Chapter 02 – Birthday

Age 778, August 18th

The banners were all now in place, the food was nearly all prepared and laid out, the aesthetics of the chosen area within the Capsule Corp complex was in full bloom; the fruit-bearing trees slowly dropped their produce littering the grounds below, the fresh feel of a summer breeze sweeping across the complex. All they needed now were the guests and the hostess: the birthday girl.

"D'you feel like we may have overdone it with the decorations out here?" Corset asked, arching one brow and cocking her head to the side, still not feeling satisfied with her morning's work. It definitely beat being rigorously worked in her recently acquired role as Capsule Corp Vice President. How she'd ever managed to pass her mother's test in becoming her successor, she'd never know! Work still felt as if it was in control of her life, not as if Corset was in control of it! Not getting to see her boyfriend so often anymore was also beginning to put a strain on them both and on their relationship. Getting to see him today after what had been two weeks of solid work to meet deadlines would be a welcomed change to the lifestyle she felt she was being forced to adopt. If only there was a way she could step back without her mother feeling disappointed...

"Looks fine to me," Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "You know what Mama's like; she likes to go over the top!"

"Funny how she didn't want any mention of how old she is today," Corset muttered under her breath before turning on the spot and walking over towards one of the heavily laden tables set out for the large number of friends due to arrive today. "Food looks good. Hope we've got enough for everyone."

"We've got enough and then enough more to feed all of West City!" The sound of their mother's voice made both offspring jump and turn; the birthday girl strolled down from the main entrance of the complex out into the large garden, breathing in the scent of the flowers as she passed. "The weather is wonderful today! Now, you two have to remember to be on your best manners with our guests."

"We're almost twenty-three and thirteen; we both know this," Corset butted in with a roll of her eyes.

Bulma ignored her daughter and continued. "Remember I need you to both take part and encourage others in the games I have in mind. This is gonna be so much fun! I'll bet once certain people hear I'll be holding a 'tournament' of sorts, they'll be begging to attend this party! No training excuses this year!"

The two siblings exchanged glances with one another, both knowing that 'tournament' was not the word they'd use to describe bingo, but they knew why their mother had referred to it as such.

"Is Auntie Tights coming?" Corset asked, unsure of why she'd suddenly remembered to ask.

"No, she's at a book signing event this morning and is then doing an interview on her latest sci-fi novel," Bulma replied. "She sends her love."

'As normal then,' Corset rolled her eyes.

"Who's Auntie Tights?" Trunks asked.

"The one who scared you when you were a baby with her stories about the spacevirus that eats naughty kids up from the inside," Corset snorted wryly.

Quickly the two found themselves being ushered back up to their rooms to get dressed into their formal clothes; in their mother's humble opinion, they both seemed to have gotten dressed in the dark this morning!

"Don't go pulling your hair out, it's just a sign that Mama's been left behind as far as fashion goes," Trunks muttered to his sister on the way up to their rooms. "I hope our outfits aren't too bad! I don't wanna look like a dork!"

Leaving company and entering their rooms, both siblings changed into whatever their mother had left out for them (Corset promptly cringing as soon as she'd spotted the slender, long dress her mother had left for her!) Both soon returned downstairs just in time for the first guests to begin arriving. Corset and Trunks both exchanged glances as they took note of what their guests were wearing. The first group: the Kame House family consisting of Master Roshi, Krillin, Eighteen, and their daughter Marron, all wore casual clothes. Krillin seemed bizarrely formal in his sur-coat and smart shoes, though the rest seemed to have donned a more casual approach. Both siblings drew out a long sigh of resentment and humiliation; apparently either everyone had misunderstood the dress code or their mother had duped them into overdressing!

"Like I'm gonna stay stuck in this flimsy suit!" Trunks snorted, stomping back upstairs to find something more comfortable to wear. Corset was tempted to join him but instead strode the rest of the way down the stairs and greeted the arrivals.

"That's one heck of a dress you're wearing!" Krillin exclaimed in surprise. "You've really grown into a woman now, haven't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Corset raised an eyebrow, not refusing the compliment altogether but not liking the tone he was using.

"Well... You were all shorts and jeans the last I saw of you!" Krillin replied, sensing a little animosity coming from the demi-Saiyan. "You just look more feminine now."

"I'd leave it at that, dear," Eighteen interrupted before turning to the dark-haired young woman. "So, what's this about a tournament?"

"…Mama will fill you in on that," Corset smiled, not wanting to let any information slip in case it earned her a sore ear!

The party officially started about twenty minutes after the first guests arrived. Unfortunately, the lure of a 'tournament' had not been enough to encourage two particular Saiyans to join their families and so a disgruntled Bulma was forced to reveal the details of her tournament... or rather, her bingo tournament! This naturally caught the interests of a few guests, though others became less interested.

"What sort of prizes do you win?" Eighteen asked; one of the guests whose interest had been caught, especially since this was being hosted by a very rich and powerful woman in the world of business. That had to mean big, big prizes. "Will we win planes and other large prizes? Is there a large sum of money involved?"

"There are much better prizes than those things!" Master Roshi butted in excitedly. "Bulma, please tell me you're giving away sexy DVDs as prizes!"

The storm on Bulma's face intensified as she spat venom through her eyes towards the lecherous ancient man. "Like hell I am!" With a swift flick of her wrist, open-palm met the shiny surface of the old hermit's head and he stumbled back a couple of steps, reeling from the expected strike. Bulma huffed and took a long sip from the wine glass she seemed to have acquired.

The small confrontation had caught the eyes of several others; Corset was currently in conversation with her two high school friends, although truthfully she'd known one of them since they were four! It hadn't gone unnoticed that Gohan had also seemed to feel the occasion required a more formal outfit, though that didn't seem to have stopped his wife from arriving in a smart but casual dress-leggings combo. At least Corset could take solace in knowing she wasn't the only overdressed person here.

"So what's with the dress?" Gohan asked. "You've never worn a dress like that before..."

"Why does everyone keep asking me this?" Corset growled with a roll of her eyes. "It's not that big a deal. I sometimes wear dresses to work too, you know!"

"It suits you," Videl smiled, sensing the annoyance coming from the woman beside her. "I went shopping the other day to see if I could find anything but unfortunately they were either not what I was looking for or not in my size."

"Yeah, that's a pain when that happens," Corset agreed, her focus momentarily turning back to Gohan as she couldn't help but pry, feeling she already knew the answer. "So, where's your father? Training like mine is?"

"How did you know?" Gohan responded dryly. "He went off a few days ago to train on Kaio's planet. Not sure why... I'm beginning to think he gets nervous being around so many of us at one time, unless it's something he's interested in!"

"I'm beginning to think all pure-blooded Saiyans are just anti-social," Corset sighed. "Dad escaped last night after Mama confronted him over dinner – or so Trunks said. I'm not sure how true that is since I don't live with them anymore."

"Oh, that's right!" Videl perked up. "How did your move go? Hope it wasn't too stressful. Did everything get to you safely?"

"Move went off without a hitch," Corset nodded. "I used one of the large Capsule Corp storage boxes to move everything; at least that way I knew I had everything on me. Those removal vans are a thing of the past for those who can afford these babies! There's so much space in them too! I managed to fit my entire wardrobe into this... of course my wardrobe is a capsule too so it was pretty easy to fit it into the huge storage boxes!"

"Being from the family that made the hoi-poi capsules sure has its perks," Gohan chuckled. "They could do with bringing the prices down a little so regular people like us can afford them!"

"Regular people like you? I'm sorry but you're married to one of the richest women in the world thanks to her father's successes!" Corset snorted. "Besides, Mr P-h-D, you're on a decent salary as it is working for Satan City University."

"And still I can't afford one of these miracle capsules you keep going on about!" Gohan teased putting on a dramatic voice.

"That's because this is a proto-type," Corset responded with a wry grin. "It's not out on the market yet. We're still experimenting with it to see what kinds of things we can turn it into and do with it."

"Well it shouldn't be a proto-type anymore!" Gohan cried out loudly, making Videl flinch at his sudden increase in volume! "I demand you sell these things to the general public!"

"Gohan, turn the volume down before you deafen us!" Videl scolded. "How much alcohol have you already had?"

Both women's glances were now firmly on the scholar, who merely turned his nose up at them both. "I've had barely anything!" He declared sticking his nose up at them in a huff.

This only raised both women's suspicions. "Breathe out," Corset ordered.

"Nope."

"Gohan."

"Not gonna."

"Breathe out!"

Gohan squatted down and breathed out hard in Corset's direction, which made her instantly recoil and clasp her nose, "Geez! That stuff stinks of alcohol!" It didn't help that she – and the other hybrids - had inherited their fathers' sense of smell, supposedly as strong as that of a dog.

"You're not used to drinking alcohol," Videl chided, "You should slow down a little. At least wait until we get some food before you try anything more."

"It's not that bad!" Gohan protested. "You two should lighten up and have some too! It's really good!"

"I think I'll pass," Videl rolled her eyes in exasperation. No one thought anything of it at the time as she rarely drank alcohol, plus all recalled an incident around two years prior that was not likely to be held in regard as one of her finest moments. Overindulgence and not really knowing her limit had led to a less than spectacular swim in one of the many Capsule Corp garden fountains, followed by a little punch-up with Gohan who was trying to gain some control over his then-fiancée's hyperactivity which only served to turn her enthusiasm into aggression. The hangover the day after and the guilt of finding out what she'd done (as she couldn't remember any of it) had discouraged her from wanting to revisit that state and so from then on, Videl would drink very little of the poison.

"Let's not forget who we're encouraging to drink," Corset was quick to jab that memory back in her friend's face; she herself had drank a little more than intended that night but at least she'd been able to recall the sheer number of insults and verbal slurs that had left her high school friend's mouth, recalling how much she'd struggled and swung her limbs and body in her fiancé's grasp. Videl'd even managing to land a couple of jabs and elbows in his stomach before trying to make a dash for it, only to be jumped on by a persistent Gohan and a slightly more sober Corset! It was one of the few things she even remembered about her own twenty-first birthday!

"Ah I can take her when I'm sober so I can take her like this too!" Gohan slurred, earning a less than impressed and forsaking sigh from both women.

"We'll see about that," Videl huffed, "So where is Soba, Corset? I'd have thought he would have been here already."

"I don't think he's arrived yet," Corset responded, though she wasn't entirely convincing them as she began looking along the small group of guests to see if he'd slipped in unnoticed. "Maybe I should give him a call… Excuse me for a bit." With that she dashed back into the house, forgetting she'd left her phone in her room. Thoughts trailed through her mind as she made her way up the stairs; had he tried to get in contact with her? Perhaps he was running late? Maybe he'd even forgotten it was today? What if work had called him in suddenly? She was sure he'd told her a few weeks ago he'd managed to book the day off and had gotten some cover organised by his father; being a chef meant long hours and busy kitchens. It was little wonder he didn't eat properly, having cooked all day to come home and not be in the mood to sort himself out anything. It wasn't like Corset could cook him up something either; half the time she wasn't home herself! Meetings could run over more often than not and she'd find herself working at home losing track of time. It had made both their home lives very difficult and had led to a few minor arguments recently. She hoped the tension from home wouldn't have put him off coming here today. Pushing the door open, she rushed over to her desk and peered down at the small screen, pressing a couple of buttons and sighing with relief when she noticed he'd text her around an hour ago saying he was on his way.

Returning downstairs and back out into the large garden, Corset rejoined the others, this time keeping her phone tucked away somewhere discreet and safe. She was a little surprised to see her father was suddenly amongst the crowds, albeit keeping his distance! Her mother seemed to be making her way over towards him; Corset dared not intervene and ask him why he'd had a change of heart, not with how cross his initial decision had left his mother feeling. Within a couple of seconds her phone had started ringing which drew her attention away from her parents and instead onto her phone as she brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me" Soba's voice came over the speaker. "I'm stuck in traffic going through West City but I should be with you soon."

"Ok, I'll see you when you get here. Give me a call when you arrive and I'll come find you," Corset instructed. "See you in a bit." After he responded with the same last sentence, she hung up and placed her phone away once more, sighing as she did so. Finding her way towards one of the small circular tables everyone now seemed to have settled down around, she joined the rest of the party in its festivities and grabbed herself a plate of food, choosing to sit herself along with Gohan and Videl. She didn't notice the two mysterious people who were now making their way down the garden path along with her parents; the taller of the pair had a bizarre set of clothes unlike anything found on Earth, his only other noticeable quality was the light blue complexion and soft, refined features of his face adorned with shockingly vertical hair. The shorter of the two looked very similar to a terrestrial cat, yet he was bipedal and wore clothes similar to those worn in an ancient civilisation many years forgotten. Both were invited to sit themselves at a table and help themselves to food.

Her father's strange behaviour, however, did not go unnoticed. It was only because he'd momentarily raised his voice that Corset even remembered he was here! One glance over her shoulder turned to a double-take as she saw him fawning rather clumsily around these two guests, speaking rather politely to them. Momentarily her eyes focused on the two strangers, wondering when and how they'd gotten onto the grounds. It was clear they weren't Earthlings and her father seemed to be acquainted with them. Perhaps they'd met in space whilst he'd been working for Freeza all those years ago? Still it struck her as odd that he seemed to be trying to be nice towards them. Nice was not his style…

"All right!" Bulma's voice came over the speakers; she'd made her way up onto the stage and now had a microphone in hand. It seemed she was about to start the bingo tournament. Corset sat back and listened as her mother introduced all the prizes their guests could win, including a castle, a triplane, a couple of gigantic boxes covered in wrapping paper (the mystery prizes, or so her mother introduced them as), a sports car, and the final and probably the best prize of all – a free wish on the Dragonballs.

She couldn't say she was the least bit interested in it all but nevertheless she showed enthusiasm where it was asked for.

She hadn't expected for things to make such an unexpected turn.