Hey everyone and welcome to the new look for Dragonball Universe's U6 forum! We're going to freshen things up for everyone and hope to bring a new light to the forum and the brand new lore.
We are now known as SUPER Dragonball Universe in an attempt to reflect our shift from Universe 7 to Universe 6.
Events
Universe 6 Event: Galactic World Tournament
Updates
29/06/18 We have an updated Beginner's Guide for New Members! Please browse through it to get a feel for our systems before diving in! It is here. 22/04/19 Brand new site skin, what what!!
As Melonia listed to her friend speak on her ideological differences, she couldn't help but realize how truly different they were. Not just physically, but in their understanding of the way the world works. Hwa-Jae's beliefs were utterly alien compared to her own, and as Melonia walked she had to formulate carefully how she would word her own opinion. She realized at least that she could be hot tempered, and didn't want to offend her new friend. "Earth is... not like our planet. Here things are peaceful, the weak do not worry about falling under the boot of the strong. For Saiyans, our world is different. Our ancestors once shared their planet with another race, one much like humans, we called them the Tuffles. They were outwardly peaceful, they did not make war, but all the same they oppressed our race. Forced us to live in the badlands rather than their marvelous cities. Refused to share with us their technologies to improve our lives. Treated my race as second class citizens and made sure we remained subjugated."
Melonia paused to let her words sink in, she did not know if she should be proud discussing her heritage, or if there was some better emotion she should express. "Eventually a brave warrior king arose, his name was Vegeta. He led the Saiyans in a great war against the Tuffles, that day we became your bigger predator, we took the planet as our own. Wiped the Tuffles from our world and renamed it in our heroes image. That is how things have always been for us, there may always be stronger predators, but we are also a race that will never be content with being the weaker prey. We'll claw our way to the top of the food chain, even if it kills us. Just because we can, because we feel it is what we must do. Call it pride, call it arrogance, call it ruthlessness, call it survival instant on a species wide scale. Either way, it's simply how Saiyans are, and I am keenly aware we are too stubborn to change anytime soon."
"As for the chicken, it's an expression. Would you rather be the insect devoured on a whim by the bird, or the bird who soars high and free, devouring every insect in their way?" Melonia grinned coyly, chuckling lightly to herself. "And for the record, some of my race can read minds from incredible distances, though I will admit I haven't the faintest clue how to learn such a technique." A puzzled expression hit Melonia's face when she came to a hole in her metaphor. "Chickens...do know how to fly, don't they?" She actually didn't have the faintest clue, but assumed they must. Every bird on Natto could fly, it was their only advantage over terrestrial predators. Any animal that couldn't defend itself with claws or teeth had to do so by hiding or avoiding conflict, she surmised earth must not be any different.
Melonia grew somber, focusing instead on the place before them. Shopping would take her mind off ideological discussion, the weak may suffer while the strong prosper, but both could appreciate fashionable clothing and a proper bargain. If Hwa-Jae wished to continue the debate later it was going to require alcohol, and lots of it. Preferably the strongest kind the earthlings had, assuming they had it. They had to have alcohol, didn't they? Every sentient species in the galaxy seemed to, it was almost a universal constant it seemed. And nothing was quite as raucous as a group of drunken Saiyans yelling and arguing with each other. Bouts of physical violence were common in such exchanges, a smashed chair here, a flipped table there. All in good fun, even when teeth were the first casualties of differing opinions.
"I very much think I'm going to like this place..." Melonia stated simply, looking around at the plethora of stores that lined the building's interior. Throngs of people moving throughout the building going from vendor to vendor, venue to venue. There seemed to be everything from small restaurants and confectioneries, to clothing and electronics stores. Children sat by a large central fountain, laughing and throwing small coins into the water, Melonia thought the gesture was terribly strange. What was most unexpected though, was the presence of music, pumped through the building in soothing tones. "Do all earthling buildings have music?" Melonia asked sincerely, unaccustomed to the ambiance. She nearly bumped into a pair of shoppers as her head craned to look for the origin of the sound, it seemed to be a number of strategically positioned speakers above them out of sight. It was, admittedly a very good idea, the first of many it seemed since Melonia had begun to wander the earthling cities.
"I wasn't seriously expecting there to be warships." Melonia said with an innocent tone and a sweet smile. "There's obviously no military drydock and none of these patrons look much like soldiers." The rest of her sentence came deathly serious, seemingly ignorant of the outlandishness of her words. Melonia snapped back to attention and glanced at the building Hwa-Jae had singled out. "Wildnerness Warehouse, Sporting and Outdoor supplies. So they sell winterized apparel there? Are you sure this is a place for citizens, not soldiers?" Melonia teased, pointing to a window display of a hunter dressed in combat boots and camouflaged clothing, a compound bow in hand as he stalked his prey.
"Well... I don't think we need more food quite yet, though given earthling cuisine that's a tempting offer." Melonia said as she thought of what delicacies an entire court dedicated to food might entail. "I do have a friend, Kinoko. She's another Saiyan from Natto." The Saiyaness said, thinking back to the frequently scantily clad partner she'd shared the trip to Natto with. A saiyan cut from the same cloth, who valued hair care tips as much as she did Ki mastering techniques. "She's gorgeous, you'll have to meet her someday. Anyways, she's got these lovely blue dresses, maybe we could find something similar for her in an earthling style?" Melonia placed a finger to her chin as she thought. "And then there's Jie Shan, telling us about having free time to enjoy ourselves. Our ships are landed on an island, and there was a large beach we enjoyed. Do earthlings have any specialized clothing for beaches? I was picking sand out of my armor for days after that?" Melonia looked to her friend sincerely, eagerly awaiting her input, a wide grin crossing her fair face. Word Count: 1,107 Total Word Count: 6,933
Hwa-Jae silently agreed when Melonia said that Earth and Natto were not very similar and she was glad for it. She already determined that she was not entirely fond of the Saiyan culture; while she respected their search for strength, there was simply more to life than that. It seemed the majority of Saiyans thought otherwise though. Even though Melonia was less brutish and surly than say Nasu or Komatsu, she still carried that same air that those two did, the air of a warrior who relied on strength first and nothing second. If there was a visit to Natto in the future, Hwa-Jae hoped it was rare and short.
As Melonia spoke of the history of her people and a conflict with another race, the Tuffles, Hwa-Jae continued to remain silent, nodding her head or making noises of confirmation that she was listening. Perhaps Melonia was right, but then there appeared to be no more Tuffles to get the other side of the story. As Old Master Fuega always taught, there were two sides of a coin and each side held a story, but never forget that a coin held an edge that was far more weathered.
Then of course Melonia went back about the chickens. "The chickens we ate can't fly," Hwa-Jae explained, "Despite Koge's best efforts to teach some of them. They've been domesticated and bred to no longer fly. I've tried to explain to Koge that he flies due to having a higher than average ki, but he can't seem to wrap his head around that. Also, red jungle chickens are capable of flight and are very fast. The roosters area also a bit larger and stronger and have bones spurs on their feet, which they use to defend the hens. They have survived in the wild as well because of their sheer numbers and from my previous point, that their natural predators do not kill chickens simply to kill them. They eat their fill and move on. Some beings can fight. Others can hide and run. The goal is the same though: survival. Not conquest."
Hwa-Jae was tired talking about chickens and other such subjects so she just focused on the shopping centre as it appeared Melonia was enjoying herself. The saiyan seemed to be looking for the source of the music, trying to find speakers. She asked if all earthling buildings had music like this, but Hwa-Jae shook her head. "Only large buildings like this meant for civilian use," she said, "and only some modern buildings. The temple I came from doesn't have speakers or music like this because the Kasai Order has a rule about living low tech. The music is simply to produce a calm ambience. I think it works."
Melonia then looked to the store where Hwa-Jae bought her winter wear and asked if this really wasn't a place for soldiers. Again, Hwa-Jae shook her head and tried to explain. "Because of the peaceful nature of the Earth and that most people live in cities, many people go outdoors with their families to simply reconnect with nature as a form of leisure or diversion. In fact, the forests west of West City are very peaceful and beautiful and many people go there for camping trips. The Temple where I come from is to the west as well and the Kasai Guardians go to great lengths to protect the forest and the people who go there. The roads in the West Forest have been safe for over a thousand years."
Hwa-Jae beamed with pride as she spoke of her Order and the Guardians who served it. Despite being a novice still, she hoped her journey would prove herself worthy of joining that prestigious rank. As they walked through the shopping centre, Melonia talked of her own friends and then wondered if they could find some earthling clothing that she might like.
"There's plenty of shops that have what you are looking for," Hwa-Jae explained, "You just need to keep your eyes open for them. I really don't have much for an eye on clothes, to be honest. I don't think I'd look good in such outfits. I only ever wear my training uniform." Hwa-Jae tugged on the sleeves of her cheongsam martial arts outfit for emphasis.
"As for clothes for the beach..." Hwa-Jae's face turned red once more as she turned away. In the corner of her eye, she saw a store that offered such attire, if she could call them such. There was even a sign: Summer Special! Buy One Get the Second 75% Off!
Hwa-Jae pointed to the store. "You can find swimsuits there," she said, "I... really don't have much interest in a place like that. That kind of clothing isn't meant for someone like me. Maybe you'll enjoy it more."
Melonia listened intently as Hwa-Jae described the earth's chickens. She was somewhat disappointed they couldn't fly, not only did that mean they were weak, but it also didn't help her metaphor. She did find it humorous that Hwa-Jae's friend Koge had tried to teach what seemed to be rather pitiful birds how to fly, especially to no avail. It seemed this Koge had a kind heart, even if by Haw-Jae's own admission he was a bit temperamental and self centered when he wanted to be. "Well, they sound like weak chickens. So it's probably best they've been domesticated so your earthling farmers can keep them safe. I would like to see these red jungle chickens eventually, they sound far more interesting and like they are the superior of the breeds." Melonia still wasn't entirely certain what exactly a chicken looked like, but based on Hwa-Jae's continued description, she had a pretty good idea. The fact they survived on sheer numbers alone reminded her of many of the prey species on Natto, who were so weak compared to predators outbreeding them was their only viable means of survive.
She was almost as disappointed to here that only some of the city's buildings had music playing. It would be rather pleasant living in a place that always had music, although it would likely get bothersome given enough time. Still, it was a nice change of pace, and Haw-Jae was right in that it certainly did help create a feeling of ambiance. It made just walking down the crowded walk ways of the shopping center a much more calming affair than if the only noise was the clattering of feet and the numerous people all talking as they went about their day. "This Kasai Order must be a very hardy group of individuals, if they willingly forgo modern conveniences to live a life without technology. Even on Natto we admittedly rely on advanced technology for almost every facet of our lives, and some of that technology is far more advanced than what you have here on Earth. Saiyans...do not remembering a time we were little more than suppressed barbarians under the thumb of the Tuffle's rule. So we rather enjoy our advanced technology." Melonia closed her mouth to listen to Haw-Jae talk at length about the nature of Earth, peaceful and free from conflict or turmoil. It was all such a far cry from Natto, where the bulk of the Saiyans had been forced to in exile from their very homelands. Melonia didn't even think she could properly explain the magnitude of what this meant for her species. Even now it filled her heart with sorrow just thinking about her homeworld resting in a foreign government's hands.
"So the people of earth go into the wilderness freely to experience nature outside of your cities? I suppose that makes sense, reconnecting with when your race was more primal and wild. I imagine it must be relaxing if there's entire stores dedicated to this industry... maybe I should consider doing that on Natto sometime... I mean, I do go out into the badlands sometimes to train, but never for any extended stays. And certainly not for leisure as you say earthlings do." Continued talk of this Temple Haw-Jae revered so much excited Melonia, it was more interesting than the sporting goods store or the leisure hobbies of the Earthlings. Finally, something that appealed to her on her most base martial levels. "This Temple sounds very impressive, especially given how much you seem to talk about it. I imagine it's a very large temple, if your order all lives there. And these Kasai Guardians sound like fearsome warriors if they've been so successful in protecting the people and the forests for more than a thousand years. That's an impressive length of time, a thousand years ago my race was first arriving on Vegeta, protecting forests or building temples was the absolute last thing on my ancestors' minds. They were more concerned with what they could hunt and where to find shelter."
The conversation drifted on to Melonia's desire for summer clothing in Earthling fashions, and Melonia snapped back into her shopper's mindset. They were after all, in a shopping center. She ought to go back to focusing on exactly what she was here to do, and that was find new clothing. There were a myriad of stores to choose from, selling apparently everything from furniture, to to electronics, to children's toys. It seemed one could find almost anything they desired in no time at all. That would explain entire families with small children going about their day in peace, sacks full of goods in their arms. It actually wasn't too dissimilar from Natto, the only thing missing was all the tails, and a lot more people flying. "I am keeping my eyes open, there's just a lot to take in." Melonia paused as Hwa-Jae commented on her own fashion senses. She turned abruptly, giving the woman a quick but tight hug. "Oh don't say that Hwa-Jae, you're gorgeous. You'd look good in any outfit you felt like pulling off." Melonia smiled sweetly and slowly pulled away. "And I had no idea that was a training outfit, I just assumed that was your normal clothes. It looks really good, although I realize that's coming from someone wearing battle armor."
Hwa-Jae's face flushed almost as red as her outfit, and she pointed off towards a store flaunting a summer special. "Holy shit, seventy five percent?" Melonia said in an excited tone, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. "That's crazy good. Come on Hwa-Jae, I'm sure we can find something you like. If nothing else you can help me pick out something fun." At that Melonia grabbed her friend's arm, practically dragging her into the store. Inside was a cacophony of sound, loud surf music playing over speakers and the store filled with bright colors and vibrant summer apparel. Mannequins were dressed in a myriad of swim trucks, summer gear, and bikinis of every make and model. Melonia was slightly overwhelmed by the selections available, walking slowly through the aisles as she took sight of everything available. The duo moved from the men's wear over towards the female selection once Melonia realized how things were organized.
"Well, I probably want something that's a two piece." She mused aloud, rummaging through the offering of one piece bikinis. "Because none of these have a hole for my tail, and they look somewhat constricting. I could just wear the under layer on my armor if I reeeaaallly needed a one piece, it's water resistant anyways." More talking aloud than actually engaging in conversation, Melonia shifted to the two piece suits, going down the aisle looking for something suitable in her size. Height wasn't much of an issue, Melonia was of neither exceptional height or terribly short, and it seemed earthlings conformed to almost identical standards to that of Saiyans. However, finding something suitable for her figure was proving a bit more of a challenge. Most of the garments weren't sized for someone quite so... generous in the bust, and Melonia furrowed her brow as she had to set back bikini after cute bikini simply because it didn't seem it was going to fit. "There's a lot of stuff to choose from, but I don't wanna be bursting out of my top. Maybe I should look for something in a larger size..."
Melonia continued her hunt, eventually finding several possible candidates in a number of styles. One was a matching violet to her armor's under layer, one solid color and without much frill. Another was white with spotted red polka dots and frilly edges. The third bikini was plain and solid black, a rather muted color palette compared to the first. "Alright, I think these will do for a start. Now I just need to find a changing room to try these bad boys on." The Saiyaness said, eagerly eyeing the clothing she held over her arm. She hovered up into the air slightly, scanning for a changing room sign. Spotting it in the corner Melonia took her friend's hand and led the two off. Leaving Hwa-Jae to take a seat outside or do whatever she like, Melonia disappeared inside the changing room. Slipping out of her armor, the woman quickly dressed in the first of her chosen bikinis. She emerged again several minutes later, clad only in her new violet two piece bikini. Bottoms hugging her ample rear with strings hugging her prominent hips. The top tied up behind her back, clinging to her sizable bust as if for dear life. Melonia was looking significantly jigglier as she emerged from the booth, the revealing swim wear far less supportive than the polymer form of her armor. "So..." The Saiyan beauty stated as she struck a seductive pose before her friend. "How do I look? I sure hope I'm not overdoing it am I?" WC: 1,500 TWC: 8,433
Finally topics went to things Hwa-Jae was truly passionate about. She was always happy to talk about the Kasai Order and the Temple of which they made their home, but had very little opportunity to do so. Most people, especially in the city, simply did not care to stay and listen to the words of a Kasai and it was not like she could talk about it with her fellow sisters. Clapping her hands, Hwa-Jae finally beamed as she spoke of her sisters in the Kasai.
"The Kasai is a very old order that has lasted a thousand years, founded by the Old Master, Fuega." The elation Hwa-Jae felt made her feel incredibly good. "The Kasai have lasted very long without the luxury of technology by working with the natural resources and our own abilities. The Kasai are those that ignite their ki into fire, so we built the majority of our buildings from thick stone so they don't catch fire from accidents."
Some of which Hwa-Jae made herself, but that was when she was young. Melonia did not need to know about those embarrassing stories.
"That is to say we don't have any technology," Hwa-Jae continued, "We just only save them for emergencies. There is a communication room to speak with the authorities of West City, as well as we have a set of capsules for those same emergencies. Only the Old Master and the Elder Sisters can use these item. In any event, we are taught to rely on our own strength and skills and those of our Sisters and not on technology. The Old Master considered it important to focus on the growth of the self without any handicaps."
When Melonia mentioned that the Kasai temple must have been very large, Hwa-Jae nodded in the positive. "It is quite large, but it is big enough for the dormitories, the archives, the training grounds, our farmlands, and the Grand Pyre Pyramid. It is said Old Master Fuega made the temple in a single day by using her ki to summon enough limestone to house the Grand Pyre in reverence for granting her the power over flame. There are a lot of Sisters, most being orphans and women who seek out purpose in their lives. I fall under the former category and have made it my life's mission to become a Kasai Guardian."
Hwa-Jae realised that she had rambled on and on about the Kasai. She rubbed the back of her head and tried to laugh it off. "Sorry," she quickly explained, "I'm just very devoted to the Kasai. Everyone I consider family are Kasai Sisters and I get a bit homesick after the Old Master sent me on a journey to find the sacred braziers. I'm just glad I have someone to share this with. The Old Master will choose an heir soon, so I'm hoping the next leader of our order finally considers expanding our Temple beyond the western forests."
That was always a point of contention between the leadership of the temple, though Fuega always had final say and that saying was a stern "No." It was the only thing that stood as a major difference between Fuega and Elder Sister Pyya, though the latter always deferred to the Master's wishes. This was a subject Hwa-Jae quickly found herself supporting Pyya on and the more she saw of the world, the more she believed the Kasai were needed to go beyond the walls of the temple.
Melonia then hugged Hwa-Jae and called her gorgeous, which sent her cheeks to resemble ripened tomatoes. At the idea of finding some swimwear for her, Hwa-Jae quickly stammered, "I'm OK, really. I just... you know... this is to help you get more accustomed to Earth! I really don't need anything like these clothes. My uniform is perfectly fine, honest!"
The saiyan went through the different styles of swimwear, while Hwa-Jae simply stood to the side, trying to find something on the ground or ceiling to be more fascinating. When Melonia mentioned finding something in a larger size, Hwa-Jae piped in. "There's some kind of system in place for stuff like that," she said, "but I find it rather confusing. They use letters and numbers in an awkward manner I think means inches. Most of the Kasai clothes are loose robes and training gear, and I practice sarashi binding, so those measurements don't mean much to me. Maybe you can make sense of them."
As Melonia went off to try on the swimsuits she chose, Hwa-Jae needed to decide if she wanted to stay in the store that made her feel so uncomfortable. She decided to stay, just so that her friend had a friendly face waiting for her when she was done. Her own curiosity took hold as she wandered through the store, looking at all the different swim wear available for purchase. It was an odd thing that she considered these clothes to be far too skimpy when back at the Temple lake she swam in the buff. Of course, there was the benefit that the small lake was behind the Grand Pyre Pyramid with a Fire Tower standing guard nearby. Also, Hwa-Jae often swam alone. Her friend Cineza, for all of her strengths, was never a particularly good swimmer.
A little more curious, Hwa-Jae took a look at one particular yellow two-piece. She thought the word "bikini" sounded a bit silly and wondered the etymology of that particular word. She held the top in her hands, but could not feel the fabric due to her thick gloves. There were no straps on this top meaning that it would have been held up by her...
Turning beat red, Hwa-Jae quickly put that swimsuit away and looked for something a bit more modest. She eventually found a similar, simple black bikini that Melonia looked at earlier. This one had proper straps, so there was no need to draw attention to herself if Hwa-Jae ever decided to go mad and wear something like this. However, as she looked looked at the price tag, Hwa-Jae's eyes went wide. Six hundred zeni for what amounted as a couple strips of cloth held together by string and a hope for a dream. This seemed like some kind of highway robbery.
Hwa-Jae picked up the black bikini and headed over to the register to investigate this matter. The clerk at the till smiled at her and asked, "Good afternoon, miss, is there something I can help you with?"
"I was just wondering if there was some mistake when it came to the pricing," Hwa-Jae said, pointing at the price tag. "There is no way this little thing can be worth this much. There's hardly any material used at all. I bought a jacket for the northern regions for the same amount of zeni but it's much larger and made with many different materials."
The clerk rolled her eyes and gave Hwa-Jae a small scowl. "You sound like you're not from around here, honey," she said in a rather snooty tone. "This is a SCS Original, one of the finest brand names in beach wear. That is 'Satan City Salon' to you bumbling yokels from the rurals. The name alone is worth three-quarters of the price. If you want something cheap, Win-Win is over in the other side of the mall. You're friend seems to have more sense of style. Hopefully she has the money to back it up."
"This," she motioned to Hwa-Jae's rather tattered uniform, "is a crime against high fashion. If I had a full day, it wouldn't be enough to fix this particular mess."
Hwa-Jae huffed as she picked up the bikini so she could put it back. Once she did so, she waited by the change rooms again. She looked down on her clothes and wondered what the clerk meant. Her clothes were fine as far as she was concerned. They weren't meant for looking good, they were meant for training and combat. Still, once the worm was in her head, she did begin to doubt herself. Was she really that bad to look at? Was she ugly or just unappealing to the eye?
Melonia then emerged from the change room in the violet swimsuit she chose earlier, appearing like one of the models from a magazine Hwa-Jae saw at a newsstand. Hwa-Jae looked Melonia over quickly, then turned her head, already feeling utterly embarrassed. Even with her long furry tail, Melonia looked ever bit a beauty while Hwa-Jae felt like a dirty country bumpkin. When Melonia struck a pose to show off her body, Hwa-Jae could feel the blood rushing to her nose, only just able to keep it from bleeding from sheer force of her ki.
"It looks... great!" Hwa-Jae said as she tried to keep her eyes busy elsewhere. "I'm feeling envious of you! You could wear anything here and look good in it!"
Hwa-Jae longingly looked to the store exit. Hopefully they would not linger here long. She already felt completely inadequate compared to the Saiyan; all of these skimpy clothes did not help matters. *** WC: 1518 TWC: 8476
Once Hwa-Jae had begun talking about her Kasai Guardians she could hardly seem to stop, which didn't much bother Melonia as the topic was terribly fascinating, especially compared to their earlier discussion on the damnable earth chickens. It was immediately self evident just how much the topic seemed to excite the fiery haired woman, elation worn on her face like the poorest of disguises. She elaborated on the Kasai's self imposed abandonment of modern technology, opting instead to work the land and rely chiefly on their own natural strength and ability. It was a sound practice for breeding capable warriors, abandoning technology would certainly force one to embrace their own inner fortitude for many of life's hardships. Even the notion of their construction was rather interesting, and Melonia assumed they must rely on intense physical training to have the strength to build structures out of solid stone. It begged the question just how strong was Hwa-Jae, and how strong did her superiors rank above her?
"It all sounds remarkable Hwa-Jae, I must admit." Melonia said as the duo continued their journey. "Igniting Ki into flame sounds like a pretty remarkable technique. I haven't seen anyone perform a feat like that in combat, though I have heard there are a few races from other worlds that can do something similar. The members of your order must be a great deal more powerful compared to the rest of the earthlings I've seen, especially if they are accomplishing the feats you list with such ease." An idea crept into the Saiyaness' mind as a smile crossed her fair face. "I would like to see this temple at some point in the future, even if only for a day. Perhaps train with your fellow guardians, if only to see how earth's warriors go about honing their mind and bodies." The thought was an exciting one indeed, Melonia had very little experience with any alien races. The majority of the earthlings looked remarkably similar to Saiyans, minus the lack of a tail. She had quickly decided they had followed a very similar if not parallel evolution throughout history. More to the point though it would give her new insight into how another planet's warriors went about training.
Hwa-Jae continued to speak at length on her order's many facets, from their stance on the usage of technology, to bits about their hierarchy. Melonia couldn't decide if it was an all female order, given the usage of 'Old Master' a the title for their presumed ruler, while the 'Elder Sisters' seemed to serve an advisory position as a council underneath the master. "Relying on strength skill..." Melonia mused aloud. "That is the most agreeable thing you've said to me since we met. Well, besides food and shopping." Melonia shrugged slightly, grinning with mirth. "There is never a downside to focusing on one's own strength and working to improve your skills. If your order achieves this through the abandonment of technology, then more power to them. Particularly since you do not reject technology, you simply choose not to employ its use. I was half worried you were going to tell me your masters refuse things like vaccination or computers, things that make life infinitely easier."
When Hwa-Jae began to describe the temple grounds at length, Melonia was slightly taken aback. She wasn't sure why, but she had simply pictured one massive building, rather than what sounded like a thriving village in its own right. Her friend also confirmed her suspicions that this was an all female order, it seemed one that gave purpose to and empowered a great number of women. The Saiyan Alliance military was only vaguely similar, accepting all men and women of fighting age. As to orphans though, they did not need to be accepted. They were conscripted into service, since dying in service to the state was the highest form of service an orphan could hope to give back to society. Without parents or other family to raise them, they had few other prospects in life. "It sounds like a truly impressive complex, more of a village in truth, at least based on your descriptions. And your Old Master sounds exceptionally powerful if she can summon enough stone to build an entire temple in a single day." Melonia paused, considering something she had thought of. "Just how old is this Master Fuega, and for that matter, how long do earthlings tend to live for?"
Melonia chuckled when Hwa-Jae admitted her devotion to her order. "You truly are, that much was clear five minutes ago when you started talking." The Saiyaness teased, sticking out her tongue. "But devotion is a good thing, it gives you purpose in life. I myself am similarly devoted to the Saiyan Alliance, it is the only bastion for my kind outside of the tyrannical ruler that currently occupies our homeworld." Melonia's gaze looked forward, as if burning a hole in the wall straight back to Vegeta itself. "I would lay down my life a thousand times over to see my people returned home, and our enemies crushed to the last beneath the tread of our boots." Her Ki flared out and her aura pulsed with violet energy for but a moment, before she clenched her fist and suppressed her Ki again. "Forgive me for that... the thought of it all makes my blood boil. Anyways, I'm happy to listen to all you have to share. There's so much to learn about earth, and you're the closest thing here I have to a proper guide. And I'm happy to accompany on your journey, for however brief a time we may spend together."
As Melonia pulled her friend tight in a hugging embrace she could physically feel the poor woman's face turn red as her attire. It brought no end to the humor Melonia felt every time she hugged her friend. "I know, it's to get me accustomed to Earth. But it's also because it's super fun." Melonia pulled back, eyeing up Hwa-Jae's crimson outfit. "You might think your uniform is fine, and I'll admit I'm not going to pretend we don't have vastly different tastes. But more clothing is always fun. You could definitely pull of a ton of cute outfits. But, what do I know, I'm just the culture hating space traveling barbarian obsessed with devouring Earth's vital population of defenseless chickens." Melonia gave a grin as she finished with her very self aware joke.
The pair continued their trip, entering the store and immediately setting off to browse for clothes. As Melonia struggled with Earth's confusing sizing system Hwa-Jae weighed in her own inputs. "Yeah there's clearly a system... I'm just not very good at it. It would help if I could actually read your language, I'm mostly going off context clues at the moment. I don't actually know what an inch is either, but I'll keep that in mind." Melonia continued to browse through the aisle, before ultimately finding what she was looking for. "Loose clothes are no fun, you can't flaunt the fun stuff." Melonia teased, holding up the admittedly skimpy bikini to her chest for inspection. "Also...Sarashi binding? What on Natto is that exactly? Some kind of martial arts technique?"
The Saiyeness soon departed to the changing rooms to switch out into her apparel. She liked the fit of all the attires she'd chosen, though the violet one was by far her favorite. When she emerged Hwa-Jae proceeded to immediately divert her gaze, her face turning a familiar shade of read. It saddened her seeing her new friend react that way, and she sorely suspected why. "Overdoing it that badly am I?" The Saiyaness said in a remorseful tone. Hwa-Jae was clearly trying to avoid direct eye contact as Melonia stepped closer to her friend. "I'm glad you like it, but you shouldn't be envious." The Saiyan warrior placed her delicate hands on her companion's shoulders. "You are absolutely gorgeous yourself, and I will not hear one word saying otherwise. You could absolutely pull off everything as well as I can. You just need to be confident in yourself." At that Melonia pulled her friend into another bone crushing hug, arms wrapped tight around her back as the woman's face ended up buried in a deep valley of bare cleavage.
When Melonia relinquished her hug she gave her friend a sweet smile, one filled with love and adoration. "Now, I'm going to go change back into my armor since you look ready to faint. I'm also fairly certain most of the store is staring at my chest." Melonia glanced around, watching men avert their eyes faster than she'd seen in a long while. "When I get back we can go somewhere more to your liking, I know you feel out of your element with me around. I'll try to tone it down, I know I can be a bit much." Melonia pulled her friend back in close for another quick hug. "You're my only friend from Earth so far, I'm trying not to mess this up." And with that Melonia pulled away and turned back towards the changing room, hips swaying lusciously from side to side as she walked. The bounce of her bust clearly visible even from behind. "Oh also, I have absolutely no idea what Earthling currency is, so I'm not sure how I'll pay." She remarked casually as the women slipped back into the private room. WC: 1,580 TWC: 10,013
Hwa-Jae nodded as Melonia seemed to marvel at the idea of igniting ki into fire. "I'll show you when we get to the rooftop of this place," she explained, "Since Koge eats the fire I make, I use them as flares to get his attention. He can't resist clamping his beak around a warm fire. Also yes, the Kasai Guardians are quite strong, though it is common practice to suppress one's ki. The Old Master always said 'A small flame can catch the darkness by surprise.' Those who do not know often underestimate the Kasai Temple as a simple nunnery. They learn the hard way that that is not the case in the slightest."
She agreed with Melonia that it would be nice for the Saiyan to visit the temple at some point if only for a short time. She did not have any allusions of bringing Melonia into the temple; she thought of it as more of a culture exchange. Unfortunately, a visit to the Temple would have to wait until after Hwa-Jae finished her journey to find the four braziers. While Melonia was a strong saiyan, the threat of the Black Fire Witch was a complete unknown. If the Black Fire Witch could rattle the nerves of Fuega and needed an ancient power to defeat her, Hwa-Jae did not want to put Melonia in harms way.
"I'd like that very much," Hwa-Jae said at last, "I'd like to see my Sister's faces when they come face-to-face with an actual alien. The Old Master would find your fascinating. Elder Sister Pyya would want to grill you on training techniques. My best friend Cineza would probably want to face you in battle. She's very prideful, but for good reason. She's the strongest of the new generation of Kasai Guardians, though I worry that same pride gets to her head. She has a temper to match, but many say she could be the next Dragon of the Kasai."
Realising that Melonia would not know a thing about the Four Beasts, Hwa-Jae explained. "What I mean by calling her a potential Dragon is that the Kasai hold that there are four sacred beasts that watch over the world with the Living Flame: the Dragon, the Tortoise, the Tiger, and the Phoenix. When one is deemed worthy, the Old Master chooses the most powerful of the Kasai to take on one of those sacred mantles. Currently there are no Sacred Beasts in the Kasai, but my friend was being groomed to take on the role of Dragon. I've supported her all the way, but she's impatient and headstrong. I fear she'll do something foolish sooner rather than later."
That was always a point of contention between Cineza and the other sisters. Many felt that Cineza was moving too quickly and growing too powerful without the necessary discipline to control that power. Elder Sister Pyya belonged to that particular camp and Hwa-Jae, silently of course, believed it. Those on the other side of the river, those that believed that Cineza was deserving of the title of the Kasai's Dragon, were Cineza and a few fans. Hwa-Jae supported Cineza all the time, but knew that temperance was not the fledgling Dragon's strong suit.
Hwa-Jae sighed and smiled at Melonia. "I apologise for going on like I do. Like I said, I'm devoted to the Kasai. The Temple is pretty vast and it does function like a small village, mostly due to the tenant of self-reliance. To answer your questions, I think most humans live for one hundred and twenty years, maybe more thanks to modern medicine, though Fuega seems to be an extreme outlier as she's lived for a thousand years. She says the means to her immortality is from mastery of the Kasai, but warned people away from learning this as failure means instantaneous combustion. That kind of age has weakened her body, but her mind is still sharp and filled with the wisdom of ages. It's why she has the Elder Sisters act as her hands as she guides the Kasai."
"I think that is why most humans are not very strong," Hwa-Jae continued, "We don't have particularly long lives and the prime of our bodies do not last particularly long. It's probably different for Saiyans. With such a short lifespan, most people just do what they can in life."
Once again, however, speaking of the Kasai and her journey made someone else want to join her across the Earth. Hwa-Jae shook her head. "This journey is something I need to do on my own, as much as I would love your company," she said, "The Old Master wanted as few people involved as possible, which is why she sent me alone. There's a entity that threatens the Kasai and if she were to discover what I was doing, she would move to stop me. Stealth is important. A group, no matter how small, would be noticed. Just trust that this is what I have to do."
Hwa-Jae then cocked her head when Melonia mentioned 'flaunting the fun stuff.' "What do you mean by 'fun stuff'?" Hwa-Jae asked. "As for sarashi bindings..." Hwa-Jae untied the top of her cheongsam and lowered the flap slightly, showing off the bandages that wrapped around her chest. "These are sarashi bindings. They are bandages meant to tighten the chest. It's mostly to soak up blood from battle so it doesn't get everywhere, but I've worn it for so long it's just like putting on socks. That, and my friend Cineza was always jealous by... erm... how 'big' I am in comparison, so I constricted my chest to help her feel better. It just got to a point where it disturbed our training."
When Melonia asked if she was overdoing it, Hwa-Jae simply replied, "I am just simply not used to such overt displays of skin. We practice modesty and unity in the Temple though some, like Cineza, push the limits of the rules. I've never been one to focus on appearance, just on my training, but thank you for the compliment regardless. It does mean a lot. Maybe one day we can have a fancy dress night out once I found fitting for my demeanour. I think you'd be able to show me a lot. You are definitely much more confident in yourself than I am. I'm just Hwa-Jae, simple Sister of the Kasai."
That seemed to only get Hwa-Jae a face full of Melonia's cleavage as the saiyan decided to give her another squeezing hug. Hwa-Jae flailed her arms, as her face went beet red once again. Despite her embarrassment, she did note how soft Melonia was. This mental note only drove her to even more embarrassment when she was finally free of the tight embrace. After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she decided to wait outside where she could perhaps calm down. Before she could, Melonia asked about Earth currency.
Hwa-Jae fished out one of her gold coins and handed it to the saiyan. "Earth uses zeni as currency, but this coin should cover things, just like in the restaurant. As for where I want to go, well... there really isn't anything more I want to go to. The clothes are nice but most are impractical for martial arts. I can't bring any technology back to the temple, and I need to carry light as I make my way to the various mountains. That shut down any idea of collecting souvenirs when I return to the temple."
In truth, Hwa-Jae never considered any of the other shops in the market building, with the exception of the various eateries and restaurants. The clothes stores had many nice things, but they did not work for a martial artist. Knickknacks and baubles would only burden her. Even though she was outside of the Temple, she still adhered to the rule against the personal use of technology and therefore could not buy anything of that manner. As she waited for Melonia to appear, she turned her head every way to see if there was something of interest to her, but so far it was mostly clothes and gizmos. Perhaps they should have just gone to the roof to call Koge.
That is until she saw a store on the far end of the building. With ki sharpening her eyesight, Hwa-Jae saw a store that did interest her. While she did not recognise most of the instruments, she did see a drum and the drum was an instrument she was sure was universal in shape and in function. That meant that store was a music store and she was greatly interested in seeing that. Perhaps there was a shamisen that she could play for Melonia. It had been a long time since she practised.
Once Melonia left the bathing suit store, Hwa-Jae pointed to the store. "I'd like to that music store, if you don't mind," she said, "if not, we can always go to the roof to meet Koge. Whatever you'd like to do. I just love music and would like to see what they have available beyond the traditional instruments we have back at the temple." *** WC: 1530 TWC: 10006
Once more Hwa-Jae began to speak at length of her order's ability to ignite their Ki into elemental fire. Addressing again her flame eating avian companion Koge, and promising a demonstration once they reached the top of the building. The thought greatly intrigued Melonia, who only knew how to harness her Ki in a raw elemental form, void of some of the more advanced finesse one could employ in mastery of their techniques. "I look forward to seeing this demonstration, even the part with Koge eating fire. I've heard of a few species that can survive by eating light or even raw energy, but none that eat fire. So I imagine watching a bird eating flame should be quite a treat." Hwa-Jae went on to elaborate on the strength of the Kasai Guardians and their supposed strength, citing her master's wisdom and their tendency to suppress their full power. "I have no idea what on Natto a nunnery is, but a warrior smart enough to hold back and hide their full strength is a warrior cunning enough to be feared by their enemies. Your Old Master indeed sounds very wise, though I'd add that a flame large enough can simply overwhelm darkness without needing to catch it by surprise."
Hwa-Jae seemed seemed rather pleased when Melonia offered to come visit her temple at some point in the future. She was deathly curious to see what it was like, though the stories themselves were by far the most intriguing part of her visit to Earth so far. Already visions of what the other order members looked like, how they lived and how they thought were swimming in the Saiyaness' mind. "Oh Hwa-Jae, you're making me blush." Melonia teased, pawing at the air with her hand. "Though I do find it odd how similar how species look. You could almost pass for a Saiyan without a tail. Some of us do lose ours...it's a mark of great shame, and typically failure in battle." Melonia reached out and ruffled her friend's long crimson hair. "Though your hair is the wrong color. All pureblood Saiyans have very very dark hair, mostly black or browns. I suppose maybe you could be a half breed of some kind. We do breed well with other races descendant from primates. I'd like to see these Sisters' reactions to me, as well as speak with them of course. You have no idea how many questions I have."
The Kasai guardian mentioned a number of people back from the Temple, to which Melonia had an answer for each. "Your Old Master already sounds like an incredibly interesting person, and I'd be honored to meet her given the chance. I have no small number of questions for the woman, should we ever meet face to face. As for this Elder Pyya, she can grill me all she likes." Melonia folded her arms across her expansive chest at the comment, standing in a rather proud manner as she finished her response. She enjoyed nothing more than boasting, be it about herself or her race at large. Anytime she could do both at once was a good for the Saiyaness, and Hwa-Jae gave her plenty of opportunities to boast with regards to the feats Saiyans regularly achieved. "I will gladly tell her all about the rigorous training I experienced first hand at the Saiyan Alliance Military Academy. It was the most brutal five years of my life, waking up at the break of dawn to perform back breaking manual labor or soul crushingly long exercise routines. Full content sparring and even pitting teams of warriors against a classmate transformed into a Great Ape in exercises designed to show us how to combat our more destructive form. As for your friend Cineza, I accept her challenge, and I'd happily meet her on the field of battle. She sounds like she'd make a good Saiyan, pride and anger are the two defining characteristics of my race. I'll happily grind her into the dirt beneath my boot to solidify that Saiyans are the superior warriors. Though I have heard of dragons, your Dragon of Kasai is a new term to me."
Hwa-Jae went on to immediately elaborate on this dragon in response to Melonia's comment. It seemed there were a fair few sacred beasts to her order. Though Melonia only recognized a few she quickly deduced that each of them must be quite powerful in their own way to hold such importance among the fire wielding order of female warriors. "So these great sacred beasts, they are part of your religion then?" Melonia asked in rebuttal. "I have heard of Dragons before, they are Namekian creatures of legend, said to wield unfathomable power and even grant wishes to those who prove themselves worthy. Phoenixes too, stories of those reach far and wide across the galaxy. Beasts of flame and flight, great burning birds that can reincarnate themselves upon their demise. But what are the other two? I think they may simply be an Earth only species of animal, or the Saiyan word for them is vastly different. As for your titles, why exactly are there no sacred beasts currently? Were they slain in battle? And as for your impatient friend, when I pummel her into submission for challenging to fight, will that adversely affect her chances of receiving this title? I wouldn't want to jeopardize your friends over a simple spar." Melonia's interest in these Kasai Guardians only grew as the conversation continued, it seemed just when she was starting to get a firm grasp on the nature of the order Hwa-Jae would throw her another curve ball and introduce new aspects that only increased the Saiyaness' fascination. What other secrets did they hold, and what was this "Living Flame?" Was it an actual tangible entity, or simply some kind of metaphysical concept?
Hwa-Jae seemed to become momentarily lost in thought. Her eyes gazed past Melonia, or through her rather, as the woman appeared to be looking off into the void itself. Melonia had seen this expression a hundred times before, the face of someone reliving the past. She wondered what kind of memory it could be, but deigned not to ask out of polite respect for her new friend. She not not what kind of demons Hwa-Jae had hidden in her own past that she didn't wish to bring up to the surface over as trivial a conversation as this. "No no, don't feel the need to apologize to me, it's fine. Really. Your devotion is pretty clear, a warrior of a holy order should be. It sounds like quite the noble course for your life. I like listening to you talk about your order, and it does sound rather impressive." That seemed enough to reassure Hwa-Jae that her supposed ramblings were more than fine in Meloina's book, and she proceeded to speak at length about the Earthling biology more, particularly with regards to her master. "A hundred and twenty years, that's a very respectable life span." Melonia admitted once the woman had finished. "Saiyan lifespan is in the same wheel house, maybe closer to one thirty or forty, fifty in extreme cases. We tend to refuse to die that easily, and our medical technology is a good deal beyond Earth's. Hell, we can even regrow lost limbs in a healing machine with minimal effort, though it is a lengthy process for the patient. Actually though, more Saiyans die in battle than from old age, we consider it the proudest death a warrior can have to be slain defending something that matters to them. Be it a person, place, or even ideal. Some of our fiercest corps of shock troopers are made from the ranks of veteran soldiers who have simply lived too long, and now hunger for a glorious and proper death in battle. They are ruthless in battle as they are fearless, masters of their own fates." The Saiyaness' eyes shimmered with devotion as she recounted her tale, Saiyan Shock Troops were warriors of incredible renown, venerated like living legends. They would charge the gates of Hell itself to battle the demons of a thousand ages if it were commanded of them. Honored as living heroes they tended to be thrown at any target too hard for standard Saiyan Military tactics to crack. Survive rates per mission were exceedingly low, though their mission success rate was without equal save for the few Super Saiyans the Alliance had at its command.
Melonia chucked to herself when she realized something comical about their chat. The tables had been turned, the ramblee had become the rambler. She rubbed her hand across the back of her head and gave a short sigh. "Look at me, now you've set me off too. Seems neither of us can shut the hell up. I guess that's how you know we've become friends. Your immortal Master Fuega must be extremely powerful if she's so long lived, far more than I assumed earlier. Especially if she'd been honing her ability over the course of her immortality. You call her weakened, but I bet she's still powerful on an incredible magnitude, unless time as simply sapped all her strength. In either event, her technique sounds too risky to ever consider. The odds are too stacked in favor of death, no technique is worth dying for." Light glinted off Melonia's eyes, an ambitious smile crossing her full lips as she considered what seemed like the most logical option. "Unless of course you wait until you've already had a long and fulfilling life to employ that ability. If you succeed, you gain all the promises of immortality, and if you fail you die a quick and probably painless death. Seems a worthy gamble when your days are numbered as is."
It was somewhat saddening to hear from her new friend that Hwa-Jae would prefer to continue traveling on her own. Melonia knew she couldn't accompany the woman indefinitely, her own duties to the Alliance superseding her dedication to any newfound friends or allies. But even still, it was disheartening actually hearing the words leave her friend's mouth. "If that is your wish, then I understand. As your friend I can't force you to bring me along, and I wouldn't want to compromise your safety if traveling in a group will jeopardize your safety and your goals." Melonia considered hugging Hwa-Jae again in response, hugging always calmed Melonia down. But she opted to simply place a hand on the other woman's shoulder and look her in the eyes. "I can't really do anything but trust you now can I, my new friend? As long as you promise me you'll be safe by yourself, then that's all I'll ask of you."
The conversation took a much happier turn as it shifted back to breasts, a favored subject of hers. The curvaceous Saiyaness had never actually met anyone more well endowed than herself, and she sorely hoped she never did. It was a title she liked having all to her own. But her boob-senses had tingled the moment she met Hwa-Jae, she knew the woman was hiding her true figure from her, she had the spirit of a buxom babe about her. Just hidden under a layer of modesty and clothing that did nothing to flatter her appearance. "You know exactly what I mean by fun stuff Hwa-Jae." Melonia said teasingly, poking her friend gently in the right breast. She smirked heavily as she did, feeling her finger sink lightly into soft skin beneath, all but confirming her suspicions. Hwa-Jae proceeded to elaborate on her bindings, explaining their purpose was both to soak up blood and to diminish the appearance of her own bust. "Knew it, totally knew it." Melonia said giddily, eyes locked on her friend's bandaged chest. "I knew you were hiding your rack from me. Your hips are too wide and your waist is too slender, it gives away you hourglass figure, even if you try to hide your tits with those bandages." Melonia pulled her friend close into a now very familiar embrace, giggling as she did. "I bet you must be pretty damn big for your friend Cineza to get so worked out you had to do something about it. We're comparing some day, I'll buy you a drink when I win. And for the record, I don't worry one bit about getting blood on me in a battle. I'd sooner bathe in my opponent's than try to hide the trophy of a battle well fought." Melonia pulled away from her embrace, allowing her friend to fix her attire. The two were making quite the show, and a number of the men seemed to be nursing nose bleeds throughout the store. Melonia didn't care, she adored her body, having total confidence in her body image. She wished her friend had the same kind of appreciation for the figure she was blessed with. The two of them could turn heads and ruin dates wherever they went if Hwa-Jae truly felt like stepping up her game.
This point was further made when Hwa-Jae replied to Melonia's next statement. "You are entirely too beautiful to bother with modesty Hwa-Jae, women like us, we should be flaunting it. That's what being sexy is for, at least the way I see it. Maybe Cineza has the right idea and the rest of you are just prudes, ever considered that?" Melonia said playfully, a teasingness to her words as she resumed her flirtatious posture upon her friend's admission. Her statement regarding dress night sent Melonia wild eyed into thinking of possibilities. She wasn't one for formal dresses, but this would be quite the exception. Swapping out tight fitting pants and low cut skirts for a regal dress that flaunted elegance and grace. Her head was swimming with ideas at the prospect of it before Hwa-Jae even finished her sentence. "Yes! That sounds amazing, I am definitely in on dress night. But no bindings, I promise I'll find something modest enough that doesn't flaunt too much skin, but you will be flaunting all those curves instead. We'll paint the town red and turn every head that comes our way. Maybe we can party crash someone wealthy and see what kind of fun we can have?" Melonia said with a smirk on her face, she'd crashed an officer's ball when she was but a simple cadet. However with her goods on full display in a tight black cocktail dress, none of the senior officials had bothered to much care. And with her young, single, and flirty as hell, not one soul bothered to confirm if she was actually on the guest registrar or not. "You just need to find your confidence is all. You might be simple Hwa-Jae, but that's only because you're too modest to let super sexy Hwa-Jae out to have some fun." Melonia chided playfully, getting great personal enjoyment out of pushing her friend to take more of an active role in her own beauty.
The topic quickly changed to how Melonia would pay for her new apparel when the Saiyaness eventually returned from changing back into her normal, albeit somewhat alien attire. Tail swishing happily as she returned to her friend's side. Hwa-Jae proceeded to withdraw another one of her rare coins and hand it to Melonia. "You and these gold coins, just how many do you have? No, don't answer that, I'm just gonna hope it's a shit ton." Melonia stated as she ran her fingers over the intricately carved golden coin, feeling its heft and craftsmanship. "Isn't it funny how every culture that experiences gold falls in love with it and deems it worthy enough to be currency? Maybe life is hard wired to love gold, but either way it sure makes things convenient. I don't know what a Zeni looks like, but I'll sure to see if there's some kind of galactic bank I can exchange for some at." Melonia promised, fairly sure Natto did enough trade with Earth that she could procure some Zeni if she returned home and put her mind too it. She turned to the cashier, handing over the coin and asking if it covered her purchases. The person seemed nearly dumb struck at the coin, nodding slowly in agreement as they carefully eyeballed it in Melonia's hand. While they rung up the purchase they called for the manager to come and investigate the coin with them, the pair seemed rather happy at the fact Melonia had paid with it. Did Hwa-Jae severely overpay for things in gold, or did her coins have some other meaning for earthlings that Melonia was in dark about? Maybe they brought good fortunate or something, or maybe you could exchange them for something even better. She'd have to ask at some point.
The two left the store with great gusto, a spring in their step. Perhaps Melonia's more so than Hwa-Jae, she did have new clothing courtesy of her friend, and Jie Shan was sure to pick his jaw up from the floor when next he saw Melonia wearing it. "A lot of clothing is by design impractical, and not just for martial arts." Melonia added to her friend's statement as they walked together down the halls of the mall anew. "You would be horrified to see how many outfits I have designed to do nothing but show off my tits or my ass. This battle armor's still my favorite outfit though, and my most practical for combat. Do Earthlings have battle armor? It's perfectly designed for combat without hindering the user at all. It's super elastic but incredibly durable, though I admit it only protects against moderate attacks." It made sense that Hwa-Jae needed to travel light in her journey, useless nick knacks would only slow her down, and Melonia had no place to store too many extra things from her purchases on Earth. Kinoko would probably kill her if she returned to Komatsu's ship to find it filled to the brim in stupid purchases. It was a great shame too, since Melonia enjoyed shopping third only to battle and eating.
Melonia remained fascinated by the sheer number of earthling stores the mall had to offer. It was a slight shame Hwa-Jae had no reason to shop or as much desire to do so as she did. Even window shopping could keep Melonia entertained for hours at a time, some of her earliest memories were being dragged to visit the shopping complexes on Natto by her mother. There had been a lot of mother daughter bonding in those moments, and Melonia was temporarily lost in thought. A fire seemed to light in Hwa-Jae's belly when they rounded a corner and she spotted something in the distance. Melonia couldn't begin to guess at what it was, unless it was the confectionery she spotted, the thought of chocolate sweets making her mouth water. The answer she got surprised her more than she expected. "A music store? I mean... sure! The whole point of this was to shop, so if you see something that interests you let's go for it. You said Koge will wait, and if he doesn't understand I'm sure you know how to deal with him. I had no idea you liked music so much, I don't actually play anything myself, never really crossed my mind." Melonia followed besides eagerly, intrigued to see Hwa-Jae's musical ability almost as much as she was to see what kind of strange instruments Earth had to offer. To think, the entire planet having completely foreign tastes in music and instrument design. As they entered the store Melonia mused if there would be any similarities at all between the two worlds in musical instruments or maybe genre types. WC: 3,307 TWC: 13,320
Hwa-Jae left the shopping centre disappointed. As she stood on the roof of the tall building, she lamented that her new friend simply upped and disappeared. Sighing, Hwa-Jae raised her hand and launched a flare of ki into the air, just as she told Koge she would do.
The large kikui bird soared through the sky, alarming many of the other guests to the shopping centre with both his physical appearance and his gobbling up of Hwa-Jae's flare. Once satiated, he swooped down and saw the sadness on Hwa-Jae's face. He instantly looked around, his brow furrowed in anger as if the cause of his friend's distress was still nearby.
"What's wrong, Hwa-Jae?" Koge asked, "You looked like you were so happy before. Did something happen?"
Hwa-Jae shook her head. "No... I just... I'm tired of the big city is all." Koge lowered himself to allow Hwa-Jae to climb onto his feather back much more easily. Once she felt secure, she lay on Koge's back, the softness of his feathers a delightful feeling.
"Let's go do what we were meant to do," Hwa-Jae said with more confidence. "Let's fly to the north, towards Mount Frappe. The brazier there is waiting."
Super Dragonball Universe is the original work of Komatsu and Nasu. Any and all content is copyrighted to Super Dragonball Universe.
Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited.
All of Dragonball Universe's characters are the original work of their owners may not be replicated or stolen.
All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and Super Dragonball Universe does not claim to own any of them.
The skin was created by TIMELAPSE OF ADOXOGRAPHYv2.