Last time:
"Trauma can have a deep impact on people's lives, believe me," she stressed, thinking of how because of her fatal disease she began looking at Vegeta in a new light.
"Oh, silly me!" Furto suddenly said loudly, hopping from the floor. "Here I am moaning over the unchangeable past and you haven't eaten dinner yet. Come," she pulled her off the bed. "You need your strength, especially for the landing tomorrow."
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The landing on Planet Geranoma was smoother than Bulma expected, only being flung a few times. It look a little longer, she figured it was due to the planet's atmosphere or the Fewskm ship being designed differently then her own. She made a mental note to check out the innards of it when they got back on Fewskm, if she was allowed, of course.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Bulma said, hopping out of her chair, though immediately flopping back down when she got a head rush.
"Doesn't seem so until you stand," Furto said, as he stayed seated. "Just give it a few minutes."
Vegeta, however, was already up and checking the controls, scanning the area, and the stats outside. He frowned expectedly at the little multicolored buttons and lights. But Bulma wasn't stupid, she knew he wasn't just being his grumpy old self; he was sore about her decision about their mating. She looked longingly at him, remembering vividly the feeling of his body against hers, his surprisingly soft lips as they pressed hers, giving her a feeling she knew she could only feel with him.
"Stop looking at me," he grunted. Bulma jumped slightly, unaware that she'd been starring and that he'd suddenly turned around and caught her.
"Er-I-Is everything ok?" she asked, biting her lip. "I mean, with the ship and everything," she added quickly.
"It's fine, we just need clearance to enter habitation."
"Habi-?"
"Miss," said Furto, grabbing her arm, and attention. "Not all of Geranoma is habitable. The Geranomes made a poor choice in vacant planets, so there is a lot of space that they cannot use for anything but landing. The air here, as to be expected, is thicker and harder to breath. But the ship can adapt itself to move to the habitation."
"How do they know we're here?"
"They implanted sensors under the ground that connect with their interplanetary relations building."
"So they're really advanced, are they?" she asked hopefully.
"Only the technology they stole from us," Vegeta growled, bending over into a cabinet under one of the control panels.
"Wha-Why are you keeping her in there?!" Bulma yelled, jumping up, forgetting about her head rush from before as he pushed Fenna onto his shoulder where she settled happily.
"They like dark places to sleep. I couldn't very well leave her to fly around while we landed."
"That's cruel, and dangerous. What if she chewed the wires?"
"They're not hard enough, they like crunchy foods. The wires are too soft," he said a-matter-of-factly, turning his back on her and Furto and leaving the control room.
"He's so impossible," she huffed, sitting back down, for her head began to flood with pain once again.
"He's only brooding over your decision, Miss. Give him time to come to his senses and then you two-"
"Come to his senses? He hasn't the senses to come to Furto. He doesn't love me, nor will he ever. And, even if he did, he would never lower his pride enough to acknowledge it by asking me to mate with him again. You don't understand him the way I do."
"I, if you don't mind me saying, probably understand him more than you know, and definitely more than he knows."
"What d'you mean?"
"I mean, years ago, as he destroyed much of Fewskm, I was to learn much about him. Golana, I admit, saw more in him than all of us though. She was the only one Vegeta would tolerate in the few days before he began purging our beautiful planet." He sighed deeply, obviously remembering back to that long ago time. "I was another he tolerated, but only briefly, for I made a grave error in judgment and was no longer aloud in his presence."
"What happened?" Bulma, who had now forgotten about her headache, was listening intently to what Furto was saying; he was so fascinating to her, everything he said seemed to be a wonderfully extravagant story that furthered him from any being Bulma had ever made contact with. Why were earthlings so boring compared to the rest of the universe?
"I spoke to him of his father, I praised the man's strength in hopes of winning his trust. I told him he would be honored had he survived the attack on Planet Vegeta, and that Prince Vegeta was a reflection of his greatness."
Bulma let of a little gasp. She knew this well, this anger that flamed in Vegeta when his farther was compared to him. She could still hear the words echoing from the last time he'd yelled, "I am not my father! Do not compare him to me!" Why it angered him so she would never know. Why he was not proud of his father's efforts, why he would not be praised in his comparison; those would always be mysteries to her.
"I really knew little of the former king and therefore was not speaking a real truth, for I knew not of how strong he was."
"Why doesn't he like it when people compare him to his father? Why isn't he honored?"
"Miss, even for creatures as strong-willed and stubborn as Saiyans, it is impossible to ignore certain emotions. He loved and honored his father dearly, I am sure of this. Golana, his only 'friend' of the Fewsks, was unknowingly at the time to us, and still to him, a very accomplished Tresser."
"A-A what?"
"A Tresser, a seer of the heart and mind."
"So she could read minds?"
"In a manner of speaking. She could not, and cannot, pull random facts and secrets from others' minds. She cannot go into their thoughts and retrieve any specific memory. She can, however, scrape the surface thoughts."
"So, wait, what are you getting at?"
"As Golana and Vegeta shared stories of their past, which amazingly Vegeta did freely with her, only having few restrictions, his mind was flooded with memories of his father. She picked them up immediately, sorting them out in her head. He loved the man, he was proud to be his son, and he missed having his guidance."
"Guidance? Vegeta, guided?"
"Yes Miss, his father, to him, was his only worthy mentor. But we're missing the point. Vegeta's head was swirled with thoughts of his father, unknowingly giving the information to Golana, for no words of him ever passed his lips." He paused, looking out the window at the desert landscape before them; the wind whirled, blowing around the loose, un-watered topsoil. "He will not be compared to him, for he doesn't feel worthy enough for it."
Bulma let out a sigh as if to say, "Oh, now I get it."
"As for his sour feelings over your mating, I still believe he will come around in time. Do not doubt the power of love, it triumphs over all."
"Furto," she sighed, hand rested under her chin. "I know your race regards love with high standards, as does mine, as do I myself, but Vegeta and the Saiyans, they loathe the mere word."
"Many a Saiyan has loved his mate, many a Saiyan has been put to death over it. A Saiyan King, centuries ago, was beheaded for having an affair with a third class warrior. He loved her deeply and gladly took his stand at the gallows for loving her. Fortunately for the royal bloodline, the Queen had already bore their son."
"But Vegeta!" she whimpered. "He loathes everything to do with it. I don't understand why you believe he can change."
"He will not change, I never said he would change. Changing will not bring about his decision, it is already made in his mind, he simply needs to bring himself to accept it."
"What are you saying?"
"He will ask you to mate again, when he is ready."
"I don't believe you," she said harshly, getting to her feet. "I need to go check on the Rymrons." She left without a glance back, angry with his words. How could he say that to her? How could he try and get her hopes up for something she knew would never come? She loved Vegeta with all her being and could not be with him because he would not love her back, and Furto had the audacity to tell her he was just being stubborn? That he would come to her, confessing his love!
She slouched onto her bed moments later, the Rymrons toppling out of her arms next to her. She was still in a fury about what Furto had said to her. She was too angry to realize that she had over-reacted with him, that it was wrong of her to be mad. But how could he build her up only to be crushed? Was he too blinded by his love for the Doon princess to see what was so painfully plain to her?
She curled up on her bed, pulling a pillow over her head and closing her eyes. She needed a good long rest before facing either man.
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"Woman, wake up," Vegeta's voice snarled in her ear as she was shaken awake. "Woman, we are leaving the ship now."
"Go away, I'm in no mood for you or a murderous band of Geranomes."
"You will get up or you will not be cured. Now get up or I will force you."
"Whatever," she huffed, pushing his arms away and stumbling to her feet. She brushed past him, groping the bathroom wall for the light switch.
As the warm refreshing water hit her face, she felt a little better than before taking her nap. She wasn't as angry with Furto, but more focused on the reason for them being on this planet in the first place. She was going to get a cure, she would be fine, she was not going to die. But then another dreadful thought entered her unsuspecting mind; what was her life worth now? She would not have her prince like she'd thought, she would not have his children, she would not have Vegeta, she would be alone.
Sulking, she emerged from her room, fully dressed, and ready for meeting the Geranomes. The Doonso from the other ship were settled uneasily around the kitchen, talking in low voices with Furto, as Vegeta feed Fenna some uncooked noodles. No one seemed to notice her presence, all still immersed in what they'd been doing. She took a seat at the table next to a rather stern looking Doonso, whose short black hair stuck out in random places, obviously having not been combed. She looked over at Bulma, wrinkling her nose, then turned back to the conversation. They were talking about their strategy in how they were to get the Geranomes to give them some Elpin. Bulma wondered why the Elpin would be given over to a race that lived on such a desolate planet. She knew why the Geranomes themselves were chosen, but this planet? Couldn't the Doon queen have chosen a more fertile planet that the Geranomes controlled?
"No, fertile soil is not what the Elpin craves." Bulma was too shocked at the female Doonso's voice being directed at her to realize what she'd said. She was a different one from the one who glared at her a moment ago. Her hair was longer, and more groomed looking, her eyes a little smaller, and orange in color. They stood out against the rest of the Doonso in the kitchen, all of whom had gray or black eyes.
"Er-what?" Bulma finally stuttered, looking confused.
"The reason Geranoma was chosen was because of its dry soil. Though not as dry as the soil in landing grounds, it is sufficient enough for it to prosper."
"She is a Tresser," Furto explained, not meeting Bulma's eyes, he undoubtedly had realized his mistake from before. And Bulma was still too stunned at what was happening to realize how similar Fewsks and Doonso were; both beings had the ability to be Tressers.
"I-er-nice to meet you all," was the only thing Bulma could think of as she scanned the faces over the three female Doonso. "I'm Bulma."
"This is Gerressanet," Furto said, pointing at the harsh looking one. "Delafoun." His hand went to the Tresser. "And Albazar." The last Doonso, whom Bulma had not looked over closely, was rather small, child-like in features, her short black hair looking the most groomed of all. "Albazar is Delafoun's daughter."
Bulma eyed them both for resemblance, none of which she found. Albazar had glistening black eyes, not the bright orange ones like her mother's. She tried to think back. Had she met Golana, or rather, seen her around on Fewskm? Did only Tressers have orange eyes?
"No Bulma," said Delafoun almost at once. "Orange is the eye color of Doonso who are not bound by time."
"Meaning?" Again Bulma wondered why her planet seemed to be the only isolated one.
"She can see past, present, and future. She is a Tresser and a Crunmor; most rare."
"And to answer your question about Earth; it is a very young planet, whose people have barely begun to take interest in the universe."
"So we're behind?"
"Yes, but soon enough something will occur and Earth will know of other planets and their inhabitants."
"What will happen?"
"It is not close enough in the future for you to witness it. Be contented with knowing of other planets yourself. You are much farther along than the rest of your planet."
"When will it happen then?"
"I dare say I will be upsetting the natural balance if I was to say."
"Then why are you a-er-Crunmor if you can't warn people about the future?"
"But that's exactly what I do. But only when someone is in grave dangerous, only then can I afford to change the course of time."
"How do I really know you can do this then?"
"Miss!" Furto gasped, but both Bulma and Delafoun ignored him.
"You built your first robot when you were four years old, Earth time. Your father did not know about this and its purpose was to clean your bedchambers. You destroyed it a week later when he almost discovered it."
Bulma was speechless; she'd never told anyone about that.
"Vegeta, she's going to bite you," said Delafoun without turning to him behind her.
And sure enough, seconds later, Fenna nipped at Vegeta's finger, thinking it was a raw noodle.
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An hour later the ship, now equipped with wheels, rolled through a set of black iron gates, gently coming to a stop in the shade of a giant red and yellow oak-like tree. There were no Geranomes in sight, though Bulma really had no idea what they looked like. What she could see, now that the dust had settled, was a collection of buildings, all black in color, having glassless windows and blue doors of all sizes. To the right were more red and yellow trees, and to the left, a large deep brown complex with tiny circular windows no bigger than Bulma's fists. Metal, as it looked from where she was, lined these little windows; there was no door in which to enter the building that she could see.
Then suddenly, bursting from all the different sized doors in the largest building, came what were unmistakably the Geranomes. They were all different heights, corresponding to the doors, all with angry glares on their pale purple faces. Bulma didn't understand, she thought the others had sorted everything out before coming here. She looked around at them, and then back at the advancing Geranomes, their tiny black eyes gleaming in the bright sun, fists clenched, wild blue, red, violet, or black hair flowing behind them.
"A-er-Vegeta, what's happening? Why do they look so angry?" she asked, voice shaking uncontrollably.
"They always look that way," Furto replied for him, looking as calm as ever. He left her side a moment later, going over to open the door. "Gerressanet, I think you should go first. Then Delafoun, Albazar, myself, Vegeta, and then you Miss Bulma."
Gerressanet looked out the window just as the last of the Geranomes heads disappeared from view, reappearing at the bottom of the ramp the door had made. She walked slowly down to them, speaking in their native tongue; Furto translated in her ear.
"She said she hopes we can be on with our business as soon as possible, wishing them a good day….The Geranome who's talking, goes by the name Urgadoan, she said she wishes the same, and that their presence is quite a nuisance."
"That's rather rude," Bulma commented as Delafoun descended the ramp.
"They do not care about manners, they wish to carry out business as fast as they can so they can go back to their own lives."
"I see…."
"Delafoun just said she is happy to meet them and hopes they prosper well." Albazar now made her way to stand beside her mother, bowing slightly at the waist. "She told them she is honored to be here and it's a lovely day."
"What am I supposed to say?" The thought had just occurred to her as Furto made way to leave her side.
"I will explain that you do not know their language. Stay here with Vegeta until it's your turn."
He went to stand beside Albazar, talking fluently with the Geranomes, all of whose faces were still twisted and glaring, though their words came out in soft hmms and hisses. Vegeta left a moment later, bowing as Albazar had, saying something quick and to the point in the alien tongue. She wished she knew what they were all saying, rather than just listening to what sounded like animal noises or having Furto translate for her.
Bulma looked up just in time to see Furto beckoning her down the ramp. She walked as slowly as she could without looking as though she was hesitant, stopping between Furto and Vegeta, looking rather stupidly up at the tall Geranome they'd been conversing with; Urgadoan. She had beady little eyes like the rest of her race, though they were blue in color on closer inspection, and her hair was long, down passed her feet, brushing against the dusty ground, and violet in color. Bulma thought her beautiful if she would stop frowning.
At that moment Delafoun said something to Urgadoan, causing her seemingly etched features to turn into what Bulma thought was the closest to a smile she could muster.
"She told her you think her beautiful."
Bulma smiled back at the Geranome, a little eased that she could get her to stop frowning for at least a second. Urgadoan said something quickly and gestured to her fellow Geranomes and the aliens before her.
"We are to follow her into her home."
They walked towards to largest of the black building, entering the tallest of its doors. The other Geranomes entered their respective doors, all of which lead to the main corridor of the home. It was murky inside; little light from the windows came in, though from the outside the sun had seemed to shine right through them. The furnishings were what looked to be of the same style as where she was from, all wood polished beautifully, all cushions stuffed full and made of soft velvet or silk looking materials. The floors were soft, appearing to be made of grass, though as they walked, Bulma noticed they were more like feathers or hairs than grass, black in color. All the furniture, walls, and such were black she noticed, and the interior of the building was cool and breezy, though there had been no breeze outside.
Urgadoan lead them through several rooms, finally stopping at one with hundreds of black pillows on the floor. The Geranomes took seats on the pillows, all conversing excitedly to one another. Bulma kept close to Furto, not wanting to offend them in any way. Urgadoan chirped, or so it sounded, and all of Bulma's companions began to sit. She followed suit immediately, tucking close to Furto for his translations.
Several long moments went by in silence, no one moved nor talked after all were seated, and Urgadoan starred blankly ahead at an unseen object behind them all, for she'd seated herself on the largest silk pillow that lay on a large white marble square in the front of the room. Bulma did not dare look at what she may be looking at, only sat as still as she could, hoping something would happen soon. And, seemingly just as she thought it, several more Geranomes came into the room from doors on either side of Urgadoan, carrying trays of what Bulma guessed was food and/or beverages. The Geranomes, all having white hair and very young looking faces, bowed to Urgadoan, then took the trays to the surrounding inhabitants of the room. When a tray was set in front of Bulma, she nearly gasped at what lay on it. It was what looked like a large lilac colored raisin with hundreds of violet rubbery inch long appendages all over it.
"What is that?" she said out of the corner of her mouth to Furto.
"Bellbrafarn brain; a rare delicacy." He already had it in his hands, nibbling on the rubber appendages.
"Wh-What brain?"
"Bellbrafarn. Now hurry up and do as I do or you will not be looked highly upon by Urgadoan." She glanced up at her on her large silk pillow; she was watching everyone eagerly, not having a disgusting brain in front of her. The white-haired Geranomes were gone now, leaving her nothing else to look at in her stall.
She slowly reached down at poked the brain, shivering as it sent cold chills through her body. Why, oh why, did she have to endure this for the Elpin? She spread her whole hand over the top of it, not covering it entirely for it was the size of a grapefruit, but flung her hand to her chest when it sputtered and oozed thick black liquid.
"Hurry up and eat it woman," Vegeta snarled beside her, his Bellbrafarn brain nearly completely gone.
She put out both hands this time, picking it up and holding it under her nose. It had no foul or good smell to it, though it made her nostrils feel fuzzy. Sticking her tongue out, she touched its tip to the cold surface of the brain, finding it oddly warm on her tongue, tasting like nothing she ever had before; it was delicious. She took a large bite out of its center, as she noticed Vegeta had, and sighed contently at the moist warm feeling that filled her mouth. She couldn't believe that such a disgusting thing, a brain no less, would be so wonderful. All things around her faded, her vision blurred, as she devoured the Bellbrafarn brain, licking the black goo from her fingers after it was gone.
When she looked up again, everything was back into focus, Urgadoan having her "smile" on her lips once again. To her left and right Furto and Vegeta had finished their brains, sitting still to await what was to come next. She leaned over to say something to Vegeta, but immediately his fingers pressed lightly on her lips, silencing her. She smiled under them, feeling giddy for some reason, and kissed his fingers. He pulled them away as if not noticing, setting them back on his crossed legs.
Moments later Urgadoan began to speak, saying a long flow of alien words that made Bulma giggle under her breath. She looked around; no one else was finding this funny. She sat back up, trying to look as rigid as Vegeta, though failing miserably, falling into a fit of giggles that she tried to stifle under her hands. Urgadoan looked at her, her lips forming an actual smile, then spoke, directly to her.
"She says she is happy that the Bellbrafarn brain has that effect on you, she remembers the feeling fondly."
Bulma looked sideways at him, giggling when he squinted his eyes at her; he was slightly annoyed with her behavior, but she didn't care, every bad feeling had been lifted off her, her head feeling light and wonderful.
"It was delicious!" Bulma yelled to Urgadoan, waving happily at her. Both Furto and Vegeta dove for her; Furto grabbed her arms, holding them tight, and Vegeta clamped his hands over her mouth, silencing her. She giggled under his hands at this actions; she hadn't intended on saying more.
Furto looked but wearily, undoubtedly translating what Bulma had said to her. Urgadoan bowed her head at Bulma, smile not fading. She said something, eyes still on Bulma.
"She likes you," Furto whispered in her ear, releasing her slowly. Vegeta took his hands away as well, shaking his head at her behavior. "Which is most rare as you have males in your company."
"I'm a very likeable person, Furto." She giggled more after saying this, the words seeming to be very funny to her. "I really would like the recipe for those brains."
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--Chapter 17!!! Wee! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! I'm the Queen! Heehee! How'd everyone like the Geranomes? And them liking Bulma, how weird. I mean, no offense to her, I love her to death, but she can get on people's nerves quite easily.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Review=More Chapters)
Next time: Discussion about Elpin, etc.
"Trauma can have a deep impact on people's lives, believe me," she stressed, thinking of how because of her fatal disease she began looking at Vegeta in a new light.
"Oh, silly me!" Furto suddenly said loudly, hopping from the floor. "Here I am moaning over the unchangeable past and you haven't eaten dinner yet. Come," she pulled her off the bed. "You need your strength, especially for the landing tomorrow."
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The landing on Planet Geranoma was smoother than Bulma expected, only being flung a few times. It look a little longer, she figured it was due to the planet's atmosphere or the Fewskm ship being designed differently then her own. She made a mental note to check out the innards of it when they got back on Fewskm, if she was allowed, of course.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Bulma said, hopping out of her chair, though immediately flopping back down when she got a head rush.
"Doesn't seem so until you stand," Furto said, as he stayed seated. "Just give it a few minutes."
Vegeta, however, was already up and checking the controls, scanning the area, and the stats outside. He frowned expectedly at the little multicolored buttons and lights. But Bulma wasn't stupid, she knew he wasn't just being his grumpy old self; he was sore about her decision about their mating. She looked longingly at him, remembering vividly the feeling of his body against hers, his surprisingly soft lips as they pressed hers, giving her a feeling she knew she could only feel with him.
"Stop looking at me," he grunted. Bulma jumped slightly, unaware that she'd been starring and that he'd suddenly turned around and caught her.
"Er-I-Is everything ok?" she asked, biting her lip. "I mean, with the ship and everything," she added quickly.
"It's fine, we just need clearance to enter habitation."
"Habi-?"
"Miss," said Furto, grabbing her arm, and attention. "Not all of Geranoma is habitable. The Geranomes made a poor choice in vacant planets, so there is a lot of space that they cannot use for anything but landing. The air here, as to be expected, is thicker and harder to breath. But the ship can adapt itself to move to the habitation."
"How do they know we're here?"
"They implanted sensors under the ground that connect with their interplanetary relations building."
"So they're really advanced, are they?" she asked hopefully.
"Only the technology they stole from us," Vegeta growled, bending over into a cabinet under one of the control panels.
"Wha-Why are you keeping her in there?!" Bulma yelled, jumping up, forgetting about her head rush from before as he pushed Fenna onto his shoulder where she settled happily.
"They like dark places to sleep. I couldn't very well leave her to fly around while we landed."
"That's cruel, and dangerous. What if she chewed the wires?"
"They're not hard enough, they like crunchy foods. The wires are too soft," he said a-matter-of-factly, turning his back on her and Furto and leaving the control room.
"He's so impossible," she huffed, sitting back down, for her head began to flood with pain once again.
"He's only brooding over your decision, Miss. Give him time to come to his senses and then you two-"
"Come to his senses? He hasn't the senses to come to Furto. He doesn't love me, nor will he ever. And, even if he did, he would never lower his pride enough to acknowledge it by asking me to mate with him again. You don't understand him the way I do."
"I, if you don't mind me saying, probably understand him more than you know, and definitely more than he knows."
"What d'you mean?"
"I mean, years ago, as he destroyed much of Fewskm, I was to learn much about him. Golana, I admit, saw more in him than all of us though. She was the only one Vegeta would tolerate in the few days before he began purging our beautiful planet." He sighed deeply, obviously remembering back to that long ago time. "I was another he tolerated, but only briefly, for I made a grave error in judgment and was no longer aloud in his presence."
"What happened?" Bulma, who had now forgotten about her headache, was listening intently to what Furto was saying; he was so fascinating to her, everything he said seemed to be a wonderfully extravagant story that furthered him from any being Bulma had ever made contact with. Why were earthlings so boring compared to the rest of the universe?
"I spoke to him of his father, I praised the man's strength in hopes of winning his trust. I told him he would be honored had he survived the attack on Planet Vegeta, and that Prince Vegeta was a reflection of his greatness."
Bulma let of a little gasp. She knew this well, this anger that flamed in Vegeta when his farther was compared to him. She could still hear the words echoing from the last time he'd yelled, "I am not my father! Do not compare him to me!" Why it angered him so she would never know. Why he was not proud of his father's efforts, why he would not be praised in his comparison; those would always be mysteries to her.
"I really knew little of the former king and therefore was not speaking a real truth, for I knew not of how strong he was."
"Why doesn't he like it when people compare him to his father? Why isn't he honored?"
"Miss, even for creatures as strong-willed and stubborn as Saiyans, it is impossible to ignore certain emotions. He loved and honored his father dearly, I am sure of this. Golana, his only 'friend' of the Fewsks, was unknowingly at the time to us, and still to him, a very accomplished Tresser."
"A-A what?"
"A Tresser, a seer of the heart and mind."
"So she could read minds?"
"In a manner of speaking. She could not, and cannot, pull random facts and secrets from others' minds. She cannot go into their thoughts and retrieve any specific memory. She can, however, scrape the surface thoughts."
"So, wait, what are you getting at?"
"As Golana and Vegeta shared stories of their past, which amazingly Vegeta did freely with her, only having few restrictions, his mind was flooded with memories of his father. She picked them up immediately, sorting them out in her head. He loved the man, he was proud to be his son, and he missed having his guidance."
"Guidance? Vegeta, guided?"
"Yes Miss, his father, to him, was his only worthy mentor. But we're missing the point. Vegeta's head was swirled with thoughts of his father, unknowingly giving the information to Golana, for no words of him ever passed his lips." He paused, looking out the window at the desert landscape before them; the wind whirled, blowing around the loose, un-watered topsoil. "He will not be compared to him, for he doesn't feel worthy enough for it."
Bulma let out a sigh as if to say, "Oh, now I get it."
"As for his sour feelings over your mating, I still believe he will come around in time. Do not doubt the power of love, it triumphs over all."
"Furto," she sighed, hand rested under her chin. "I know your race regards love with high standards, as does mine, as do I myself, but Vegeta and the Saiyans, they loathe the mere word."
"Many a Saiyan has loved his mate, many a Saiyan has been put to death over it. A Saiyan King, centuries ago, was beheaded for having an affair with a third class warrior. He loved her deeply and gladly took his stand at the gallows for loving her. Fortunately for the royal bloodline, the Queen had already bore their son."
"But Vegeta!" she whimpered. "He loathes everything to do with it. I don't understand why you believe he can change."
"He will not change, I never said he would change. Changing will not bring about his decision, it is already made in his mind, he simply needs to bring himself to accept it."
"What are you saying?"
"He will ask you to mate again, when he is ready."
"I don't believe you," she said harshly, getting to her feet. "I need to go check on the Rymrons." She left without a glance back, angry with his words. How could he say that to her? How could he try and get her hopes up for something she knew would never come? She loved Vegeta with all her being and could not be with him because he would not love her back, and Furto had the audacity to tell her he was just being stubborn? That he would come to her, confessing his love!
She slouched onto her bed moments later, the Rymrons toppling out of her arms next to her. She was still in a fury about what Furto had said to her. She was too angry to realize that she had over-reacted with him, that it was wrong of her to be mad. But how could he build her up only to be crushed? Was he too blinded by his love for the Doon princess to see what was so painfully plain to her?
She curled up on her bed, pulling a pillow over her head and closing her eyes. She needed a good long rest before facing either man.
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"Woman, wake up," Vegeta's voice snarled in her ear as she was shaken awake. "Woman, we are leaving the ship now."
"Go away, I'm in no mood for you or a murderous band of Geranomes."
"You will get up or you will not be cured. Now get up or I will force you."
"Whatever," she huffed, pushing his arms away and stumbling to her feet. She brushed past him, groping the bathroom wall for the light switch.
As the warm refreshing water hit her face, she felt a little better than before taking her nap. She wasn't as angry with Furto, but more focused on the reason for them being on this planet in the first place. She was going to get a cure, she would be fine, she was not going to die. But then another dreadful thought entered her unsuspecting mind; what was her life worth now? She would not have her prince like she'd thought, she would not have his children, she would not have Vegeta, she would be alone.
Sulking, she emerged from her room, fully dressed, and ready for meeting the Geranomes. The Doonso from the other ship were settled uneasily around the kitchen, talking in low voices with Furto, as Vegeta feed Fenna some uncooked noodles. No one seemed to notice her presence, all still immersed in what they'd been doing. She took a seat at the table next to a rather stern looking Doonso, whose short black hair stuck out in random places, obviously having not been combed. She looked over at Bulma, wrinkling her nose, then turned back to the conversation. They were talking about their strategy in how they were to get the Geranomes to give them some Elpin. Bulma wondered why the Elpin would be given over to a race that lived on such a desolate planet. She knew why the Geranomes themselves were chosen, but this planet? Couldn't the Doon queen have chosen a more fertile planet that the Geranomes controlled?
"No, fertile soil is not what the Elpin craves." Bulma was too shocked at the female Doonso's voice being directed at her to realize what she'd said. She was a different one from the one who glared at her a moment ago. Her hair was longer, and more groomed looking, her eyes a little smaller, and orange in color. They stood out against the rest of the Doonso in the kitchen, all of whom had gray or black eyes.
"Er-what?" Bulma finally stuttered, looking confused.
"The reason Geranoma was chosen was because of its dry soil. Though not as dry as the soil in landing grounds, it is sufficient enough for it to prosper."
"She is a Tresser," Furto explained, not meeting Bulma's eyes, he undoubtedly had realized his mistake from before. And Bulma was still too stunned at what was happening to realize how similar Fewsks and Doonso were; both beings had the ability to be Tressers.
"I-er-nice to meet you all," was the only thing Bulma could think of as she scanned the faces over the three female Doonso. "I'm Bulma."
"This is Gerressanet," Furto said, pointing at the harsh looking one. "Delafoun." His hand went to the Tresser. "And Albazar." The last Doonso, whom Bulma had not looked over closely, was rather small, child-like in features, her short black hair looking the most groomed of all. "Albazar is Delafoun's daughter."
Bulma eyed them both for resemblance, none of which she found. Albazar had glistening black eyes, not the bright orange ones like her mother's. She tried to think back. Had she met Golana, or rather, seen her around on Fewskm? Did only Tressers have orange eyes?
"No Bulma," said Delafoun almost at once. "Orange is the eye color of Doonso who are not bound by time."
"Meaning?" Again Bulma wondered why her planet seemed to be the only isolated one.
"She can see past, present, and future. She is a Tresser and a Crunmor; most rare."
"And to answer your question about Earth; it is a very young planet, whose people have barely begun to take interest in the universe."
"So we're behind?"
"Yes, but soon enough something will occur and Earth will know of other planets and their inhabitants."
"What will happen?"
"It is not close enough in the future for you to witness it. Be contented with knowing of other planets yourself. You are much farther along than the rest of your planet."
"When will it happen then?"
"I dare say I will be upsetting the natural balance if I was to say."
"Then why are you a-er-Crunmor if you can't warn people about the future?"
"But that's exactly what I do. But only when someone is in grave dangerous, only then can I afford to change the course of time."
"How do I really know you can do this then?"
"Miss!" Furto gasped, but both Bulma and Delafoun ignored him.
"You built your first robot when you were four years old, Earth time. Your father did not know about this and its purpose was to clean your bedchambers. You destroyed it a week later when he almost discovered it."
Bulma was speechless; she'd never told anyone about that.
"Vegeta, she's going to bite you," said Delafoun without turning to him behind her.
And sure enough, seconds later, Fenna nipped at Vegeta's finger, thinking it was a raw noodle.
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An hour later the ship, now equipped with wheels, rolled through a set of black iron gates, gently coming to a stop in the shade of a giant red and yellow oak-like tree. There were no Geranomes in sight, though Bulma really had no idea what they looked like. What she could see, now that the dust had settled, was a collection of buildings, all black in color, having glassless windows and blue doors of all sizes. To the right were more red and yellow trees, and to the left, a large deep brown complex with tiny circular windows no bigger than Bulma's fists. Metal, as it looked from where she was, lined these little windows; there was no door in which to enter the building that she could see.
Then suddenly, bursting from all the different sized doors in the largest building, came what were unmistakably the Geranomes. They were all different heights, corresponding to the doors, all with angry glares on their pale purple faces. Bulma didn't understand, she thought the others had sorted everything out before coming here. She looked around at them, and then back at the advancing Geranomes, their tiny black eyes gleaming in the bright sun, fists clenched, wild blue, red, violet, or black hair flowing behind them.
"A-er-Vegeta, what's happening? Why do they look so angry?" she asked, voice shaking uncontrollably.
"They always look that way," Furto replied for him, looking as calm as ever. He left her side a moment later, going over to open the door. "Gerressanet, I think you should go first. Then Delafoun, Albazar, myself, Vegeta, and then you Miss Bulma."
Gerressanet looked out the window just as the last of the Geranomes heads disappeared from view, reappearing at the bottom of the ramp the door had made. She walked slowly down to them, speaking in their native tongue; Furto translated in her ear.
"She said she hopes we can be on with our business as soon as possible, wishing them a good day….The Geranome who's talking, goes by the name Urgadoan, she said she wishes the same, and that their presence is quite a nuisance."
"That's rather rude," Bulma commented as Delafoun descended the ramp.
"They do not care about manners, they wish to carry out business as fast as they can so they can go back to their own lives."
"I see…."
"Delafoun just said she is happy to meet them and hopes they prosper well." Albazar now made her way to stand beside her mother, bowing slightly at the waist. "She told them she is honored to be here and it's a lovely day."
"What am I supposed to say?" The thought had just occurred to her as Furto made way to leave her side.
"I will explain that you do not know their language. Stay here with Vegeta until it's your turn."
He went to stand beside Albazar, talking fluently with the Geranomes, all of whose faces were still twisted and glaring, though their words came out in soft hmms and hisses. Vegeta left a moment later, bowing as Albazar had, saying something quick and to the point in the alien tongue. She wished she knew what they were all saying, rather than just listening to what sounded like animal noises or having Furto translate for her.
Bulma looked up just in time to see Furto beckoning her down the ramp. She walked as slowly as she could without looking as though she was hesitant, stopping between Furto and Vegeta, looking rather stupidly up at the tall Geranome they'd been conversing with; Urgadoan. She had beady little eyes like the rest of her race, though they were blue in color on closer inspection, and her hair was long, down passed her feet, brushing against the dusty ground, and violet in color. Bulma thought her beautiful if she would stop frowning.
At that moment Delafoun said something to Urgadoan, causing her seemingly etched features to turn into what Bulma thought was the closest to a smile she could muster.
"She told her you think her beautiful."
Bulma smiled back at the Geranome, a little eased that she could get her to stop frowning for at least a second. Urgadoan said something quickly and gestured to her fellow Geranomes and the aliens before her.
"We are to follow her into her home."
They walked towards to largest of the black building, entering the tallest of its doors. The other Geranomes entered their respective doors, all of which lead to the main corridor of the home. It was murky inside; little light from the windows came in, though from the outside the sun had seemed to shine right through them. The furnishings were what looked to be of the same style as where she was from, all wood polished beautifully, all cushions stuffed full and made of soft velvet or silk looking materials. The floors were soft, appearing to be made of grass, though as they walked, Bulma noticed they were more like feathers or hairs than grass, black in color. All the furniture, walls, and such were black she noticed, and the interior of the building was cool and breezy, though there had been no breeze outside.
Urgadoan lead them through several rooms, finally stopping at one with hundreds of black pillows on the floor. The Geranomes took seats on the pillows, all conversing excitedly to one another. Bulma kept close to Furto, not wanting to offend them in any way. Urgadoan chirped, or so it sounded, and all of Bulma's companions began to sit. She followed suit immediately, tucking close to Furto for his translations.
Several long moments went by in silence, no one moved nor talked after all were seated, and Urgadoan starred blankly ahead at an unseen object behind them all, for she'd seated herself on the largest silk pillow that lay on a large white marble square in the front of the room. Bulma did not dare look at what she may be looking at, only sat as still as she could, hoping something would happen soon. And, seemingly just as she thought it, several more Geranomes came into the room from doors on either side of Urgadoan, carrying trays of what Bulma guessed was food and/or beverages. The Geranomes, all having white hair and very young looking faces, bowed to Urgadoan, then took the trays to the surrounding inhabitants of the room. When a tray was set in front of Bulma, she nearly gasped at what lay on it. It was what looked like a large lilac colored raisin with hundreds of violet rubbery inch long appendages all over it.
"What is that?" she said out of the corner of her mouth to Furto.
"Bellbrafarn brain; a rare delicacy." He already had it in his hands, nibbling on the rubber appendages.
"Wh-What brain?"
"Bellbrafarn. Now hurry up and do as I do or you will not be looked highly upon by Urgadoan." She glanced up at her on her large silk pillow; she was watching everyone eagerly, not having a disgusting brain in front of her. The white-haired Geranomes were gone now, leaving her nothing else to look at in her stall.
She slowly reached down at poked the brain, shivering as it sent cold chills through her body. Why, oh why, did she have to endure this for the Elpin? She spread her whole hand over the top of it, not covering it entirely for it was the size of a grapefruit, but flung her hand to her chest when it sputtered and oozed thick black liquid.
"Hurry up and eat it woman," Vegeta snarled beside her, his Bellbrafarn brain nearly completely gone.
She put out both hands this time, picking it up and holding it under her nose. It had no foul or good smell to it, though it made her nostrils feel fuzzy. Sticking her tongue out, she touched its tip to the cold surface of the brain, finding it oddly warm on her tongue, tasting like nothing she ever had before; it was delicious. She took a large bite out of its center, as she noticed Vegeta had, and sighed contently at the moist warm feeling that filled her mouth. She couldn't believe that such a disgusting thing, a brain no less, would be so wonderful. All things around her faded, her vision blurred, as she devoured the Bellbrafarn brain, licking the black goo from her fingers after it was gone.
When she looked up again, everything was back into focus, Urgadoan having her "smile" on her lips once again. To her left and right Furto and Vegeta had finished their brains, sitting still to await what was to come next. She leaned over to say something to Vegeta, but immediately his fingers pressed lightly on her lips, silencing her. She smiled under them, feeling giddy for some reason, and kissed his fingers. He pulled them away as if not noticing, setting them back on his crossed legs.
Moments later Urgadoan began to speak, saying a long flow of alien words that made Bulma giggle under her breath. She looked around; no one else was finding this funny. She sat back up, trying to look as rigid as Vegeta, though failing miserably, falling into a fit of giggles that she tried to stifle under her hands. Urgadoan looked at her, her lips forming an actual smile, then spoke, directly to her.
"She says she is happy that the Bellbrafarn brain has that effect on you, she remembers the feeling fondly."
Bulma looked sideways at him, giggling when he squinted his eyes at her; he was slightly annoyed with her behavior, but she didn't care, every bad feeling had been lifted off her, her head feeling light and wonderful.
"It was delicious!" Bulma yelled to Urgadoan, waving happily at her. Both Furto and Vegeta dove for her; Furto grabbed her arms, holding them tight, and Vegeta clamped his hands over her mouth, silencing her. She giggled under his hands at this actions; she hadn't intended on saying more.
Furto looked but wearily, undoubtedly translating what Bulma had said to her. Urgadoan bowed her head at Bulma, smile not fading. She said something, eyes still on Bulma.
"She likes you," Furto whispered in her ear, releasing her slowly. Vegeta took his hands away as well, shaking his head at her behavior. "Which is most rare as you have males in your company."
"I'm a very likeable person, Furto." She giggled more after saying this, the words seeming to be very funny to her. "I really would like the recipe for those brains."
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--Chapter 17!!! Wee! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! I'm the Queen! Heehee! How'd everyone like the Geranomes? And them liking Bulma, how weird. I mean, no offense to her, I love her to death, but she can get on people's nerves quite easily.
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Next time: Discussion about Elpin, etc.