Before the Winter. (Ohkara)

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar woke up in his bed as the sun shined across his bed and into his eyes. Shielding himself, he looked out the window to see that the first snowfall had happened, and there was an inch of fresh snow on the ground. "Well isnt that pretty..." He said to himself as he slipped out of his bed, got dressed and made his way to the kitchen.

He saw that he was the first one up and started to make breakfast. "Lets see, a nice hot breakfast for such a cold morning will be good. Now where did I put that bread..." He said, as he started to rummage around in his cupboards. It wasnt long before he found all the ingredients he needed, as he started to cook up bacon, and eggs with toast for breakfast. He put the toast down in the toaster while the scent of bacon started to fill the home and started to leak outside, where any passerby could catch a whiff of the wonderful smell.

While the food was cooking, Ethar quickly threw on a jacket and went out onto his front deck, and started to shovel off the snow. In case he had visitors that is.

It wouldnt be long until Ethar's roommate, Summers, had woken up to the smell of bacon, and wandered into the kitchen, wearing nothing but a very large T-shirt that she wore as pajamas, and nothing else. She wandered up to the stove and started to stir around the bacon so it wouldnt burn...

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara hadn’t been able to sleep well since her encounter with Astra a few days ago. So much had been foretold in their meeting, and ever since Ohkara’s mind had been racing. Crawling out of bed as the sunshine peeked through her ship’s window, she let out a groan. Her feet touched the cold, marble floor and a shiver ran up her spine. With a quick glance out the window, she spotted the snow that had fallen overnight. Shaking her head at the cold, she headed for the bathroom, where she’d start her normal daily routine.

Stripping her clothes off, she tossed them to the floor and peered at herself in the mirror. The bags under her eyes were heavy, her skin was pale, and she looked fairly sickly. It wasn’t a surprise, her appetite had been curbed by her feelings, and she hadn’t been eating right as of recently. Rolling her eyes, she turned to the bathtub, and ran herself a nice hot bath, in hopes that it would help her a little; in truth, the last time she’d tried this it hadn’t worked.

After some time spent soaking in the tub, Ohkara exited and dried herself. Running a brush through her hair, she noted the split ends, and rather unkempt color. There was no denying she’d been neglecting herself… The first time in a long time…

After brushing her teeth, she applied her normal layer of dark mascara and eyeliner, highlighting her normally sparkly-yellow eyes. Today though, the color was but a dull shade of its past self. Still, the makeup did a fair job hiding her poor look. Rummaging through her closet, she removed a pair of thick, black sweats, and a yellow hoodie. Tossing the sweater over her shoulders, she fed her arms though and zipped it up. Flopping back onto her bed, she pulled out her phone and idly scanned through the news. Other than cold, there was nothing new to be reported.

Rolling over onto her back, Ohkara pressed her phone to her chest and let out a sigh, ”I wonder how he’s doing…” she asked out loud, her thoughts returning to Ethar as they had been lately. She hadn’t seen him since his birthday, and she felt guilty. It wasn’t that she was avoiding him, but rather she hadn’t been able to steel her thoughts long enough to face him. She knew too much, and the whole idea of meeting up with him made her feel uncomfortable…

”M-maybe I should go see how he’s doing…” she said with a nervous tone. But could she? Would she screw up if she did? She didn’t honestly know…

Flicking herself off her bed, she let out a sigh, pressing her hands against her face after sliding her phone into her pocket, ”Get it together, Ohkara…” she told herself, ”He’s your friend. If you wanna see him, then go see him.”

After a second of thought, she gulped hard and nodded, ”Y-yeah…”

Stepping back onto the cold floor, she quickly threw on her socks and boots, and headed out the door before she could change her mind. Capsuling her ship, she tossed the small pod into her pocket and lifted off into the air.

It didn’t take long to reach the man’s house and she could see him shoveling snow off his porch. Stopping in the sky for a second, and having made sure her presence was masked, she watched him. For a second, she thought about leaving all together, but she quickly tossed the idea aside, ”No, now is the time…”

Taking a deep breath, she began to descend towards the ground. Giving the boy a wave, she called out to him, ”Heya, Ethar!” Touching down near his porch, she gave the man a small smile, ”I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked, ”It’s not like I can just call you and tell you I’m headed over…” her fingers rose to brush her stray bangs from her eyes, having worn her hair down today, and she let out a visible shiver, ”Sure is chilly up here…”

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar was just finishing up the shovelling when he heard a voice. He looked up to see Ohkara gliding down and smiling at him. It was always a pleasure to see Ohkara visiting him.

"Good Morning Ohkara. Nah, not interrupting anything. Just finishing up here before breakfast." He said as he returned her smile. Wind started to pick up a bit, cuasing new snow to fall from the sky, and he could see Ohkara shivering in the cold. "Good gracious girl, Get inside before you catch a cold!" He added as he set his shovel aside and gestured Ohkara to come into his home as he opened the door for her.

If she were to go inside, she would be greeted by the smell of breakfast, and the warmth of his home. As well as the sight of a very scandily clad young woman in his kitchen cooking the remainder of breakfast. Summers had grown considerably since the last time Ohkara saw her. Once she appeared as a 7 year old girl with wings a tail, and tiny horns. Now, she looked like a 16 year old girl who was becoming rather shapely.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Nodding at the offer, Ohkara was quick to push through the doorway and head inside; she wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather. Her hand rose to the zipper of her hoodie, which she pulled down a bit against the heat of the room; of course, she wasn’t going to pull it all the way down, it being the only upper layer of clothing she wore today. Kicking her boots off next to the door, she headed for the kitchen, where a girl seemed to be preparing breakfast.

Ohkara eyed the woman curiously, scanning her closely. She wasn’t exactly dressed, but there was something familiar about her. Was Ethar doing the naughty with this woman? Ohkara seriously doubted that, even with her lack of clothing. Suddenly, it clicked and she rose a brow, ”Summers?” she asked, a tone of skepticism in her voice. Not being familiar with the girls’ kind, she didn’t know if this was really the small succubus that had roomed with Ethar in the past.

Rounding the counter, Ohkara set to work rummaging through the cupboards, as if she owned the place. Taking out a few things, she placed them on the table, and set to work on brewing herself a cup of coffee. Ethar didn’t exactly have the traditional means to brew coffee, but Ohkara was well versed in the old ways. And she knew where he kept the stuff, just for her.

”How are you doing, hun? You’ve grown a hell of a lot!” she said, glancing back at the demoness over her shoulder.

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar waited for Ohkara to go into the door as she started to get Summers's attention. The young succubus looked over in Ohkara's direction when she spoke her name. "Hmm? Ohkara-Chan!" She said, as she turned off the bacon, and ran over to Ohkara and tighly hugged her. The young succubus even went as far as to nuzzle inbetween the womans breasts. The lil scamp.

Looking up to her afterwards, a brightly silly smile on her face, she replied "Im doing great now that your here!" as Ohkara made a comment about her being all grown up. "HEhe, Gotta thank Ethar for that one, He lost his...." She started to say, but Ethar interuppted her. "Thats enough Summers. Burden her not, with details that are not needed to be known." He said, as he dusted snow off of himself as he closed the door.

"Are you Hungry Ohkara? We got Bacon, eggs and some toast for breakfast, if you havent eaten yet..." He asked her, as he took off his jacket and hung it up on a hook next to the door.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara gave the demoness a pat on the back of the head as she hugged her, not seeming to mind too much of her rather flirtatious form. She was about to say something when Ethar interrupted her and told her to stay her tongue. Ohkara glanced over her shoulder, shooting curious look at the Noran, but ultimately shrugged it off. Whatever it was, she was sure it was something that would be too much to handle at the moment.

Returning her attention to the coffee she was brewing, just as it finished, she poured herself a cup and shook her head, ”Nah, I’m okay. Coffee will be fine for now.” grabbing up the cup, opened the fridge and removed the milk. After pouring a bit into her coffee, she’d stir it, and then sip from the rim as she pressed her bottom against the counter center of the kitchen behind her. She stood there for a moment in silence as she thought about what she wanted to say.

In truth, she felt somewhat uneasy and uncomfortable there, which was unusual for her. Still, looking inwardly, it made lots of sense. Normally she could just blurt out whatever she felt without having to worry about the consequences, but today, she couldn’t do that. She had to watch what she said. However, that held her thoughts in the past, and she recalled the last time the two hung out, aside from Ethar’s birthday party. It seemed their meetings were growing further and further apart, and it felt so cold…

A small laugh left her and she sipped once more from her hot coffee, ”It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen you,” she told Ethar, her gaze dropping to the floor, ”Maybe it’s silly… But I missed you…” Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink, and she tried to hide it by pushing her hair over her shoulders, ”I feel like things between us haven’t been the same since that night at Ethan’s… You know… His birthday…” there was a tinge of sadness to her voice as she spoke, as if she felt guilty, ”I guess… I mean… I don’t really know where we stand anymore, and part of me thinks you don’t like me anymore…”

[Ethar Luxun]

"For now. Heh." He said as he walked into the kitchen and started to dish up the eggs and bacon onto a few plates. Summers stopped slipped over to the table, and placed three settings of knives and forks onto the table, incase Ohkara joined them later on.

Placing the food onto the table along with a few smaller plates for dishing up the food, Ethar looked up to Ohkara as she spoke to him. "Mmhmm Yeah, Alots happened since the last time you came to visit. House got blown up and rebuilt. Met a young Saiyan girl, and became her teacher... Alot has happened now that I Think about it." He replied, as he heard Ohkara say that she missed him. This made his cheeks go a bit red, much like her own.

But it was then she brought up what happened at Ethans Birthday party. He let out a bit of a sigh. He was trying so hard to forget that day to, but he could hear the guilt and sadness in her voice. "I wouldn't dwell on it too much Ohkara. I just... misread a few things. And Im ok with you and Ethan being a couple. But it doesnt change what feelings I did have for ya...It just means that I cant act on those feelings anymore, but that is fine.... I sorta.... how do you say.... I sorta met someone a little ways back actually. But I dont think Ill be seeing her again for a while..." He said, as he finished setting up the table.

Pulling out a chair for Ohkara, he gestured her to sit down. "Are you sure I cant trouble you for a piece of bacon or two?"

[Ohkara Minamaru]

As the Noran spoke, Ohkara could read nothing but his normal genuine self. The mention of Ohkara and Ethan being a couple turned her face bright red, ”But… we’re not a couple…” she said quietly, a hand rising to her lip, finger gently pushing between her teeth. He thought the two were exclusive? She let out a sigh as the Noran and Demoness made their way to the table. Ethar’s mention of another girl jolting her a little.

Turning, Ohkara headed for the table and sat down at the chair offered to her, staring into her cup of joe, she let out a small laugh, ”A girl, huh?” for a moment, she smiled, but then it dropped. ”wait a minute, was it Celeh? Was he talking about her? No, he said a ways back… there’s no way…” she thought frantically, though on the outside she remained composed, or rather, her previous composure didn’t falter, ”And what might this lucky lady’s name be?” she asked, trying to be a coy as possible.

[Ethar Luxun]

"Not a couple? But I was sure you two had a 'thing' going on, judging by how you two were....close... Huh, I guess there is alot more to know about Earthling women then I originally thought." He said wit ha shrug. Oh how dorky Ethar was. Little did he know that no matter what race, women were always hard to read.

It was then Ohkara questioned him about the girl he was previously mentioning. He didnt really want to talk about her, but then again, there was nothing to be ashamed of. "Well, not sure if it really matters... But I will tell ya. Her name was Lockheart. Tifa Lockheart. I actually met her in an alternate dimension. Courageous, strong willed, smart, and a very good fighter. I think you would of liked her. But sadly, while it was hard, I was forced to move on... Time was atleast 10 times faster in that dimension, and it has been almost half a year since We were together under the stars...." He said, almost trailing off in thought.

But it was then Summers broke off a tiny piece of her bacon, and chucked it at Ethars forehead. Bouncing off, it brought Ethars attention back to the here and now. He made a slight cough as he said "Well, since Tifa is no longer in my life sadly, there is one girl I cant seem to get out of my mind.... Your friend Celeh. Its... strange... We know very little of eachother to... and yet, something deep down inside me... Almost like instinct... Makes me want to see her again. Pretty weird eh? Heh." He said, looking quite embarassed that he was admitting some of this stuff to Ohkara.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Of course, the young lady’s blush would return at the mention of her closeness with Ethan, and her hands would rise up to cover her face, ”Listen, Ethar… I thought I had been straight forwards when I told you how I felt… I’m not ready for anything serious…” she told him, ”Even with Ethan; I mean… We really just have fun… Even if I was, I’m not sure he is ready for something like a relationship anyways…”

As the conversation shifted, and Ethar spoke about the girl in his past, Ohkara smiled, retaking her cup in her hand and taking a sip, ”She sounds nice… I’m sorry things were so short-lived for you, but it seems to me like it was a positive experience. I knew something was a bit different about you when I saw you.. Seems you’ve matured a bit…”

Taking another sip from her cup, it was then Ethar brought up Celeh. The coffee rocketed from Ohkara’s mouth in a comical spit-take fashion, luckily she’d turned away quickly enough to avoid spraying her hosts. Choking a bit, she set her cup down and patted herself on the chest, ”I-I’m sorry,” she coughed out, turning her attention back to Ethar, ”What was that? You like Celeh?”

She knew what the future might hold, still him admitting such a thing made her super nervous and uncomfortable, ”Like, like-like?” she asked, although it was honestly a rhetorical question. ”N-no” she told him, her hands waving dismissively in front of her, ”I-i-it’s not weird at all! Its natural. Celeh is strong, prideful, noble, and a very beautiful woman.” she told him, a light shade of pink touching her cheeks once again, ”I actually think it’s really cute you have a crush on her.”

[Ethar Luxun]

Smiling at Ohkara as she talked to him, his smile never diminished. "Oh I know, we are pretty much family now arent we?" He said as Ohkara took a sip of her coffee and made a note that he seemed more mature. "Well, somethings changed for sure. Summers there was the one to benefit from that relationship. Its why she looks alot older then the last time you saw her. She IS a succubus, mind you." He said, as Summers pelted another piece of bacon at Ethar.

"In Training!" She said, looking a bit peeved, but Ethar shrugged it off.

Ethars expression turned to a bit of concern when Ohkara choked on her coffee when he told her how he was starting to feel about Celeh. "You mean Love? Or albeit an emotion close to it? Hmmm... Im not exactly sure to be honest. Your talking to one of the most socially awkward guys on the entire region. She doesnt seem the type to like a guy like me... Unless something life changing happens in the future." He said, thinking a bit.

"She might not even like me, afterall, I was part of the group that beat back her friend when she was Queen of the Saiyans a few years back. Celeh probably doesnt like anyone who was apart of that."

[Ohkara Minamaru]

She raised a brow at the mention of Summers’s involvement; however, it was a question best left unasked. Sure, she was familiar with the terminology of the word “Succubus”, but how that actually applied to the small girl was still something she was unsure of. Regaining her composer, she took a deep breath and slouched backwards in her chair.

”Something you’ll find out about Celeh is she isn’t as judgemental as you think…” Ohkara told him, trying to help ease his nerves a bit, ”When I first met her, she was sitting atop a skyscraper… When I saw her tail, I kinda lost it…” she continued, her voice rattled with embarrassment, ”I thought she’d just be like those other Saiyans, so I kept a close eye on her… I didn’t want her to cause any trouble…”

Letting out a sigh, she straightened her back and took a drink of her coffee, which had cooled down enough to swallow, ”Come to find out, there was a lot more to her than I would have ever imagined. She doesn’t harbor hatred for us, regardless of how badly she was treated by our people. She told me, had the shoe been on the other foot, she’d have done the exact thing we did…” Ohkara smiled, glancing down at her feet, ”She’s not someone you can just label like that…She might be of Saiyan blood, but that doesn’t define her character.”

Glancing back up to Ethar with pink still touching her cheeks, she smiled kindly, ”That’s something you need to know if you are really interested in winning her heart. She isn’t part of that anymore. That isn’t who she is. She is Celeh, and now she fights for Earth; she fights standing beside us. You, me, Ethan… She’s one of us now, you know?”

[Ethar Luxun]

"Your right Ohkara. Shes just a regular person like the rest of us. Everyone has a rough start, no matter where you come from. Its what you do that defines you as a person. Ya should of seen how I was treated when I first came to Earth. It was mind boggling." He said, as he munched on a piece of bacon that Summers flung at him, and stuck his tongue out at her, while the young girl made a huff stuck out her tongue in reply.

"Ya know... Have you ever thought as to what it would be like to have a tail like Celehs?" He asked, as the question made Summers perk up as she said "I dont have to wonder, I got my own tail, see?" She asked, lifting her tail up. But in doing so, it also lifted up her PJ's, almost flashing Ohkara for a moment before Summers realized why she suddenly had a draft and quickly covered herself up. "Whoops! I forgot, Im not dressed yet. Hehehehe." She said as her cheeks turned rose red.

Ethar let out a sigh as he said "I gonna have to make it a rule now, your bedroom has to be clean AND you have to be dressed before breakfast. Even on weekends." as Summers looked a bit sad at the new rule, but she could understand why.

Looking over to Ohkara, he nudged a plate towards Ohkara, as it had a fried egg and a piece of bacon on it. "Ya gotta eat a lil something. A growing woman like ya has to keep her strength up, incase we get invaded or something..." He said, as he remembered something.

"OH! That reminds me... IF you have time today Ohkara, I was wondering if you could help me with a lil experimental project Ive been cooking up that could help us if we all get caught in a situation where we are facing an overwhelming foe."

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara sighed as the plate was pushed her way, and slowly pushed it back with her cup. She looked up to Ethar and shook her head, ”I said coffee is just fine,” she told him, her tone coming through a bit stronger than might have been anticipated. Realizing this, she slumped back into her chair and let out a sigh, ”I’m sorry… I’m just not hungry… I haven’t been myself for the past few days…”

Finishing her cup of coffee off, she stood up and rounded the counter to pour the rest of the pot into the cup, ”An experiment, huh?” she asked. Finishing making the perfect cup of joe, she stood on the opposite side of the counter and took a sip, ”Yeah, I mean… I guess? I don’t have any plans today anyways… What did you have in mind, exactly?”

[Ethar Luxun]

Feeling a bit guilty as Ohkara's tone turned a bit stronger as she refused the bacon. The succubus didnt waste any time to nab the plate, and started to chow down on the bacon. "Im sorry to hear that... If it is something you wanna talk about, Im always here for ya. Its what friends are for." He said as Ohkara made herself another cup of hot coffee.

Ethar smiled a bit as Ohkara showed interest in helping him with his project. "I do appreciate it. Ive been working on an enchantment spell that will hopefully give us an edge if we face an enemy that we cannot defeat as a group. In Theory, it will allow one person to temporarily transfer their power to another persons base power, allowing them to reach new heights of power." He said, as he got up to his feet, and picked up the empty plates and placed them into the sink.

"Believe it or not, This is the first spell I managed to translate from that book that you gave me last year. The entire book is in a language I have only heard rumors of. Its so old, There is nothing like it at all in my library." He said as he walked over to his recliner chair in the study nearby. As it was an open hallway, Ohkara would see Ethar pull out the same Scaled book from his desk and walked back into the kitchen.

Placing the book onto the table, Ethar soon sat down and said "I dont know how you ever got this book, but your descendant must of been lady luck herself."