Val went the next day to the Look Out, still carrying the capsules pack in her pocket. She landed, figuring she would not need them there though as she could have her own room, her own research space, and whatever else she would need up here. She landed on the surface, looking around. She sensed Kami and Mr. Popo in the library, walking towards them. She inclined her head towards both respectfully in greeting.
"Val," Kami said, perking up when he saw coming over. He seemed excited to see her unexpectedly. "What brings you here?"
She took a second, realizing it had been quite sometime. "Just," she started, not sure what to say. "Just visiting others. Taking a bit of a break from training and work," she landed on. She brought her hand to her necklace, fiddling with the hydrangea charm.
"Come, let's walk," he said, stepping towards her and then around her to out of the room. She gave Mr. Popo another nod of her head before following him out. She caught up and fell a half step behind him. She followed as he led her to the front of the Look Out, right to the edge. "Kiri, what do you see?" he asked her.
She looked down passed the blue and the clouds, barely seeing the ground below. "Nothing out of the ordinary," she answered, not sure what else he wanted to see. "It's peaceful down there."
"When the androids come, there will be death and destruction," he pointed out.
She looked up over at him. "You know about them?" she asked, frowning curiously. "And the virus..." she added, thinking out loud.
He nodded. "Piccolo's kept me in the loop. I know what the future is supposed to be, just as he and Goku do," he admitted.
"What all happens?" she rushed out on bated breath. "Who was that fighter? Whose his-"
"Kiri," he said, making her quiet herself. "No one should know so much about the future," he forewarned. "It's not a burden you want to bear. Piccolo told everyone enough of what they needed know in hopes to side step the hellish future the fighter forewarned Goku about. He told me it all because I needed to know all in case he and I have to take action."
She crossed one arm over her chest. "I won't tell," she promised, hoping he would give in, all while feeling jealous that he got to know everything.
He shook his head. "Let the future play out. Let your future play out," he advised. She told herself to give up asking. "So what brings you here?"
She took a steeling breath, wound still feeling a bit tender. "I need somewhere new to train," she admitted, wanting to tip toe a bit around the reason why. She hoped he would as well. "But I still need to be able to work in tandem with it. More than just the androids are coming. That heart virus would kill more than just Goku, I'm certain of it."
He seemed excited to hear that. "Of course," he agreed. "Training you part time to be guardian will take a longer amount of time, but-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she interrupted, shaking her head. "I mean train to fight. Not for guardianship," she explained. He looked at her forlorn. She kept talking. "I need to focus on training to fight for the androids and to get medicine that will work against the heart virus, and I'm lacking in true progress with both because I have to do both. I can't imagine I could handle yet another thing to focus on with guardianship all side those two. I'm sorry." She looked down and out over the landscape far below.
He held up his staff out towards her. "Fighting would be part of it, but so much more goes into it," he explained.
She looked at the staff, but did not take it. She shook her head slightly once more. "I have too much to do already," she said. He looked at her expectantly. She felt herself start to cower. "I'm not going to be able to do it. I just, I just need somewhere to train and work and to just get away from Vegeta. I just need to be away from him right now." She thought about how Tien looked when Vegeta carried her away from him. How he gloated over him. How Tien said the fighter from the future, the Saiyan blooded fighter from the future reminded Chiaotzu of her, which had to be absolutely impossible and not allowed to happen.
"You can be away from him up here, train and work, but guardianship is something you must add in to do so," he said, not backing down.
She felt herself wilt in front of him, like she had in front of Piccolo when told her she need to balance working and training. "What about after the androids and virus are defeated?" she tried to compromise, to buy time. "Just regular training until then..." She felt rude to ask, especially since she was unsure she wanted it.
He shook his head. "Before the androids arrive is better, in case they are stronger than we've imagined. Before drastic measures must be taken," he hinted.
"What drastic measures?" she asked. When he did not answer, she sighed, fighting with herself to not be disrespectful. "If you can't wait, then pick someone else," she recommended. "I'm not a good choice anyway."
"You're Namekian, from the Demon Clan," he reminded her. "Pure enough in heart."
She closed her eyes, pausing a moment. "You should pick someone else," she advised. She opened her eyes. "Perhaps Chiaotzu or Tien," she suggested.
He gave her a look that nonverbally answered what he thought of her suggestion. "You've seen interested before, only to pull back again, claiming one reason or another to delay. If you want to train up here before the androids come, it must be with the intention to train to be the next guardian."
She hummed, stepping back and looking out again at the peaceful landscape down below. "I'll find somewhere else then," she said quietly, hating how disappointed he looked out of the corner of her eye.
He looked surprised for a split second at her decision. "Very well," he responded, voice coated with matching disappointment. "Where will you go then since you need to distance yourself from Vegeta?"
She hummed, admitting her third choice: "to Piccolo and Goku." Silently, she wondered at how she could even be to keep up with the two of them. Gohan seemed like he could out strip her, and he was young enough to her son.