Sadla

"Is this a kidnapping?"

Nion continued on toward the bright lights of a known butchers shop, already licking her lips in anticipation, it had already been a few hours since her last meal. She was starving! "If anybody asks, no. Because I can punch out anyone who saids otherwise"

''Impressive, for a monkey,'' Dashade stated as they neared the city walls, only a few people within noticing the two flying through the sky awkwardly.

"Where do you live anyway? Kind of need directions here."

Though for a brief moment he did wonder if she'd be capable of giving directions while blindfolded.

"I thought we were trying to find where the others went?" Pikruel answered. "My house is... Take a left from the palace. Go straight until you see the the armor smith on your left, then turn right. When you get to the residential quadrant, find the house with the--ACK! Ptooey! Sorry. Bug in my mouth."

"If you have to go through this much trouble every night," said Dashade, "I wonder why you don't just blow the moon up...''

"Blow up the moon?" she found such a suggestion ridiculous. "I don't think the other Saiyans would appreciate that much. It's only the ones like me, with the tails, that have to worry about it. We're not very common. We're not very well liked either."

"You were the one who said you had to get inside your home for the night..." The Arcosian went on to follow her directions, getting a good view of the city from above as he marveled at how primal, yet advanced it looked at the same time.

"Did I say that?" Pikruel replied. "I can't remember. I just need to get indoors so I can take my blindfold off."

''Why do you fear the moon? And what's wrong with tails? Tails are brilliant!" Dashade's own tail whipped backwards and forward, causing a light breeze to brush against Pikruel's head.

"I don't like to talk about it. If I'm ever out during a full moon, you'll see for yourself. But I hope you don't ever see me like that... Just know that if it ever does happen, you should run."

''Well, judging from your reaction on the ship," said Dashade, "I don't think I can catch you in a more embarrassing position than in the shower."

"That's another thing I prefer not to think about..." Pikruel replied.

Dashade chuckled, not fully grasping the weight of her words as he finally started to descend towards the end of her directions, though not sure which house was hers. As the surrounding Saiyans turned and looked at the two, they gave them the stink eye, like they were suspicious and wary of the two.

''You still didn't tell me why people dislike your tail. It looks fine to me, unless... Does it attract fleas?"

"I said I don't like to talk about it. I just... I change when I look at the full moon. I get a terrifying power that I can't control. At least, that's what my mother told me. It's never actually happened before."

"If anybody asks, no. Because I can punch out anyone who saids otherwise"

"Oh, I get it!" Kazaam nodded wildly, suddenly 'understanding' Nion's logic. "Xellori always worked like that! It's not illegal, as long as you kill the witnesses. Well, that's what Soil used to say...'' She stopped suddenly, something in the back of her head hitting her with a mental mallet, as if bringing up that specific name should have reminded her of something... That's it! "I'm hungry!"

Dashade decided to not push the subject and focus on the matter at hand. He wouldn't want her poking into the reasons why people disliked him (no matter how obvious or subtle those reasons were). As he noticed the general unpleasant gazes of the other Saiyans, he tugged on Pikruel's wist with his tail, indicating her to stay close.

"You might want to stay prepared for a brawl, these fellows don't look like we're appealing to them. Which house?"

Pikruel tilted her head at the warning. The question of where her house was left her stumped, though.

"Umm... I don't know. I can't tell without looking. Why don't you ask someone around here? I'm sure one of my neighbors knows where I live."

Dashade tried to look around the people for someone that seemed friendly, though with Saiyans that was an extremely hard trait to decipher. "Uh... You ask, I'll make sure to censor anything crude."

"Hmm? But I can't see them? Oh well. Hey! Can anyone help me find me way back home?"

Pikruel's question was answered with silence from the surrounding Saiyans.

"Okay... I guess I'll have to take my blindfold off so I can--"

"NO!!!" the panicked Saiyans yelled. One of the female Saiyans came forward to help. "I'll lead the way. Just don't take that thing off."

"Xellori always worked like that! It's not illegal, as long as you kill the witnesses. Well, that's what Soil used to say...'' Nion turned to face the slowing girl with a quirk of her brow, a sea of people rushing past them with no care for the blue and green rocks.

''You've mentioned her before, who is she?" Xellori, that name seemed fammiliar... It sounded like a Saiyan name.

"Huh? Uh, she's the one who raised me. She had a tail just like Pikruel's, and she always looks angry... Like you!" The child giggled at the similarities, moving side by side with the Saiyan now. "When I was little she rescued me from a... Bad place. And then took me in as a... Uh, servant? Crew member? I think I heard her say donor once, whatever that means. She even gave me this cool sword!"

"Thank you... In hind sight, it was rather foolish to have the blind lead the clueless."

Dashade nodded his head in gratitude, reserving his thoughts to the instant reaction Pikruel's 'threat' received. "Though with how many times she's hit her head today, I doubt she's in the right state of mind to be fiddling with that blind fold."

The Saiyan silently led the two for a few blocks, then turned around and pointed at a house. "There's the place. Wuh... WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

She saw Pikruel messing around with her blind fold with both hands and feared the worst.

"Relax... It was coming loose, so I'm tightening it. Sheesh."

"Well, now that you're here, I'll take my leave and go somewhere... Safer."

Pikruel, now feeling that she had her bearings, turned to the general direction of the house and limped over. Dashade went ahead, his tail stretching to lead Pikruel forward, and opened the door for the blind Saiyan. "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

Looking back he noticed her limp. "You sure you don't need any help with walking too?"

"I'm fine," Pikruel replied. "I know my home like the back of my--"

Pikruel walked into the house and tripped over a vase, falling on her face and breaking the vase.

"Helloooooo?" a feminine voice called out from another room in the house. "Who's there? Has someone come to rob me? I warn you, I don't have anything valuable. Except for the vase in the hallway. That was a priceless gift from the king of Hectacarne. Oops! I probably shouldn't have told you that. Don't take my vase, please."

Dashade had to resist face palming at Pikruel's fall, immediately on alert when the voice called.

"Uh, Pikruel? Who's that?" Dashade whispered as he reached down to pull Pikruel back up. "Don't tell me we went to the wrong house... I knew that Saiyan looked suspicious."

Pikruel pulled away at Dashade's grasp, ripped the leaf off of her face, and cursed under her breath. She frantically grabbed pieces of the vase and tossed them out the door in a fluid motion. Soon, a Saiyan woman with medium long hair and pink eyes appeared in the hallway. Pikruel slowly pulled herself to her feet, only to be lifted off her feet when the woman lifted her off the ground in a tight hug.

"Ugh! Mom! That hurts!"

"Oh, my baby girl is back from the battlefield safe and sound! So good to have you back!"

Suddenly, the woman's expression flipped like a switch to one of fury as she set Pikruel down and grabbed her by the ear.

"What are you doing out this late at night!? How many times have I told you to be home before sundown!?"

"I'm sorry! I lost track of time!"

Pikruel's mother slapped Pikruel's behind, causing her to yelp. "That's no excuse! You either stay in your ship until morning or come home before dark! Understood!?"

"Yes, Mom! I'm sorry!"

"Good..."

And with that, the mother's expression changed again to its pleasant smile as she looked at Dashade. "I see you brought a friend with you. Maybe a...boyfriend? Honestly, nineteen years old and no boyfriends? I'm starting to wonder if she prefers peaches over cherries."

"So, she found you as an even smaller child, made you her servant and then gave you a sword. Classy lady." Nion's tone dripped with sarcasm, her eyes on Kazaam's sword, wonder what state this 'Xellori' was in when she decided to give such an incompotent brat something sharp. "And donor? What? Did she want your bubblegum?"

"So, she found you as an even smaller child, made you her servant and then gave you a sword. Classy lady."

"Yeah, she was the coolest!" In an instant, Kazaam drew her blade and started swinging wildly at the air "I didn't have any bubblegum though..." Kazaam responded with a shrug. "She seemed really sick when she first met me, but the longer I was there, the better she would get!"

''M-mom!?" Dashade gasped at the mention, already taking after steps back when the woman began 'assaulting' Pikruel. "But she looks even younger than you!"

In all regards, you'd never suspect the two were mother and daughter by appearance. Was this a Saiyan trait?

"I see you brought a friend with you. Maybe a...boyfriend?"

And in an instant crimson stained Dashade's face, standing out well against his dark skin tone, his mouth slightly agape at the suggestion. Why do people keep assuming that!?

"No, no, no. Never. No. I would not lower myself t- We've only known each other for a week! I would not grow affection in such a short time frame, especially not for a lowly, dirty, filthy, dumb, monkey! No matter her looks."

Dashade looked towards the door, wondering how easy it would be to step out. "Tell her, Pikruel."

Pikruel was very confused, being both insulted and given an implied compliment back to back. She reached back with her tail to close the front door, hiding the shards of the vase and unintentionally blocking Dashade's means of escape.

"He's a friend I met on Melt. Come on, mom. I'll get a boyfriend when I'm ready. I'm just too busy right now."

"Too busy? You've got to have some fun once and a while. Do you want to die a virgin? I want some grandkids."

"I'm too tired for this... I need to lay down."

Lettiz grabbed Dashade's shoulder. "You hungry? I wasn't expecting company, but I'm sure I can whip something up for you."

Other Saiyans jumped back at the child suddenly waving a sword around, Nion slowly inching to put distance between them. "Watch where you swing that thing!" Nion nearly yelled at the top of her lungs as the blade came close to cutting her glorious maine.

"She seemed really sick when she first met me, but the longer I was there, the better she would get!" Kazaam's smile made the sentence all the more creepy, it was becoming all the more clear that this 'Xellori' had less than noble reasons for raising Kazaam.

"You say she had a tail, like Pikruel? She sounds Saiyan, but most Saiyans live here, and ones with tails are even more rare" Well, aside from...

"Well, of course she's a saiyan, that's why she sent me to look for them. DUH" Childishly she poked her tounge out at Nion, finally putting away her 'mighty' blade. "She sent me because... UH... I'm the best of the best, which is why she only sent me... Only me" The child rossed her arms and flipped her chin up skyward, wondering. "Wonder if she even knows that I'm still gone..."

"It's kind of you to offer, but...'' Dashade quickly wanted to stear the conversation away from Pikruel's virginity to save them both some embarrassment, he had little hope with how unpredictable this woman proved to be, but he could try. "On second thought, I am a bit peckish after sparring with Pikruel. Would you need any help? I know how to cook."

"Don't be silly. You're a guest in this house. You just sit back and relax, and I'll go fix something for you."

Pikruel walked to another room to nap and fell face-first into the couch. Before heading into the kitchen, Lettiz walked all around the house to make sure all of her windows were covered.

Dashade simply shrugged at Pikruel's rush for rest and followed Lettiz, he'd feel useless just sitting around doing nothing, he could at least try and learn more from the woman. "Uh... Nice house you have. Or is this Pikruel's house? What are you doing with the windows?"

"Oh, I'm just making sure we don't get any moonlight in here. I usually keep them closed, but when she's gone away on a mission, I'll sometimes open them. Makes it feel happier when the light can get in. So... How did you and my baby meet?"

"We were on opposing sides of an invasion on Melt..." He hesitated for a moment, telling her that he had started off attempting to kill her daughter. But still pressed on. "She, another Saiyan and a Namekian were doing a good job of repelling our ground troops. I stepped in to defend my men" Dashade's hand went to his numb shoulder, adjusting it as the feeling was starting to return in short doses. "Though, as you can see... Circumstances changed."

"That's nice, Dear," Lettiz replied. "I think I'll boil some eggs. Found a beast nest full of them this morning. If we're lucky, maybe they'll have some meat in them."

"Seems like somone is in denial" Nion stated with a blunt edge, stopping as her eyes caught sight of a random restruant sign. She didn't read the name, but it had a glowing picture of a meat cleaver on it, so what could go wrong? "Come on, we've got food calling our stomachs. You can whine more inside"

''Denial?" Kazaam's head tilted in confusion at Nion's statement, though was also surprised with how uncaring the woman seemed about what thy were talking about. Then again, FOOD! As soon as she began to think about it Kazaam was reminded of just how hungry she was, prompting her to eagerly follow Nion into the building. "I WANT MEAT!"

"That's somthing we can agree on" Again, the two recieved a few odd looks from passers by, mosrlt Kazaam due to a combination of 'Bubblegum lady' and her current expression made it seem like she was about to try and devour the other people in the building. "You know, for a planet under threat, everyone here sure is calm" Nion muttered to herself.

"I was expecting much more aggression from telling you that I tried to kill your daughter on-" He stopped himself, probably not wise to encourage her to get angry.

"Don't worry, dear," said Lettiz. "If Pikruel let you in to our home, you must be a good person."

"I don't think I'd trust her to be a good judge of character. Are you sure I can't help in any way? Sitting still and relaxing isn't exactly something I'm used to."

"If you wanna help, how about giving me a back rub?" Pikruel suggested. "I'm sooooore."

Dashade froze a bit at Pikruel's suggestion, turning to her with a tilted head. Back rub? He'd never done that before... "...Uh?" He glanced at Lettiz as if silently asking if she knew if Pikruel was serious or not. "I guess..."

Lettiz stepped outside for a moment, returning shortly with a giant egg, almost as big as her, in her arms. She carried it to the kitchen, where she set it down gently.

"Was that a serious request?" Dashade asked Pikruel directly, glancing at the giant egg brought in. Saiyans and their appetite.

"Yes, I'm serious. Why?" Suddenly, memories of Dashade grabbing her naked body came rushing back to her. "On second thought... I'm fine. I heard that Saiyans grow stronger when their sore muscles are not massaged."

She was lying, but she figured it was a better sounding excuse than, "A massage from you will make me feel like I'm being molested."

Lettiz made another trip out and back into the house, carrying another giant egg. "Pikruel, have you seen my vase? And what are those ceramic pieces outside the door?"

Pikruel's heart began to race. She couldn't think of a convincing story, so she pretended to be asleep.

"You're a terrible liar. Did I offend you?" Dashade felt like he was missing something obvious as Lettiz made a reappearance. "Wasn't that the vase you..."

Pikruel punched Dashade's shin to shut him up. "Hmm? Oh, sorry. I'm a sleep puncher."

"Sleep? You weren't asleep, you were asking for a back rub!" Dashade was beginning to catch on that Pikruel didn't want her 'crime' to be revealed... But he was starting to get into the mood of screwing with her.

"You're acting strange tonight..." Lettiz remarked before making her stop in the kitchen.

Pikruel lifted herself into a sitting position, glancing over to the kitchen before turning back to Dashade. "Listen. You have to tell her you broke it. If she hears that it was you, she'll forgive you, but if it was me then..."

When Lettiz walked by again towards the door, Pikruel stopped talking and tried to act casual.

"Uh, I swear I hear something coming from the kitchen. Is something broken?" Dashade told Lettiz, hoping to have the woman go back into the kitchen. After Lettiz made a 180 and rushed back to the kitchen, Dashade leaned towards Pikruel to mutter "You want me to lie you your kind mother? Why, that wold compromise my moral principles... Why would I ever do such a thing?" He spoke with a smirk.

Pikruel was on the verge of tears. "Please. You saw how she was when she realized I was out after dark. If she finds out I broke the vase, she'll kill me."

Dashade shrugged. "She'll kill family, but not a random stranger? I fail to see why I NEED to lie to the woman who's been nothing but kind. Who knows, this could be a good lesson for you."

Lettiz returned from the kitchen. "I didn't see anything," she said, walking out the door again.

"Fine then. Tell her the truth. I just hope you can live with yourself after she's done with me."

Dashade put his hand on Pikruel's shoulder as he noticed her expression, this leading to Lettiz walking in on what looked like a much more romantic looking situation instead of a 'dramatic tense episode.' "I was only kidding, Pikruel."

"Well, duh. How can you worry when you have food in your mouth!?" Kazaam immediately moved away from Nion, creepily leaning over some random people's table, drooling at the site of their food "Can we have that? And that? Can we!? CAN WE!?" Before the Saiyans could react Kazaam zipped back over to the other side, zipping between various tables, each time adding "And that?!"

Pikruel sighed in relief. "Thank you. I'm sure she'll understand if you say you broke it by accident."

Dashade rolled his eyes at her.

"With this thing, you'll find it's quite a common occurrence." He indicated to his tail. "Most Arcosians prefer to keep valuables nailed down when they enter a room."

Soon, Lettiz returned with the third giant egg and carried it past the two towards the kitchen. Dashade's gaze turned to watch Lettiz move back and forth between them, mouth slightly agape. "Where is she getting all of these eggs?"

"From behind the house, of course," Pikruel answered. "Hey, because of your help, you can have my bed tonight. I'll just sleep here."

"You don't need to give up your bed to me, I'm perfectly fine hovering" He hadn't used the bed back on the ship, and it was probably safer for the house that he don't let his tail run wild on the floor. "Unless you want a tail shaped hole in the side of your bed."

Pikruel didn't understand why a hole in the bed would be needed for a tail, and found the idea kinda funny. She responded with a shrug. "Suit yourself."

"Dinner will be ready soon," said Lettiz. "Just gotta let these things boil."

"You'd be surprised" Nion reached over and roughly grabbed the girl by her collar, yanking her back over to where she was making an order. "We're saiyans, first class multi-tasking eaters. We can reduce cities to rubble and flee the wrath of a gaint baby-eating crab, and still have the time to shove meat down our throat" Making sure that the brat was staying still, Nion went on to simply order two usual meals. Which to a saiyan was two of everything.

Kazaam let out a screech as she was forcefully yanked away from all the food "Youch!" She didn't see the problem, she was just... admiring the merchandise. Barely processing what the Saiyan said, she merely fixed the man at the till with a hungry stare as she heard Nion order. Though, speaking of Saiyan... "Where's Pikruel? Aren't we supposed to stick with her?"

"Pikruel? Uh, she went with Dashade or somthing, didn't she?" Nion tipped her head back while the man at the coutner dissappeared to retreive their food. "They've probably killed each other by now, You know, those too are far too ego centric and agressive. They should be more like us. Peaceful. Logical. Toler... Relaxing."

Though, now that she mentions it... Nion started to fiddle around with her scouter, hoping her's was still connected to Pikruel's communication... channle... whatevers. She did want to keep track of the two. After all, they could be getting into dangerous situations without everyone else!