Always Waiting [Open]

[bulma]

An impatient foot tapped the ground as the pale blue tressed woman waited. She had been at the restaurant for hours, her hair neatly styled into curls and pulled back behind a bandanna where it fanned out behind her into what some would call an afro. She just called it elegance. Her work clothes had been replaced by a strapless red mini dress and her heels were a glaring bright blue like her hair. The bandanna a bright red against her bush of thick blue hair completed the simple outfit. Her makeup, that she'd agonized over complimented it all, painting her lids a soft blue. Pefection wasn't easy but she made it look that way.

Right now however her mask of perfection was slipping and her red coated lips were in a pout. He must have forgotten, she'd been waiting here for hours and he'd forgotten. No doubt it would be the same excuse, he'd been training and lost track of time again. Since when did the worlds safety during a time of peace become more important than a dinner date with her? Never. Even if the world was ending she would have expected him to be here, after all he was the luckiest man in West City to be dating her. Especially after all she put up with.

The waiter came back around offering her wine and she gave him consent. He had been nice to her the whole time she had been sitting here and he paused now deciding to speak to her, "Is there a problem Madame?" he asked, his accent thick but pleasant. "Yes, there is. Tell me, would you ever leave a woman like me waiting?" she asked gesturing to all of her. His eyes rolled over her and finally he shook his head, "Never" he said simply but instead of smiling or even noticing his charm she folded her arms across her chest her face all anger. "Then why, WHY, would someone like Yamcha even THINK about it! What. A. Jerk." she snapped and her venom was enough to cause the waiter to step back. He was suddenly unsure of his resolve to ask this woman on a date.

Tired of waiting the woman stood to her feet quickly and tossed down the money owed before slinging her purse over her shoulder and headed outside her heels clicking sharply. She wasn't going to wait, she was going to go home, change clothes and work in the lab tonight. It would help her clear her head and at least the lab wouldn't disappoint her, Yamcha would know where to find her if he decided to remember. If not she had other things she could do, she clicked along the sidewalk searching her purse the entire time for a napkin to wipe her lips with. No need to wear that anymore, it'd just smudge anyways.

[hakuro34]

The streets of West City were bustling as usual with activity. The shopping centers were filled to the brim with young and old, restaurants drizzled with hungry customers coming in and having their fill, and busy workers going through the streets, trying to fill quotas or standards set by their offices. Information was being processed through the entire city, verbally and through text in books and machines. Machines were also being created and upgraded at the famed Capsule Corporation, as usual, too. It was a paradise to people who like to seek knowledge.

It was precisely the reason why Charles had built his home from scratch in the mountains near by this place. He could access information here at a constant basis on anything. People were always coming in and leaving the city with bits and pieces of information, so something new was always bound to pop up somewhere. Usually, the information came in by verbal means at a restaurant, as a means of spawning a conversation between people.

And it was to the restaurants he searched for. Charles had walked through the town, searching for restaurants around each block. On occasion, he would come across a fast food restaurant, but sometimes, it was better to avoid such places. Charles was on the hunt for information related to the Red Blood organization. He had intended on destroying everything this organization worked for. It was his vendetta that written itself into Charles's very core.

He made his way to a restaurant that seemed to be rated a little higher above most. As he made his way towards it, he came across a lovely looking lady with blue, puffed hair. She was dressed in a strapless red mini dress. Her make up seemed to be partially bleeding away, but it was still there, amplifying her beauty. He stopped for a moment, as she passed by him in bright blue heels.

"Well now... You don't see this kind of gal each day," Charles thought, as he let her pass by. He remained standing there a little, looking over the woman as she clicked loudly through the street.

"It's a little exposing, but, it suits her nicely... I wonder what seemed to have made her upset."

As he watched her, an idea popped up in his head. The woman was able to dine at this place, meaning that she had some sort of connections or a lot of money on her person. If that was the case, then if Charles could establish some kind of relationship with her, he might be able to gain access to new information to anything related to the Red Blood organization, or their respective branches. Of course, this meant he would have to do a few things for her in the future, but he could bare with it.

Charles turned and quickly walked after her. He placed his hands into his jacket's pockets. It didn't take long for him to catch up to the woman. The young man called out, "Excuse me, miss! In the red dress!"

He made his way next to her and slowed his pace down, to match hers. Charles looked at her face, as he asked her, "Sorry to come up so suddenly, but you looked a little upset back there. What seems to be upsetting a lady such as yourself?"

[bulma]

She hadn't even noticed the man staring at her as she moved past him, plenty of people did that anyways so it wasn't like she took notice of each one of them. Besides that her attention had still been focused on rustling up a tissue to wipe away her crimson lipstick. When she finally found it she withdrew it triumphantly and smirked down at it, that tissue could only escape her reach for so long. She had barely lifted it to her lips and wiped away some of the smudging when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Even though she wasn't unused to people running in the city she still, erred on the side of caution and peered over her shoulder. Her hand resting on the can of mace that was inside her bag, she let go of it however when she saw a male running towards her. He seemed good natured enough, she knew looks could be deceiving but the street they were on was crowded enough that she wasn't too worried. It seemed to take him no time to match her pace and she looked over incredulously, what exactly had made him follow her. Probably her appearance, she was the most beautiful woman out here today so it wasn't too odd someone would track her down for her number or something.

She was going to politely tell him she had a boyfriend but his inquiry about why she was upset had her fuming all over again at said boyfriend. And he had called her a lady. She glanced over and tried to wrestle her expression into a smile but only managed a pout of disappointment, "Well if you really want to know, its my boyfriend that has me so upset. He stood me up. I swear he barely pulls himself away from training these days and where does that leave me? High and dry, wandering around Capsule Corp. all on my own" she muttered, her frustration making her forget to censor her words. Not that she would have in the first place, it wasn't a secret that she was the heiress to Capsule Corporation.

For once she paused in her rant and actually looked over a little flushed. "I didn't even introduce myself first, I'm sorry. Bulma Brief" she said offering her hand to the man. She might not have been big on courtesy most of the time but Bulma had her manners, she had to if she was ever going to run the corporation by herself. Her hand snaked up to better shoulder her purse while she waited on the handshake from him and she gave him a slight smile. It was nice to get some attention from another man, since her own hadn't given her much lately. She knew Yamcha really did love her but he had a funny way of showing it...well a funny way of not showing it she supposed.

[hakuro34]

The woman seemed to be having boyfriend problems. It was an issue that Charles encountered a lot among his flock. Either it was the men or the women, it didn't really matter what gender it was. Someone would be having issues with their loved ones and needed some sort of comfort. Charles served as a mediator among the group on occasion and, because of it, he became the interest of the some, while also succeeding in his job as a mediator with other friends.

Charles responded, "So your boyfriend's a bit ignorant of you because he likes to train in something? That's a bit sad..."

The man stopped for a bit, when she began to speak. She introduced herself as Bulma Brief. Charles became a bit flushed himself, as he stated out loud, "And you're the daughter of the famed Doctor Briefs, too!"

He couldn't help but scratch the back of his head as he grabbed the lady's hand and shook it softly. Charles then introduced himself, apologizing in the process.

"And here I am, forgetting my own manners. My name's Charles Poe. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bulma."

Charles released her hand and continued walking at her pace. He put his hands in his pockets again and looked up at the sky. He was still feeling embarrassed to not have recognized someone like Bulma immediately. He coughed a little, not really sure what to ask. Sure, he was smart, but he, like all other people, had those moments where it was hard to make a conversation with someone.

"So... What is this boyfriend of yours like, aside from training in whatever thing he does? He's gotta have some redeeming qualities, since you're dating him, right?"

[vegeta]

Hey man, now did ya' hear? Your final days are near, in a free fall of fire and ice and explosions in the sky. There's no escape, no. Now it's your turn. Like broken mirrors, ten million shards of glass and tears.

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Never before had a single Word restrained such absolute and unquestionable authority over the course of his life. Much less his thoughts. The saiyan warlord didn't think too much on the situation anymore however, the more reliable side of his brain relapsing into a mode of survival with it's shutdown of his mind; the trained default, still alive but inevitably dying, of his subconscious was entirely aware of the consequences a full realization would birth. Shock was a funny thing that way. Yet still, even despite his unbeknownst efforts, the power behind that Word couldn't be entirely restrained.

Unrecoverable....unrecoverable...

"Your fighting ability is unrecoverable in this state."

"I am sorry, Vegeta."

The pleasant pretense under which they sent him to this planet was the curtain concealing the true Wizard of Oz. Dumping Vegeta on a "low competition, peaceful" world to retire their good ol' combat soldier who had served them "oh so well" was a nasty joke straight from Zarbon's painted lips. Vegeta wasn't a fool. Had this been the fate of anyone else the authorities would've "retired" them alright. Super elites weren't easy to replace for obvious reasons. But the fact that they knew things the underlings did not was usually knowledge enough to recognize the unspoken understanding that there would be no "ceasing to work" for Frieza's empire. Once a PTO soldier always a PTO soldier, for life.

The prince was a special case however. A favorite of Frieza's from the start, a famous name throughout the cosmos and cantankerous with those who outranked him (but intelligent enough in doing so to not quite be condemnable with real evidence), Vegeta was the guy the administration loved to hate. And sending him to a planet of weaklings "like himself" trapped in the dark ages, knowing nothing of the worlds beyond their own jaded atmosphere and without the technology necessary for Vegeta's escape, was a fate worse than death and they knew it. On top of that, there was absolutely no way he could cause trouble for them. It would take a true idiot to assume Vegeta, despite his blameless slate in the category of questionable loyalty to Frieza, would be tame enough not to seek retaliation in some manner if he survived the depression. A'dda boy, Zarbon, you brilliant bastard you.

He looked bad, a heroine addict seeking his fix. Eyes bloodshot with dark, sleepless circles, a gash on his cheek from an animal in the wilderness and a scrape from a foreign razor, the black t-shirt and jeans he'd stolen off the body of an unsuspecting commoner was too big for him. But Vegeta was beyond knowing, or caring, for that matter. He had the constitution of a feral wolf, too thin, wild, yet muscle defined his musculature in striking potency. His soul raping stare was void of life and emotion. Harder than those of a seasoned Marine, those eyes had seen things. Unspeakable things. The saiyan was without the god-like physique he embodied a mere few weeks before, even his movement was more reminiscent of a beaten dog than a proud, unbreakable prince. He hadn't eaten since he arrived, hadn't slept aside from when his body would finally shut him down. Every waking moment was spent trying to rebel against that maddening, haunting Word, and wandering blindly in search of civilization without the ability to fly or aid of a scouter. He'd arrived in West City early this morning, found a place to shower and steal an attire to make himself more invisible until he figured things out.

"We are now live with Astronomist Bill Curry on our top story. Bill, can you tell us anything new about what fell from the sky three weeks ago?"

The Saiyan paused as he moved down the sidewalk, staring over the shoulders of a few humans who'd gathered in front of the window of the television shop.

"Well Anna, as you know we have confirmed that it was some kind of space ship. Where it came from or who its passenger might be, if there was one at all, is still unknown. The ship blew up within a few hours of it's discovery which eliminated the possibility for a lot of information we could have gathered, but our teams are investigating the remaining pieces and we will let you know as soon as we find anything out."

"This is just some hox from the government." One of the humans scoffed.

Vegeta continued walking as an argument ensued. Yes, he figured they would have set the ship to detonate shortly after his arrival. Big surprise he was right. Any other time Vegeta would've long since had a plan brewing. More than a plan, in fact. And more than a few. But Vegeta...well, quite frankly, it was a wonder he was still alive. He hadn't fully realized there was nothing left to live for. Didn't allow himself to. Couldn't afford to...

Then again, what of value was there to lose?

"Hey you," Vegeta had turned down an ally to avoid the thickening crowd ahead, giving little care to the group of young men wearing bandanas and smoking something that smelled like the urge to cough as he walked through them to reach the other side. "Hey you with the hair, I wanna' ask you somethin'." The man's voice commanding, the others giggling like girls. Had they any more foresight, they perhaps would viewed Vegeta's lofty disinterest as the blessing that it was. When life gives you cookies, you don't stomp them into the ground.

"You deaf or somethin', Small Fry?" He grabbed Vegeta roughly by the back of his shirt. Extreme violence was less likely to be their intention than to merely rough up the arrogant moron who thought it no big deal to cruise through their ally like he did, just for grins and giggles, then send him on his way with empty pockets. Nevertheless, a heart stopping shriek pierced the air, it's shrillness drowned almost entirely by the city's rush-hour roar.

The small man stepped out, allowing his back to crash back into the building's brick surface. Crimson droplets splashed into a puddle near his shoe, rivuleting off his fingers. The his arm was painted in red from a dagger sank to its hilt in his shoulder. Though it was little compared to the scene left in the ally...

Had Vegeta been half stable, that situation would have been handled with a little more...restraint. Not because the inferior roaches didn't have it coming, but because Vegeta's initial intention of blending in was out the window. Good thing publicity was thinner on this side of the ally - more residential apartments and cafes and less pedestrians. He hardly noticed the woman in the red dress and her friend at all.

The blade fell to the concrete with a bloody clank. His hand pressed tightly against his wound. "Gh..."

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Word Count;; 1131
Lyrics;; Rise Against - Broken Mirrors
OOC;; Sorry for the butt in; I'll take this down and put it as a new thread if ya' want.

[bulma]

She flushed slightly realizing she hadn't said what Yamcha was training in, "He's a martial artist" she interjected quickly before Charles commented on who she was. She smiled proudly and lifted her head with pride, "That would be me, though before too long people will be saying that he's the father of Bulma Briefs" she almost sang out with a smirk. His grip was gentle enough and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before introducing himself to her.

"A pleasure Charles" she commented batting her lashes, before letting her hand slip to her hip and rest there. Silence fell and it was clearly uncomfortable as Charles coughed and she shifted on her heels, they were starting to hurt her feet if she was truthful but she was too stubborn to take them off. When he finally asked his question she laughed once but quieted to think about it, redeeming qualities, Yamcha had them it had just been a long time since she'd had to think about them.

"Well he...he's...adventurous? He can be noble sometimes, and loyal to his friends..." she trailed off and her expression was screwed up in hard thought. Her heels clicked in the silence she left and she tapped a finger to her red lips staring ahead with hard determination replacing her confusing. It was then that she caught sight of the boy? Man? Stumbling from the alley in front of their path, she hadn't even noticed that the crowds had thinned and it was just herself and Charles wandering the area. Blood ran in rivulets down his arm and dripped off his shoulder in an obscene manner.

Bulma didn't even have to wonder what had caused the damage as a dagger was pulled from his shoulder and dropped to teh ground with a clatter. "Oh my god, Charles...we have to check on him" she said covering her mouth in slight horror before rushing forward on her heels and nearly tumbling when she tried to stop next to the wounded man. "Hey, boy, are you all right?" stupid question on her part but even a genius like Bulma Briefs can be captain obvious sometimes. She reached forward to touch the shoulder but stopped herself, instead pulling her tissues from her purse and pressing them against the wound.

"Hold that on there tight to stop the bleeding until we can get you to a hospital" she ordered and started to pull out her communicator to call an ambulance. She was a scientist, not a doctor, she could treat minor wounds but treating a stab wound...that she wasn't so sure about. She gave Charles a worried look and wondered if he'd be staying now that he'd seen how her usual luck ran, she couldn't go anywhere without something unusual happening as of late.

[hakuro34]

Charles listened quietly, as Bulma tried to sum up her boyfriend's redeeming qualities. It seemed the silence had been making it feel just as awkward or him. As they walked to their destination, a slimming of the crowd couldn't help but be noticed by the Raven, and Bulma, it seemed. Charles spoke out, confused, "This is odd..."

Not long after he spoke, someone fell in front of them. A knife had been driven into the man's shoulder. He watched Bulma rush over to the man, yank out the knife out of the shoulder, and press against his wound with a large wad of tissues. He calmly walked over to the man and knelt down, examining he carefully. The man looked to have a strong body structure, though it wasn't being properly supplied with enough nutrients.

Charles grabbed his chin and shifted his head left and right. His face had been beaten to a pulp and didn't seem to have been taken care of. Charles took off his jacket and ripped his shirt off. He tore the shirt in half, then tied the pieces together, and finally wrapped it around the man. Charles began to tighten the shirt around the wound. He told Bulma, "If you have a cell phone, call a hospital. I'll keep pressure on his wound..."

Charles paused and looked at the alley the man had come out of. From what he could see, a group of men had been beaten a lot more worse than this man. There were some scorch marks on them. They looked like the life in them had been reaped from them. The men were dressed in a rather gang-like style, some having brandished some weapons. Charles shook his head in disapproval, as he brought his attention back to the man.

"We better get you out of this area, guy. I don't think the police will be nice to you if we just bring you to a hospital!" Charles exclaimed in a loud whisper. "They'll probably assume you did that damage over there to those poor bastards... Am I right?"