Post by Kay-El on Feb 23, 2016 21:03:45 GMT
"We're going to Earth," Nana said and threw up her hands two hours after their pod finally cleared the field of rocks. "I can't fix this old thing, I don't know how Wiz even got this thing up and running to begin with, it’s all I can do to reset the course for a planet in this direction!"
"Earth!?!" Kay-El shrieked, hands balling into fists at her sides. "I don't want to go to Earth. I plotted a course for Namek!" All thirty six inches and forty pounds of the girl vibrated with anger at the sudden turn of events.
Nana, sensing a tantrum, said, "Oh, come Birdie, I'm sure Earth's not that bad. Why would you want to go to Namek, anyway?"
The five year old stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Earth. Even the name sounds dumb and ugly. Errrrrrrrrrrtttthhhhh," she drew it out, elongating each and every undignified sound. "Now Namek, on the other hand," she smiled, her voice taking on a dreamy tone. "It sounds pretty! The name flows, just rolls off the tongue. And I just want to, ok?" Kay-El gave Nana a hard time but, in all honestly, she was glad the older Saiyan joined her on this adventure. Alone, Kay would have turned around a long time ago. Although an unplanned addition, the company was welcome. But her body thrummed with energy and she jumped up, tail hooking around a hand hold and staring at Nana upside down. “How much longer? And how long ‘til we can leave Earth and go to Namek?”
Nana took a deep breath and counted to ten before letting it go slowly, a tactic Kay-El recognized for when she was trying not lose her temper. It always amazed the young hybrid how she did that, one moment seeming on the verge of ranting and raving and the next completely calm. Once, a while back, she told Kay that after serving in the war, working with Kay was one of the best experiences of her life. The half-demon had rewarded that by making her put her Zeni where her mouth was, so to speak, and not even on purpose. The girl was rambunctious, to say the least. “When we can make enough Zeni for repairs or a new ship, or even just enough to pay for boarding on another ship, we can go to Namek.”
“How long will that take?” she asked, swinging back and forth gently.
Nana smiled. “I’m not sure, it all depends where we land, if I can get a job-”
CRASH. Kay landed on the floor wide-eyed and jumped up, hands clinging to the hem of Nana’s pant leg. “Another job? You’re leaving me? You can’t leave me...I neeeed you!”
One large hand landed on her head and patted it gently, fingertips rubbing in soothing circles. “No, I’d never leave you, Birdie. You’re stuck with me.”
Instantly, the child relaxed and got up, rubbing her shoulder where she’d landed on the floor hard. “Good,” she said, and went back to climbing the walls. “So, when will we be on Earth, again? How long until we get there? Have you been there? What’s it like?”
Nana laughed softly, eyes soft and kind and patient - she needed patience to deal with Kay-El’s antics. “It’s still a long way away, a little less than a full day’s travel from here.”
“A whole day?” she said, hanging dejectedly from the ceiling from one hand and foot. “What on Shikk are we going to do for a whole day in here?” Giggles spilled forth like confetti at a parade when she realized they weren’t on Shikk anymore. Travel had never been her favorite thing, too much long, boring ride and not enough up and moving around for the little bundle of energy.
Warm, brown eyes crinkled as Nana smiled again, the crow’s feet at the corners deepening with the motion. “Relax, little one. To answer your other questions, yes, I’ve been there and it’s much like other planets - there are people and forests and oceans. Be nice and you’ll be treated kindly in return. Now, listen closely….” There was a technique Nana Ban had been trying to learn for a while and now seemed a good time to teach it to Kay-El, perhaps it would help her learn it, too. And if not, that was alright, she had a feeling it would be in her charge’s best interest to learn Ki Suppression.
##
Something scratched at her wet cheek, or was the scratchy thing wet? The five year old woke slowly, yawning and looking about, dark eyes opening to find curious green ones set in a fuzzy black face. “Hello,” she said to the kitten who jumped back. “Where’d you come from?” She reached out, her fingers splayed, the webbing between them taut. “Come on, I won’t hurt you...it’s okay.”
“I see you met our stowaway.” Nana’s cheerful voice made her turn away for a few seconds before looking back at the cat. It held its distance, but at least it didn’t move any further away.
“How long was I out?” she said, trying not to seem too curious and failing..
“Oh, about twelve hours.” She jumped and the young cat did, too. Kay watched ruefully as it hid beneath a crawl space too small for her. “I slept a bit, too. Though not as long as you..”
“Twelve hours?” She’d tried, she really had, to meditate and learn this Ki Suppression thing. Alas, her body, tired from its early morning wake up and the events that followed, finally gave up, brain shutting down and drifting to sleep. At least it had been dreamless, or, if she dreamed, she didn’t remember them. Kay-El preferred that to the nightmares. Her stomach growled and Nana frowned.
“I didn’t pack any food...so you’ll have to do without, Birdie.” Nana always liked to joke that out of all the nicknames, Birdie only applied when she sang - everything else Kay did was very un-birdlike. Eating, for example. The girl liked to eat and typically finished all her food and then asked for more.
“I did!” she said excitedly. “Well, Mary helped…” she added, suddenly still at the memory of the fallen chef laying on the floor. In death she had sunken in on herself even more, seeming small and far away. But Mary was dead and it sobered Kay-El a bit, bringing her back down. Reaching for her bag she pulled out the breads, meats, pastries and water and they each took some.
“She thought I was meeting a boy for a picnic or some such nonsense…” she said sadly, thinking of Mary again. The kind woman really packed her a veritable feast and Kay had repaid her by letting her die. Realistically, she knew she couldn’t have done anything to save her and if she’d been there she might have died, too. But she still felt guilty. Guilty, guilty, guilty - guilt for leaving everyone behind, and for not staying to help pick up the pieces.
The scent of food drew the cat out once more and they rationed off a small piece for he, she...it. As they picked at the food, Kay-El looked up as Nana spoke. “Not all of it, we need to leave most for when we land. We don’t know where we’ll end up. Who knows when we’ll get to buy or find food again?” Another wise, sobering thought, the two ate and drank in silence until finally about an hour later Nana took an inventory of everything in the pack. Clothes, small, Kay-El’s. A blanket, a small pillow and ‘Bunny and Bear’ the security blanket. A belt and the bag itself, both were gifts from Wiz to Kay-El and she would part with neither. The multi-tool would come in handy and a small hunting knife in a leather sheath. Nothing would be completely useless, but it wasn’t sufficient to keep them both alive for long if it came down to it. This really had been meant as a solo mission.
Full and content, the cat was clearly feeling braver now as it edged closer to Kay. She reached out one webbed hand again and felt the tip of a wet nose brush against the sensitive skin between thumb and forefinger. She giggled at the ticklish sensation and watched as the kitten smelled and licked at her hand, tasting what lingered of Kay’s meal on her hands, most like. Still, Kay enjoyed it while it lasted, The fingers of her other hand finding the soft fur of her new friend’s head and stroking idly. Another somber thought occurred: why was this kitten here? Where was her family? Were they dead? Left behind? This poor thing thought it found a safe place to hide and then, WHAM, its hurtling headlong towards another planet far away and alien.
Just like they were.
“Kay, why did you really pick Namek?” Nana wasn’t trying to be mean or pick on her, she just wanted to understand. “Did anyone tell you about Namek? What do you even know about the planet?”
Blue eyes shifted down, trained on the floor. “If I don’t go to Namek...I’ll never find my brother.” There, she’d said it. Out loud, spoken freely, the truth felt good. It also felt scary. What if Nana judged her for wanting to find someone who probably didn’t know she existed and might not want anything to do with her? What if she made fun of the fact that he was an android and not a real boy? What if she said that this was a waste of time and not worth all this trouble? She huddled closer to the cat who decided she wasn’t all that scary after all and nuzzled her face.
“Oh, Birdie, but you don’t have a brother…” was all Nana said. The tone held her confusion but also compassion.
Kay-El tensed and still didn’t look up. “I do!” she said vehemently. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she looked and met those brown eyes in a challenge as if daring her to believe. “His name is Pin. He’s an android whose last known location was Namek and my biological parents made him!” Before Nana could respond, Kay jumped up again, the cat emitting a disgruntled ‘meow.’ She turned to look out the vast window in front. “I don’t care if you won’t help me. I’m finding him and -”
Kay flinched at a light pressure of fingers on her shoulder. She looked back at Nana standing behind her. “Of course I’ll help you…” The cat made another sound, like it agreed, and Kay smiled.
“Oh,” she said simply, still staring out at the stars as the pod whirred past them. And just like that the tension drained from the room and she sat back down to finish her meditation and learn this technique. If Nana thought she would need it, she had to try and give learning it her all. She would conquer Ki Suppression and she would find her brother. A fierce determination settled into her core as she crossed her legs and closed both lids of her eyes, both the outer, ‘normal,’ one and the clear, inner one that came down when she swam.
Kay focused her breathing: in to the count of four, hold for another count of four. Out to the same and hold once more. Wash, rinse and repeat. And all the while she chanted, like a mantra, ‘I think I can, I think I can.’
"Earth!?!" Kay-El shrieked, hands balling into fists at her sides. "I don't want to go to Earth. I plotted a course for Namek!" All thirty six inches and forty pounds of the girl vibrated with anger at the sudden turn of events.
Nana, sensing a tantrum, said, "Oh, come Birdie, I'm sure Earth's not that bad. Why would you want to go to Namek, anyway?"
The five year old stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Earth. Even the name sounds dumb and ugly. Errrrrrrrrrrtttthhhhh," she drew it out, elongating each and every undignified sound. "Now Namek, on the other hand," she smiled, her voice taking on a dreamy tone. "It sounds pretty! The name flows, just rolls off the tongue. And I just want to, ok?" Kay-El gave Nana a hard time but, in all honestly, she was glad the older Saiyan joined her on this adventure. Alone, Kay would have turned around a long time ago. Although an unplanned addition, the company was welcome. But her body thrummed with energy and she jumped up, tail hooking around a hand hold and staring at Nana upside down. “How much longer? And how long ‘til we can leave Earth and go to Namek?”
Nana took a deep breath and counted to ten before letting it go slowly, a tactic Kay-El recognized for when she was trying not lose her temper. It always amazed the young hybrid how she did that, one moment seeming on the verge of ranting and raving and the next completely calm. Once, a while back, she told Kay that after serving in the war, working with Kay was one of the best experiences of her life. The half-demon had rewarded that by making her put her Zeni where her mouth was, so to speak, and not even on purpose. The girl was rambunctious, to say the least. “When we can make enough Zeni for repairs or a new ship, or even just enough to pay for boarding on another ship, we can go to Namek.”
“How long will that take?” she asked, swinging back and forth gently.
Nana smiled. “I’m not sure, it all depends where we land, if I can get a job-”
CRASH. Kay landed on the floor wide-eyed and jumped up, hands clinging to the hem of Nana’s pant leg. “Another job? You’re leaving me? You can’t leave me...I neeeed you!”
One large hand landed on her head and patted it gently, fingertips rubbing in soothing circles. “No, I’d never leave you, Birdie. You’re stuck with me.”
Instantly, the child relaxed and got up, rubbing her shoulder where she’d landed on the floor hard. “Good,” she said, and went back to climbing the walls. “So, when will we be on Earth, again? How long until we get there? Have you been there? What’s it like?”
Nana laughed softly, eyes soft and kind and patient - she needed patience to deal with Kay-El’s antics. “It’s still a long way away, a little less than a full day’s travel from here.”
“A whole day?” she said, hanging dejectedly from the ceiling from one hand and foot. “What on Shikk are we going to do for a whole day in here?” Giggles spilled forth like confetti at a parade when she realized they weren’t on Shikk anymore. Travel had never been her favorite thing, too much long, boring ride and not enough up and moving around for the little bundle of energy.
Warm, brown eyes crinkled as Nana smiled again, the crow’s feet at the corners deepening with the motion. “Relax, little one. To answer your other questions, yes, I’ve been there and it’s much like other planets - there are people and forests and oceans. Be nice and you’ll be treated kindly in return. Now, listen closely….” There was a technique Nana Ban had been trying to learn for a while and now seemed a good time to teach it to Kay-El, perhaps it would help her learn it, too. And if not, that was alright, she had a feeling it would be in her charge’s best interest to learn Ki Suppression.
##
Something scratched at her wet cheek, or was the scratchy thing wet? The five year old woke slowly, yawning and looking about, dark eyes opening to find curious green ones set in a fuzzy black face. “Hello,” she said to the kitten who jumped back. “Where’d you come from?” She reached out, her fingers splayed, the webbing between them taut. “Come on, I won’t hurt you...it’s okay.”
“I see you met our stowaway.” Nana’s cheerful voice made her turn away for a few seconds before looking back at the cat. It held its distance, but at least it didn’t move any further away.
“How long was I out?” she said, trying not to seem too curious and failing..
“Oh, about twelve hours.” She jumped and the young cat did, too. Kay watched ruefully as it hid beneath a crawl space too small for her. “I slept a bit, too. Though not as long as you..”
“Twelve hours?” She’d tried, she really had, to meditate and learn this Ki Suppression thing. Alas, her body, tired from its early morning wake up and the events that followed, finally gave up, brain shutting down and drifting to sleep. At least it had been dreamless, or, if she dreamed, she didn’t remember them. Kay-El preferred that to the nightmares. Her stomach growled and Nana frowned.
“I didn’t pack any food...so you’ll have to do without, Birdie.” Nana always liked to joke that out of all the nicknames, Birdie only applied when she sang - everything else Kay did was very un-birdlike. Eating, for example. The girl liked to eat and typically finished all her food and then asked for more.
“I did!” she said excitedly. “Well, Mary helped…” she added, suddenly still at the memory of the fallen chef laying on the floor. In death she had sunken in on herself even more, seeming small and far away. But Mary was dead and it sobered Kay-El a bit, bringing her back down. Reaching for her bag she pulled out the breads, meats, pastries and water and they each took some.
“She thought I was meeting a boy for a picnic or some such nonsense…” she said sadly, thinking of Mary again. The kind woman really packed her a veritable feast and Kay had repaid her by letting her die. Realistically, she knew she couldn’t have done anything to save her and if she’d been there she might have died, too. But she still felt guilty. Guilty, guilty, guilty - guilt for leaving everyone behind, and for not staying to help pick up the pieces.
The scent of food drew the cat out once more and they rationed off a small piece for he, she...it. As they picked at the food, Kay-El looked up as Nana spoke. “Not all of it, we need to leave most for when we land. We don’t know where we’ll end up. Who knows when we’ll get to buy or find food again?” Another wise, sobering thought, the two ate and drank in silence until finally about an hour later Nana took an inventory of everything in the pack. Clothes, small, Kay-El’s. A blanket, a small pillow and ‘Bunny and Bear’ the security blanket. A belt and the bag itself, both were gifts from Wiz to Kay-El and she would part with neither. The multi-tool would come in handy and a small hunting knife in a leather sheath. Nothing would be completely useless, but it wasn’t sufficient to keep them both alive for long if it came down to it. This really had been meant as a solo mission.
Full and content, the cat was clearly feeling braver now as it edged closer to Kay. She reached out one webbed hand again and felt the tip of a wet nose brush against the sensitive skin between thumb and forefinger. She giggled at the ticklish sensation and watched as the kitten smelled and licked at her hand, tasting what lingered of Kay’s meal on her hands, most like. Still, Kay enjoyed it while it lasted, The fingers of her other hand finding the soft fur of her new friend’s head and stroking idly. Another somber thought occurred: why was this kitten here? Where was her family? Were they dead? Left behind? This poor thing thought it found a safe place to hide and then, WHAM, its hurtling headlong towards another planet far away and alien.
Just like they were.
“Kay, why did you really pick Namek?” Nana wasn’t trying to be mean or pick on her, she just wanted to understand. “Did anyone tell you about Namek? What do you even know about the planet?”
Blue eyes shifted down, trained on the floor. “If I don’t go to Namek...I’ll never find my brother.” There, she’d said it. Out loud, spoken freely, the truth felt good. It also felt scary. What if Nana judged her for wanting to find someone who probably didn’t know she existed and might not want anything to do with her? What if she made fun of the fact that he was an android and not a real boy? What if she said that this was a waste of time and not worth all this trouble? She huddled closer to the cat who decided she wasn’t all that scary after all and nuzzled her face.
“Oh, Birdie, but you don’t have a brother…” was all Nana said. The tone held her confusion but also compassion.
Kay-El tensed and still didn’t look up. “I do!” she said vehemently. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she looked and met those brown eyes in a challenge as if daring her to believe. “His name is Pin. He’s an android whose last known location was Namek and my biological parents made him!” Before Nana could respond, Kay jumped up again, the cat emitting a disgruntled ‘meow.’ She turned to look out the vast window in front. “I don’t care if you won’t help me. I’m finding him and -”
Kay flinched at a light pressure of fingers on her shoulder. She looked back at Nana standing behind her. “Of course I’ll help you…” The cat made another sound, like it agreed, and Kay smiled.
“Oh,” she said simply, still staring out at the stars as the pod whirred past them. And just like that the tension drained from the room and she sat back down to finish her meditation and learn this technique. If Nana thought she would need it, she had to try and give learning it her all. She would conquer Ki Suppression and she would find her brother. A fierce determination settled into her core as she crossed her legs and closed both lids of her eyes, both the outer, ‘normal,’ one and the clear, inner one that came down when she swam.
Kay focused her breathing: in to the count of four, hold for another count of four. Out to the same and hold once more. Wash, rinse and repeat. And all the while she chanted, like a mantra, ‘I think I can, I think I can.’
