Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Tami]

Jinzi nods.

“Sleep sounds.......amazing......right about now.”

As soon as Jinzi is healed enough to walk, Meagan escorts him inside to a bedroom where he can rest.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sleep, unsurprisingly, didn't come for Sarada. She spent much of the last half-hour tossing and turning in the bed, eyes clamped shut in a futile effort to force sleep to overtake her, but it was no good. Every time she closed her eyes, Jack's smiling face appeared in her head. It was much brighter and much more jovial than the last one she saw, right before he died.

Damn it.

She sighed heavily and threw the covers off. Before she got off the bed, she noticed a framed photo on the bedside table. It was of the group when they were all training on the Lookout before the tournament months ago. It didn't escape her notice that she and Jack were more in focus than anyone else. She sighed again and replaced the photo back on the table.

"So, you're awake," came a voice she never thought she'd hear in a place like this.

Her sister was leaning on the doorjamb, arms folded over her chest. She was wearing some kind of flower dress that looked about as natural on her as it did on a dog. "What the hell are you doing here?" she snarled.

"Hum. Not the worst greeting I've received but still leaves much to be desired. I told you weeks ago that I planned on visiting this planet to see what all the fuss was about," she answered promptly. "So far, not impressed."

Sarada glared irately as she shot to her feet.

"Oh, you meant here here. I saw you flying and I followed you. A good thing, because you look like shi-ack!"

The younger sister clamped her hand on the elder's throat and brought her close. "Get. Out." She wasn't in the mood for any of Parsley shit. Not today. Not after the horrible day she had suffered through. Whatever she wanted, she could save it for someone else.

Despite being choked, she still had the nerve to raise an eyebrow. "Hm. I come to see about you and this is how you react? Is it because of J--" A fist was buried in her midsection up the elbow. She coughed out a gob of blood and gasped for air that never came.

Sarada's gaze was acidic. She said nothing, but easily lifted her sister into the air and carried her outside, where she tossed her to the snowy, icy ground like a piece of garbage. "You have five seconds to leave, or I'm kicking your ass."

Parsley rose to her hands and knees to give herself an easier time catching her breath. Her mouth had filled with blood, which she deposited in the snow. All of this, she was sure, took longer than five seconds. If her younger sister was serious about her threat, that would give her the outlet to work out the frustration and emotional turmoil that she clearly had been bottling up.

She slowly rose to her feet and cracked her neck. “Ah, it's been fifteen seconds, dear sister. Full of shit, as always.”

Except Sarada wasn't bluffing. She blurred forward and struck Parsley in the chin with a potent knee. As her familial opponent flew back, she chased after her. Sarada was superior to Parsley in every way possible. She was stronger, faster, hardier, had more stamina, more powerful, everything. The only thing Parsley had in her favor was experience, and even that gap had closed significantly since Sarada arrived on Earth.

In her mind, this wouldn't be a long fight, or even a close one. It was going to be quick, brutal, and severely one-sided. And she was going to enjoy every single moment of it. For years, she had been the victim of so many passive-aggressive comments from her sister, and not once could she pay her back.

A single punch sent Parsley careening through several trees and skidding across a frozen lake. “You know, I was hoping you'd have something smart to say,” Sarada commented as she marched toward her. “I was hoping you'd give me an excuse.”

“Oh, you need an excuse, do you?” she replied crossly. She tapped her wrist and was enveloped in a bright yellow light. When the light faded, she was in her battle armor. “You're a real piece of work, you know that?” Parsley had a power level of 8,000 on the nose; or she did the last time Sarada saw her. She wasn't exactly sure what kind of techniques she had at her disposal, since Parsley trained off-world most of the time.

“What?!”

Suddenly, her power doubled to just a shade under her own. “Surprised, eh? If you thought this was going to be a cake-walk, well...” She disappeared, then reappeared behind her. Her arms wrapped themselves around Sarada's waist and hoisted her back at frightening speed until her head slammed into the ground with enough force to crater it. Parsley rolled them back to the feet and hurled Sarada into the air. “You should feel fortunate,” she stated as she impaled her on her fist, then whipped her head around with a devastating right hook. “Not many get to witness the power of the Saiyan Super Elite and live to tell about it. I'm not going to kill you, so you can remember back to this moment with fondness.”

The punches rained down on Sarada, seemingly coming in from every direction. She couldn't get a bead on where she was going to attack next, so every strike connected for full impact. She could feel the bones in her skull starting to crack from the blows. Blood poured out of her nose and mouth like a leaky faucet. “Super... Elite...” Suddenly, Parsley's next punch missed when Sarada dodged it just in time. The next one missed, followed by the next. Just as surely as she was hitting her mark with devastating accuracy before, now she couldn't hit her if her life depended on it. “You may be Super Elite, but I'm Ultra Elite. I've long since surpassed everyone on Vocado and in the Saiyan Empire.”

The secret was that Sarada activated Instinctual Acuity before it was too late. She hadn't been anticipating Parsley being able to raise her power so drastically, but then, Parsley knew nothing of her techniques.

She shifted gears, switching from dodging to attacking on a dime. Her punches and kicks weaved and flowed around Parsley's attempts to defend as fluidly as water around rapids. Combined with Scarlet Impact and her assault had pieces of Parsley's armor flying off. The older Saiyan couldn't do anything to defend herself. For once, she felt as helpless as Sarada did any time they sparred and Parsley 'accidentally' got too rough.

“How does it feel to be helpless, Parsley?” she asked once she slammed her back to the ground with thunderous force. She watched the girl struggle to rise to her feet before kicking her in the stomach. “How does it feel to be scared for your life? It feel bad. It make you feel uncomfortable? Good. Now, you know how I felt when you--”

A blue streak of ki erupt from Parsley's hand and pierced through Sarada. It didn't leave a hole, but it felt like she had been run through by a red hot energy sword. As she gasped for breath and fell to her knees, Parsley rose, albeit wobbly.

“I swear to Vocado,” she panted irritably, “if the next words out of your mouth have to do with me 'leaving you with Dashir', I'm going to hurt you.”

“You... already... have.”

“Bullshit! I'm the only reason you weren't hurt worse!”

“Bullshit! You're the only reason I was hurt to begin with!”

“Are you deaf or are you just stupid? Serious question.” When Sarada bolted toward her, she caught the fist she lunged forward with and wretched it violently behind her back. When she heard a pop and the pained bellow that followed, she grunted. “How many times must I repeat myself? I. Did. Not. Leave. You. On. Purpose.” Every word was punctuated with a savage punch to the kidneys.

Sarada broke free and punched Parsley in the gut hard enough to lift her off the ground. “Then, why did you leave?! How did it take you three days to 'find' me?!”

“I couldn't find you! I went home at first because I thought you had found your way back. When you didn't show, I went back to look for you.”

“What?” They exchanged blows relentlessly, rocking each other with crushing punches and body-rending kicks. They both blocked more strikes with their faces than any other part of their anatomy. “How the hell could an eight year old get out of that shithole by herself?!”

Parsley didn't answer, but growled angrily and pressed her attack.

“Huh?! Answer me! Parsley! How could you be so stupid!!” Sarada tried to grabbed Parsley's arms so she could pull her into a knee, but the older sister was too quick-witted and countered by whipped her tail up to catch her in the chin. She staggered back, then was knocked to the ground by a stiff kick to the midsection.

Parsley was on top of her and pinned her arms to the ground with one hand and her tail. With her free hand, she started laying heavy punches on her face. “I WAS FUCKING TWELVE AND I WAS SCARED!” she roared in unadulterated fury. “Do you know how terrified I was when I lost you?! How can anyone think straight in that kind of moment, let alone a child?!”

The cantor shocked Sarada far more than the ferocity of the punches hitting her in the face unabated.

“I looked for you all that night, all the next day, and the morning after that,” she continued, even as she rained down straight rights. “I looked everywhere. I asked around, but no one was talking. It wasn't until I decided on a complete guess to check that bastard's ice cream shop and the apartment above it that I found you, moments away from being sodomized.”

Abruptly, she rose off of Sarada and walked away a few steps.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Too lost in her own thoughts, and the emotions that followed the death of not one, but two individuals she had considered friends- the feelings amplified further by Sarada's own grief, and guilt, and self-loathing- Ishtar had only been paying half attention to everything that was going on around her. So when it was that Etrina turned her attention toward the Oni and began to speak ... most of it was missed.

"One or two Months is fine, if it does what I've heard it can do I'd even advise taking an extra month to Iron out the kinks...it will more then make up for the lost time. Until then.....I think now is as good a time as any to carry forth my petition to access the mage society archives. If I'm going to be training for a long time in a single room I may as well try and bring something to read with me."

She then turns her attention briefly to Ishtar. "I don't know what your intentions are now in light of events...but your still welcome to come with me if you like Ishtar. The archive is as old a source of knowledge as one can find intact on this world, and we'll obviously need every available advantage. Plus, I think we can bypass the typical bureaucratic nonsense involved in access if we mention the world will be ending soon." A lips curved into a temporary smile, thought it was a weighted one.

"Intentions ?" Ishtar asked weakly, after a moment. Only to fall silent as she slowly sorted out what exactly it was Etrina was getting at.

Oh ... right.

It certainly took a moment, yet Ishtar was almost positive the young mage was asking after that affair they had agreed upon undertaking some days before this. Something to do with the Council of Human Mages, and the fun that might be had in bringing an Oni into their self-aggrandized reliquary of magical tomes. And really ... that what had happened, had happened, did not exactly change that goal for Ishtar. It was a thing she had agreed to, and was a being well and beyond reticent to go back on her word. that she had given her word too, to Chrona- her half sister- that she would protect Etrina; and that the bauble she had been offered in this endeavor was now almost painfully announcing its continued presence by burning away at its current confines also ... assisted in Ishtar's continued agreement.

So after a few moments more of awkward silence; the golden-eyed Oni offered a weak little nod.

"I see no reason why I would n-" Stopping short as a voice cut through the haze, Ishtar fell silent once more.

She wanted the Oni to join her, to hold her while she slept, but resisted asking her. This place needed to remain secret. It was a home that only she and Jack knew of, and it needed to stay that way. That meant Ishtar could never see it. 'I'll see you tomorrow,' she telepathically sent to Ishtar.

Sarada would be back tomorrow ... time enough to restore her mind and body to a working- if still somewhat grieving- state ... and as much as Ishtar wished to do nothing more than hold the Saiyan as she cried herself to sleep; her presence might hinder over help. Frustrating beyond the bounds of what was previously thought to be the 'pinnacle of frustration' surely ... and yet it was the way of things.

'I will be here, love.'

With a sigh then, Ishtar returned her attention to Etrina.

"A week, perhaps two. All I ask."

[MrSandman]

"Intentions ?" Ishtar asked weakly, after a moment. Only to fall silent as she slowly sorted out what exactly it was Etrina was getting at.

Oh ... right.

It certainly took a moment, yet Ishtar was almost positive the young mage was asking after that affair they had agreed upon undertaking some days before this. Something to do with the Council of Human Mages, and the fun that might be had in bringing an Oni into their self-aggrandized reliquary of magical tomes. And really ... that what had happened, had happened, did not exactly change that goal for Ishtar. It was a thing she had agreed to, and was a being well and beyond reticent to go back on her word. that she had given her word too, to Chrona- her half sister- that she would protect Etrina; and that the bauble she had been offered in this endeavor was now almost painfully announcing its continued presence by burning away at its current confines also ... assisted in Ishtar's continued agreement.

So after a few moments more of awkward silence; the golden-eyed Oni offered a weak little nod.

"I see no reason why I would n-" Stopping short as a voice cut through the haze, Ishtar fell silent once more.

With a sigh then, Ishtar returned her attention to Etrina.

"A week, perhaps two. All I ask."

"Of course, I need to return home for awhile anyways to make sure Gaav isn't acting up.....and feed him I suppose." Etrina added almost as an afterthought. "More importantly...I....Hmm....need a couple days to sort of things out with someone I've been slightly neglecting. In any event I'll be ready by the time you are."

Glancing around apprehensively, Etrina took a moment to collect herself. "....Chin up....I'm sure those two are overqualified to handle anything in the afterlife. We just need to be ready to wish them back later, and more importantly have a world to wish them back to"

Her eyes scanned the group once again, this time looking for Zaofan.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada remained on the ground, bloody, face swollen and bruised. Most of all, she was in shock. It wasn't like her sister to be this open about what she was thinking. Most of the time, her thoughts were shrouded in ambiguity. For her to be so honest and open... this must have been weighing on her for so long. “But, he said --”

“You actually believe a pedophile over your own sister?” Anger and hurt dripped from every word she spoke. “You know what's funny, sister? Everyone else believes me. Our parents gritted their teeth and apologized once the truth came out. Maiz, our brother, everyone. You know why? Because everyone believes the truth. Everyone except you. You, you would rather believe a man who fucked children as a hobby because what he said lined up just perfectly with your opinion of me. That I'm out to get you and ruin your life. So, evidently in Saradaland, a twelve year old has the mental capacity and the ambition that would be beyond many adults to find and converse with a man she knows is a pedophile, then offer her sister to him for... what exactly?” She turned to face her sister with an icy cold stare. “What reason did you manage to come up with?”

In all honesty, Sarada didn't have one. She just... she just knew that Dashir was telling the truth. Why, she didn't know. Maybe Parsley was right. Maybe she only believed him because he told her exactly what she wanted to hear. When Avoca pointed out the blatant flaw in her insistence in believing him, Sarada scoffed and waved her off.

Silence reigned over the frozen wasteland of the Northern continent. Both sisters were breathing heavily and were bleeding profusely. The area around them had been wrecked and destroyed. The only thing left standing, luckily, was Jack's home. Good.

“Thought so.” Parsely derisive tone filled the empty space that had settled between them. “You'd rather believe a pedophile than your own sister. The very sister, need I remind you, who saved you from said pedophile in the first place.”

“I didn't believe you because you're a liar,” Sarada yelled back.

“And you aren't?”

The simple retort killed whatever reply she had prepared.

“You've never lied to save your own dignity? To save your pride? To save yourself from having to admit some uncomfortable truth you'd rather ignore?” She tilted her head back, but kept her eyes focused squarely on her. “I think so. Otherwise, why would you smell so strongly of a woman when Jack seemed to have completely enraptured your attention.”

She wanted to say she was wrong, but she couldn't. Sarada herself admitted as much just a short while ago. She knew exactly how she treated Jack. The fact that Parsley was able to determine that almost immediately spoke volumes.

“So, how long with this one keep your attention before you move on to the next one? Hm? A few months? A year? Avoca lasted, what, three before you moved on from her. The Earthman only a few weeks, it seemed.”

“It will last! I love Ishtar.”

Parsley raised her eyebrows, then scoffed softly. “You don't know what love is. Even if you did, Avoca told me that you told her you loved her before you left. Did you forget that?”

Once again, any response Sarada had died before it could form in her mouth. She hadn't meant that. They had just finished mating, and... it was just said on an impulse. Neither of them meant it. “I didn't mean it.”

“Hmph. Figured you'd say that. Well, she did mean it.” She shook her head in disgust, then turned her back on her again. “You're pathetic. You use people for your own satisfaction, then when you see someone else, you move on without even a thought. It happened with Avoca, it happened with the Earthman, and I promise you it will happen with this Ishtar. You're so predictable, it's cringe-worthy.”

Did Avoca really think that? They were best friends. Mating was one of the things friends did together. Did she really mean what she said when they last saw each other. “You're calling me selfish? Stop pretending you're better than I am.”

“I'm just stating facts. Everyone I bed knows up front what it is. You're the one stringing people along for your own sick amusement. Or, maybe you're just an idiot who thinks with the pink between her legs and not the one in her head.” She shrugged. “Either way, it's funny watching people like you get what's coming to them. I hope I'm there when Ishtar finally gets wise and kicks you to the curb.”

Sarada let out a low, but furious growl. “I promised her I'd only have eyes for her, you bitch,” she gritted out. “You don't know shit about our relationship. Matter of face, you don't know shit about any kind of relationship, because every one you have is just you using that person for your sick amusement.”

“You're right,” she admitted easily. “I guess we're more alike than you care to admit.”

“I'm nothing like you!”

“Aren't you, though?”

Sarada kipped up to her feet and marched over to her sister. Planting a firm hand on her shoulder, she whipped her around to face her. “You don't know anything, so stop acting like you do! I already told you I love Ishtar because she understands me and accepts me for what and who I am. She was the first person I told about my molestation, and you know what she did? She held me and cried with me instead of giving me some ridiculous platitude. We don't hide anything from each other. We know what the other is thinking, what the other is feeling. If that's not love, then I don't know what is.”

She stared in her sister's eyes, daring her to come up with something, anything, to refute any of what she just said.

“Oh yeah,” she added with a smirk, “she tastes pretty fucking good, too.”

“Ugh.” Parsley slapped her hand away and started to limp away. “I'm done. I've said my piece. If you listen or not is of no concern to me.”

Sarada watched her sister walk away silently. Her words were analytical and cut more deeply than any of her punches did. Much of it Sarada admitted to herself when she was alone, but somehow, hearing it out loud from another person made those realizations hurt that much worse.

Was she really that bad of a person? Was she that selfish that she didn't even realize when her best friend was being honest when she said something that intimate?

In hindsight, it made sense. The jealousy whenever Jack's name so much as passed through her lips, the possessiveness, the hurt she felt when Sarada neglected her in favor of training. Avoca was in love with her and she didn't even realize it.

It was too late. It seemed that Avoca got the idea and moved on.

Just like Jack got the idea and moved on.

If she wasn't careful, Ishtar would get the idea and move on.

“...damn it.”

Slowly and weighed down by the immense weight of the truth, she turned and headed back to Jack's home. The walk there was going to be much longer than the initial flight there from the Lookout, even though the distance was only fractional. There was still so much that she needed to say to her sister, so much she needed to get off her chest and clarify, but the time wasn't right. Parsley was raw from exposing herself the way she did, and needed time to recover.

Sarada needed time, as well. After everything, a heart-to-heart wasn't what she needed. Rest, and time to process and finish grieving for Jack and Eva before returning to the others. Then, training. She heard through the comms that Jagam was going to be arriving on Earth in six months. Good. As long as he stayed far away from Vocado and the colonies, she was more than willing to fight him here.

Part of her hoped that Parsley would fight with her. If for no other reason than having another warm body to throw his way.

She stopped and turned around. “Hey!”

Parsley, who had evidently been walking as if taking a leisurely stroll through the park, stopped but didn't turn around.

“Jagam will be here in six months.” With that, she walked away.

Her sister didn't reply.

She didn't know if she would still be on Earth in six months time. If she was, they could use the help. If she wasn't, then Sarada could use this to taunt her for being a coward.

It was petty, sure, but eh.

[Tami]

As soon as Jinzi is healed enough to walk, Meagan escorts him inside to a bedroom where he can rest.

With Jinzi sleeping, Meagan walked out to the Plaza. She thought about staying with him, but everything that happened made her feel restless.

Looking around, she realized that Sarada hadn't returned yet. There was actually a sense of Déjà vu to an extent. Soon the others would be going their separate ways, only running into each other on occasion or for prearranged sparing or training sessions.

For her, she wasn't sure.

Walking towards the edge of the Lookout, she thought about her options. Should she ask Kai if he needed help? Without Eva here, it seemed strange to even consider staying like the last time. She knew that Jinzi would welcome her staying with him, but then what? How could she train, how could she become stronger, how could she develop her powers by hanging out at Capsule Corp?

"Perhaps", she mused as she looked out into the sky, "I should go back to Chroma, just for a few months. Or maybe join Cyanna and Dash in training with Lady Reimi." thinking to herself, but it just didn't feel right. Would staying at the Temple really help her? Or is it just a waste of time?

She felt like screaming, but she held it in. She knew she had become too dependent on others for too long. The Sisters at the Orphanage, the Leaders of her Resistance Cell, The Mirror Mage, Jinzi, Evangeline, the Ki Master, and possibly Iris. Even while traveling alone, she kept searching for the one great Master who would teach her everything she'd need to know. Looking back, she now realized that was a fools errand and wasn't the true reason why her Mentor left her on Earth.

"Six Months" She said under her breath as she struggled to make a decision.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Across the universe, in another place that is not a place:





The doctor walked steadily, the metallic tap of his cane the only sound as his eyes scanned the place. Behind him, Kenbo, the Android assassin, loomed. He bows low, and waits until the doctor passes a hand dismissively through the air.

“Master, I failed to kill the Threshling Princess. I also failed to obtain any of the secrets the Junjo boosted of, though I did recover parts of the stolen Junjo technology for you. My apologies.”

The doctor, back to Kenbo, speaks with a slightly technologically modulated tone.

“I see. And for your failures you offer technology that is trash compared to what lies before us. I am disappointed, my child. I created a sword, and it fails to cut. Most would discard such a tool and make another, more obedient one. Alas, I have not the time. Come, we have much to do. This ancient refuge of the First Race must awaken once more. The shipyards shall be cleaned and put to work, the assembly lines uncluttered and producing, and the machine shops filled. Once more as giants will their machinations loom across the stars. None shall stand before me, not Saiyan or Threshling or any other, and I shall make them remember why the universe feared those that came first.”

He grins, though it is hidden by his mask.

“Why they feared me.”


As he strides on, Kenbo following, beyond ancient lights begin turning on. Generators older than some stars begin powering up, and lights flicker in the dead of space on a planet long since cold and dark and forgotten by all.

The First Race was returning once more, and the universe was not prepared.

[KingofPie]

"Alright!" P-Sta stated to anyone still around the lookout to listen. "I believe my time on Earth is done for now. I really need to return to GP HQ. Hopefully tomorrow if Jinzi is rested up enough to lend me a ship...Oh and I'll be sure to tell them of the coming threats that we've learned about here! While the Galaxy Patrol is always on the lookout to defend the innocent from intergalactic threats, we are admittedly spread a bit thin! Certain planets are often ignored if they're too out of the way...hopefully my report can change that and the GP will provide more support! Especially as Earth an all who visit it seem to become a hotbed of intergalactic menace!"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Of course, I need to return home for awhile anyways to make sure Gaav isn't acting up.....and feed him I suppose." Etrina added almost as an afterthought. "More importantly...I....Hmm....need a couple days to sort of things out with someone I've been slightly neglecting. In any event I'll be ready by the time you are."

Glancing around apprehensively, Etrina took a moment to collect herself. "....Chin up....I'm sure those two are overqualified to handle anything in the afterlife. We just need to be ready to wish them back later, and more importantly have a world to wish them back to"

Her eyes scanned the group once again, this time looking for Zaofan.

Ishtar offered a small smile, when Etrina agreed to the request.

"Thank you."

Two weeks would be time enough to help Sarada through some of what she was suffering, and even more ... perhaps convince her to tag along. Magic was of course, not the Saiyans favorite thing- her constant if playful jabs at Ishtar's use of such evidence enough- and yet the amulet her love carted around with her was magic, itself. So if this Human Archive of magical information was as informative as Etrina said it was, there might be something of relevance pertaining to it.

The comments about keeping her chin up, however, caused Ishtar to simply shake her head.

"I will be fine. I have experienced this pain before, and it will fade. I am worried about Sarada ... nothing more, nothing less. Go find Zaofan, however. That boy took a beating, and will be happy to see the one he loves ... even if you mean to beat on him as well."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat sighs in relief saying " well that ending quickly and not a moment too soon." ( yeah it's about time for me to find a place . I can't hold it in any longer. so I need to find a safe place to let it out.)

( yeah I don't want to accidently gas anyone here.) Praxat hops around until she finds a spot she thinks is safe saying " Okay this should be a safe spot to deflate ." Praxat let's out a poisonous gas and sound of her deflating sounds like some one belching loudly. her body continues to deflate until it's back to it's normal size.

Praxat looks around saying " well I hope there wasn't anyone one around here." " now where was I oh yeah earlier I sense powerful beings ." " hmm which direction should I go in?" " I guess I'll head North."

" hmm maybe I should check if there's any poisonous plants or insects around here before I go ." " I need to replenish my sacs!" " wait I forgot I can't just eat any Poisonous plant or insect ." " they have to be the right ones."

OT: for Praxat voice: Monica Rial so she sounds like Tsuyu Asui from My Hero Academia.

" hmm I think I need to check my another handbook." Praxat takes out a handbook label the Encyclopedia Hand book of Poison plants and insects. she flips through the book saying " okay let's see here according to this book there is are poisonous ants native to this region ." " hmm I think these ants are the ones I need to consume to refill my sacs with poison. "


"just to make sure I'll eat just one and see what happens." " yeah these ants are poisonous for sure , but not enough to where one ant could be lethal. " " so this is for testing purposes. " " if I don't get sick from this did I know I got the right insect!"

Praxat spots a ant that looks like the one in her handbook on the ground. she uses her tongue to snatch it up the way a frog would snatch a fly and eats it saying " okay now it's the waiting game." " hmm I hope no one saw me do that?"

OT: I updated Praxat Bio to give her two handbooks.

Note: ant thing is taking from the fact that Poison dart frogs get their poison by consume a toxic insects that resides in the Amazon Rain forest.

[Tami]

With Jinzi sleeping, Meagan walked out to the Plaza. She thought about staying with him, but everything that happened made her feel restless.

Looking around, she realized that Sarada hadn't returned yet. There was actually a sense of Déjà vu to an extent. Soon the others would be going their separate ways, only running into each other on occasion or for prearranged sparing or training sessions.

For her, she wasn't sure.

Walking towards the edge of the Lookout, she thought about her options. Should she ask Kai if he needed help? Without Eva here, it seemed strange to even consider staying like the last time. She knew that Jinzi would welcome her staying with him, but then what? How could she train, how could she become stronger, how could she develop her powers by hanging out at Capsule Corp?

"Perhaps", she mused as she looked out into the sky, "I should go back to Chroma, just for a few months. Or maybe join Cyanna and Dash in training with Lady Reimi." thinking to herself, but it just didn't feel right. Would staying at the Temple really help her? Or is it just a waste of time?

She felt like screaming, but she held it in. She knew she had become too dependent on others for too long. The Sisters at the Orphanage, the Leaders of her Resistance Cell, The Mirror Mage, Jinzi, Evangeline, the Ki Master, and possibly Iris. Even while traveling alone, she kept searching for the one great Master who would teach her everything she'd need to know. Looking back, she now realized that was a fools errand and wasn't the true reason why her Mentor left her on Earth.

"Six Months" She said under her breath as she struggled to make a decision.

She spends the next few hours walking through the Lookout, browsing through the library, exploring several rooms, and thinking very hard. Whatever decision she makes could affect how prepared she will be once the threat arrives. Failure is not an option, yet a small voice, a ghost of uncertainty and fear, whispers that no matter what she does it won't be good enough.

Eventually she falls asleep on a couch in the living room, the same couch she used to sit on with Eva and talk about so many things. The same couch where she sat with Jinzi as he gave her updates on the spaceship he was building for her. Memories that turned into dreams, dreams into nightmares, nightmares back into dreams in a seemingly endless cycle.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

A night passed, then morning came. Sarada awoke from a fitful night's rest groggy and irritable. Despite how hard she tried, she just couldn't get him out of her head. His smile and his last words would haunt her for the rest of her life, even if they resurrected him five months from now. It had only been a day, but it felt like it was a bad dream; like, she was going to turn over and see his sleeping form next to her. She did so, and the disappointment she felt at not seeing or sensing him anywhere was crushing.

Just... crushing.

She sighed despondently and rose from the bed. I guess I'd better head back to the Lookout. A single glance reminded her that the photo she had been staring tearfully at all night was still there. She was tempted to take it with her, but decided not to. It was better to have it be a memento for the two of them. Besides, Ishtar may get the wrong idea eventually.

Instead, she walked over to his closet and looked inside. Somehow, she was surprised to see a vast assortment of leather jackets and coats hung up, each one in pristine condition. There were several more in not so mint condition on the floor.

On a lark, she took one and put it one. It was about two sizes too large, but Slak could fix that, she figured. It was warm and smelled just like him. She let out a choked sob and closed the closet door.

"Well, I'm off," she said to no one. "I'll see you later... Earthman."

The air outside was bitterly cold, but not as cold as the words Parsley stabbed her with the day before. She had been switching between reminiscing about Jack and thinking about what her sister said about her. Both her painful to think about, but for vastly different reason. Yet, they were both related.

She couldn't help but wonder if the way it turned out was for the best. If she and Jack had been together when he was killed, she was certain she'd be inconsolable. She perhaps would have tried to die along with him.

Maybe not on that last part, but she certainly wouldn't be very mindful of her own well-being going forward.

Oh, well. The moment she stepped on that Lookout would be the last time she thought sorrowfully about Jack. She was going to do what she resolved before she left the day before and look to the future with her head held high. She was a Saiyan, and Saiyans didn't mourn for very long, if at all. She cared deeply about him, and that was why she shed the amount of tears she did.

But, she was done crying, she was done mourning, and she was done feeling guilty. From this point forward, her attention was focused squarely on Jagam and protecting her race from his monstrous path of destruction. In six months, when he stepped foot on Earth, he would die by her hand.

With those reinforcing thoughts flowing through her head, she rocketed into the air toward where she sensed the others on the Lookout.

[Tami]

A night passed, then morning came. Sarada awoke from a fitful night's rest groggy and irritable. Despite how hard she tried, she just couldn't get him out of her head. His smile and his last words would haunt her for the rest of her life, even if they resurrected him five months from now. It had only been a day, but it felt like it was a bad dream; like, she was going to turn over and see his sleeping form next to her. She did so, and the disappointment she felt at not seeing or sensing him anywhere was crushing.

Just... crushing.

She sighed despondently and rose from the bed. I guess I'd better head back to the Lookout. A single glance reminded her that the photo she had been staring tearfully at all night was still there. She was tempted to take it with her, but decided not to. It was better to have it be a memento for the two of them. Besides, Ishtar may get the wrong idea eventually.

Instead, she walked over to his closet and looked inside. Somehow, she was surprised to see a vast assortment of leather jackets and coats hung up, each one in pristine condition. There were several more in not so mint condition on the floor.

On a lark, she took one and put it one. It was about two sizes too large, but Slak could fix that, she figured. It was warm and smelled just like him. She let out a choked sob and closed the closet door.

"Well, I'm off," she said to no one. "I'll see you later... Earthman."

The air outside was bitterly cold, but not as cold as the words Parsley stabbed her with the day before. She had been switching between reminiscing about Jack and thinking about what her sister said about her. Both her painful to think about, but for vastly different reason. Yet, they were both related.

She couldn't help but wonder if the way it turned out was for the best. If she and Jack had been together when he was killed, she was certain she'd be inconsolable. She perhaps would have tried to die along with him.

Maybe not on that last part, but she certainly wouldn't be very mindful of her own well-being going forward.

Oh, well. The moment she stepped on that Lookout would be the last time she thought sorrowfully about Jack. She was going to do what she resolved before she left the day before and look to the future with her head held high. She was a Saiyan, and Saiyans didn't mourn for very long, if at all. She cared deeply about him, and that was why she shed the amount of tears she did.

But, she was done crying, she was done mourning, and she was done feeling guilty. From this point forward, her attention was focused squarely on Jagam and protecting her race from his monstrous path of destruction. In six months, when he stepped foot on Earth, he would die by her hand.

With those reinforcing thoughts flowing through her head, she rocketed into the air toward where she sensed the others on the Lookout.

When Sarada arrived back, Meagan was also awake. Cleaned up and with a change of clothes, she walked out onto the plaza just as the young Sayian approached. It was a relief to see her again. Knowing how hard she took Jack's death, Meagan wasn't certain if she would return.

As she landed, the Chromkai called out, "Morning, Sarada. I assume you are looking for Isthar. She is still here waiting for your return, I believe."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

When Sarada arrived back, Meagan was also awake. Cleaned up and with a change of clothes, she walked out onto the plaza just as the young Sayian approached. It was a relief to see her again. Knowing how hard she took Jack's death, Meagan wasn't certain if she would return.

As she landed, the Chromkai called out, "Morning, Sarada. I assume you are looking for Isthar. She is still here waiting for your return, I believe."

The first person Sarada saw when she landed on the Lookout was Meagan. She wasn't sure what the mood of those on Lookout was, but she couldn't imagine it being anything other than somber and morose. Eva touched all their lives in one way or another during their six months of knowing her. Losing her so unceremoniously was a terrible blow to morale, undoubtedly.

"Morning, Meagan," she replied as she walked up. She rolled up the sleeves to her new jacket to keep them from covering her hands. "Yeah, she told me she'd be waiting. How's Jinzi? I heard his ship blew up."

[Tami]

The first person Sarada saw when she landed on the Lookout was Meagan. She wasn't sure what the mood of those on Lookout was, but she couldn't imagine it being anything other than somber and morose. Eva touched all their lives in one way or another during their six months of knowing her. Losing her so unceremoniously was a terrible blow to morale, undoubtedly.

"Morning, Meagan," she replied as she walked up. She rolled up the sleeves to her new jacket to keep them from covering her hands. "Yeah, she told me she'd be waiting. How's Jinzi? I heard his ship blew up."

"As usual. He managed to escape with the child. She's unharmed, Jinzi got banged up but he's better now. Still sleeping it off inside. How are you holding up?" Meagan gave her a gently concerned look, not wanting to push it too hard.