Chapter 26: Wish Fulfillment
Though she was shocked and horrified to learn she was expected to be the caretaker of a Saiyan, Cheelai's expression turned fierce when she heard about how Broly was being raised. The years she spent at the Orphanage hadn't exactly been pleasant so she held a deeply ingrained hatred towards those who exploited children.
"To aid in your duties, you will be given free rein of every facility we have available. All of the basic necessities for survival will be provided along with a number of luxuries. If there is anything you'd like to request, you need only inform me, and, so long as it doesn't infringe upon the rights of other creatures, I will readily accommodate your requests. In exchange, once you are ready to retire, you can expect similar treatment in regards to funding and supplies. In simple terms, every second you spend as a Caretaker will be rewarded with a single second of my favor once you leave. If you'd like to experience what that means, feel free to make a request. So long as it isn't bestowing you godly powers or granting you the right to kill whoever you want, there are few requests I am unwilling to honor.."
Hearing Vahn's explanation, Cheelai couldn't help inquiring, "What are you, some sort of magical, wish-granting genie or something..?"
Rather than refuting Cheelai's words, Vahn simply smiled as he answered, "Something like that.." in an audibly amused tone. This earned him an understandably skeptical look from the green-skinned beauty, who, after a moment of deliberation, asked, "Can you make me taller..?"
Though he was a little surprised by the request, Vahn nodded his head before promptly opening his Unit Management. Cheelai had become his subordinate the moment she nodded her head back on Frieza Planet 297, so, while her Trust, Belief, and Loyalty values were currently very low, he could still modify her appearance using OP.
Noticing her eyeline changing, Cheelai looked down at her body to discover it was slowly inflating. A wave of panic immediately washed over her, but, seeing the phenomenon stop nearly as soon as it began, she quickly regained her calm before rising to her feet and asking, "How tall am I..?" in a curious tone.
"You were previously 160.3cm tall. You are now 165cm even."
Blinking in surprise, Cheelai left Vahn a little speechless by promptly giving her boobs a squeeze. They had grown along with her height, but, due to the Modify Function's inability to create mass without supplementary energy, Cheelai's weight had remained the same. This gave her a lean and athletic figure, as, despite appearing emaciated days prior, she had actually put on a bit of weight due to the high-quality, energy-rich ingredients stored within the pantry and fridge..
After checking herself over with an excited look on her face, Cheelai's expression abruptly did a 180 as she realized the implications behind Vahn's power. If he could alter her form on request, he could just as easily change her body at his leisure. He could also teleport people, and, presumably himself, vast distances. In other words, even if she did run away, he could just pop up behind her as he had a few minutes prior..
Though Cheelai got the impression that Vahn was a 'good guy', that didn't make his abilities any less terrifying. She had seen ostensibly kind people turn into monsters at the drop of a hat, so, even if Vahn was a good person, that didn't mean he was incapable of selfishness and causing harm. If he one day decided to take her by force, there was literally nothing she could do about it..
Realizing she was being a little too pessimistic, Cheelai shook her head rather violently before giving the cheeks of her face a few light slaps. If she lived with the assumption that every good person could spontaneously turn bad, it was no different from assuming everyone was evil. This would contradict how she viewed herself, so, with Vahn acting in good faith thus far, she had no reason to doubt him.
Returning to her seat, a purple-pink hue spread through Cheelai's cheeks as she noticed Vahn staring at her with a faintly bewildered look on his face. She had basically spent the last minute or so checking herself out before briefly succumbing to the pessimistic tendencies she had cultivated over years of being alone and on the run. Then, without so much as a word, she gave herself a few slaps on the cheeks before sitting down and acting as though nothing had happened..
("How embarrassing..")
Fortunately for Cheelai, Vahn had no intentions of prying into her personal life. He would listen if she wanted to talk about it, but, just as he was doing his best to avoid peeking into the future, he wanted to respect the privacy of people who weren't his enemies. As for those who plotted against him, well, they only had themselves to blame..
"Right..is there anything else you'd like to request? Altering a person's height is a lot simpler than you might think. Why not try something a bit more..abstract?"
Realizing that Vahn wasn't going to inquire about the peculiarities of her actions, a wave of relief washed over Cheelai's body as she promptly replied, "I don't really know what you mean. I already know you can teleport people across vast distances so I assume you could do the same with other objects. Even if I asked for something like the Galactic King's Crown, I doubt you'd have any trouble retrieving it.."
As she had been too focused on surviving to think about things like wishes and requests, Cheelai wasn't quite sure what Vahn meant by abstract. There was a time when she wanted the power to become invisible, but, as Vahn had already made it clear he wouldn't grant her godly powers or the ability to kill whoever she wanted, she doubted he would comply..
Deciding she may as well give it a go, Cheelai nervously evaded Vahn's eyes as she asked, "Uh..how about the ability to turn invisible? I promise not to misuse it.."
Raising his brows, Vahn resisted to point out that even the most basic application of invisibility would be a misuse of its power. Instead, he briefly considered ways to limit the power before manifesting a golden ring and using the Oblivion ability of his Eyes of Truth to inscribe microscopic runes along the interior band.
"It goes against my beliefs to grant people power they haven't earned. Instead of bestowing you the ability to become invisible, I will provide you the means to emulate the ability. However, as a precaution against its misuse, know that any injuries you inflict upon others while invisible will be rebounded back to you.."
Using his Telekinesis, Vahn guided the rune-inscribed band over to Cheelai before dropping it in her outstretched hand. A fascinated glimmer briefly flashed across her rose-pink eyes, as, even if there were limitations on its use, the ability to become invisible whenever she wanted was still incredible.
Placing the ring on her finger, Cheelai was surprised when information on its use promptly invaded her mind. Shortly thereafter, fiery markings lit up across its surface before disappearing along with the ring. When she looked down, however, her body was still completely visible.
Understanding Cheelai's confusion, Vahn explained, "If you were unable to see your own body, it would only be a matter of time before you seriously injured yourself. Here, try looking in a mirror."
Manifesting a mirror out of thin air, Vahn slid it across the table so Cheelai could see for herself the state she was in. When she saw an 'empty' white blouse and the band of a pale-purple bra on the inside, a wave of confusion and embarrassment washed over her body. It didn't help that she could angle the mirror in such a way that she could see down the blouse to her matching purple panties..
Preempting Cheelai's question, Vahn explained, "Unless it's a projection-type cloaking ability, true invisibility only affects the body and its interior. If it applied to things in contact with your body, the entire planet or anything you picked up, regardless of its size, would become invisible.."
Though she could kind of understand what Vahn was getting at, a remarkably potent blush spread across Cheelai's face as she asked, "Are you telling me that the only way to become invisible is to remove my clothing..?"
Chuckling in response to Cheelai's reaction, Vahn both confused and relieved her by replying, "Yes and no. If that were the case, that ring on your finger would be visible in the reflection. Simply put, the best way to avoid having to walk around naked is to wear clothes and equipment that can also turn invisible. Unfortunately, much like the ring on your finger, they will appear invisible unless you possess the ability to see invisible objects.."
Without even considering that she could ask Vahn for the ability to see invisible objects, illusory steam rose from Cheelai's head as she looked down and contemplated her options. On one hand, she would need to remove her clothes to become invisible. On the other, she would appear naked even with invisible clothing. In the end, the only difference between the two seemed to be the level of comfort she would experience while walking around..
Amused by the serious yet remarkably embarrassed expression on Cheelai's face, a face he could see without any issues whatsoever, Vahn elected not to tell her about the very obvious solution to her problem. Instead, he pulled out a bangle version of the [REquip] System, stating, "This will help considerably, regardless of the route you decide to go with."
Accepting the rather simple-looking bracelet, Cheelai slipped it onto her wrist before perking up when, much like before, information on its use promptly appeared within her mind. Moments later, she appeared simultaneously naked and fully clothed from Vahn's perspective. His perception was such that he could perceive even the individual molecules of a person's body when he focused, so, even if the people around him wore several layers of armor, it didn't make the slightest difference from Vahn's perspective. His was a world without secrets.
Unaware of Vahn's abilities, Cheelai simultaneously beamed and blushed as the clothes on her body promptly turned invisible. She could vaguely make out her bra and panties due to the elastic bands and the way they distorted her breasts, but, beyond that, she was basically sitting naked in front of a man she had just met. This made her feel paradoxically emboldened and ashamed, a peculiar mix of emotions that gave her the almost overwhelming urge to pull a prank..
historical
Taking a deep breath, Cheelai did her best to suppress such emotions as she promptly deactivated her invisibility. Unfortunately, she failed to consider that her clothing's invisibility was unrelated to the effect of her ring. She could also see her body perfectly fine while she was invisible, so, for a surprisingly long period of time, Cheelai confusedly inspected her naked body and the golden ring on her finger. She even toggled the ring's invisibility on and off a few times, seemingly believing it was the problem rather than her oversight. It was only when Vahn cleared his throat, garnering her attention, that she realized the truth of the matter..
Luckily for the slumbering Sarina, the soundproofing in the manor was quite thorough..
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Stonks e???','Be careful what you wish for..','At this rate, it won't be long before Sarina receives a helping hand xD..')