Behind Palace Walls ch 7
XXXXX
After receiving the best, "all systems go" she could out of her brother, Vanessa wondered out of the planetarium and down the halls of the Royal Palace in search of Vegeta's room.
"I wonder what she's like." she thought, smiling good mornings and hellos at the staff as she walked by. "Hopefully Vegeta didn't rough her up to much"
Vanessa had to admit she was actually kind of excited about meeting this Earth girl and showing her around. Being a Princess in a male-dominated kingdom was like being the supreme ruler of an ant farm; typically, she had absolutely nothing to do. Vanessa yearned for female companionship that didn't require fancy dressings for an afternoon tea and endless talk about marriage and children.
Though concubines often had a track record for being either schizophrenic or sleazy, Vanessa's heard some things about this particular one. The kingdom was raving about her pure beauty alone, never mind the fact that she had stabbed Zarbon and managed a speedy escape (Twice including last night).
Vanessa was curious about her, she sounded like she had a certain kind of spunk, like she was full of life. Something special to jazz up this dull, dull palace.
She just hoped her speculations were right.
XXXXX
Back in the Prince's suite, Bulma had long since peeled her eyes awake and was now lying lifelessly in bed, waiting for the Prince to parade through the doors.
She was shocked to find that as time marched on he didn't, but that was only a minor distraction to the endless turmoil that plagued her dying mind.
She knew herself that it was quite dramatic to title her mind as dying but that's how she felt. She felt as though she was slowly dying. What else was there to do or say?
She's already been reduced to the likes of a concubine, her best friend couldn't save her and her current owner was a bi-polar maniac from a psychotic hell. How else was she supposed to feel?
She was out of ideas, she was out of craftiness, she was out of the sheer willpower to try and escape; she was trapped.
Her only job was to sit around and wait for her master to order her to get dressed then undressed so he could violate her.
What a life.
So here she lay, deteriorating slowly and barely managing reasonable thoughts as she sat alone in the dark, pushing away any maiden or any guard that asked her questions or offered her necessities.
All out of tears, all out of hope and all out of luck.
She didn't want to do anything anymore, she just wanted to lie there and waste.
A quiet knock on the door angered her as another intruder asked to disrupt her lonely depression.
"Damn maidens". She thought "They don't even deserve a flippin' answer"
Sure it wasn't the maiden's fault that she was in the current state she was in, but Bulma simply didn't want to be bothered. So instead of dignifying the door with a response, she rolled over in bed, with her back facing the door.
The intruder wasn't giving up, there was another knock before the door slowly pushed open.
"Hello?" she whispered, popping her little raven head in. "Are you asleep in here?"
Bulma shut her eyes tight.
Stepping completely into the room this time and closing the door behind her, the intruder took a look around.
It was an absolute mess.
Unusually so, Vegeta was a slob everywhere else except his bedroom, but signs of a former tantrum read loud and clear all over the suite; from the shattered dresser, to the broken picture frame, to the disarrayed bed with the blue beauty inside.
"I know you're not sleeping, I can sense it." Vanessa said, stepping slowly towards the bed. She hoped the concubine didn't attack her too. "You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Go away" Bulma horsed out and now threw the sheets over her head.
"Hey it's okay I promise. My brother's a dick; the whole kingdom knows that. You didn't do anything wrong, he's totally over it by now."
That made Bulma freeze in her misery tracks.
Brother? Did she just hear what she thought he heard? Then she wasn't a maiden after all, she must have been—
Pulling the covers off her head and turning around she gasped when she saw the girl from the picture now sitting on the edge of the Prince's bed, offering a cautiously warm smile.
She couldn't believe it, it was the Princess.
Ironically enough, it was Vanessa who looked like the scared one, and she offered the best peace offering she could muster.
"Please, don't stab me. I promise I'm not here to throw you in a dungeon"
Bulma wanted to chuckle but she didn't. Instead she studied the girl in front of her, making connections to the portrait and what was sitting a few feet from her face.
She was even more stunning in person.
She could see from the contours of her face the resemblance she had to Vegeta; they probably made similar facial expressions but she favored her mother much more strongly if Bulma had to guess. Beautiful soft eyes and flawless porcelain skin; she was a modern day pin-up with the softness every woman had to offer.
Meanwhile Vanessa was doing the same to Bulma.
She was definitely everything everyone was saying about her; a true blue beauty.
Vanessa was as heterosexual as they come but even she could see why her brother had a weakness for the concubine before him. She was a perfect goddess.
Vegeta had better keep her under a lock and key or she'd be dead before he could think twice about her.
Beauty never lasts on this planet.
"Wow" Vanessa was the first to speak after their staring contest. "The gossip is actually true this time. You're pretty damn hot."
This time Bulma couldn't help it and she snorted, sitting up in the bed to address the woman in front of her.
She was quickly forgetting about her misery with a new outlet at hand. Maybe Bardock had arranged for her to meet Vegeta's family after all.
"Thanks" she murmured even though she didn't quite feel it. It was hard to feel anything but dirty when being titled "concubine" and to have men constantly size and feel you up. She was slowly learning to be disgusted with herself.
"I'm Vanessa, resident Princess around here. But it doesn't mean much with my dad and Vegeta in charge." Vanessa held out a hand to shake and Bulma weakly accepted it. She seemed nice so far; nothing like Vegeta. On their first meeting, Vegeta failed to introduce himself.
Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure he knew her as anything but "woman".
"Bulma" she responded and Vanessa smiled.
"Pretty name, I like it."
"Thanks" she murmured again and she was pretty sure it would be awkward from then on out. What more could she say? They couldn't possibly have anything in common.
"Why is it so dark in here? Let in a little light, it's a great day out."
Vanessa strode over to the balcony and pulled the heavy curtains open, streaming in the bright daylight.
Bulma shielded her eyes.
She noticed the confidence the Princess exerted in the simple things she did and she was definitely sparking the blue beauty's interest. Any behavior far from that of Vegeta's might help her get her mind of things.
"There that's better" she smiled proudly, after tussling the curtains open. "Are you hungry, the maidens left you breakfast"
Bulma looked towards the tray and mini-table set up in the middle of the room again, with another array of foods awaiting her.
"No, not really. I don't have much of an appetite."
Vanessa nodded before reproaching her spot on the edge of the bed.
"Look I know you're probably kind of edgy and reserved after all you've been through, I can only imagine. But, on behalf of my completely clueless brother I just want to apologize for anything he might have said or done to you. Vegeta's a fucking moron more times than he'd like to admit, and he overreacts a lot. I'm sure he didn't mean whatever he said."
Bulma wasn't sure exactly how she felt about the words being said verbatim. She didn't know enough about Vegeta to conclude if he was serious or not, but she was glad that his family had enough gull to care about his actions and apologize. It spoke lengths for what kind of people they were (or at least what kind of person Vanessa was) and she was beginning to feel better already.
"Thanks, that really means a lot." Bulma said, and she spoke this time without murmuring under her breath.
"Oh no problem you deserve it. You freaking stabbed Zarbon are you kidding me? You're my hero."
A smile was creeping on the blue beauty's face. Vanessa was absolutely nothing like Vegeta. It was refreshing.
"I couldn't possible be your—"
"Oh no, no, no, don't be bashful, you really are. That guy was fucking ridiculous—God rest his soul—" Vanessa quickly motioned a cross using her fingers and indicated points on her head, shoulders and chest. Bulma wondered for a moment if she was Catholic.
How far did Catholicism travel?
"But I mean really, he had it coming. That guy's made so many different passes on so many different women, it was disgusting." She grabbed a pancake from Bulma's buffet and folded it in half, chewing mindlessly. "I'm glad someone finally stood up to him, he's a jerk."
"Yeah well, he did buy me for twenty-thousand gems" she mumbled and Vanessa waved the comment off.
"So what, that just makes the stabbing all the more justifiable. I mean really? Just because you have money, that makes you the boss? Please"
She giggled. Despite her current situation, thankfully, she wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"Well what about you?" Bulma asked. She was attempting to continue the conversation. "Have you ever…..you know….stabbed anyone?"
Vanessa shrugged. "Eh, a few I guess. My dad and my mom taught me how to fight and I've fended off a few assholes myself but nothing to serious. It's not very attractive for a Princess to fight like the men do."
"Oh. And how do the men fight?"
"Trust me, you don't want to know. Gruesome violence that will only make your insides fall out your ass." Bulma wasn't sure how safe she felt about that. She knew this race was a violent race but so far, she's been living in ignorance. She's yet to see full-fledged battle between testosterone for herself. "We're taught not to concern ourselves with that"
Bulma snorted. "I've heard that before."
"Get used to it; you'll be hearing a lot of it. Women aren't what they used to be anymore. Now were either wedding gifts or sex objects…..no offence."
Bulma sighed. Somehow it didn't sound so bad when Vanessa said it. "It's okay. I'm guessing since you're a princess, you'd be the wedding gift?"
"Yep. My dad's council is hard at work trying to find me a suitor but I make sure to give them hell and scare all those pompous pigs away." She grinned. "There's no way in hell I'm marrying a bald fat idiot."
The blue beauty giggled again. "So what do you do all day then? Meet….suitors?"
"Oh heavens no." she topped off her pancake. "I don't know, I don't do much. I just kind of just laze around and entertain other princesses, duchesses, and more female Royal figures like myself. It gets pretty boring though. They're all rich snobs looking for attention and phony competition."
That didn't sound far from a lot of the people who tried to befriend Bulma on Earth.
"Other than that, I hang out with my mom or find some way to pester Vegeta. It passes the time."
Bulma smiled.
"Sounds like fun"
"Oh it's a hoo-hah hell of a good time" Vanessa said with a sarcastic eye roll. "You have no idea what you're missing."
She giggled again.
"If you want I could show you around. Must drive you nuts being locked up in this boring old room."
Looking around, Vanessa was right; this room was boring. It was luxurious, but still boring. Other than sitting in bed or sitting on the balcony, there was literally nothing to do, and she found it very possible to go stir crazy very soon. Good thing Vanessa came along.
"Yeah, absolutely; I'd like that"
Vanessa smiled too.
"Great, get dressed and lets ditch this dump"
"Oh um…" Bulma looked down at her attire. She was still in her blue silk nightgown and so far, that's all that's been offered to her. "I don't have any clothes except for this"
Vanessa gasped. "All you have are pajamas? No clothes?"
"The maidens bring me a new pair every time I take a shower but um…yes. Just these."
She gasped again. "That bastard" she seethed to herself before whipping in Bulma's direction. "C'mon Bulma, now we're on a mission."
Pulling her out of bed Vanessa led her to the shattered dresser where a heap of clothes lay amongst the rubble and she began digging through the mess in search of clothes.
"Did he even give you underwear?"
"I—"
"Fucking jughead. Can he really be more moronic? Not giving a woman clothes, that's like not giving a baby breast milk; we women need it for Christ's Sake! What a fucking joke."
Bulma watched as Vanessa rambled and pulled out a plain black shirt and a blue pair of drawstring sweats from the pile.
"Here, put these on. Then we'll do some damage control."
Bulma accepted the clothes and looked at them. "Are these Vegeta's clothes?"
"Yeah but I can assure you they're new. He doesn't like casual wear. Don't worry, you won't catch his cooties."
"Won't he be mad if I wear them?"
The Princess snorted. "Aren't you mad all he's been giving you are God dammed pajamas? Fair's Fair. A woman needs clothes right? Put them on, then we'll get you your own."
Shrugging wearily, Bulma decided she'd listen to Vanessa and went to the bathroom to change. She was pretty sure Vegeta would be angered if she moved one of his shampoos out of their fancy little line, more or less use his clothing but the Princess didn't seem afraid of the Prince, and that made Bulma trust her.
She just hoped Vanessa was right.
While she was in the bathroom she heard Vanessa speaking to someone (who she assumed was a maiden) about ordering a female dresser and Vanity, and pushing aside space in Vegeta's closet.
Bulma prayed it wasn't for her but deep down inside she knew it was. She knew Vegeta would hate this, and if angered enough she predicted he'd be the type to rip everything apart and throw her crap out the window.
But some how she couldn't help but feel excited about not only getting her own things, but finding a venue to piss little Mr. Vegeta off. Even though it might get her in trouble and not Vanessa, she felt every right to serve payback on the Prince for having her endure this torture.
And when she excited the bathroom and saw Vanessa smiling at her, giving her two thumbs up, she knew it was going to be a good day.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
They walked around the palace, Vanessa showing Bulma where different rooms and services were located and all the while Bulma was in awe at how gorgeous the building really was.
Everything was decorated in deep reds, blues and golds, and she guessed them to be the Royal colors. The chandeliers and lights lit up the dark colors to give them a Royal glow and sophistication, and the marble floors and decedent rugs were the icing on the cake.
If the palace wasn't filled with bloodthirsty brutes and saddened slaves, it really could be perfect.
It was hard to remember where anything was, it a huge building, but Vanessa assured her she'd get used to it and if she needed a reminder, anyone could help her.
They traveled down a few stories, and passed a few lobbies, desks and hallways that led to the unknown before they finally reached their destination.
Bulma was in awe.
She couldn't believe her eyes. There in front of her was a beautiful department store. A department store right in the middle of the palace and it was gorgeous.
Though she was on a different planet, Bulma knew a department store when she saw one. Back on Earth she was no stranger to designer labels and quality fabrics, and the lights, the overhead labeling, the glass counters, and the mannequins told her exactly where she was.
She pinched herself just to make sure this wasn't a dream. She could have possibly died and gone to heaven right then and there, this was amazing! The Princess was definitely a very lucky girl; who wouldn't want their own department store in their own house?
"You like it?" Vanessa asked giddy over the excitement in the blue beauty's face. She remembered when they first built this addition to the palace; her own reaction was very similar.
"I….I….I love it. I'm speechless."
Vanessa giggled, linking her arm in Bulma's and leading her inside. "Great huh? My dad has this thing about me leaving the palace so my mom got the idea to bring the clothes to me. She had it built for me for my Fifteenth birthday"
The beauty nodded slowly, mesmerized the enticement of the store.
"A good friend of mine picks up on a lot of fashion trends from the kingdom or other planets and makes the clothes here, or buys them in wholesale fashion markets. Then, she brings the clothes back here for me, my mom, or some of the women of elite soldiers who spend their time here in the palace. Feel free to stop by whenever you like. As a Royal concubine, you have access to the store too."
Bulma nodded absent-mindedly again.
While getting lost in all the store had to offer a tall woman approached the pair and smiled when she saw Vanessa. She was very fashion savvy and if Bulma had to guess, she'd say she was the manager of the store. She wore a khaki tweed pencil skirt and a plain white blouse, with her tousles of dark blue curls held back in a simple headband and a ring of fancy pearls strung down her neck and to the middle of her torso. She just looked like the boss type.
"Princess Vanessa, nice to see you again." She said with a smile and they greeted each other a pair of kisses; one on each cheek.
Bulma observed again. Catholic-like or French-like? She was trying to understand the customs on this planet.
"Morning Launch, how's it going?"
"Not too bad, what can I help you with? Want to check out this week's new selection?"
"Absolutely but it's not for me. This is my friend Bulma and—"
Suddenly gasping when stealing a look at Bulma, the woman clutched at her strings of pearls and looked shockingly at the blue vixen in front of her.
Bulma frowned. She knew she stabbed a man since being here but she didn't think she was going to steal from her did she?
"Oh my God, no way"
Turning to Vanessa she looked just as confused.
"No way what?" she asked.
"Bulma?" Launch asked. "As in Bulma Briefs? The daughter of Dr. Briefs? Is this real what I'm seeing here?"
Looking down at the floor, Bulma blushed. She didn't know why, but being recognized made her embarrassed and a bit uneasy. Obviously, this girl was from Earth.
"You know each other?" Vanessa asked.
"Uh, everyone knows who Bulma is on Earth Princess Vanessa. She's like a huge deal. What are you doing here?"
Bulma was pulling back. This wasn't like when she was on the ship and Eighteen recognized her as a friend. This was a complete stranger recognizing her like her fan-base did back on Earth, and gawking at who she was. It returned her feelings of sadness and helplessness that she was here on planet Vegeta and not back home in West City and she was apprehensive about being recognized by anyone else and receiving the same painful question she just got: "What are you doing here?"
"Are you a princess too?" Vanessa asked. She knew Launch was from Earth originally and if she recognized Bulma, maybe she was a public figure.
"No." Bulma responded. "Just an heiress. My dad owns a pretty big company back home."
"Uh, like the biggest company!" Launch exclaimed. "We're talking fortune five hundred, billion dollar business here. Capsule Corporation is like a business typhoon, and Bulma and her mom are quite the fashionistas if I remember—"
Reading the look on the heiress' face, Vanessa shot Launch a look that read "zip it", and the leggy woman closed her mouth shut.
She lost her professionalism for a moment when she found herself star-struck and forgot where she was. If such a celebrity like Bulma was here on this planet, it must not have been by choice.
Clearing her throat and placing a hand on her shoulder, Launch peered down for a quick second and caught sight of the titanium bracelet latched onto her ankle. It was just like the one on her own ankle (minus the bedazzles she added to match her personality), and reminded her and everyone else that the person in front of her was a foreign prisoner.
"I'm sorry" she apologized. And Bulma mustered up a smile and waved off the passed behavior before she could allow herself to cry. "I got star-struck for a moment and I forgot where I was."
"It's okay." Bulma said and Launch offered her a friendly smile.
"Well hey, you know, from one fashionista to another. Feel free to pick out anything you'd like, the tab's on me."
"Oh no, I couldn't do that." Worlds suddenly came crashing down on her when she realized she had no money to pay for anything but modesty still told her accepting free clothes wasn't right.
"Sure you could; it's really no problem. I get a lot of my inspiration from what I see you photographed wearing in the magazines anyway. The way I look at it, half of this stuff is yours by entitlement."
Instead of declining again a light bulb went off in Bulma's head and a look of thought plastered on her face. Magazines? How could they reach Earth subscriptions all the way out here? Was there some sort of communication between Earth and planet Vegeta she didn't know about?
She snapped that into memory for future reference. Maybe escape wasn't as far off as she thought.
"I really can't—"
"Don't worry about it Bulma, Vegeta's got this one." Vanessa interrupted. "Launchy, put anything and everything on the Princes' tab."
Bulma gave Vanessa a ridiculous look. She had to be crazy. Taking her out and making space in the Prince's closet was one thing but making him foot the bill too? This was taking it to far.
"No, Vanessa, I can't—"
"Don't worry about it Blue. If he doesn't want to give you clothes, then he's got to pay the price. Literally."
"Vegeta's not gonna like this."
"He doesn't like anything, don't worry about it; I'll handle him. You my dear," she linked her arm in Bulma's again. "You just shop"
XXXXXXXX
A couple hours later and Bulma was sure she had one of everything in the store.
Vegeta was going to kill her, literally kill her. But when she was with Vanessa she somehow found it easy to ignore those buzzing red sirens in her head and just go with the flow.
On top of it being a lovely department store, the selection of clothes weren't that bad at all; in fact, they were quite tasteful and very fashionable. The sexy clothes were just sexy enough, the lounging clothes were just loungey enough, and everything was in perfect taste. They were somewhat similar to the fashions she wore on Earth with a new flair that made it well….Saijin.
Overall she liked it and she walked away with dresses, shoes, belts, shirts, pants, skits, jeans, jewelry, hair accessories, fancy soaps, shampoos, perfumes and of course, more pajamas.
The maidens stopped by and exited with bags upon bags of merchandise to take up to the Prince's suite and be organized in her newly accommodated spaces.
Bulma wondered if Vegeta's been by the room and seen the changes to the furniture Vanessa made. She hoped her things weren't in pieces by the time she got back.
Meanwhile as she sat on a decorative sofa and laced the final lace to her new wedge sandals, she stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror, smiling finally at what she saw.
Gone were the days of looking like a glorified whore. She finally felt like herself again. Pretty floral sundress, belted at the waist and stopping mid knee; coral wedged sandals, fresh soft make up and her curly masses tamed and waved in perfectly tousled tousles.
This is who she was back home; this is the Bulma she knew.
"Wow, gorgeous mama." Vanessa said as she approached and saw Bulma's reflection as well.
Bulma turned around and smiled a full smile at her. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I love it. Floral looks great on you. I have a thing with flowers so I'm glad they look good on somebody."
She smoothed out her dress with happiness before looking Vanessa in the eyes. Emotions had been building up within her all afternoon at having the opportunity to escape for the day and words couldn't express how thankful she was that a complete stranger was doing all this for her. It certainly took her mind off things, even if it was for a little while. Bulma suddenly felt the wave of thankfulness crash upon her and she felt comfortable enough with the Princess to share what she was thinking. "Thanks Vanessa."
Now Vanessa smiled, and softened when she saw the gratitude in Bulma's eyes. "All in a days work my friend"
"No I mean for everything; For the trip to the department store, the clothes, the distraction for the day. I'm not sure how customs run on this planet and what is appropriate or not but I really want to thank you. I needed this."
"Oh stop it hun, you're making me blush." She said while waving a playful hand. "And thank you's are always appropriate, you have nothing to worry about. I figured you'd like to get out and explore a bit."
"Yeah, and it's been quite an adventure huh?" She watched the last maiden take her last bag out the department store and through the halls.
Vanessa laughed. "No worries, the adventure's just begun." She grinned. "I have a feeling I'm making a life long friend"
She liked the sound of that.
"Hey are you hungry? I can have the chefs spruce us up some lunch."
"Um, sure. I haven't eaten breakfast today, I'd love some lunch"
"Great, just let me just give something to my mom first then we'll be on our way"
XXXX
After asking the whereabouts of her mother, Vanessa roamed the halls again with Bulma in tow, leading the blue vixen to a place not so unfamiliar to her.
Though she was unconscious when she was initially brought there, Bulma got a strange vibe when she and Vanessa entered the infirmary. It dissipated no more than three seconds later however, when she caught site of a familiar friend.
Ditching insecurities about whatever would have been appropriate or inappropriate at the moment, Bulma smiled and leaped into the room when she saw him, jumping right by his side.
"Bardock!" she greeted happily, ignoring there was currently a patient sitting in front of him and a few people shouldered around the room. "It's nice to see you again"
"Well what a surprise, Miss Bulma, its good to see you too" he greeted as well and lowered his glasses to get a peek at her. "And looking spruced up as well I see. The Prince is going to get an eye-full, you look wonderful"
Bulma mildly blushed. "Thank you Bardock. Vanessa took me out today to buy new clothes. Do you like them?"
"I love them. They suit you well"
That's when Vanessa entered. "Whoa Bulma, when you want to greet someone, you really want to greet them. I thought someone snatched you for a moment." The beauty in question sheepishly apologized. "Hey mom" Vanessa added casually, waving to the woman on the patient chair while she caught her breath.
It was then that Bulma realized they weren't the only ones in the room.
A woman sitting in front of Bardock on the patient table, a wall of two body guards sandwiching her, and a squad of buff men and a teenaged boy littered the room.
And they were all staring at her.
Bulma was flushing with embarrassment quickly, and her face was shading red.
Oops; she didn't mean to walk in on a full room.
Meanwhile the woman on the patient chair smiled at her whole-heartedly before addressing her daughter.
"Vanessa, hey is for cattle." Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Good afternoon," she addressed Bulma. "I'm Queen Valerie."
Oh shit.
Bulma hadn't expected to meet the Queen nor meet her this suddenly and this well….awkwardly. She was hot, embarrassed and flustered and didn't know what to do. Should she shake her hand, should she curtsey? Should she just nod in her direction?
Why hadn't Vanessa taught her any customs while they were out? Why had she so casually ignored her mention of handing something to her mother? Why was she pondering all these questions? She had to say something now or she'd look like an idiot.
"H..H-Hi, I'm Bulma, your majesty" she sputtered out meekly and tried her best attempt at a curtsey.
The Queen smiled generously and stopped her before she continued. "Oh no darling, you don't have to curtsey to me. No one's done that in generations. I like to keep things mutual with whom I'm addressing."
"Oh" she was quickly growing even more embarrassed if that was even possible. Her face was burning hot. "Right"
The Queen was a perfect picture and all the more beautiful in person, just like Vanessa was. She had a calm, serene demeanor about her and gave off a personality like that of mother Earth. She looked like a kind, compassionate, caring woman, and her generous looks matched well with her beautiful aura.
Everything about her said, Queen.
"So this is the talk of the town everyone's been yammering about" came the reply of one of the men in the huddled clan.
Very briefly Bulma wondered why there were so many people in the room before she turned to look at him. He was very tall and very well built, dressed in Saijin military armor and long black hair that bled down to his ankles. His face looked similar to four others standing in the room, Bardock included, and if Bulma had to guess, she'd say that was his son.
"At least for once, it wasn't a load of bullshit."
"I know, she's a knockout right?" came Vanessa's agreement, nudging Bulma gently on the shoulder.
Bulma smiled weakly before gazing back at the men. She was feeling a bit uneasy at the moment. They looked pretty strong and powerful, and they were staring at her like a chicken leg at the end of a forty-day fast.
"That may be an understatement" Another one said. He looked very similar to the man in orange and blue sport wear, with his hair sputtering in every direction, but he was a lot tanner. "I can see why the Prince picked her up; No concubines my ass"
They all chuckled before the longhaired one spoke again. "And a virgin too?" he seemed shocked, and Bulma was just as appalled. She didn't want to confirm or deny his accusations but the fact that he knew just by looking at her was mind-boggling. Her face was burning hot again and mentally she made a list of who she needed to stab next. "My nose never fails me doll." He added with a wink and immediately she crossed her legs. How the hell could he smell that? "Two nights and still in one piece? I think the Prince owes me a solid, maybe I'll do him a favor"
Half of them chuckled again half of them did not before another one of the men joined the conversation. He was just a big and just as buff as the others, with a Saijin uniform and an electronic eye patch to go with it. "Two nights? Hell. Your Highness, I think there might be something going on with your son that you don't know about. Perhaps he picked up the wrong kind of concubine."
Laughing a third time, Vanessa joined in on the joke towards her Vegeta before the comments were finally laid to rest when Bardock cleared his throat and peered over his glasses to glare at the men.
Bulma watched the exchange.
Respect for elders must have been another thing similar to Earth on this planet because as soon as he glared, they all stopped simultaneously and diverted their eyes to avoid the scolding look.
"Gentlemen for the sake of what ever honor you have left, show your respect in front of a lady and in front of your Queen. You know better than you use such language"
"Yeah guys, you have to be friendly, like this!"
Before Bulma could blink the one in the orange wear was in front of her, holding his hand out and nearly forcing her to shake it. "Hi, I'm Goku, Bardock's son. It's nice to meet you" He shook her a bit too hard for her taste and Bulma was sure he was going to break her hand off.
Bardock had to release his hand before he did just that. "Gentle Kakkorot, gentle" he spoke to him as if he was a child and judging by the goofy demeanor displayed on his face, and the over eagerness to shake her hand, Bulma presumed he'd have an attitude as such. "She's human, like your wife. You can't shake her so hard."
"Oh sorry" Goku bashfully smiled and placed and hand on the back of his head. "Chi-chi tells me all the time I don't know my own strength, but I forget a lot. I just wish someone would have warned me before I signed up to be a warrior. I would have practiced more."
Bulma smiled softly.
Cute. Talkative, but cute. Overall she got the feeling he was generally a nice man, which wasn't unbelievable considering he was Bardock's son.
"Anyway, this is my son Gohan" the teenaged boy stepped forward. "And my brothers, Radditz and Turles. And these are their friends, Brolly and Pragus."
Everyone nodded in her direction at their introductions, and Bulma nervously rubbed her arm and smiled a soft hello.
She was still kind of uneasy about being around all these soldiers; she hasn't had to many wonderful experiences with them so far.
"So where are you from on Earth? Do you like it here so far? My wife is from Earth too. She didn't like it here when she first came but after we got married and had Gohan, she loved it."
Bulma was overwhelmed; she didn't know which question to answer first. It was as if he mashed all his sentences together in one big jumble.
"No you baka, of course she doesn't like it here" replied Turles. "She's a fucking slave. Who the hell would like to be a slave?"
"Well Chi-chi used to be a slave but she's not anymore" Goku tried defending. "Besides, she's Vegeta's slave so it's not that bad"
"We must be talking about two different Vegeta's" Brolly chuckled.
"No, believe me, if we were talking about two different Vegeta's, it would be that bad" Vanessa intervened. "Mom, can you believe what your son did today?" she began turning the conversation towards the Queen.
"What did he do Vanessa?" she asked. She ignored all the bad mouthing and foul references tossed around the room, and maintained the same peaceful appearance as if not a thing was said about her son or husband.
"He didn't give the poor girl clothes. Clothes!" Vanessa used to hands to illustrate her point and the Queen continued listening. "When I got there this morning, all Bulma had was a pair of pajamas, that's it. No clothes, no space for her things, not even a bar of fucking—"
"Language Vanessa"
"Not even a bar of flippin' soap that didn't have Vegeta's name on it. All she had were pajamas. How could he be so jug-headed?"
"So you took her shopping today I can see, that was very sweet of you honey. And you look wonderful Miss Bulma"
Snapping out of her stupor from the conversation, Bulma smiled softly at the Queen.
The Queen thought she looked wonderful, inside she was giddy with excitement.
Awful planet or not, something about being around a real, actual, living queen just made her excited and mesmerized at the same time. It was like meeting a celebrity.
"Thank you" she said and Valerie smiled again.
"What are you getting all riled up for anyway?" Radditz asked Vanessa. "She's a concubine not a duchess. She doesn't need clothes"
Vanessa scoffed, turning to address Bulma first before handling the beast. "Don't listen to him, he's a grade A, A-hole" She threw her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "And yes she does need clothes Merv the perv. Let's see you walk around bum-ass naked on a foreign planet. You wouldn't last a day."
"I'd not only last, I'd mount and conquer Princess."
Her face wrinkled in disgust. So did Bulma's. "Ugnuh, you fucking asshole. Stop being so gross."
"Alright, alright, I've had enough." Again Bardock put a stop to the conversation. "First you all parade in on the Queen's blood pressure test and by some miracle she lets you stay, then you proceed on to harass the Prince's concubine and younger sister. It's time for you kids to scram, I have work to do."
"Aw dad, there's nothing to do." Goku whined. "Plus the Queen likes having us around, right Ms. Valerie?"
She laughed gently, very regally-lady-like, and smiled again; Goku was always her favorite in the motley crew. "It's always a pleasure Goku."
"See" he smiled to his father.
"Well you better go find something to do before the Prince decides to join this little meeting." He cautioned. "I'm sure he wouldn't like to find five of his best elite soldiers lazing about, bothering his mother and younger sister."
"Don't forget his brand new toy." Turles added.
"Outttt!" Bardock ordered.
"What are you scared of pop? Nobody's doing any sort of obstruction. Just harmless conversation."
"I'm not scared of anything. I respect the Prince and his boundaries and you should too." He said as a matter of factly. "Besides, you all know what kind of punishment he can dictate when he's in one of his moods—"
"You mean the pungent odor he carries around all day that smells of a foul mood?" Vanessa snorted to herself.
"Whatever fits your personal description but please, just disappear boys. I don't wish to hear the complaints later about personal shots in training or unfair assignments or whatever, whatever, whatever. You've been warned so leave now before it's too late"
"Father, stop being so dramatic. It's the Prince not the plague. What could he possibly find in here to get upset about?"
"What the hell is this?"
Everything apparently.
The room froze. Timing couldn't have been worse and a fresh voice definitely wasn't welcome. Not at that particular moment and especially not that particular voice.
No more than three milliseconds later, big, bad, moody Prince Vegeta showed up in the doorway, glaring in the room and at all its occupants and to nobody's surprise, he did not look happy.
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