I suddenly snapped awake and looked about in confusion. One moment I had been in the space ship with Goku, the next I was…
…not in my bed.
"Okay, so not a filler arc," I said slowly as I looked around the room. I was in a bed but not MY bed, which from the last few Filler Arcs was how this had all started. For a moment I thought maybe it was a case of me being injured but a glance around proved that unlikely as the room was nothing like Namek.
It was clearly inside a log cabin, with snow gently drifting down outside my window and a nice fire crackling in the fireplace to my right. I slowly blinked my eyes as I looked at the solidly made walls of the room, the heavy aged timbers still ensuring that not a single drop of snow got inside. It was just beginning to grow light out and with the low fire that was burning and the multitude of blankets that were weighing me down I felt like just remaining cocooned in the bed for as long as I could.
So naturally the door to my room burst open and Goku, Gohan, and Videl all marched in.
No, literally. They marched in. Goku was using a loaf of bread as a baton and the kids were looking rather happy as they followed after him still dressed in their pajamas.
"Wake up, Avo!" Goku declared. "Its another filler arc so that means its your Birthday and Christmas!"
"We still don't know what that means," Krillin said, poking his head in as Goku and the kids marching around the bedroom. "But Happy Birthday Eve, Avo!"
"Bulma decided she wanted to go for a classic Christmas!" Goku declared, answering my unasked question. "So she used a capsule to get us a log cabin."
"More like a log mansion," Krillin stated. "This place is as big as a ski lodge!"
I slowly wiggled by way free of the bed and saw I was wearing a pair of red plaid pajamas, which actually matched the ones that Gohan and Videl were wearing. Goku was wearing just the bottoms of his and Krillin, from what I could tell, was wearing a similar top. 'So, all of us are matching,' I thought to myself. 'Meh, worst things in the world.' I got fully out of bed, getting my slippers on before I suddenly darted forward, grabbing Gohan and lifting him up, giving him a toss towards the bed. He giggled and laughed as he flopped down on it and I looked down as Videl tugged on my pant leg.
"ME! ME!" she declared and with a laugh I grabbed her and tossed her, Gohan rolled off so she could land safely.
"I'd offer to toss you Goku but I doubt I'm strong enough."
That caused the Saiyan to laugh. "That's okay! I get tossed around by bad guys enough!"
"What is going on in here!?"
I turned and my eyes widened to see, of all people, VEGETA standing in the doorway, glowering at us.
"…landing training," I lied. "You never know when you might get hit so hard that you lose focus and can't fly. So you need to know how to land so you can get back into the fight." I grabbed Gohan who had come up to me and threw him back at the bed, the boy this time landing in a crouch and launching himself into the air, flying back to me as I tossed a giggling Videl.
Vegeta stared at me for a long moment before huffing, though he nodded his head. "Very well, Magic Man. At least you are teaching my nephew something useful. Now then, which way to the cafeteria?"
"We call it a kitchen, Vegeta," Goku chirped. "Or a dining room, depending if we eat in there. I'll show you!" he hurried off, Vegeta following at a more leisurely pace.
I tilted my head at that before glancing at Krillin. "So… you don't think this is odd AT ALL?"
"What, celebrating with Vegeta?" Krillin asked. "Chichi thinks we can trust him and Raditz assured us the promise you made him make-"
"Never mind," I muttered. "Alright kids, let's go down and eat." I pushed them towards the door… only to stop and stare as five different Namekians walked past us. "…oh you have got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed, following after them to find I was on the third floor of the massive log mansion…
…and on the first floor was Lord Guru who was chatting with Mrs. Brief.
"Did you enjoy the peppermint tea?" Mrs. Brief asked.
"It was lovely, thank you," Lord Guru said.
"Well, I'm just glad we figured out a way to give you and your fellow Namekians treats for Christmas!"
I blinked at that before pinching the bridge of my nose. "Crazy filler arcs…"
~MC~MC~MC~
"I don't need another sweater, Hercule," Miguel said with a laugh as her husband held out his arms, several different garments draped over them. She was seated at the large dining room table, enjoying some waffles because while she normally preferred to not have something overly sweet for breakfast it was Christmas Eve and as such she wanted to treat herself. Thus it wasn't merely a plateful of waffles she was eating. No… it was one covered in syrup, whipped dream, sliced chocolate strawberries, and sweet sprinkles
She knew that many wives would have gotten offended by their spouses hovering as much as Hercule was. Accused them of being too protective or that they didn't have faith in their wives. Snapped that they were grown women and didn't need to be coddled.
But… Miguel had seen how Hercule had been pulled through the ringer by her sickness. Seen how he had made it his life mission to be there for her and to help her out however he could. Understood how scared he was of a relapse even though every doctor had told them that she was more than fine; heck, several had commented that by the time she had her full strength she would be stronger than she had ever been.
So instead of getting angry… she laughed.
"I know but it does get drafty inside," Hercule stated.
"Excuse me?" Bulma said, eyebrow twitching slightly. Miguel hadn't spent much time with the Briefs' daughter but she knew that she was a prideful young woman and didn't like it when she felt she was being questioned by someone. "I personally oversaw the construction of this cabin-"
"Mansion," Launch coughed.
"-and I can assure you it isn't drafty in the slightest."
Miguel's husband paled a little as he realized the danger he was in. "Well… that might be but it doesn't hurt to bundle up!" Hercule held out a sweater with a grumpy looking kitty on it, a santa hat on its head. "If you can't decide ya can always wear them all-"
"I think Miguel will be toasty warm as she is," Avo Kayos said as he came into the room. He had dressed rather casually, in a pair of jeans and a thick flannel shirt and warm looking white and gray socks. "Christmas magic and all that." He patted Miguel's shoulder and she saw a spark of magic flare from his hand and enter into the nice bulky sweater she was already wearing. At once she felt the temperature within it adjust; not too warm, not too cool. Just perfect so she could enjoy the day without getting overly hot or shivering.
"You grew out your beard," Miguel said, gesturing towards Avo's face. When she had first met him he'd sported a circle beard, with his cheeks completely smooth. But now they were covered in a plush looking beard that only added to him appearing to be a magical lumberjack.
"Thought it was time for a change," he stated. "Just more… Christmas Magic."
"I'd rather trust science," Hercule complained.
"Go put those away so they don't get messy," she said. "I promise to bundle up if we go outside."
"…alright, fine. I better check on Videl anyway. She should be down here by now." Hercule trotted off, leaving Miguel looking over at Avo who was going over the breakfast buffet that had been set up. Most of the other Z Fighters had already come and gone though Chichi had stated that many would come for a 'second breakfast' after their morning workouts. Even on Christmas Eve they didn't allow themselves to go lax. Bulma muttered something about wanting to make sure there 'was no draft' and headed out too.
That meant it was only Launch her heard Miguel tell Avo, "Thank you for that. What spell did you use?"
"A simple temperature control spell. It will keep you at the proper temp without you even needing to think about it."
"Very handy," Miguel said.
"Mind passing that along to me too?" Launch asked and Avo shrugged, thrusting out his hand and sending out a wave of magic at her. The blonde smiled and wiggled a little as she clearly felt the spell take hold. "Oh, very nice!"
"So… surprised you believe in magic, Miguel," Avo stated as he began to load up his plate with sausage patties and hash browns. Hercule had informed her that Avo tended to like his meat and like his potatoes and that was about it.
"Oh, because I am married to Hercule?" She glanced at Avo and smirked. "I know how he is with Ki and the like."
"You know about Ki?" Launch said, surprised.
"Very much so yes. Not as much as magic though. Hercule… he never could accept the death of his master and thus he created a… well, a mental block… when it comes to things he can't easily explain like Ki or Magic." She paused, wishing she could do something a bit more dramatic. Those that hadn't known her before her illness would have been surprised that she loved to go for the big and showy just as much as her husband. She had suggested many of his show-stopping moves herself, after all. But she supposed… "Tell me, can you detect magic like Ki users can detect Ki?"
"I can," Avo said. "I don't get a lot of use out of it but Baba taught me Mage Sight early on."
Miguel merely smiled.
Avo, sharp cookie that he was, stared at her, his eyes flashing… and he leaned back, his face showing his surprise.
Launch proved to be just as quick as she said, "You're a magic user?"
"I come from a long line of witches," she said with a proud little smile. "In a few years I'll begin teaching Videl, assuming I can get her out of the dojo. I haven't been able to practice my magic in a while, thanks to my sickness, but now that I am getting better I look forward to the two of us swapping spells."
"Huh," Avo said as he finally took his seat. "That will be nice. Baba is… I can't even really call her a mentor. She's just someone that mocks me if I don't get things completely right."
"That does sound like her. I have aunts like that. I would be happy to give you tips."
"Thank you." He paused. "What color are you?"
"Color?" Launch asked, confused.
Miguel smiled and turned to her, figuring that she would be the better one to explain. "Magic can be broken down into different classes, each with its own 'color'. Ebony for manipulating magic in ways it normally shouldn't. Ivory for building upon the rules of magic to in turn build your own strength. Sapphire is domination, Scarlet is support. Orange focuses on the impossible and breaking past the limits. Gold is about self-improvement. Emerald is nature. Violet is about destruction to create something new. Pink is mimicry and Brown is about the taking and using of other powers. And then of course you have your alignment: good and evil. And after that each color and alignment pairing has a focus." She smiled, rather proudly. "I, for one, am a Good Aligned Violet Sorceress."
"Violet," Avo said slowly. "Baba told me they tend to hack off their magic if it is giving them problems."
"Evil ones might," Miguel admitted. "For someone like me its more like building a house of cards. Evil Violets will smash the house down into nothing. I will take apart everything but in a more controlled manner. But the purpose remains the same: to bring you back down to the original building blocks. Because even failure teaches you something."
"I don't follow," Launch said.
"Let's say I am trying to do the spell that Avo just did," she stated. "And the first time I do it I cause things to get too hot on the outside of the shirt, or too cold. Icicles are forming or steam is coming off. Other magic users would go "Let me step back and tweak this one thing". I tear everything down and start all over. Because I will learn far more going back to the very beginning. Yes, at first, doing so costs me time. But I learn how to do step one, step two, step three. So that they become second nature and eventually they aren't steps anymore. I don't have to go back to them because they are the base."
Launch slowly nodded her head at that. "So its like teaching someone to fight. I know how to throw a punch so I don't even need to think about how to hold my wrist or squeeze my fingers. Its just natural."
"Exactly!" Miguel said, rather pleased. "Baba was right that not all Violets are like me… but then again every magic user is a bit different." She looked at Avo. "What are you?"
He squirmed.
"What?" Miguel said, curious why he wasn't discussing what color he was. Most times Magic Users would talk your ear off about what color they were.
"Officially? Like if someone had me write it down for the government? I am a Neutral Orange Sorcerer."
That made Miguel frown. "And Unofficially?"
"Unofficially… I am attempting to become the Silver Sorcerer."
Miguel dropped her fork with a clang upon her plate.
Launch darted her eyes back and forth between the two of them. "That's… bad. I sense that is bad."
"It isn't bad," Miguel whispered. "Its impossible. Silver Magic Users don't have alignments because they break the rules completely. But not like Ebony Magic Users. Ebonies focus on the rules of magic, like you can't create something from nothing… at minimum you need power to do it. They look for ways to bend the rules of magic. They tend to be the ones that discover new limits, assuming they don't destroy themselves. But Silver… Silver forces magic to simply not work like it should." She looked at Avo. "How far-"
He held out his hands and Good and Evil Magic flared out in his palms.
Miguel couldn't believe it.
His good magic was fierce and wild, like a savage animal. His evil magic clung to him like a frightened child. They… they were behaving in opposite ways!
"Recently I visited another world and talked to some Sorcerers. They say I am close. That I just need to stop thinking of magic as I have been and let the secrets come to me. When I do… my good and evil magic will merge together and-"
"And you will be the Silver Sorcerer," Miguel whispered.
"That sounds like a lofty title," Launch stated, trying to smile but failing.
Miguel nodded. "I am a Violet Sorceress. My mother is one as well and if that is the path that Videl goes down… Hercule will affect her and she might be something else… she will be as well. There are many Violet Sorcesses. Just like there are plenty of Green Warlocks or Golden Casters. But… there has never been a Silver Sorcerer. It's a legend. A myth. If Avo can do it…"
And that was the wonderful, amazing, beautiful thing about it.
Miguel… was sure that Avo COULD.
'And you know what they have whispered,' she thought to herself. 'When the Silver Sorcerer reveals themselves… the Age of Order will be over. The Age of Science. The Age of Law. The Age of the Gods. Their time will be at an end. And from them will come the Age of Magic. The Age of Chaos."
Miguel… smiled.
'Oh yes… I will be helping you out Avo Kayos!'
~MC~MC~MC~
"I still don't understand this foolish holiday," Vegeta complained as he followed after his sister, who was making sure the decorations were in place. Honestly Vegeta thought it was a foolish waste of time. They chopped down trees and the like and then brought them inside and made it look like they were still alive. Useless and wasteful!
"Its about showing people you care," Chichi said as she wandered along one of the hallways that led towards the great living room area. Though, considering the size of it, she didn't know if it could be called a 'living room'. It was multiple stories tall with balconies all around it and there was enough space that, had they removed all the furniture, Vegeta and Raditz could have sparred and not risked damaging the walls. "Did Saiyans not have a way to do that for the ones they cared for?"
"We did not waste time on gifts," Vegeta said with a huff. "You proved yourself on the battlefield. If you did not fight well then no one would trust you to watch their backs."
"That's… depressing," Chichi said with a sad shake of her head.
"It is life, woman," Vegeta said with a scoff. "We did not have time for such meaningless things like-"
"Family? Love?" Chichi asked sardonically.
Vegeta merely huffed at that. "Earth has made you soft."
"Planet Vegeta made you heartless," she replied.
Vegeta frowned at that. He knew it was supposed to be an insult but it wasn't. Not really. One had to be heartless if they wanted to survive the universe. He would have thought that, at this point, his sister would have realized that. Frieza had shown that one couldn't be soft and sweet and caring for all because everywhere you turned there were people looking to take advantage of that.
He opened his mouth to tell her JUST that but Chichi was already speaking, clearly having decided to move on. "Well, things look very lovely and now we have a chance to truly relax." She entered into the great main area and moved towards a couch, considering it for a moment. "You know what I want to do today? Take a nap."
Vegeta opened his mouth to complain only to snap it shut. 'Naps are… rather nice,' he had to admit. He had gotten in plenty of them during campaigns and they always did help give him the energy to fight the next fight.
So instead of scolding her Vegeta moved to sit across from her as Chichi settled onto one of the main couches that surrounded the massive Christmas tree that was in the center of the room. It was well over 25 feet tall and Vegeta could see the pale little fighter, Chiaotzu, flying around it with several of the Namekian children, finishing the decorating of it. Normally their giggles and laughter would have annoyed the hell out of him but he found, sitting there in a warm and comfortable room with a chair that seemed to mold to his body in all the right ways, that he honestly didn't care.
'Huh… that is very odd.' Out loud he said, "So tell me then, what does one do during Christmas?"
"Well, normally I would be getting ready but Bulma and her family saw to that. And what tasks I would do, like getting presents and the like, has already been taken care of. So I think for once I'm going to mimic my husband and just relax!" she stretched as much as she could before settling down on the couch and just smiling, eyes half shut. "I don't mind talking to you though, so we can discuss things. Otherwise I'm just… going to enjoy not doing anything."
"Lazy," Vegeta said but there was no real heat to his words. It was a weak insult and Chichi seemed to get that as she didn't throw a fuss. "What else?"
"Well, there will be a lot of food the next couple of days," she said. "Lots of sweets and treats."
"What of meat?" Vegeta asked. "A Saiyan can't fight with only sugar in their veins."
"Always back to the fighting ," Chichi said, a bemused little smile on her lips. "Yes, there will be plenty of meat. Ham, turkey, even a Christmas Goose. And of course Kentucky Fried Chicken."
"What is a Kentucky and why is it frying my chicken?"
"It's a restaurant," Chichi stated. "KFC. Its tradition to have their fried chicken on Christmas. Normally Goku and I just made it ourselves but this year the Brief family got us several party barrelss"
Vegeta slowly nodded. "Earth is shaping up to be better than I thought if they have chicken by the barrel-full."
"There will be movies and some will want to sing Christmas carols though I doubt you'll like that. Presents too. If you haven't gotten anything for anyone you'll want to get with Bulma so she can get it air delivered."
"Shouldn't I be getting gifts, rather than giving them? I am the one with the highest rank."
"Not the way it works."
The way it should have worked, in Vegeta's opinion. But he supposed, since it sounded like Bulma would be handling the securing of the items, that he could allow it. After all, a king handed out titles and lands to those that pleased him so why not gifts? He could probably command the woman to pick out things they would actually like as he would get them all sensible, useful things like clothing and training gear and they probably would coimplain about that, saying it wasn't in the 'spirit of the season'.
"Hmm… I suppose I can celebrate this holiday with you. Though I could go with more fighting."
"Hahahaha!" the mage, Avo Kayos, roared with laughter and Vegeta turned to see him near the tree, nearly doubled over. "You… you don't think Christmas has fighting?"
"It does?" Vegeta said.
"It doesn't," Chichi said coolly.
"That is a lie," Avo declared, pointing right at Vegeta's sister. "It is a dirty, filthy lie." He gained some control over himself. "Don't get me wrong, Vegeta… Christmas can be peaceful. But you put a large group of people together and tell them, "Make this peaceful" and they will decide that means "make it perfect" and that will result in so much fighting that it will make your head spin. And that's just if we stay here! We go out shopping and we can get into several fist fights."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at that as Avo stepped into the air, climbing invisible steps thanks to his magic, to help one of the Namekian kids who had gotten his robes caught on a branch. "Fighting trying to obtain these presents I am supposed to get? This is sounding better and better!"
"No, it is not!" Chichi huffed.
"You relax, woman!" Vegeta snapped. "You can lounge around… I will fight these people for your gifts! That sounds more like a proper Saiyan Christmas than just having Bulma obtain them!"
"Oh, you want a REAL fight Vegeta?" Kakarot said, suddenly appearing beside him. "Because I can get you a REAL good fight!"
"Between me and you?" he asked; he really did want to test himself again against Chichi's husband again.
"I mean, sure, we could spar a little, but the fight I am thinking of would require both of us to work together!"
Avo glanced over at Kakarot. "What are you thinking?" His tone made it clear he was worried but Vegeta didn't know why the mage would be concerned. Kakarot was a Saiyan warrior; even being a low class one he still could handle anything earth threw at him.
"Mr. Satan told me about it!" Goku said in delight. "An evil being that seeks out to ruin Christmas. And I'm gonna find him!" He clenched his fist and held it close to his face. "The Krampus."
Avo was quiet.
"Come on Vegeta! You want to help me hunt down the Krampus?" Kakarot said excitedly.
"Normally I wouldn't care what this Krampus did. But… I am itching for a good fight… it will help me relax and enjoy Christmas!"
"That's great!" Kakarot declared. "So we have some time before we need to head out so lets get some food, okay? I think Bulma's mom mentioned that the pheasant was ready…"
Vegeta smirked as he followed after Kakarot. This Christmas was looking up.
~Later That Evening~
I watched as Goku and Vegeta prepared to fly out, checking over their gear while Chichi and, to my bemusement, Bulma and Mrs. Brief fussed over them both to keep warm and take winter jackets. That was despite the fact that I had charmed their outfits much like I had Miguel's so that they would be able to stay nice and warm despite the colder weather they were heading towards (and considering it was snowing at that moment where we were that said a lot).
Goku had tried to get the others to join him in going after the Krampus as, according to him, the more people that faced the Krampus the stronger he got so it would actually make the fight better. I wasn't for sure how that worked but I was also a mage who had a counterpart that was dating a goddess while playing Yugioh so I really didn't have a leg to stand on there.
But the others had all turned him down. Politely of course but they had wanted to just enjoy the holiday. Gohan wanted to teach Dende all about Christmas, Yamcha and Krillin were excited to watch Die Hard with me, having never seen the film before, while Tien was planning to teach Nail and a few other of the Namekians how to play pool. Apparently that third eye of his made him a shark when it came to that game.
"I wish I could go with you," Gohan said sadly.
"Aw, but you need to stay here and wait for Santa!" Goku said gently while Vegeta scoffed.
"I wonder if Santa is also a Namekian," I muttered to Isco.
My friend, currently floating around in his drone form, merely turned to me. "Knowing our luck sir it will turn out he was a former member of the Ginyu Force."
I couldn't decide if the idea of Santa Claus in the Ginyu Force Pose with an elf, a reindeer, a snowman, and a polar bear was funny and horrifying.
"Alright, we'll be back in a few hours!" Goku chirped. "Everyone have a great Christmas Eve!"
"Enjoy lazing about rather than fighting against a foe that can truly challenge you!" Vegeta snarked.
"We will!" Bulma said with a grin that made Vegeta huff before they rocketed off. "Well, I plan to curl up with a good book. Lord Guru, care to join me?"
"I would be delighted to," the elder Namekian said, using the mobile hover chair that Dr. Brief had given him to follow after Bulma as she made her way to the glass garden that was set up at one end of the mansion. It allowed one to be surrounded by snow but feel toasty warm.
"Alright Avo, let's go check out this movie!" Krillin said with a grin.
"One moment," I said before sending out a bit a magic at Gohan, the boy letting out a yelp. "There we go."
"And what was that?" Chichi said.
"Tracking spell in case this one decides to try and chase after Goku."
"Mr. Kayos!" Gohan whined and I knew at once my guess had been correct. "That's not fair at all."
"Yeah, it isn't. But so is ruining Christmas because you can't stay put and forcing us all to find you. Now go have fun with your friends."
Gohan huffed but hurried off to join Dende, who was teaching him a Namekian stone game. Chichi came up to me and just smiled, patting my arm. "Thank you."
"Meh, all of us need to act as adults sometimes and watch over the kid." I rolled my neck. "Alright Isco, Krillin, Yamcha… let's hit it." But even as I turned to head to the small (for her) theater Bulma had set up I found myself frowning. Goku and Vegeta leaving felt like it was only going to end in pain.
~MC~MC~MC~
"I do not understand why you wrap the gifts," Elder Sax said as he watched Dr. Brief show off how he was wrapping the present he had gotten for Dende.
It still amazed the Namekians how kind their hosts were. Just being hosted at the large wooden house was enough. But the Brief family had made sure to learn what they liked in their water, so that they could have flavorful treats. They let them join in with the caroling (they were good with most songs though they preferred no one begin whistling) and the games outside (though it required all to dress up very warmly). And now presents. Toys and such for the young ones and it had been hinted by Dr. Brief that there would be gifts for all the adults up to Lord Guru! It was far too much yet they knew they couldn't ask the Brief family to stop because it would come off as rude.
Still, if made all the Namekians want to find some way to repay their hosts' kindness. Elder Sax was doing so by finding out all he could about Christmas, quizzing everyone so that they could share their thoughts on the traditions. It wasn't the pesky questioning that came from a child who didn't want to accept an answer, but rather from someone wanting to show great respect by learning WHY things were done. As such Dr. Brief and his family had become rather chuffed and pleased every time they were asked a question.
"Its part of the surprise," Dr. Brief stated. "We don't always do it… there are other ways to bring about the magic of Christmas."
That made the Namekian elder frown. "Christmas has magic? How can a date on a calendar have magic?" He understood a person having magic. After all, Elder Sax himself had magical abilities. The ability to heal, for example. But a date?
"Oh?" Dr. Brief said with a slight smile. "You think only living creatures can have magic?"
"Not just the living," Elder Sax stated. "After all, objects can have magical powers. But a date is just… a date. It isn't something you can touch. You can't feel."
Dr. Brief considered that before standing up and motioning for Elder Sax to follow him. They had been in his private study, all the children warned not to come in and disturb him as he wrapped the gifts. But rather than heading towards the door that led to the rest of the cabin he instead went to the back door that led to a small outdoor balcony.
Elder Sax stared.
Stretching out before him was a forest covered in snow. The great pine trees with their needle-covered branches stood like white-draped sentinels upon the mountain the cabin was on. He could hear the laughter of the children as they played in the snow and further out he could see several people, either his brothers or the Z Fighters, sledding down through the thick drifts of snow. The sun was beginning to set, creating a beautiful orange glow over it all.
"Tell me… do you feel the magic?" Dr. Brief asked.
Elder Sax had to admit… he could.
~MC~MC~MC~
"Kakarot, what did that salesman mean when he said I would be 'riding bitch'?" Vegeta asked as he pressed up closer to Goku. They were on a snow mobile because Goku had reasoned that flying to their destination would burn too much energy and they needed every drop they could get. Thus the two of them, dressed in their winter gear, were riding towards the spot Goku had picked out to face the Krampus. At first Vegeta had been annoyed at the idea of riding with Goku but when Goku had pointed out that HE barely understood how to use a snow mobile and he was from earth Vegeta had sighed and agreed. And while at first he had tried to be dignified about it the speed of the vehicle had forced him to wrap his arms around Goku.
"I'm not sure," Goku called back. "Hey, you want to take a bathroom break? Stretch our legs? It is pretty cold with the wind hitting us, even with the magic Avo did to our clothes…"
"And waste even a second we could be fighting this Krampus?" Vegeta demanded. "Of course not! A Saiyan doesn't need to take a bathroom break! And a Saiyan has ways of dealing with the cold!"
"Okay, okay, eesh," Goku said before turning his head forward once more to focus on driving. After a few moments though he frowned. "Huh… is it getting warming, Vegeta?"
Vegeta didn't say a word, only letting out a content sigh.
~MC~MC~MC~
In Otherworld there were multiple Christmas parties that occurred and King Kai always managed to make it to at least three of them. Sometimes four, if one party wasn't as bumping and hectic as was his preference. He definitely wanted to hit up the Supreme Kai Shin's festive celebration; Shin might not have the most raunchy of parties but he did have an amazing spread and the gift bags were to die for (no pun intended). That would be his second stop, so that he could arrive and get a few sandwiches (how Shin got the gravy to soak into the bread without making it soggy was a mystery to all) and his goodie bag but not be expected to stick around for long. Everyone knew that the party thrown by the Lordly Kai was the best place for a quick hook up and thus was always the last place he went.
But the first party he was at? It was the perfect one to get in the party spirit (again, no Pun Intended) and thus his first choice to show his friend Roshi a good time.
King Kai had gone off to chat with the South Kai about his galaxy (may it never be destroyed by an insane Legendary Super Saiyan, as the old proverb went) leaving Roshi to hang out at the bar. Not that the martial arts master minded all that much as sometimes it was nice to fly without a wingman.
Case in point, Roshi grinned as he spotted the exotic beauty that was seated at a table by herself, sipping a Rum Rum Rudolph. While she didn't have a nice rack she was a tall, lithe thing with 2 sets of arms, glowing white eyes, and long silver hair that streamed down her back. She had on a flimsy white dress that Roshi already wanted to get wet… in more ways than one… and she had some sort of candle stopper, though overly large, at her side which told him she was a kinky lady.
Grabbing his Snow Day he ambled up to her table, sliding in next to her.
"So… likin' the party?" he asked. "Really going well."
"Hmmm," the woman said only, staring at him for a moment before taking a drink. As she did so she grew an extra 2 inches, lost one set of arms, and gained 3 more eyes. Roshi was already knowing that this was going to be better than he had thought! "I hope you aren't going to try and claim you had a hand in this. Considering my brother is the one throwing it-"
"Nah, I wouldn't do that," Roshi said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Ain't no good if you snag a fine lookin' gal like yourself if ya have ta lie about it! I want ya in the sheets because you want to be there."
"Considering your history?" the woman said as she reduced her eyes down to three, shrank down about a foot, and regained her second set of arms. "I suppose if I were looking for some meaningless sex…"
"Are ya?" Roshi said, leaning in close.
The woman sighed, her head growing to twice its size, her arms now rather muscular but her legs tiny and spindly like a child's. She looked at Roshi before draining her glass in one long slow draw. "… as horrible as it is to say… yes, yes I am."
"Hot dog!" Roshi declared. "Guest bedroom available? Or ya want ta just stick to a broom closet? I have a trick I can do with a mop-"
"Guest bedroom," she replied, standing up even as her legs lengthened, and, much to Roshi's delight, her chest tripled in size. The night was looking better and better! He couldn't wait to tell King Kai he had bagged the Ghost of Christmas Past!
"I do not know what you are thinking now," the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come said, sliding over to them, "but I can tell you what awaits you: chlamydia."
At once the Ghost of Christmas Past turned away from him and walked away.
"Thanks a lot ya Grim Reaper reject!" Roshi snarled. "You foresee me wettin' my pecker in the future?"
The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come pointed to a rotund woman that was eyeing up the buffet.
"If ya think I will-"
The woman selected a large summer sausage and promptly swallowed it without biting it.
"…think ya can introduce me?" Roshi asked, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shrugging his shoulders and motioning for Roshi to follow him.
~MC~MC~MC~
"What are we doing here, Kakarot?" Vegeta complained in a huff, folding his arms over his chest as he looked at half built ruins before him. "Is this the home of the Krampus?"
"What? Oh no!" Kakarot laughed at that. "We'd never make it to the home of the Krampus! And even if we did that wouldn't make any sense, Vegeta! He's out tonight, remember?"
Vegeta glowered at that before letting out a huff. It did make complete sense, once that fool Kakarot explained it. Didn't mean he was happy with having his error pointed out. So, rather than admit the mistake, he merely sat down on a rock near one of the massive mushrooms that grew out of the ground and stared at the ruins. "Then what is this place, Kakarot?"
"Well, Krampus is attracted to bad people. That's what draws him to houses."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "So you decided to bring me out here, where there is no one else about, in hopes of luring him into the open?"
"What? No! I mean, sure, you attacked us and you've done some bad things Vegeta-"
Vegeta smirked, thinking of all the people he had slaughtered.
"-but there is someone WAY more evil. And this… is his home." Kakarot narrowed his eyes and stared at the half rebuilt castle. "So all we have to do is wait for Krampus to come here and deal with this monster."
~MC~MC~MC~
"Oh god he's back!"
"Sire?" Mai said, walking up to her trembling master. "What's wrong?"
"It's Goku!" Emperor Pilaf sobbed, pointing at the window. "He's out there again! Just staring at me! Oh, he's going to destroy my castle again!"
"Weren't we all strapped to tables, waiting to be operated on?" Shu said, looking about. "And why does the calendar say its Christmas?"
~MC~MC~MC~
"Well, that was a great movie!" Krillin said as he leaned back in his chair with a grin. "Thanks for showing it to us, Avo!"
"No problem," I said as I gathered up the bowls of popcorn that were scattered about.
"I wonder how things are going with Goku," Yamcha said, glancing out of the window.
"You think he found the Krampus?" Krillin asked.
A thought suddenly struck me and I held out my hand, the Scroll of Knowledge flying to my hand. "Hey Scroll? First off, Merry Christmas."
"Why are you wishing it a Merry Christmas?" Yamcha asked.
"Because I think its becoming self aware," I said quickly before focusing on the scroll. "So… is the Krampus real?"
The scroll took a moment.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
FUCK NO
"Well… that answers that," I replied.
~MC~MC~MC~
"Any minute now," Goku said.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US AT CHAOS THEORY Z