AN: It's interlude two, which means we get special rules again. In
interludes, I have license to make characters OOC, and do whatever I feel
like without ramifications to the story. "Wonder Boy" is owned by
Tenacious D. And, since it's an interlude, I'm chopping up the song.
Whee!
Pushing back from her office desk, Bulma Briefs stretched and popped her neck to relieve the built-up tension. Someday, she would actually worry about ergonomics, she mused, but why bother making her desk properly aligned when she spent so much time hunched over machines anyway? Slipping her feet back into her heeled shoes, she stood and began shutting down the office. Lights, computer, fax machine, shredder, all needed to be turned off or placed on standby until her return.
As she exited her corner office, she poked her head into the adjoining office where her secretary worked. "Hey, goodnight."
She smiled in return, knowingly teasing; "it's morning, Ms. Briefs." She then waved to her odd boss before returning to entering time records into the database. Bulma employed two secretaries under her. One took the morning shift, one the night. Bulma's hours were so erratic that it was easier to constantly employ two secretaries than to coordinate her schedule with anyone else. And besides, the secretaries doubled as data entry people when they weren't actively performing tasks for Bulma, so the cost was justified.
Bulma strode down the long hallway towards the elevator that would carry her to the underground parking garage. Normally, Bulma hated those things, as they tended to be cramped, but this most recent expansion of Capsule Corporation had to be put up in such a hurry that they didn't have time to secure proper permits for an aboveground lot. Cities were so crowded in Japan that obtaining a permit for an aboveground lot took upwards of a year.
As the elevator slid open, Bulma had to smile at the slightly puzzled look on one of her employee's face. He was attempting to read a Japanese newspaper, and by his frown lines, evidently not doing too well. "Tom? Need a little help?" He flushed, a bit embarrassed at being seen in such a poor light as Bulma punched the number to the parking garage.
An American, Tom certainly stuck out in the conforming, similar culture of Japan. Between the fact that he had blond hair and was taller than the average Japanese, he got his fair share of attention. But, it wasn't for his cultural background that the blue-haired genius had hired him. No, it was because one day, out of the blue, Tom had created a way to shrink Capsules to three-fourths their current size. Upon hearing this, Bulma had hastily made him an offer, and had him moved over within the week.
Expatriates tended to need a period of readjusting before being able to settle down and have much productivity, so Bulma had taken the younger man under her wing and helped him to adjust. Consequently, the two had become relatively good friends. Of course, there were the standard barriers. "I just don't see why, for all the productivity and advances here, you remain with this writing system that needs a new character for each word! How malevolent is that," Tom sighed. He could speak Japanese relatively well, aside from idioms, but his reading, well, let's just say that due to a misread, he ended up with a pile of manure being shrunk down to capsule form. That capsule had then gone on to be shown off to the stockholders. Needless to say, everyone was glad to have a short meeting.
"Hey, you want to go to, well, breakfast?" Bulma asked.
"Sure, but only if you order for me. No more corn surprises, please?" Tom laughed.
As the two stepped out into the sunshine from the dim parking garage, Tom quirked up a side of his mouth. "Bulma," he drew out.
"Yes?"
"What's with those weird flying guys I see around you? New invention to have people fly?"
Bulma flushed and ducked her head. Oooh, that Vegeta. It was probably him that Tom had spotted, while the Prince of all Saiyans was in another demanding mood. "Uhhh, well…"
"And they all have such odd hair. Is it in the spikes where you keep the device?"
Laughing, Bulma pictured Vegeta with a blinking box situated in the middle of his hair. Oh yeah, he'd love that. "No, no. I guess I should explain."
Tom frowned, confused. "Yes, please do."
"Well, when I was a teenager," Bulma reminisced, "I went on an adventure and met a young boy, Goku. He grew up and is now one of the flying people you've seen. The one in orange and a perpetual grin."
Tom nodded. "The tall one?"
"Yeah." An odd guitar swayed its notes in the background, leading in. "I remember…" Bulma trailed, before singing. "High above the mucky-muck, castle made of clouds, there sits Wonderboy, sitting oh so proudly." She wistfully smiled. "Not much to say, when you're high above the mucky- muck."
"So, he had a cloud," Tom broke in. Bulma nodded. "That he could sit on?"
She nodded again, and continued her song. "Wonder boy, what is the secret of your power?" Glancing over at her dumbfounded companion, she chuckled before pausing. "Now it's time for me to tell you about Young Nastyman, archrival and nemesis of Wonderboy, with powers comparable to Wonderboy's." Upon seeing Tom's mouth open, she continued. "What powers you ask? I dunno, how about the power of flight? That do anything for you?"
Tom thought for a moment. Which one of the spiky-hair people could be Young Nastyman? Oh. That one. The one who always looked pissed. I think Bulma has a thing for him. I'll have to needle her on that one.
Bulma smirked, her silly side getting the best of her. "How about the power to kill a yak from two hundred yards away?"
Tom, with a knowing smile, cut in again. "How about the power," he paused, eyes dancing, "to move you?" Bulma blushed.
A streak of blue touched down, and a short bald man waved. "Hey, Bulma!"
"Krillin! So good to see you! I was just explaining Goku and Vegeta's history."
Hearing the music, Krillin nodded in comprehension. "Well, Wonderboy and Young Nasty Man joined forces; and formed a band the likes of which had never been seen. That's right, me!" Krillin stuck his chest out proudly. "And Vegeta!"
"That's me!" Everyone turned to see the Saiyan Prince scowling behind them.
"We're…the fiiiiiiiiiighters Z!" Whirling back around, a large grin shone down from none other than Son Goku. "Come fly with me, fly!"
Bulma shook her head. "Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now?"
The music ended, and everyone relaxed. Well, aside from Goku. "Sure, Bulma!" he chirped. Gripping her about the waist, he suddenly shot into the sky, thinking this is what she meant.
"Kakkarot! Bring back my food-preparer now!" Vegeta took off after them.
Shaking his head, Krillin glanced at Tom. We'd better get to the restaurant before those two decide to join us. They'll eat up the whole place," he sighed.
And as shouts echoed throughout downtown and birds' ears, the screen faded black once again.
AN2:
Od-BTU Power Goddess: Oh, if you can come up with a good song for #17 and #18 to sing, I will be eternally grateful. I can't think of any!
Drucilla: Glad to know I'm not the only 80's music freak. ;)
SSJTom: Hope you like what I did with you. Don't kill me, please!
Knightwing: Thanks. That lime was *so* hard for me to write. Of course, now we have to deal with a cocky Vegeta. (Vegeta + Bulma + Yamucha+ "Rebel Yell" is the next scene. Pete help me from above.) Oh, and yes, it's fine that you laughed at "Persistence of Memory." I stuck a few things in there as a bit of oddness. "They found that food particularly pleased their god…"
Up next: Vegeta as Billy Idol?
Pushing back from her office desk, Bulma Briefs stretched and popped her neck to relieve the built-up tension. Someday, she would actually worry about ergonomics, she mused, but why bother making her desk properly aligned when she spent so much time hunched over machines anyway? Slipping her feet back into her heeled shoes, she stood and began shutting down the office. Lights, computer, fax machine, shredder, all needed to be turned off or placed on standby until her return.
As she exited her corner office, she poked her head into the adjoining office where her secretary worked. "Hey, goodnight."
She smiled in return, knowingly teasing; "it's morning, Ms. Briefs." She then waved to her odd boss before returning to entering time records into the database. Bulma employed two secretaries under her. One took the morning shift, one the night. Bulma's hours were so erratic that it was easier to constantly employ two secretaries than to coordinate her schedule with anyone else. And besides, the secretaries doubled as data entry people when they weren't actively performing tasks for Bulma, so the cost was justified.
Bulma strode down the long hallway towards the elevator that would carry her to the underground parking garage. Normally, Bulma hated those things, as they tended to be cramped, but this most recent expansion of Capsule Corporation had to be put up in such a hurry that they didn't have time to secure proper permits for an aboveground lot. Cities were so crowded in Japan that obtaining a permit for an aboveground lot took upwards of a year.
As the elevator slid open, Bulma had to smile at the slightly puzzled look on one of her employee's face. He was attempting to read a Japanese newspaper, and by his frown lines, evidently not doing too well. "Tom? Need a little help?" He flushed, a bit embarrassed at being seen in such a poor light as Bulma punched the number to the parking garage.
An American, Tom certainly stuck out in the conforming, similar culture of Japan. Between the fact that he had blond hair and was taller than the average Japanese, he got his fair share of attention. But, it wasn't for his cultural background that the blue-haired genius had hired him. No, it was because one day, out of the blue, Tom had created a way to shrink Capsules to three-fourths their current size. Upon hearing this, Bulma had hastily made him an offer, and had him moved over within the week.
Expatriates tended to need a period of readjusting before being able to settle down and have much productivity, so Bulma had taken the younger man under her wing and helped him to adjust. Consequently, the two had become relatively good friends. Of course, there were the standard barriers. "I just don't see why, for all the productivity and advances here, you remain with this writing system that needs a new character for each word! How malevolent is that," Tom sighed. He could speak Japanese relatively well, aside from idioms, but his reading, well, let's just say that due to a misread, he ended up with a pile of manure being shrunk down to capsule form. That capsule had then gone on to be shown off to the stockholders. Needless to say, everyone was glad to have a short meeting.
"Hey, you want to go to, well, breakfast?" Bulma asked.
"Sure, but only if you order for me. No more corn surprises, please?" Tom laughed.
As the two stepped out into the sunshine from the dim parking garage, Tom quirked up a side of his mouth. "Bulma," he drew out.
"Yes?"
"What's with those weird flying guys I see around you? New invention to have people fly?"
Bulma flushed and ducked her head. Oooh, that Vegeta. It was probably him that Tom had spotted, while the Prince of all Saiyans was in another demanding mood. "Uhhh, well…"
"And they all have such odd hair. Is it in the spikes where you keep the device?"
Laughing, Bulma pictured Vegeta with a blinking box situated in the middle of his hair. Oh yeah, he'd love that. "No, no. I guess I should explain."
Tom frowned, confused. "Yes, please do."
"Well, when I was a teenager," Bulma reminisced, "I went on an adventure and met a young boy, Goku. He grew up and is now one of the flying people you've seen. The one in orange and a perpetual grin."
Tom nodded. "The tall one?"
"Yeah." An odd guitar swayed its notes in the background, leading in. "I remember…" Bulma trailed, before singing. "High above the mucky-muck, castle made of clouds, there sits Wonderboy, sitting oh so proudly." She wistfully smiled. "Not much to say, when you're high above the mucky- muck."
"So, he had a cloud," Tom broke in. Bulma nodded. "That he could sit on?"
She nodded again, and continued her song. "Wonder boy, what is the secret of your power?" Glancing over at her dumbfounded companion, she chuckled before pausing. "Now it's time for me to tell you about Young Nastyman, archrival and nemesis of Wonderboy, with powers comparable to Wonderboy's." Upon seeing Tom's mouth open, she continued. "What powers you ask? I dunno, how about the power of flight? That do anything for you?"
Tom thought for a moment. Which one of the spiky-hair people could be Young Nastyman? Oh. That one. The one who always looked pissed. I think Bulma has a thing for him. I'll have to needle her on that one.
Bulma smirked, her silly side getting the best of her. "How about the power to kill a yak from two hundred yards away?"
Tom, with a knowing smile, cut in again. "How about the power," he paused, eyes dancing, "to move you?" Bulma blushed.
A streak of blue touched down, and a short bald man waved. "Hey, Bulma!"
"Krillin! So good to see you! I was just explaining Goku and Vegeta's history."
Hearing the music, Krillin nodded in comprehension. "Well, Wonderboy and Young Nasty Man joined forces; and formed a band the likes of which had never been seen. That's right, me!" Krillin stuck his chest out proudly. "And Vegeta!"
"That's me!" Everyone turned to see the Saiyan Prince scowling behind them.
"We're…the fiiiiiiiiiighters Z!" Whirling back around, a large grin shone down from none other than Son Goku. "Come fly with me, fly!"
Bulma shook her head. "Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now?"
The music ended, and everyone relaxed. Well, aside from Goku. "Sure, Bulma!" he chirped. Gripping her about the waist, he suddenly shot into the sky, thinking this is what she meant.
"Kakkarot! Bring back my food-preparer now!" Vegeta took off after them.
Shaking his head, Krillin glanced at Tom. We'd better get to the restaurant before those two decide to join us. They'll eat up the whole place," he sighed.
And as shouts echoed throughout downtown and birds' ears, the screen faded black once again.
AN2:
Od-BTU Power Goddess: Oh, if you can come up with a good song for #17 and #18 to sing, I will be eternally grateful. I can't think of any!
Drucilla: Glad to know I'm not the only 80's music freak. ;)
SSJTom: Hope you like what I did with you. Don't kill me, please!
Knightwing: Thanks. That lime was *so* hard for me to write. Of course, now we have to deal with a cocky Vegeta. (Vegeta + Bulma + Yamucha+ "Rebel Yell" is the next scene. Pete help me from above.) Oh, and yes, it's fine that you laughed at "Persistence of Memory." I stuck a few things in there as a bit of oddness. "They found that food particularly pleased their god…"
Up next: Vegeta as Billy Idol?