Yay, I'm so glad yall liked the last two chapters! I'll be updating Dark Chocolate tonight too if my smut muse holds out for the day! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANA FROST! I threw in the very ending of this chapter for you, btw… :D I was gonna hold off until the next one!

"Oh?" Serenity couldn't help but feel curious at that statement, and before she knew it she was being scooped up and taken into the bathroom, plate and all, fork still in her mouth. The moment it was plucked from her lips and she chewed and swallowed, she was being kissed again, the remnants of her generous meal being set aside as the king toted his slightly bewildered queen under the hot spray and sat her down on a seat built into the large shower stall. "Vegeta?"

"Just sit and watch, k'sha," he purred as he sat down beside her and arranged them so that they were both sitting on the wide perch with their legs intertwined, facing each other.

While she was turned on by what was about to happen, Serenity knew that she should be protesting such lewd conduct; sure, it was with her husband and her king, but she'd never even bathed with a man before! That realization had her about to protest, but before the words could leave her lips, Vegeta gave her a grin so boyishly mischevious that she felt her heart pounding in reaction, that simple expression bringing back the ache between her thighs. Good gods, he is so attractive when he smiles like that!

Glad you think so, Vegeta replied through the bond as he wrapped the end of his tail around his arousal, biting down on his lower lip to keep from roaring with mirth at her shocked stare, his eyes crinkling up and twinkling in a silent laugh. "Are you sufficiently scandalized, my queen?" He finally managed when she only continued to gape at him.

"You use your tail!?" She squeaked in surprise.

"Mmhmm… in the water it feels like warm, wet velvet," he informed her as he began to flex his tail, his sexy little smile never faltering as she gradually got over her shock and began to watch him intently, her arousal perfuming the enclosed space very quickly. "Would you like to join me, my queen?" Her confused expression made him smile, and he used one of his legs to edge her closer to him, her heat only mere inches away from his aching cock and his flexing tail. "I've had a fantasy for a few years about walking in on you touching yourself, you know, and I would be ecstatic if you'd fulfill it for me."

"And in what fantasy world could you possibly walk right into the queen's chambers to see such a lewd act?" Serenity asked curiously.

Uttering a little groan when his tail began to tingle in reaction to the picture he'd always thought of when stroking himself, Vegeta couldn't believe that he was ready to come again so soon and he had to stop before he covered his new queen in his seed. "One in which I snuck onto your planet in the dead of night, bypassed all of your guards and flew into your room," he chuckled. "And I'm about to lose it already," he admitted.

"Oh… really?" Serenity expected him to continue, but when he only just licked his lips and waited, she understood what he was delaying his pleasure for. "Ooooh. I don't know, Vegeta… I've honestly never done that before. You really were my first experience with physical pleasure. And if we are being totally honest with each other, I don't think I'm ready to do something like that… not yet."

"Oh, I think I'm willing to compromise, woman. Get over here," he ordered with a little laugh, tugging her up into his lap, turning her so that her back was to his chest. "If you're squeamish about touching yourself, Serenity, I will be more than happy to assist you."

So he was going to fondle and play with her like this while he used his tail on himself? Serenity was ok with that, but she was oddly disappointed that she couldn't watch him finish.

"Would you like to feel me finish?" Vegeta purred in her ear from behind before licking a stream of water from her throat.

About to suggest going back to the bed, Serenity jumped and earnestly struggled when she felt his tail unwrap from his erection and press against a firm cheek, her entire body trembling with panic as her eyes filled up with terrified tears. "No, please don't, Vegeta! Please no!" The queen was immediately released and against the far wall of the shower, the water beating down on her silver hair as she curled up defensively and stared at him in fear. "Please don't," she whispered shakily.

"I won't," he said hurriedly, his face full of nothing but concern as he watched her huddle herself further into the corner and shiver. His beast urged him to go to her, but something told him that she was having some sort of a horrible flashback to her first marriage and that she would only freak out if he came any closer, so he stayed put despite the fact that he only wanted to comfort her. "Serenity, what did I do?"

It took a full minute before she could answer without sobbing hysterically, but she finally wiped at her tears and regarded him with wide, blue eyes. "Not there," she managed. "Please don't make love to me there, Vegeta. It'll only hurt. I don't care if I'm breaking some Saiyan taboo and I'm sorry if my refusal displeases you, but I'm begging you to never, ever make me do that," she finished, her voice choking up on tears caused by horrible memories from her first marriage.

"Wait… you… you thought that… nooo," Vegeta groaned, facepalming and dragging his hand down from his forehead to his beard in his embarrassment for her. Gods, if he could only go back in time and give that fucking bastard a taste of his own medicine! "Serenity, that's not what I was going to do, I promise! I wouldn't have even thought of doing that with a woman—with a man, yes, if I was like a lot of the warriors on this planet—unless she requested it specifically. Gods damn it all," he sighed as he slipped down off the wide seat and directly into the spray, only to switch it over to the faucet to let the tub fill. "Come here, Serenity," he urged her gently, coaxing her with some petting to get her to sit beside him, his beast purring softly in comfort when he still felt pure, rolling fear from her through the bond.

Unaccustomed to comforting a woman since he'd been without one in over ten years, Vegeta simply held her and kept purring, just as he'd done for Kalera during countless miscarriages before they'd finally conceived his heir. "Serenity, I'm sorry for upsetting you," he finally whispered into her hair. "I'd only meant to give you pleasure, not a nasty flashback. And I'm not him, remember that. I'll never hurt you."

The queen managed only a little nod, and despite her lingering fear she let him pull her into his lap. He wasn't trying to mate her again, though, he was only holding her and kissing and petting her soothingly, his large, calloused hands causing her to shiver with pleasure.

"Sorry, I'm not actually trying to arouse you," Vegeta muttered sheepishly when she arched a bit into the hands sliding over her water-slicked breasts. "It's been a very long time since I've simply held a woman, so consider me almost as new to this sort of thing as you are."

That piqued her curiosity enough to draw her out of the flashback, and Serenity stared up at him in surprise. "Wait, it's been what…? Ten years or so? You can't seriously tell me that you haven't taken a woman to bed in a decade." Hell, Alaric had taken many, many women to bed even while they'd been married, but Serenity had been too terrified of being 'punished' by him to ever voice her fury.

"I partook in some sexual relations, yes, but it was for mutual gratification and nothing more, my queen," Vegeta chuckled. "I'm a man, after all. But I'm also a very busy man who's been at war for five years. There hasn't exactly been time to properly court and mate a woman, nor have there been any suitable candidates. Besides… there aren't many women on this planet anyway, let alone one that would be willing to do much else but fight."

And the responsibilities of being queen were much more than just fighting, Serenity knew that. "I imagine that not many warrior women would be content with getting pregnant and sitting at home while everyone else is out fighting battles." It certainly explained why the Saiyans' numbers were dwindling; so much fighting and not many pregnancies to compensate for the losses would drive them into extinction if they weren't careful.

"Exactly," Vegeta chuckled. "My first mate cared for me enough to do so, but the cabin fever had her climbing the walls and practically shrieking at me whenever I'd come home from a campaign." He smiled softly then as he thought of Kalera, but when Serenity looked up at him apologetically, he shook his head. "It was a good death," he informed her. "My mourning period was rough, but I got through it thanks to Raditz and Nappa. I owe them a great deal for all the times they pulled my ass out of bar fights and nursed my hangovers. Remember, my queen, that out of all my Elite, those two can be trusted implicitly no matter what. Raditz might be a pervert, but he would go down swinging in your defense in my absence, and Nappa is so staunchly loyal that it's simply staggering. And it doesn't hurt that he's already quite taken with you."

"Is there anyone I should be wary of?" Serenity asked hesitantly, hoping that the question wouldn't offend him.

"Bardock and his boys can be trusted unless there's gossip involved—Kakarot has a tendency to run his mouth sometimes— but other than them and Nappa, trust no one. You never know who may try to befriend you only to try and curry my favor. Paragus may be trusted too, since he's a high advisor. Oh gods, and before I forget to warn you… there is an Elite by the name of Broly—Paragus's son— that you should probably just steer clear of. Broly himself isn't exactly bad, but… his beast is highly unstable. I don't know why I ever let Paragus talk me into letting that boy live when he was first born," Vegeta muttered.

"Because it's wrong to kill a helpless infant?" Serenity supplied with a raised brow, her tone slightly angry as she felt his willingness to have killed the baby twenty years prior.

"The boy was born with a power level of ten thousand, woman," Vegeta snorted. Normally, he would have gotten angry with anyone for questioning his judgment over such an important thing, but her ignorance spared her from his fury. "He was even stronger at birth than I was at the time. Such power… it's not meant to be born into, Serenity. A warrior needs to grow into it in order to learn how to control it, or he runs the risk of becoming unstable. Like Broly. His beast sort of split with him when he hit puberty," he explained, "and the result is total and utter destruction against friend and foe alike whenever 'Kio' is riled. When he loses his shit, he doesn't discriminate over who he's crushing the life out of."

"I'm amazed that he hasn't tried to usurp you."

"Honestly, that was part of my fear when he was born, but that's not what Broly wants. I asked the boy once just what he and Kio wanted and they surprised me. They both agreed that they just want to be whole and stable, but… I truly have no idea how that will ever happen. Maybe if the boy takes a mate one day, but—"

"But even you wouldn't be crazy enough to try and suggest that he find one," Serenity finished for him.

"Exactly. I'm hoping that one day the boy will feel the pull and all of his problems will solve themselves, though I somewhat pity any mate he might find. He or she would most definitely have their work cut out for them."

"With his beast being so unstable, Vegeta, any mate of his would likely wind up as bad off as I was with Alaric," Serenity replied with a shudder.

"No, Sere, Saiyans don't work that way. Because of the bond, a Saiyan can't harm his mate; his beast simply wouldn't allow it. Now, sparring and sanctioned combat is another matter, but I don't think we'll be meeting in the ring anytime soon. I would have explained that to you during our negotiations, but something told me that you wouldn't believe me; I just decided to let you see it for yourself."

"Oh," she whispered, daring to look up at him timidly. "My apologies, my king, if I offended you in any way."

"You didn't know, atti. It's alright."

Twiddling her thumbs, her eyes locked on them, Serenity blushed as she finally voiced a question that had been bothering her. "What does atti mean?" She was surprised to feel a wave of embarrassment flooding the half-bond suddenly, and when she looked up, she found the king's face as red as her own.

"It, um… it's a term of endearment," he managed with a little strangled cough. Serenity didn't know, but if anyone found out that he'd been calling her that and how he was already feeling deep, strong affection for her… well, let's just say that he'd be the laughingstock of the Elite. Such feelings typically only came with the pull or over a long period of being mated, but Vegeta was inexplicably smitten with her already. "I'll stop saying it if you're bothered by it," he finally added when she fell silent.

"No, Vegeta… I don't mind. And again, I've upset you," she sighed heavily. "I'm sorry." Gods, who knew that the boogeyman of her people was capable of feeling such emotion, let alone capable of blushing! She could feel it through the bond, this odd mixture of warmth and caring blended with his own mortification and his worry that the Elite would find out that he… oh. He was scared that they would discover that he genuinely liked her? How silly was that! "Aren't we supposed to be on friendly terms?" She chuckled.

"Yes, but not so quickly," he replied with a little growl. "Don't laugh at me, it's not funny, Sere."

Sensing that he was just grumping and not genuinely angry with her, she elbowed him teasingly. "No, I get it, my nieces and my daughter would be likely having heart attacks at the knowledge that I just might like you a little bit as well. You're not a bad man. The war killed so many, but… you started it for what you thought was the good of your people. I'm a queen; I get that, even if I don't condone it."

"Sere?"

The queen had been about to ask 'what?', but the way he suddenly running his lips up and down her neck drove the question right out of her head; it was obvious what he wanted and despite her flashback only a few minutes ago, her body was responding to his kisses and gentle petting enthusiastically. "Kay," she murmured, melting into him the moment his lips brushed over her own, her sex instinctively grinding against the hardening cock pushing up into her inner thigh.

"Do you trust me?" He breathed heatedly into her ear as he turned her slightly so that her back was once more pressing to his chest. "I promise not to hurt you, atti, I swear it on my tail." Vegeta went to her mark then, unable to deny his beast anymore; it was pounding away inside of his head, demanding that he sink his teeth into the creamy flesh as he joined their bodies, and while he held off on the latter, he gave in to the former, groaning at the taste of her silver-edged goddess's blood filling his mouth.

"Vegeta!" She yelped in reply, instantly rocking back into him, aching for him to fill her up in any position he wanted, just so long as she got off in the process. "Gods, please—"

"I asked you a question, k'sha m'yo," he growled softly before licking at her mark. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she whined, moving against him again, only to stiffen when he lifted her onto him and he sought entry, her body warring with her mind, half of her wanting to trust and surrender, the other half wanting only to panic and run.

"I can stop," he whispered, daring to adjust himself and slip the head of his cock into her, hoping that she would relax now that she knew what he'd been aiming for all along.

"No, no… don't stop," she panted, summing up every ounce of her courage to drop her weight down onto him, trembling as she took him to the hilt. He felt so massive in that position, and while he was stretching her flexing core to the point of discomfort, he wasn't hurting her. "I'm ok," she assured him when he paused and nipped at her mark, his hands sliding up to play with her nipples.

"Good. See, k'sha? I will only ever give you pleasure when we mate." Vegeta smiled into her neck as he kissed his way over to her cheek, turning her head so that he could kiss her lips in that strange but extremely pleasant way of her people, one of his hands sliding down to toy with her clit as he began to move inside of her gently.

Serenity came within minutes, moaning softly into the kiss as she surrendered to him fully, her body melting into his, her hips moving slowly as she helped ride him when he started to thrust into her a little bit harder. "Vegeta… feels so good…" She murmured between kisses, only to moan once more when his arms went around her tightly to lock her against him, his tail taking over for his fingers.

It had only been five minutes, but Vegeta was ready to come again. He could feel his balls tightening and his tail tingling in reaction, and while he tried like hell to hold back his pleasure so that he could prolong Serenity's, the sensation of her delicate hand petting his tail sent him over the edge and he groaned loudly, the sound echoing off the walls of the bathroom. "Gods damn it, woman," he purred hoarsely before lifting her off of him and turning her so he could kiss her thoroughly. "Bed… want more of you…"

The king sensed something through the bond then, and as he filled his hands with soft soap and hurriedly began to wash them both, he made it a point to push some more of his ki into her. His new queen had started to feel a little weak, and while it wasn't a typical Saiyan custom to give someone their own energy, he would do so for his mate until she grew accustomed to the gravity.

"Thank you," she whispered, her inhibitions shrinking with every gentle caress of his hands and the way his ki was filling her with an indescribable warmth, making her feel cocooned in safety.

"You're very welcome," he replied just as quietly, taking her in his arms despite the fact that he wasn't finished washing them yet. Their skin slid together from the soap and he couldn't help but crack a grin when he heard Serenity giggle at the sensation. "We could play the Soapy Saiyan if you'd like, my queen."

"Oh? What's that? Where I try to stay in your lap without sliding off and cracking my head on the tile!?" She laughed.

"I just made it up, so it can be!" He replied, his eyes and voice full of mirth as he nibbled at her lips, reflecting that he hadn't felt this light-hearted with a woman since Kalera. "Come on, let's rinse and get back to bed… if we don't, we're not leaving this tub for the rest of the night."

"At least we'll be clean!" Serenity was getting pruny though, so she helped the king wash his hair and tried her best not to laugh when the soap suds in his beard made him look like an old man, but she failed miserably and was rewarded with a little smirk. "Come on, Gramps, let's rinse you off before I get another giggle fit," she told him once she got herself under control.

"Hey, I might be a grandpa if a certain son of mine can get the ball rolling with your niece," he snorted. "Wait… or is she actually your cousin?"

"Half-sister, actually," Serenity corrected him absently as she pondered the younger Vegeta and how unlike his father he was. Was he that stony and antisocial in private? Ok, fine. It wasn't a stretch since she'd thought the king to be the same, but how could a young man such as the prince be so downright different from his own sire?

"Wait… what?" Vegeta stammered. "Explain that one?"

"Ami's half-brother, Pan, and my mom, Artemis. Wait… you didn't know that? She's my niece, yes, but Bulma is also my half-sister. We're not horribly close, but she's still kin. And no, that doesn't make Ami and me sisters," she giggled when she sensed his abject confusion through the half-bond. "Trust me, the Olympian family tree does not fork often, and I get just as confused as outsiders sometimes when recalling how we're all related. When I'm overthinking all of the ways I'm kin to people, I often thank my lucky stars that I was created out of clay and bits of my mother's hair blood, making me genetically sound."

"Wait," Vegeta grunted as he shook his head slowly. "I thought that Pan seduced your mother."

"He did," Serenity answered with a shrug, looking away in embarrassment as her cheeks colored. "Both of my moms were there."

"Ooooh… lucky god," Vegeta murmured in slight awe.

"Well, he is a god of lust and eroticism." Serenity shrugged a bit, slightly mortified over discussing the circumstances of her half-sister's conception, but mollified by the way her husband was purring as he ran his fingers through her lathered hair. "Hm… what are you thinking?" She asked absently as she felt him inwardly laughing hysterically despite the fact that he was only outwardly grinning.

"I'm thinking that the daughter of a lust god is right now, at this very minute, in a room right next to my son's. And that even if he is a clueless child when it comes to women, the whole Bulma situation just might fix itself if she's really half lust-goddess."

Unable to stop herself from snorting at that, Serenity just shook her head and laughed. "My king, you also forget that she's also Artemis's daughter! A vengeful goddess of the hunt! You know, she once turned a boy into a girl because she could sense his intentions to take advantage of her."

"Wait… she could do that? Really?" Vegeta asked, his eye twitching at the very notion. "I'll admit, I wouldn't be averse to experiencing sex as a woman, but… I think I would sorely miss my balls. Wouldn't have to tuck when I sat anymore, though," he mused.

"She also turned a man into a stag and let his own hunting dogs eat him for the crime of seeing her naked and also trying to take advantage," Serenity informed him with a devilish grin.

"That… I think I'd pass on." Rinsing the last of the soap from her hair and body, Vegeta inwardly sighed at the sight of her and couldn't stop himself from staring unabashedly. "Gods, woman, you're lovely. I've seen you nude already… would you turn me into a stag for wanting to take advantage of you for a few more hours?"

"Not at all," she replied with only a hint of her previous shyness. Oh no, she wasn't feeling nearly as shy as before; she definitely wanted him inside of her again and definitely wanted to know more of the pleasure he'd only just introduced her to. "And no more talk about your son," she added playfully. "Tonight's just for us, right?"

"Yes, but… while I won't admit it to him, I'm worried about the boy. The only thing that really gives me hope is that the pull is damned near impossible to fight. Even your cousin, sister, whatever-she-is will want to be in his presence, will crave seeing him and having him nearby. The pull is a wondrous thing, I'm telling you."

"Vegeta…"

"What?" She'd grown so grim and serious all of a sudden that he knew something was definitely bothering her, but Vegeta backed away from the half-bond and waited patiently, wanting his mate to voice her concerns without him intruding on her thoughts.

"Wouldn't you have preferred to wait for the pull?" Serenity asked softly. "The way I understand it, the pull is the equivalent of love at first sight, right?" When he nodded, she scratched her head for a moment before shaking it in confusion. "Wouldn't you have preferred that with a mate and a queen?"

"I suppose it would have been nice," he ventured honestly. "But Serenity, I'm a king. Kings need stability and heirs, and my feeling the pull for a third-class warrior… gods, I'd feel sorry for her…" He sighed and rubbed his beard as he tried to think of a way to explain it. "If I were to feel the pull, my mating with whoever it was would be accepted by the Saiyans people without question. But it would be a burden on the throne, as well. Anyone who wasn't born with a first class or Elite power level wouldn't have been groomed for leadership; they would have been infantry. To throw a third-class woman into this kind of life without any warning would just be cruel. She would want to fight; fighting would be all she knew in all likelihood. And she wouldn't have the first clue about diplomacy—yes, even Saiyans use diplomacy when dealing with certain people—and she wouldn't want to bear heirs. Sure, we would have felt the pull and we would have cared a great deal for each other, Serenity. But with my people to consider, waiting for the pull wouldn't be a prudent choice.

"Now, for anyone else who didn't need a queen and someone to bear children, waiting for the pull is ideal. In fact, many Saiyans do just that, which is why our population levels are hurting. The war wasn't the only problem. Nappa, for example? He's been waiting faithfully on the pull for two hundred years."

#######################################

"Mmm… wha…? Hoozit?"

"Damn it. Highness, my apologies, I—" Nappa's mouth stayed open in midsentence when the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen came onto his viewfinder, her hair tousled and eyes blurry from sleep, and his beast immediately began to purr in response, the purr box sounding rusty from disuse. "Tapa'or m'eh chir," he breathed in wondered.

"F'ri d'in m'yo," the exhausted looking beauty deadpanned before yawning widely and stretching, her perfect breasts rising up beneath the thin white camisole top she was wearing.

"G'in buh'tir," Nappa sighed, at a loss for what else to say.

"Wait… damn it, I can't see you, but that's not Kakarot I hear," the princess said slowly, suspicion creeping into her voice. "Who are you?"

"Nappa!" He said quickly, his beast practically climbing the walls upon seeing her rubbing her sleepy, beautiful blue eyes open. "Er… um, I mean, Nappa. I'm Nappa. Are you Ami?" Dear gods, that was just sooo smooth, he groaned mentally.

"Oh, the general," Ami said, no longer on alert as she fished for her glasses. "Not fucking you bloody, though," she added with a tiny smirk. "Though Turles already offered."

"It's an expression, princess, my um… apologies." And I'm going to be having a conversation with the whelp once I'm through with this call, his beast growled. "I didn't expect to ever see anyone so beautiful on the other end of this ancient scouter."

Finding her glasses, Ami discreetly rolled her eyes at the come-on, but when she put them on and turned back to the screen, she froze, her cheeks flushing and matching her lips, which were parted in surprise much as his had been. Oh wow, I don't think I'd fuck him bloody, but I think I'd try my best, was her first coherent thought, followed by the realization that she wasn't wearing much at all, and Ami turned every shade of the sunset as she quickly hunted for a sweater.

Nappa nearly fainted from the blood loss to his brain when she stood and he saw that she was only wearing panties below the waist, his pants immediately tenting at the sight of those creamy thighs when she moved off-screen. "Heu… buh'tir. Buh'tir nu'or m'eh," he whimpered helplessly.

"Um… help you with what?" Ami asked as she peeked her head back around to look at him.

With the raging fucking pole tenting my pants! He thought in a squeaky, panicky voice. "Hi," was all he managed.

"Yeeeaaah… hi," Ami replied in confusion before disappearing again, only to reappear fully dressed after another thirty seconds. "My apologies, General. None of us slept well last night after Queen Serenity gave us the news that she was offering herself as part of the peace treaty, so I was trying to catch a nap."

"Oh no, my apologies for waking you, Blue—er, I mean, Highness."

The way his face burned crimson made Ami's lips twitch, but she had no clue what she was doing to him when she looked up at him shyly through her eyelashes. "It's alright, Daddy calls me that, too."

Oh gods, I could totally be your daddy, Blue. Bad thoughts! BAD! STOP THINKING SUCH BAD THOUGHTS ABOUT A WOMAN A TENTH OF YOUR AGE! He screamed at his beast.

"Um… General, are you ok? You have… what appears to be a nosebleed. I know that can happen if you and your beast are fighting too hard… everything's alright, isn't it? Should I call a physician on the other line for you?" Ami asked softly, her voice full of nothing but sweet, gentle concern for him.

Either the gods had heard his plea and had taken mercy upon his pitiful, lonely soul, or Nappa had just gotten lucky, because he suddenly blurted out the whole reason he'd called. "Terraforming," he said quickly. "The queen told me that you're knowledgeable about it and said that I should call you and see about coming out to our system to show us how it's done so that we can terraform our other planets and we won't starve when the hot season hits in nine years," he let out in one huge rush, drawing a deep breath at the end of the sentence.

"Um… ok," Ami replied, still awfully concerned about his nosebleed and his odd behavior. Something was very off about this gorgeous, massive warrior, and while the sight of him had her blushing, it didn't have her acting crazy. "I'll see about having Usagi teleport me there in a few minutes, if you'd like. She had something that she wanted to give to her mother, anyway, so I could just deliver it for her."

"A few minutes!?" Nappa squeaked. Oh shit, that's not enough time for me to go rub one out to calm my beast down a little bit!

"Oh, gods, where's my head!" Ami said, smacking her own forehead lightly. "It's nightfall on Vegeta-sai, I'm so sorry, Nappa. You would have probably let me horribly inconvenience all of you, too, just to be polite. I'll see what I can do this afternoon and what I can put together, and then I'll ask Usa to teleport me there at about four in the morning our time. Is that acceptable?"

Holy shit, the gods are listening. "Yes, Highness, thank you for your generosity. I'll be waiting in the throne room to escort you to the king, since he should be dining with his mate when you arrive." Nappa quickly exchanged farewells with the princess of Mercury then, and once the scouter was cut off he damned near fainted, slumping to the ground against a wall as his beast growled and purred and started trying to stage a hostile takeover. "Fuuuuck… I'm going to feel the pull in the morning when I meet her in person, aren't I!?" He whined. "Shiiiiiiiiit!"

Holding his giant bald head in his hands, he forced himself to take deep breaths and willed himself not to pass out. "Calm down," he told himself sternly. "It could be the pull. But it might not be, either. It could just be an attraction to her that—oh, who am I kidding!?" He wailed to no one—grateful, in fact, that there was no one within earshot, "my beast never reacted like that before! Oh gods, I've been waiting for this for so long that I'd given up hope and now I don't even know what to do! She's too young! Far too young for the likes of me! Gaaaaah! I'm a dirty old man!"

Haaaaa… so much fun writing that! Next up… a pairbonding ceremony with a few unexpected guests, and poor Ami meets Nappa… oh my.