyway." She then promptly draped it over Andras's head. By the time the girl would have removed the dress and could see again, Vera would be holding up a pair of extravagant eye-patches. Both were adorned with flowers, one a red rose, the other black. "I told you I was prepared! Which one do you like better?!"

Andras was taken aback at the dress Vera managed to find. It was far too pretty for Andras. 'Wait, what am I thinking, too pretty for me? I can't think like that. Even if she's wrong in general, Vera has a point about confidence...' She pulled it from over her head, only to find another article that she didn't expect in Vera's hands.

"W-What are you doing with eyepatches in your wardrobe?!" Andras was washed with confusion, curiosity, and perhaps a little bit of excitement. Her eye darted back and forth over the two options without settling on one. "Um... The rose would probably match the dress better, right? Or does it match too much if it's all red? Wait, would the black one match too much with my hair...?" Andras stopped herself before she wasted Vera's time for any longer. "Um. I think I like the rose more."

Andras took a look back down at the dress, her eyes darting back up to Vera, and then back to the dress. "And this dress is really beautiful, Vera, so... Um... Thank you..." Andras wanted to hide her face, but she was trying her best to be up front. After all, Vera was helping her out, the least she could do is thank her properly.
...Or at least as properly as Andras could do.

"They aren't part of my wardrobe, I bought them for you. I said I was prepared, keep up." Vera rolled her eyes. She'd never understand the way Andras's mind worked. "Next... we..." Vera wandered back into the closet. Then she saw it. She came out of the closet and promptly ripped the red dress out of Andra's hands, tossing it over her shoulder like so much trash. "Forget that shit, THIS is your dress!" She held up a new one, way too overdesigned with frills and ribbons, but yet all in darker tones. It couldn't be mistaken for modern fashion. In fact, one would have had to go back a few ]centuries to make it work. Even then it might've been eccentric.

"I totally forgot I stol- . . . borrowed this," Vera told the other girl. "But combine this and my makeup skills and we'll have you looking ready to cast a spell on the whole ball. Well, that or a curse."

Andras was dumbstruck at Vera's sudden change of dress. A slight sense of irritation weaved through Andras's expression for a moment, but she bounced back quickly. It was easy to do so, since Vera's other dress was equally extravagant. Someone having this much of a wardrobe was such a foreign concept to Andras; she wondered if she personally could have turned out like that if her childhood was different.

Andras's mind snapped back to something Vera said. "Wait, this is stolen?! Nobody is going to show up to the ball and demand it right off of my back, are they?!" Andras only considered such a possibility because of the unpredictable nature of the people Vera has slighted. She already had one crazy night specifically just because of an ex.

Of course, Andras was excited to try the dress. It was something more fitting for a demon lady of despair such as herself, suffused with old world charm. If someone did try to take it off of her, she would just have to show that the sorceress costume was anything but.

"Let's just say I liked the dress more than the girl who lent it to me..." Vera crossed her arms haughtily. "I doubt that tramp will show up, and if she does I'll just tell Wolf to get rid of her." She waved off Andras's concerns. "Then again, every other time someone messes with us, you usually handle it just fine come to think of it. You're kind of a tiny badass." Kidnappings notwithstanding. Quickly trying to shift gears so as not to dwell on those memories, she found her makeup kit. "Now go get dressed so I can complete your transformation. I bet if I do this right you'll be turning more heads than the princess herself."

Andras wasn't sure to pout or just be glad that Vera complimented her, but she eventually settled on a slight pouting. "Hmph. Who's tiny?" Andras mumbled as she stepped into the closet and closed the door behind her. She wasn't sure if Vera was planning on just watching Andras change, but that wasn't going to happen if Andras could help it.

Andras hadn't put on a dress in a decent amount of time, since she prefered her more comfortable setup of hoodie and skirt. Perhaps most concerningly, the dress was tight around Andras's hips as she stepped into it. She began wondering if she was putting it on the right way. "It's actually kind of snug..." Andras said with a tint of worry in her voice. She steadied herself against the closet door, almost losing her balance.

Andras absolutely didn't want to ask for help. It would be an admission of failure, which although a tiny failure, would still be too much. But at the same time, she was concerned she would end up spilling right through the closet doors when she lost her balance the next time. She just had to deal with it, unfortunately. "Um. Vera, you need to help with the back of the dress." Andras said, and quickly added under her breath, "And getting the thing on to begin with..."

"You. You're tiny. Just take the compliment-" Wait. Snug? Weren't they just talking about her being tiny? When Andras asked for her help, Vera had to suppress a grin. No, no, she should give the girl a break now. She'd had her fun. When the door opened, however, Vera almost immediately snorted. The extent to which the dress hugged her curves, and Vera was trying to come to terms with Andras having curves. She probably should've noticed last time too, but Andras hadn't quite drawn attention to it.

"OK, stand still. I promise my hands won't 'slip,'" Vera grabbed the girl's shoulders and spun her around so she could work. ". . .more than once." She said so, but her hands didn't go anywhere they didn't need to and soon enough Andras had been wrestled into the dress. Aside from around her hips, and by goodness what hips they were, the dress fit well enough and wasn't at risk of splitting open on her. "So!" She dragged the girl to a mirror. "What do you think so far? I'm starting to get jealous. I'm almost afraid you'll steal all the attention from me."

Andras breathed a sigh of relief when Vera finally slipped the dress into the correct place. "Weird... I'm surprised it got stuck like that." Andras muttered, still embarrassed by having to call in help. She didn't pay much mind to Vera's reactions, perhaps due to her own self-consciousness.

Andras gave a tentative twirl in the mirror. It was a different feeling to wear something so fancy. She couldn't help but crack a small smile. "I'm glad it fits, becuase I think it... fits." Andras couldn't formulate anything particularly eloquent, because she was too focused on her reflection. She would definitely wear stuff like this more often... if these types of clothes weren't so expensive, that is. "I won't steal your attention, Vera... But what are you wearing anyway?" Andras was curious about that since Vera said she would attend, but it was only now that she had a good chance to ask.

"If you want to know what I'm wearing so badly, then hold still and let me do your makeup. I have a lot of work to do for my outfit, so we need to hurry so we're not too late. After a while it stops being fashionable," Vera told her. "Now when you wink at people do you want to set hearts aflutter with fear or desire? Because I can do either." She had to bite her lip at the suggestion that Andras could actually wink at someone and pull it off. Well, maybe with her help she might manage.

Andras fidgeted for a moment as Vera got closer to apply her makeup. It wasn't something she was familiar with beyond some basics Andras looked up when bored. She was hoping that Vera was going to play the costume straight, rather than surprise Andras with some kind of strange clown makeup. Andras hoped that if it looked too crazy, she would be able to wash it off without incurring Vera's wrath. Or hurting her feelings, if that was even possible. She was also worried that Vera would need to take off her eyepatch, which... was not going to happen. Andras planned to deal with that problem as it appeared.

Andras fixed herself in place as best she could next to Vera as she thought about the question. "Wink? Is that an important skill to have? I guess I'd rather have desire than fear me... Let me try." Andras's face visibly strained as she winked with her right eye. It was clearly a foreign feeling for her, and perhaps more strangely, she had decided to wink with her covered eye.

Vera stood there, waiting for Andras to try. As the two ended up staring at each other, Vera realized that Andras already had... with the eye under her eyepatch. The staring continued a moment longer as Vera resisted the urge to smack some sense into the little idiot. It was just too much.

"That was great. Do it just like that when we're at the ball," she spoke through gritted teeth. "Now stand still and keep your eye shut or else you'll need both eyepatches." Vera sat Andras down and went to work. When she was done, Andras was like a different person. Vera probably could have charged people money to do something like this... not that she needed it.

Dark purple lipstick and glittering purple eyeshadow added some color to the look while maintaining the dark aesthetic, with extravagant winged eyeliner completing the look.

During the process, Andras would have felt something touch her eyepatch, but moments later she'd have felt the other eyepatch be slipped on, so it was nothing too suspicious, and the new one was big enough that it was comfortably slipped over the first without having to remove it.

Her outfit was complete.

"Well we'd better not make this a habit, or I might actually develop a crush on you. What would poor Wolf think, hm?" Vera chuckled absently. "Now feel free to ogle yourself in the mirror while I go get ready." Without giving her an opportunity to respond, Vera walked away and locked herself in the bathroom with her own supplies.

Andras felt a twist in her stomach at Vera's teasing comment. 'A-A crush?! She's just joking around, right? She's with Wolf, so she's gotta be joking. Right...?' Andras felt a blur of excitement, anxiety, and even some shame. Of course, while Andras was stunned by the offhand comment, Vera nonchalantly walked past her and worked on her own costume, leaving Andras's mind in chaos.

Andras felt the new eyepatch as she slowly calmed herself down. It was a different sensation than she was used to, but she really was curious about how she looked. She resisted the urge to touch (and likely mess up) her make up, so she kept idly inspecting the eyepatch as she stood up and walked to the mirror.

Andras's gasp likely could have been heard by Vera in the bathroom. It really was something Andras couldn't have imagined herself. 'I almost look like the real thing...' Andras thought to herself, before locking the thought away. She was an actual sorceror, despite the girly-girl time that was transpiring. She felt like for a moment she almost lost her sense of being a Demon Lady of Despair.

Andras took a deep inhale, calming herself. She had to get back in her element. Vera wouldn't be out for a while, so Andras took the opportunity to try some poses and cool moves in the mirror. She wouldn't likely get an opportunity to do so with such a costume in a decent amount of time, after all.

It took Vera quite some time, but when she finally emerged, the purpose of her change in chair became apparent. She arguably looked more like a demon than Andras ever had. Although, if one were to ask Vera, she'd tell them she wasn't masquerading as any sort of demon. She was dressed up as on of her favorite legends.

"Ready?" Vera asked the other girl. "We're gonna be cutting it a little close at this point." However, she couldn't resist showing off just a little. She stood up straight and flipped a few strands of hair out of her face, throwing on a toothy grin. "Like it?"

Vera's Outfit

Andras was awestruck. "That's... From... Wow." Andras was surprised that Vera even knew the character that she was dressed as. "Do you think that the people of the Ball will even get it?" Vera's grin was infectious, and Andras found herself smirking too. "Either way, I think it's really good." Andras said, eyeing Vera as she showed off her costume.

Andras took a deep breath. It was a journey, but she managed to survive. And it turned out much better than she was expecting. "Thanks to you, I'm ready to go. Shall we?"

"I think it's mysterious enough to pass as a costume no matter what people think it is." Vera chuckled. "And yes." She linked arms with Andras. "We shall. Time to make everyone jealous."

And to make a certain stuck up princess very mad, if she was lucky.

Andras stopped for a moment. She hadn't actually thought up the logistics of going to the ball, now that the two were together in both presence and outfit. "So. Um. Are you going to drive? Or should I summon a horse... or something...?"

Andras didn't have a horse to summon, but if any place was good to show up on a fantastical mount, then it would be a fancy ball. Though... She mulled over the cards she had available. It wouldn't be hard to find a way around town, but it would be hard to do so without messing up her outfit. She wasn't an experienced beast rider by any stretch of the imagination, and the Root's spells for summoning often gave more... aggressive options than she wanted for transport. "It might be hard if I have to summon a ride..." Andras mumbled.

"Oh don't worry about that, my dear," Vera grinned with a toss of her hair... forgetting she barely had any hair to toss at this point. "Just tell me how big of a limo you want. We can do much better than a horse."

Andras stopped in her tracks. "Wait. An actual limo?" Andras's voice wavered slightly, before she realized she didn't answer Vera's question. "J-Just a normal limo is fine!" She quickly added, as if not responding would make Vera rescind the offer.

She turned away from Vera from a moment to gather herself. Even someone like Andras always wanted to make that entrance to a dance. She couldn't deny herself the excitement. The fact that it was Vera coming with her made it even better.

...Or perhaps it was worse? Andras wasn't sure if showing too much enthusiasm would make Vera tease her. Or perhaps not showing enough would make Vera cancel the offer? Andras's mind was stuck between the two options, unsure of which direction to go.

"Oh, how humble Miss Andras, willing to accept simply a 'normal' Limo," Vera teased the flustered girl. "Well that will be a bit easier to acquire, so sure." One phone call later, and they were told their ride would be there within ten to fifteen minutes. "Don't worry, I told them to stock the limo cooler with apple juice instead of beer, just for you."

An obvious joke, since Vera had made the call right in front of Andras and have never mentioned drinks period... but Vera hadn't been able to resist that jab.

Andras puffed out her chest in pride. "Actually, I'll have you know that I will be of drinking age in just a few days anyway." She then wavered. "So um.. I guess you still would be correct for tonight, at least..." Andras's face tinged red with embarrassment. "Since it's so close to the actual day, I was going to treat this like an early birthday party!" Andras let out a nervous laugh, wondering to herself if revealing something like that was lame or not.

She began to wish that the ride would arrive before she dug her grave deeper.

"WAIT, WHAT!?" Vera surged forward, gripping Andras's shoulders tightly. "Why are you just telling me this now?!" Never mind that it was probably her own fault for harassing Andras for 90% of the time she'd know her rather than being an actual friend. This was important! It was Vera and her friend had a birthday coming up. That meant a party. She could do parties.

She was a little annoyed that the princess was apparently hijacking Andras's birthday, but... hadn't Vera technically reverse hijacked it? It all worked out she supposed.

"Well don't wear yourself out, because you'll be getting a party of your own after this!" Vera insisted. Their ride arrived shortly after, but it did not take them directly to the ball. They had to get Wolf first. It seemed only fair, him being her actual boyfriend and all...

He too wore an unusual get-up, but it was perhaps the first time he'd ever truly looked the part of what he was supposed to be, that being the latest of an ancient, well and truly, order of knights. He wore the purest white tunic and trousers Vera had ever seen, complete with golden threading and tassels, beneath silvery, platinum armor with mindbogglingly ornate engravings.

It clearly was a ceremonial outfit, that wasn't meant for, let alone ever having seen, a battlefield seeing as how the armor left too many parts exposed. It also lacked a helmet, but included a crimson cape.

He looked ridiculous climbing into a limousine.

"Wow, you actually went for it, huh?" Vera had to hold in her laughter. It had been her suggestion to dress up as an actual knight for the ball.

"It... wasn't a bad idea..."

"That's a seriously fancy get-up, I gotta admit." It didn't look bad, so much as it was just... anachronistic.

"It's based off of my mother's armor," Wolf admitted, plunging the limo into near dead silence save for the faint rumble of the engine as they began moving again.

"Well... it suits you." Vera added more quietly.

". . . thanks." Wolf squirmed uncomfortably, keeping his gaze lowered. And thus the awkward silence returned.

Andras flinched as Vera reacted so explosively to her birthday reveal. 'I-Is she the type to take birthdays seriously?' Andras made sure to file away that fact in her mind. It made her a little happy to know that Vera would be interested in throwing a party just for her, but it filled her with apprehension in the way that only Vera could manage to do. She figured protesting would not change anything, and Andras was curious about what Vera had in mind, so she kept silent.

Andras was surprised that Wolf ended up with such a costume as he stepped into the limo. 'How much of that was Vera's influence, I wonder...?' She mused, as Wolf and Vera idly chatted about the costume. She didn't quite pick up much of the conversation, because Andras felt somewhat awkward with the two that formed an actual couple meeting up, and she wondered to herself if she felt awkward because of a third wheel effect, or perhaps some other reason...

Andras shrugged it off. She was going to really... Do whatever it was she was supposed to do at a fancy costume party. 'No time to worry about that gut feeling of yours. Especially since you're likely just antsy because of the party.'

Andras sat, lost in thought. She wondered what she would do at the ball, since she didn't want to follow around Vera the entire time like some kind of dog. Maybe she should try and set some kind of goal, like getting someone's phone number...? Andras felt somewhat annoyed that the person she would ask about this is Vera, when Andras is trying her best not to turn to Vera for everything.

Andras frowned slightly as she watched the passing city scenery. 'Maybe I'll just go with the flow and see what happens.'

Vera couldn't take the ensuing silence for more than a solid minute. Why was Andras being quiet too? OK, it was probably because she was Andras. Fortunately, Andras was easy to figure out.

OK, that was a lie. The girl was too weird to totally figure out, but Vera had learned quite a few buttons she could push, for good or for ill.

She reached out and grabbed Andras, pulling her closer so their shoulders were touching.

"Now, what do you think of Andras's outfit? Looks like she'd finally ready to actually inflict some despair don't you think? Maybe even break a few hearts?" Vera forced on a grin.

"O-oh, ummm..." Wolf perked up and quickly glanced over Andras. "Wow, I almost wouldn't recognize you. You could almost get away with wearing that every day!" It took him a second to realize that wasn't necessarily a compliment... "Err, I-I mean... th-that is... I-I'm not trying to s-"

Vera frowned at him as he desperate tried and failed to recover, "Just say it looks good, Wolf. That's all you had to do."

"I-it looks good..." Wolf mumbled while fidgeting anxiously. It was true, anyway.

"Of course it looks good, I put it together for her! Now was that so hard?" Vera rolled her eyes. "Of course, I had a pretty decent canvas to work with, so I can't take all the credit." She nudged Andras playfully. She was going to have to carry the mood all night for these two, wasn't she?

Well she'd dealt with worse she supposed.

Andras almost mirrored Wolf's fidgety posture when subjected to Vera's sudden interjection. It actually somewhat comforted her that she wasn't the only one out of her element, and she found herself smiling at Wolf's fumbling.

Trying to change mental gears, Andras quickly tried to think of a witty reply, and spoke up, "Actually, I wasn't even sure the paint was the right... size for the canvas...?" Andras's confidence began tapering the second she started to speak, but she tried to course correct. "I-I mean, we're lucky that it fit at all. I thought that wouldn't be an issue since you're taller than me!" She nervously laughed, before meekly adding, "I'm glad you both think it looks good."

'Well, maybe going with the flow is fine. It's usually pretty fun with them involved, either way.' Andras thought, and felt a little more confident in the night overall, despite how poorly she managed her reply.

"Oho, is that so?" Vera smirked at Andras. "What are you getting at, hm?" Vera leaned in, almost nose-to-nose with the girl. However, it was all a distraction as her arms snaked around and got into position... before her fingers viciously attacked Andras's hips. "Getting cocky because you've got it where it counts?!"

Wolf just sighed and averted his eyes for Andras's sake, hoping to let her hold onto at least some of her pride.

Andras was already off guard when Vera came so close to her, but she was never prepared for the attack that came immediately after. "Vera, no! Stooop!" Andras cried, squirming away from Vera in between suppressed fits of laughing. Wolf could see that Andras was so surprised that her cards flickered into existence, as if she was trying to find a magical way out of the situation.

Andras eventually managed to put an arm's length between her and Vera (without use of the Root), where she caught her breath. Her face was still red, but she had survived. Somehow. "That... Was... Uncalled for!" Andras crossed her arms with indignation, keeping them ready to protect her sides. "Does she do that to you too, Wolf?" She said, before cracking a mischievous grin and adding, "Or is she just that jealous?

Andras felt a twinge of fear when she said it, but she was finally catching some kind of rhythm in the conversation and didn't want to let Vera win so easily. Andras began to wonder if this was Vera's way of psyching up the (self-admittedly) less social friends of hers.

'Or maybe she's just screwing with us and doesn't have a plan. I guess it's still working either way.' Andras thought, dismissing her image of a mastermind Vera calculating out the night in advance.

"You really don't learn, do you?" Vera suddenly glowered at her. Andras would have to keep wondering about whether Wolf had ever been tickled, for the boy was left silent by the sudden mood change. Vera reached out and grabbed Andras by the collar of her dress and dragged her back over so she could glare directly into the other girl's eyes. ". . . don't move." And suddenly Vera gently dabbed at Andras's eye with a cloth. "Almost made your makeup run. Can't have you get all messed up at the last second, can we?"

And indeed it was the last second. Only a short time later the limo arrived at the ball.

"Well, have fun, my itty-bitty sorceress. I owe Wolf a dance. I'll come check on you later." And with that Andras was abandoned and left to her own devices amongst a sea of people.

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

Don't worry about explaining things all over to Velona. We can just assume someone explains the capsules and shit off screen to her later. Also I forgot to tag people but, well, I don't know that it really matters. She's there at the buffet with everyone else.

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

---

Velona didn't know what to do. She didn't want to be alone, but she didn't know any of them all that well yet. Not enough to request sharing a room. It didn't help that deep down a part of her did seek solitude so that she could order her thoughts. She found a slightly mangled tree behind some tall buildings and leaned herself against it. The temperature was comfortable enough, and she'd had worse sleeping arrangements in the past.

Sleep didn't come easy though. She could occasionally feel the pink, squishy one flitting in and out of her sensory range, doing... something. Every time she popped into her bubble it startled her. Eventually Velona decided that if anyone wanted to hurt her, they would probably blast her from a distance anyway and so shrank her bubble.

Then, before long, her bubble dissipated altogether as sleep claimed her regardless of her will.

. . .

"Hi, I'm Velona," she bowed her head slightly. Any other time and she'd have just sprinted away, but... this person was new. No, not just new. There were plenty of people she could have found that were new. This one was unexpected. Months ago the Freeza force had forcibly occupied her home, leaving a group of people she'd learned were called Saiyans to guard them.

She didn't really know what to make of it. Things had been scary for a few days, but now it was over. None of it really affected her as far as she could tell. She'd been told to stay away from them, but... this one was just so small. He(?) was even shorter than her.

"I'm... Roman..." He spoke haltingly.

"Where'd you come from? I haven't noticed you before." Velona, being the obstinate and precocious child she was, had a bad habit of skirting the edge of the Saiyan territory. There was sector of the city that had been cleared out and taken over by the occupiers, with their ships landed nearby. Not once, on any of her curiosity fueled expeditions had she ever noticed a child.

"I..." Roman rubbed his head, as if he was a little bit dazed. "I woke up... recently. Umm... was born? No..."

"Silly, you're way too big to have just been born. You must have been asleep for a long time." But... why? She was eventually able to pry the information from him that he'd been in some sort of pod, apparently since he'd been born. Seemingly the pod also slowly imprinted information into his mind, hence him being able to speak, even if it was a bit slowly.

Velona found it funny. In a way, he was just a big baby, but he was walking around in a suit of Saiyan armor. Extra funny being that he was at least half-a-head shorter than her. Big for a baby, but really not all that big yet. Of course, her interrogation eventually got turned back on her. It was only fair. He honed in on her blindfold, finding it strange. She of course thought it was strange the Saiyans didn't wear them. Then again, if none of them did, didn't that make her strange to them in return?

"So, um, what do you like to do?" she asked him.

". . . what?"

To be fair, she wasn't sure what she'd expected.

. . .

It hadn't been entirely true to say that the occupation hadn't affected her. She was only a child, so no one really paid her any mind, no, but as time went on it became apparent how subdued everyone else was. They flinched at the sight of Saiyans and shied away. There was a dreary atmosphere to be found when hanging around her own kind.

Thus, she found herself more and more often dragging Roman off to play with. She found more joy with the child of those who had seemingly brought such a stifling atmosphere upon them than she did with her own kind. Roman was curious and willing to follow her lead. She liked the feeling of being in charge, and it was fun to watch him change as he spent more and more time outside with her.

He actually sounded almost like a normal person now when he talked.

She made the mistake, however, of getting too caught up in the moment. One day she walked with him back to his home. She didn't even make it all the way to his house before they were confronted. It was the one big rule when spending time with him: it had to be just them. Saiyans wouldn't tolerate her, and her people wouldn't tolerate him. There was a swath of the city between the Saiyan territory and the rest of the city that was largely deserted. Much of it was rubble that no one seemed to have any plans to clean up anytime soon.

It was a little strange spending so much time in the destroyed areas of her own home city, but she'd grown used to it.

Too used to it. She'd gotten careless.

"What do you think you're doing? Is this where you've been running off to?" He was a gruff man. Unlike Roman whose tail tended to swish idly behind him, this Saiyan's tail was wrapped firmly around his waist. His armor was bulky and square, making him look larger than he was, but he was hardly compensating for anything. He probably could have crushed her between his bicep and forearm with a casual flex.

"Father. Yes." Roman nodded, not looking nearly as intimidated as Velona felt. Fortunately her blindfold kept her eyes from betraying her fear. "She's been showing me the nearby area."

"Don't waste time with such nonsense. You shouldn't be bothering to associate with the locals. We've been stuck on this blasted planet for too long as it is." He scoffed. "What, are you deaf as well as blind, girl? Begone before I turn you into another crater in your city!"

Velona flinched. She turned toward Roman briefly, but he'd simply lowered his head submissively, offering no more explanations or resistance. With a slight pout, Velona took off as she'd been commanded to.

. . .

He retreat lasted for not even 24 hours. She crept back toward Roman's dwelling to find the boy sitting crouched on a slab of rubble behind the building. Velona decided to mirror him. Once she was close enough that she was sure he'd seen her, she simply plopped herself down at a distance and waited.

An hour passed, the two just sitting there. Another began to slowly tick by. Finally, Roman seemed to grow restless, glancing about. He jumped off his perch and strode over to her.

"This is borin-" He was cut off as Velona smiled, jumped up, and dragged him off by the wrist. It was a smug little smile, too.

He'd chosen her.

. . .

She felt her hair get blown back as she leaned back. Her feet danced below her, heart racing as she allowed muscle memory to take over. Lately her family had begun teaching her how to fight. Roman, unsurprisingly really, had training as well. They spent so much time together over the last year that turning to each other for practice had been an obvious development.

Roman was astonishingly strong, but Velona was just more agile. He always struggled to even touch her.

She caught and redirected an overly telegraphed punch and struck his chest with her palm. His armor no doubt kept it from even stinging, but it wasn't like she was trying to hurt him anyway. He slid back, but then suddenly a shockwave struck her. Energy flared out from him and he let out a frustrated growl before flying at her in a violent burst of speed.

She had to leap away as his fist came careening down to crack the ground where she'd been standing. His energy flared again as his eyes honed in on her once more, but she threw a hand out.

"STOP!" She commanded.

"Wh-what?!" Roman blinked rapidly.

"You could have hurt me!" She frowned deeply at him.

"So?" Roman narrowed his eyes. "We're fighting. People get hurt when they fight."

"No! We're sparring. It's just training. Hurting each other isn't allowed!" She reached out and poked him in the shoulder, earning an annoyed scowl.

"You're just afraid." He crossed his arms with a scoff.

"Fine then, go ahead and hurt me. Then we wont' be able to play, let alone fight." She somehow stared him down despite being physically unable to meet his eyes. Finally he wilted under the pressure of her disapproval. "Friends don't hurt each other, got it?" She reached out and poked him once more, this time on the tip of his nose, making him go cross-eyed and flinch.

"O-OK..." he mumbled, lowering his head submissively before her.

. . .

Her footsteps had halted. She couldn't force herself to take another step. Everything had happened so suddenly. Little more than an hour ago she'd been plotting what she and Roman would do next. Now she could hear explosions and screaming in the distance. Why hadn't they warned her this was going to happen sooner?

What would she have done had she known?

It was two questions that kept bouncing back and forth through her mind. What could she even do now that this was happening?

"Velona!" She heard her name being called before she noticed Roman's presence. She tried to extend her senses farther, but it was all... blurry -- filled with static. Each frantic beat of her heart seemed to distort her vision. "What's going on!? Wh-why is there so much fighting?!"

"I-I-" Velona was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"We've been under their heel too long. They think of us as lesser." Their words echoed in her mind. "This is what we've been training you for," her parents had told her. "You need to steel your heart."

"What should we do?" he looked to her expectantly. "Velona?"

"W-we... I..." She couldn't stop the shaking. Suddenly she felt his hands land on her shoulders. Recently he'd gotten taller, almost taller than her.

"Come on, think!"

"I-I can't!" Velona hiccupped. Roman flinched away. Velona had always taken the lead; always told him what to do or even how to think. He took a step back.

"OK..." He clenched his eyes shut. "Th-then just follow me for now!" He took another step back and then turned to lead the way. Velona's feet wouldn't move, but... slowly... her hand did.

KZZZZZZZRT!

The area flashed red and Roman fell to the ground, the back of his armor now showing a large scorch mark. He lay there, gasping and struggling for breath. Velona's knees felt weak, even as faint, red sparks still sprung from her fingers. Roman shakily got his arms beneath him, lifting his face from the dirt and turning to look at her.

She couldn't see his eyes. Even were her control of her senses not so tenuous, she couldn't see such details. She could, however, see the way his chest was still; the way he held his breath as he just stared in her direction.

"You must steel your heart."

With a choked sob, she lunged at him.

She saw him let out a breath. She saw his fingers dig into the dirt. She could see the tension enter his body.

She cried out as he flew to his feet, hand whipping out to catch her wrist and squeeze. On instinct, she surged her energy, an electric aura overtaking her and forcing him to let go.

She saw his fists clench tighter than ever before.

He charged her with a wild fury. Her feet did not dance, but frantically retreat. Each swing of his arms seemed to shake her, even though they missed. Her senses became muddled as she felt each strike narrowly graze past her. Suddenly a sunspot seemed to bloom within her senses and then the ground at her feet exploded as energy flew from Roman's hand.

Her senses shattered as his fist flew into her gut, sending her crashing into the side of a building, her head snapping back and cracking against it. She was left winded and in agony, gasping for breath that didn't want to come. Her legs wouldn't support her any longer, but before she could fall a fist grabbed her roughly by the collar and pinned her to the wall.

"WHY?!" Roman roared at her, but she could only choke pitifully beneath his grip. She didn't need her senses to feel the heat and pressure of another energy blast forming in his other hand. The strength of his grip only seemed to increase as he shoved her harder and harder against the wall.

She didn't answer. She physically could not. Even as he demanded an answer, he left her too weak and battered to speak.

Time seemed to stop as she awaited her fate, only to suddenly and violently resume as she was tossed aside to collapse into the dirt.

"Don't... follow me..." Roman growled and turned his back on her, storming away.

. . .

Her blindfold clung to her face, laden with her own tears. She could not say how long she'd lay there, limp and trembling with her sobs. Unbidden, she clawed her way to her feet, a sudden impulse driving her onward. Slowly, her toes dragging through the dirt, she shuffled forth to finish the journey she'd started before.

It was strange how only now, when she'd been specifically told not to, that her legs would move.

The sound of conflict had faded off. She did not know what to make of that. Deep down, the answer didn't really concern her anymore. There was just one mystery that demanded an answer dragging her along. Weakly, her fingers rose to her face, tugging at the blindfold until it finally gave in and fell away. She blinked, her eyes stinging from the faint haze of acrid smoke that hung in the air.

In the distance she saw it, or where it should have been. Where Roman's home had once stood now only lay a burnt out foundation surrounded by pulverized rubble. She staggered over the crushed cement, coughing as the smoke and dust grew thicker.

She stood now, just shy of the center of the blasted out ruin. There she found Roman, sitting, his arms hanging limp at his sides, eyes turned downward and staring at the cracked and scorched floor. Legs that had been driven by some inexplicable burst of will gave way and Velona too dropped, falling to a similar position on the floor.

Her parents had been the head of her people, as Roman's had been for his. She'd known they would clash. The mystery, the question on her mind, had come clear.

They were alone -- two orphans left kneeling in a pile of ashes.

. . .

Everything melted away. Darkness came and fled, Velona's eyes fluttering open to reveal an unfamiliar sky. So that was it then. Everything she repressed while awake now sought to haunt her in her sleep? With a faint groan she pulled herself to her feet, only to suck in a pained breath and clutch at her ribs. With the chaos of the prior day gone and her body cold from sleep, the aches and pains that hadn't troubled her all too much before now screamed for attention.

She took a slow, careful breath and managed to straighten up properly. She could deal with that later.

She quickly lifted off from the ground and flew off. She made quick stop at a waterfall she'd spotted before, hovering within it toward the top, where the crashing water wasn't too rough, but still enough to wash her off and wake her up. Using a quick burst of energy to mostly dry off, she was once more on the move seeking where she was supposed to meet her new acquaintances. It seemed her fitful dreaming had resulted in her being late. She gingerly alighted on the ground, already smelling the food.

Most of the others were already there, including the ones she'd become most acquainted with and thus quickly gravitated toward, coming to a stop by Ovaan who happened to be the closest. She noticed that aside from the food, there seemed to be strange little cases lying about. No doubt she'd know what they were if she'd shown up earlier.

"Forgive me. I... overslept," she spoke, folding her arms before her and trying not to let her shame show. "So..." She had to swallow, also not wanting to show just how unbearably hungry she was now realizing she was. Her stomach squirmed and tightened in the presence of food. "Did I, um, miss anything?" On the surface she seemed as serene as always... even as her hand slowly reached out and began grabbing food, as if the limb has just grown a mind of its own.

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

Uuuuuuuuuuuugh, I have half of a very long post written. I will try to finish it tonight.

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

But there was a fight. That means at least 5 episodes have passed, give or take one or two for screaming and power-ups. We're at least on episode eight.

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

I tagged all the wrong people because I just copy-pasted and forgot to edit it... Go me.

Anyway, yeah, when it comes time to post, just take her energy if you want to. Don't need me to post again just for that.

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

@King Kindred@Chev@PPQ Purple@IceHeart

---

Tabaga, as it turned out her name was, decided to calm down and didn't seem to plan on taking advantage of Velona's offer... which was fine by her, because after watching her nearly snap Yaksha's neck, she wasn't sure she wanted to be alone with the woman. She was well aware saiyans could be brutal, but this one was just a hair too unpredictable and far stronger than what she was used to.

So instead, she simply took a step back and nodded in acknowledgement once introductions were out of the way. There would not, however, be any time to try and make sense of things. It seemed she had made herself the object of attention for at least some of those present.

"No, I-" She stuttered at Titanius's bluntly stated question. "It's... cultural." It sounded so strange to say it out loud. Or rather, it sounded wrong. Blinding oneself culturally? She'd been around enough to know that something being cultural didn't make it good or sensible. Simply putting it that way wouldn't quite get the full story across -- rather they'd no doubt think her people were stupid.

Then again, considering what had become of them...

They hadn't set events into motion, but they'd certainly sealed their own fate.

She took a breath to calm herself once more, "My kind used to be very aggressive. We found covering our eyes to help with that." She kept it short and simple for now. She could explain more later if they wanted her to, but she wasn't really in the mood to say more than that for now.

Meanwhile, the Kai's interrogation of Tabaga had continued and reached a conclusion: Tabaga's universe still remained. It was also suggested that hers was the only one of all of them. An intrusive thought sprouted at this revelation.

"What makes her so lucky?"

A slight tightening of Velona's lips was the only indication that anything had really crossed her mind at that moment. She felt guilty right away. It was clear enough that, universe or not, Tabaga wasn't much luckier than the rest of them. She'd had her share of suffering all the same. It didn't mean she had anything to really return to.

And now they were being assigned missions. Were they to just... obey this Kai? Then again, what else was there for them to do? If she wanted answers, this was probably her best bet.

So be it, then.

"Very well..." She uttered quietly. After that, attention shifted to revitalizing the pink one who didn't have horns and had nearly melted her face off. She... wasn't thrilled with the idea, but Maize had already proven herself capable of keeping her in check, so... if this being was another one of them, plucked from a universe on the verge of annihilation, then hopefully she'd proved to be an ally if she could stay calm.

She lifted a hand, and a few reddish sparks danced across her fingers. It seemed that she still had a half-respectable reservoir of energy. Aside from the one incident, she hadn't been put under much strain since awakening, so she wasn't feeling exhausted. To say she was feeling perky, however, would have been pushing it. A lot. "I can help as well, if you're worried, Mia." Finally had that name squared away. "No need for you to be exhausted if she lashes out again."

The last thing Mia needed was to be dead on her feet in the strange being was still angry. Then someone's face might actually be melted. And, quite frankly, Velona had the feeling her energy would be better off in Maize's hands...

Dragon Ball: Shattered Worlds

Have a post in the works but with the holidays fully upon me I might be hard pressed to sit down and finish writing it as soon as I'd like.