"You know, if you don't leave this room soon, we'll have to hose you down as well," a voice cut through Val's concentration at her work station. Val looked up from her computer, seeing Bulma standing there. "It's been almost two days. Have you even slept?"
Val straightened her back and rubbed her dry eyes. "Once," she answered, needing to clear her throat.
"Eaten anything?" Bulma pressed.
Val looked over at the trash can, seeing various food wrappers and bottles in there. "A bit," she answered, but then heard her stomach growl.
"Checked your phone at all?" Bulma asked curiously, looking down at it.
Val looked down at it as well, clicking at the side button. Nothing happened. "It must have run out of energy," she commented, setting it back down. She dug around her desk, finding the charger cord. Then she ran her hand over her brow to get a few stray hairs out of her face. She drew her hand back when she felt how greasy it was. "Maybe I do need to take a break," she admitted. "And a shower."
"And turn on your phone and check your messages," Bulma hinted.
Val nodded, pulling her barely charged phone off the charger, deciding to go charge it in her room while she showered. Val headed off to her room while Bulma headed off to the others. Val put her phone on the charger in her room before showering. When she finished, she stepped out of there, getting a change of fresh clothes and getting herself sorted. She grabbed her phone, still turned off but a bit more charged at least. She pocketed it before heading outside to find the others.
She saw the others out there already, another barbeque in the works. This time, instead of Tien being there, it was Vegeta. She blinked over at him, asking, "what are you wearing?" His shirt was pink.
Bulma cut in, "all the tough men on this planet wear pink, right?" she hinted and at Val, nonverbally trying to get her to agree with her.
"Um..." she hummed, not sure how to answer. Bulma winked at her. "I guess," she answered with a shrug. She grabbed a plate, got something to eat, and settled herself down to eat next to Vegeta. The freshness of the food surprised her in a good way. She ate with gusto.
Bulma looked between the two of them. "I'm not sure which one of you is worse, the fighter or the researcher," she teased.
"Him," Val answered quickly, getting a laugh from the others at that.
She cleaned her plate in silence, not following the conversation. She was still hungry when her plate was cleaned. She stood up and went to grab more, but halted, feeling her ears draw back and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She dropped her plate, not reacting when it hit the ground and broke.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Bulma asked her.
"I don't know..." Val answered. Her hands were shaking. She clenched her fists tightly, wondering what was causing her so much trepidation.
Vegeta was now standing up next to her, tense and looking up at the sky. "Kuh! Damn that Kakarot, he didn't kill him!"
Val looked over at him and then up at the sky. "Frieza?" she asked, digging her nails into her palms. He nodded his head. She swallowed nervously, feeling a cold sweat break out along her forehead.
"Are you sure it's Frieza?!" Yamcha asked.
"What's going on?" Bulma asked.
Vegeta took off without another word. Val looked over at the others. "Stay here," she ordered.
She took off after him at a sprinter's speed after him. She sensed Yamcha following after her. She sped up to catch up with Vegeta.