When they left the small room after cleaning the blood off of most of their
clothing and tending Negate's wounds, the guard simply nodded to them as
they walked past.
Once the door to the cell was closed securely, Negate removed the stone and pulled the oil from its hidden spot and uncapped it. Already aware of the drill, Piccolo allowed her to take his hand and slather the oil around his wrist. The wound had begun to heal with his increased metabolism, but without the use of much of his chi, Piccolo couldn't heal everything quickly. Negate tugged at the top of his gi and he allowed her to pull it to his waist so she could check his wounds.
"They look a little better." She sounded optimistic and ran her fingertips across some of the ones that had nearly healed and were little more than light scars.
She cleaned the deeper with cloth and alcohol she had smuggled from the small medical room. It was quiet for some time, only the gurgle of alcohol as it was turned upside down breaking the silence every few minutes. "Why do you call me that?" Piccolo's voice was quiet but Negate stiffened slightly. Capping the small bottle she stored it with the others behind the stone.
She sat on the tattered mattress and looked him over. "Well." she started but paused and bit her lip in thought. "Because you are."
"But I'm not of your species." Piccolo's eye ridges furrowed.
Negate shrugged and felt the blush rise in her cheeks. "It doesn't matter I guess. Beauty has no bounds." another pause as she contemplated. "Would you like me to show you?"
Slightly taken aback and unsure of what it meant Piccolo blinked before slowly nodding his head.
Negate gave him a small smile. "It's going to be weird, because you'll be seeing yourself.only the way others see you not like a reflection. Do you understand?" Piccolo nodded again and Negate settled onto the bed eyes closed. When they opened Piccolo noticed they were a shade darker. He was startled as she faded from his view and he slowly saw himself.
She had been right, it was different than his reflection. There was no two dimensional measure, and the flatness of a mirror image was nothing. At first he thought he was looking upon another Namek, but he recognized his own features after a time. It was crazy, but he could see things in his aura of being he had never considered before, his skin looked soft and the muscles stood more plainly, the patchwork of pink flesh stark but lovely. He closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to look anymore and when he opened them again he saw Negate sitting cross-legged on the tattered mattress with a small look of deflated hope.
"That was.different." Piccolo finally muttered. Negate nodded, reclining onto the mattress and sighed. It was hard to accept what he had seen through her eyes, especially because he had been looking at himself. Had he been gazing at another Namek, his appreciation may have been more founded but he refused to believe that he could have such an effect on anyone.
~*~*~*~
Several days had passed, the monotony of the daily cycles starting to wear thin on Piccolo's nerves. Negate had been rather pensive after showing him how she sees him then picked up on his fraying attitude and kept mostly to herself, even in the small room.
One night while Negate sat on the floor and uncapped the vial of oil between her knees she watched Piccolo as he tried his damndest to stretch. "Are there many more of you? Namek's I mean."
Piccolo grunted in frustration and sat on the floor, giving her his wrist. "Yes, but I don't live with them." She paused in the application and he watched her eyebrows furrow together but she didn't ask him why. In a way Piccolo was relieved, but a part of him felt grim that the strong willed woman he had met had receded somewhere into her head.
When she had finished she capped the bottle and was returning it when she gasped audibly and Piccolo saw her eyes roll into her head and caught her before she hit the ground. He shook her gently, "Negate." Her head lolled from side to side and he set her down on the bed gingerly. Her chi hadn't dropped, and if he was sensing right seemed to be increasing. A sharp intake of breath and her face flushed with color. "Jaunie?" Piccolo leaned over her, shaking her harder this time.
Amber eyes opened and she began to giggle. Piccolo let her go, a wash out of relief cooling his system as she slowly sat up and her giggles increased until she was laughing. Louder and louder, tears rolling down her cheeks, Negate was clutching her ribs with her eyes screwed shut. Piccolo watched her like she was going mad and her peals of mirth began to echo in the small room and bounce into the hall. The lights began to flicker, and after a moment Piccolo realized they were pulsing to the beat of her laughter.
She started to calm and she looked up at Piccolo with tear-streaked cheeks and a smile so large it looked like her face would break. "D-don't you get it?" She giggled. Piccolo shook his head, still keeping his distance. Her chi had nearly tripled in strength but her chi ring wasn't shocking her.
"Are you alright?" Piccolo asked after the laughter died and only the occasional suppressed snort came.
She jumped from the small mattress and did a sudden handstand, landing on her feet chuckling to herself. "I would say the best I've felt in a very long time." She smiled at him, so ecstatically happy that he couldn't stop himself from smiling back. A wave of nausea rocked across Piccolo's body and he clutched his stomach, bent over at the middle. Negate tried to catch him but settled for slowing his decent to the ground.
Piccolo hissed, flares of white pain racking his body. They slowed and he could feel them as though from a distance and when he opened his eyes he was laying on the blue-green grass of New Namek.
Once the door to the cell was closed securely, Negate removed the stone and pulled the oil from its hidden spot and uncapped it. Already aware of the drill, Piccolo allowed her to take his hand and slather the oil around his wrist. The wound had begun to heal with his increased metabolism, but without the use of much of his chi, Piccolo couldn't heal everything quickly. Negate tugged at the top of his gi and he allowed her to pull it to his waist so she could check his wounds.
"They look a little better." She sounded optimistic and ran her fingertips across some of the ones that had nearly healed and were little more than light scars.
She cleaned the deeper with cloth and alcohol she had smuggled from the small medical room. It was quiet for some time, only the gurgle of alcohol as it was turned upside down breaking the silence every few minutes. "Why do you call me that?" Piccolo's voice was quiet but Negate stiffened slightly. Capping the small bottle she stored it with the others behind the stone.
She sat on the tattered mattress and looked him over. "Well." she started but paused and bit her lip in thought. "Because you are."
"But I'm not of your species." Piccolo's eye ridges furrowed.
Negate shrugged and felt the blush rise in her cheeks. "It doesn't matter I guess. Beauty has no bounds." another pause as she contemplated. "Would you like me to show you?"
Slightly taken aback and unsure of what it meant Piccolo blinked before slowly nodding his head.
Negate gave him a small smile. "It's going to be weird, because you'll be seeing yourself.only the way others see you not like a reflection. Do you understand?" Piccolo nodded again and Negate settled onto the bed eyes closed. When they opened Piccolo noticed they were a shade darker. He was startled as she faded from his view and he slowly saw himself.
She had been right, it was different than his reflection. There was no two dimensional measure, and the flatness of a mirror image was nothing. At first he thought he was looking upon another Namek, but he recognized his own features after a time. It was crazy, but he could see things in his aura of being he had never considered before, his skin looked soft and the muscles stood more plainly, the patchwork of pink flesh stark but lovely. He closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to look anymore and when he opened them again he saw Negate sitting cross-legged on the tattered mattress with a small look of deflated hope.
"That was.different." Piccolo finally muttered. Negate nodded, reclining onto the mattress and sighed. It was hard to accept what he had seen through her eyes, especially because he had been looking at himself. Had he been gazing at another Namek, his appreciation may have been more founded but he refused to believe that he could have such an effect on anyone.
~*~*~*~
Several days had passed, the monotony of the daily cycles starting to wear thin on Piccolo's nerves. Negate had been rather pensive after showing him how she sees him then picked up on his fraying attitude and kept mostly to herself, even in the small room.
One night while Negate sat on the floor and uncapped the vial of oil between her knees she watched Piccolo as he tried his damndest to stretch. "Are there many more of you? Namek's I mean."
Piccolo grunted in frustration and sat on the floor, giving her his wrist. "Yes, but I don't live with them." She paused in the application and he watched her eyebrows furrow together but she didn't ask him why. In a way Piccolo was relieved, but a part of him felt grim that the strong willed woman he had met had receded somewhere into her head.
When she had finished she capped the bottle and was returning it when she gasped audibly and Piccolo saw her eyes roll into her head and caught her before she hit the ground. He shook her gently, "Negate." Her head lolled from side to side and he set her down on the bed gingerly. Her chi hadn't dropped, and if he was sensing right seemed to be increasing. A sharp intake of breath and her face flushed with color. "Jaunie?" Piccolo leaned over her, shaking her harder this time.
Amber eyes opened and she began to giggle. Piccolo let her go, a wash out of relief cooling his system as she slowly sat up and her giggles increased until she was laughing. Louder and louder, tears rolling down her cheeks, Negate was clutching her ribs with her eyes screwed shut. Piccolo watched her like she was going mad and her peals of mirth began to echo in the small room and bounce into the hall. The lights began to flicker, and after a moment Piccolo realized they were pulsing to the beat of her laughter.
She started to calm and she looked up at Piccolo with tear-streaked cheeks and a smile so large it looked like her face would break. "D-don't you get it?" She giggled. Piccolo shook his head, still keeping his distance. Her chi had nearly tripled in strength but her chi ring wasn't shocking her.
"Are you alright?" Piccolo asked after the laughter died and only the occasional suppressed snort came.
She jumped from the small mattress and did a sudden handstand, landing on her feet chuckling to herself. "I would say the best I've felt in a very long time." She smiled at him, so ecstatically happy that he couldn't stop himself from smiling back. A wave of nausea rocked across Piccolo's body and he clutched his stomach, bent over at the middle. Negate tried to catch him but settled for slowing his decent to the ground.
Piccolo hissed, flares of white pain racking his body. They slowed and he could feel them as though from a distance and when he opened his eyes he was laying on the blue-green grass of New Namek.
