Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Shadow in the Twilight ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

Toma's attention was affixed on the nearing figure as well, but his focus stayed adhered to the digital readout steadily climbing on the green-tinted display over his left eye. This scouter is either on the fritz again or this little chickadee is putting out a resting energy level of 2200! She's kindof cute for an alien female, but not quite as stacked as say, Ceripa, or Lattuga, that buxom wench back home on Vegeta-sei. Toma was about to opine as much to his companion when he noticed the catatonic look that had frozen onto Bardock's usually expressive features. Oh crap! He's having one of his spells again!

…who is she?…what is she?…I can see myself holding her tightly…her lips are so soft and taste like the headiest, sweetest wine I've ever drunk, refreshing and intoxicating at the same time!…the scent of her skin, so very warm…I can smell her passion, her heat…I can feel her body responding to my every touch…and her nipples are…pink?…

"What may I be able to do for you two fine gentlemen this lovely evening?"

Bardock's ears heard the sound of her melodically husky voice, but the words refused to register. He was hypnotized by the deep star glints in her eyes and by the slow movement of the light rosy lips forming her speech. His own lips moved slightly, but to his ears, his voice was non-existent; his ability to form coherent speech abruptly short-circuited while the vision overtook his consciousness.

((I will remember you!))

"Excuse me. Did you say something?"

Toma blanched in alarm, his sharp hearing picking up the barely audible "nipples…pink" coming out of Bardock's mumbling mouth. The warrior swiftly interjected, "My friend Bardock suffers from periodic…er…spells. Please ignore him!"

Her bewildered look changed to one of concern. "Oh! Mr. Bardock? Are you okay? Would you like to get some fresh air instead? Why don't we all step outside…"

Before she could finish speaking, Toma grabbed his companion and all but dragged him bodily outside into the brisk night air. Fortunately for Bardock, this vision was proving to be a blessedly short one. By the time the three of them emerged into the vacated amphitheatre area just under the stage, he was able to shake it off completely and regained control of his senses.

"Well, I never expected to see the two of you here!"

All three sets of eyes turned to face the newcomer.

Zarbon sauntered over to the threesome, earning very distinct reactions to his unannounced presence. "My dearest Lluvia! How are you? You're looking as delectable as ever!"

The two Saiya-jins glared darkly at Frieza's right-hand man. Lluvia smiled up at the blue-skinned warrior, her own response was one of amused, but guarded welcome.

"Zarbon! As I live and breathe! When did you arrive?" She held up her right hand in greeting. He gathered her slender hand in his larger blue one and genteelly brushed the top with his lips before releasing it back to her. There was something in the familiarity of their exchange that caused Bardock to growl softly under his breath. Toma caught the sound and fired a warning look back at his friend.

"Unfortunately, not soon enough, my dear! I did so want to catch your performance this evening, but my duties did not permit me to arrive in time." He turned to address the other two warriors. "Speaking of duties, Bardock, did your team successfully complete its latest assignment?"

Bardock responded brusquely. "We did, Zarbon, like we've always done. If you had bothered to check in with central clearing, you'd have already known that we've filed our report!"

Lluvia swung her gaze from Zarbon to the two Saiya-jins, making note of the unconsciously adversarial body postures of all three. Interesting, she thought. No love lost between these guys. "You gentlemen know each other?" She directed the question to Zarbon.

"Yes, you could say that. Bardock, Toma, and I work for the same employer."

"You mean, Emperor Frieza." The amber-eyed dandy cocked an impeccably groomed green eyebrow at her. "It's all right, Zarbon. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday, you know!"

"And you're not upset by this? After all, you just participated in this fund-raising benefit…"

"My group and I just perform. We don't write the copy for the announcements, nor do we get involved with the politics. In this instance, we appeared strictly as a favor for the owner of this venue, who was the principal organizer of this gala. Performing for nothing has never been part of my personal credo. Likewise, the members of my troupe have gotten quite accustomed to eating on a regular basis, so as a rule we don't do these gratis gigs too often." She paused and gave a little shrug. "I've been criticized by my peers on more than one occasion for having too mercenary an attitude about such things."

Ignoring the Saiya-jins, Zarbon flashed a dazzling smile at the female. "You constantly surprise me, Lluvia! I've always thought you to be quite the ingénue. I never expected to hear such a cynical observation pour forth from those lovely lips!"

"I graduated summa cum laude from the college of hard knocks and soft kisses, Zarbon. Life itself was my most daunting professor and my cynical take on it was forged by circumstance at an age most tender."

Despite the seriousness of her declaration, Zarbon tilted his head back and roared with laughter. "Ye gods, woman! You are truly a caution!" Bardock caught the brief narrowing of her eyes as she waited for Zarbon to finish laughing. "So, my pale jewel, when are you going to give up this pointless life and become my own private dancer?" Zarbon punctuated this last question by flashing what he'd believed to be one of his most patented "lady-killer" looks.

"Zarbon, in all the time I've known you, your tune has never varied," Lluvia shot back. "One would hope that, with the vast resources at your command, you might've bought yourself some new material by now. Besides, as I've told you before, this is my livelihood of choice. The day that I decide to leave show business and become your so-called 'private' dancer…well, let's just say, you'll be the second one to know!"

"Your continued rejection of my sincere entreaties cuts me to my very soul!" The green-haired warrior covered his heart with both hands. Despite her annoyance with him, his pseudo-dramatic gesture made Lluvia burst into a bright gush of laughter.

"You are so full of it, Zarbon! I have it on reliable authority from my contacts on the pleasure space station near Qurana-sei that you are hardly one to be pining away for lack of any female affection, let alone mine!"

"Perhaps you are right. I'm not one to fall willingly into a monastic existence just because you can't come to grips about your true feelings for me!"

She waved him off, still laughing. "HA! My 'true feelings', is it now? If nothing else, Zarbon, you never fail to crack me up!"

For some unbeknownst reason, listening to their easy banter was irritating the crap out of Bardock, as evinced by the agitated back and forth flicking of his tail.

"Nevertheless, Lluvia, I'd like to inform you that Lord Frieza is most interested in booking your intrepid entertainers for a limited engagement in the very near future. After I played your group's latest hol-vid for him, he was most impressed, especially with your own range of remarkable talents!" This statement drew upon the dancer's curiosity enough to make her stroll back to stand directly in front of Zarbon. Poised with her fists resting on her slim hips, her dark blue eyes bore upwards into his amber ones for a second or two. The light-hearted, flirtatious conversation had now transitioned into a serious business mode.

"I sincerely hope you're not yanking my chain this time," she said, all levity gone from her voice.

He smiled and raised both hands in mock-surrender. "As Kami as my witness, the contractual agreement will be within your expressive hands ere long!"

"My terms of performance are clearly outlined in the hol-vid's trailer. If you can't cough up a decent contract, we don't commit to a performance, capisce?"

"Of course! I would never expect you to work without one!"

"Damn straight, Zarbon!" The mood instantly swung back into the breezy mode when she flashed a wink accompanied by disarming smile at Frieza's second-in-command. Zarbon filed a quick mental note to press the contract idea to the Ice-jin emperor at their very next meeting and get a definite commitment from him. This little dancer had enchanted Zarbon from the first time he'd seen her perform and he was determined to manufacture an opportunity in the very near future to have her all to himself.

Lluvia held out her right hand once more to Zarbon in a gesture of regal dismissal. Not missing a beat, he took it in his own and bent over it in a courtly bow. The threesome watched as he stepped back, returning the Saiya-jins' heated glares with a curt nod. He blew the lilac-skinned beauty a brief kiss before powering up and soaring into the evening sky above the amphitheatre.

Lluvia chuckled softly to herself. "Un-freaking real! He's sooo transparent! Still, one has to give him brownie points for sheer balls-up persistence!"