First Sight
Samurai Jack unsheathed his sword yet again, bringing it close enough to dent the chubby chin of the frightened emcee. He repeated in a lower tone, one strand of hair sliding across his face, "Set. Them. Free."
The emcee's fat, ringed fingers faltered, then found the button. All prisoners who waited in the dank darkness below the Dome's floor were suddenly raised up into the dimly lit arena, even now squinting with the change. The slavedriving droid removed their chains, cracking his electro-whip a few more times over their heads. "G'won, get out of here!"
Jack turned and glared intensely at the evil droid, speaking but one word. "You!" A few quick swipes later, it was destroyed, and Jack was heading out the door as the former slaves walked free.
A very disillusioned crowd dispersed in the upper levels. "Tha's no' 'ow fights'r supposedta end!" grumbled a Cephalopod.
"I know! We got gypped!" whined a small Bernaclular next to him. The various creatures, organic and non, began to go to their homes and jobs. Among them was a tall, angry green female of unknown species. She had her own tank to work on, and she hadn't even finished the design specs for the aft turret weapon. She sighed heavily, the sound lost amid the murmur of the remaining audience. She turned her scowl down to the samurai, watching him exit through the bottom doors. Thanks to him, she had just lost a good three thousand! The stupid human had beaten every opponent. With one hand pushing a stray scraggly bang away from her face, she departed, one last annoyed snort her parthian shot to the Samurai Jack.
/center
Piccolo groaned, finally coming around. Sophie helped him to sit up as the emperor took another sip from his tea. Kalifla blinked. A lot.
"That's it? That's how y'all first met??" she asked, incredulous. "But he didn't even see you! That doesn't count!"
"Not so loud, woman..." Piccolo rubbed the bridge of his nose, glaring fitfully around the room.
Kai finally spoke up again, and cautiously asked Piccolo, "So...if you are my mother's father, you are my grandfather?" Piccolo's eyes twitched at this. Kalifla beamed at Kai, and set her feet on the ground to walk to him.
"And I'm yer gramma!" She hugged Kai to her, Kai awkwardly trying to return the gesture. Sophie stood up, hoping to save him from further...discomfort.
"Kai, go get the servants to clean up the mess," she advised him in her haphazard Japanese. He hastily complied. He just wasn't used to hugging complete strangers. As he left, a couple of the palace guards rushed in to investigate the crash. They stared, open-mouthed, at two strangers. The fact that one of them was green didn't register. They WERE palace guards, after all. Before they could ask, the emperor raised a pale hand.
"These are guests, the parents of my wife. Please tell the cooks to prepare a feast tonight in celebration." One guard eyed the hole in the ceiling, one looked at the emperor like he was insane. But both bowed, retreating through the parlor door; it seemed that yet another surprise was to occur, and they took it in stride. There had been a lot of those in recent history.
Kal watched them leave, then turned to the emperor again. Piccolo seemed woozy as he irritably crossed his legs underneath him, crossing his arms as well. Sophie sat back to glance at the emperor again, who responded with a prompting look of his own. "Your turn," he seemed to say good-naturedly.
"Mmm..." sighed Sophie, biting her lip. "Well, I could talk about the first real mission we had..."
Kal settled herself down, on the floor this time, and waited. The emperor sipped the last of his tea, set the cup down, then put forth his attentive face. Piccolo sat there and pretended not to listen.
Samurai Jack unsheathed his sword yet again, bringing it close enough to dent the chubby chin of the frightened emcee. He repeated in a lower tone, one strand of hair sliding across his face, "Set. Them. Free."
The emcee's fat, ringed fingers faltered, then found the button. All prisoners who waited in the dank darkness below the Dome's floor were suddenly raised up into the dimly lit arena, even now squinting with the change. The slavedriving droid removed their chains, cracking his electro-whip a few more times over their heads. "G'won, get out of here!"
Jack turned and glared intensely at the evil droid, speaking but one word. "You!" A few quick swipes later, it was destroyed, and Jack was heading out the door as the former slaves walked free.
A very disillusioned crowd dispersed in the upper levels. "Tha's no' 'ow fights'r supposedta end!" grumbled a Cephalopod.
"I know! We got gypped!" whined a small Bernaclular next to him. The various creatures, organic and non, began to go to their homes and jobs. Among them was a tall, angry green female of unknown species. She had her own tank to work on, and she hadn't even finished the design specs for the aft turret weapon. She sighed heavily, the sound lost amid the murmur of the remaining audience. She turned her scowl down to the samurai, watching him exit through the bottom doors. Thanks to him, she had just lost a good three thousand! The stupid human had beaten every opponent. With one hand pushing a stray scraggly bang away from her face, she departed, one last annoyed snort her parthian shot to the Samurai Jack.
/center
Piccolo groaned, finally coming around. Sophie helped him to sit up as the emperor took another sip from his tea. Kalifla blinked. A lot.
"That's it? That's how y'all first met??" she asked, incredulous. "But he didn't even see you! That doesn't count!"
"Not so loud, woman..." Piccolo rubbed the bridge of his nose, glaring fitfully around the room.
Kai finally spoke up again, and cautiously asked Piccolo, "So...if you are my mother's father, you are my grandfather?" Piccolo's eyes twitched at this. Kalifla beamed at Kai, and set her feet on the ground to walk to him.
"And I'm yer gramma!" She hugged Kai to her, Kai awkwardly trying to return the gesture. Sophie stood up, hoping to save him from further...discomfort.
"Kai, go get the servants to clean up the mess," she advised him in her haphazard Japanese. He hastily complied. He just wasn't used to hugging complete strangers. As he left, a couple of the palace guards rushed in to investigate the crash. They stared, open-mouthed, at two strangers. The fact that one of them was green didn't register. They WERE palace guards, after all. Before they could ask, the emperor raised a pale hand.
"These are guests, the parents of my wife. Please tell the cooks to prepare a feast tonight in celebration." One guard eyed the hole in the ceiling, one looked at the emperor like he was insane. But both bowed, retreating through the parlor door; it seemed that yet another surprise was to occur, and they took it in stride. There had been a lot of those in recent history.
Kal watched them leave, then turned to the emperor again. Piccolo seemed woozy as he irritably crossed his legs underneath him, crossing his arms as well. Sophie sat back to glance at the emperor again, who responded with a prompting look of his own. "Your turn," he seemed to say good-naturedly.
"Mmm..." sighed Sophie, biting her lip. "Well, I could talk about the first real mission we had..."
Kal settled herself down, on the floor this time, and waited. The emperor sipped the last of his tea, set the cup down, then put forth his attentive face. Piccolo sat there and pretended not to listen.