Bulma tucked a loose strand of hair back into her bob as she sipped her lemonade. When arriving at Capsule Corporation that morning, Chi Chi had been startled by another spontaneous change to the heiress's hair. The curls were chopped off to her jawline and now pin straight. The color seemed… off, as well. Still, it looked nice.
"The short hair really compliments you," Chi Chi praised the look. The scientist grinned at her friend.
"Thanks, Chi. You know, you would look cute with a bob. Maybe you should chop all of your hair off now." Bulma teased the housewife, who now looked terrified as if the other woman was chasing her with scissors. She shook her head.
"I've never cut my hair that short before. It's always been long." The princess blushed and began to finger at a strand of raven hair, unable to imagine cutting it off. She thought of all the times Goku had walked up and randomly run his fingers through it, admiring its silkiness and the shiny black color.
"Suit yourself," Bulma shrugged.
The two women continued to chat and drink at a small table on the Capsule Corp. lawn, occasionally being joined by Bulma's mother. The three women were deep in conversation when they noticed a disgruntled Saiyan walking towards them, following the path from the Gravity Room to Capsule Corporation's main building. Chi Chi stiffened at the approaching man, while the Briefs women seemed as content as ever.
"Vegeta darling!" Panchy leapt from her seat and skipped over to her houseguest, who watched the woman approach in horror. Vegeta found the blonde creature more unsettling than the likes of Frieza. The prince regularly made threats to her that would have once left the most battle-hardened soldiers shaking in their boots, and yet she always giggled, called him a "silly goose", and then dragged him to the kitchen where she would offer him a snack or baked goods. The human would do all of this without even opening her eyes, causing Vegeta to theorize that she could smell his fear.
The Earthling hooked her arm around his own and dragged the prince towards the two other women, sitting him down at the table and piling various treats onto a plate in front of him. She excused herself, wanting to get her guests some refreshments, and Vegeta decided to allow her to live another day. After all, she was the only one on this ball of dirt to treat him as a prince should be treated.
Plus, he may no longer be welcomed here should he kill the family's matriarch.
The Saiyan began to dig into the food on the table before looking up at the two women. Bulma smiled deviously at him as she often did, making Vegeta wonder if the woman was ever not up to something. He turned to look at her friend, a dark-haired female who seemed to be trying to kill him with a furious glare. Vegeta swallowed his mouthful of food and nodded in her direction, "What's this one's problem?"
Bulma opened her mouth to gently diffuse the situation but Chi Chi was faster, "My problem is you! Don't think I've forgotten the state you left my husband and son in, you monster!"
Vegeta lifted a brow and looked back at Bulma for answers. The scientist awkwardly cleared her throat, "Vegeta, this is Chi Chi, Goku's wife. Chi Chi, meet Vegeta."
The prince grinned evilly, "So, you're the human Kakarot mated with? I can see why he and the brat were so eager to leave Earth and get to Namek."
Chi Chi growled at that, the conversation spinning out of control as fast as it began, "Oh please, Goku would do anything I asked him to do unless it's getting a job, If I wanted him to kick the crap out of you, not only would he do it but he would be able to as well. Perks of being married to the Legendary Super Saiyan, I guess."
"Do you really think that low-class fool could measure up to an elite like me once I achieve the legend as well? I am the Prince of all Saiyans!"
"So? Goku's a prince too!"
The table went silent as Chi Chi seized the attention of both Vegeta and Bulma, who responded in unison: "What?!"
Crossing her arms, the housewife grinned smugly at the two staring blankly at her, "It's true! My dad is the Ox-King of Fire Mountain. That makes me a princess and Goku, who married me, a prince!"
Bulma broke the silence that followed her friend's proclamation, "Huh, you know I never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right!"
Vegeta, however, looked as if someone just shot a hole into his chest…again. "You're a liar!"
"Am not! Goku's a prince and unlike you he actually has subjects!"
"You think I give a damn about some pointless human title?! Kakarot is, and always will be low-level trash!"
"My husband is not trash!"
"Yes he is!"
"There's a new baby monkey at the zoo today!"
The argument came to a screeching halt as an enthusiastic Panchy returned with their drinks, smiling and seemingly uncaring of the troubled atmosphere that had developed in her absence. Setting the drinks on the table, she held up her phone showing a picture of a baby monkey wrapped in blankets.
"Isn't it just the cutest little thing? Oh Chi Chi dear, do you think Gohan would like to go visit the zoo? We should all plan a trip together! He's a smart young boy, I'm sure he would have a great time! Oh, I know! Let's go today if you aren't too busy!"
Bulma grinned, "Yea, that could be fun! It would be a nice break from training for the guys, don't you think?"
Chi Chi pondered this for a moment, before returning her friend's smile. "You know what? That's a great idea. Let me call home and I'll see if I can get ahold of anyone." The housewife stood up and walked away to make her call, while Panchy scurried inside to make plans, leaving Bulma and Vegeta alone.
Bulma turned back to the Saiyan, who had resumed eating after her mother's interruption. She sat deep in thought, watching him, before speaking up.
"I know you probably don't want to go to a zoo, but you might want to consider coming with us."
Vegeta raised his eyes to her, looking confused, and a mouth full of food once again.
"I'm just saying, if I was a mad scientist developing two evil cyborgs to take over the world, I would make sure they were equipped with as much knowledge about the planet as possible. And Goku has travelled all around Earth ever since he was a little kid, so he knows all about the flora and fauna that we have. I don't know... I just think that that could put you at a disadvantage for those two battles, since you've only been here for a short amount of time." Bulma shrugged, smiling to herself as the information seemed to sink in for the Saiyan, "I'm sure you used to get a small briefing about a planet before you conquered it back when you used to do that. The zoo could offer something that Capsule Corporation can't. After all, biology isn't our specialty…"
Vegeta stared down at his plate, mulling over the advice the woman had given him before nodding, "Alright, I'll go-"
Bulma squealed in delight as she leaped out of her chair, "Awesome! You can't wear that grody armor though, so I'll go pick you out a nice outfit! We're going to have so much fun!" Bulma's voice trailed off as she ran back to her home, leaving Vegeta sitting alone, wondering what he just agreed to.
"Why did we come here again, Chi?" Goku whispered to his wife as the large group walked into the zoo through a private entrance. Due to their status, wealth, and a generous donation made to the West City Zoo years ago, the Briefs and any friends of theirs were considered honored guests.
"Lots of reasons, Goku! The first being that we're a family and we're allowed to do fun family stuff together!" Chi Chi muttered back to her husband, "Besides, Gohan could use a little field trip to supplement his studies." Their son was walking ahead with Panchy, politely grinning and participating in an inane conversation with the woman. Bulma strolled next to her mother, trying to rescue the young boy from the blonde's babbling, which led Chi Chi to her final point, "Most importantly, I was thinking we could get some important… intel here."
"Intel?"
"Yes, about Saiyans. You all turn into giant monkey ape things on a full moon and have tails. It might be worth learning about different types of primates. You know- to try to see if there are any similarities and use them for our, uh, mission. Piccolo agrees with me on this." She turned around to see both Piccolo and Vegeta (both in casual clothing) crossing their arms, trailing the rest of the group with scowls on their faces. The housewife was stunned to see Vegeta present, but she supposed any interactions between him and Bulma were a positive development.
"You think Vegeta is more like a monkey than a human?"
"Goku, sometimes you act more like an animal than a human and you were raised on Earth by humans."
Goku shrugged, unable to argue with that.
The group was lead down a wooded path until they began to approach a woman in a traditional zookeeper uniform: khaki shorts, a cotton shirt emblazoned with the zoo's logo, and a wide brimmed hat that had a ponytail of curly red hair poking out of it. Her freckled face wore a large grin as the group reached her. Bulma turned around to introduce the woman.
"This here is Miss Simiya, the director of West City Zoo's primate division and our tour guide for today. She's well informed about all parts of the zoo, so if you have any questions she'll be the one to ask."
Simiya beamed at the introduction, "Thank you, Dr. Briefs, and welcome to our zoo." She turned to address the small crowd, "Howdy everyone! How are we all doin' today?"
The zoologist was met with awkward silence, some polite clapping from Chi Chi and Gohan, and a lone cheer from Mrs. Briefs. She continued, "We'll get going as soon as I get my friend to join us."
The group watched as Simiya turned to the trees and whistled loudly. There was a pause, before a grey and amber colored monkey descended from the trees and landed on her shoulders.
"This here is Miri. He's part of the species of Papaya Island Monkeys. He's a bit shy around other monkeys and prefers humans as company, so he's my little assistant." The zookeeper gave the monkey a piece of fruit, which it ate greedily, "So, what exhibits would you all like to see first?"
"More monkeys!"
Everyone turned to look at Goku, who seemed unexpectedly enthusiastic about the tour. Panchy chimed in as well. "I would like to see more monkeys too! I heard there's a brand new baby and she is just so precious!"
Simiya nodded, instructed the group to follow her, and led the way through the zoo.
"Good job, hon." Chi Chi praised her husband, and he winked back at her.