Jackie would watch, carefully eyeing the movements of the boulder and Russ's own mimicry. What was she expecting, really? The guy wasn't much weaker than herself, and she just told him to huck it. Even with mind powers, that translated over. She'd whistle as it soared in the sky far beyond what she was expecting of him. A firm hand came up to shake him by the shoulder as he too seemed a bit awestruck.
"You think? Didn't know you wanted to smash some faces in today, Russ. You could have crushed someone with that. Be careful next time, yeah?" Jackie pats him with that same hand before starting on in the direction of the poorly thrown boulder. Whether the pair were going to hang or not, she wanted to make sure the trainee here didn't pop someone's head open. Or, more likely, the whole body. That'd be unfortunate, to say the least. Russ wanted sandwiches after, which the kami shrugged to and turned around mid-walk to continue backpedaling towards her goal. Flashing the saiyan a smile.
"No problem! Let's just, uh, check on that boulder before we go. Doesn't feel right otherwise. What place was you thinking of stopping by for sandwiches?" She'd lead them for however long this boulder had travel time.
Jackie didn't outright scream or sound upset at him but the Saiyan detected scolding behind her level-headed juxtaposition. Russ knew he was in trouble when she firmly gripped his shoulder and cautioned the boy to be careful. He placed his hand behind his head to relax. 'Will do, sometimes I don't know my own strength heh heh heh.' He laughed and followed her to track down the boulder. He'll get the hang of telekinesis eventually.
Finding a place to get sandwiches is tricky, there are a lot of Subs restaurants in the city. To Russ they all taste the same for his Saiyan appetite, food is food. Russ glanced upwards to think while 'Mmmm, we can go to Jerry's? I love their garlic butter on the bread, especially after its toasted.' A plain sub will do just fine but seasoned bread adds the flavor.
They reach the deep end of the park and found the giant rock sitting in a large pond. Nobody was around to get hurt and that's all the confirmation Russ needed to be free of a guilty conscience. 'There it is! Guess my training made a big slash.' he grinned and poked Jackie with his elbow over a bad pun.
Gutteral sounds akin to snarling got Russ' attention and he whipped his head to face the source. A very pissed-off alligator and two more of its kind approach and stood next to the leader, waiting to bite their heads off for disturbing its home. 'Ohh..uh, h-hey fellas? Nice weather we're having huh?' Russ put his hands up and slowly stepped backward nervously. They look at Russ specifically and sensed his fear, all three alligators roared and one by one their tiny little legs patterned after the hybrid, prompting Russ to widen his eyes and grit his teeth. 'Oh @#$%! GYAAAAAAAH!' he sprinted randomly around the park being chased by irritated hungry beasts.
With his power, he shouldn't be afraid of predator animals but every action has consequences, comical situations like this are no expectation.
Jackie honestly wouldn't be able to tell you what she would want to get from Jerry's. Or any sandwich shop, really. She was one of those who'd not have a clue in mind but instantly get an idea once the shop air hit her face. Menu making itself apparent. Until then, she'd lead the pair through the park. Spotting a few missing branches on their approach, but nothing that really spelled manslaughter. The frantic quacking of a few shellshocked geese might tell them the story they want though as both give a hard look into the park's larger pond.
"Yeah, I see that. And scared the absolute pants off anyone who was around to see it. I'm sure a new reporter will get their hands on this somehow." She teased, poking at the side of his arm before noticing any sort of pissed-off pond critter coming to attack. Maybe it was karma for ruining the pond for a few hours, cause they were quick to identify the culprit and come after him. Russ panicked and darted very quickly away from the source of the problem.
"Hey..." She spoke lowly, kneeling in the path between the creatures and the poor Russ who, at this point, was probably just running away from his demons. These gators tried to each move past her, but the kami spread her arms and firmly put hands to their snouts. The two smaller boys seemed to calm at the touch, laying back on the grass and letting the dark lady keep a hand on them. The big guy though?
Chomp.
Even in the relaxed state she was in, her power was more than enough to avoid any actual damage as this guy latched on and bit at her shoulder. And he'd try this a few times, trying to find a purchase. It didn't even really tickle her.
"I know you're angry. My friend didn't mean it, alright? It was a mistake. Vent your frustration out on me if you want." Well, one would continue to. Jackie just laughed a little and bent her head back at Russ.
"You big wuss, they're wild animals. They're more scared of you throwing another rock than anything. Come on, they can't even hurt you."
Jackie must have thought his misfortune is amusing for however long the boy keeps running. She steps in between the predators and their prey to calm them down, touching the smaller couple's snout did the trick. The big guy was too enraged to be reasoned with, craving food and vengeance as payment for their disruption of his home. Russ isn't available to be a snack so maybe this redhead will do! He caught Jackie's shoulder in his maw and took a bite of her clothed flesh, instead what he tasted felt like steel and his teeth could not pierce anything.
Jackie wasn't bothered at all, she is way stronger than any animal on the planet and Russ is the same. He was being a wuss and she called him as such, the slightly younger adult huffed and points a finger at the gators.'OH NO! THEY WERE READY TO CHEW MY HEAD OFF FOR THIS, LITERALLY!' his inner voice yelled alongside a comical big head, like in those anime shows Russ watched on occasion.
It shrunk back to normal as he calmed down watching the alligators, in all seriousness he felt guilty for his antics. 'I'm sorry guys, I got a little carried away with my training, lemme get that rock out of the water for ya.' Russ walks over to the pond and lifts the rock with telekinesis. He guided the object away from the water and moved his arm down to drop it on land. There was no way in hell he will bring it back to its original spot. There are many boulders in the park, it's not like anyone will notice one is missing.
The animals understood their apology somehow, either from telepathy or Russ' actions. Eventually, the bigger gator stops biting Jackie and went back inside the pond, the little ones followed right behind him. 'All well that ends well right?' he grinned at Jackie. He points a thumb behind him leading to the park's entrance. "Let's go chow down on some Subs, my stomach needs it." he walks away from the area and outside of the park, leading Jackie to Jerry's.
He held the door to let his instructor go inside first and he walks in behind her. There wasn't a line thankfully, most people at this hour in the afternoon are still at work. "Welcome to Jerry's What can I get for you?" They asked the pair. Russ already knew what to order from the menu "May I have a turkey salami footlong with garlic butter and a coke soda?" He requested.
They wrote his order on paper and they looked at Jackie. "And what you like to order?" they asked.
Jackie laughed a little as the big guy got carried away with his chomps, patting away at the wet, wild animal's attempts of righteous fury. Something like an echo of her own past sentiment seemed to show itself in this creature and it was something she'd have to face time and time ago. But with enough persistence and some power put behind it, Jackie would rest the best from her shoulder and cradle the large guy like a dog asking for hugs. Letting her warmth wash over the creatures. With this eventuality coming to pass, she lets them go. A bit soaked, but nontheless grateful for the moment.
"You're fine, and they are fine. Just so long as you remember your lesson." She drew a flame into her palm and quietly started to dry herself off on the way out of the park, throwing in some magick'd perfumes in there to hide what pond smells might have stuck to the fabrics. She'd wash it out later, when she wasn't grabbing a bite to eat. Russ was pretty immediate in rushing them in and getting his order out, so the kami was left inside pondering the menu for a hot second. Tapping her chin.
"Mmm... Central Cheese Steak footlong, topped with siracha sauce and jalapeno. Make it... mozzarella cheese. Grab me water with that." It was pretty simple on the spicy side, but it was patented and true. Looking around, she'd find a good table for the pair to sit at as they waited, Jackie relaxing back in her seat with hands in her lap.
They jolt Kami's order on the notepad and looked at Russ, noticing his order felt incomplete compared to hers. "Did you want cheese, lettuce, and sauce to go with your order?" they asked. Russ rubbed his head realizing his sandwich setup is rather plain. He quietly thanked the gods for giving him a chance to mend it. "Sure, I want Lettuce, classic cheese, mayonnaise, and honey mustard." He replied. The civilian took out two twelve inch bread and cut the middle of each horizontal with a knife, They put the bread in the toaster oven for three minutes and made each of their sandwiches tailered to everything Jackie and Russ asked for. They also gave Russ a bottle of coke, and Jackie a bottle of water.
They walk to the cash register and punched in the total of thier payment. "That'll be twenty five zeni and thirty seven cents." They said, eyeing both of them. Russ pulled out his wallet and gave them twenty six zeni, he left his change at home. The saiyan took thier food and drinks and smiled at the cashier. "Have a good day!" He followed Jackie to sit at a table.
Russ handed the guardian her stuff and he sat across from her. "Not here, but I go to Jerry's in East City. As a kid, mom used to take me there on fast food weekends every other week, I'm serious, that's what they called it." his mouth formed a small grin as Russ took a bite of his sandwich.
Russ wiped his mouth with a napkin in the bag. "Do you have favorite places to eat?" eyeing Jackie.
Jackie just gave the kind worker a polite, deep nod before taking her water and grabbing a seat nearby. Kicking the chair out next to Russ just so he'd have to give a little less effort pulling it out for himself. Cracking open the bottle and just waiting for Russ to pay and deliver her side of the meal. Favor for favor, she supposed. Though getting a chair for him felt inadequate compared to a good meal. The blue man gives her the rundown on a different Jerry's. Mostly a nostalgia trip. But maybe it was more once she would dig into a good sandwich.
She'd start with a cursory bite, judging the foot before committing to stuffing her face. It was... just how she liked it. A bit too much cause, but she was here for that. Jackie's eyeslit up then and there as she took a few more bites. Eventually setting it down and cleaning the cornr of her mouth with a separate napkin.
"It REALLY depends on the mood. I prefer a lot of the local noodle stalls they have in downtown Central, the place is served old-fashioned. There are a few names I could rattle off to you that you need to try next time you're down there. Trust me." They had some really generic names, but the food was always super, even if the place was less than perfectly immaculate to stand around in. You don't need fancy for a good eat.
"If we're talking about any other place though, I like Burger Town. They have some pretty good smash burgers you could give a whirl. Only really see them here in Central, too."
Russ took a sip of his drink and formed a tiny grin watching his friend devour her food in a few bites. "You're going to town on that sandwich, you must be REALLY hungry." He chuckled. Like Russ has room to talk with his ginormous Saiyan appetite. Jackie's food preference is a bowl of ramen, a tasty soup-like dish with vegetables, meat, and pasta soaked in rich warm broth. There are a bunch of noodle shops in downtown Central which of course he will love to try one day in his occasional stroll of the town.
"A ramen kind of gal huh? Wise choice. Sometimes I hook up with instant noodles in a cup when I'm working at home. Yeah, it's the fake stuff but it's convenient and easy to cook. I'm dying to try the noodle shops here in Central, I miss the real thing." any food he can cook in less than three minutes satisfies his needs.
She likes burgers that's great, who doesn't like burgers? This Saiyan certainly does. Russ took another bite from his sandwich and held his drink to pour another small ounce of soda down his gullet. "Never been to a Burger Town before, we got a Seven Girls in the East. Their patties are pretty big, too greasy for my liking, I give their burgers a solid eight-point five. Their seasoned fries...oh man...they are the bomb." After this sandwich friend date with Jackie is over, Seven Girls fries are next on the menu...
He thought of discussing his love for inventions could be an interesting conversation, Red is a tech wiz herself. The last thing he wants to bring up is Kami business stuff and Jackie needs a break from it all. "So you're mechanic genius right? What was the last thing you built or tweaked? I made a talking basketball months ago and tried to submit it to the capsule corp sports committee, it...uhhh... didn't pan out well." he shaked his head and smiled. Of course, having a ball with an annoying voice is too distracting for the game.
Jackie could appreciate someone going out of their way to make her time just a little easier on Earth. Between all the training, charity, and scouting, there's been little room to really chillax and just hang out for too long. Heck, she hadn't planned to spend that much time out in Central today. She just happened to stumble across Russ in a time of need. The kami will shrug past her half-eaten sandwich and eye the bit of food he had gorged on himself. She knew better than to take talk like that from a Saiyan.
"Pfft, I barely am scratching my meal. Don't think I've never seen what a Saiyan could do to a simple lunch. Buy out the entire shop if they aren't careful!" She lifts her drink up and gives herself a good squeeze of water, thinking just about Russ's question to her. In all honestly, she didn't remember all too well her last build. She worked on a few things before she went on her path. But there was one thing she'd clear up quickly.
"First off, Genius is stretchin' it. Secondly, I don't really remember my last build. I remember my last contract job being for a weapon back over in East. Dunno how that panned out. Probably better than your sports ball. For myself? Well, the last, biggest thing I still use that I'd consider a tweak of mine is this-" Her other hand fishes for a cellular phone in her pocket, flashing it for him to see before palming it.
"- thing. Cellphone I messed with for personal use. Even put a scouter on it, something I don't really use nowadays. But it's there."
Russ chewed off a sizable chunk of his sandwich, grinding the bread and meat in his teeth, and swallowed down his throat. "Guilty as charged, being a Saiyan is a blessing and a curse when it comes to calorie intake. Every month I have to buy twice the amount of groceries from the food market. A week's worth of food is gone in three days if I don't slow down." Heck, Russ stopped himself from consuming the poor sandwich in one sitting just to prolong his meal.
Jackie is modest about her intelligence and says she built a weapon in East City for a contract job. Russ hasn't been keen on weapons built for other people, it's a recipe for disaster. The Guardian likely accepted the deal because she knew her client didn't pose a threat with or without their weapon. Russ didn't open his maw to criticize her decision, trusting her judge of character. Jackie showed the hybrid her cellphone she tinkered with to suit her needs. She also installed a scouter function which tells Russ she doesn't own a scouter in her pocket. Or she merged that device and her phone together at home.
Russ quickly examined the phone before it was palmed, it may resemble a typical cellphone but if she tweaked it, then the inside of her handiwork matters more than the outside. "That's cool, did you install a scouter's microchip ki convertor to read power level numbers and insert a thermal cooler to keep your phone from exploding?" naturally he wanted to know how she did it.
"I was working on a custom scouter project for myself a long time ago, I didn't bother finishing it after learning ki sensing and telepathy." not only that, he had other world problems to deal with. Like criminals who ruin the daily lives of others.
As much as she'd like to have some of the absolute shred some saiyans have, she did NOT pity getting to save on food. Jackie didn't have to sate any sort of alien appetite as he did. Besides, she made up plenty strength-wise to take on any exceptional saiyan. She was the black sheep of human though. As for who or what to trust with contracts, that wasn't too much on her mind when she took jobs like that. At the moment, that was for money and survival. Living the monotony of normal city life before she stumbled back into her past and kickstarted this whole thing.
"Oh! Yeah, you wouldn't believe the steps I had to go through. It's not foolproof though. Think if I scanned someone like Azoth in his prime I'd have to draw heat out of the phone myself using my powers. It shouldn't break on me, in any case. Accidental or not. I also kind of gave it a bit of protective energy so as to not so easily break from drops or directed attacks." She didn't have any real reason to demonstrate it to him, so the saiyan would just have to trust her on that one. She would at least show him the detachable lens, putting up what appeared to be a monocle near her eye to hold close. Smirking at the clever design before letting it go back in her palm.
"If you ever needed the actual HUD details without the phone out, there you go. Again, really don't need this nowadays but it was fun to make." Speaking of, she'd pause look back up at him as she put the phone back together and away in a pocket. Aiming to finish off her sandwich after she got her own curiosity sated.
"Custom Scouter, huh. What sorta innovation were you aiming for with it? Or just somethin' comfy. I didn't take you as a tinkerer like that, honestly."
Jackie is aware of the safety precautions concerning exploding Scouters, she did everything Russ recommended but there isn't a feasible solution to fix the overheating problem for good. If her phone scanned a very powerful individual, Jackie must extract the heat from the CPU and absorb it to keep her cell phone from breaking apart. She also gave it protection from accidental drops and unruly attacks against her phone using her energy.
Russ' pupils registered her detachable lens and assumed its a scouter piece that can be inserted inside a socket. The little doodad is a component for her HUD and she stored her phone away. "It served you well didn't it? Telepathy ruined all phones for me, you and I can communicate with others without signal interference and disclose information without anyone eavesdropping. Sometimes it's nice to look at our phones for nostalgia's sake." Russ smiled and ate a part of his sandwich again, it was halfway finished at this point.
"Nothing too innovative, I was gonna establish a broadband connection to Wifi towers and install internet with a low latency setting, and an app to check my bank account balance. I would've turned the scouter into a visor instead of an earpiece." He drank some of his soda to wash down the food.
"I don't remember if I told you before. My late father Doriyoki is an inventor, he designs stuff for science and video games sometimes. He's the reason I tinker with equipment." he could've sworn he told her during his tower climbing training but it's been so long.
Jackie got her to wish to finish the sandwich in a few more slowed bites as Russ went on about his own scouter. A sort of inverse from what she did, it would have adopted a scouter more into the multimedia personal device a phone could offer. The suggestion the phone entirely was obsolete for her kinda made her laugh thought. She'd politely clean herself off before sitting up properly in her seat.
"Mhm. Mhm. You know, not everyone can or likes responding to intrusive brain thoughts, right? Besides, easier for people to get in touch with me through their phones if they themselves don't have telepathy. See? That still has use for me. Not everyone can just think at us." She'd only lecture so much about how Russ wanted to use that knowledge before he brought up his dad. Doriyoki, don't think it rings a bell for the kami but she gives an understanding nod regardless. She can't really say her pursuit was in the same vein; Her parents were monks such as she was now. If anything, her current path was more the reason she bothered. As part of a way to carry on their legacy.
"Mm, don't think you mentioned him before. He sounded like a nice, lovely man. Shame I couldn't meet a real innovator like that. May he be resting right." After a moment of silence, she'd close her eyes and hum to herself. Eventually leaning forth to slowly crumple the wrapper of her sandwich and blink her eyes back open at the Saiyan.
"Again, thanks for the meal Russ. Don't get too much time where I'm not training, training someone, doing charity, or something else around those. I can see your growth has really kicked off since our last real spar."
Like everything else, Telepathy has pros and cons. Russ is overjoyed by the many advantages it provides and blatantly dismisses the usefulness of cell phones. Jackie reminds him not everyone can or is willing to participate in telepathy conversations. A voice in one's head is often a sign of madness and hearing a voice that isn't thier own is considered invasive. Russ eyeballed his sandwiched and placed it in his mouth for another bite. He would chew much slower to saver it, not because the food was good, he knew his meal is one bite away from being gone, and his bonding time with Jackie will come to an end.
"I know..I know. I haven't forgotten that one time some guy was uncomfortable with Telepathy, I had to be your translator. Wasn't a fun time." it was an awkward experience for all of them, back when Jackie couldn't talk anymore. Wait a minute...since when did Jackie got her voice back!? Why didn't he notice it until now? Russ refrained from asking questions as he is happy she can speak normal again.
Thinking about his father, Russ looked at the final piece of his sandwich with a sad smile, he tossed it in his mouth to finish it for good. "You and Pops would get along well, he would've liked you." imagining Jackie and Dad rambling on about a discovery in a collaborative invention they cooked up together.
She thanked Russ for his hospitality, the kami worked herself to the bone to the point of not having time to hang out or do anything fun nowadays. "No problem Red, I get you have a lot of responsibilities now but you're still human, don't forget to take breaks if you need to." giving her some advice. He drank up his soda and crumbled the wrapper, it was time to go and induge in his own affairs.
Russ snirked "I am pretty strong these days, but I got a long way to go before I can catch up to you." He grinned as he stood up from the chair, threw his wrapper in the trash and kept the bottle to take home for recycling. "The next time we spar, we'll be equal...count on it." he held the door for Jackie and followed her on the way out.
Jackie stands there for Russ to finish his own sandwich. Wondering just how things could be different if either of their old men were still around to meet like that. Neither of them really had the best in terms of childhood. It was no wonder they reminisced about them even on days of rest like this one. The saiyan would eventually take his last bite and stand with a drink in hand. Offering up some of his own advice to rest from time to time. If she weren't such a worrywart about everything nowadays she might confide in such words. But Russ pointed out to her what she already knew.
"You're still human." An invasive thought that would cause her to twitch a bit in the eye, never unwavering in her smile but it was a little tick that Russ could pick up on if he was trying to look for anything wrong with her. She'd nod and start over to the door with Russ in tow.
"I'll keep that in mind, Blue. Don't worry, It's not like I work out every waking hour like some saiyan. I pace myself." She wasn't exactly lying, it was just maybe a bit much for an earthling. Offering to fistbump with the saiyan before they decided to split ways for the day.
"I'm gonna hold ya to that, Russ. Better not disappoint the old teach'. Got it? I'll stay in touch." She had her own ways to vacate the premises. Maybe just a casual walk with Russ for a while would ease her mind better than darting off immediately though.
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
Lottus: Friendly reminder for new folks to check the rules regarding art claims - AI Art is not accepted on Sparking for character sheets.
Apr 17, 2024 14:43:28 GMT -5
Lottus: Hey folks, got a new phone, but verification is preventing me from downloading Discord for now
Apr 17, 2024 14:43:57 GMT -5
Lottus: I won't be available until I get home from work!
Apr 17, 2024 14:44:58 GMT -5
Lottus: Feel free to dm me if needed!
Apr 17, 2024 21:13:47 GMT -5
Dingo: I'll post what you've said here up in the discord so it doesn't get missed!
Apr 18, 2024 19:19:20 GMT -5
Yakito: I am the #1 Tenrec hater (Striker will be struck)