Dragonball M, Chapter 4: Kidnapping! Invasion! A new Threat Strikes First!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley was roused awake. "Nnnnnh," she groaned as she rose to a sitting position. The extreme pain was gone, soothed by Inanna's gracious blessing. That, plus the soothing touch of a victory hard earned, made everything worth it.

"All in all, it was a satisfactory battle," she commented. The main thing she learned was that she was very much able to blend together the abilities that she decided to pilfer from those she faced in combat. That, beyond everything else, changed everything. It opened so many avenues for her, she couldn't even begin to count them all. Another thing she learned was that she could stack her reflective shield and her aura of evisceration. That added two layers of protection that made her even more dangerous in battle.

If she could say so herself, she was likely the most dangerous person in the group.

She rose to her feet. "We can iron out your kinks. I suggest we spend a few months here training until maybe an hour before it's time for us to descend on Reshlan." She opened a doorway back to the ship. "I'm going to get some food. I'll be right back." And of course, speak with this Hilda. ...I can't remember what I wanted to talk to her about... Oh, well. It would come back to her. If not, then it was best she forgot.

She stepped through and headed for the mess hall. She could sense Sasheem was there and broke out into a sprint. There was no way she was letting that buffoon eat all the food before she could have any!

Amidst her conversation with Sasheem, Hilda notes Parsely’s entrance and raises a cup in greeting.

“Princess.”

[KingofPie]

She nods.

“I sought retribution. I very nearly killed or crippled them all via a virus, had the Queen not won her Tournament and convinced me to give them a second chance.”

She sips her tea and gestures.

“A simple pathogen, quick and deadly. My speciality, virology, poisons, that sort of thing.”

She looks at his cup and smiles.

“Nervous?”

Sasheem glanced up at Hilda spend back down to his cup, before swiftly shaking his head. "Nervous...not really...." He frowned, squinting an eye at the cup as if it were liable to explode. "So, you have the Saiyans a second chance? Just like that? You plotted your revenge for how long and it amounted to nothing? Ha!"

Sasheem say back up, his arms folded. " Must've torn you up inside."

She stepped through and headed for the mess hall. She could sense Sasheem was there and broke out into a sprint. There was no way she was letting that buffoon eat all the food before she could have any!

Amidst her conversation with Sasheem, Hilda notes Parsely’s entrance and raises a cup in greeting.

“Princess.”

"Great...here one come no..." Sasheem sighed. "Jope you weren't hopin' for any burgers, Parsley!"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Amidst her conversation with Sasheem, Hilda notes Parsely’s entrance and raises a cup in greeting.

“Princess.”

Parsley walked inside the mess hall and found, to her disgust, Sasheem sitting at one of the tables. In front of him was a plate with food piled on it.

She also found mysterious woman sitting across from him. She had never seen the sketches drawn of her after an elderly man and hundreds of others were stricken with a strange illness, but she knew it was her.

Hilda.

This being she had heard so much about, yet knew nothing about. "Hilda," she greeted with a nod. "I've been wanting to speak with you."

"Great...here one come no..." Sasheem sighed. "Jope you weren't hopin' for any burgers, Parsley!"

Her tail unfurled from around her waist and smacked him in the back of the head. "I take what I want," she stated while pillaging food from his plate.

[KingofPie]

Parsley walked inside the mess hall and found, to her disgust, Sasheem sitting at one of the tables. In front of him was a plate with food piled on it.

She also found mysterious woman sitting across from him. She had never seen the sketches drawn of her after an elderly man and hundreds of others were stricken with a strange illness, but she knew it was her.

Hilda.

This being she had heard so much about, yet knew nothing about. "Hilda," she greeted with a nod. "I've been wanting to speak with you."



Her tail unfurled from around her waist and smacked him in the back of the head. "I take what I want," she stated while pillaging food from his plate.

Sasheem turned to look at Hilds, the expression on his face oddly pleasant as calmly stated, "Ah. Excuse Sasheem," before leaping over to Parsely to stab her hand with a fork.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sasheem turned to look at Hilds, the expression on his face oddly pleasant as calmly stated, "Ah. Excuse Sasheem," before leaping over to Parsely to stab her hand with a fork.

Parsley grabbed his stabbing arm mid-swing. "I would have thought you'd have matured a little, or at least gained a modicum of intelligence in these last few years. You have been training with Ochazuke and Zaofan, after all, right?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sasheem glanced up at Hilda spend back down to his cup, before swiftly shaking his head. "Nervous...not really...." He frowned, squinting an eye at the cup as if it were liable to explode. "So, you have the Saiyans a second chance? Just like that? You plotted your revenge for how long and it amounted to nothing? Ha!"

Sasheem say back up, his arms folded. " Must've torn you up inside."





"Great...here one come no..." Sasheem sighed. "Jope you weren't hopin' for any burgers, Parsley!"

“My threat remains over them should they ever fall back into bad habits.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley walked inside the mess hall and found, to her disgust, Sasheem sitting at one of the tables. In front of him was a plate with food piled on it.

She also found mysterious woman sitting across from him. She had never seen the sketches drawn of her after an elderly man and hundreds of others were stricken with a strange illness, but she knew it was her.

Hilda.

This being she had heard so much about, yet knew nothing about. "Hilda," she greeted with a nod. "I've been wanting to speak with you."



Her tail unfurled from around her waist and smacked him in the back of the head. "I take what I want," she stated while pillaging food from his plate.

Hilda nods.

“I watched your fight in the Touranament against your sister, Princess. If you had won we wouldn’t be speaking right now. Odd how things work out.”

She pours another cup and hands it over to Parsley, adding the grey liquid as she had to Sasheem’s.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Hilda nods.

“I watched your fight in the Touranament against your sister, Princess. If you had won we wouldn’t be speaking right now. Odd how things work out.”

She pours another cup and hands it over to Parsley, adding the grey liquid as she had to Sasheem’s.

"I can't blame you," Parsley admitted. "I was a very different person then than I am now." The difference was night and day, to be honest.

She sat down and accepted the cup given to her. She couldn't help but notice, though, that something was added. Before she drank, she gave it a look with Observational Focus.

"I can't blame you for feeling that way."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"I can't blame you," Parsley admitted. "I was a very different person then than I am now." The difference was night and day, to be honest.

She sat down and accepted the cup given to her. She couldn't help but notice, though, that something was added. Before she drank, she gave it a look with Observational Focus.

"I can't blame you for feeling that way."

She quirks an eyebrow.

The strange grey liquid seems almost....alive...after a fashion. Not truly sentient, but it has a strange energy pattern swirling about it in more shades of grey than Parsley thought possible.

“Do you think I’ve poisoned it?”

[KingofPie]

Parsley grabbed his stabbing arm mid-swing. "I would have thought you'd have matured a little, or at least gained a modicum of intelligence in these last few years. You have been training with Ochazuke and Zaofan, after all, right?"

"You're one to talk about maturity, YOU STOLE FROM SASHEEM'S PLATE!" the Majin bellowed back, wrapping his free arm around Parsley's in a half-armbar in an attempt to get her away from his food.

“My threat remains over them should they ever fall back into bad habits.”

"Now seems like a good enough time..." The Majin grumbled.

"I can't blame you," Parsley admitted. "I was a very different person then than I am now." The difference was night and day, to be honest.

She sat down and accepted the cup given to her. She couldn't help but notice, though, that something was added. Before she drank, she gave it a look with Observational Focus.

"I can't blame you for feeling that way."

"You certainly were a simmering mess for a while..." Sasheem added unhelpfully.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

She quirks an eyebrow.

The strange grey liquid seems almost....alive...after a fashion. Not truly sentient, but it has a strange energy pattern swirling about it in more shades of grey than Parsley thought possible.

“Do you think I’ve poisoned it?”

"Only a fool consumes something without knowing what it is first," she remarked. The grey liquid was a strange one. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was almost alive in a sense, but not quite. It swirled within itself with a mysterious energy. As far as she could tell, though, it wasn't poison.

"It doesn't appear to be dangerous, as far as I can tell." With a moment of hesitation, she downed the contents. "Now then, I should thank you for saving my sister, but I have trouble understanding how you knew she would need Hozon four years before she needed it. Care to explain?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"You're one to talk about maturity, YOU STOLE FROM SASHEEM'S PLATE!" the Majin bellowed back, wrapping his free arm around Parsley's in a half-armbar in an attempt to get her away from his food.

Inanna was right. Parsley was quite stronger than Sasheem. "You sound exactly like my son. Who's three," she commented. "Sadly, as much as I enjoy whipping you into an impotent fervor, I need more than this fatty dreck." She stood from the table to gather food from around the mess hall and capsule it for her consumption later. As their arms were still wrapped around each other at her discretion, she dragged him along for the ride.

"Now seems like a good enough time..." The Majin grumbled.

"You certainly were a simmering mess for a while..." Sasheem added unhelpfully.

"Better a simmering mess than a gibbering clown," she said coolly, harking back to Sasheem's days prior to his absorption of Officer P-Sta.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Only a fool consumes something without knowing what it is first," she remarked. The grey liquid was a strange one. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was almost alive in a sense, but not quite. It swirled within itself with a mysterious energy. As far as she could tell, though, it wasn't poison.

"It doesn't appear to be dangerous, as far as I can tell." With a moment of hesitation, she downed the contents. "Now then, I should thank you for saving my sister, but I have trouble understanding how you knew she would need Hozon four years before she needed it. Care to explain?"

“Traditions on my world were different. When two rivals, competitors, or enemies sit for tea, both must drink without testing it. No taste testers, no poison identifiers. It was a sign of faith and a test of courage. If either broke that tradition, they were considered the lesser person, for their fear overcame their desire to speak in good faith.”

She sips the tea, disconcerting smile on place as she looks at Sasheem and Parsley.

“But you have every right to be suspicious I suppose, and I take no offense. As to the Hozon.....”

She pours more tea, swirling it and moving the steam in intricate looking patterns with her finger.

“Preservation. A curious attribute. It cares not for good or ill, but seeks to maintain instead. A division of Creational Energy, a selective usage few understand and fewer still can use or master.”

Her dark eyes peer at Parsley, seeking something.

“I aided your sister because in that moment, between the flicks of a hearts beat and an eye blink, I walked sideways and saw a great black shape, hands stretching far to lay upon her. Some perversion wanted her potential child, lusted for it, and I choose to hinder such unbridled possessiveness. I believe Auroc, is its name.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"You're one to talk about maturity, YOU STOLE FROM SASHEEM'S PLATE!" the Majin bellowed back, wrapping his free arm around Parsley's in a half-armbar in an attempt to get her away from his food.



"Now seems like a good enough time..." The Majin grumbled.



"You certainly were a simmering mess for a while..." Sasheem added unhelpfully.

Hilda quirked an eyebrow.

“I must admit, Sasheem, you are a fascinating contradiction.”

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

“Traditions on my world were different. When two rivals, competitors, or enemies sit for tea, both must drink without testing it. No taste testers, no poison identifiers. It was a sign of faith and a test of courage. If either broke that tradition, they were considered the lesser person, for their fear overcame their desire to speak in good faith.”

She sips the tea, disconcerting smile on place as she looks at Sasheem and Parsley.

“But you have every right to be suspicious I suppose, and I take no offense. As to the Hozon.....”

She pours more tea, swirling it and moving the steam in intricate looking patterns with her finger.

“Preservation. A curious attribute. It cares not for good or ill, but seeks to maintain instead. A division of Creational Energy, a selective usage few understand and fewer still can use or master.”

Her dark eyes peer at Parsley, seeking something.

“I aided your sister because in that moment, between the flicks of a hearts beat and an eye blink, I walked sideways and saw a great black shape, hands stretching far to lay upon her. Some perversion wanted her potential child, lusted for it, and I choose to hinder such unbridled possessiveness. I believe Auroc, is its name.”

"You seem to have studies it quite thoroughly... Hilda, was it?" came a voice. It was Nevanlinna, who had taken a break from... trying to unpack her little spirit journey to see what sort of food these Galaxy Police had available. Stopping a few feet away. "Princess Malaya Nevanlinna Reshlan. A pleasure to meet you."

"So tell me," she said, holding out her hand, palm up. Energy congealed and formed into a ball, but this was not ki, but a ball of the aforementioned Hozon, responding to her will as easily as any other energy she commanded. "Where and how did you discover Hozon? You see, exposure to your little... bauble seems to have granted some measure of profic--"

She paused.

No, not granted. Awoken.

"--pardon, awoken a previously unknown aptitude for this power in me. I have been attempting to unravel its mysteries since then, and yet all I achieved was... meditating for a quarter of a year. Without food or water, might I add."

Did that in itself not imply some passive use of hozon, to preserve her life against the ravages of hunger and thirst? Perhaps...