Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Turning to Isthar, she gave her a smile, happy to see her healthy again, "Perhaps there might be away of narrowing down the location of this particular star. My knowledge of such things is relatively recent, something I learned from an encounter with an old Astronomer who was kind enough to take me in during a blizzard some time back. If you are better versed in this subject matter, then perhaps you might know a way to find it."

"If ?" Ishtar asked, chuckling at the roundabout way Meagan had asked for the Oni's insight.

"I would not have asked, if I did not feel I could offer something of worth. Yet it seems you have the matter well enough in hand." Not a moment later, then, a somewhat boisterous presence made itself known once more; and with a nod offered to the Chromakian the golden-eyed Oni turned to see its source.

Tasure snorted dismissively. "Girl, I recognize your potential and bravery, but I hope you realize that it takes a Super Saiyan to handle a Super Saiyan. I'll admit, I'm not 100% sure, but he was holding back when he fought Toto and me ten years ago. Given his power, I, for one, assume that he can go gold."

She crossed her arms and leaned against a palm tree. "...I won't babysit you brats--if something you can handle shows up, I'll stand aside and maybe offer critique--because otherwise you won't grow, but if by some chance Jagam shows up, you will sit your asses on the sideline and let me handle him, am I clear? Not only do I have a score to settle, but I'm probably the only Saiyan alive that can actually contend with him..."

Her gaze locked on Totoma and she glowered. "Although if a certain halfbreed had kept up with his training and not cried over his dead mommy for ten years, we'd have a fighter capable of tearing Jagam a new *******, even if I'm right and he is a Super Saiyan. Feh..."

Totoma shrank under her intense gaze, fidgeting uncomfortably. "I... I think you might be exaggerating, mom..."

"Don't. Contradict. Me. On. This." Tasure's anger at Totoma's self-doubt was almost palpable, and Totoma immediately shut his trap.

From the way she spoke, and the way she held herself. There was no denying this one was a Saiyan.

To say nothing of how she spoke to the boy who all but cowered in her presence. No doubt, this was the mother Totoma had lost ten years prior. And while there was a passing curiosity at how she had been restored to the living ... had they not just spent several days attempting to collect the means for managing such ? It stood to reason such a thing may have been wished for while the Oni herself was in the throes of death ...

What a simple wish.

In any event, the Oni stepped away slightly from Slak, and Meagan, if only so that her voice- still soft, as her newly reforged vocal cords grew used to use- would carry across the distance between the two women.

"Tasure, I presume ? I am Ishtar, Mentor to Totoma." The Oni bowed her head then, slightly.

[Tami]

"If ?" Ishtar asked, chuckling at the roundabout way Meagan had asked for the Oni's insight.

"I would not have asked, if I did not feel I could offer something of worth. Yet it seems you have the matter well enough in hand." Not a moment later, then, a somewhat boisterous presence made itself known once more; and with a nod offered to the Chromakian the golden-eyed Oni turned to see its source.



From the way she spoke, and the way she held herself. There was no denying this one was a Saiyan.

To say nothing of how she spoke to the boy who all but cowered in her presence. No doubt, this was the mother Totoma had lost ten years prior. And while there was a passing curiosity at how she had been restored to the living ... had they not just spent several days attempting to collect the means for managing such ? It stood to reason such a thing may have been wished for while the Oni herself was in the throes of death ...

What a simple wish.

In any event, the Oni stepped away slightly from Slak, and Meagan, if only so that her voice- still soft, as her newly reforged vocal cords grew used to use- would carry across the distance between the two women.

"Tasure, I presume ? I am Ishtar, Mentor to Totoma." The Oni bowed her head then, slightly.

Meagan watched Isthar approach the Sayian and debated if she should join in or not. It wasn't a hard choice as she followed Isthar, but held back slightly, to wait and see what happens next.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Sarada nodded, thankfully that she didn't have to explain herself any further. Out of everyone here who wasn't a Saiyan, Meagan probably understood where she was coming from the most. Her own planet was under siege by an invading force and she had taken it upon herself to protect them. While Sarada hadn't gone that far quite yet -- she still had a long way to go before she replaced Mato as the strongest Saiyan alive -- she was going to make it her goal to become strong enough to kill Jagam. With a clear goal in mind, added to the more relaxed environment of Earth and possibly Vocado in the near future, her strength should grow exponentially.

Hopefully quickly enough so that she could at least make Jagam sweat.

Throw in the likes of Mato, Queen Toma, Tasure, Maiz, and every other Super Elite, they would stand a good chance.

"Thanks for understanding. It sounds like a good fight, but I can't lose focus."



Super Saiyan...

She swallowed shakily. No one really knew for certain just how powerful a Super Saiyan was. There had only been one or two in history. The general consensus was that going gold increased a Saiyans power by x50. A staggering number. Even someone like Jagam -- who had a PL of around 40,000 ten years ago -- would have a PL of 2,000,000 as a Super Saiyan. He could destroy the entire galaxy with that kind of power.

Still, she didn't let numbers scare her. It was a Saiyan's dream to battle a hyper strong opponent, and they didn't get any stronger than a Super Saiyan.

"There are over a hundred thousand Super Elites on Vocado right now," she replied with a heavy frown. "If we train them and give them a clear goal of becoming strong enough to at least make Jagam sweat individually, then we can possibly overwhelm him with numbers. It's our only hope. There isn't another Super Saiyan alive and there hasn't been since Vocado. So, unless you plan on wishing him back to life, this is the best we can do."

What other choice did they have?

"I wish I could surprise you by transforming into a Super Saiyan right now, but..." She sighed and shook her head. "...while I trained with Vocado and am much, much stronger than I was, I'm no Super Saiyan. Not yet."

Tasure clenched her fists. "Though seeing that damn Jagam again in the flesh, after what I witnessed him do to my little Toto... might be just what I need. Until then, I'll have to rely on the perfected Hitozaru layered with Bekon's Full Boar technique. "

"That seems dangerous," said Totoma. "Really dangerous."

Tasure shook her head. "...I met some of your Earthling ancestors in the afterlife, too. Full Boar was never meant to be a standalone technique; instead, it's meant to supplement and amplify other, more unstable forms of powering up."

Totoma remained silent, eyes drifting as his mind went over the possibilities. Meanwhile, Tasure continued...

"...mm, but I think if we train up the Super-Elites and use yours truly as a spearhead, defeating Jagam may be a very real possibility," continued Tasure. "Assuming just seeing him doesn't push me over the edge and make me into even more of a legend. If that happens, I get to have all the fun."

"If ?" Ishtar asked, chuckling at the roundabout way Meagan had asked for the Oni's insight.

"I would not have asked, if I did not feel I could offer something of worth. Yet it seems you have the matter well enough in hand." Not a moment later, then, a somewhat boisterous presence made itself known once more; and with a nod offered to the Chromakian the golden-eyed Oni turned to see its source.



From the way she spoke, and the way she held herself. There was no denying this one was a Saiyan.

To say nothing of how she spoke to the boy who all but cowered in her presence. No doubt, this was the mother Totoma had lost ten years prior. And while there was a passing curiosity at how she had been restored to the living ... had they not just spent several days attempting to collect the means for managing such ? It stood to reason such a thing may have been wished for while the Oni herself was in the throes of death ...

What a simple wish.

In any event, the Oni stepped away slightly from Slak, and Meagan, if only so that her voice- still soft, as her newly reforged vocal cords grew used to use- would carry across the distance between the two women.

"Tasure, I presume ? I am Ishtar, Mentor to Totoma." The Oni bowed her head then, slightly.

An... oni? What the flaming hell was an oni doing outside of the afterlife?

Tasure regarded the woman with a wary gaze. Tasure had always prided herself on her sensing abilities being able to pick up on hidden or suppressed power, and looking at this woman...

...she was definitely far more than she let on, though Tasure couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, she didn't seem hostile, so there was no need to be get hostile herself.

"In the flesh," said Tasure. "...you're pretty far from home, aren't you, Ishtar? Rare to see one of your kind outside of... hm, you know."

She went silent for a moment, then continued. "And you say you're Totoma's mentor? Huh, interesting choice on his part... though I suppose not an altogether bad one, as most of this lot doesn't strike me as mentor material. Too young."

"...has he learned from anyone else? And if you don't mind me asking, what have you been teaching him?" Tasure was genuinely curious. Toto had always been an attentive student, eager to learn new techniques and such, so it seemed likely that he'd chosen to learn a bit from everybody in the group, whether they realized it or not.

[Tami]

"I wish I could surprise you by transforming into a Super Saiyan right now, but..." She sighed and shook her head. "...while I trained with Vocado and am much, much stronger than I was, I'm no Super Saiyan. Not yet."

Tasure clenched her fists. "Though seeing that damn Jagam again in the flesh, after what I witnessed him do to my little Toto... might be just what I need. Until then, I'll have to rely on the perfected Hitozaru layered with Bekon's Full Boar technique. "

"That seems dangerous," said Totoma. "Really dangerous."

Tasure shook her head. "...I met some of your Earthling ancestors in the afterlife, too. Full Boar was never meant to be a standalone technique; instead, it's meant to supplement and amplify other, more unstable forms of powering up."

Totoma remained silent, eyes drifting as his mind went over the possibilities. Meanwhile, Tasure continued...

"...mm, but I think if we train up the Super-Elites and use yours truly as a spearhead, defeating Jagam may be a very real possibility," continued Tasure. "Assuming just seeing him doesn't push me over the edge and make me into even more of a legend. If that happens, I get to have all the fun."



An... oni? What the flaming hell was an oni doing outside of the afterlife?

Tasure regarded the woman with a wary gaze. Tasure had always prided herself on her sensing abilities being able to pick up on hidden or suppressed power, and looking at this woman...

...she was definitely far more than she let on, though Tasure couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, she didn't seem hostile, so there was no need to be get hostile herself.

"In the flesh," said Tasure. "...you're pretty far from home, aren't you, Ishtar? Rare to see one of your kind outside of... hm, you know."

She went silent for a moment, then continued. "And you say you're Totoma's mentor? Huh, interesting choice on his part... though I suppose not an altogether bad one, as most of this lot doesn't strike me as mentor material. Too young."

"...has he learned from anyone else? And if you don't mind me asking, what have you been teaching him?" Tasure was genuinely curious. Toto had always been an attentive student, eager to learn new techniques and such, so it seemed likely that he'd chosen to learn a bit from everybody in the group, whether they realized it or not.

Still standing back, Meagan couldn't help but find this interaction interesting. She hadn't thought til now just how unusual it was to see an Oni, and she did wonder how someone who was supposed to have passed a decade ago suddenly appears to be very much alive.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

An... oni? What the flaming hell was an oni doing outside of the afterlife?

Tasure regarded the woman with a wary gaze. Tasure had always prided herself on her sensing abilities being able to pick up on hidden or suppressed power, and looking at this woman...

...she was definitely far more than she let on, though Tasure couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, she didn't seem hostile, so there was no need to be get hostile herself.

"In the flesh," said Tasure. "...you're pretty far from home, aren't you, Ishtar? Rare to see one of your kind outside of... hm, you know."

She went silent for a moment, then continued. "And you say you're Totoma's mentor? Huh, interesting choice on his part... though I suppose not an altogether bad one, as most of this lot doesn't strike me as mentor material. Too young."

"...has he learned from anyone else? And if you don't mind me asking, what have you been teaching him?" Tasure was genuinely curious. Toto had always been an attentive student, eager to learn new techniques and such, so it seemed likely that he'd chosen to learn a bit from everybody in the group, whether they realized it or not.

It made sense in a way for that to be the first matter touched on, Ishtar noted.

Considering that the Saiyan had been dead until recently, it was likely somewhat concerning to see a- former- tender of the Endless Garden, and Shepherd of the Lost Souls, wandering around atop the Lookout with the living. Though the comment itself was an interesting one, the avoidance of actually speaking its name, not lost on the golden-eyed Oni.

"The Afterlife ? One supposes. Though such a place is ... not what I would consider to be home. It has been ... a very long time, since last I saw the place. To say I am similar to those you know is also ... not accurate."

The subject changed quickly however, back to the initial comment that started the conversation off; and for that Ishtar found herself somewhat relieved. And there was definitely truth in what was said about the age of those assembled, and with a nod the golden-eyed Oni agreed to as much before moving on. "You are all young, yes. As to what was taught to Totoma ... a method to counter the racial hunger that is third only to the desires of mating, and fighting."

Pausing a moment, Ishtar considered her words carefully before explaining how exactly she went about this.

"In short, I ... showed the boy how to subsist on nothing more than water. Which required the boy to learn how to convert the water into energy .. I did this by filling him with such until the only option was to do so, or die." A massive compression of the lesson as it had been learned by Ishtar, herself, but one that had yielded results far faster. Several months of meditation in a river, compressed into the span of a few hours.

"Other mentors, however ? ... Perhaps Ochazuke. The man offered Totoma relationship advice, as I understand it ... and also punched him in the face. A lot ? Yes .. knowing Ochazuke, it was a lot."

If anything her 'brother', was predictable in that facet. Unyielding progress through the labors of combat.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Still standing back, Meagan couldn't help but find this interaction interesting. She hadn't thought til now just how unusual it was to see an Oni, and she did wonder how someone who was supposed to have passed a decade ago suddenly appears to be very much alive.

Pinach and Rutaba approached Meagan curiously. They had never seen a Chromekai in person before, only in the textbooks in their xeno studies classes.

[Tami]

Pinach and Rutaba approached Meagan curiously. They had never seen a Chromekai in person before, only in the textbooks in their xeno studies classes.

"Hello, I assume you are related to Sarada?" she then smiled and bowed her head slightly, "I'm Meagan Te'al, who might you be?"

[Yun Lao]

It was some time before Charco returned to the others. The boy seemed out of it, content to sit against a wall near where the others had gathered and run his hand through his hair as if to simulate his brain enough to proper digest all the information he had learned. There were a few people he wasn't familiar with there, but he just didn't care. It wasn't from apathy or cruel indifference, but just mentally overtaxed.

He knew now the fate of his grandfather, what the voice within him was, and the reason why his grandmother's face had been permanently altered. Charco had no idea where to begin processing all of this, but there was one thing among all of this that he understood, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that he needed to get stronger.

By this point, he couldn't rely on the Dino School tomes any longer. He would need to seek out the others if he was to progress.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"I wish I could surprise you by transforming into a Super Saiyan right now, but..." She sighed and shook her head. "...while I trained with Vocado and am much, much stronger than I was, I'm no Super Saiyan. Not yet."

Tasure clenched her fists. "Though seeing that damn Jagam again in the flesh, after what I witnessed him do to my little Toto... might be just what I need. Until then, I'll have to rely on the perfected Hitozaru layered with Bekon's Full Boar technique. "

"That seems dangerous," said Totoma. "Really dangerous."

Tasure shook her head. "...I met some of your Earthling ancestors in the afterlife, too. Full Boar was never meant to be a standalone technique; instead, it's meant to supplement and amplify other, more unstable forms of powering up."

Totoma remained silent, eyes drifting as his mind went over the possibilities. Meanwhile, Tasure continued...

"...mm, but I think if we train up the Super-Elites and use yours truly as a spearhead, defeating Jagam may be a very real possibility," continued Tasure. "Assuming just seeing him doesn't push me over the edge and make me into even more of a legend. If that happens, I get to have all the fun."

Good. Tasure was on board. They were going to need her strength and influence to whip the Super Elites into even better shape than they already were in. "Hmph. I wouldn't count on becoming a Super Saiyan before me. I may be weaker than you now, but considering how much stronger I've become in just a week, I'll probably be stronger than you in just a year or so."

She smirked.

Wait, how much stronger was she? She hadn't thought to check her power level after it was certain all the fighting was over. She felt a lot more powerful, but she wanted an exact number.

"550?" The Capsule Corps scouter didn't lie. She had a power level of 550. In just a few days, she went from 50 to 550. It was too unreal for words. "I'm an Elite," she muttered shakily.

She flinched when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. "Don't embarrass yourself, child. You've done better than I thought you would but you still have a long way to go." Despite the firmness in her words, there was a smile on her lips.

Sarada returned the smile. "I know. I think I'll stay here for a few more months and train. The Super Elites won't be too impressed with a power level that's barely above half their own."

"A sound idea. At this rate, you may be a Super Elite yourself by the time you come back."

Well, there was an idea she wasn't at all opposed to.

It made sense in a way for that to be the first matter touched on, Ishtar noted.

Considering that the Saiyan had been dead until recently, it was likely somewhat concerning to see a- former- tender of the Endless Garden, and Shepherd of the Lost Souls, wandering around atop the Lookout with the living. Though the comment itself was an interesting one, the avoidance of actually speaking its name, not lost on the golden-eyed Oni.

"The Afterlife ? One supposes. Though such a place is ... not what I would consider to be home. It has been ... a very long time, since last I saw the place. To say I am similar to those you know is also ... not accurate."

The subject changed quickly however, back to the initial comment that started the conversation off; and for that Ishtar found herself somewhat relieved. And there was definitely truth in what was said about the age of those assembled, and with a nod the golden-eyed Oni agreed to as much before moving on. "You are all young, yes. As to what was taught to Totoma ... a method to counter the racial hunger that is third only to the desires of mating, and fighting."

Pausing a moment, Ishtar considered her words carefully before explaining how exactly she went about this.

"In short, I ... showed the boy how to subsist on nothing more than water. Which required the boy to learn how to convert the water into energy .. I did this by filling him with such until the only option was to do so, or die." A massive compression of the lesson as it had been learned by Ishtar, herself, but one that had yielded results far faster. Several months of meditation in a river, compressed into the span of a few hours.

"Other mentors, however ? ... Perhaps Ochazuke. The man offered Totoma relationship advice, as I understand it ... and also punched him in the face. A lot ? Yes .. knowing Ochazuke, it was a lot."

If anything her 'brother', was predictable in that facet. Unyielding progress through the labors of combat.

Maiz raised an eyebrow when the blue woman approached them. So, this was the Ishtar that Zurvan spoke about. But, that wasn't what triggered her curiosity. It was that she had Sarada's sent on her. And hers was on Sarada.

Ah, Zurvan did say that she was going to mate with his daughter.

Well, this was more like it. "So, you're Ishtar. You're father spoke to me about you at the tournament. I am Maiz, Sarada's care-nurse. I can't help but notice that you have her scent lingering on you."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Hello, I assume you are related to Sarada?" she then smiled and bowed her head slightly, "I'm Meagan Te'al, who might you be?"

"I'm Pinach and this is my cousin, Rutaba," Pinach answered. "I'm Sarada's smarter and stronger brother."

Rutaba reached up to touch the hem of Meagan's shirt. "Are you a Chromekai? We've never seen one of you before in person, but we've studied your race at the Academy on Vocado."

[Yun Lao]

Eventually the teenager's body got restless, lacking the exhaustion currently weighing down on his brain. Perhaps it was best to not dwell on those issues for now and use this opportunity to correct the issues he had found in himself the last few fights.

Climbing to his feet, Charco glanced out to the others, looking for a few in particular. For now he needed the advice of Totoma, Ishtar, and Ochazuke, and so, he would seek out the latter most first.

[Tami]

"I'm Pinach and this is my cousin, Rutaba," Pinach answered. "I'm Sarada's smarter and stronger brother."

Rutaba reached up to touch the hem of Meagan's shirt. "Are you a Chromekai? We've never seen one of you before in person, but we've studied your race at the Academy on Vocado."

Nodding, she then looked bemused and curious,"Oh? So, what do your textbooks say about Chromakai?"

[grampagen]

Willa steels herself, shaking offf her shame at Slak’s words and looking at her.

“I failed. I let Battersea in too much, let him corrupt my ideals. I thought I was using him , but in the end I lost sight and became him, lusting after power and ignoring those I should have trusted. I should have listened to you about Chris, about everything. But we aren’t finished yet.”

She stands, bound, beaten, but alive. She looks at Kenshiko, fire in her eyes.

“We lost, but we are not defeated. I lost my way, but I haven’t broken. My oldest friend and ally, I would ask you one more time to follow me. We cannot defeat those gathered here after everything. We will go with Pantaloon. He’ll take us and we shall be jailed. Charlie Base is still secure, Chris never knew where it was. Damask is still in play too. We shall gather our strength again, our true will, and when the time comes we shall be free again, and we will do things better. I swear this to you.”

She holds a bound hand out.

“One more time Sergeant, will you stand with me again?”

“Don't do this,” Ochazuke said, “What ideals is she fighting for? Will pillaging the world under her orders change a damn thing? What about all she'll take from the world, what about their suffering? Does what we've endured justify this?”

Kenshiko hesitated, her blooded hand outstretched where she reached for Willa's. It gnawed a hollow within him to see her so swayed by these words full of empty promises. That's when he realized this pain was the fountainhead of her newfound strength. The same wounds that shook him from doctrine and set him free let her know she was still alive, so long as they kept bleeding. Yet once the blood spilled it is not so easily washed away. He had left her alone to save himself, and she fell further with nothing to reign her in but the accrued sins so comfortably absolved when borne in confidence.

“Your oldest friend? What happened to you? She'll betray your trust to get you to do what she wants. I won't.”

He'd asked Held to give him this moment, even knowing what it could mean. Defying the odds, his comrade had seized victory from an impossible task. He would not waste it. Ochazuke spoke to his intention then.

“When I found you, I wasn't seeking an enemy, only the truth that was hidden from me. You showed it to me through your passion. You raised me up and never gave up on me, same as everyone else. The first and last lesson every day. There is no path to walk but forward-”

“-and no way forward but through. Heh.”

It was her words that steadied his resolve every time he cast his life through Kikojutsu. Had he yet reached her?

“You were our rock in Ori City. You're still my Kru, even now.” He stepped forward from the edge of the Lookout. Kenshiko cast a wistful glance back at him over her shoulder and her eyes seemed to soften. “The Five Schools started as One, that's what started all of this. We can change this. Rebuild the Tiger School, preserve what was lost, give it a future. Not one of false honour or bloodshed, but something real.”

She withdrew her hand short of embracing her commander's, sparing Willa's bondage the acquired stain of her defeat. Standing between the two, she lowered her gaze.

“The Tiger's fist was all you ever really wanted, wasn't it? A lot of good it's done for either of us.”

“It's kept us alive, but this isn't about that.” he said, “What was lost can't ever be replaced. Neither can you.”

Shuddering under the pain, a low sigh left her as her disciplined stature buckled forward upon shortened steps. Ochazuke started forward to assist her, but her softened eyes hardened once more, and a wall was drawn between them with more force than a mortal blow.

“Everyone I've lost, all those I propped up and readied to die, I can still hear them,” she said, her voice quaking. “Every day, they're all still with me fighting asking me if it was all for nothing. I bear them up still. I can't allow allow them to die in vain.“

“I understand. You might not believe me, but I do. Four years, near five, now, not a day's gone by that I haven't thought of what I could have done. I couldn't save your sister that day, but I'll stand beside you now if you'll let me.”

Her slack pace gave no pause, one foot before the other retracing her steps along the edge of the Lookout. The wound at her side stopped bleeding.

“Don't let it end for us like this, not with all you can still do, Kenshiko,” he called after her, “What is it you want Kru, as the Master of the Tiger School? If you go to Rautt, you'll be the one to bury Kaibyo this time. I can't accept you'd kill her memory.”

Slowly Kenshiko walked back the way she came, up the ramp of the Capsule transport. Falling next to a seat slick with her own blood, she leaned back, resting her weary head apart from those who gazed at her from the past, reflecting her present state, there where she willingly return captive to where she was before.

“Let the dead rest, Ochazuke,” she said, her firm words drawn from an aching soul. “While everything else falls apart, the only thing I can do is survive. The ones I put in the grave, all the students I've let down, they're gone now. There's nothing left out there waiting for me. I'm as much a Kru these days as your name is really Zosui.”

She cast a glance out of the bay door, her eyes muted behind a haze of crimson locks where she looked back on those faces that were the firmament of her broken dreams.

“Colonel, I won't leave you to face Grinthorn alone. We've come this far fighting that slime,” she said with a short grin. Looking idly out past her former student, she declared, “ After all I've done, all that's left is to take responsibility for it. Maybe things will change once they know the truth.”

He looked at her, and the twisted shape of the living memory played in his mind once again. Was what they had in the last days of the Tiger School ever real? Every shot thrown, every blow sunk, guided by that same hand that pushed him to succeed, was it all for them to succumb to this? He'd taken for granted at that time the hopes from her etched into his body. She'd strike firm to show them the way, with due diligence to sculpt a warrior from nothing. With the scar on his chest wound over his heart, he knew it was so, even in a memory so close, unreachable from the outside.

His ready acceptance of this new reality disturbed him deeply, far more than the absent tears might suggest as he stood there, watching her suffer in silence. As Kenshiko left him behind, he would endure the fate she pushed him toward as at last he fully understood.

[Cyke]

Balon nods.

“I would be honored to show you some of the Dragon style.”

"Thank you, sir."

Zaofan offers a smile and a bow before getting back up.

"I'll have to attend to a few things before we depart on a transport, but l'll make it quick. I know you must be anxious to return home."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Maiz raised an eyebrow when the blue woman approached them. So, this was the Ishtar that Zurvan spoke about. But, that wasn't what triggered her curiosity. It was that she had Sarada's sent on her. And hers was on Sarada.

Ah, Zurvan did say that she was going to mate with his daughter.

Well, this was more like it. "So, you're Ishtar. You're father spoke to me about you at the tournament. I am Maiz, Sarada's care-nurse. I can't help but notice that you have her scent lingering on you."

Ishtar blinked.

Zurvan speaking with people, was a thing she knew. He had said as much about speaking with, as he called them, 'the Bottomless Homunculus, Polite Sarada, and the Cookman'; yet he had said nothing of this Care-Nurse. Likely a thing that had slipped the Aspect's mind in light of the events of the day and yet ... it left Ishtar wholly unprepared for the blunt comment that followed the brief introduction.

... you have her scent lingering on you ...

"I ... yes. We touched briefly, earlier ... though I am sure this is about the ... kissing, and teasing ... and soon-to-be mating ?" The Oni replied, almost blurting it out, after a moment of sputtering.

"Oh. Also. It is, nice to meet you, Maiz."