Post by Flare on Jul 1, 2017 18:50:16 GMT -5
Even after all that pretentious talk about being stronger, about striving for true power, her old master was still one of the most cowardly people she knew. Hiding under that facade of the kind old man he was always known for. Scion had went on to demonize Flare’s image in public with his ability to manipulate and had her Earthling persona convicted of murder. The true culprit of murder had hidden himself away now, having ran from her after that night in the gravity chamber. Or something happened to him... The young flame wasn’t sure to think of the man that tried to help as a coward or too unkempt a level head. He did kill those with little empathy in those whited over eyes.
“He is a saiyan, maybe he just thought he couldn’t control himself?”
Flare could only rationalize it in such a way, preparing herself with the last bit of time she had left in her own chamber. It would soon come to fruit that the Earthlings would be coming, knocking on her door. James Duff, her former business adviser, held up his end of their little agreement and mislead them into thinking she was elsewhere in the house as she had been warned of their arrival and told to get the fuck out. Jax and Auntie waited outside of the chamber with whatever else it was she needed; A case full of capsules and money and her little helper bot himself. The older woman gave a small nod and smiled at her youth before starting off. She was to be in on it as well, she would also help detract as much as she could whilst the two others slipt out.
“Alright hun, stealth mode’s up right? Run it through some more stressing while I get the car ready.”
Flare ushered the small bot with a hand gesture as she herself walked on over to the hovercar of choice, trusty old L.A.D.D. Familiar looks as a black body matches slim design with hot rod flames. It screamed ‘look at me’ but she intended to use it to make sure no one knew she was even there. Its doors opened up from the top and folded over Bladerunner-style as she merely approached with intent and stepped on inside. The tiny grey robot waddled on behind her with a flicker in his green eyes as he focused on his task. An immediate test was drawn when the bot tried speaking but could not get a word out. Flare could not either as a low buzz hummed through the air. It was a very subtle noise that seemed to be the root to being unable to hear anything. The young flame nodded and patted the bot on its head before she closed the doors on the two and started up the engines. It didn’t make a sound. Perfect.
“We’ve got an appointment with destiny. Time to kick some teeth in, what do ya say champ?”
She was out of sight and out of mind. Just as he promised James had delayed the Earthling forces just in time for Flare to slip out. Question was… to where? If she was going to locate the old man and confront him again she’d have to use Jax’s own sensing capabilities. She was never taught sensing out ki signatures under his teachings. This’d mean they’d have to stroll closer to East City where he most likely resided. Direct risk.
“Jax, go ahead and begin scans. We’re finding him. Do you hold records of Scion clear enough?”
Flare asked as she chugged away at some energy drinks at her side. They’d been quietly rolling around the Earth in secrecy to make sure no one had followed them at all. If there was a path to track them with at least. The little robot glanced up at her and blinked his glowing antennae to begin the search.
“It should be sufficient Flare. Do you want everything recorded and tracked onto the HUB?”
Flare shook her head at him knowing well herself that wasn’t an option when she tried being secretive with things. Firmly she’d set the drink she was chugging off to the side and look at her companion.
“No, no don’t record anything just yet. Just return anything positive on Scion or anyone else we know of suspicion. Includes my plant owners any of his other students. That’s if you have enough on them to track. If we start seeing the culprits, THEN record that.”
They’d have to find a place to stay in town too. She has money to burn, sure, but under a different name. A shoddy place would actually fair better for their incognito approach. The young flame pulled out a map on the hover car’s HUB and decided to start scouting for a decent but not pricey motel to keep herself and her belongings at the downlow. There was a great variety but she eventually chose a local Weekend’s Inn. Flare almost selectively chose it solely on the coffee shop 24/7 that the place provided but it also was a good bit aways from the main districts of the city. Perfect, she set the car’s course for it.
Upon arrival to East City the young flame stowed away the invisible vehicle near the suburban district, near a wilderness park where she could give less if a tree or two was disturbed by the hovercar. This was different than most her ventures out to the city, taking to walking to the streets this time around. The place was easy to find, just a few blocks from the park she stashed her vehicle at. It was quaint with obvious new additions to an older building showing from this side alone. The main lobby was cylindrical with the typical dome shape roof of most buildings up around this and West City. Lights were on, and you could even see a few people from their silhouettes casted from the windows. Looked inviting for the duo, so she and the bot clanked their way on in with the greeting bell at the door chiming to their entrance.
The lobby was part lobby part mini cafe. The coffee shop she saw on the ad was right here, next to them. They were only split by thin walls and a sign. While that may have been concern if the place was busier it actually didn’t seem bad. It was quiet and tranquil for a change. Flare took in a deep breath and waved to the younger man at the desk as she walked up.
“Hey! Can I have a room for two? The little guy doesn’t need a bed if ya got something small.”
Flare leaned a bit up against the high counter as the young man nodded and instantly went to look through the log book. Nose first. Jax seemed to waddle over like he could see over the counter himself. Haven’t not really noticed the second contender the young earthling glanced up and looked around for a moment.
“Little guy? I don’t see-”
“She’s with me. Put it on my tab.”
A sudden feeling of confusion and… warmth came from a familiar voice from behind Flare as she froze for a moment. It didn’t take long to realize who it was or where it came from, she simply turned and saw a beautifully figured brenchian lady holding a cup of joe in one hand and a pen in another. Blonde hair tied in a tail going well with piercing yellow eyes. Her top seemed too revealing for the average woman but she somehow pulled it off. It was, perhaps, her fit physique. The moment the two looked at each other Flare’s eyes shot wide open.
“Sani? Sani!”
A few whiffs of fire sprung from her hair at the pure excitement, the young flame hopping over to her with open arms. Sani met halfway and the two embraced in a long awaited hug. The two hadn’t been near each other in ages. “Oh the kais, you’re back!? Oh! How have ya been girl!” The two separated and the two looked each other up and down in surprise. Both had grown plenty since they last met in the classroom of Scion’s Dojo. Several years worth.
“I’ve been great doll. Lots of traveling but now I’ve swung back around Earth to visit. Parents don’t like the place but I think it’s got a wonderful landscape and atmosphere.”
The brenchian smiled between her and the boy still behind the desk, the man only nodding then as he watched the exchange and started writing down the addition to the room under his log. Jax eventually addled his way after viewing the spectacle from beside the counter. He’d blink with his bulbous green eyes several times at the figure as they introduced.
“Oh! Sani, this is my little robot Jax. Jax, this is Sani. I created this little bugger from scratch. Works real well, don’t ya?”
Flare flicked the little antenae sticking from its head, making it swing back and forth like a spring. To this, the little bot gave a clear answer with a finger raised.
“Yes. Sani, was it? Miss Flare told me plenty about you. Maybe too much, like the time she wanted to go out and find you in space so you could both be together.”
Flare clenched her fist and smacked the robot to the side, knocking it off balance and making for a loud clunk as he hit the ground. Annoyance was clear on her face.
“See? It even has a mind. of. it’s. Own. I also work on vehicles and other robots.”
Sani just laughed at the display of force and grabbed Jax to set him upright. That was her alright, there to just correct Flare’s mistakes. The brenchian smiled at the bot before standing straight to meet the elemi eye to eye again.
“Well… An interesting little guy. We should catch up over some coffee, maybe tell me more about it.”
And so it would be, for most the night the two sat in that little inside shop with Jax by their side as a third wheel. Exchanging stories about adventures up for the last five years, including her current situation with Scion. She seemed taken by the turning of her former master but understood. And wanted to help. As it turns out though Sani left Earth to visit her parents on Brench and from there, over the years, visited many of the lesser outlying planets along with Namek and Vegeta. She worked as a cartographer to chart unknown lands. From the looks of it she made off quite well with it. As the night settled the two eventually got tired enough, both of the coffee and of the night, to retire to their room. They had separate beds, and it was your typical motel room.
They took their time to get comfy in bed and finally got some shut eye. Something rustling in her sheets stirred her well into slumber however. Popping an eye open the young flame caught a peek of Sani creeping into bed with her.
“Ehh?”
Flare groggily stammered, leaning up on her elbows just to get pushed back down with a little force from Sani. The Brenchian sat up on the bed, sheet pulled back to uncover a bit of the two. The young flame didn’t resist the push and was then greeted, with the same arm, a small finger to hush her lips. They felt sultry,
“Shh… Hey, hun, I gotta ask before we all wake. How long was you gonna be in town?”
It was strangely a question that Flare herself could have asked. The two could do things after she dealt with Scion and cleared this whole mess up. Flare blinked up at her and gulped, unsure what her asking this was entailing.
"I’ve got things to deal with... I've no clue-”
The young flame will smile up at her and bite her lip, looking at her and the form again with intrigue… The brechtian chuckled and swiveled on around to sleep right next to her. Sani was a good few inches smaller than the elemi so she fit near under her chin. Not used to the sudden feelings Flare froze and glanced over at her with red eyes. Glowing eyes. Her face had turned a good tint of red but it was hard to see in the dim light. She had’t really ever thought of Saki this way, why the sudden move? It was starting to make her question more things about herself. As Flare attempted to put the cover over the two of them and get back to resting Sani put a hand up to grab at that arm and wrapping their fingers together. Entwined, the brenchian turned to the elemi.
“Forget about Master Scion. Forget and run away with me. We’ll be safe together, away from earth and whatever his evil plans are.”
Flare had to sit up. That was too much. With a groan she scooted on back and tried reaching for the lamp to flick it on. What was it she was on about all the sudden? In the dark of night?
“So sudden… Why are you waking me up for this? Couldn’t this wait for the morning?”
Sani sighed at the questioning and movements away from her and pulled herself up too. Still grasping the young flame’s hand.
“I… have something I need to get off my chest. You coming here, and me being here to meet you? It wasn’t just a coincidence. I don’t know how to put it any other way other than just telling you straight. I’m with Scion. He asked me back here to be taught about true power. Crazy, I know, but he showed me proof. Showed me he could help us all become the strongest. He has a dragonball.”
Flare went further than just sitting up now. She threw the grasp on her hand off and rolled out of bed. Standing tall with a few whiffs of fire bellowing out from her hairs.
“WHAT?”
Loud. Cranky. Turned from embarassed to upset in thirty seconds flat. Jax quietly stirred from sleep mode and poked his little head out, blinking green bulbous eyes on a chair between the two beds of the room. Sani, frightened at first, jumps out of the bed too.
“Power, Flare. Power so we can stop all the bad things. The crime, the chaos. We can start with Earth and move from there. Think of all the people we could help, all the lives we could save.”
That wasn’t at all the reasoning the fire elemi witnessed back at the dojo. Left for dead after being pummeled by the old man. By his students. She was far weaker then, yet still she only grew because of the thread he himself posed. He could have tricked Sani, surely that must be the case.
“Power? Sani he was going to kill me and Ermine! He was going to use me to hunt the dragonballs for himself and when I refused he beat me to a pulp! He doesn’t want to help people, he wants to be stronger to purge the weak!”
She was getting riled up, her whiffs of flame almost now continuous. Eyes aglow. The lamp was only have the luminescence filling the room. She was threatening to trip a sprinkler with that bright light atop her hairs. Sani seemed unfazed though and instead roared back at her with her own critiques and views.
“You don’t understand! What he fights for it truth and protection of the innocents. Innocents I’ve seen with my own two eyes that never get the light of day. Do you know how many people are out there that need powerful heroes to protect them? To fend off monsters?”
Had he done something to her? Flare couldn’t wrap her head around it all. It was sudden, fuzzy, and the young flame didn’t know what to do. Jax jumped from the small chair he was sitting in and waddled between the two.
“I don’t believe it. Just, listen to me and hear me out. He’s framed me, took away a friend of mine. How can you take his word over mine!?”
Flare’s voice rose more and more, perhaps too loudly for the time. Sani stepped a bit back and tried stareing the fire elemi down with little success. The brenchian didn’t have the heart, and the expression on her face just shouted anxious. That was when she burst.
“Because I love him!”
The room went silent. Jax blinked between the two of them. He raised his finger and opened his mouth like he was about to speak but nothing came to the bot’s processor. He hadn’t experienced this level of drama before. Flare… Flare was just angry. Sani looked nervous and embarrassed now that she accidently spilled the beans.
“No… No, I see. Jax, let’s go. We’re leaving. Right now.”
But before they could move anywhere near the xit Sani jumped to the side and went for her sword, brandishing it and coming at the young flame. If this had been before she trained up some bulk this would have come way too fast… But everything seemed to flow slower in time now. Flare predicted and was able to move into position, fists out and lit aflame as she caught the blade in between both hands.
“What are you doing!?”
Flare yelled at her, trying to snap the blade with both her might and heat. The young flame seemed to hold back her strength though out of fear. Jax stumbled on around and tried tugging at Sani’s leg with little success.
“Stopping you!”
The katana in the brenchian’s hands were hot and threatened to become malleable but she summoned her strength to strike at her hands, slicing down. With her being so reluctant to do something aggressive to Sani she was unable to do more than throw it somewhat off trajectory as it slide through her grasp and down at her. The sharp blade tore through her fabrics and gave Flare a slight gash under her wrist, up to near her elbow in length. It drew enough blood to spatter Jax from the sideline and the pain sent Flare stumbling back.
“H-hhn… You... Why did...“
Sani went at her again, but this time Flare threw her fist up and anger and, with brute strength, snapped the sword with the blow. It cut a bit at her fist but that wasn’t something she was too worried with. With a roar she’d then grab at Sani with hands cooling back and shake her hard. Blood from her initial cut on the arm getting over the both of them.
“Stop this now! Listen to me when I have to say he's-”
But before much else could be done about it Sani wrapped her arms to grasp a hold of Flare and then gave her a straight wallop to her temple. Everything blurred for a moment but went dark almost instantly at the blow, the fire elemi slamming hard onto the ground. The robot assessed the situation and waddled up to Flare, witnessing him in the last second she could see before everything faded...
The birds chirping woke the young flame with a groan. Shine was peering through small holes in the imperfect shades next to the bed she laid in. With a groan Flare woke up with the sheets over her. Clean. Then a pain in her left arm shot through her mind as she grunted and sat herself up to check. Yeah, that wasn’t a dream. The cut had been bandaged though, most her forearm wrapped in heavy duty bandaging. Jax stirred from his resting mode and popped his little head up. He was sitting in the middle chair next to her, turned to face her. It spoke as she tried collecting herself.
“Good Morning.”
Flare rubbed her sore head and started uncovering herself with her good arm. The robot waddled off the side of the chair and came next to her, antennae still high as his rader still beep silently.
“Ow my head… My arm… Hey. How are you, buddy. Did anything happen to you?”
Jax looked himself over for show, raising his hands up to a shrug as he couldn’t find any fault in himself. Flare looked from the bed and eventually spun herself around to sit near the foot of it. Picking him up, turning him around. Checking his chest compartment.
“No Flare. She forced me into sleep mode after I watched her medically assist you and tuck you into your inn room bed. She doesn’t know I can just reactivate so I did check on you. Besides the obvious arm slice and slight head trauma you are fine. Though, Flare, I did notice while you were fighting you weren’t defending yourself properly. Why-”
Flare shook her head and shoved a hand over his face as he spoke, locking his mouth movement. She didn’t want to hear what she already knew. That she didn’t have the heart to lash out against Sani. Yet....
“Enough… Please, just tell me the time.”
After a small pause the elemi pulled back from the bot and let him speak. Simultaneously jumping out of the bed with a little effort. A small slip of paper rolled off from under the covers as she made the movement.
“It has just turned seven in the early morning.”
Flare frowned and picked the little slip up, unraveling it with a fluid motion. It seems it must have been put in a better place but was rolled around by maybe her tossing and turning. It was all crinkled. It read out something clear. It told her not to come to try and find either her or Scion. To leave town because Scion was going to come for her. She didn’t want Flare to get hurt any further.
“A load of bullshit. She knows I’m not going to just back off, right? But if they’re together… There’s no way he’d try something in the city anyways, right? Or is he going to wait me out?”
She didn’t like the prospect of having to fight Sani. The brenchian didn’t feel as strong, but still. Doing it alone with now two or more people she’d have to worry about started to sound troublesome. She had grown well with the few days she got to train in the gravity chamber but… was it going to be enough? Could she actually manage to pull this all off? So many questions… Questions she’d have to answer after she had a nice bit of coffee at the shop. Because damn if she weren’t tired.
Her arm would take some explaining.
The pair of them took their time strolling about the streets, pacing through the large city on their way to one of her Eastern Factory. The last time she stepped foot inside was when she was briefing the lot of her owners about business, but this time it was going to be to check on them and pry them for information. Mike was the CEO here, and he is suppose to be in today. Supposedly. The pair got to the larger factory outskirting the city and began their infiltration to it thru the VIP entrance. She still had access.
Then Jax’s glowing antennae started blinking faintly. They both stopped a moment and looked around the empty halls.
“Approaching two target bodies. Latest contact? Seven hours, thirteen minutes.”
The small bot muttered off as they were safely inside the back halls of the factory. It was a simple straight shot to the large meeting room and just offshoot that, the CEO office. Flare squinted. They were here? In her factory? For what?
“Well then. Are you sure it’s both Scion and her? I have no clue why the two would be here unless they’re conspiring with Mike.”
Curses, this isn’t a place to be trying to confront them. Flare had just come in to get some information and slip on back out. She kept her power silenced and pushed on though, waving the bot to keep coming with. It was going to have to be one way or another. This was a chance like any other. Flare already decided for it.
The hall spanned the whole entirety of the main bulk the factory housed. Stairs at both ends going upwards, one for an exit and one towards the meeting room. They were at the start of the former when murmuring could be heard from the door atop of it. The young flame took a hold of the bot with her good arm and decided to float above the stairs instead to avoid making as much noise as possible. The small window leading into it provided just enough vision that Flare could see the participants clearly.
“You told me clearly that you had one. Now give it, before I have my assistant gut a bit off the top.”
The squat little man with a Fu manchu was on the table, questioning a terrified middle aged fat bastard with a gruff beard. He was held hard into his chair by that same blue skinned brenchian woman she thought was a friend. Sani… For the most part it seemed he was doing the talking as she remained in place with a fractured sword dangerously close to the man’s face.
“I told ye I ded. Noh, butt ya haff tah pay for eht. That was tha deal short-steck!”
His accent was muffled a bit by Sani’s grip but Flare could still make it out from behind the door. At the defiance Sani gave the an a good fist to the stomach, causing Mike to heav. Almost out of the chair.
“Now, I don’t recall ever asking for you to sell it to me. You’re in with the Demonic Flame, we have every right to the dragonball. Now please tell us where you stow it. Last warning, The Phoenix can still help you Mike. You can help us stop all the bad things too if you just give in and give the ball.”
Behind Flare and her wheels began to roll in from the side. Nowhere to really hide, both her and Jax turn to face a young janitor, probably not even into his twenties, poke his head out from the factory floor and look up at the floating vixen and her cradled bot. The young flame put a finger to her mouth and hushed a ‘shhh’ at him, then winking before watching the boy, eyes wide, just turn around and act like he saw nothing.
“What are ye blabberin’ a‘bout? Fine, fine, juss don’t make tah lass do anythin’ worse. Ahlright?”
Mike coughed up a bit more and tried clearing his throat before he tried describing the residence. Flare leaned in a bit closer to make sure she was hearing them right. Dragonballs? Demonic flame and phoenix? Scion didn’t mention any of this before. The gruff and pudgy man pointed back at the door she was peering in around the same time, Scion looking up and seeing a good glimpse of Flare’s face before she could realize she was being seen. It was too late to just duck out now, eh?
“It’s in tah janitor clawset. In a small, discreet box with red embroidery-”
Sani looked back to and threw the man down to the floor as she saw Flare just staring at them. Jax blinked up at Flare as she looked physically distressed and poked her chest to get her attention.
“Ahh fuck.”
“Ahh, Jackie! Come in, we wouldn’t be wanting to make a scene right?”
Flare looked at Jax, assuming he hadn’t been seen, and dropped him down the stairs. Making it seem like an accident. In a hushed voice she tells him:
“Find that ball they were talking about, alright?”
Covering her voice with her moving the knob at the door real hard. Locked. Mike rolled his eyes and pointed to his pocket with a free hand.
“Key be in there.”
Sani obliged and picked the key of the older man before walking over and walking the young flame in with a bit of a shove. She seemed disappointed. Mad, even, that she was around. The note she left before was a warning she made clear of. Rough with the young flame still she got a seat from under the desk and sat her down in it.
“Scion… Where’s Ermine, and-”
Sani grabbed at the young flame’s face and silenced her then, the rest of her words muffled into the palm of her hand. Scion chuckled a little and made his way from Mike to her. The old master twisted his mustache with his finger as he held his chin high and grinned smugly.
“No words, demon flame. You’ve heard too much. If I were you I’d be quiet and listen to me... ‘Jackie’. Sani wanted you with use rather than against us. I’ll give you one chance to change your mind over the whole thing. Think it over, the fiery phoenix can make all our problems go away.”
Flare squinted her eyes down at the pair of them and huffed a sigh as Sani let her mouth free. There were plenty worse things, but what he forced his other students to do… Scion still wasn’t being straight with her. She wanted to get mad, at both them. At Mike as well for bringing them here. But she couldn’t muster up the few whiffs of flame and an angry face. Something felt wrong.
“And if I refuse? What if I still think you’re talking a bunch of crap?”
Sani clenched her fist and resisted moving against the flame for the moment. The old man, on the other hand, laughed and shook his head as he came up next to her seat and grabbed her by the hair to get her to look at him dead straight. Flare growled at him, teeth bared. Even with more fire now circling around her hairs the man didn’t flinch from the heat.
“Then you won’t leave this building alive. You’ll threaten the lives of everyone here at this factory. You understand this clearly, Jackie? You’ll be nothing more than scum needing to be slaughtered. A threat to all of Earth.”
Scion then threw her head roughly, causing her to groan and nearly be thrown from the chair. He was strong, even outside that monstrous form he had. Mike was just chilling for the most part, actually enjoying his boss getting roughened up a bit with a smile Flare didn’t quite catch. Sani peered at him soon after, causing him to tiffen right back up in his seat. Scion started circling the table and eyed between everyone.
“Then you still know we need the dragonballs. I want your own words, jackie. Tell me you’ll put your life on the line in order to stop all the corruption and chaos in the world!”
He’s got to be pulling some strings, right? Putting up a facade around Mike and Sani? This man lead two of his other students to the slaughter, there’s no way...Just as he was starting to monologue the door from the hall creaked open annoyingly loud. Everyone turned to face the small robot that had stumbled into the room with a small red box clasped in his large hands.
“I have found the box, Flare.”
Flare looked at him. Sani looked between him and Flare. Scion looked between him, Sani, and Flare. The old man smirked and started walking back around the table.
“Sani, please retrieve the box from the girl’s rob-”
Before Scion and Sani could be at the ready to pounce the little robot carrying their goods Flare roared and rose from her seat in an instant, rushing the older man with her fists lit with flames. The surprised master is slammed to and through the wall of the meeting room, out to the factory floor. Both flying a dozen or so feet up from most the equipment and workers. Debris crashed against the walls and missed most anything, most the current workers restricted to being closer to the work line than the meeting room up and over the large floor.
“Code RED! Exit the building NOW!”
Flare was sort of familiar with the workplace she was in and shouted at everyone around the vicinity. People instantly started scrambling to the sides of the factory where emergency exit doors were housed. Including that janitor from earlier. The Floor’s superviser also got onto the intercom to repeat the code loudly over speakers. Scion roared out and floated a bit away from her after the momentum of the shove wore off.
“You dare threaten these people!”
Flare was getting annoyed, trying to get her framed up again? She went at him again and was quickly grabbed and threw him to the ground below hard. It left a great imprint of his small stature in it. It was so easy because he wasn’t expecting her to go at him so hard after he was aware of it from the first.
“Not this time old man! Stop it with the fake crap! You’re only out to hurt people! Hurt Sani!”
Scion was busy picking himself up as Flare dropped down next to her. Below them had been the line the workers who fled worked off of. Vehicles, a few in pieces while some on the way down were nearly completed. It was a long building for sure. Many mechanical arms that help put the pieces together were still moving around them.
“I didn’t expect such a change in power from you young one. Too bad you’ll die for your boldness.”
Scion jumped onto the still moving belt next to the two and gave the fire elemi a good kick that stumbled her on back against a moving armor next to her. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time they reunited and she was mercilessly beaten to near death, so she just rebound and hopped on with him.
“You might be stronger, but I know you and your moves. I’ve taught you most you know.”
He said as the both ducked under a mechanical arm swinging to the side, trying to attach a door to a car chassis that wasn’t there after the initial debris from the wall breaking knocked it off. For the trouble she’s send a flaming fist to his him square in his fact, just to be met with his own powerful fist. This was when it became clear she was a bit stronger, his own attempt merely softened the nose jab that made him groan and stumble. The old man held his nose in pain.
“Knowing me isn’t going to help you overcome my fists you jerk! You killed your own students! OOF-”
In the middle of holding his nose it turned to be a faux to trick her, using his other armo off to the side to grab at her and smash her face against one of the few immobile power boxes along the thing that keep the whole line moving. The smash made her nose start bleeding.
“What petty lies come out of your mouth girl. You’re still trying to deny your murders of those innocent boys.”
Scion, backpedaling a little away from her on the moving line came up to another mechanical arm and ripped it from its place with ease, now looking to swing the large metal thing towards her. Flare ducked under an initial swing and a second, moving in to punch through the arm and at the old man only to get shoved hard with it being thrown hard at her. Falling back hard on the line with the arm having rolled over her just after shoving her.
“You bastard… Take it!”
She groaned and picked herself up, angered further by the use of the equipment. Her hair was even more hot as she reached back with her fist and shot a fiery ball of ki at the man. He wasn’t able to move away from it but took the blow with crossed arms, grinning at the futile attempt to harm from a distance like that… Until he realized she did that to close in on him and give Scion a great haymaker into one of the moving car chassis, almost completed. It fell apart with scion inside the blow. The older man wasn’t taking that hit too well, ensnared a bit in his steel prison.
“Enough tricks old man, we’re taking this outside!”
Flare grabbed the injured old man from the chassis and slung him hard up, jumping after him and forcing him through the ceiling this time. A good few feet above it he manages to stop her shove and tosses her to the side. Both now in the air above the facility they take some deserved breaths and eye each other down. Scion had many noticeable bruises and scrapes that were now bleeding. Flare had her nose, now bruised along with bleeding, and some other scrapes around her face. The bandaging on her arm had slipped and let the not fully healed mark start to run blood down her arm again. She was clenching that fist in particular to stave off constant pain in the now uncovered arm.
“Not bad at all. The Phoenix had told me you’d be strong. You wonder why my previous pupils have died? Because they could not defend themselves. They were not able. You’ve managed to do a number to me, even if you don’t think. This old man’s body feels a bit weary… heheh.”
Flare squinted her eyes at the old man, weary herself of his tricks. Out of the corner of her vision she also saw someone else float on up from the side of the building. Sani, and she was holding that red box. That was red flags already. The young flame roared at the brenchian.
“Sani! What did you do to Jax?!”
He was nowhere to be seen. The brenchian gave the young flame a bitter sweet smile.
“Oh, the robot? Don’t worry, he’s far away now. Left in one piece.”
Sani hovered on closer to Scion, offering the box to the old man. The fire elemi eyed the box that he then opened to reveal a small orange orb, half wrapped in a delicate cloth. Scion then nodded and put the thing back into the box and handed it back to the brenchian.
“I can take care of her. Let me show you-”
He shook his head and raised a hand. His older eyes slowly looked between the two of the with a half grin before a big white aura suddenly burst from his form, encompassing him with a transparent blaze. The man would then shoo the brenchian back a bit as he growled and hissed at apparent pain as his body enlarged to a gargantuan size for a human, over her own by a good couple feet. And the muscle mass the man must have just obtained… His voice got beefy and richer with the transformation too, and no doubt he was stronger now.
“Enough. Just make sure the dragonball is in hand. I’ll show this foolish girl what she’s messing with!”
It was Scions turn to surprise Flare, coming at her with a few meaty punches that hit her hard in the stomach twice and the face once. It sent her flying off balance in the process and she cried out in the pain of the heavy hits. Her flames stuttered a bit around her but she held on, another flaming fist being sent in retaliation at the man’s torso.
He takes it without even flinching.
“No way… I trained for this, I’m-”
“Too slow.”
Scion would snarkly finish her own sentence off by grabbed her by the flaming hair, yet again unphased, and swinging his arm around, the floating elemi coming with the motion in full, to fling her to the hard surface below. Oh kais this hurt, she yelled in pain as she hit the concrete of the parking lot and made a small crater. The wind was knocked out of her in the process.
“You thought you had a chance? Ermine thought that too. Saiyans think a lot of things have a chance… It makes them easy to predict really.”
He slowly made his descend to her as she clasped for air, just trying to get a second wind. Flare… She grunted a bit and frowned still, the fires around her growing ever more at the teasing. Ermine did nothing wrong by trying to stand up for her… right? Before she could start getting back onto her feet the large man grabbed her by the hair again and looked her dead in the eyes. She was worse for wear now, covered in rock and bleeding from many little cuts.
“Your little fire hair is unique, demon girl. It’s hot, sure, but it’s still so easy to grab and pull.”
Scion would swing her around a bit, causing great pain on her head that made her yell a bit more in pain. Sani, now a bit further away, started slowly closing in on the scene with that box in hand.
“Do you know why I really need these dragonballs Jackie? Because the phoenix told me I could be granted the ultimate power with them. I could stop all the evil it said was coming. In my dreams, in my visions. It’s coming and you’re in the way!”
Scion gave her a nice open punch into her stomach as she dangled from his grasp, feeling herself feel heavy in the shoulders. This wasn’t what she was expecting… She felt stronger than this.
“Must you torture her like this master?”
Sani cried and came up from behind the two, putting a free hand on the arm that just swung. The larger scion shrugged her off and shook his head. Grinning in the face of the elemi,
“No… No, she had stopped us two too many times. Her friends, her robot, her sweet little auntie. We’ll make sure they don’t interfere with this coming peace again. She must learn painfully.”
That set her of. The mention of Auntie. At it the fires of her hair ignited bright… but went further. Her entire head of hair set afire, her eyes glowing a burning red as she growled and mustered the strength to grab at the hand that held her. Even before that though Scion widened his eyes and let go of the flame’s head hair, making her fall from his grasp.
“What the-!”
Scion stepped back a few more paces before getting a couple of fire blasts punches into his face by the raging young flame, her fists now glowing with fire as she came at him in a yelling fury. Sani stepped back and watched with careful eyes, not sure if to help her master just yet.
“You can fuck with me, fuck with my creations… But you ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH MY FRIENDS!”
The two launched at each other, catching a few of now rapid punches in a flurry from one another. Some fists would fly by their guards and hit them well home anyways, but Scion found himself getting hit more than he liked and he was the first to break from it in pain, a final punch from Flare sending him sliding a few feet back. He managed to keep his footing but the flames had seared part of his facial hair and caught some of his clothing afire for just a moment.
“AND DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY! You FUCKER! You have NO RIGHT!”
Flare took one of the nearby light poles from the lot they were standing in and plucked it from its place, swinging it wide to smash into Scion like a truck. It sent the man face planting across the pavement with a loud grind of metal and rock caused from him tearing up the concrete. Sani felt it right to interfere at this point as she dropped the box down and came at the young flame.
“Stay OUT OF THIS!”
Sani wouldn’t listen. Why? Flare tried swinging the large pole back but found the fragmented blade thrown at her first. It snapped the pole where she held it and flew off to the side, knocking the rest of it out from Flare’s hand by the time she came with her fists. Why wouldn’t she listen?
“You know I can’t do that!”
But neither could Flare… The brenchian came in with a kick the young flaming elemi caught at ease, squinting her down even more. Just being close to Flare made her uncomfortably hot, not to mention her foot catching aflame at the touch of the enraged fire. She howled and stepped back, Flare let her.
“Just stay out of this! I don’t want to hurt you!”
Scion had gotten up in the meantime and blindsided the elemi. He gave her a good few rapid punches in the side before hooking her with a kick, sending her flying through another light pole and snapping that clean off as she flew further into the grass nearby. Sani yelped at the sudden reproach of her master and just prepared to move if needed.
“So you have a new form too… You continue to impress me girl. I think you’ve far surpassed your peers, being able to take hits like this. But it ends. Ends like all things. I’m sorry you couldn’t see things like we see them, Jackie. The phoenix was right to call you a demon.”
Again with this nonsense… Was he just delusional? Flare couldn’t tell, her head was rattled. She was still burning bright but her body couldn’t take much more of this. By the time she started picking herself up the large man was bent at the knees, holding between two hovered palms a white ball of energy.
“...
GI-GA-MARE!”
Sani and Flare panicked as this large beam shot from the ball between his now extended palms, shooting out towards her at an impossible speed. She had to brace herself, no time to move. All she saw was bright light as the beam closed in and slammed hard against her protective outward arms, blinding her. The impact exploded in a large cloud of dust that enveloped the scene almost entirely. She felt herself slipping, unable to keep standing, and falling. Her body wanted to lay there and rest, her hands and feet too heavy to move…
“Earth will be happy when the police come by and see this murderous girl at their feet. Sani, fetch the dragonball. We are done here-”
But something wouldn’t let her fall. She was still angry. Her heart still burning with the fury of a thousand suns. The thought alone kept her standing in the smoke, casting dull eyes out at obscured scenery for a brief moment before finding herself incapable of thinking of anything other than the rage. As Scion gloated and asked the brenchian to get her things and be off the smoke suddenly dispersed. Exploding out from under it a rumbling aura of fire and heat that shook the ground around them. There, now in plain sight, stood the fire elemi coated in this flame as she yells at the top of her lungs.
“I’M NOT DONE!”
Unable to reason the young flame started coalescing the flames now surrounding her, concentrating it around her fists. Scion was spent, breathing heavy still from the amount of energy he himself spent on blasting Flare up. Sani looked on with wide eyes.
“No way… she should have been put down from that!”
Flare was dead set on incinerating the bastard. Dead. Deader than dead. All she could see before her was evaporating the sack of lying crap with her flames. Undying flames! Before he could decide to run from it now, she had to blast him! End it all here, put it all to rest. She didn’t hear any of the cries to stop.
“Jackie, NO!”
Sani shrieked as the beam launched. Her hands extending outwards and turning to fists. Allt hat collected energy and fire pooled into a large stream of flame which engulfed them both. It went further, slamming into and through the side of the plant and exploding in a cloud of smoke through the end. Everything touched by the beam left a searing mark. Smoke bellowed from the skeleton of the blast and covered most of the lot, obscuring vision again.
“Hah… hah…”
Flare breathed heavily, calming a little without realizing what she had just done yet. The smoke eventually cleared within a dozen seconds or so of standing around, revealing a toasted Scion. His body seemed still at first but he eventually took breath. He didn’t move from his spot. It looked good at first.
“I… did it. Hah… Sani, he’s not dead even. Sani, we can make this work. Just-”
She looked around. Up, down. Did she run off that quick? Maybe, she was quite the quick one back at the motel. She started slowly stumbling around the ruined parking lot in searc-
The red box.
“What is this… She wouldn’t just leave this. I...”
She shook, glancing back at the downed Scion. She wanted there to be a body there. SHE HAD TO BE THERE! The young flame wanted her so bad to just be laying there, knocked cold but… Did she just vaporize? Nothing but ash to the wind? Flare’s fire seemed to shine brightly still but it moved with melancholy. She put her hands over her face to keep back the tears that would come anyways.
“No… NOOO! She didn't just... just STAND THERE!”
She knelt down next to the red box and started crying over it. It was so hard, so hard to not just curl up into a ball and die there. Her body felt weak enough to, and she could feel this warmth in hr go away as the cold crept in from the sudden loss. She couldn’t mourn for long as sirens off in the distance alerted her to the police finally arriving. There was… Only one thing to take back from this. Quick, she stood up and picked the box with the ball inside, opening it. A detail she hadn’t noticed before were the stars. Three? The sirens getting scarily closer with every impending second she knew she had to bail. Grabbing the ball and tossing the box she’d first try to fly out. As soon as she jumped to the air she gives out and lands on the ground again. Almost stumbling forwards on her face. Her flames were dying down, and so was her abiliy to walk.
“Shit shit… h-hnng.”
She almost felt guilty enough to just go with the police. To turn herself in for a life of crime. She was thinking herself as so righteous that killing the baddie would solve things. Off into the grass, into the suburbs, the flashing lights she could see well behind her were at the scene now. The blood. Oh kais, the blood she must be trailing. Her arm was horribly bleeding out, and many scrapes on her body were cut open. She made a break for the park and, consequently, her hover car. She kept tumbling over bushes, roots. Each time getting harder to get up. Her flames were completely gone by this point and she could hear dogs.
“Almost…?”
Her body was so close to giving out. It had slowed to a snails pace by the time she reached the park. Flare’s vision started getting blurry as she walked across it. Was it from her failing body, or the tears? Every step became lower than the last. She didn’t see her car. Was this even really the park? The barking faded somewhat but her knees buckled and she fell face first with no sound, feeling her life drained like the embers shattering.
“Flare! Flare! JACKIE MANSON JEFFERSON!”
The young flame jumped out of her small stool as she was awoken by the voice of Auntie next to her, flipping out of it and spilling several empty bottles and tools out on the floor. Flare groaned and moaned, rubbing her sleep deprived eyes and looking up at the standing Auntie.
She didn’t look too pleased.
“Get up, now young woman.”
Another moan and groan from the fire elemi provokes the older woman to grabbing her by the ear and lifting her up by that.
“OW! Hey, hey!”
Flare flailed around and straightened up out of her painful grasp, grabbing at the stool and putting it back up. She still felt all sorts of fucked up and almost gagged moving the chair under the workspace. What was on the table was her latest work, Jax. Not the old one either. She spent so much time and energy on this one whilst being drunk that many a broken tool laid about from applying too much force to them.
“You’re better than this… Hrmm. Dinner is ready. Please, come eat with us for once.”
Flare held her head and looked between her and the desk, grumbling something to herself about feeling sick and needing to use the restroom beforehand.
“I will, I will. Give me a little time to wake up… Clean up...”
That dream… It was different. It was much clearer. Frighteningly so. Is this what she gets for failing again? Another haunting image? Something else to mess with her already depressing world?
At least she still her... She's always had her. Maybe Komatsu was still left as well?
WC: 9219
Wanting PL and am in muh Mansion, and mastering the Fist of the Phoenix, unlocking it's Ultimate "Undying Flames"!
“He is a saiyan, maybe he just thought he couldn’t control himself?”
Flare could only rationalize it in such a way, preparing herself with the last bit of time she had left in her own chamber. It would soon come to fruit that the Earthlings would be coming, knocking on her door. James Duff, her former business adviser, held up his end of their little agreement and mislead them into thinking she was elsewhere in the house as she had been warned of their arrival and told to get the fuck out. Jax and Auntie waited outside of the chamber with whatever else it was she needed; A case full of capsules and money and her little helper bot himself. The older woman gave a small nod and smiled at her youth before starting off. She was to be in on it as well, she would also help detract as much as she could whilst the two others slipt out.
“Alright hun, stealth mode’s up right? Run it through some more stressing while I get the car ready.”
Flare ushered the small bot with a hand gesture as she herself walked on over to the hovercar of choice, trusty old L.A.D.D. Familiar looks as a black body matches slim design with hot rod flames. It screamed ‘look at me’ but she intended to use it to make sure no one knew she was even there. Its doors opened up from the top and folded over Bladerunner-style as she merely approached with intent and stepped on inside. The tiny grey robot waddled on behind her with a flicker in his green eyes as he focused on his task. An immediate test was drawn when the bot tried speaking but could not get a word out. Flare could not either as a low buzz hummed through the air. It was a very subtle noise that seemed to be the root to being unable to hear anything. The young flame nodded and patted the bot on its head before she closed the doors on the two and started up the engines. It didn’t make a sound. Perfect.
“We’ve got an appointment with destiny. Time to kick some teeth in, what do ya say champ?”
She was out of sight and out of mind. Just as he promised James had delayed the Earthling forces just in time for Flare to slip out. Question was… to where? If she was going to locate the old man and confront him again she’d have to use Jax’s own sensing capabilities. She was never taught sensing out ki signatures under his teachings. This’d mean they’d have to stroll closer to East City where he most likely resided. Direct risk.
“Jax, go ahead and begin scans. We’re finding him. Do you hold records of Scion clear enough?”
Flare asked as she chugged away at some energy drinks at her side. They’d been quietly rolling around the Earth in secrecy to make sure no one had followed them at all. If there was a path to track them with at least. The little robot glanced up at her and blinked his glowing antennae to begin the search.
“It should be sufficient Flare. Do you want everything recorded and tracked onto the HUB?”
Flare shook her head at him knowing well herself that wasn’t an option when she tried being secretive with things. Firmly she’d set the drink she was chugging off to the side and look at her companion.
“No, no don’t record anything just yet. Just return anything positive on Scion or anyone else we know of suspicion. Includes my plant owners any of his other students. That’s if you have enough on them to track. If we start seeing the culprits, THEN record that.”
They’d have to find a place to stay in town too. She has money to burn, sure, but under a different name. A shoddy place would actually fair better for their incognito approach. The young flame pulled out a map on the hover car’s HUB and decided to start scouting for a decent but not pricey motel to keep herself and her belongings at the downlow. There was a great variety but she eventually chose a local Weekend’s Inn. Flare almost selectively chose it solely on the coffee shop 24/7 that the place provided but it also was a good bit aways from the main districts of the city. Perfect, she set the car’s course for it.
Upon arrival to East City the young flame stowed away the invisible vehicle near the suburban district, near a wilderness park where she could give less if a tree or two was disturbed by the hovercar. This was different than most her ventures out to the city, taking to walking to the streets this time around. The place was easy to find, just a few blocks from the park she stashed her vehicle at. It was quaint with obvious new additions to an older building showing from this side alone. The main lobby was cylindrical with the typical dome shape roof of most buildings up around this and West City. Lights were on, and you could even see a few people from their silhouettes casted from the windows. Looked inviting for the duo, so she and the bot clanked their way on in with the greeting bell at the door chiming to their entrance.
The lobby was part lobby part mini cafe. The coffee shop she saw on the ad was right here, next to them. They were only split by thin walls and a sign. While that may have been concern if the place was busier it actually didn’t seem bad. It was quiet and tranquil for a change. Flare took in a deep breath and waved to the younger man at the desk as she walked up.
“Hey! Can I have a room for two? The little guy doesn’t need a bed if ya got something small.”
Flare leaned a bit up against the high counter as the young man nodded and instantly went to look through the log book. Nose first. Jax seemed to waddle over like he could see over the counter himself. Haven’t not really noticed the second contender the young earthling glanced up and looked around for a moment.
“Little guy? I don’t see-”
“She’s with me. Put it on my tab.”
A sudden feeling of confusion and… warmth came from a familiar voice from behind Flare as she froze for a moment. It didn’t take long to realize who it was or where it came from, she simply turned and saw a beautifully figured brenchian lady holding a cup of joe in one hand and a pen in another. Blonde hair tied in a tail going well with piercing yellow eyes. Her top seemed too revealing for the average woman but she somehow pulled it off. It was, perhaps, her fit physique. The moment the two looked at each other Flare’s eyes shot wide open.
“Sani? Sani!”
A few whiffs of fire sprung from her hair at the pure excitement, the young flame hopping over to her with open arms. Sani met halfway and the two embraced in a long awaited hug. The two hadn’t been near each other in ages. “Oh the kais, you’re back!? Oh! How have ya been girl!” The two separated and the two looked each other up and down in surprise. Both had grown plenty since they last met in the classroom of Scion’s Dojo. Several years worth.
“I’ve been great doll. Lots of traveling but now I’ve swung back around Earth to visit. Parents don’t like the place but I think it’s got a wonderful landscape and atmosphere.”
The brenchian smiled between her and the boy still behind the desk, the man only nodding then as he watched the exchange and started writing down the addition to the room under his log. Jax eventually addled his way after viewing the spectacle from beside the counter. He’d blink with his bulbous green eyes several times at the figure as they introduced.
“Oh! Sani, this is my little robot Jax. Jax, this is Sani. I created this little bugger from scratch. Works real well, don’t ya?”
Flare flicked the little antenae sticking from its head, making it swing back and forth like a spring. To this, the little bot gave a clear answer with a finger raised.
“Yes. Sani, was it? Miss Flare told me plenty about you. Maybe too much, like the time she wanted to go out and find you in space so you could both be together.”
Flare clenched her fist and smacked the robot to the side, knocking it off balance and making for a loud clunk as he hit the ground. Annoyance was clear on her face.
“See? It even has a mind. of. it’s. Own. I also work on vehicles and other robots.”
Sani just laughed at the display of force and grabbed Jax to set him upright. That was her alright, there to just correct Flare’s mistakes. The brenchian smiled at the bot before standing straight to meet the elemi eye to eye again.
“Well… An interesting little guy. We should catch up over some coffee, maybe tell me more about it.”
And so it would be, for most the night the two sat in that little inside shop with Jax by their side as a third wheel. Exchanging stories about adventures up for the last five years, including her current situation with Scion. She seemed taken by the turning of her former master but understood. And wanted to help. As it turns out though Sani left Earth to visit her parents on Brench and from there, over the years, visited many of the lesser outlying planets along with Namek and Vegeta. She worked as a cartographer to chart unknown lands. From the looks of it she made off quite well with it. As the night settled the two eventually got tired enough, both of the coffee and of the night, to retire to their room. They had separate beds, and it was your typical motel room.
They took their time to get comfy in bed and finally got some shut eye. Something rustling in her sheets stirred her well into slumber however. Popping an eye open the young flame caught a peek of Sani creeping into bed with her.
“Ehh?”
Flare groggily stammered, leaning up on her elbows just to get pushed back down with a little force from Sani. The Brenchian sat up on the bed, sheet pulled back to uncover a bit of the two. The young flame didn’t resist the push and was then greeted, with the same arm, a small finger to hush her lips. They felt sultry,
“Shh… Hey, hun, I gotta ask before we all wake. How long was you gonna be in town?”
It was strangely a question that Flare herself could have asked. The two could do things after she dealt with Scion and cleared this whole mess up. Flare blinked up at her and gulped, unsure what her asking this was entailing.
"I’ve got things to deal with... I've no clue-”
The young flame will smile up at her and bite her lip, looking at her and the form again with intrigue… The brechtian chuckled and swiveled on around to sleep right next to her. Sani was a good few inches smaller than the elemi so she fit near under her chin. Not used to the sudden feelings Flare froze and glanced over at her with red eyes. Glowing eyes. Her face had turned a good tint of red but it was hard to see in the dim light. She had’t really ever thought of Saki this way, why the sudden move? It was starting to make her question more things about herself. As Flare attempted to put the cover over the two of them and get back to resting Sani put a hand up to grab at that arm and wrapping their fingers together. Entwined, the brenchian turned to the elemi.
“Forget about Master Scion. Forget and run away with me. We’ll be safe together, away from earth and whatever his evil plans are.”
Flare had to sit up. That was too much. With a groan she scooted on back and tried reaching for the lamp to flick it on. What was it she was on about all the sudden? In the dark of night?
“So sudden… Why are you waking me up for this? Couldn’t this wait for the morning?”
Sani sighed at the questioning and movements away from her and pulled herself up too. Still grasping the young flame’s hand.
“I… have something I need to get off my chest. You coming here, and me being here to meet you? It wasn’t just a coincidence. I don’t know how to put it any other way other than just telling you straight. I’m with Scion. He asked me back here to be taught about true power. Crazy, I know, but he showed me proof. Showed me he could help us all become the strongest. He has a dragonball.”
Flare went further than just sitting up now. She threw the grasp on her hand off and rolled out of bed. Standing tall with a few whiffs of fire bellowing out from her hairs.
“WHAT?”
Loud. Cranky. Turned from embarassed to upset in thirty seconds flat. Jax quietly stirred from sleep mode and poked his little head out, blinking green bulbous eyes on a chair between the two beds of the room. Sani, frightened at first, jumps out of the bed too.
“Power, Flare. Power so we can stop all the bad things. The crime, the chaos. We can start with Earth and move from there. Think of all the people we could help, all the lives we could save.”
That wasn’t at all the reasoning the fire elemi witnessed back at the dojo. Left for dead after being pummeled by the old man. By his students. She was far weaker then, yet still she only grew because of the thread he himself posed. He could have tricked Sani, surely that must be the case.
“Power? Sani he was going to kill me and Ermine! He was going to use me to hunt the dragonballs for himself and when I refused he beat me to a pulp! He doesn’t want to help people, he wants to be stronger to purge the weak!”
She was getting riled up, her whiffs of flame almost now continuous. Eyes aglow. The lamp was only have the luminescence filling the room. She was threatening to trip a sprinkler with that bright light atop her hairs. Sani seemed unfazed though and instead roared back at her with her own critiques and views.
“You don’t understand! What he fights for it truth and protection of the innocents. Innocents I’ve seen with my own two eyes that never get the light of day. Do you know how many people are out there that need powerful heroes to protect them? To fend off monsters?”
Had he done something to her? Flare couldn’t wrap her head around it all. It was sudden, fuzzy, and the young flame didn’t know what to do. Jax jumped from the small chair he was sitting in and waddled between the two.
“I don’t believe it. Just, listen to me and hear me out. He’s framed me, took away a friend of mine. How can you take his word over mine!?”
Flare’s voice rose more and more, perhaps too loudly for the time. Sani stepped a bit back and tried stareing the fire elemi down with little success. The brenchian didn’t have the heart, and the expression on her face just shouted anxious. That was when she burst.
“Because I love him!”
The room went silent. Jax blinked between the two of them. He raised his finger and opened his mouth like he was about to speak but nothing came to the bot’s processor. He hadn’t experienced this level of drama before. Flare… Flare was just angry. Sani looked nervous and embarrassed now that she accidently spilled the beans.
“No… No, I see. Jax, let’s go. We’re leaving. Right now.”
But before they could move anywhere near the xit Sani jumped to the side and went for her sword, brandishing it and coming at the young flame. If this had been before she trained up some bulk this would have come way too fast… But everything seemed to flow slower in time now. Flare predicted and was able to move into position, fists out and lit aflame as she caught the blade in between both hands.
“What are you doing!?”
Flare yelled at her, trying to snap the blade with both her might and heat. The young flame seemed to hold back her strength though out of fear. Jax stumbled on around and tried tugging at Sani’s leg with little success.
“Stopping you!”
The katana in the brenchian’s hands were hot and threatened to become malleable but she summoned her strength to strike at her hands, slicing down. With her being so reluctant to do something aggressive to Sani she was unable to do more than throw it somewhat off trajectory as it slide through her grasp and down at her. The sharp blade tore through her fabrics and gave Flare a slight gash under her wrist, up to near her elbow in length. It drew enough blood to spatter Jax from the sideline and the pain sent Flare stumbling back.
“H-hhn… You... Why did...“
Sani went at her again, but this time Flare threw her fist up and anger and, with brute strength, snapped the sword with the blow. It cut a bit at her fist but that wasn’t something she was too worried with. With a roar she’d then grab at Sani with hands cooling back and shake her hard. Blood from her initial cut on the arm getting over the both of them.
“Stop this now! Listen to me when I have to say he's-”
But before much else could be done about it Sani wrapped her arms to grasp a hold of Flare and then gave her a straight wallop to her temple. Everything blurred for a moment but went dark almost instantly at the blow, the fire elemi slamming hard onto the ground. The robot assessed the situation and waddled up to Flare, witnessing him in the last second she could see before everything faded...
The birds chirping woke the young flame with a groan. Shine was peering through small holes in the imperfect shades next to the bed she laid in. With a groan Flare woke up with the sheets over her. Clean. Then a pain in her left arm shot through her mind as she grunted and sat herself up to check. Yeah, that wasn’t a dream. The cut had been bandaged though, most her forearm wrapped in heavy duty bandaging. Jax stirred from his resting mode and popped his little head up. He was sitting in the middle chair next to her, turned to face her. It spoke as she tried collecting herself.
“Good Morning.”
Flare rubbed her sore head and started uncovering herself with her good arm. The robot waddled off the side of the chair and came next to her, antennae still high as his rader still beep silently.
“Ow my head… My arm… Hey. How are you, buddy. Did anything happen to you?”
Jax looked himself over for show, raising his hands up to a shrug as he couldn’t find any fault in himself. Flare looked from the bed and eventually spun herself around to sit near the foot of it. Picking him up, turning him around. Checking his chest compartment.
“No Flare. She forced me into sleep mode after I watched her medically assist you and tuck you into your inn room bed. She doesn’t know I can just reactivate so I did check on you. Besides the obvious arm slice and slight head trauma you are fine. Though, Flare, I did notice while you were fighting you weren’t defending yourself properly. Why-”
Flare shook her head and shoved a hand over his face as he spoke, locking his mouth movement. She didn’t want to hear what she already knew. That she didn’t have the heart to lash out against Sani. Yet....
“Enough… Please, just tell me the time.”
After a small pause the elemi pulled back from the bot and let him speak. Simultaneously jumping out of the bed with a little effort. A small slip of paper rolled off from under the covers as she made the movement.
“It has just turned seven in the early morning.”
Flare frowned and picked the little slip up, unraveling it with a fluid motion. It seems it must have been put in a better place but was rolled around by maybe her tossing and turning. It was all crinkled. It read out something clear. It told her not to come to try and find either her or Scion. To leave town because Scion was going to come for her. She didn’t want Flare to get hurt any further.
“A load of bullshit. She knows I’m not going to just back off, right? But if they’re together… There’s no way he’d try something in the city anyways, right? Or is he going to wait me out?”
She didn’t like the prospect of having to fight Sani. The brenchian didn’t feel as strong, but still. Doing it alone with now two or more people she’d have to worry about started to sound troublesome. She had grown well with the few days she got to train in the gravity chamber but… was it going to be enough? Could she actually manage to pull this all off? So many questions… Questions she’d have to answer after she had a nice bit of coffee at the shop. Because damn if she weren’t tired.
Her arm would take some explaining.
The pair of them took their time strolling about the streets, pacing through the large city on their way to one of her Eastern Factory. The last time she stepped foot inside was when she was briefing the lot of her owners about business, but this time it was going to be to check on them and pry them for information. Mike was the CEO here, and he is suppose to be in today. Supposedly. The pair got to the larger factory outskirting the city and began their infiltration to it thru the VIP entrance. She still had access.
Then Jax’s glowing antennae started blinking faintly. They both stopped a moment and looked around the empty halls.
“Approaching two target bodies. Latest contact? Seven hours, thirteen minutes.”
The small bot muttered off as they were safely inside the back halls of the factory. It was a simple straight shot to the large meeting room and just offshoot that, the CEO office. Flare squinted. They were here? In her factory? For what?
“Well then. Are you sure it’s both Scion and her? I have no clue why the two would be here unless they’re conspiring with Mike.”
Curses, this isn’t a place to be trying to confront them. Flare had just come in to get some information and slip on back out. She kept her power silenced and pushed on though, waving the bot to keep coming with. It was going to have to be one way or another. This was a chance like any other. Flare already decided for it.
The hall spanned the whole entirety of the main bulk the factory housed. Stairs at both ends going upwards, one for an exit and one towards the meeting room. They were at the start of the former when murmuring could be heard from the door atop of it. The young flame took a hold of the bot with her good arm and decided to float above the stairs instead to avoid making as much noise as possible. The small window leading into it provided just enough vision that Flare could see the participants clearly.
“You told me clearly that you had one. Now give it, before I have my assistant gut a bit off the top.”
The squat little man with a Fu manchu was on the table, questioning a terrified middle aged fat bastard with a gruff beard. He was held hard into his chair by that same blue skinned brenchian woman she thought was a friend. Sani… For the most part it seemed he was doing the talking as she remained in place with a fractured sword dangerously close to the man’s face.
“I told ye I ded. Noh, butt ya haff tah pay for eht. That was tha deal short-steck!”
His accent was muffled a bit by Sani’s grip but Flare could still make it out from behind the door. At the defiance Sani gave the an a good fist to the stomach, causing Mike to heav. Almost out of the chair.
“Now, I don’t recall ever asking for you to sell it to me. You’re in with the Demonic Flame, we have every right to the dragonball. Now please tell us where you stow it. Last warning, The Phoenix can still help you Mike. You can help us stop all the bad things too if you just give in and give the ball.”
Behind Flare and her wheels began to roll in from the side. Nowhere to really hide, both her and Jax turn to face a young janitor, probably not even into his twenties, poke his head out from the factory floor and look up at the floating vixen and her cradled bot. The young flame put a finger to her mouth and hushed a ‘shhh’ at him, then winking before watching the boy, eyes wide, just turn around and act like he saw nothing.
“What are ye blabberin’ a‘bout? Fine, fine, juss don’t make tah lass do anythin’ worse. Ahlright?”
Mike coughed up a bit more and tried clearing his throat before he tried describing the residence. Flare leaned in a bit closer to make sure she was hearing them right. Dragonballs? Demonic flame and phoenix? Scion didn’t mention any of this before. The gruff and pudgy man pointed back at the door she was peering in around the same time, Scion looking up and seeing a good glimpse of Flare’s face before she could realize she was being seen. It was too late to just duck out now, eh?
“It’s in tah janitor clawset. In a small, discreet box with red embroidery-”
Sani looked back to and threw the man down to the floor as she saw Flare just staring at them. Jax blinked up at Flare as she looked physically distressed and poked her chest to get her attention.
“Ahh fuck.”
“Ahh, Jackie! Come in, we wouldn’t be wanting to make a scene right?”
Flare looked at Jax, assuming he hadn’t been seen, and dropped him down the stairs. Making it seem like an accident. In a hushed voice she tells him:
“Find that ball they were talking about, alright?”
Covering her voice with her moving the knob at the door real hard. Locked. Mike rolled his eyes and pointed to his pocket with a free hand.
“Key be in there.”
Sani obliged and picked the key of the older man before walking over and walking the young flame in with a bit of a shove. She seemed disappointed. Mad, even, that she was around. The note she left before was a warning she made clear of. Rough with the young flame still she got a seat from under the desk and sat her down in it.
“Scion… Where’s Ermine, and-”
Sani grabbed at the young flame’s face and silenced her then, the rest of her words muffled into the palm of her hand. Scion chuckled a little and made his way from Mike to her. The old master twisted his mustache with his finger as he held his chin high and grinned smugly.
“No words, demon flame. You’ve heard too much. If I were you I’d be quiet and listen to me... ‘Jackie’. Sani wanted you with use rather than against us. I’ll give you one chance to change your mind over the whole thing. Think it over, the fiery phoenix can make all our problems go away.”
Flare squinted her eyes down at the pair of them and huffed a sigh as Sani let her mouth free. There were plenty worse things, but what he forced his other students to do… Scion still wasn’t being straight with her. She wanted to get mad, at both them. At Mike as well for bringing them here. But she couldn’t muster up the few whiffs of flame and an angry face. Something felt wrong.
“And if I refuse? What if I still think you’re talking a bunch of crap?”
Sani clenched her fist and resisted moving against the flame for the moment. The old man, on the other hand, laughed and shook his head as he came up next to her seat and grabbed her by the hair to get her to look at him dead straight. Flare growled at him, teeth bared. Even with more fire now circling around her hairs the man didn’t flinch from the heat.
“Then you won’t leave this building alive. You’ll threaten the lives of everyone here at this factory. You understand this clearly, Jackie? You’ll be nothing more than scum needing to be slaughtered. A threat to all of Earth.”
Scion then threw her head roughly, causing her to groan and nearly be thrown from the chair. He was strong, even outside that monstrous form he had. Mike was just chilling for the most part, actually enjoying his boss getting roughened up a bit with a smile Flare didn’t quite catch. Sani peered at him soon after, causing him to tiffen right back up in his seat. Scion started circling the table and eyed between everyone.
“Then you still know we need the dragonballs. I want your own words, jackie. Tell me you’ll put your life on the line in order to stop all the corruption and chaos in the world!”
He’s got to be pulling some strings, right? Putting up a facade around Mike and Sani? This man lead two of his other students to the slaughter, there’s no way...Just as he was starting to monologue the door from the hall creaked open annoyingly loud. Everyone turned to face the small robot that had stumbled into the room with a small red box clasped in his large hands.
“I have found the box, Flare.”
Flare looked at him. Sani looked between him and Flare. Scion looked between him, Sani, and Flare. The old man smirked and started walking back around the table.
“Sani, please retrieve the box from the girl’s rob-”
Before Scion and Sani could be at the ready to pounce the little robot carrying their goods Flare roared and rose from her seat in an instant, rushing the older man with her fists lit with flames. The surprised master is slammed to and through the wall of the meeting room, out to the factory floor. Both flying a dozen or so feet up from most the equipment and workers. Debris crashed against the walls and missed most anything, most the current workers restricted to being closer to the work line than the meeting room up and over the large floor.
“Code RED! Exit the building NOW!”
Flare was sort of familiar with the workplace she was in and shouted at everyone around the vicinity. People instantly started scrambling to the sides of the factory where emergency exit doors were housed. Including that janitor from earlier. The Floor’s superviser also got onto the intercom to repeat the code loudly over speakers. Scion roared out and floated a bit away from her after the momentum of the shove wore off.
“You dare threaten these people!”
Flare was getting annoyed, trying to get her framed up again? She went at him again and was quickly grabbed and threw him to the ground below hard. It left a great imprint of his small stature in it. It was so easy because he wasn’t expecting her to go at him so hard after he was aware of it from the first.
“Not this time old man! Stop it with the fake crap! You’re only out to hurt people! Hurt Sani!”
Scion was busy picking himself up as Flare dropped down next to her. Below them had been the line the workers who fled worked off of. Vehicles, a few in pieces while some on the way down were nearly completed. It was a long building for sure. Many mechanical arms that help put the pieces together were still moving around them.
“I didn’t expect such a change in power from you young one. Too bad you’ll die for your boldness.”
Scion jumped onto the still moving belt next to the two and gave the fire elemi a good kick that stumbled her on back against a moving armor next to her. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time they reunited and she was mercilessly beaten to near death, so she just rebound and hopped on with him.
“You might be stronger, but I know you and your moves. I’ve taught you most you know.”
He said as the both ducked under a mechanical arm swinging to the side, trying to attach a door to a car chassis that wasn’t there after the initial debris from the wall breaking knocked it off. For the trouble she’s send a flaming fist to his him square in his fact, just to be met with his own powerful fist. This was when it became clear she was a bit stronger, his own attempt merely softened the nose jab that made him groan and stumble. The old man held his nose in pain.
“Knowing me isn’t going to help you overcome my fists you jerk! You killed your own students! OOF-”
In the middle of holding his nose it turned to be a faux to trick her, using his other armo off to the side to grab at her and smash her face against one of the few immobile power boxes along the thing that keep the whole line moving. The smash made her nose start bleeding.
“What petty lies come out of your mouth girl. You’re still trying to deny your murders of those innocent boys.”
Scion, backpedaling a little away from her on the moving line came up to another mechanical arm and ripped it from its place with ease, now looking to swing the large metal thing towards her. Flare ducked under an initial swing and a second, moving in to punch through the arm and at the old man only to get shoved hard with it being thrown hard at her. Falling back hard on the line with the arm having rolled over her just after shoving her.
“You bastard… Take it!”
She groaned and picked herself up, angered further by the use of the equipment. Her hair was even more hot as she reached back with her fist and shot a fiery ball of ki at the man. He wasn’t able to move away from it but took the blow with crossed arms, grinning at the futile attempt to harm from a distance like that… Until he realized she did that to close in on him and give Scion a great haymaker into one of the moving car chassis, almost completed. It fell apart with scion inside the blow. The older man wasn’t taking that hit too well, ensnared a bit in his steel prison.
“Enough tricks old man, we’re taking this outside!”
Flare grabbed the injured old man from the chassis and slung him hard up, jumping after him and forcing him through the ceiling this time. A good few feet above it he manages to stop her shove and tosses her to the side. Both now in the air above the facility they take some deserved breaths and eye each other down. Scion had many noticeable bruises and scrapes that were now bleeding. Flare had her nose, now bruised along with bleeding, and some other scrapes around her face. The bandaging on her arm had slipped and let the not fully healed mark start to run blood down her arm again. She was clenching that fist in particular to stave off constant pain in the now uncovered arm.
“Not bad at all. The Phoenix had told me you’d be strong. You wonder why my previous pupils have died? Because they could not defend themselves. They were not able. You’ve managed to do a number to me, even if you don’t think. This old man’s body feels a bit weary… heheh.”
Flare squinted her eyes at the old man, weary herself of his tricks. Out of the corner of her vision she also saw someone else float on up from the side of the building. Sani, and she was holding that red box. That was red flags already. The young flame roared at the brenchian.
“Sani! What did you do to Jax?!”
He was nowhere to be seen. The brenchian gave the young flame a bitter sweet smile.
“Oh, the robot? Don’t worry, he’s far away now. Left in one piece.”
Sani hovered on closer to Scion, offering the box to the old man. The fire elemi eyed the box that he then opened to reveal a small orange orb, half wrapped in a delicate cloth. Scion then nodded and put the thing back into the box and handed it back to the brenchian.
“I can take care of her. Let me show you-”
He shook his head and raised a hand. His older eyes slowly looked between the two of the with a half grin before a big white aura suddenly burst from his form, encompassing him with a transparent blaze. The man would then shoo the brenchian back a bit as he growled and hissed at apparent pain as his body enlarged to a gargantuan size for a human, over her own by a good couple feet. And the muscle mass the man must have just obtained… His voice got beefy and richer with the transformation too, and no doubt he was stronger now.
“Enough. Just make sure the dragonball is in hand. I’ll show this foolish girl what she’s messing with!”
It was Scions turn to surprise Flare, coming at her with a few meaty punches that hit her hard in the stomach twice and the face once. It sent her flying off balance in the process and she cried out in the pain of the heavy hits. Her flames stuttered a bit around her but she held on, another flaming fist being sent in retaliation at the man’s torso.
He takes it without even flinching.
“No way… I trained for this, I’m-”
“Too slow.”
Scion would snarkly finish her own sentence off by grabbed her by the flaming hair, yet again unphased, and swinging his arm around, the floating elemi coming with the motion in full, to fling her to the hard surface below. Oh kais this hurt, she yelled in pain as she hit the concrete of the parking lot and made a small crater. The wind was knocked out of her in the process.
“You thought you had a chance? Ermine thought that too. Saiyans think a lot of things have a chance… It makes them easy to predict really.”
He slowly made his descend to her as she clasped for air, just trying to get a second wind. Flare… She grunted a bit and frowned still, the fires around her growing ever more at the teasing. Ermine did nothing wrong by trying to stand up for her… right? Before she could start getting back onto her feet the large man grabbed her by the hair again and looked her dead in the eyes. She was worse for wear now, covered in rock and bleeding from many little cuts.
“Your little fire hair is unique, demon girl. It’s hot, sure, but it’s still so easy to grab and pull.”
Scion would swing her around a bit, causing great pain on her head that made her yell a bit more in pain. Sani, now a bit further away, started slowly closing in on the scene with that box in hand.
“Do you know why I really need these dragonballs Jackie? Because the phoenix told me I could be granted the ultimate power with them. I could stop all the evil it said was coming. In my dreams, in my visions. It’s coming and you’re in the way!”
Scion gave her a nice open punch into her stomach as she dangled from his grasp, feeling herself feel heavy in the shoulders. This wasn’t what she was expecting… She felt stronger than this.
“Must you torture her like this master?”
Sani cried and came up from behind the two, putting a free hand on the arm that just swung. The larger scion shrugged her off and shook his head. Grinning in the face of the elemi,
“No… No, she had stopped us two too many times. Her friends, her robot, her sweet little auntie. We’ll make sure they don’t interfere with this coming peace again. She must learn painfully.”
That set her of. The mention of Auntie. At it the fires of her hair ignited bright… but went further. Her entire head of hair set afire, her eyes glowing a burning red as she growled and mustered the strength to grab at the hand that held her. Even before that though Scion widened his eyes and let go of the flame’s head hair, making her fall from his grasp.
“What the-!”
Scion stepped back a few more paces before getting a couple of fire blasts punches into his face by the raging young flame, her fists now glowing with fire as she came at him in a yelling fury. Sani stepped back and watched with careful eyes, not sure if to help her master just yet.
“You can fuck with me, fuck with my creations… But you ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH MY FRIENDS!”
The two launched at each other, catching a few of now rapid punches in a flurry from one another. Some fists would fly by their guards and hit them well home anyways, but Scion found himself getting hit more than he liked and he was the first to break from it in pain, a final punch from Flare sending him sliding a few feet back. He managed to keep his footing but the flames had seared part of his facial hair and caught some of his clothing afire for just a moment.
“AND DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY! You FUCKER! You have NO RIGHT!”
Flare took one of the nearby light poles from the lot they were standing in and plucked it from its place, swinging it wide to smash into Scion like a truck. It sent the man face planting across the pavement with a loud grind of metal and rock caused from him tearing up the concrete. Sani felt it right to interfere at this point as she dropped the box down and came at the young flame.
“Stay OUT OF THIS!”
Sani wouldn’t listen. Why? Flare tried swinging the large pole back but found the fragmented blade thrown at her first. It snapped the pole where she held it and flew off to the side, knocking the rest of it out from Flare’s hand by the time she came with her fists. Why wouldn’t she listen?
“You know I can’t do that!”
But neither could Flare… The brenchian came in with a kick the young flaming elemi caught at ease, squinting her down even more. Just being close to Flare made her uncomfortably hot, not to mention her foot catching aflame at the touch of the enraged fire. She howled and stepped back, Flare let her.
“Just stay out of this! I don’t want to hurt you!”
Scion had gotten up in the meantime and blindsided the elemi. He gave her a good few rapid punches in the side before hooking her with a kick, sending her flying through another light pole and snapping that clean off as she flew further into the grass nearby. Sani yelped at the sudden reproach of her master and just prepared to move if needed.
“So you have a new form too… You continue to impress me girl. I think you’ve far surpassed your peers, being able to take hits like this. But it ends. Ends like all things. I’m sorry you couldn’t see things like we see them, Jackie. The phoenix was right to call you a demon.”
Again with this nonsense… Was he just delusional? Flare couldn’t tell, her head was rattled. She was still burning bright but her body couldn’t take much more of this. By the time she started picking herself up the large man was bent at the knees, holding between two hovered palms a white ball of energy.
“...
GI-GA-MARE!”
Sani and Flare panicked as this large beam shot from the ball between his now extended palms, shooting out towards her at an impossible speed. She had to brace herself, no time to move. All she saw was bright light as the beam closed in and slammed hard against her protective outward arms, blinding her. The impact exploded in a large cloud of dust that enveloped the scene almost entirely. She felt herself slipping, unable to keep standing, and falling. Her body wanted to lay there and rest, her hands and feet too heavy to move…
“Earth will be happy when the police come by and see this murderous girl at their feet. Sani, fetch the dragonball. We are done here-”
But something wouldn’t let her fall. She was still angry. Her heart still burning with the fury of a thousand suns. The thought alone kept her standing in the smoke, casting dull eyes out at obscured scenery for a brief moment before finding herself incapable of thinking of anything other than the rage. As Scion gloated and asked the brenchian to get her things and be off the smoke suddenly dispersed. Exploding out from under it a rumbling aura of fire and heat that shook the ground around them. There, now in plain sight, stood the fire elemi coated in this flame as she yells at the top of her lungs.
“I’M NOT DONE!”
Unable to reason the young flame started coalescing the flames now surrounding her, concentrating it around her fists. Scion was spent, breathing heavy still from the amount of energy he himself spent on blasting Flare up. Sani looked on with wide eyes.
“No way… she should have been put down from that!”
Flare was dead set on incinerating the bastard. Dead. Deader than dead. All she could see before her was evaporating the sack of lying crap with her flames. Undying flames! Before he could decide to run from it now, she had to blast him! End it all here, put it all to rest. She didn’t hear any of the cries to stop.
“Jackie, NO!”
Sani shrieked as the beam launched. Her hands extending outwards and turning to fists. Allt hat collected energy and fire pooled into a large stream of flame which engulfed them both. It went further, slamming into and through the side of the plant and exploding in a cloud of smoke through the end. Everything touched by the beam left a searing mark. Smoke bellowed from the skeleton of the blast and covered most of the lot, obscuring vision again.
“Hah… hah…”
Flare breathed heavily, calming a little without realizing what she had just done yet. The smoke eventually cleared within a dozen seconds or so of standing around, revealing a toasted Scion. His body seemed still at first but he eventually took breath. He didn’t move from his spot. It looked good at first.
“I… did it. Hah… Sani, he’s not dead even. Sani, we can make this work. Just-”
She looked around. Up, down. Did she run off that quick? Maybe, she was quite the quick one back at the motel. She started slowly stumbling around the ruined parking lot in searc-
The red box.
“What is this… She wouldn’t just leave this. I...”
She shook, glancing back at the downed Scion. She wanted there to be a body there. SHE HAD TO BE THERE! The young flame wanted her so bad to just be laying there, knocked cold but… Did she just vaporize? Nothing but ash to the wind? Flare’s fire seemed to shine brightly still but it moved with melancholy. She put her hands over her face to keep back the tears that would come anyways.
“No… NOOO! She didn't just... just STAND THERE!”
She knelt down next to the red box and started crying over it. It was so hard, so hard to not just curl up into a ball and die there. Her body felt weak enough to, and she could feel this warmth in hr go away as the cold crept in from the sudden loss. She couldn’t mourn for long as sirens off in the distance alerted her to the police finally arriving. There was… Only one thing to take back from this. Quick, she stood up and picked the box with the ball inside, opening it. A detail she hadn’t noticed before were the stars. Three? The sirens getting scarily closer with every impending second she knew she had to bail. Grabbing the ball and tossing the box she’d first try to fly out. As soon as she jumped to the air she gives out and lands on the ground again. Almost stumbling forwards on her face. Her flames were dying down, and so was her abiliy to walk.
“Shit shit… h-hnng.”
She almost felt guilty enough to just go with the police. To turn herself in for a life of crime. She was thinking herself as so righteous that killing the baddie would solve things. Off into the grass, into the suburbs, the flashing lights she could see well behind her were at the scene now. The blood. Oh kais, the blood she must be trailing. Her arm was horribly bleeding out, and many scrapes on her body were cut open. She made a break for the park and, consequently, her hover car. She kept tumbling over bushes, roots. Each time getting harder to get up. Her flames were completely gone by this point and she could hear dogs.
“Almost…?”
Her body was so close to giving out. It had slowed to a snails pace by the time she reached the park. Flare’s vision started getting blurry as she walked across it. Was it from her failing body, or the tears? Every step became lower than the last. She didn’t see her car. Was this even really the park? The barking faded somewhat but her knees buckled and she fell face first with no sound, feeling her life drained like the embers shattering.
“Flare! Flare! JACKIE MANSON JEFFERSON!”
The young flame jumped out of her small stool as she was awoken by the voice of Auntie next to her, flipping out of it and spilling several empty bottles and tools out on the floor. Flare groaned and moaned, rubbing her sleep deprived eyes and looking up at the standing Auntie.
She didn’t look too pleased.
“Get up, now young woman.”
Another moan and groan from the fire elemi provokes the older woman to grabbing her by the ear and lifting her up by that.
“OW! Hey, hey!”
Flare flailed around and straightened up out of her painful grasp, grabbing at the stool and putting it back up. She still felt all sorts of fucked up and almost gagged moving the chair under the workspace. What was on the table was her latest work, Jax. Not the old one either. She spent so much time and energy on this one whilst being drunk that many a broken tool laid about from applying too much force to them.
“You’re better than this… Hrmm. Dinner is ready. Please, come eat with us for once.”
Flare held her head and looked between her and the desk, grumbling something to herself about feeling sick and needing to use the restroom beforehand.
“I will, I will. Give me a little time to wake up… Clean up...”
That dream… It was different. It was much clearer. Frighteningly so. Is this what she gets for failing again? Another haunting image? Something else to mess with her already depressing world?
At least she still her... She's always had her. Maybe Komatsu was still left as well?
WC: 9219
Wanting PL and am in muh Mansion, and mastering the Fist of the Phoenix, unlocking it's Ultimate "Undying Flames"!
