Val left the Lookout, still feeling chilled from being in that room, that shrine to the former guardians and their lives, with Kami. She debated over the offer over and over internally, telling herself she would turn it down, and then telling herself she ought to accept it, and then turn it down again as a foolish dream to even think to chase after.
She landed at Kame House, seeing the others, Bulma, Yamcha, Puur, Oolong, Master Roshi, Krillin, and another blue haired woman she did not recognized. She looked around for Turtle, not seeing him yet. Nor did she see Tien or Chiaotzu, surprised the two of them were not there yet. She pulled out her phone before going into the house, sending Tien a quick text to see where he was at. The phone showed the message sent, but was not received. She huffed under her breath, wondering where the service problem would be, on her end or on his end.
She stowed her phone in her pocket, going into the main room. "Hey, you made it," Bulma said, standing up by the sink. "You don't look as worn down as usual from training."
Val paused, shaking her head and stepping over to Bulma. She leaned against the counter, saying, "it didn't actually happen. Piccolo never showed up."
"That's not like him. Then where were you? Because Tien left not long after you did," Bulma asked.
She shook her head, taking a drink from the table. "Talking with Kami," she explained vaguely.
"What about?" Master Roshi asked, having listened in.
She looked over at him, wondering at the bump on the back of his head, but made no question about it. "Just training," she answered. She felt Bulma looking at her, so she only shook her head.
Val leaned against the counter, mind starting to wonder when the new woman, asking in a somewhat shrill voice, "hey, so who's the foreigner?"
Val drew her ears back, looking over at the stranger. She saw how close she was sitting next to Krillin, wondering if that was his girlfriend she had heard about, the one he met after their own disaster of a date. "I'm Val. Who are you?" she asked back, trying not to sound short.
Krillin interjected, introducing, "Val, this is Maron, my, uh, uh..." She watched him flounder for a term, thinking if Tien were here, he would fill in a word for him in a second. "This is my friend Val. She's one of the rescued aliens that lives at Capsule Corps."
Maron gave her a soured, almost spoiled look. She looked back over at Krillin, asking in a tone that hinted at accusation, "did you two ever date?"
Krillin's eyes went wide, with him choking out a few sounds that scrambled for an answer. "Yeah, Krillin. Did you two ever date?" Master Roshi asked, eyeing Val in a way that made her skin crawl. She joined the others in watching Krillin.
"Yeah, uh, yeah, uh well... Once... but it didn't go well," Krillin managed to answer.
Maron looked upset with him. Val found his panic one part amusing, one part pitiful. "I got hit by a truck and my brothers threatened to beat him up," she filled in. "Lucky for you, we decided to just stay friends after that fiasco," she added, throwing him a bone and a wink.
He gave her a relieved look by her explanation. It was short lived, with Maron turning to him and asking in a sharp tone, "do you think she's prettier than me?"
Bulma snickered next her at that. Val looked back at her. Bulma shrugged, asking, "yeah Krillin, which one of them is prettier?"
Val bit her lip, tempted to listen to him as he floundered under the question. "Well... um... well... both of them are so different... how do I... compare.. them... She's got a boyfriend anyway, so I shouldn't be looking at her like that anyway-"
"So you do think she's prettier than me then," Maron accused, standing up and stomping out the back door.
"Maron, wait," he called after her, chasing after her.
Bulma was laughing a bit louder now, finding the whole situation amusing. "And not even five minutes before you showed up, she dangling herself in front of Yamcha."
"The problem was he didn't answer quick enough," Oolong commented.
"Should have just lied to her. Make it easier," Yamcha commented, taking a drink. He gave Val a wink that she was not expecting.
Bulma gave him a look, asking, "Yamcha, who do you think is prettier, Val or me?" She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a questioning look.
"Hey now, that's not fair," he griped, not answering the question at all. "Besides, she's taken."
Master Roshi interjected, "it's not much of a competition. Look at her," he nodded up at Val, raising his eyebrows up to her. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Taken by who?" he asked, leaning back.
Val shifted stepping away from the conversation to get herself something to drink. "Tien," she heard Yamcha answer when she didn't.
"Really? What's that like?" Master Roshi asked.
"A cross between a kitten and a witch," Yamcha blurted out. Val took a second to grasp what he had actually said before looking over at him, drink forgotten.
"Oh, really? What might that be like?" Master Roshi asked, humming to himself.
She threw Yamcha a questioning look. He looked at her briefly before looking down, away, and to the left. "I... I mean..." he mumbled something else under his breath she could not quite hear.
"That's an oddly specific description," Bulma commented.
"Yes, quite specific," Val commented tightly.
"Men talk," he excused, raising his hands up in a gesture to keep from fighting either one of them.
"If you'll excuse me," Val huffed, going out the front door.
"Hey, wait up," Bulma called after her, following her out.
Val stopped, standing in the front on the sand, barely hearing Krillin talking to Maron on the other side of the house. She whipped out her phone, sending one angry message, followed by another. Both were sent, but neither were delivered. She clicked her teeth, shoving her phone back into her pocket.
"Val, what did Yamcha mean?" she asked.
Val felt tight. "Tien called me those two names once, in tandem. When we were alone," she explained.
"Oh, so that's what Yamcha meant by men talk," Bulma commented. She shrugged, stepping over to her. "It's nothing, you shouldn't let it bother. Yeah, men do talk. I'm sure Tien knows some stuff that I would prefer wasn't told." Val crossed her arms over chest, annoyed by the excused behavior. "Look, if you're really mad at him for it, tell him so. And make sure he knows why and make him make it up to you. Make him do or give you something you really want to make amends," she recommended. She said it so simply that Val took a second to understand what she was trying to advise.
"It's not something... It's not a big deal?" she asked.
"People talk, men gossip, too. It's in their nature," she excused. "If you want to tell me anything juicy about him to get back at him, feel free to pass it own." Val shifted her weight, not sure how to take that advice. "So what was up with your training getting canceled with Piccolo? Did something bad happen?" Bulma asked.
Val shook her head, explaining, "nothing bad but..." She looked over at Bulma, hesitating before sharing, "Kami offered me to become the next guardian of the Earth."
Bulma gave her a shocked look. "Are you serious? What did you say?"
"I started to say no, but he told me to wait and think on it before I decide," she explained.
"Do you want to take it? Can you take it? Isn't that a celibate position?" Bulma rushed the questions out.
Val shook her head, stepping a bit away from her. She brought her hand to her bangs, pushing the out of her face. "I don't know. I can, easily, if I just say yes apparently. It's not a requirement. There have been wed guardians before, with their own children even. He told me all about the eleven prior ones." She huffed, turning back. "Goku turned him down years ago. Piccolo turned him down earlier today. Asking me, after the two of them turning him down, kind of feels like he's grasping at straws. I don't really think I could do it."
"What about the dragon balls? With Kami gone, they're gone," Bulma pointed out.
She shrugged. "I don't know if that magic is something I can even do." She looked down at her hands. "Maybe I could curse myself to be able to learn it," she considered out loud. The temptation was strong, stronger than it had been the first time Tien had asked her if she could learn. She glanced over at Bulma, still wondering if and when her curse to be kissed by prince would ever come true. It was entirely possible. This planet had princes, yet it had not happened yet.
"So you're the third choice...," Bulma reasoned. "Can you imagine how jealous some of the others might be to hear you were next in line, even if you don't take it."
She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean," she sighed out.
"Tien will be jealous, I'm sure. His girlfriend getting the offer before he's even considered," Bulma thought out loud. Val hummed, hand on her necklace, saying nothing back. "Trouble in paradise, beyond the locker room talk?" she teased.
Val hummed again, not sure what to say or do back. "It's been fine," she half lied.
Bulma gave her a shrewd look. "Are you sure?"
She nodded, faking confidence, "I'm sure." She gave a playful smile, saying, "and don't worry about the looks thing, even if that new woman looks like a younger version of you."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" she teased back.
"Before he left, Vegeta said your looks and intelligence were your strengths," she shared.
Bulma gave her a surprised look. "He really said that?" She smiled to herself, but then shook her head. She nodded towards the house. "Let's go back inside."
Bulma went in first, with Val taking a second to follow after her. She sent a third message in five minutes, fourth one in total, seeing how annoying it was that a neither of the four messages were delivered. She pocketed her phone, mind twisting around so many thoughts that she was starting to feel worn out.