1st shopping trip [Video/Action]

[fashionably_strong]

[The blue haired girl who appears on the video feed is nothing short of irate.]

Bad enough that I get taken away just before I got to go home, but some creep changes my clothes while I'm unconscious and leaves me with this plain thing?!

[She looks disdainfully at the plain white sundress.]

Don't even get me started on surgical modification. Ugh. I want to know who's in charge of this sketchy operation so I can give them a piece of my mind!

[Bulla clenches a petite fist and looks like she wants to smack someone. Then she realizes that anyone else who has a little book device like this probably isn't in a much better situation.]

Sorry...this is just so not what I needed right now, so if anyone is listening and can tell me who I should go yell at, I'd appreciate it.

[Action]

[The teenager is a decidedly unhappy camper. She just wants to be home with her family where she belongs, but instead she's stuck here. She'd really like to slap the pervert who undressed her and took her clothes. Even discovering that she'd be able to get them back doesn't really make up for what's happened. She's tempted to fly in the air to get a better view of the area in the hopes of spotting an escape route...but she'll save that for later. There are priorities that need to be addressed. Namely this bland little sundress she's currently wearing.

She wanders along, exploring and doing her best to remember where she's going. A couple of times, she finds herself lost and begins marking where she's been with a stick on the ground. It helps, and after a while she reaches the town.

Bulla looks irritable right up until she spots a clothing shop with a cute shirt and skirt combination on display amongst other outfits. Her expression visibly brightens and she makes a beeline for the shop.]

Comments

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

[Bulla's attention was at first captured by the pretty red dress, but she's quickly stunned at seeing her mom of all people here. Not only that, but she's noticeably younger. Though her mom's always aged well, the biggest tip off of how far off their timelines are is the length of her mother's hair. Still, that doesn't stop her from approaching. She's still in shock from the circumstances and doesn't consider the consequences.]

Mom?!

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[See, it doesn't register that it's her the one being addressed as "mom". First of all because she's not a mother. Second because even if she knows she will be a mother it's going to be a boy, certainly not a girl. So at first Bulma basically just gives Bulla a brief glance before returning to the clothes, mostly due instinct of hearing someone calling even if it's not for her.

Of course, as soon as it registers exactly what she has seen, Bulma turns her head sharply to look at the teenager. She has spent enough hours in front of a mirror to be able to know her own face quite well, and while the kid certainly isn't her, she could very well play decoy for her during her teenager days. A teenager girl who looks similar to her... And was this the one who called for her mother? While looking at Bulma?]

...

[She opens her mouth to talk but no sound comes out of it. Sorry Bulla, your mom's brain has just exploded and all she can do is stare at you and... God, why do you look so much like her. It can't be, she's going to have a kid, a boy. Wait, no, calm down Bulma. There has to be a logical and reasonable explanation for this, she's not a kid anymore, maybe "mom" is the new slang word? Or maybe she's from another world, that could be as well, this is Luceti after all. Or maybe she will go crazy in the future and clone herself, which is a good idea actually because there's never enough genius and beauty in the world for a Bulma to not be needed.]

I think you got the wrong person, sweetie.

[If only her voice didn't sound so shocked and terrified...]

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

Um...well, you're definitely Bulma Brief.

[Well, damn. Of course her mother would think it was a mistake, although the sound of her voice makes Bulla think that her mother has at least realized that it's possible that there is no mistake.]

So...uh. I'm not really sure of how to break this to you, so let's start with a question - has Trunks been born yet?

[Bulla hasn't been told all of the stories of her parents' adventures in great detail, but she knows enough to know that they met her brother from an alternate future once. Time travel. What a headache.]

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[No, no, no, no, no, no, no. What. Why. How. It can't be. She can't have a daughter. There's no way. There is no way. Just... How could she have a daughter? When? She only knows of Trunks, and only because she was told about it here. Honestly, even just that Trunks existed was baffling at best, that she will get pregnant by Vegeta is... But not once but twice? No, don't be stupid Bulma, you know how Vegeta is. You know very well how it will go. There's no way. There's no way. Then, someone else? Is she going to end having a kid with different men? Is that how she's going to end?

You know what? She needs to sit down. Right now. And so she's going to promptly sit, and she doesn't care if it's on a chair, on a stand or on the floor. She's still shaking her head before she stares at Bulla again. And there's really not much she can deny, is there? The kid is basically her doppelgänger, it's hers, her daughter.]

W-Who is your father?

[Because it can't be the same as Trunks. There's just no way for it.]

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

[Bulla's a dutiful enough daughter to grab her mother a chair. She knows she'd probably need the same if a future child of hers showed up.]

My father is Vegeta. I was born way after Trunks.

[That's when it occurs to her that her dad was so not husband material before Trunks was born, and even for Trunks' early life, which would even add to her mother's shock.]

...dad really mellowed out a lot by the time I was born.

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[Sorry, Bulla. Your mother hasn't heard anything past "My father is Vegeta" and she's just going to stare at you even more. It really takes a bit before Bulma manages to say something.]

You mean he's going to stay with me? Enough so that you're born? That's... What about now? Your now- I mean, what does he do? Where is he? Does he treat you well?

[Basically this is your mother asking if he is still with her or not.]

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

[Finally, Bulla smiles a little. It's nice to be able to offer her mother some reassurance. It's helping to distract Bulla from how scary it is to find herself abducted like this. Of course, it's still not as scary as being possessed by a parasite.]

He not only stays with you, he marries you. You're still together in my time and as far as I know, he never even looked at another woman after I was born. Dad protects Earth and sometimes fights in tournaments, and he's a great father to me. He takes me shopping even though it makes him grumpy because it makes me happy.

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[It's just surreal. That's what this is. This isn't even Luceti, this is just a dream. There's no other way this could make sense, it's just... Vegeta... Marrying her? Marrying her? Staying home... Accepting Capsule Corp as his home. Taking his daughter -their daughter- shopping like normal fathers do. Shopping, not training. It's just...

Bulma shakes her head again, her mouth opening and closing. It's too much. It's just too much.]

Really?

[Later she'll berate herself for that question, for her reactions as a whole. What kind of mother does that. Even if Bulla is from the future she should have known beyond doubt that it's her daughter. And she knows but... It's Vegeta whom she doubts. Because she knows how he is. She has seen him even after Trunks was born and things weren't that better, if anything they were worse because sometimes, some rare times he would actually seem open, willing to accept her. And then the next second he would just brush her aside as if she was nothing. And that happened in Luceti, in a place where fighting isn't an issue, it made her think that it was impossible for Vegeta to live in a world in peace. That once there was no more fighting to do on Earth he would take a spaceship and leave to never return.

And yet... He stays. He stays and marries her, has another daughter with her and just... He stays. It's such an incredible idea that she has to repeat it to herself in her mind to try to convince herself that it's real. No more solitude. No more worrying about not being good enough, pretty enough, clever enough. About being nothing but a tool, the source of training machines or the dragon radar. No more going out with her boyfriend only to see him hit on every girl around. No more uncertainty of ending with a future in which she has everything except a man that loves her. A family just as she has wished since she was just sixteen.

A broken sobbing sound comes out from her mouth, she raises her hand to her mouth as if attempting to stop the sound from escaping. It's really all she can do before she crumbles and the tears start to flow. It's so confusing. So shocking and scary. And at the same time so perfect that she can't help it. She's not sure if the tears are from the shock or due happiness, but for a few moments she just can't stop them. More than sixteen years, far more than that but still she will have what she wanted, what she dreamed with, won't she? She will have her prince and a family. And she knows it won't be easy, of course she knows, and that it's still far in the future for her but... One day it will be true. Even with their fights and all, Vegeta will return to her and eventually he will stop returning because he just stays there.

She will berate herself later for this, because a mother shouldn't cry in front of her daughter. Shouldn't need reassurance from her daughter. But right now she can't still think as a mother.]

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

[Bulla's at a bit of a loss of what to say here. She's never had to be the strong one who provides reassurances, except for being there for school friends who've just been through a breakup with their boyfriends, or who had nasty rumours spread about them. She's never had to be a pillar of support in more extreme circumstances, like this one.]

Really. There's even more than fifteen years of peace on Earth without some dangerous evil creeper showing up to try to take over or destroy the planet.

[That's worth mentioning, too, considering everything the people Bulla is closest to went through before she was born.]

Of course, dad still trains a lot and he nags Trunks to...oh! Trunks becomes president of Capsule Corp eventually, too.

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[That makes her laugh, the part about him still training. Of course, she doesn't want him to stop training, just to take it easier, to stop hurting himself.

More than fifteen years of peace. It's incredible how that seems as a very long time when it really isn't, but for the past sixteen years her live hasn't been really that peaceful. Not for long periods of time, so to hear that is... A relief. She laughs again and it drowns her tears, it gives her enough strength to start to pick herself up. Because that's what she has always done, pick herself up after crumbling, because strong women don't need someone else to do it for them. She's slightly ashamed for having crumbled in front of someone, she always tries hard to be alone, to not do it where people can see her. But the shock was just too big.

She looks at Bulla again, no more staring but looking at the child. The teenager. And she smiles fondly.]

I'm so glad you've taken after me. You're gorgeous! Here... Let me hug you.

[Let her see that she's real. That Bulla is really there and real, a living being with a pumping heart. Her daughter. The proof and testimony of how her wish would one day be granted.]

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

How could I be anything but gorgeous? You gave me some good genes, Mom.

[Bulla's happy to oblige. She even gives her mom a nice and gentle hug. Bulla's back is a little sore, and it seems likely that her mom's will be, too, considering the white sundress. She's always used more force with her dad than her mom, too.]

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[It feels so weird to be called "mom", to know that she's the one being called when this girl uses that word. It's not a bad feeling, neither she dislikes it, but it's weird. Bulma hugs the kid softly, careful to not press her sore back and yet making sure that her hold of her is firm and there. That there's no doubt she's hugging her child rather than just thin air.]

I'm sorry... I don't even know your name and I showed you such a terrible thing... I'm sorry, darling.

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

It's okay, Mom. It was a pretty big shock for you. My name is Bulla.

[Which just cements their similarities, not only in appearance, but even in name. Their personalities are similar, too, though some of Bulla's facial expressions are just like her father's - especially when annoyed or smug.]

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[It really does. It's just like Trunks' name, a clear giveaway of who their mother is. She holds the girl a little more before she lets her go, taking another good look at her. Her own face must be a disaster, not due ruined make up -for once the fact that they wake up here with just a sundress on and not even make up is a blessing- but due slightly red eyes and a maybe paler skin color than usual. But it's getting better and her smile is just like always, strong and confident.]

I'm really glad. You look nothing like your father! It would have been hard for you had you not inherited my looks. Did you just arrive here as well? Please, don't tell me you usually wear such plain clothes, you look beautiful but it doesn't suit you.

[She should tell her about Luceti. She should warn her but... It's still a bit early and right now she's not thinking as clearly as she should, really. So she runs for the first thing she comes up with, which is clothes seeing that they are in a clothing shop.]

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

Ugh, no. I woke up in a field wearing this and with brand new wings on my back. I came here to get my real clothes back, and to find some new ones to wear.

[Although their prospects of getting out of here have dramatically increased with her mother there. If anyone could figure out a device to get them back to the right world, it was her mother. Bulla doubts she can be of much help, but she can try. Perhaps she could lift a few of the heavier machine parts while her mother screwed them into place? She's certainly not a warrior like her father or brother, but her saiyan blood has made her school's mandatory gym classes less miserable for her than they are for some of her schoolmates.]

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[Her daughter also has inherited her fashion sense. Or at least good fashion sense, either way it's good.]

So we don't only look alike but also think alike. Your father must have a hard time dealing with both of us, I guess he really has mellowed as you said, if he's still with us despite there being two girls now. God knows he was the type to bolt away from the planet for far less.

[She can imagine him doing it because Trunks started crying in the middle of the night, like all babies do. Actually, the Vegeta she knows pretty much looks constantly ready to leave. It's one of the reasons why it feels so incredible that he eventually stayed with them.]

You're lucky, sweetie, your wings are of a beautiful color and already match your hair and eyes. Finding good clothes to go with that won't be hard.

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

[Bulla laughs at that. It was true - she and her mother were a force to be reckoned with when they tag teamed someone.]

Well, I think once Dad started thinking of the Earth as his home, he stopped taking off so much. Especially once you were married. He's a loyal husband, even though he can be kind of grumpy sometimes. ...he's really harsh on any boys who flirt with me.

[You know, like ripping the steering wheel off of the car the boys were driving in at the time. Although the geezer comment was probably what pushed him over the edge.]

Oh! There's my clothes.

[She grabs her red outfit - a midriff baring shirt, a short skirt, and matching boots and fingerless gloves.]

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

[Bulma smiles at that. Really, the only thing that surprises her there is that he came to consider the Earth his home. His loyalty as well, she supposes, given how she assumed before that he wouldn't be the type to flirt simply because he's not interested in humans.]

If he wasn't grumpy something really bad would be about to happen, I'm sure of it. Vegeta not being grumpy is like Son-kun being an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics. And he has the rights to be, you're a pretty girl, he has to keep bad guys away from you.

He probably doesn't want you to end like I did.

[Not that Yamcha was terrible but... No, really, he was terrible. Sure there were good moments but probably she will have those with Vegeta as well. The difference is that with Vegeta it seems that one day the pain will vanish, while with Yamcha it did nothing but grow more and more.

Bulma smiles at the clothes, nodding approvingly.]

Definitively your mother's taste. Why don't you go change while I pick up something else? We may not be home but money is still not an issue so there's no need to worry about that.

[Action]

[fashionably_strong]

Sometimes he only looks grumpy but he's actually in a pretty good mood.

[Bulla is good at reading this and knowing exactly when is a good time to ask her father for something.]

Sure! I'll be back in a few minutes...I think I'll pick up a couple of other outfits so I'll have something to wear when I'm washing this one.

[The instinct to get all the stylish clothing is there, but if there's anyone she's willing to leave some stylish clothing behind for, it's her mother. Besides, the hope is that they'll get out of here soon. There's no sense in stocking up too much.]

[Action]

[capsuleprincess]

I'll have to take your word there, I've yet to see a case like that. Unless you mean when he's eating, with the way he does and being a saiyan I want to think that he's actually happy when doing so.

[She's getting a hold of herself, it's clear in the way she manages to pull a dismissive tone to her words. As if it doesn't really matter if he's always grumpy or not. As if it doesn't make her envious of... Herself, envious of her future self who has everything she wants. But it will be hers one day too, in the distant future that is even more distant while trapped in this place.

Bulma smiles and nods. She will leave the Luceti talk for later, she may be composing herself but her hands still shake slightly and part of her still wants nothing more than to drop to the floor and curl over herself. She's not in a good condition to talk about Luceti now or to comfort a kid, her daughter, when telling her exactly what they are going to face from now on. It can wait anyway, and if not, maybe someone else could do the explanations. She would be thankful for it.]

That's a good idea, just because we're now here it doesn't mean you have to dress as a prisoner wearing always the same clothes and washing only once a month. We're delicate girls after all!

[She looks at the clothes, suddenly feeling slightly overwhelmed. How does a mother pick clothes for her daughter? Something stylish, something that will suit the kid. Bulla looks so much like her, it's a good thing really, but what about her character? Does she prefer shoes or sneakers? Bulma is a sneakers girl, always wearing them when she could get away with it, but it doesn't mean her daughter will think the same. Not to mention how she has no idea about the girl's size or her favorite colors among those that suit her. Does she like pants? Dresses? Frills or something less girly? At the moment Bulma is just wondering how mothers do that, how can they know all those things about their children.

Bulma Brief, genius and feeling incapable of memorizing and knowing all the details of her own kids. She ends up picking a few outfits that she considers would suit Bulla, think of it as her picking up clothes for a friend rather than her daughter and feeling horrible for it.]

[fashionably_strong]

He's usually happy when he's got a good meal to eat.

[The saiyan men can eat. Even Bulla has a healthy appetite, though it's nothing compared to that of saiyan men. It's just a lot more than one would expect a girl her size to eat. She innately has enough ki that when she actually wants to fly around, she can do so for a long time without getting tired. Usually, she prefers being driven somewhere.

She enters the changing room, and she wiggles out of that plain white sundress as fast as she can manage without hurting her sensitive new wings. She finally dons her old clothing happily, glad to be rid of that thin little dress. Little does she know that her mother is trying to pick out some additional clothing for her.]

Aaaah, much better.

[capsuleprincess]

Is there a saiyan that isn't happy when there's a good meal for them?

[Rhetoric question, she has known Goku for long enough to know the answer.

She pauses when she hears Bulla from the changing room, guessing that the girl is done with changing. It gives her another moment of hesitation, is it really her place to do this? She wants to, it gives her something to talk about with the other and maybe even feel... Less like a stranger. But what if Bulla doesn't like it? Or doesn't want her mother helping to pick up clothes no matter her age?

On the other hand... What's the worst that could happen? Feel more distanced from the teenager? Hardly possible when there's such a huge gap of time between both their existences. Bulma approaches the changing room, in her arms a couple of outfits she has picked.]

Bulla, darling... What do you think of those? I'm not sure the size is the right one, though.

[She will show Bulla a light orangeish (not horrible eye-bleeding orange) cashmere sweater with an open neck, the kind that is often wore showing a shoulder due how wide the neck is. It goes together with soft blue tight jeans and sneakers. The other outfit is composed by another skirt in pink color, this time a non-leather like one, together with a white shirt and a black cardigan. Despite being sure the clothes are fashionably and good she doesn't have much expectations about them pleasing her daughter.]

[fashionably_strong]

[Bulla emerges from the changing room after a moment upon hearing her mom's voice.]

Oh, those are cute, Mom. The orange sweater will be nice and warm and have plenty of space for wings.

[She's not as sensitive to the cold as some are, but there is a chill in the air and long sleeves are a good idea.]

They look a little small for you, but probably about the right size for me...oh.

[Colour Bulla impressed at how quickly her mother has adapted to having a daughter she knew nothing about less than an hour ago.]

Are you going to pick something out for yourself, too? I can help you.

[capsuleprincess]

[She is a bit taken aback due how Bulla realizes belatedly that the clothes were picked for her. Still she smiles, hiding her insecurity about this just as every time she feels insecure about something.]

Sorry, are you too old for having your mother help you pick up clothes? Well, even if it's so, indulge your future mother on this just this time, okay?

[But maybe she's wrong, Bulla is offering to help her pick up something after all and it makes Bulma smile even more. It reminds her of when she was younger and her mother and her would go shopping, she has always been very independent so there weren't many times, specially as she grew older. But when she was still a preteen sometimes her mother would leave her plants and her sweets to take her shopping, helping each other to get something cute and stylish was really fun for her.

Of course she plans to pick up more than just a few outfits, she knows Bulla will need more as well. But since she wants to leave the talk of Luceti for a bit later she will just go with a couple outfits. They are going to have time to get more later on.]

I was thinking of getting a couple of things, you never know how many you may need when traveling. What do you think I should get?

[fashionably_strong]

I don't mind at all, Mom. I trust your taste in clothes.

[Chi Chi's on the other hand...nope. But her mom's always had a good sense of fashion. While she may like dragging her dad shopping with her the most of all, she asks her mom to go shopping with her when she really needs to pick out something nice that will get boys' attention.]

Well, let's see...maybe a couple of casual things and one that's a little dressier? Definitely a coat or a sweater.

[She winds up selecting the red dress her mother had been eying from the start for one of the outfits, then browses some more until she finds a sleeveless shirt with a vibrant pattern on it. Orange features heavily into the pattern, but there's some black, yellow, a little dash of red, and some subtle blues. As a dress, it would be a little too much, but as a shirt paired with solids, it's just the right dash of colour for her mom. Or at least she's pretty sure that her mom in her time would like it. She picks up a loose black sweater that would almost be like a cardigan if there were buttons to do it up to go with it, and a jean skirt.]

What do you think so far?