Planet Langden was originally a lush green and vibrant jungle planet, its inhabitants had cultivated it into a shining beacon of life over one thousand years ago. However, once the planet had been introduced to the galactic theater and other races arrived on the world its deforestation began. The once lush green world had been transformed into a planet of steel and technology, abandoning the natural ecosystem that had reigned for time immemorial. As time drew on the original Langdens died out or left with the change to their ecosystem being too jarring to handle and so the world was left for those who came later to make it their home. It was not an uncommon story, Frieza had seen the same thing happen countless times in the past.
As Langden loomed in the viewport of The Nemesis Frieza couldn't help but smirk, they hadn't come across a large metropolitan planet in weeks and they were starting to run low on supplies. Turning away from the sight of the incoming planet Frieza faced the rest of the crew who had gathered aboard the bridge. "Alright we'll be touching down shortly, I expect us to stay there for about a week so let's make the most of it alright?" Frieza stated to the rest who nodded excitedly. This was the first cultivated planet they had come across in a long time that hadn't been sucked dry by the Tree of Might, needless to say everyone was excited to stretch their legs.
"If it's alright with you My Lord I think I'll be staying aboard the ship, I can get more done from here" Nadan stated from his seat. Nadan was busy plotting their landing and so didn't notice Tukkan come up behind him until the Konatsian had him in a joking headlock.
"Not a chance pal you are coming with me, I can't go out there without my number one wingman!" Tukkan exclaimed cheerfully as Nadan struggled against the chef's grip.
"You might as well listen to him Nadan, he won't let up and you know it" Cooler called out from his position near the door. The older Frost Prince was leant up against the wall with Shuyo beside him, Frieza noted they had eerily identical postures, the two were so alike it was almost comical.
"Argh fine just let go you oaf!" Nadan choked out.
"See was that so hard?" Tukkan grinned as Nadan shot venomous daggers with his intense gaze.
"Yes yes yes everyone gets out, we've all been cooped up on this ship for far too long" Frieza stated before catching sight of the excited huddle the kids had formed. Strolling over to the trio Frieza stood before the oblivious bunch until Yang, who was perched on Weiss' shoulder, began chirping softly at the Frost Prince. The lyrical call drew the three kids' attention to the imposing Frost Demon before them.
"Oh! Hey Frieza… We were just planning what we were going to do when we landed" Tyr said cheerfully. Frieza spotted the mischievous glint in the Dramon's eye immediately and bent down to the young boy's level.
"I figured as much, now I will remind you we are here to relax, that means I better not hear that any of you have started up any fights got it?" Frieza asked never breaking eye contact with the black haired youth.
"Why are you only looking at me?" Tyr mumbled uncomfortably under the Frost Demon's stare.
"Oh I think it's pretty obvious why" Frieza stated before breaking eye contact to look over at Raijin. "Raijin" Frieza called the young Zamt's name, who nearly jumped at the sudden attention.
"Y-yes Frieza?" Raijin asked nervously, if Tyr had trouble with Frieza's stare down it was even worse for the four eyed youth who looked like he wanted to melt into the floor to get away.
"I expect you to be the responsible one, keep them in line" Frieza commanded before turning away from the trio. Weiss under normal circumstances would have been well behaved, but Tyr had a way of getting her to go along with his schemes when normally she wouldn't have any part in it. Frieza hoped the more level headed Raijin would keep the others out of trouble.
"Lord Frieza we have an incoming hailing request from Langden" Nadan called from his seat.
"Put them through" Frieza commanded taking a seat in the captain's chair.
"Unidentified ship, this is Langden Flight Control, you are unauthorized to land please halt your entry or we will be forced to escort you off world" the voice through the intercom commanded.
"Attention Langden Flight Control, this is Lord Frieza, either you let us land or… Well you can't really stop me now can you?" Frieza smirked at the silence that followed his statement. He could just pick up the sounds of shuffling and brief whispers before the, clearly startled, voice returned.
"U-unidentified s-s-ship you have full c-clearance to land wherever you feel… Please enjoy your st-stay" the LFC operator stammered out in a clear panic. At that Nadan pushed The Nemesis into full re-entry the shields keeping the friction down to a bare minimum as they passed through the thick atmosphere.
'You know I love it when you flex your 'I am Lord Frieza terror of the universe' muscles' Aayla purred to Frieza through their mental link. She had been surprisingly quiet after accepting to let Frieza take her out on the town. By no means was Frieza complaining but he was still taken off guard by her sudden statement.
'Well sometimes having a reputation as the most terrifying and powerful being in the universe has its positive aspects' Frieza responded coolly from the captain's chair.
'Just wait until word gets out that you're the only reason they weren't all killed by evil space pirates and their magic tree' Aayla replied back as she took a spot beside Frieza resting her hand on the ivory tyrant's shoulder.
Glancing up into the azures eyes of the Securan warrior Frieza smirked at the soft smile gracing her already stunning features. 'I would prefer if that didn't get spread around, after all I do have an image to uphold' Frieza stated just as The Nemesis broke through the cloud cover revealing the bustling cityscape before them that seemed to, and probably did, stretch on forever. It was then that Frieza noticed the army of ships and armoured craft surrounding the landing platform they were approaching. 'On the downside though my reputation usually ends up garnering the wrong type of attention' Frieza deadpanned at the assembled military force.
"Damn it Frieza!" Cooler exclaimed from the rear of the bridge, making his way beside his brother. The annoyed scowl on his face was matched by his brother's as the two Frost Demons stared each other down.
"What did I do!?" Frieza exclaimed back, throwing his hands in the air in agitation.
"Well I doubt they're here for Shuyo" Cooler shot back bending down to get in his brother's face, all the while pointing to the small fleet waiting for them.
"Look we'll go out there and calmly talk things out, tell them we're just here to relax" Frieza stated standing up to his full height, which didn't equate to much when compared with his brother.
"I swear you're more trouble than your worth sometimes" Cooler grumbled before returning back to his position beside Shuyo.
"Nadan if they fire on us how's the ship gonna hold up?" Tukkan asked from behind the Malakan scientist.
"Are you kidding? I designed this ship to withstand attacks from Lord Frieza, we would tear through those idiots like wet paper if we had to" Nadan said as he guided the ship down.
Even from inside the ship Shuyo could sense the emotions of the gathered force outside. In all his years he had never before felt so much abject terror, all of it directed towards the Frost Demon sitting in the captain's chair in front of him. "They're completely terrified" Shuyo remarked aloud gathering everyone's attention.
"As they should be" Frieza stated as he stood up. "Let's get this over with then" Frieza sighed as he turned to leave the bridge, the rest of his crew in tow.
"Yang you should probably stay inside ok" Weiss said patting the brilliant yellow bird gently. Yang tilted her head to the side before chirping and taking to the air. She sped down the corridor in the opposite direction back to the bridge.
"Ok how did you do that?" Raijin asked from behind the Frost Demoness.
"Do what?" Weiss asked curiously.
"How did you control her? Do you have some kind of crazy power to talk to animals?" Raijin asked extending his neck to get a closer look at the Demoness.
"No she just listens, she's not just some dumb animal" Weiss huffed as the group reached the entryway.
"But she doesn't listen to any of us" Tyr chimed in from beside Weiss, his tail swishing back and forth casually.
"I guess she just likes me better dolt" Weiss smirked, turning her head up.
"Enough" Frieza commanded as the group walked down the entrance ramp. Waiting for them at the end of the ramp was a delegation of various mixed races. It was a good representation of Langden itself which had quickly become a melting pot for just about every race in the galaxy. Frieza's group came to a halt a just a few feet away from the group that had arrived and waited for them to make the first move. Over the years Frieza had dealt with these types of greetings on numerous occasions. They would send some expendable nobody to be the mouth piece while their guns were trained on his forces it was nothing new.
The first to speak was a tall Brench with bright yellow skin that was almost hard to look at it in the sunlight. "Greetings Lord Frieza, I am Ambassador Qliph I am here to welcome you to Langden and to let you know that anything you need is at your disposal." That had taken Frieza off guard they didn't usually send in an actual ambassador to these types of greetings there was always too high a risk that he would vaporize them.
Composing himself Frieza addressed Ambassador Qliph as the rest seemed far too scared to say something themselves. "I appreciate the welcome, however the matter of the small army you assembled to greet me has me questioning your intentions" Frieza stated slowly looking around at the assembled military force.
"My apologies my Lord we had to be certain it was in fact you, the whole planet has been on alert for weeks now you see" Qliph responded hastily before waving off the aircraft and gathered ground forces surrounding The Nemesis.
"What form of alert would warrant such a response?" Frieza inquired watching as the ships pulled away and the gathered soldiers nearly bowled each other over in a mad dash to escape the area.
"Well we got word of the Crusher Corps' approach weeks ago so we've been preparing for a full scale war" Qliph stated seeming to gain more confidence as the conversation continued. He definitely was the real deal then, no imposter would have held his ground for so long in the Frost Demon's presence. "Then when we received word that you had destroyed them we were elated to say the least" Qliph continued a small smile crossing his features for the first time.
"Hang on" Frieza interrupted, garnering a nervous gulp from the Brench ambassador. "How did you know we destroyed them?" Frieza asked eyeing the nervous dignitary.
"Well you see My Lord we received video footage of the battles you and your crew underwent to defeat them" Qliph nervously scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how this conversation was going to proceed. "The videos have gone quite viral and you've become sort of a hero around these parts, you did save us after all" Qliph concluded.
'Aayla' Frieza called out through the pair's shared link never breaking eye contact with the diplomats before him.
'Yeah hun?' Aayla answered back, the smallest hint of a mischievous giggle barely hidden in her response.
'You wouldn't happen to know anything about this would you?' Frieza inquired from the Securan warrior.
'I have no clue what they're talking about' Aayla snickered at Frieza's displeased tone. 'But hey I did tell you they'd be grateful for saving them' the azure beauty replied, enjoying the situation. It had actually been one of the first things she did once she was back aboard The Nemesis. It wasn't difficult to gain access to the video footage and a quick upload she set the ball in motion for the galactic opinion of Frieza to change.
Rolling his eyes Frieza addressed Qliph once more. "Yes we did dispose of them and you are now safe… though that now brings us back to the question of the assembled military greeting" Frieza stated watching as once again Qliph scratched the back of his neck nervously.
"Well you see we are forever in your debt My Lord, it's just that you are well… you" Qliph clenched his eyes shut awaiting the, no doubt, painful retribution coming to him for speaking so boldly. However the blow never came instead what he received was a round of laughter from the Frost Demon. Qliph and his grounp couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"I guess that's a fair point then" Frieza chuckled at the dumfounded look on all the assembled dignitaries' faces. "Now that that's all cleared up, let's move on shall we?" Frieza stated to which the assembled group nodded feverishly wanting to stay on the Frost Tyrant's good side. "My crew and myself are only here to relax and get out, however we do need to refuel, pick up more provisions and otherwise just have some basic maintenance performed on the ship" Frieza stated patting the hull of The Nemesis. "If you would be kind enough to have that set up for us I would be most grateful" Frieza said playfully, his tail shifting from side to side.
"Of course My Lord" Qliph bowed as Nadan approached with a datapad in hand.
"This is the list of supplies we will need to restock the ship" Nadan stated handing the datapad over to Qliph who handled it gingerly. "I don't want anyone touching the ship without me being on site understand? For now just get the supplies we need, and if you can, please look for a Z-40t Walkon hyperdrive. If you find one immediately bring it to us we'll pay any price for it" Nadan stated before spinning on his heel to stand beside Tukkan once more.
"Of course sir I'll have some of my best techs looking into it immediately" Qliph responded quickly still cradling the datapad in his arms. Looking back over Frieza's group the Brench dignitary recomposed himself before addressing them once more. "If you're here to relax and enjoy yourselves I can assure you Langden has no shortage of amenities at your disposal please see the sights we are eternally grateful for what you've done for us My Lord" and with that Qliph and the rest of his group turned around and quickly made their way off the landing platform leaving Frieza and his group alone, save for a few service droids milling about.
"Well… that was interesting" Frieza commented drily turning to face his group. "Now then I expect you all to enjoy yourselves, Nadan I'll leave the matter of the supplies and ship parts up to you" Frieza stated addressing the Malakan scientist. "Tukkan, make sure he enjoys himself before he gets back to work" Frieza smirked at the bright smile that flooded across the Konatsian chefs face.
"Aye aye captain!" Tukkan exclaimed saluting Frieza with his silver ponytail swinging in the wind. Reaching down he quickly scooped up Nadan in yet another headlock before carrying him away. "Come on buddy lets go paint the town… oh sweet they have cars for us I'll drive!" Tukkan exclaimed as he dashed over to an awaiting hover car.
"What?! NO! Lord Frieza please save me! Don't let him take me!" Nadan screamed as Tukkan threw him into the passenger's side. The Malakan scientist's screams were quickly drowned out as Tukkan ignited the engine with a hearty roar. The driver side window rolled down revealing the cheerful chef behind the wheel with the struggling Nadan trying desperately to jump out his window. With a loud rev of the engine the car reversed with a sudden lurch flattening a maintenance droid in a shower of sparks. Tukkan flinched at the sound of grinding metal before taking off in the proper direction rocketing into the sky and cutting off a passing car on its way out.
"One of those two are going to kill the other" Shuyo commented as he and Cooler made their way forward.
"I have money on Tukkan's driving doing it" Cooler replied smirking at the Konatsian chef's atrocious driving. "We're going to head out now brother" Cooler stated looking back to Frieza with that same smirk still on his face. "Shuyo and I are heading to a combat tournament going on a few miles from here care to join?" Cooler smirked as Frieza mulled over the invitation.
"I'll have to pass I'll be busy with other matters tonight" Frieza stated woodenly, knowing exactly what his brother was trying to do.
"Oh I'm sure you will be" Cooler stated slyly patting his brother on his shoulder and giving Aayla a curt nod before taking off with the stoic monk in tow.
Both Aayla and Frieza watched the quickly disappearing pair as they took off into the sky, the slowly setting sun silhouetting them in the distance. "Since when did those two become best buddies?" Aayla asked as they both watched the retreating pair.
"No clue… but I guess I owe Tukkan twenty credits" Frieza grumbled at the thought of the Konatsian chef's smug grin.
"They're kind of a cute couple don't you think?" Aayla snickered at the expense of the two warriors.
"Oh yes once we rebuild the kingdom Shuyo will make an excellent queen" Frieza smirked.
"Really now? You don't want to be in charge?" Aayla asked legitimately caught off guard by the Frost Prince's comment. She had fully expected Frieza to take the mantle if they were ever able to bring the kingdom back to its former glory.
"These past few months have allowed me a lot of time to think and reflect and… Where do you think you're going?" Frieza asked turning around to glare at the trio who were attempting to sneak away without anyone noticing. Raijin nearly knocked over Weiss and Tyr as they came to a halt, righting themselves the trio turned around to face the two remaining adults.
"We were just heading out and we didn't want to disturb you" Weiss said trying her best to look sweet and innocent. The attempt was less than effective as Frieza strolled over to the children a stern look plastered on his face.
"It's already late out I don't expect you to be out all night understand you all still need to rest" Frieza stated staring at each of them in turn before halting at Raijin. "Raijin remember what I told you, try to keep them in line" Frieza demanded of the young Zamt who vigorously shook his head in acceptance. "Excellent other than that enjoy yourselves" Frieza stated waving the kids off who broke into massive grins before taking off, their trails of black, white and emerald Ki leaving a coiling path through the air.
"I bet you'd make a good dad" Aayla said as Frieza returned to her side.
"Hardly" Frieza scoffed at the notion. "Now then let's get going, I found the perfect restaurant before landing" Frieza stated as he rose into the air.
"Great I'm starving" Aayla replied following the Frost Demon's lead. The pair soared between the towering buildings taking in the view around them as they passed. While Langden was no longer the vibrant jungle it once was, the cityscape had its own charm that the pair couldn't help but enjoy. Looking ahead Aayla smiled at the ivory Frost Demon, part of her couldn't believe they were finally going out. While she had left him plenty of hints and clues as to what she wanted, a part of her couldn't help but think that perhaps he just wasn't interested in her. So when she finally picked up Frieza's internal debate about asking her out, her heart soared at the prospect.
Aayla's excitement was only matched by Frieza's nervousness, the Frost Prince was in completely unknown territory and was now essentially winging it. Taking a quick glance backwards Frieza took in the azure beauty following him. She was wearing her skin tight black leggings and was now wearing a simple red tunic with a low hanging collar. However it was its simplicity that helped accentuate Aayla's natural beauty to the point where her skin seemed to glow in the setting sun.
"Don't mess this up."
Cooler's words were running through his head, what if he did mess this up, what if this whole evening ended up doing irrevocable damage to what the pair had? This had been a huge step outside of Frieza's comfort zone and every possibility was streaking through the Frost Prince's mind at lightning speed.
"I thought the point of us coming here was to relax" Aayla called out from beside Frieza. Frieza had been so enraptured in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed the Securan warrior pull up beside him.
"What do you mean?" Frieza asked attempting to keep his voice steady.
"I mean I can hear you in there hun" Aayla smirked as Frieza's eyes widened in shock. Using her Lakee to pull Frieza closer Aayla gave the Frost Demon a reassuring hug before whispering in his ear. "You're not going to mess anything up, don't listen to that sourpuss."
Taking a deep breath Frieza nodded as Aayla released the hug, she was right he needed to calm down. Just be himself that is what his mother always told him, those lessons still applied even after all these years. "Well we're here" Frieza stated as he took in his surroundings, lucky enough they were just about to pass the restaurant when Aayla decided to snap Frieza out of his stupor.
Both figures landed gracefully outside of the restaurant much to the shock of those they landed beside. The couple looked up at the marble building before them, it stood three stories tall and was a mesmerizing ivory colour that was not unlike Frieza's own skin. The windows were tinted to cut down on the amount of light coming in and there was an intricate floral display that lead all the way to the main entrance.
"Le Chic Pantalon?" Aayla muttered uncertainly, she had never eaten at any of these high class restaurants before. "Isn't this going to be incredibly expensive Frieza?" Aayla asked as they made their way through the vibrant garden.
"Undoubtedly" Frieza smirked as he held the door open for the Securan beauty, gesturing her inside with a mock bow.
Aayla might have found the act incredibly endearing if she wasn't actively trying to stifle her laughter. Frieza's mind was a storm of information, he was running through just about everything he had ever learned about women and his sources were coming from every direction you could think of. Aayla heard the words of his deceased mother that seemed to be primarily guiding the Frost Demon's actions. Mixed in there was advice from Tukkan, stories from Cooler, less than appropriate galactic database entries and just a general bedlam of information. Aayla could have sworn she caught a glimpse of King Cold but Frieza seemed to have shunted those thoughts away almost immediately.
As the pair made their way into the dimly lit restaurant Aayla took in her surroundings quickly, it was one of the many talents she had developed acting as Frieza's bodyguard. The room itself was surprisingly dark, no doubt to add to the atmosphere of the restaurant. The few glimpses she caught of patrons as they passed by revealed people wearing incredibly expensive looking dresses and suits, looking down she felt a surprising rush of self-scrutiny as she took in her own drab, in comparison, appearance. She couldn't help but feel that perhaps this wasn't the best place for them.
They were soon greeted by an elegant Volk in a black tuxedo. The teal skinned greeter bowed gracefully to Frieza before addressing him. "Good evening Lord Frieza, it is a great honour to be able to serve you tonight" the Volk stated, surprisingly calm for someone talking to Frieza.
"Excellent, then let us proceed" Frieza commanded as the Volk ushered him forward.
"I'm sorry miss but I'm afraid I can't let you in" the Volk stated causing Frieza to whip around to see the greeter barring entrance to a shocked Aayla.
"She is with me let her through" Frieza growled menacingly feeling his Ki spike in outrage.
"She is My Lord?" The Volk asked in surprise. Aayla spotted how he briefly looked her up and down a frown forming along his brow.
"Yes she is do you have a problem with that?" Frieza stated taking a few menacing steps forward. He could feel his power itching to release itself if this fool actually had the gall to deny Aayla.
"My sincerest apologies My Lord, it's just we have a policy against numerous races, Securans are among that list" the Volk bowed once more to Frieza who had the sudden urge to strangle the greeter where he stood. But his own thoughts of how to proceed were suddenly cut off by Aayla's shocked exclamation.
"You have a list of races you don't serve!?" Aayla's outrage was evident and Frieza could feel her own energy spike in anger. "Mind telling me what's wrong with my people" Aayla growled trying her best to keep her cool despite the urge to kick this prude into Langden's moon. With the right angle she knew she could pull it off.
"To be quite frank you're people are… well a bunch of whores and vagrants" the Volk stated matter-of-factly brushing the side of his expensive suit as he did so. It took all of Aayla's self-control not to punch a hole through the greeter's face where he stood. She had heard about how others had seen her people since the destruction of Secura at the hands of King Cold. The remainder of her people became wanderers going from system to system doing anything they could to survive. This usually meant using their natural beauty to perform less than reputable and downright demeaning jobs. The few Securans that were left were now looked down upon because of their new position in the galaxy.
A garbled choking sound brought Aayla out of her thoughts. It took all of a second for Aayla to discover the source of the sound, Frieza's tail was coiled firmly around the now kneeling Volk who was desperately clawing at the ivory appendage to no avail. Looking up Aayla saw Frieza's face was a mask of anger as he continued to choke the life out of the greeter, Aayla knew he could have ended the weakling in an instant but this time he was drawing it out on purpose. While a part of her, a larger one than she expected, told her to let him continue, Aayla knew better than that. The Volk was an ass, an insensitive, racist ass… but he didn't deserve to die for it. Walking over Aayla rested a calming hand on Frieza's shoulder and with a small squeeze got his attention.
The small nod she gave told Frieza everything he needed to know, she wanted him to let the disrespectful ingrate go. They gazed into each other's eyes until Frieza's will finally gave way and he loosened his grip on the Volk who fell to the ground in a heap gasping desperately for air. Bending down Frieza held up the panting Volk's head by his chin staring into the dull grey eyes of the greeter with his own piercing red gaze. "The only reason you are still alive and this building hasn't been reduced to a smouldering crater is because of that woman's kind heart" Frieza stated releasing his hold of the greeter as he got up and made his way to the door ushering Aayla out ahead of him. With one last menacing glance Frieza fired a Death Beam just a hair's breadth away from the Volk's face to emphasize his point.
Frieza quickly made his way through the intricate garden, Aayla had already made it to the street and was now waiting for him. She was absentmindedly twirling her Lakee in her slender hands as Frieza caught up with her. "I am so sorry if I had known that would happen I never would have suggested that place" Frieza apologized but Aayla just smiled at the Frost Prince.
"I know hun" she smiled as Frieza let out a long exhale of relief. "I'm just glad you didn't kill him is all" Aayla said as the pair began walking down the street together. The sun had now completely set and the lights from the various stores and lampposts now served to illuminate the still bustling streets.
"Well I had a feeling a cold blooded murder would put a sour note on the evening" Frieza replied, trying his best to keep his anger in check. The truth was he was still mad as hell about what had just transpired and still had the urge to turn around and hurl a quick Death Ball to erase that sorry excuse for a restaurant off the face of the planet.
"It probably would, don't suppose you have a plan b?" Aayla asked as they rounded another corner.
Frieza hung his head at the question "unfortunately no I don't have a plan b."
Aayla was silent for a few moments before an idea struck her that was just so crazy it just might work. "I think I have just the place for us" Aayla exclaimed excitedly. She had been thinking about going to it later by herself as it didn't seem like Frieza's environment, but with the Frost Demon's plans now obliterated he might just be receptive to it.
"Where?" Frieza asked wondering where Aayla could have possibly thought of.
"Oh you'll see, I think it's just about ten more blocks away" Aayla chuckled at the peaked interest of the Frost Demon.
Rather than fly to their destination the pair decided to continue walking, the night air was surprisingly cool and their walk was helping take both their minds off the debacle that transpired at Le Chic Pantalon. "Hey Frieza how do you think the others are doing?" Aayla asked as they crossed the street and ducked down a side alley.
"Well at this point I say it's fifty fifty on whether Tukkan has gotten Nadan killed" Frieza stated, he couldn't even imagine what the pair were up to. "If I had to take a guess about my brother and Shuyo, I would say they found that tournament they went to boring and decided to put on a real show for the attendees" Frieza continued as they made their way back onto the sidewalk. "As for Weiss, Raijin and Tyr they're… In a high-speed chase with the police!?" Frieza exclaimed as he looked at a nearby television screen mounted to a lamppost.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me it hasn't even been two hours" Aayla gaped at the ongoing newscast the television was displaying.
"If you're just now joining us, police are currently involved in a high-speed chase with a large number of the HFIL's Angels hoverbike gang and what appears to be three young children." The screen switched from the news caster to a live feed of the active chase, and there they were Weiss, Raijin and Tyr with about three dozen burly hoverbikers tailing them and firing a barrage of blaster fire from their weapons. "As you can see there has been significant blaster fire from the Angels but luckily casualties have been minimal with no confirmed fatalities as of yet. The chase itself seems to have gone on now for almost an hour with little to no headway being made to stop this rampage." The live feed shrunk down to a smaller square in the corner of the screen to once again revealing the news caster. "The three children appear to be, as of yet, unknown and no one has come forward to name them so we have very little information about them for the time being." The news caster was shuffling through notes on his desk before looking back to the camera. "We will be actively monitoring the chase as it proceeds but for now we have sports with Rogan Costas, until next time keep it classy Langden."
Frieza stood there in shock, deep down he knew the three would get into some kind of trouble but to start a full scale police chase and involve a biker gang in less than two hours was just too much. "I'm going to kill them" Frieza exclaimed as he searched for their energy signatures. Just as Frieza locked on to their position he felt Aayla wrap her arms around him from behind bringing him into another hug.
"Or, you could just let the kids be kids" Aayla said as she placed her head against Frieza's. "It's not like they're in any danger, hell Raijin on his own is more powerful than just about everyone on this planet." Aayla released her hold to circle around to face the Frost Demon "they won't be kids forever you know, let them enjoy it while they can."
Feeling his anger ebb away Frieza relented allowing the Securan's words sink in. She was right of course none of them were in any real danger. On top of that the whole point of this trip was to get the crew to have fun and enjoy themselves, which clearly the kids were doing. With a soft groan Frieza looked up at the smiling woman before him "very well, we'll let them have their fun."
"Awesome, and look we made it!" Aayla exclaimed pointing across the street. Frieza turned to face the direction she was pointing and was caught off guard by the sight.
"The Twisted Transistor?" Frieza read the name of the establishment from the sign above the door. While Frieza had never entered one himself in the past he knew what a bar was and one glance told him this one was definitely not on the high end side. The exterior had seen plenty of wear and tear with part of the neon sign above the door flickering sporadically.
"Cool right?" Aayla exclaimed grabbing Frieza by the hand and leading him across the road. They dodged in and out of the traffic before coming to a halt in front of an incredibly muscular Beppan bouncer.
"Welcome to the Twisted Transistor, behave yourselves in there and we won't have a problem" the bouncer announced before stepping to the side to allow the pair through. Upon entering Frieza could tell that the bar itself seemed to match descriptions of others from across the universe, dimly lit, pounding music and lots of people all of which had now turned to face the new arrivals.
"They're staring at us" Frieza muttered out of the side of his mouth as they proceeded further into the crowded bar. The pounding music seemed to dim and Frieza could just make out the hushed whispers passing through the crowd as they looked from one to the other. Suddenly every patron in the bar was on their feet and Frieza quickly found himself surrounded on all sides. At first Frieza thought they were actually trying to attack him that is until he noticed the broad smiles.
"It's actually Frieza!" One drunken bar goer cheered hefting his pint of amber liquid into the air.
"I must be hammered that can't really be him" another one said from the Frost Demon's left.
"You are hammered man but that's actually him!" his friend called out from beside him.
"You know I thought he'd be taller" a woman from his right mentioned to her friends.
"Can't believe it Lord Frieza in my bar" the bartender behind the counter grinned from ear to ear as he hopped over to greet the newcomers. He was an elderly man with faded red skin and a full grey beard. Making his way through the crowd he came to face the Frost Demon and with a big jovial smile pressed a full pitcher into the stunned tyrant's hands. "Drinks are on me for tonight my boy" he chuckled at the perplexed look Frieza was giving him. "Don't worry about the cost, you and your crew saved our hides think nothing of it."
Before Frieza could even respond to the elderly barkeep he clapped him on the back and turned back to his counter with a small spring in his, otherwise elderly, step. "What the hell is going on?" Frieza muttered as the patrons of the bar continued to mill around the pair.
"What's going on he says!" One of the revellers exclaimed. "You saved everyone on this planet from those pirates! How could we not celebrate you guys being here" The man shouted before taking another swig from his glass.
Aayla couldn't contain her laughter and burst out in hysterics. "See isn't this better than that stuffy restaurant?" Aayla asked as she grabbed the glass in Frieza's hand and downed half its contents in one swig.
"I suppose… Wait that was mine!" Frieza exclaimed at the beaming Securan. Another glass was shoved into his hands almost immediately by the patrons who were still bustling about the pair.
"So what brings you two to this hole?" A tall man with navy blue eyes inquired from a stool at the bar itself. The question earned him a smack to the back of the head from the elderly barkeep.
"You keep that hole talk to yourself Regg, but yeah what brings you here anyway?" The barkeep asked filling yet another pint and sliding it across the bar's surface.
"We're actually on a date, we were going to eat at Le Chic Pantalon but they turned out to be a bunch of insufferable asses" Aayla said before finishing the rest of her drink.
"Those stuck up snobs wouldn't know a good time of it snuck up and bit them in the rears" a Malakan with bright purple hair spoke up from a booth along the wall.
"You got that right… Hey I know lets show them a real good time" the barkeep said slamming his hand on his counter to the nods and shouts of approval from his guests. "Alright time for a party, Langden style!" The elderly man's cheer was quickly joined by the rest of the patrons and both Frieza and Aayla soon found themselves being ushered forward.
It didn't take the pair long to stop wondering just what a Langden style party was, as after their fourth straight drink both Aayla and Frieza stopped caring and joined full force in the celebrations. Frieza couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. Amidst drunken arm wrestling, drinking contests, Frieza's laughable attempt at karaoke and a myriad of other ludicrous activities Frieza realised that he may have been the one who needed time away from the ship the most. Aayla stuck by the Frost Demon's side every step of the way and while yes she was somewhat disappointed their romantic evening wasn't as private as she originally hoped, she was able to push that small gripe to the side as she watched Frieza engage with the rest of the bar.
"Alright that makes thirty-eight straight wins for Frieza and a whopping zero for you sorry lot" the elderly barkeep called out, who they had learned was named Swearengen but most just called him Swear… or Old Man. Swear had been officiating the drunken arm wrestling with Frieza sitting smugly as the undisputed champ.
"Oh come on Old Man, that's Frieza we're talking about no way we can win" one of the party goers whined, rubbing his now swollen wrist.
Downing the rest of her drink Aayla stepped forward, both arms raised triumphantly into the air. "Move aside boys a new challenger approaches!" Aayla called out to the raucous cheers of the crowd around her.
"Finally a worthy adversary" Frieza commented doing his best to hide his increasingly slurred speech with minimal success.
"You bet your ass frosty" Aayla jeered playfully as she planted herself in the chair opposite of the Undisputed Drunken Arm Wrestling Champion of the Twisted Transistor. The rounds of cheers grew even more deafening at Aayla's line as they prepared for the match of the century.
Both combatants locked hands and slammed their elbows down cracking the wooden surface of the table as they grinned at each other. "You're going down my dear" Frieza smirked at the Azure Beauty's confident smile.
"You take me down?" Aayla asked as she leant in closer and licked her lips seductively. "I would love to see you try" she finished with a wink, smirking at the Frost Demon's ever reddening cheeks.
"Ready? And three… two… one… BEGIN!" Swear shouted and the battle was on. The initial force both combatants exerted created a pressure wave strong enough to knock the closest revelers off their feet with the rest clamouring over them to get a better view of the action. Both Aayla and Frieza's teeth were barred as they tried to gain the advantage over the other. They seemed to be dead even, neither one able to gain an advantage over the other. Just as Frieza's arm began to dip down he would put in a burst of force to push it back into position. It wasn't long until both of their auras were ignited deep purple mixing with bright crimson. The viewers around them couldn't believe what they were seeing as both titans fought for dominance over the other.
The battle stretched on for close to five minutes with both Aayla and Frieza having their moments to shine gaining the advantage over the other. But as time dragged on Aayla felt her own strength starting to wane, not by much but she knew this match was going to be over in three minutes tops unless something… drastic… was done.
Carefully controlling her strength Aayla let Frieza push her downwards bringing both their wrists closer to the, somehow still intact, table surface. This left Aayla with an unobstructed view of Frieza in all his chiseled ivory glory and vice versa. Leaning forward Aayla smirked at the Frost Demon's eager expression, he thought he had this match but he was so wrong. "Looks like you got me hun" Aayla purred catching Frieza's attention.
"You might as well give in it's almost o…" Frieza trailed off as his eyes caught sight of Aayla's two secret weapons. Aayla grinned triumphantly as she watched Frieza's cheeks redden suddenly. Aayla's tunic normally covered her up quite well, that is until she leant over in which case anyone lucky enough got a stunning view of the Azure Beauty's cleavage. Just as Frieza attempted to compose himself from the sudden exposure Aayla felt a small shift in the Frost Demon's grasp, it had slackened. With a triumphant shout Aayla poured all her strength into one final push slamming Frieza's hand down into the wooden table, which shattered like glass from the impact.
The entire bar erupted in celebration as Aayla stood triumphantly on another table with her arms in the air. "And the new Undisputed Drunken Arm Wrestling Champion is Aayla Talon!" Swear shouted over the roaring crowd. Hopping up on another table the old barkeep handed Aayla yet another massive pitcher. "Your celebratory drink sweetheart" Swear bowed before hopping off his own table. Aayla chugged the entire pitcher of burning liquid in one go much to the crowds tremendous approval.
Floating up to meet the victor face to face Frieza glared at the cheerful Securan as she tossed the pitcher over to Swear on the other side of the bar. "That was a dirty trick and I-MMMMMM!" Frieza was taken completely off guard as Aayla whipped her Lakee around his waist pulling him into her waiting arms and connected her lips with his own. At first Frieza tried fighting it off, however that lasted all of two seconds before Frieza reciprocated the action, much to the cheers of the crowd gathered around them.
As they broke apart Aayla grinned at the still blushing Frost Demon. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that" Aayla smiled as she laid her arms down on either side of Frieza's head.
"Don't I?" Frieza smirked as he tapped the side of his head smugly. "Now look who forgets we're connected" Frieza grinned before pulling the Azure Beauty into another passionate kiss. Looking back on it Frieza decided that a night on the town was exactly what he needed.
Author's Notes: Well here we are folks the much awaited date has arrived sorry if I kept you waiting. This chapter was surprisingly fun to write and I'm quite happy with the results, next chapter will be focusing on what Cooler and the rest of the crew got up to while Frieza and Aayla had their night out.
I wanted to use this chapter as a stepping stone to show the Frieza's growth into outright tyrannical monster to loveable anti-hero. Obviously Frieza doesn't really care what people think of him (save for a certain someone) but the opinion of the general public is a good indicator to show how people see him.
Aayla finally got what she wanted and now that Frieza-Senpai is hers no one will take him from her… NO ONE! But seriously writing their contest was a lot of fun just like the rest of the chapter. Also yes I was kinda horrible to Aayla at the restaurant… I got to work on that I know.
Also the references… I think I might have gone a tad overboard with them especially some of the less than obvious and obscure ones, but hey once they popped in my head I couldn't not use them.
Not much else to say as this chapter was fairly straight forward but as always if you guys want to talk or have questions or even want to submit some ideas for the story I'm all ears.
Until next time everyone