Post by Gira on Oct 15, 2017 3:06:10 GMT
Gira laid in her bed at home, staring up at her ceiling. She had been there for most of the afternoon, thinking. She had wanted to tell her mother about everything; about how she had been using her abilities to help people and how strong she had become. More than anything, she wanted her blessing. "I wish I knew the right thing to do here." The hybrid sighed and sat up from her bed. "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell her." Gira got up from her bed, wondering exactly how she was going to do this. There was always the option of just coming right out and saying it. Gira looked at the full body mirror on the back of her door. "Mom, I don't know how to say this, so i'm just gonna say it. I know that you want me to have a normal life. I know that you said following the path of the warrior will result in nothing but pain, but..." Gira paused, then groaned in frustration.
"That's stupid." She paced around her room, muttering under her breath as she tried to figure out the right away to approach the subject. Her gaze eventually turned to her bed, specifically what lay under it; her trunk. The hybrid knew then how she was going to do this. Pulling her trunk out from under her bed, opening it and retrieving her brand new Turtle School gi. She actually got it in the appropriate colors this time, courtesy of her friend, Kaci. Removing her casual clothes, she put on the orange pants and blue boots, then slipped on the blue undershirt and the orange top layer, snapping on her wristbands. Once she tied the blue belt around her waist, Gira sighed nervously. 'This should serve as a good conversation starter.' She stood in front of her door, staring at herself in the mirror. "Come on... just... open the door."
The half-Saiyan reached out and turned her door knob, opening up her bedroom door. She smelled dinner cooking downstairs, her stomach growling as soon as the heavenly odor reached her nostrils. 'No, not now.' Gira had to focus on what she was out to do at this moment. Dinner could wait. 'Courage, Gira. Courage.' Nodding to herself, she made her way down the hall, heading downstairs and into the living room. Now she was close enough to her mom to hear her humming a tune as she cooked dinner. Slowly making her way to the kitchen, she could see her mother, the alien culture expert, Kara Norms, cleaning up from the dinner prep work. Her back was to the hybrid. She didn't seem to hear her come in. "Mom...?"
Her voice came out small, barely audible. It was funny. For all of Gira's power, her mother could still strike fear into her. It wasn't really from punishment. Gira just hated to disappoint her. She hoped that wouldn't be her reaction, but something told her it would be. Kara turned around upon hearing her daughter's voice, a smile on her face. It quickly turned to a confused frown, however, when she saw Gira dressed in her gi.
"Honey, it isn't quite Halloween yet. Put that up and go get washed for dinner. It's almost done." She moved to turn around, but Gira spoke up, louder this time.
"It's not a costume!" It came out in almost a squeak. "It's my... it's my gi." Kara stared at her daughter for a moment, sighing and drying her hands off on a nearby towel.
"Is there something you want to tell me, sweetheart?" The look on her mother's face didn't spell disappointment just yet. No, for now, it was concern. Gira figured that she must have been acting strangely. If she was, it was just because she was nervous.
"Mom, there's something I need to tell you. I know you're gonna be disappointed in me, but I thought long and hard about this before I did it." She paused for a long while, trying to bring up the courage to finally say it. "I'm a fighter. I always have been. Ever since I was small, I loved the rush battle brought me... I know you say it's all biological, but..."
"What are you saying, Gira?" Kara's expression began to change as she slowly began to put two and two together. Their conversation didn't progress very far when the two received a major surprise. The hybrid thought she felt something tickle her sixth sense, but chalked it up to nerves. But there it was again... and it was STRONG. Then Gira felt something frightening. It was right outside, and preparing to attack.
"Down!" After that warning, Gira used every last ounce of her speed to tackle her mother to the floor and shield her with her own body. Almost immediately after, a massive explosion rocked the entire house. Gira stayed on top of her mother until it was over, looking in the direction of where she felt the energy after the dust settled. The entire front half of the house was demolished, but her mother appeared to be okay. Gira stood her ground, separating her mom from their attacker. Standing outside, right outside their front was an Arcosian fellow in his True Form. His palm was still outstretched towards the house in the stance he was in when he attacked.
"I've been looking for you for a long time, Watcher. You should really make sure you're away from prying eyes before you take off your disguise." He said Gira's superhero name with a venomous edge. "I am the great Doctor Kold! You might have met my father, Doctor Frezen?" Gira didn't know what the guy was talking about at first, but then she remembered.
"Oh crap."
"Yes! You remember. How could you not? My father died at your hands, after all." The Arcosian lowered his palm and smirked. Gira's mom coughed from behind the hybrid, staggering to her feet.
"I really do not have time for this..." Then she came to a realization. "You destroyed my house, you jerk!" Gira growled and slipped into her battle stance. Kara, meanwhile, was just beginning to recover from shock.
"Gira? W-What's happening?"
"Just stay behind me, mom. I'm gonna teach this guy a lesson." Gira narrowed her eyes at the cocky Arcosian.
"D-Don't!" Her mom protested, limping over to the hybrid and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can call the army. They'll handle this."
"And what will we do in the meantime? I'm gonna have to fight this guy either way. Plus, i'm pretty sure there are bits of the living room all over the street. Unless you have another phone I don't know about." Gira tensed up as her mom removed her hand from her shoulder.
"He's too strong for you. There's no way you can face down an Arcosian in their final form." Kara tried in vain to turn Gira away from this course. Gira shook her head upon hearing this.
"I can do this, mom. Besides..." The hybrid looked back at her mother and smiled. "I'm stronger than he is." Leaving her mother shocked and confused, Gira stepped forward. "You wanna fight the Watcher? Let's see what you've got." Gira pointed at the enemy. "But not here! There are too many innocents around. If we fight, it's gonna be somewhere else." The Arcosian supervillain smirked.
"Fine. It matters not to me where I bury what's left of your corpse." Gira levitated off the ground, jerking her thumb in the direction of a nearby wasteland.
"Over there. Follow me." With that, she took off, her nemesis hot on her heels. The two had not been flying for long when they landed in a mountainous wasteland twenty miles away from West Capital. The Arcosian looked around the area, amused.
"You're certain you want to die here? Seems a little... dusty." The hybrid ignored the Arcosian's taunt, her angered gaze locked on to her opponent.
"You can't win. I take it you can't sense energy? If you could, you wouldn't have picked a fight with me." Gira grit her teeth and clenched her fist. "Attacked my mom..." The Arcosian burst out laughing.
"Oh, there's a thought. Maybe after I beat you, i'll drag your bloody, half-dead carcass back to your mother and make you watch me kill her before I kill yo--" The Arcosian didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before Gira closed the distance between the two of them, delivering a solid punch to his face that nearly sent him flying. The Changeling stood firm, however, his upper body the only part that moved with the force of the punch. He stayed where he was for a moment before straightening up, turning his head to the side and spitting a bit of blood onto the ground.
"I'm gonna kill your bitch of a mother real slow, you monkey brat!" He attacked with a punch of his own, catching Gira on the jaw, who recovered quickly and aimed a kick at his stomach. Doctor Kold grunted in pain, pushed back several dozen feet by the force of the kick. The half-Saiyan charged at her opponent, beginning her assault with a kick to the side of his neck, which he blocked with a raised arm before lashing out with his tail and catching Gira on the cheek. The hybrid caught her opponent's tail before he could withdraw it, however, swinging him around and around, picking up speed with every rotation.
Eventually, the two were a spinning blur, kicking up a dust tornado hundreds of feet high. Gira then let her opponent go, the dust tornado exploding outwards as a sonic boom sounded, Doctor Kold flying through the air so quickly, he broke the sound barrier before slamming into the side of a nearby mountain. The force with which he struck the mountain sent him all the way through it to the other side and to the ground. Kold groaned and staggered up to his feet. He wouldn't get a chance to recover, though, as Gira had been following right behind him, clotheslining the Changeling by his neck and throwing him back to the ground.
"I told you. You shouldn't have picked a fight with me. Your father was a villain. He was going to turn kidnapped children into monstrous abominations. I had to stop him. His death... was his own doing." Gira frowned. She remembered that day. The kids had been evacuated when the defeated Doctor Frezen recklessly fired an attack at her, striking a tank of hazardous chemicals when the hybrid dodged it and ended up killing himself with his own experiment. "I offered him mercy. He chose something else. It's not my fault that he ended up dying."
"For a "hero" you really are a bold-faced liar." The Changeling growled at Gira from his position on the ground, propping himself up by his elbows.
"I'll offer you the same, Kold. Leave now." Gira turned and began to walk away. "For your own sake, don't come back." The Arcosian stood, breathing heavily as he glared at the object of his anger as she grew further and further away.
"You think you're smart, monkey? You think you're strong?" An orb of light purple energy formed in his right hand. "You don't know how outclassed you are." He aimed his palm at Gira. "But i'm going to show you!" He fired the attack at the hybrid, but it passed right through her. An afterimage. Before Kold could even register what had happened, Gira reappeared in front of him, a Kamehameha ready to fire. All he had time for was a surprised gasp before the half-Saiyan thrust her palms forward with a furious battle cry, a bluish-white beam of energy enveloping the Changeling as he screamed, flying backwards and into the sky, carried with the beam. Gira turned around to leave again after that, her opponent falling from the sky and landing on the ground with a thud, his eyes rolled back in his head. He wasn't dead; just unconscious. The teen then took to the air, flying back home to make sure her mom was okay. By the time she arrived, the army had already arrived on the scene, questioning her mother as well as Kaci and her mom since they lived right across the street.
As soon as Gira landed, all three of them broke from the army official questioning them and ambushed Gira with a group hug. They all began to talk at the same time, but Gira gathered that they were all asking her if she was okay. She was uninjured for the most part, but she had a bloody lip from her opponent's initial punch. After answering some brief questions, the army left to arrest the Arcosian outside the city. After that, Gira asked for a moment alone to talk to her mother. Kaci and her mom knew that it had to be serious based on the look on Gira's face, so agreed to give them their space, heading on home to prepare the guest rooms for Gira and her mom. The two stood in silence for a moment, Kara being the first one to speak.
"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked, taking out a tissue from her purse and dabbing the blood from Gira's lip. The hybrid sighed.
"Yeah mom, i'm fine. I told you, i'm stronger than he is."
"Yeah, about that..." Kara put the tissue back in her purse and looked down at her daughter. "Is this what you wanted to tell me earlier?" Gira didn't answer, but gave a nod of confirmation. Her mom sighed, sitting down on the curb and inviting the half-Saiyan to sit next to her. Gira did so, her chin resting in her hands. "Now's your chance to explain."
"I..." Gira started, thinking about what she wanted to say. "I know you're just trying to protect me. You're a good mom like that. But... I don't need to be protected. I don't want to be protected. I was born... like this. Stronger than other people. I want to use my strength for good, mom. I want to protect the Earth. You and Kaci live here and I don't know what i'd do if you died because I couldn't protect you." Tears began to form in the young woman's eyes as her voice broke.
"So, this Watcher i've been hearing so much about these past months, that's you?" Kara asked, a nod and a confirming "uh-huh" coming from the hybrid. Kara paused for a moment, then put a comforting hand on Gira's shoulder. "I... remember that bus full of kids you saved last month from that collapsed bridge. That was good work." Kara smiled at her daughter. The teen wiped the tears from her eyes.
"It was an overpass... but thank you." Gira smiled back at her mother. Patting her on the shoulder, Kara sighed.
"Honey, I know people like you. In my line of work, I met a lot of them. They are some of the most admirable people I have ever met, but... most of them are dead now. I just didn't want that to be you. Like you said, i'm just trying to protect you." Kara paused again. "So, you've gotten really strong, have you?" Gira nodded to her mom.
"Yeah... i've been training a lot with all sorts of strong people. The Turtle Hermit, Articho is my sensei. I've learned a lot from him. I also trained a bit with Tulip. She's in the army. Most recently, i've started studying with Wyntre Cold." Gira looked over at Kara, who chuckled slightly.
"The Turtle Hermit. I should have known from that emblem on your gi." As she registered the last part of what Gira said, her eyes widened. "Wait, Wyntre Cold? Former Empress of Arcose Wyntre Cold? You're training with her?" She almost didn't believe it, but ended up chuckling nervously. "Oh my. You really have been busy." Kara smiled. "You sound like you've made a lot of strong friends."
"Yeah. Some of my best friends I met through fighting. I joined the Z-Fighters recently too, so I expect to make a lot more." Gira had grown less uncomfortable at this point, now more excited to tell her mother about her experiences. Kara stood up from the curb.
"I can see the good you've done in this city, Gira. You've helped a lot of people. I'd even say there are a lot of people who would be dead if not for you." She looked down at her daughter and smiled. "I'll always be there for you if you need me, but I can't stand in your way of helping people. Just promise me you'll be careful?" Gira stood up from where she was sitting, excited about receiving her mother's blessing to keep on fighting injustice.
"Yeah! I promise!" The teen could barely contain her excitement as she moved to give her mother a hug. Kara put a finger up, though, telling Gira to wait.
"You have to keep up with your schoolwork too. If your grades drop, there will be no more of this hero business. Understand?" Tearing up again, Gira nodded.
"I promise, mom." Gira's mother smiled and opened her arms, offering a hug to her daughter. The two embraced for a long time, but eventually broke away.
"Well, i'm interested to hear about what all you've experienced since you started this. Let's go have some coffee at Mary's place and you can tell me all about it." As the two began to walk back to the house across the street, Gira groaned.
"Ew! I hate coffee!" The two laughed as they entered the house, Gira and Kaci telling their moms all about what had transpired over the past year. They stayed up late into the night sharing everything, the good and the bad. Gira felt relieved. Now, she didn't have to hide anything from her mom. She had the freedom to do as she pleased in that regard. So long as she kept up on her education, she was free to be a hero. Gira lost her home, but gained something that she had been looking for her entire life; her mother's blessing to fight on the side of justice.
Solo end! Taking Zeni for this.
"That's stupid." She paced around her room, muttering under her breath as she tried to figure out the right away to approach the subject. Her gaze eventually turned to her bed, specifically what lay under it; her trunk. The hybrid knew then how she was going to do this. Pulling her trunk out from under her bed, opening it and retrieving her brand new Turtle School gi. She actually got it in the appropriate colors this time, courtesy of her friend, Kaci. Removing her casual clothes, she put on the orange pants and blue boots, then slipped on the blue undershirt and the orange top layer, snapping on her wristbands. Once she tied the blue belt around her waist, Gira sighed nervously. 'This should serve as a good conversation starter.' She stood in front of her door, staring at herself in the mirror. "Come on... just... open the door."
The half-Saiyan reached out and turned her door knob, opening up her bedroom door. She smelled dinner cooking downstairs, her stomach growling as soon as the heavenly odor reached her nostrils. 'No, not now.' Gira had to focus on what she was out to do at this moment. Dinner could wait. 'Courage, Gira. Courage.' Nodding to herself, she made her way down the hall, heading downstairs and into the living room. Now she was close enough to her mom to hear her humming a tune as she cooked dinner. Slowly making her way to the kitchen, she could see her mother, the alien culture expert, Kara Norms, cleaning up from the dinner prep work. Her back was to the hybrid. She didn't seem to hear her come in. "Mom...?"
Her voice came out small, barely audible. It was funny. For all of Gira's power, her mother could still strike fear into her. It wasn't really from punishment. Gira just hated to disappoint her. She hoped that wouldn't be her reaction, but something told her it would be. Kara turned around upon hearing her daughter's voice, a smile on her face. It quickly turned to a confused frown, however, when she saw Gira dressed in her gi.
"Honey, it isn't quite Halloween yet. Put that up and go get washed for dinner. It's almost done." She moved to turn around, but Gira spoke up, louder this time.
"It's not a costume!" It came out in almost a squeak. "It's my... it's my gi." Kara stared at her daughter for a moment, sighing and drying her hands off on a nearby towel.
"Is there something you want to tell me, sweetheart?" The look on her mother's face didn't spell disappointment just yet. No, for now, it was concern. Gira figured that she must have been acting strangely. If she was, it was just because she was nervous.
"Mom, there's something I need to tell you. I know you're gonna be disappointed in me, but I thought long and hard about this before I did it." She paused for a long while, trying to bring up the courage to finally say it. "I'm a fighter. I always have been. Ever since I was small, I loved the rush battle brought me... I know you say it's all biological, but..."
"What are you saying, Gira?" Kara's expression began to change as she slowly began to put two and two together. Their conversation didn't progress very far when the two received a major surprise. The hybrid thought she felt something tickle her sixth sense, but chalked it up to nerves. But there it was again... and it was STRONG. Then Gira felt something frightening. It was right outside, and preparing to attack.
"Down!" After that warning, Gira used every last ounce of her speed to tackle her mother to the floor and shield her with her own body. Almost immediately after, a massive explosion rocked the entire house. Gira stayed on top of her mother until it was over, looking in the direction of where she felt the energy after the dust settled. The entire front half of the house was demolished, but her mother appeared to be okay. Gira stood her ground, separating her mom from their attacker. Standing outside, right outside their front was an Arcosian fellow in his True Form. His palm was still outstretched towards the house in the stance he was in when he attacked.
"I've been looking for you for a long time, Watcher. You should really make sure you're away from prying eyes before you take off your disguise." He said Gira's superhero name with a venomous edge. "I am the great Doctor Kold! You might have met my father, Doctor Frezen?" Gira didn't know what the guy was talking about at first, but then she remembered.
"Oh crap."
"Yes! You remember. How could you not? My father died at your hands, after all." The Arcosian lowered his palm and smirked. Gira's mom coughed from behind the hybrid, staggering to her feet.
"I really do not have time for this..." Then she came to a realization. "You destroyed my house, you jerk!" Gira growled and slipped into her battle stance. Kara, meanwhile, was just beginning to recover from shock.
"Gira? W-What's happening?"
"Just stay behind me, mom. I'm gonna teach this guy a lesson." Gira narrowed her eyes at the cocky Arcosian.
"D-Don't!" Her mom protested, limping over to the hybrid and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can call the army. They'll handle this."
"And what will we do in the meantime? I'm gonna have to fight this guy either way. Plus, i'm pretty sure there are bits of the living room all over the street. Unless you have another phone I don't know about." Gira tensed up as her mom removed her hand from her shoulder.
"He's too strong for you. There's no way you can face down an Arcosian in their final form." Kara tried in vain to turn Gira away from this course. Gira shook her head upon hearing this.
"I can do this, mom. Besides..." The hybrid looked back at her mother and smiled. "I'm stronger than he is." Leaving her mother shocked and confused, Gira stepped forward. "You wanna fight the Watcher? Let's see what you've got." Gira pointed at the enemy. "But not here! There are too many innocents around. If we fight, it's gonna be somewhere else." The Arcosian supervillain smirked.
"Fine. It matters not to me where I bury what's left of your corpse." Gira levitated off the ground, jerking her thumb in the direction of a nearby wasteland.
"Over there. Follow me." With that, she took off, her nemesis hot on her heels. The two had not been flying for long when they landed in a mountainous wasteland twenty miles away from West Capital. The Arcosian looked around the area, amused.
"You're certain you want to die here? Seems a little... dusty." The hybrid ignored the Arcosian's taunt, her angered gaze locked on to her opponent.
"You can't win. I take it you can't sense energy? If you could, you wouldn't have picked a fight with me." Gira grit her teeth and clenched her fist. "Attacked my mom..." The Arcosian burst out laughing.
"Oh, there's a thought. Maybe after I beat you, i'll drag your bloody, half-dead carcass back to your mother and make you watch me kill her before I kill yo--" The Arcosian didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before Gira closed the distance between the two of them, delivering a solid punch to his face that nearly sent him flying. The Changeling stood firm, however, his upper body the only part that moved with the force of the punch. He stayed where he was for a moment before straightening up, turning his head to the side and spitting a bit of blood onto the ground.
"I'm gonna kill your bitch of a mother real slow, you monkey brat!" He attacked with a punch of his own, catching Gira on the jaw, who recovered quickly and aimed a kick at his stomach. Doctor Kold grunted in pain, pushed back several dozen feet by the force of the kick. The half-Saiyan charged at her opponent, beginning her assault with a kick to the side of his neck, which he blocked with a raised arm before lashing out with his tail and catching Gira on the cheek. The hybrid caught her opponent's tail before he could withdraw it, however, swinging him around and around, picking up speed with every rotation.
Eventually, the two were a spinning blur, kicking up a dust tornado hundreds of feet high. Gira then let her opponent go, the dust tornado exploding outwards as a sonic boom sounded, Doctor Kold flying through the air so quickly, he broke the sound barrier before slamming into the side of a nearby mountain. The force with which he struck the mountain sent him all the way through it to the other side and to the ground. Kold groaned and staggered up to his feet. He wouldn't get a chance to recover, though, as Gira had been following right behind him, clotheslining the Changeling by his neck and throwing him back to the ground.
"I told you. You shouldn't have picked a fight with me. Your father was a villain. He was going to turn kidnapped children into monstrous abominations. I had to stop him. His death... was his own doing." Gira frowned. She remembered that day. The kids had been evacuated when the defeated Doctor Frezen recklessly fired an attack at her, striking a tank of hazardous chemicals when the hybrid dodged it and ended up killing himself with his own experiment. "I offered him mercy. He chose something else. It's not my fault that he ended up dying."
"For a "hero" you really are a bold-faced liar." The Changeling growled at Gira from his position on the ground, propping himself up by his elbows.
"I'll offer you the same, Kold. Leave now." Gira turned and began to walk away. "For your own sake, don't come back." The Arcosian stood, breathing heavily as he glared at the object of his anger as she grew further and further away.
"You think you're smart, monkey? You think you're strong?" An orb of light purple energy formed in his right hand. "You don't know how outclassed you are." He aimed his palm at Gira. "But i'm going to show you!" He fired the attack at the hybrid, but it passed right through her. An afterimage. Before Kold could even register what had happened, Gira reappeared in front of him, a Kamehameha ready to fire. All he had time for was a surprised gasp before the half-Saiyan thrust her palms forward with a furious battle cry, a bluish-white beam of energy enveloping the Changeling as he screamed, flying backwards and into the sky, carried with the beam. Gira turned around to leave again after that, her opponent falling from the sky and landing on the ground with a thud, his eyes rolled back in his head. He wasn't dead; just unconscious. The teen then took to the air, flying back home to make sure her mom was okay. By the time she arrived, the army had already arrived on the scene, questioning her mother as well as Kaci and her mom since they lived right across the street.
As soon as Gira landed, all three of them broke from the army official questioning them and ambushed Gira with a group hug. They all began to talk at the same time, but Gira gathered that they were all asking her if she was okay. She was uninjured for the most part, but she had a bloody lip from her opponent's initial punch. After answering some brief questions, the army left to arrest the Arcosian outside the city. After that, Gira asked for a moment alone to talk to her mother. Kaci and her mom knew that it had to be serious based on the look on Gira's face, so agreed to give them their space, heading on home to prepare the guest rooms for Gira and her mom. The two stood in silence for a moment, Kara being the first one to speak.
"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked, taking out a tissue from her purse and dabbing the blood from Gira's lip. The hybrid sighed.
"Yeah mom, i'm fine. I told you, i'm stronger than he is."
"Yeah, about that..." Kara put the tissue back in her purse and looked down at her daughter. "Is this what you wanted to tell me earlier?" Gira didn't answer, but gave a nod of confirmation. Her mom sighed, sitting down on the curb and inviting the half-Saiyan to sit next to her. Gira did so, her chin resting in her hands. "Now's your chance to explain."
"I..." Gira started, thinking about what she wanted to say. "I know you're just trying to protect me. You're a good mom like that. But... I don't need to be protected. I don't want to be protected. I was born... like this. Stronger than other people. I want to use my strength for good, mom. I want to protect the Earth. You and Kaci live here and I don't know what i'd do if you died because I couldn't protect you." Tears began to form in the young woman's eyes as her voice broke.
"So, this Watcher i've been hearing so much about these past months, that's you?" Kara asked, a nod and a confirming "uh-huh" coming from the hybrid. Kara paused for a moment, then put a comforting hand on Gira's shoulder. "I... remember that bus full of kids you saved last month from that collapsed bridge. That was good work." Kara smiled at her daughter. The teen wiped the tears from her eyes.
"It was an overpass... but thank you." Gira smiled back at her mother. Patting her on the shoulder, Kara sighed.
"Honey, I know people like you. In my line of work, I met a lot of them. They are some of the most admirable people I have ever met, but... most of them are dead now. I just didn't want that to be you. Like you said, i'm just trying to protect you." Kara paused again. "So, you've gotten really strong, have you?" Gira nodded to her mom.
"Yeah... i've been training a lot with all sorts of strong people. The Turtle Hermit, Articho is my sensei. I've learned a lot from him. I also trained a bit with Tulip. She's in the army. Most recently, i've started studying with Wyntre Cold." Gira looked over at Kara, who chuckled slightly.
"The Turtle Hermit. I should have known from that emblem on your gi." As she registered the last part of what Gira said, her eyes widened. "Wait, Wyntre Cold? Former Empress of Arcose Wyntre Cold? You're training with her?" She almost didn't believe it, but ended up chuckling nervously. "Oh my. You really have been busy." Kara smiled. "You sound like you've made a lot of strong friends."
"Yeah. Some of my best friends I met through fighting. I joined the Z-Fighters recently too, so I expect to make a lot more." Gira had grown less uncomfortable at this point, now more excited to tell her mother about her experiences. Kara stood up from the curb.
"I can see the good you've done in this city, Gira. You've helped a lot of people. I'd even say there are a lot of people who would be dead if not for you." She looked down at her daughter and smiled. "I'll always be there for you if you need me, but I can't stand in your way of helping people. Just promise me you'll be careful?" Gira stood up from where she was sitting, excited about receiving her mother's blessing to keep on fighting injustice.
"Yeah! I promise!" The teen could barely contain her excitement as she moved to give her mother a hug. Kara put a finger up, though, telling Gira to wait.
"You have to keep up with your schoolwork too. If your grades drop, there will be no more of this hero business. Understand?" Tearing up again, Gira nodded.
"I promise, mom." Gira's mother smiled and opened her arms, offering a hug to her daughter. The two embraced for a long time, but eventually broke away.
"Well, i'm interested to hear about what all you've experienced since you started this. Let's go have some coffee at Mary's place and you can tell me all about it." As the two began to walk back to the house across the street, Gira groaned.
"Ew! I hate coffee!" The two laughed as they entered the house, Gira and Kaci telling their moms all about what had transpired over the past year. They stayed up late into the night sharing everything, the good and the bad. Gira felt relieved. Now, she didn't have to hide anything from her mom. She had the freedom to do as she pleased in that regard. So long as she kept up on her education, she was free to be a hero. Gira lost her home, but gained something that she had been looking for her entire life; her mother's blessing to fight on the side of justice.
Solo end! Taking Zeni for this.
