Chapter 11
We carried on back in the house after the encounter with the bible thumper. Cell was slightly miffed that these visits existed, but even more so when I told him that this was not a one-time offense.
"Most of my in-laws are very religious and think they have the best of intentions when they offer 'help'," I started. We were facing each other on the couch again, enjoying the open atmosphere it provided for our conversations. "Some of the aunts and uncles used to stop by at first, just to talk and see how things were going, but then they'd offer counseling from their pastors or support groups. And I always turned it down, gently at first…" I grimaced.
"Do you not partake in cultural affairs with other humans? I thought that was an important factor of human civilization?" I shook my head.
"I hate organized religion. I don't consider myself atheist only because ghosts and paranormal stuff still gets to me. But to believe everything is caused by a sentient being because it is too improbable to have been by accident is so ignorant… it just underestimates the power nature has." I lowered my chin into my hands and sighed. "Since the family credits their faith for their success and lives I tolerate their rambling, but I made it clear it was my choice whether to partake or not. Some were fine and left it at that…but others, not so much."
"What did you use to cope during your grieving then? If not finding solace with other humans, surely you found another method of your own?" I looked back up to him.
"Some friends suggested yoga. When I quit my job I realized sitting alone with my own dark thoughts was dangerous, so I found some motivation and signed up. We met twice a week but it was enough to break out of those thoughts. I found my own practices in between and used that to keep my mind from wandering..."
He kept probing, "What other thoughts kept intruding?"
"There were days all I could think about was how I wanted the police force to die in horrible accidents, that karma would make its way back around. It got worse when journalists kept referring to the incident as 'the drug deal that got busted at the government building'. The case got so much local media coverage that I woke up to it nearly every day; the internet, Facebook, and don't even get me started on customers at work..."
"I thought you said the case was resolved as an accident? Was that overlooked?" I grimaced at the reminder.
"No one cared months later. All they cared about was the first few weeks and forgot about it when the news stopped covering it. I would see people blog about it and out of stupid curiosity I would read it…" I laughed, but not out of humor. "I was so fucking stupid to think that people would actually discuss facts and not just buy what the media had written…" Another snort, "But then the articles were titled 'Widowed woman wins court case in wrongful death settlement', and I thought everyone would know what really happened and I wouldn't get judged anymore. I couldn't have been more wrong." He read the situation clearly.
"They only believed the misinformation." A sad smile was all I could offer him. "How frequently did you deal with this?"
"At first it was just random strangers on the computer, so I swore off of the internet for a bit. But the first few visits with relatives were hard. They kept offering help and even after saying no several times they were still very persistent. I skipped out on a few family events and that's when I had my first real conflict. One of the cousins showed up; one I hadn't seen for a few years at that point. She insisted that I needed to be with family and started to mention calling the authorities about my mental state, so that's when I backed her into a corner, threatened her for trespassing and attempted kidnapping. I told her if she came back she was going to be hauled out by the police. I haven't heard from that particular part of the family since."
"That sounds like ridiculous drama to me." I laughed aloud this time.
"It was. I told the rest of the family what happened and it's pretty much over. I've been to a couple of small gatherings since then and we still crack stupid jokes about it. I'm over it now but that's why I didn't know what to do with this woman. I couldn't threaten her with the police and I didn't know if she was sent by family or if she came out on her own…"
He chuckled again, "And here I thought you had the nerve to call her out. Are you afraid of offending people?" I shrugged.
"Kinda. It depends on how much I respect them. I have my opinions, I defend them, and if they're offended by what I have to say then I drop it. But something about this woman just struck a nerve. I couldn't tell if she was being ignorantly inconsiderate or just trying to do what she thought was in society's best interest…or her church's…" I suddenly felt a need to lighten the mood, "Just ignore it next time and I'll totally have them gone by sunset!"
It didn't work. He just raised one brow and the air was suddenly very awkward. I sighed in defeat once again.
"Or just come out again and make sure to throw the car this time, that's fine with me too." He gave me the grin I was hoping for.
"The act was reckless and probably foolish for me to do, but it definitely improved your day." The reminder had me laughing again.
"Oh man, it was priceless! I really wish I had my phone with me to film it! I don't care if it was risky, I think it was totally worth it…"
"So, do you think that episode will keep her kind away for a few weeks?"
I giggled through my response, "Well if it means you showing off more maybe I'll look forward to them!"
He flashed a big grin and his eyes were bright with mischief. I didn't want to read too much into what kind.
The next morning officially started the second week of practice. I was out of bed, dressed and searching for a tie to pull my hair up. The slam of each drawer echoed in the bathroom as I searched desperately, trying to find one before the sun rose. Finding no such luck I dove into pockets of jackets, hoodies and jeans until I found a stray one. I looked out back and realized I was out of time and took off down the hall.
My hands furiously combed back my dark auburn hair, trying to get the occasional snags out and pull the loose ends out of my face. The humidity was always low at this hour so it wasn't frizzy, but the shorter curls did tend to find their way into my eyes and mouth even when it was pulled back.
"Not prepared this morning, I see…" That was definitely a teasing tone so I didn't panic as I pulled my hair through the tie a few times.
"I'm ready…see!" I pulled my hands away and the ponytail sat high on my head, ready to start the day. "I got stuck looking for a tie, I've managed to lose an entire pack of them again…" He gave me an odd look.
"Why don't you cut it? There would be no need for such unnecessary items if it was short enough." I shook my head furiously.
"Eww, no. I won't cut it shorter than my shoulders… I don't even want to know what short hair would look like on me." After thinking another moment I shuddered, "And it would have to be really short to keep it out of my face," I stuck my tongue out in disgust. He shrugged.
"Just suggesting a solution to your issue." I grimaced back.
"It's not an issue."
"It is both a distraction and a weak point for an opponent to take advantage of." There was a sudden tone shift; he was being surprisingly adamant over it. But there was no way I was going to let him convince me no matter how solid his point was going to be. Short hair on me was ugly, plain and simple.
"And anyone who does use it is a little bitch."
Oh, that wide-eyed expression on his face was totally worth it!
"I…beg your pardon!?" I kept my straight face and crossed my arms with a nod.
"That's right. A little bitch. Pulling hair is a cat fight between girls… no honorable man would pull a girl's hair to win a match. Ever." Actually I knew deep-down any fight I would probably be in would be with a dirty loser that would use any tactic possible if it meant winning, and certainly not just limited to hair-pulling. But if Cell had planned on making an example of it at any point in today's lesson he knew what would be coming after.
But, really, being able to call him a little bitch for that bit of discomfort almost sounded worth it.
His stunned reaction faded away as his arms crossed over his chest and he moved from the bit of sunlight that was creeping through the overcast morning. It was chilly and still fairly dark because of it, but I had gotten used to the dark mornings a few times already.
"What do you hope to accomplish with this? Each morning you stand here, what do you think it will amount to in the end?"
I chewed on that for a moment. What was I hoping to accomplish? Other than the fact that just being around him has been a treat in itself…
"Well, I'd like to know I can handle myself if something comes up. If some punk knocks me down and steals my purse I want to know I can chase him down and whoop his ass," I grinned. That was just one of several things I wanted but that was the most obvious choice.
"Simple enough. But that is a rare situation you will find yourself in. What if you were up against two opponents?" I hesitated for a moment. What kind of trouble would I get into to have two people mad at me?
"I guess if it's two people I hope I'm with a group too and wouldn't be on my own…" He shook his head quickly.
"I am simply trying to decipher which situations I should be preparing you for. While learning to block and counter accordingly are excellent skills to have you should be prepared for more common dangers. Humans are ambush creatures; any frontal attacks are displays of power and do not typically have lethal intentions."
That line sparked a concern, "Actually that's more of my goal…how to prevent getting jumped in the first place. The fighting is only if it gets to the point where I have to fight for my life."
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Let us suppose you're past the point where you can prevent or run from the situation. Now what? How far are you willing to go to defend yourself?"
"I really don't want to kill anyone…just keep myself from being killed. The only situation I really fear is a weapon being pulled on me, mainly a gun."
"That should be the situation to fear the least. Too many people count on their weapons and have no natural fighting instincts. A gun is the easiest; keep moving and stay unpredictable. A moving target is a difficult target to hit. The next step would be disarming your opponent, which could be our next direction in your lessons." I threw my arms up in front of me, feeling terribly overwhelmed.
"Whoa, hold on. Isn't it just safer to comply and play along? Majority of the time they just want to steal something, not kill. You get serious jail time for killing; not so much for petty theft," I laughed. I did realize he was showing me a worst-case scenario, but this felt like the last thing I should be learning. He huffed just loud enough for me to hear.
"And what do the statistics show? How often do people survive these encounters?" I was not prepared for a random fact quiz, but I wasn't completely clueless.
"It's well over 50/50. It's usually safer to not challenge someone."
"So you're content with not being killed half of the time? That is quite the gamble with something as irreplaceable as your life."
True.
"But fighting back can take a situation that wasn't going to escalate and turn it into a homicide real quick. People committing crimes don't exactly think rationally. If they think they're in control it is better to leave it that way, unless it is a very different situation…one I hope I don't find myself in." It was clear he did not like how much I was challenging this. His stance was stiff, his face completely stoic, even slightly twitching out of some sort of pent-up stress. I swallowed hard, suddenly fearing he was going to lose his temper all at once on me.
"I will say this once." He didn't yell, but it sure did boom across the yard. "You will fight every single time your life is threatened. I don't care if you're odds are 50/50 or one in a million. I will not have any student of mine killed on the off-chance that the situation was not in their favor and they did nothing to sway it. You will fight. Are we clear?"
Eyes wide I stuttered back, "Y…yes sir!" That was different. He was so heated up over something so unlikely…
But I could see it from his angle too. Why risk dying in a situation he could prepare me for? Especially if I could learn everything he could offer since I was never going to have a better instructor for the rest of my life.
"Okay, okay. I will fight. But if I ever get in over my head you better be there to save me," I grinned, hands on my hips, desperately hoping he would lighten up.
Ever so slightly his expression changed, "You don't mind the damsel-in-distress cliché?"
"Well you obviously don't mind the chivalry role," I winked, really hoping that the recent mood was finally dissipating.
There it was. One corner of his lip turned up in a cocky smirk. "Fine, since we have the boundaries set, shall we begin?"
That week was exhausting but fun. The only weapon that was pulled out was just a big stick from the woods and I got to wield it. Even after all of the different things I tried he made it clear he only needed a human-level effort to counter and disarm me every single time. As the days passed I felt my own confidence building but he held off letting me take a turn until my combat skills improved.
Week three rolled around and I had already been promised that he was taking my combat skills to a higher level. We stood out in the yard again, ready in opposing stances. He was completely defensive and I was prepared to be full-out offensive. The goal was simple: make physical contact just once.
Or at least I thought it would be simple. He was fast, unpredictable and had way more stamina than I could ever ask for. I was slick with sweat and gasping for breath as I nearly had to sprint in between my attacks just to catch back up with him. I could feel my own stamina starting to improve and I could nearly go an entire hour before he called for a break.
I spent the time stretching before jumping into the second half. Just as he set up to start again I reached up to pull out my ponytail and reset it. All of the bouncing around had loosened it and I didn't need that discomfort slowing me down. He quirked his brow.
"Distracted?" I thought nothing of it and quickly apologized for the holdup.
"Yeah, sorry, it was just a bit loose." I didn't wait another moment as I picked up where we left off and lunged at him with my fists ready. After seeing his movements for the past hour already it wasn't a shock when he easily stepped out of range but then he darted around me. I already had my weight shifted back to turn around until my head was violently yanked back by my ponytail.
It caught me so off-guard that I needed a few moments to get my balance back, but the gaping and accusing look I threw back at him were all I could do at the moment. He stepped back a few feet, palms turned up to the air with a mocking grin.
"What? You said it wasn't a distraction or a weak point." I snarled and narrowed my eyes threateningly.
"Oh no, that's not gonna fly with me." His eyes lit up, completely the opposite of how my eyes probably looked. Pissed was definitely not a strong enough word for the moment. He darted forward, shuffling his feet as I completely went defensive to keep him in front of me but it didn't matter. I was faked out quickly and I felt another hard tug on my ponytail.
"You mother…!" I tried to swipe behind me but as I tried he took my arm, flipped me around and next I knew I was sprawled to the ground. I coughed for my breath and opened my eyes to see him looming over me.
"Ah ah ah, watch that tongue." I moved my legs as fast as I could, hoping to strike his, but he leaped over them with such little effort it almost seemed like he had his power back. Growling and throwing my arms in front of me I got back to my feet quickly and lunged again, flailing for any decent contact with nothing but burning anger fueling me. Not even a second later he was around me again and tugged hard enough this time that the tie all but fell out so I reached up, yanked it out, and let my hair down.
"God damn it…!" I screamed in my charge, ducking low and trying to use my shoulder to knock him down but he spun me around again and I hit the ground. This was pretty much pointless now. I was too angry. I got up again but with no enthusiasm. My hands wrapped around my elbows as I quietly fumed and shook. He was grinning, certain that his little 'lesson' had gotten his point across.
But all he did was piss me off.
"Are you happy asshole!? Was this your whole fucking goal? Cuz now I'm pissed!" I spat at him, glaring. He stood his full height, not displaying any aggression, and sighed.
"You said it wasn't a distraction." I snorted and looked away. "You said it wasn't a weakness. And yet here you are, unable to fight back."
"Yeah well you have a glaring weakness too, remember? And I said I wouldn't use it because it's cheap! Just like what you're doing now! It's cheap and a bitch move!" There was that wide-eyed expression as I used that phrase. "I told you that was what it was and you did it anyway! You deserve everything you get now!" This wasn't how I pictured this happening at all last week. It seemed so much funnier at the time, but now I was just too angry to care. He stood there, letting me lash out.
"Are you done yet?" I knew he was referring to my outburst, but I didn't care and walked towards the house.
"Yeah, I'm fucking done," I snarled as I made my way to the door. He didn't respond or try to stop me, which only slightly surprised me, but as I made my way to the bedroom to shower and change a huge wave of guilty anger crashed on me and I felt hot tears start trailing down. "Fucking asshole. I hope the first fight he gets into puts him in the hospital when they smash his dick in," I vented. The shower didn't ease my anger either. I dressed in the coziest set of lounge clothes I owned, desperately fighting off the mix of emotions bubbling in me.
I took my time feeding the dogs and watching out the back windows. He was still in the backyard and looked like he resorted to meditating for the rest of the time. Half of me felt guilty for walking out in the middle of the lesson but the other half was screaming that he deserved it.
'But he was trying to prove a point…' I nearly slapped myself for even thinking it, but as I dwelled longer and stared at my cup brewing my drink the more I realized just how disrespectful my response had been. The things I screamed at him were replaying in my head too; even after he made it clear he did not tolerate that kind of language I flung it at him anyway.
There were the tears again.
"Damn it, I am such a bitch," I wiped them off quickly, refusing to let them stay long enough to leave behind any evidence. I grit my teeth, trying to keep them from forming again. "I didn't need to go off on him like that..."
I didn't want to risk going to the back door so I let the dogs out the front instead and grabbed my drink.
An hour passed. Both dogs were inside happily bouncing and playing with their toys and I had my laptop pulled up in front of me. But I dreaded what I had pulled up on several tabs.
Short haircuts. And not just chin-length bob-cuts, I meant the short, spiky-haired styles that only looked good on celebrities. The thought kept crossing my mind that if he was going to make that an issue then I would have to compromise. I hated short hair but if it risked any of what we had going then I would have to give in. No matter how much I loathed the idea, I feared the idea of losing his company more. The lessons were great and he was a very enjoyable teacher, but he had become good company in between too. The conversations were entertaining, his calm demeanor was sticking around more and I didn't want to lose any of that over something so petty. Hair grows back eventually.
So I continued on, scrolling through pages and pages of different cuts and styles, trying to favorite anything tolerable to show my hair dresser next time I scheduled with her.
The laptop suddenly closing shut scared me enough to shriek and nearly drop the thing but his pale hand kept it steady enough for me to recover. I pulled it up in my arms and looked up to see not an angry android but an unhappy one for sure. He shared the couch with me, gesturing me away from the laptop. I'd gotten used to his silent cues and set it on the floor and turned toward him, nearly shaking over whatever was about to be thrown at me. His eyes were hard, almost impossible to make contact with, but I tried anyway.
"Let's get a few things straightened out before tomorrow." I winced slightly but nodded. "If you ever use that kind of language with me again I will halt this entire thing. You won't learn another thing from me until you can prove you have more discipline than that. If you feel the need to vent then put it behind your fists, not your tongue. Never again, understood?"
"Yeah. Never again." It was all I could do to form those three words. My throat was tightening up and heat was building in my chest.
"Now, as for weaknesses…" he started. I didn't know what to expect here so I just listened. "I understand that I have an obvious one, but know that if you ever use it I will never hold it against you. If I don't guard against it and you are successful then that is my fault, not yours." I didn't want to agree to this one since I was so adamant about not ever hitting him, but I nodded anyway.
"K."
"And, lastly, disregard those pictures you pulled up. I will never coerce you into anything. A female's hair tends to be tied to their pride, and I can tell you've put plenty of effort into keeping it long and healthy. I was only demonstrating the risk it does carry; I have no intentions of making it into a permanent obstacle." That did it; my throat was so tight I almost couldn't breathe but I was so relieved to hear it I nearly teared up. Even though it proved I overreacted, it also made it clear that he was more reasonable than I had given him credit for. He was so willing to compromise that it didn't feel like he was the same character I grew up watching on TV.
I could only offer a hushed whisper, "Thanks."
The rumbling chuckle I got back was surprisingly reassuring. "Was this a genuine concern for you?" I cleared my throat as well as I could before trying to respond.
"I gave in. I was being so petty…I pushed my own pride aside. It would wait one more day but then it would have been cut. You made it clear it was an issue, and getting rid of it would have been the only responsible thing to do." He quickly cut me off.
"No, there is nothing I am not willing to come to terms with. You don't need to conform for me, there is always another solution. For this, I can merely refrain from using it, but it is imperative that you know what that kind of weakness feels like."
I couldn't help myself, "Oh no, this," I grabbed and yanked a portion of my hair to prove my point, "really doesn't compare to what you have. I might get angry and grumble but a direct hit on you could put you out cold…"
"Or, as you colorfully phrased it, 'in the hospital'." I stopped breathing for a second there. There was no way he heard that.
"…I was in the house when I said that..."
"Yes, in fact you were in your bedroom. That should put in perspective just how careful you should be when making snide comments you might regret later."
"Oh wow…" I nearly had a panic attack thinking about it, 'What all has he heard?!'
"Disregard that for now. What do you mean it doesn't hurt? That was a violent reaction for it not being a painful experience." How could I even begin to explain this one? I mean, yes, getting your hair yanked on is definitely not a fun experience by any means, but hardly anything to get that angry over.
"Well as a kid with younger siblings that was a normal 'fight' since we weren't allowed to punch each other…" I shrugged, "…so you build a tolerance early. But when you're older…you just don't use it to fight. It's more symbolic." Now the heat was really building up in my chest. If he kept asking questions I might just hand him the laptop and tell him to look it up on his own.
"Symbolism of what? Did I send an unintended message?" How could I word this? I could give broad answers without much detail, but if he kept digging then I might have to call it quits before I got too flustered!
"Well the biggest reason is not to hurt… it's to declare dominance, assert control…y'know, along those lines. It's more of a display, not an actual means of hurting someone." His eyes narrowed.
"That is NOT what I intended." I finally cracked up.
"Oh, I know! I'm pretty sure I overreacted… If it were any normal guy then I would lay into them pretty quick, but you don't know all of the social cues…" He went quiet and set his gaze away from me. I couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or just unsure of an appropriate response, but either way I was content with that much information. If I wanted to kick it up another notch I could clue him in on the sexual messages it could send too, but that was treading the flirting line a bit too much.
But if it meant getting him flustered…
So much for keeping it under control; just the thought of him having awkward looks on his face had me snickering and, naturally, he had to point it out.
"What is so funny? Not long ago you were furious with the idea and now you're laughing!?"
"Nope, just laughing at how clueless you are," I laughed. "But if you do it again I'll make sure it's the last time you do."
"Is that a threat?" That serious tone he used almost worried me. I shook my head and kept the light airy tone I was using.
"Nope, that's a promise."
"You are very confusing." If I had any doubts about Goku's cells being a part of him they were gone now. That blank awkward stare was priceless. I grit my teeth as the chuckles started to slip through. He grimaced, "Now what?"
"Don't worry about it."
That time of the month made itself known that night when I went to bed. The only silver lining was at least my emotional meltdown was explained.
Tomorrow came and the session seemed to be over quicker than normal. It was the same plan as yesterday but, unfortunately, my stamina just wasn't up for the challenge. A new plan was already forming for the last two days: memorize his movements just enough to predict where he was going to be rather than trying to keep up with him. I doubted it would work so I already planned on next week being the same thing until he either got bored of me or an accident happened again.
When afternoon came around I was hungry enough for a lunch so I headed for the kitchen and started to dig out pots and pans. As soon as I turned around to start grabbing utensils I halted in my efforts.
Cell was standing in the entryway to the kitchen with a slightly shamed look. I didn't even have to ask this time.
"Chicken stir-fry. Sound good?" A light nod was my only response.
I was always nervous whenever I handed him a new meal to try, but not once has he been upset with the flavor or disappointed with a portion size. I always had a smaller portion for myself and let him have the bigger option, just in case. I assured him too much was always better than too little, but he never asked for more. It left me wondering if he practically starved himself until he finally caved and asked for a meal, but I never bothered him about it.
Maybe it was just a comfort-zone thing. Perhaps as time passed and he realized he wasn't imposing as much as he thought he was then maybe meals would happen more than once a week. But I wasn't going to worry. He never collapsed again and the shaking only came up a few more times.
Evening came and the 'goodnight' and 'c ya in the mornin' exchange was now habit. I pulled out my contacts, set my alarm for the days after tomorrow, and crawled under the covers with the pups snuggled on top.
My day off went by so fast it was like it never existed. I was up early thanks to the routine my body was finally adjusting to, went to town for groceries now that more food was going to be necessary, took care of some things at the bank, came home and finished with preparing for future meals.
I flopped down on the couch with my meal in hand halfway through the day with Cell comfortably settled in on his corner of the couch. It only took a few bites before I realized I was much hungrier than I thought I was. I made it halfway through and I was already thinking about some sort of dessert.
"Have you formed a plan for tomorrow?"
I stopped chewing for just a moment, "Hm?"
"It is clear you have struggled with the past two days so you must have some sort of plan for tomorrow?"
I swallowed and cleared my teeth, "Well, unless I have some sort of super speed that I suddenly discover tomorrow, no, I don't have any real plans." Technically that was a lie, but I certainly wasn't going to give away any ideas I might be forming in case he planned to take that one little edge away from me. It would be safe to assume that he'd enjoy toying with me like that.
"Hmph, well then I may have to change things up a bit. You're not improving at the rate I had hoped you would…" he looked away.
My heart sank at those words.
"What do you mean by that?" I set my bowl aside and held my breath. What was I missing? Should I tell him I had a plan? Would he be offended if I admitted lying to him?
His gaze focused on me once more.
"I'll ask one last time; do you have a plan for tomorrow?" I swallowed hard. 'Time to fess up.'
"Kinda, but I didn't want to say what! I didn't want you to know, since, you might not let it happen…"
"And what would I gain from that? The point of teaching you is to help you develop ideas and bring out your strengths, not prevent you from advancing. You need to trust me when I ask what you are planning so I can help you obtain it, not defeat you and prevent progress." I grimaced and pouted a bit.
"I was hoping to do this on my own…" He scoffed at my response.
"Push that pride aside. You're not a trained fighter and we've barely been doing this for a few weeks. If there was anyone to blame for your lack of progress it is me, not you. Now, what are you planning for tomorrow?" I fidgeted a bit, but at least he made his goals clear so the least I could do was admit to mine.
"I don't think I can get any faster, so I was going to try to start predicting where you would be and plan a few steps ahead of you. At some point I'd have to surprise you and then I'd get a hit in." Now that I said it aloud it didn't sound very realistic at all. In fact it actually sounded pretty dumb.
"Let me take that concept and refine it into a fighter's perspective: you are going to start acting instead of reacting."
"Oh?" Lecture mode again?
"Why is it that chess is a difficult game? Is the concept difficult? Is one piece stronger than the other? It's all about strategy and having your moves planned out before you even start the game. Fighting has similar concepts. If you fall for every trap your opponent leads you into it doesn't matter how fast or strong you are. The fighter that can plan out the furthest successfully typically has the advantage on the battlefield."
"But that's tough, because predicting exactly what strategy your opponent will fall for is hard to do…"
He grinned, "Hence the emphasis on 'successfully'."
I went to bed with a clear head and a boost to my confidence. But sleep ended up being tough. Cramps always kicked in this time of the month too, only for a couple of days, but it was still enough to make me struggle to sleep. I was awake before my alarm again and tried stretching to soothe some of the pain.
Those two days sucked. I ended up apologizing for my lackluster performance and when he prodded for information I just told him that it was a girl issue and I wasn't going to be at 100% for a couple of days. He dropped the subject right away and cut the days shorter.
I made up for it the following week.
"Excellent, keep up this pace!" I couldn't believe how much more I improved from the suggestions he made. Even though he planned out how the lessons went he never told me what I was 'supposed' to do. It was as if he predicted my own movements and set himself up so that I could predict his. If that was the case then he much smarter than I could ever give him credit for.
My feet practically moved of their own accord; he tracked left and I matched him step for step, eliminating majority of the running I normally did. I went for a quick, short jab in an attempt to make contact, but once again he made sure I narrowly missed.
That was how the entire session ended up going. But I couldn't be upset; this was by far the most improvement since we made this arrangement.
Later that afternoon I cooked a particular dish I wanted Cell to try. I sat down on the couch with two plates and offered one up to him. He frowned at the offer.
"I did not ask for anything."
"That's okay, I just want you to try it. It's a recipe I'm pretty happy with." He looked at me, then back down to the plate.
"Something you're 'happy with'?" I nodded.
"Yeah, this recipe is one from the friends I've mentioned, Karen. She's a fantastic cook and showed me tons of shortcuts in the kitchen. This recipe is one of my favorites. Just try it." I motioned the plate towards him one more time and, with slight reluctance, he took it from me. I felt my heart race for a moment; letting him approach me when he needed anything was fine and let him have his space, but I wanted to play the host role a bit more. Hoping I wasn't being too pushy I started to dig into my plate and quietly listened.
Tense seconds ticked by in my head. I tried to focus on my dinner but the anticipation was killing me. Gathering up all of my courage, I managed to squeeze out one word.
"So?" My heart was pounding in my ears. Pressuring him for anything was mentally exhausting for me even after having him around for a solid month. And, sadly, it has been getting easier. He looked up from the plate.
"As I have told you with every meal, very flavorful. This is much appreciated." I smiled back, glad that he didn't scold me for offering him food on an off-day. Taking another bite I started to gather my wits for the next gamble I was about to take. I had been trying to do this for about a week now, but he so rarely asked for meals I wasn't able to make any attempts. But now was my chance.
"Can I offer a drink to accompany it?" My pulse was flying. I was terrified, but not because of the answer I might get, but for the explanation he would most certainly want after.
"I have no need for water."
Here we go. "Not water. Wine."
His brows rose quickly. "Wine?" His voice nearly cracked and I had to hold back my giggle; I didn't think his voice could get any higher than that low, sultry tone he normally used.
"Yeah, it's a good red, but I don't care to open a bottle just for myself. Join me in a drink?"
He chuckled with a mischievous grin, "Do you wish to see me intoxicated for some reason?"
I cracked up, "Oh, don't worry; I'll be three sheets to the wind before you will be. I just wanted to share it with you."
"Don't humans typically drink alcohol for obscure reasons? Manipulating their minds to dull their senses?"
I shrugged back, "Some do. I've only drank enough for the fuzzy feeling, not to get plastered. And if you think I talk too much now…" I started laughing until his eyes shined back at me.
"I accept."
He surprised me with such a quick answer that I didn't respond at first. "Uh, oh, okay," I stuttered as I set my plate down. I came back with a pair of glasses and a chilled bottle. Taking the glass from me he looked it over and breathed in the aroma. I swirled my own glass under my nose, closed my eyes and tilted it back.
Beer and mixed liquors are pure junk compared to wine. My mouth exploded with flavors, sensations and a total clearing of my sinuses. The experience is always that much more invigorating when one doesn't drink often. Setting it aside I went back to eating dinner.
I didn't even get a chance to stop him; he tilted the glass back and took a huge gulp.
Cue the inevitable coughing and gasping for air.
"Yeah, you kinda need to sip wine…" I grinned and took another sip. He recovered after a shudder.
"Yes, well," he coughed again, "it does have a slightly overwhelming flavor and sensation. Compared to the food, anyway."
"Break up the flavor a bit. Have another bite and then sip. Don't treat it like a shot," I laughed. He picked the glass up again and did as I recommended. "Won't lie; it was pretty entertaining to watch you try to down it." He shot me his 'whatever' look he makes whenever I tease him now.
"I have been sensing you intentionally set me up with new situations just to see how I react to them." He set his glass down and went back for the plate. I had to bite down on my lip; I was slightly guilty of it, but I also wouldn't do anything that could upset him.
"I might enjoy some of it…but wouldn't you rather try things on your own anyway?"
He paused and looked down at the glass he had in his hand again, "Well, it wasn't traumatizing. But if I decide to ask for suggestions in the future can I trust that you would provide them?"
"Of course I would! It's not like I'm trying to set you up for failure. But there are things I'm gonna suggest you just try…most of life is experiencing it, not being told how." He eyed me warily.
"Then I'll be sure to ask about everything you hand me and if anything ends in disaster I'll be sure to get you back in the following training session." The cheekiest grin lit up his face and I busted out laughing. He was getting better with the witty comebacks and rolling with some of my sense of humor. Sadly some of his phrases weren't ones I was used to so there were times he got a blank stare back from me, but I tried to roll with them anyway.
"And that's my style," I grabbed the bottle and gestured with it, "don't get angry, get even." I poured myself another half and just as I went to put it down he offered up his glass. I filled it and we clinked them in agreement.
After an hour our plates were empty and so was over half of the bottle. The topics we typically discussed were not the focus tonight.
"So the damn horse took off, left me lying in the open field and headed for home. I stood there, watching for karma to come around as soon as his hooves hit the pavement. And boy did it! His legs went out from under him and he rolled across the road and landed in the ditch on the other side. I should have been worried about him getting hurt but at that moment I didn't care. I was too happy watching him hit the ground." I was in a fit of giggles and I got a small chuckle back from him.
"Is this where your 'karma' idealism stems from?" I looked down at my glass, frowned and filled it halfway again.
"Eh, I might have had an idea, but it mostly developed over time. But I have always believed that a negative attitude and having a bad history will eventually catch up with ya…"
"Is that a hint?"
I didn't even think of what I was saying until I saw that look on his face. It wasn't anger, offense or even guilt. It was plain acknowledgement.
"No, no, that's not where I was going…god damn…" I mumbled and stumbled over my words, "That's not what I meant. I know it sounds like it but it's not. You and your world, I can't put them to the same standards as mine…your world is a terrifying place whether you're a good person or not."
He halted my rant, "Do not concern yourself, I know what I've done and have no regrets. But I do disagree with your unfounded fears of our world. You would do very well, especially under my tutelage."
"Really? The technology and science seems to be way beyond ours… And with the powers that exist there too, I wouldn't want to cross paths with many of them…"
"But here you sit, directly across from one of them," he teased. I took another swig of my wine, not as self-conscious of how I looked anymore.
"In this world, yeah," I started gesturing with my hands in my hazed state, "in yours, oh hell no. Not with your power at your fingertips. And if you had that power here when you showed up, damn what a mess this'a been…"
"Are you certain of that?" he cut me off.
"Of what? That this would have been a disaster? Absolutely."
"Based on what? How do you believe it would have played out if I was here with my abilities in full? Since you seem so confident in your ability to predict and see the future," he added coyly.
I held nothing back. "Oh, this would be so bad it could actually be hysterical. It would be so easy for our world to panic that the first person that saw you flying through the air would call the police. Then if they ever caught up with you they wouldn't know what you were so they'd shoot first. You'd retaliate and people's phone footage would be all over the internet by then, so the amount of people panicking would explode exponentially…" I surprised myself at how I didn't stumble over that word despite the wine, "then the people who recognized you would be putting that information up, so more panic compounds on more panic…" I took a breath after the spiel.
There was that toothy grin again, "I think I can see where this is heading. Are you predicting an all-out war between me and your world's armies?"
"Well, mostly with us, not so much on the other countries. We would have the world pretty much destroyed by the time they even thought about getting involved. And if they ever got that far they would NOT be crossing those oceans seein' you tossin' tanks in the air like pebbles."
"You believe I am so reckless with my power? After I destroyed everything that even attempted to kill me there would be no true destruction to your lands, aside from the wreckage from your machines. Your military would have to eventually give up." I shook my head.
"You're thinking too small. Once they found out getting within a 10-mile radius of you was suicide they'd drop bombs. And not small ones either."
"They'd find out very quickly that they would do nothing to me."
"And that's where shit would go so wrong. You see, we're a stupid fucking country," I had to set my glass down, "As soon as they saw you walk away without a scratch they'd say 'we're gonna need a bigger bomb', and those bombs are the ones that ruin our homes for the next thousand years. Those are the 'game over' bombs. And there are lots of countries that have those." My head pounded and my hands were nearly sweaty. Good thing the alcohol was keeping the nervous butterflies I normally got at bay. I dragged my hands over my face, "Uh, just thinking about it makes me want to scream…" He seemed oddly quiet for the moment.
Then he broke it, "Where would you be in all of this? Watching this on the internet, seeing all of this unfold, what would you be doing?" I rolled my head around as I picked my glass up and took another swig.
"I'd be the Relena Peacecraft, probably screaming at the screen with 'why didn't they talk first' and angry that nobody would understand why provoking you into a war would be the worst thing on the planet and that even attempting to bargain with you would have been smarter…"
"The what? The Relena…?" I dismissed his question with a wave.
"Bad anime reference, ignore it. Just that talking peace accomplishes more than destroying everything that breathes. And a higher chance that more people might survive it."
"But you did talk to me first. You did recognize me and you didn't attempt to kill me even though that was probably one of your first ideas…"
I shook my head, "I didn't even dwell on it. Attempting to kill you would have been stupid. I knew there was no point to try to restrain you either…that would have been a total waste of time."
"So you rationalized waking me and talking to me. Do you not believe the situation would have been the same with or without my powers?"
"I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have turned out like this..." I felt my tone drop with the ideas flipping through my head. I would gamble that if he woke and was able to fly he would have been airborne and either been gone before I got to ask any questions or become the first obstacle he eliminated. Both scenarios were equally frightening.
The awkward silence that filled the room was unnerving.
I downed my drink and set the glass aside. The bottle was empty; mostly thanks to me but Cell certainly had more than a couple of drinks. He wasn't acting like the alcohol affected him, but I may have been too loopy to notice a difference.
"Would you be interested in a bargain?"
I was suspicious but curious too, "What kind of bargain?"
"I have the answer for your scenario, but only if you answer my question." I raised a brow.
"That question?" He nodded.
"That question." I didn't skip a beat.
"No deal." He sighed, loudly. "I gave you the answer several times already; I did it because I wanted to. I wasn't going to leave you lying in the backyard. Besides…" I hesitated a bit before admitting this, "I wouldn't change any of this." He stayed quiet. "Oh, don't be a sourpuss. I can't figure out why my help still bothers you, can't you be over it by now?"
It dawned on me how much the alcohol was letting me speak my mind so openly. It was too late to undo what I had just said, so I waited for either his snarky response or angry outburst.
"It is not your help that bothers me; it is your rationale that I need to understand. Your logic and reasoning for your actions are more the bother than the acts themselves."
That response was a relief but it still provoked an irritable retort, "Haven't you heard the phrase 'actions speak louder than words'? If you think there is some sort of hidden message it is all in your head." He put his hands up in a fashion that literally looked like he was surrendering.
"Alright, forget that question. May I try another? This has been an entertaining day and I'd like it to continue."
"As long as you don't bother with that question," I snorted. He nodded.
"Fair enough. Perhaps on a day with more than one bottle of wine," I couldn't help but grin, "but let's take the other idea you brought up. Let's say the roles were switched, you were dropped into my world instead. Do you think we would have crossed paths?"
That exact scenario had crossed my mind several times long before this conversation started. The thought of being in that world was almost overwhelming now seeing as it could have happened as easily as he was dropped into my own. But the circumstances would probably dictate my answers, so I started poking around.
"Well, depends on what was happening. I'd need more details than just being dropped in the middle of the woods."
He gestured in agreement, "Alright, I'll give you more specifics then. Let's say the games haven't started yet, but people are still fleeing the cities and information is easy to find, so you figured out where you were fairly quickly. Now what do you think would have happened?"
I toyed with the idea, "Hm, so I'd know where I was. That would take a toll on my mind for a day or two…but I guess if the cities are empty I would have some sort of shelter, food might be tough though. Should I assume I'd be somewhere not far from the arena?"
"Assume you are within traveling distance. A day's walk perhaps. If you were dropped in the capitol the arena would be due north." He was setting this up easily for me; almost too easily.
"Well then I'd be gathering food and supplies and start walkin'. Depending on how long I ended up staying I guess I'd have to give in and ask for help from the locals. A job or whatnot. I'd be asking the same questions you were; why, how and if I could get back home…" I suddenly shot a look at the dogs lying in the front room, "Oh geez, it's a good thing the roles weren't switched! These guys would be in trouble…" They came up to the couch with tails waggling and tongues hanging out. "No one would notice I was gone for…a week, maybe…they'd be starving by the time someone came out to check on me…"
"Please do not dwell on that. The situation would have probably been similar to my own; the display was vivid and in front of a crowd. Goku and his friends know I am not in their world anymore. But they likely don't know where I am, so I'm sure they've been on high alert for the past several weeks. More than likely Goku has been training to see if he can close the gap between our powers before I return," he mused, looking almost glad that he was forced out of the fight and had accidently given them more time to prepare.
I gave in, "Alright, I'll pretend someone watched me disappear into thin air and is watching over the mongrels for me…what was the question, again?"
"You know where you are, when the tournament will start and that you aren't far from it. Would you have made an appearance?" Well, if he was going to be blunt about it then I guess I could give an honest answer.
"Yup. Front row seats to the Cell Games, you bet I'd be there. The fight between you and Goku would be amazing to see in person." His eyes were usually a good indicator of his mood and today they were a fantastic demonstration of his excitement.
"Interesting. Your curiosity would cloud over your fear of our powers?"
With a knowing grin I nodded, "I know how the fight goes too, so I'm not worried. But if things went wrong I know the dragon balls get used after they win too. Hopefully being from another world wouldn't disqualify me for revival…" I laughed. "But I wouldn't want to cross paths with you outside of that. While Goku had your attention in the ring I could enjoy the view."
"The view?" he laughed, "What kind of view are you expecting? We move at speeds even the most skilled humans cannot follow with their eyes."
"That's alright, I'll take what I can get. Remember, I would be the first from this world to see yours. That alone would be a big enough deal to me, but seeing the two of you on that tiled arena would be icing on the cake. I wouldn't need to see the details, just to know the two of you existed at that moment."
"And you would have sat quietly on the sidelines, even before the fight?"
I definitely made an odd face, "Well yeah, I would not have asked questions when I already knew what was going to happen. If anything it would be tough not to tell them what was going to happen…"
"I am not concerned with Goku and his friends; I am curious of what you would have said to me. I am certain you would not have engaged me but I certainly would have engaged you well before the tournament."
"And you would have written me off as a whack job with my cryptic 'I know how the future goes' message. I wouldn't have told you hardly anything, especially with no way to prove it," I shrugged. He said nothing back but I could tell in the way he shifted on the couch that he wasn't content with the answer. Whether he wanted more or different answers I couldn't tell, but he didn't push for either.
The lightbulb of the century went off in my head and I almost couldn't contain my excitement.
"Oh my God! I know EXACTLY what I would have said at the tournament! Oh geez I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!" He eyed me suspiciously. "Oh, come on! You should know EXACTLY what I would be screaming there!"
"I fear I am at a loss here, my dear. Could you explain your lapse in sanity?" The giggles were way ahead of me and I had to gather myself before trying to speak.
"Okay, okay. I would have begged Goku to hold back his fight one more round. I would have demanded a rematch for you and Mr. Satan!"
He face-palmed immediately and I heard a groaning mumble, "Heaven forbid…" What a glorious sight to behold. I couldn't stop my jeering laughs now.
"Don't tell me you didn't see that one coming!"
"Of all things you could consider…yes, I suppose that was on your list of priorities."
I had gotten completely sidetracked from his question but I was not about to give this up. I was having way too much fun watching his awkward responses. "You would have killed him. I would have made you do it!"
"Made me? You said you wouldn't have even spoken to me if you could help it and yet you would convince me of this particular favor?"
A wicked grin started to form, "I would want this so bad that I would have been begging you. Whatever you asked of me in return it would be done, no questions asked."
"Asked anything of you? Is that so?"
"I'da told you to name your price." I wasn't trying to make it sound dirty but it was definitely coming out that way. Too much alcohol for this kind of conversation.
"Hm, I wonder what limits there would be on such requests…" he raised a brow and I got a butterfly fluttering in my gut. It was time to back out of the innuendos before it got too obvious.
"So it's a good thing you got dropped here instead! You don't have to go through the trouble of killing him and no awkward requests of me! It's perfect!"
He tsked, "Such a shame, missing out on an interesting situation." I shook my head and leaned back into the couch, thankful that he didn't push the subject further.
"I've been thinking that situation out quite a bit lately, since you've been here and all… I'd really like to know how you got here if there's a way it could flip like that and rip people between other worlds too."
"Like other worlds that your writers have created?" I nodded.
"I'd feel for anyone that got dropped into the Attack on Titan series, that's pretty much certain death. 90% of the characters die, I don't even want to see what would happen to someone from this world that had no clue. With your world death isn't even absolute as long as the dragons still exist and someone cares enough about you to bring you back." The images of Freiza being brought back to life flipped through my head and I nearly pouted over not being able to bring it up. Cell made it clear he wanted to hear nothing of the future of the timeline because he was certain he was going to live and that would change everything. He snarled at me when he had to repeat himself once and I didn't want it to happen again, so I left out everything about the Majin Saga and beyond.
"May I ask one more question? I will hold my end of the bargain if you answer one more for me." I remembered him saying he had an answer but he didn't make clear what it was.
"I can, but what was it you were going to explain? What answer did you have?"
"What would have happened if I had my powers here when you woke me." My eyes widened a bit.
"Really? An honest answer?" I didn't care if I seemed eager now; I always wanted that answer but never had the guts to ask him.
"Of course an honest one, but here's my last question. Imagine if tomorrow we were suddenly pulled from this world and we both got put in my own. Would you have any interest in studying ki and extending your knowledge in combat?"
Well that was a surprise. Of all the things I thought he'd ask this wasn't even on the list of ideas.
"Well of course! Granted as long as Goku and his comrades didn't think I was training to fight them or something weird like that, then yeah, I'd be ecstatic!" His face literally lit up at the answer.
"Excellent! Then when I figure out how to get back to that world this may very well continue. And don't concern yourself with Goku, I'm already certain that I could offer a cease-fire and he wouldn't refuse it. We could continue with your training for however long we liked." For a minute I felt stone-cold sober.
For however long 'we' liked.
"You mean to say you've been enjoying this too? That I haven't been a pain this whole time?" I teased with a smirk. He gave one right back.
"As you said, I wouldn't change any of this either." My heart fluttered and I was drunk all over again. That warm, fuzzy feeling was radiating everywhere and I swear if we had one bottle more I may have tried to seduce him tonight.
Good thing I wasn't that drunk.
"What would you try to teach me then? Beyond what we've been doing here, how much farther do you think I could go?"
"Let me ask you this instead; would you like to learn? Of all the abilities and techniques you have seen us use, which one appeals to you the most?" I smiled; I have had the answer to this question for years.
"To fly. Unaided, free of technology, as far as I could go with only my own stamina as my limit. I could train forever learning to do that." He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Then I will keep that a priority in your progression." I giggled a bit at the absurdity of it all. "What is that about?"
"Oh, how only a month ago I nearly feared for my life and here you are now, hoping to teach me to fly. Am I even capable of learning something like that?"
"You are capable of even more than that. But it will be much easier once I have my power. Once you understand how ki moves, feels and fluctuates the sooner you will learn to harness it. But we are far from that point right now. Meantime we will just focus on you landing one hit on me."
"Well then I am totally screwed for the next thousand years."
"How so?"
"I can't get to your level even if I wanted to. I'll never actually hit you; you've proven that plenty of times." He shook his head.
"Nonsense. You will hit me when you are moving correctly and not a moment sooner. You just learned to start acting on your own instead of reacting to my movements. You are progressing, slow as it may seem…" My head fell forward and I sighed loudly.
"Yes master, thank you for being patient…lord knows I need it…" He chuckled. I looked out the window and realized the sun was pretty much gone. "Holy cow," I reached for my phone, almost 10:00 pm. "Your turn now, buddy. Any more questions for me and we might see tomorrow."
"Fair enough. I'm satisfied with those answers. Tell me your prediction about our encounter if I had my abilities."
"Hey!" I wailed playfully, "Your turn! I gave you all my answers!"
"Ah, yes, about the war that would occur. But you didn't tell me what would have occurred between us. Can you tell me that much, at least? Then I promise you my answer." I pouted slightly, but I honestly didn't want the night to end. One more answer couldn't hurt too much.
"I don't think you would've stayed grounded for long. As soon as you were awake I'm pretty sure you would have just left. No questions, no bargaining, just gone before I asked if you were even real… Course I would have gotten that answer as soon as you took off…" I didn't mention possibly being killed seeing as it seemed incredibly unlikely now since he knew I didn't attempt to harm him when he was still unconscious.
"Anything else?"
"And then the war that would happen over the next 24 hours," I laughed, but he didn't laugh with me.
"You may want to clear your head of those thoughts then as I am about to surprise you. None of that would have occurred." He was dead serious.
A confused stare was all I could give back at first. "Then…what would have happened?"
"If I have any weakness I could admit to it would be the desire to satisfy my own curiosity. There is a reason I was difficult in our first meetings, pathetic of an excuse as it is… My power is my own sense of security. I know what I can do with it and that I have nothing to fear as long as I have it. The moment I realized I didn't have it I panicked and tried to gauge what your motives were. I couldn't sense if you had any power or what your life force felt like so trying to predict what you were going to do was nothing but speculation. I wasn't much for conversation simply because I never needed to when it came to humans. When my power didn't return I realized I was going to have to ask questions to obtain information."
This was interesting information I was getting, but it still hadn't answered how it would have changed with his powers. "Wouldn't you need to ask questions anyway? There's no way you could just 'sense' what our world was compared to yours."
"I would have needed some answers eventually, but my initial concerns would not have surfaced the way they did in our initial meetings. You would not have been a mystery to me the way you were then."
"I doubt that, unless you can read minds." He laughed.
"It is not as thorough as it sounds, but I am able to read majority of your body with my powers. I can sense something as subtle as an electric impulse in the brain and temperature fluctuations from your hormones. I can read them in the same manner you can read words from a book and put together the information. Without my powers I am as blind as you would be with a book in a dark room. And so it made for an unsettling first impression."
For a few moments I could only marvel at how incredible that was. "Hopefully I am not much of a mystery to you now…"
"Majority of my concerns have been dismissed, save for the one constant question I keep bothering you with…"
"And as soon as you figure out whatever mystery you think that is make sure you tell the rest of the male population. They've spent the millennia trying to understand women logic too," I jeered and he shook his head in dismay.
"That topic aside, with my powers none of this would have been a concern so I would have gone straight into asking questions about your world. I would not have flown off or killed you simply because I would have known right away what I've learned about you over the past several weeks."
"So you would have stayed around? Not gone off and caused chaos and mayhem wherever you went?"
"Not at all. Do you recall our little bargain, where you offered information in exchange for the safety of you and your planet? There was no need the entire time. If I decide to cause a disturbance there must be a purpose for it to serve. There are no worthy challengers in this world so making a scene to draw them out is pointless. And I would have known that you were willing to share information from even the slightest bit of intimidation so I would not have needed to threaten you or your family. The only differences there would have been are that I would still have my armor, no need to rest or eat for the sake of my energy, and you wouldn't have seen any displays of weakness. Which, if I hadn't been so blindly stubborn, could have been prevented had I just been more cautious about my body's status."
I was a bit overwhelmed with the information so I took it all in, processing what that could have meant for me too. "But if I wasn't there for the times you needed help I wouldn't be as casual with you as I am now, so that would've changed…and would you still be my teacher? Or would you have considered it to be below you?"
"I am not sure where you get this notion that having a student somehow lowers my standards. I consider all beings below me, Sayajin, Human, Namekian, doesn't matter, they learn all the same from my perspective. Also, I recall you saying that learning under me would be an honor. Has this changed?"
"Oh, no! Not at all!" I piped up, remembering how that first day he offered felt, "I still occasionally pinch myself to make sure it's still real and not just a big fantasy I dreamed up!"
"Then why would I change that? And I would have sensed the same excited energy from you if I had my powers, so this would have still happened, it just might have taken a bit longer seeing as you would have been much more hesitant around me."
"Hesitant is such an understatement…" I don't think he could grasp just how absolutely terrified I would have been to have him on the property with his full power. It would have felt like walking in a minefield and trying to live like death was going to be inevitable.
"I feel as if I should share this much with you: if I didn't tolerate your existence you would be dead already. I am more than capable of killing you and everyone within a hundred mile radius with minimal effort even in this condition. If you fear my power that much then you should fear me now; you would be dead either way."
I barely reacted to that, which was very unsettling for me. He made that statement as casually as we had conversation over dinner. My pulse didn't even react to it as I merely accepted the statement for what I interpreted it as: If I wasn't dead already then I wasn't going to be.
"Then I'll still look forward to seeing your power when it comes back. And try my best not to scream," I picked my phone up again. It was well after 10 now.
"Goodnight, then?" I looked up to him and nodded.
"Yup. C'ya in the mornin'." I stood up and gathered the bottle and glasses.
"Pleasant dreams, as well."
"After all this, I'm sure it will be nothing but good dreams," I smiled and headed for bed.
Hi everyone! So, I'm not dead. I am still writing and sorry for such a long delay, hopefully the chapter was worth the wait and I look forward to your responses!