World Tree MUSH

    Warm sunlight streams in through the windows of the oppulant guest room.

    The room is decorated in subdued pink. The bed is warm and soft and obviously made for someone larger than Rydia - possibly it's meant to sleep two people, even. Rydia is almost drowning in thick quilted duvets and pillows! The room also features a dresser, complete with mirror, and a counter with clothes laid out atop it - a small green dress designed for warm summery weather, accompanied by a more tomboyish outfit consisting simply of a green t-shirt and trousers of a blue, thick cotton material Rydia may not be familiar with. There are ribbons and other accessories laid out as well, all of them in colours matching Rydia's usual colour scheme.

    Where the heck is she?

    After the fiasco in Ivalice, summoning Shiva did more than simply drain the young Summoner. It utterly wrecked her. Passing out the way she did was pretty bad, and she harly stirred the whole way save for some fitful squirming when Peach had carried her, but she was by and large out like a light.
    Waking up in unfamiliar surroundings in a soft bed is... Actually uncomfortable. So used to sleeping in camping rolls and on hard floors, the soft, overly large mattress, and abundance of cushions eventually only makes the green-haired girl's stirring even more fitful, until lashes flicker... And her eyes open.
    Immediately she brings a hand in front of them to shield from the gaily bright sunlight, wincing as she rolls over and yanks the sheets over her head. Before she realizes she has sheets to actually do so. It is a curious head that pokes out from the covers, eyes bleary and staring owlishly at her surroundings- and the myriad of outfits laid out all in green.
    "Buh... What..." She croaks, too confused to actually get up, for the moment.

    Before she really has time to get used to her surroundings, the door opens - and in bustles a small woman in a pink maid's outfit. A small woman with a... mushroom cap on her head - white with pink spots. Her hair is also pink... she really does have a very specific colour scheme.

    "Oh, you're awake!" the woman says in surprise. "Oh, the Princess -will- be relieved." Her voice is... high pitched, but not altogether unpleasant. 

    "She caused quit a stir last night, you know!" Toadette continues conversationally, as she walks over to draw the curtains fully - not seeming to notice how uncomfortable Rydia is. "Returning to the castle with such a deep cut in her arm, carrying a young girl... what has she been up to?"

    Enter Toadette. The bright pink motif is eye searing, but it's the mushroom cap that gets the most staring as Rydia rubs at her eyes with one arm. "Unh." Is her initial response when she's found awake, cringing as the curtains are flung open.
    Looks like there will be no sleeping in, not with that bright light anyway.
    But even after all that sleep, the Summoner is exhausted to her bones. Summoning an Eidolon is a taxing ordeal for the untrained, and just thinking about it makes her huddle deeper into the covers with a shiver as she remembers the soul-chilling bite of Shiva's cold. So yeah. What HAS that princess been up to.
    "It's... A long story." Pause. "... Wait, princess?"

    "Princess Peach, of course! Oh, don't tell me... did she forget to introduce herself properly?" Toadette tuts as she busies herself bustling around the room - straightening the clothes on the dresser, dusting invisible, and probably immaterial dust... she obvious is more interested in gossip than work at the moment. "Princess Peach is the monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom. Which is where you are right now! She took you right here and told us that... you had done something amazing to save some people and needed to rest. Ring any bells?"

    "Things were a little hectic, I... Wait..." Rydia is still groggy, but the name jogs her. "She was... She was at... Rome." She remembers now. The princess in pink that ran into the collapsing building. That was her again in Ivalice.
    The Summoner rubs at her aching temples as she sits herself up slowly. "A lot of bells are ringing. In my head." She replies with a low groan.

    "Rome? Oh, yes, the Princess did visit Rome recently. We aren't sure what happened - she came home with her hair full of brick dust! That princess is too adventurous by half," the diminutive maid continues, in a sing-songy sort of voice that makes clear she doesn't actually mind.

    "Now! You should get up and get dressed, young lady. The Princess will be wanting to see you, and you must be at your best when meeting royalty, yes?" She claps her hands, then lowers her voice. Almost conspiratorially. "The Princess can probably do something about that headache."

    As much as Rydia wants to collapse back into the sheets and not move, she knows she's probably going to have to get up at some point anyway. She had just been hoping it would be later rather than sooner. Alas, no luck there. Slowly, the child starts to crawl free of the sheets, gingerly starting with one foot, then the other, she stands herself up only to wobble dangerously in place before catching herself.
    'Get dressed'.
    There's a look down at her messy robes before she looks to the provided outfits.
    "I'll need a minute..."
    She'll wait for Toadette to give her some privacy before she picks something, so she can be led to the princess in question.

    Elsewhere in the hall, another guest room's door cracks open, revealing Goku. Still a little bit bruised (unless he was treated), but dressed in whatever clothes were there when he woke up (his own, in whatever condition they were in? Replacements or fixed ones? Something else entirely?), and Power Pole holster strapped to his back.

    It's not because of INJURIES that he looks like death warmed over when he zombie-shuffles into the hallway through, slumped over and arms dangling. "Huuuuuungry.... I'm staaaaaarving... gotta find some food!"

    Goku has, of course, received both medical treatment and a change of clothes. Can't be having a scruffy boy showing up injured in dirty clothes to lunch with the Princess, after all!

    Once Rydia is dressed, Toadette leads her out of the room - almost deciding to lead her by the hand before thinking better of it - and 'coincidentally' right past Goku, who is promptly swept up with an almost matronly shooing and beckoning from Toadette.

    The two children are lead into a smallish conservatory. Two of the walls are made entirely of glass, allowing bright sunlight to stream in and illuminate...

    Peach, sitting at a table. She's wearing her pink dress once again, and has her crown on and her makeup done. She's... kinda slumped a bit in her chair, wasting time on her violently pink cell phone.

    Her right arm is in a sling...

    Toadette gives a loud 'Ahem!', causing Peach to eep quietly and sit up straight. "Presenting Lady Rydia of Mist and Master Son Goku," she says, in a prim and proper voice. Peach smiles and waves.

    It takes an aching and tired Rydia more than a moment to change, but once she's done, she's as good as she's going to get. For reference, she picked the green summer dress. It's just easier to get on than a shirt and pants. So she follows Toadette, and it's a good thing she doesn't get led by the hand. She'd probably decline anyway, adamant on moving on her own power, regardless of how utterly pale and exhausted she looks. She pauses only when she sees Goku.
    "You."
    There's a long moment of silent staring.
    "That was reckless, Claudia could have killed you." Another pause. "But I appreciate it."
    And there's Peach.
    "Princess." The small Summoner greets. No bow nor curtsey, as she's unsure which she should be pulling, so she plays it safe with 'niether'. But she does dip her head faintly.

    The comical zombie-shuffle halts the moment Toadette and Rydia come strolling by. Sensing this might be his best chance Goku follows right along! And it's only after about a ten seconds that he starts to wonder about the attendant leading them on.

    More specifically, her head. His eyes are drawn to it and if he wasn't in the back he'd be tempted to reach out and poke it testingly!

    But nope. None of those hijinx! Yet. Because Rydia's right here too! "You're looking better!" The boy comments happily enough to the greenette, clearly glad she's up and about again. Then he ponders over her words. They don't seem to be biting very deeply into him. He answers her in an unsure, airy tone, "If I hadn't, she would've gone after everyone else! ... Yeah, though. She was tough." He definitely can't approve of Claudia's wacky goals or sour attitude, but he seems happy to have run into an opponent who he couldn't just BEAT. The threat of death seems secondary at best here!

    Aaaaand... nope, not enough time to poke Toadette, because into the conservatory they go...

    And Goku's head cranes back and tilts every which way. "uhhhhhh...."

    So much glass. So much sunlight! He's never seen such a room before. Everything in the building's so fancy and ornate.!

    Inevitably his gaze follows the rays of sunlight... down to where Peach awaits.

    Goku... has no idea what a Princess is. Has never seen such a fancy dress! And has never been addressed as Master before.

    "Just Son Goku." He corrects in a friendly aside to Toadette. Because he's not a Master!

    "Hello!" Is his energetic greeting to Peach, entirely missing the regality of the situation in favor of taking a few paces forward! Then he notices the arm. "... will your arm be okay?"

    Peach's bright smile would almost seem to light up the room were it not already ridiculously bright in here.

    The princess beckons towards them. "Come on, sit down! Toadette, could we have another pot of tea, please? Oh! And a few slices of that cake I baked yesterday, please?" The pink-themed Toadette nods her head and scurries off.

    "All my friends just call me Peach," she says to Rydia with a smile. Once Toadette is gone she does let her posture slump juuust a little bit, before leaning forward. "I hope you two slept well! ... Oh, this?" She glances down at her arm, then gives Goku a little smile. "It's fine. It barely even hurts anymore."

    'Looking better' is relative in Rydia's case. The Summoner feels like death warmed over. "I met her a few days ago. Claudia." She asides to Goku. "She didn't seem like..."
    A homicidal killer intent on wiping out everyone she deems a heretic.
    Rydia can't think of a diplomatic way to put it so she shelves the thought.
    On to other matters. Like Princess Peach being right there, and Toadette wandering away. "Peach." She settles on easily enough. It's less stuffy than calling her by her title and that makes for two princesses that Rydia is on firt name basis with now. "It looked like a nasty cut, the other night." She notes point blank about the sling-wearing arm. She'd offer to use some White Magic on it... If she didn't feel like the attempt would make her keel over.
    "You brought us here?"

    Peach huh? Goku smiles at that for some reason maybe only known to himself! But when invited he springs right over. The boy seems surprisingly full of energy despite that grueling battle wherein he got pretty soundly beaten up and overexerted himself...

    He hops up onto the chair without any ceremony, and if the backing is solid it'll be sideways so his Tail won't get squashed. A tail that he uses to push against the floor and adjust the chair back into place at the table! Since his feet don't quite reach the ground in it!

    "Really well!" He affirms happily enough. A big bed definitely beats laying on the ground somewhere, or a tree branch.

    He gives Rydia a quick nod. "You were knocked out after the battle. Peach lead the way here." And he doesn't remember the journey that clearly because he was pretty exhausted himself. "... Where is 'here' anyway?" He turns and asks Peach, still smiling enthusiastically. Because he heard food!

    "Oh, it cut so deep it almost hit the bone. But don't worry! I'll be fine. I'm tough!" It's... not entirely inobvious that she's exagerating just how fine she is. Just a little bit.

    "That woman - Claudia Kinborrow... is a bloodthirsty maniac and you should probably avoid her. But maybe I'm biased because of her obvious hatred of nobility and my being a Princess and all~" she finishes in a sing-song voice. "She's very strong. I think probably stronger than me, if she goes all out. Next time I see her hopefully I won't be unarmed~"

    She tilts her head to one side. Her crown stays in place, almost like it's glued on or something. "Oh! This is Toadstool Castle. We're just outside Toad Town in the Mushroom Kingdom." Smile! "As for the name of the world... we call it, erm, 'Earth'. ... Which seems to be a common name, eheh~"

    Peach seems completely unsurprised by Goku's antics as he adjusts his seat using his tail.

    While Goku hops into his chair, Rydia takes her time gingerly easing herself into the one set out for her. Settling in with a sigh, the girl practically slumps into her seat, by the time she's good and settled. She side-eyes Goku and the use of his tail, staring for a beat before her attention is back up on Peach. "Doesn't surprise me that she wouldn't like a princess, after hearing her go on like that. She seemed... Alright when I first met her but..." But that was soundly proven wrong. Moving on.
    Toadstool castle. Toad Town. Mushroom Kingdom. ... Earth.
    One of these things seems different than the others byt Rydia opts to not question it.
    "It's. Not the first time." She mutters to Goku. I got a little carried away."

    "I don't really get what she was talking about." Goku admits, tone a tinge bothered. "'Highborn' and 'Nobility' and stuff. She was after the guy in charge of the place. Then blames everyone else in town for whatever he did that bothered her!" Yep. Claudia's logic is lost on Goku. Remembering the incident, he grinds his teeth a bit.

    "Next time I see her maybe she can explain." Though he hopes any such next time won't be so vicious!

    Over towards Rydia, the boy asks, "Weren't you trying to stop her?" Because, well. OF COURSE if you're trying to stop a madwoman you can't be carried away!

    Girls still don't make that much sense to him. He glances between Rydia and Peach. Then relaxes in his chair, reaching both up both hands behind his spiky hair.

    "Earth! Hehe. That's funny! It's the same name as the planet I'm from. Did I go back through that gate without realizing?"

    Because in Goku's mind, sure, why couldn't this place, with mushroom-headed people, exist somewhere on his Earth?

    Peach tilts her head to one side. "I don't think humans on this world ever come with tails..." But hey, who knows? Weirder things have happened. Some of her subjects are turtles!

    "...Dame Kinborrow is a zealot. She's a... a very religious woman who believes that her religious beliefs are the only valid ones. She tries to spread her religion and philosophy through both words and violence. There... there's probably a reason she acts that way, because I refuse to believe that anyone can just be transparently evil, but..."

    Peach shrugs her shoulders.

    And at that moment, the door to the conservatory, and the tea and cake arrives! Carried on a tray but a mushroom-headed man who is very much not Toadette. Perhaps she went back to cleaning.

    "Ah! Perfect timing, Toadly~" Peach sing-songs. The cake is a double-layered sponge of some sort - it's yellow, so possibly vanilla - sandwiching a layer of strawberry jam and cream, and topped with white icing and whole strawberries. Peach apparently baked it herself??

    "I don't think you'll like whatever explanation she has for you." Rydia says flatly to Goku, but then purses her lips. "I was trying to stop her, yeah. I just didn't expect her to... Have another Summoner with her." She mutters sourly.
    "Or for her to call Ifrit." Murmured even quieter.
    The thought of those raging flames makes the girl hug her arms to her chest tightly with a shudder. But the cake and tea arrives. A little too late though. Rydia's head dips. She's just that exhausted that she knocks out right in the chair where she sits.

    "Ah right! They used some kind of witchery and called a fire demon!" Goku was starting to forget about that! And he's just about to ask Rydia about it when two things happen. One, she falls right asleep...

    And, two, food arrives. OH BOY!

    A... lot less food than he was hoping for. But gotta start somewhere, right? His attention goes straight to it. And if it took any longer to reach the table he'd be drooling. Cake, haunch of dinosaur... whatever. "Alright. Food!"

    He belatedly turns back to Rydia and... and she's asleep. "Hm?" The boy looks from her to Peach, unsure what to do in this situation...

    But he does think to answer her. "Yeah, it's weird. Grandpa told me only boys have tails! ... but I've never seen anyone else with one." He canonly shrug at this. It's a puzzle, but not one he thinks about much anymore!

    Just then, there's this awful growly-gurgly-noise. Try as he might to show a SMIDGEN of manners, Goku can't do anything about his stomach being empty and protesting!

    Peach looks nonplussed as Rydia just... falls asleep at the table like that. "...Oh dear. Toadly, could you fetch a cusion? We don't want Rydia hurting herself if she falls forward."

Hernce a cushion has been retrieved, and placed on the table in front of Rydia, the mid-morning snack can be served! Peach can't help but giggle slightly at Goku's eagerness. "I warn you, this isn't my best work~" she cautions as the cake is cut into slices and the tea is poured.

    The cake is pretty amazing. Light and fluffy, with just a hint of vanilla and a strong kick of strawberry. And she says it's not her best work, too.

    Peach sips daintily at her tea. "...Oh, I wanted to compliment Rydia on her quick thinking - countering fire with ice and such - but, well..."

    "I can eat a lot!" He childishly warns her! Because that's taken people by surprise before... and for some reason he's inclined to be a taaaaaaad more mindful of himself around this girl. Without thinking about it much. A Princess's aura at work, maybe!

    He scars down half of his piece the moment it's served to him! Without the best of manners. He can't stuff it in his mouth quickly enough! Light and fluffy's not his style, but neither is Goku picky! "Mmmmmmm!" But he COULD get used to it, say the eyes that look admiringly towards Peach!

    "Eheheheh! More please!"

    Though he can wait a little bit for it! It wont' take him long to finish whatever he's given. The tummy's still rumbling.

    This is... not how one is meant to eat cake. Not that he's ever had any before.

    He pauses only briefly at realizing what Peach is saying! "Wait... that sudden blizzard... Rydia did that?!" He turns an amazed gaze towards the snoozing girl.

    Peach stares at Goku for a few seconds, then laughs. Hers is a musical sort of laughter - not the fake sort of laugh a Refined Woman(TM) practices for days until she gets it to an Acceptably Refined(TM) level, but genuine and undisguised. "Gosh! I don't think even Mario is as much of a fan of my cake~ Of course you can have more!"

    She giggles softly. "Mmmh. You didn't notice that was Rydia? Do you not have much magic where you come from? I could have sworn I saw you project... some sort of beam from your hands, but..."

    Desperately in need of a napkin if the smudges around his mouth are any indication, Goku answers Peach oblivious of his predicament! "Magic? Magic, magic... yeah we have some!" He reaches into his outfit and pulls out... a small orange sphere with 4 red stars, and puts it on the table. "These are called Dragon Balls! If you can find all seven the Eternal Dragon will come out of them and grant any wish you want. But... you mean the Kamehameha wave right? That's a martial arts technique. Anyone can learn it! ... I think." He tilts his head sideways, entering a rare state of thoughtfulness.

    Then coming out of it he declares, "Guess I was distracted. The flames just came pouring down and I had to get everyone out of 'em!"

    "Dragon Balls?" Peach hmms, leaning in closer. "...There are stories about wishes being granted by stars here. So the star symbology on this... Dragon Ball feels... appropriate." She giggles a little bit. "Gosh. 'Eternal Dragon'? Sounds frightening!"

    Peach reaches forward, and taps Goku on the nose. "Boop." A warmth flows over him - as well as sparkly white lights - and he very suddenly does not in fact need a napkin. "I've never heard of a martial artist doing such a thing without magic to back it up but I'll take your word for it~"

    A moment later, there's another slice of cake on Goku's plate. "I'm afraid this is all I can offer extra~ I'd have to bake a new cake to give you any more."

    "Unh."
    It's a bit of a sudden start, but Rydia sits up with a slight jolt. One hand rubs at her eyes before she realizes that little moment of resting her eyes lasted longer than she had planned it to.
    "Sorry." She mutters blearily before a shakey hand reaches for her cup of tea.
    Some tea should help.
    "Summoning Shiva took a lot more out of me than I thought it would."

    "He's big and scary looking, but really nice-- Hm?" Goku turns in jsut time for POKE ON THE NOSE! The boy's left blinking wide-eyed at this turn of events. Since he can't see his cheeks, he has no real idea what Peach just did! But he childishly laughs at it anyways.

    "That's okay!" He assures her. "I'll just go out huntin'later!"

    With Rydia reawakening, the youth digs into his second piece of cake... "Gf mrfing!" He gets out. Probably 'good morning' but with a mouthful of food.

    "Oh, honey, don't worry about it. Last time -I- did something amazing and magical I slept for two days," Peach responds to Rydia, with a playful lilting tone. "So, that being's name was Shiva? And the other's was... Ifrit?" Peach can't help but lean forward with interest. "Are those... gods? Or something else? I must admit I'm really very interested in this 'summoning' business~"

    "Not many people in this world can do things like that. I'm not even sure Bowser would be capable, and he's, like, the most powerful sorcerer on the planet I'm pretty sure." She lowers her voice. "Don't tell him I said that." She winks~

    And Rydia is back to cradling her head in her hand. "Good morning." She mutters dryly to Goku, before slowly whittling at her tea in slow sips. She glances up.
    "Yes." To the names she means.
    "They're not gods. Where I come from they're called Eidolons. Though they have different names in other places. Espers. Primals. They're more like powerful spirits. They live in the Feymarch, a world that's part of ours, but separate at the same time. The Eidolons are usually beings of power that each represent an element, but there are a few that embody their own concepts." She explains for Peach's curiosity.
    Before trying a bite of cake. Then another. And another. Then she's ravenously tearing through her slice. It must have really taken a lot out of her.

    Well! Goku's far too distracted with eating his second slice to have anything much to say here. But he's listening to the conversation. How much sense it's making to him remains to be seen.

    Well one thing comes to mind now that he's gotten a SLIGHTLY better idea of what happened. "You saved the town, then! Calling the ice spirit put out the fires! I couldn't have put out all those fires like that." And that's a feat Goku genuinely seems impressed by!

    Peach can't help but chuckle a little bit. "Oh gosh, maybe I should have asked for more than just tea and cake..." She herself is sipping at her tea and nibbling at her cake quite sedately. She doesn't seem to mind the two children's total lack of table manners, though.

    "Hmmm. That sounds interesting! I've never heard of such spirits before... the only things we have here even comparable are wish spirits, and they live on the Star Road..."

    She then grins a bit. "Goku is right, of course. But Goku deserves credit, as well! The two of you were amazing and absolutely instrumental in the effort to save those innocent lives from Kinborrow's assault. You did way more than I, at least~"

    Rydia has table manners. Right now they are just shelved due to how utterly famished the girl is. In record time that may rival Goku, her slice of cake is gone, and she leans back in her seat with a sigh. Her stomach still growls angrily, earning a hot faced look of embarrassment for a moment, before she clears her throat.
    "Star Road?" She ventures after a beat, before shaking her head. "I didn't exactly plan on that happening. There was just another Summoner there and she called Ifrit. She... Had more training than I did. I just sort of panicked and called out to the first thing that would listen. We got lucky it was Lady Shiva."

    "Star Road?" Goku's table manners are mostly non-existent, yes! And he's also curious about such a weirdly-named place.

    With both of his hands occupied, he leans sideways and his tail curls around the lone Dragon Ball, to stuff it back in his clothes. Best not leave something like that laying around!

    "I didn't do that much... keeping her busy was the best I could do. I have to train harder for next time! Because it sounds like she won't stop doing these terrible things no matter how we ask."

    "...Or was it Star Haven? Oh gosh I'm getting my cosmology all mixed up. Or was Star Haven -on- Star Road...?" Peach looks up, frowning a little bit. "...Well, in either case, they're both... spiritual realms, I suppose. In the sky. But far above the Cloud Kingdom. ... Does that make any sense?"

    Peach just continues to smile. "It wasn't luck, my dear. Well, not just." She reaches over to boop Rydia on the nose. "You, my dear, are a Hero. Both of you~"

    "I still say that was reckless." Rydia notes in regards to Goku tackling Claudia practically on his own. "But... Well I'm not suited for fights like that." Fights like... She trails off. "Those knights probably would have killed us, too, if Peach didn't hold them off." She realizes.
    Then she's caught off guard by the boop, nose scrunching. "I wouldn't call myself a hero, I just couldn't sit there and do nothing while she killed innocent people."
    That's when she notices the Dragon Ball get tucked away. "What's that?"

    "It's called a Dragon Ball!" Goku answers Rydia earnestly. He doesn't seem to mind being called reckless, brushing it off with a childish little laugh. What happened happened!

    "Bring all seven together and the Eternal Dragon will appear and grant your wish! Then they scatter all over the world and turn to stone for a year, so you can't use them over and over. Some bad people were gathering them a few months ago. I never did hear why!" ... And oh well, regarding that matter, by the sound of it.

    He nods to Peach, but it's pretty clear that he's not totally sure what to make of that. "Uhhhh... I think so? So if I take Nimbus and keep flying up will I reach them?"

    "Isn't that what makes a hero? Most people would just stand there and let it happen, too unsure of themselves or too afraid to intervene. But you... You went above and beyond what was expected of you. You put everything on the line to protect people you didn't even know! How is that not heroic?" She smiles warmly at Rydia.

    She then blinks once and peers at Goku. "...You know, honestly, you just might." She goes to clap her hands... then glances at her sling-clad right arm and thinks better of it. "So! I take it the two of you are still hungry? How about we have lunch a little early today, hm?" All smiles.

    "I was afraid." Rydia says pointedly to Peach. "The whole time." It is a candid honesty from the girl as she curls her fingers into the hem of her borrowed dress. Thankfully Goku gives another topic for her to latch on to. 
    "Grant a wish? Sounds kind of too good to ne true, to me. Wishes never come for free. Still... That sounds like something to keep out of the hands of some people..."
    Is she still hungry though? 
    "Yes please."
    Early lunch sounds amazing right now.

    "YES PLEASE!" is Goku's immediate response to the premise of MORE FOOD! Almost at the same time as Rydia. And once again his stomach growls hungrily. Might give a good idea of just how much this boy can eat. two pieces of cake just aren't gonna cut it.

    He once again turns his head Rydia's way though, and cants his head. "But you stood up to her." He points out to the greenette, still impressed at this. "It's kinda weird. You two and that Claudia person are the strongest girls I've ever seen!" Well. That's saying something from Goku's perspective, at least. His world's an odd one.

    "I'll keep it safe... but I'm really not lying. the dragon does grant your wishes! I asked him to bring back someone's father. He'd been killed by a fighter hired by those bad people to go after me... and it worked! Oh right!" He pulls out the Dragon Ball again. "It's not stone anymore. Guess it's been at least a year since then..."

    "So was I," Peach's equally candid answer comes. "I was being menaced with swords! What sort of maniac wouldn't be afraid? Listen: bravery isn't a lack of fear. Bravery is being afraid and doing what's right anyway." She leans back, taking out her cell phone again and tapping away at the screen with her thumb. "I'd say an epic quest to find seven mystical artifacts is hardly 'free'."

    She holds the phone up to your ear. "Hiii~! Change of plans: we're having lunch early. Yes... yes, I know, I'm sorry, but I believe in you! Heee, thanks~" Beep.

    "Ten minutes, she says."

    She just grins a little bit at the 'strongest girls I've ever seen' line.