FicWad

Mission 11: False Information
What do we do now? Trunks wondered as he slowly at his breakfast. He couldn't escape the group's recent revelation of the ties between the two organizations on their trail. He'd come to the conclusion that Armada was right--with just the handful of them, how were they expected to fend off a mafia and an entire nation? How do we handle something of this...magnitude? He lifted his eyes for a moment to catch his mother shoot another worried glance at Armada, who was, of course, entirely oblivious. He couldn't help but wonder why she was suddenly so concerned. Or, rather, what had happened between the two that he didn't know about. He continued to eat his sandwich, despite the fact that it was breakfast, and leaned even farther back into the chair, sighing. Too many things to think about now.
"Hey guys."
Three sets of eyes immediately flashed toward the hallway, where the youngest member of the crew emerged with a...smile on her face? Marice walked past the small kitchen table at which her two comrades currently sat, snatching a sandwich from the nearby counter and heading into the living room to seat herself at the sofa while she ate.
Trunks turned to Armada, who was also in shock. Neither said a word, and only exchanged confused visages. Armada shrugged before returning to her meal, and Trunks could have sworn he saw a smirk on his mother's face before she turned away from him. Of course, if it was her doing-which it probably was-it suddenly made perfect sense. They had all realized the gravity of Janus's death and the effect it had on Marice, but none of the four of them had ever been in a similar situation to try and alleviate the girl's pain. Not any of them/, but Trunk's mother Bulma was a different story. /Of course, he thought, Mom would understand better than any of us, because she went through the same thing with Father...
Trunks finished his meal with a few more large bites before he stood. "You know," he started, looking towards Bulma, "it's been a while since I've had the chance to train in the gravity chamber," he finished with a slight smirk.
"Well, I wonder why that would be," Bulma shot back sarcastically while shooting her son a mildly condescending glance.
"I think I'm gonna go give it a few rounds," Trunks said with a slight smirk while rotating his right arm as if to loosen it up.
"Well don't spend all day in there," Bulma said, turning to face him, "there are things around here I could use your help with."
"All right," Trunks threw over his shoulder as he headed down the hallway from the room and out of sight.
At that moment Bulma's attention was drawn to the sliding door leading out into the yard as Armada passed through it without a word. "Well Marice," she started, "I guess it's just you and me for a while."
"That's fine with me," the Euphorian laughed in return as she stood from her seat and approached Bulma at the counter. "I've seen plenty of those two for the past few months."
"Well, I don't really have anything to do for the next few hours," Bulma wiped her hands with a towel and looked up at Marice, causing a thought to strike her. "Say," she began with a smirk, "you up for a little shopping?"
"Ah, I don't really have any money with me," Marice started, but was cut short by her human counterpart.
"Don't worry about that," Bulma answered, "just go get ready to leave." With that, Marice hurried towards the hall with excitement, and as soon as the girl had turned her back, a sudden thought came to Bulma. "Oh Marice," she called out.
"Yes?" the teenager stopped and turned to face the woman who'd addressed her.
"Don't bring your sai," Bulma commented, noticing the girl's weapons still hanging from her belt.
"Oh," Marice blushed slightly, "right."

***

Armada sat cross-legged on the floor of the Verdandi with a small screwdriver-like tool in her mouth as she used both hands to reconnect a pair of severed wires in one of the smaller engines of the ship. Just as she brought the two ends close enough for contact, a huge bolt of electricity leapt between the two and sent a nasty shock through both of her hands. "Ahh, mit," she shook her hands vehemently while cursing through the tool between her teeth. After a moment, she pulled the tool from her mouth with her right hand and sat back, crossing both arms across her chest, and staring at the engine in question with a rather puzzled yet annoyed look.
"Damn this. How the hell am I supposed to fix it when I don't even know how it works!" she shouted to no one but herself. She sighed heavily. "If only I still had the blueprints. Or even if I remembered where I put them," she commented once more to herself. "This is such a disgrace," she continued, "I built this damn ship and I don't have a clue as to how most of it even works." Her eyes closed half-way and a sour smile appeared across her face. "Wonder what Saya, Rue, and the rest of the guys'd think of me now." She laughed half-heartedly. "Now that I'm sane again."

***

Trunks sauntered over the monitor which controlled the amount of gravity exerted by the spherical chamber in which he trained. He quickly reset the machine to normal gravity as he decided to take a break. Besides, he wasn't really focused anyway.
He then wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and leaned against the pillar in the center of the room. There was no use, he couldn't stop thinking about it-what were they going to do? Obviously, as if there was any doubt, Armada had made it clear that she intended to leave sometime, even if she herself wasn't sure of when. And Marice, well...she couldn't stay here forever. Is this the end of the road? Trunks felt confused. This couldn't be the end, not now, at least...there were so many things left unresolved: the whereabouts and safety of both Laiserta and Naya, the whole Taydr and Rieve thing, everything that happened to Marice, and.../Armada/. Although Trunks didn't know what it was, he knew that Armada was hiding something from him...from them/. He /knew there was a reason that she acted the way she did-and for whatever reason, she wasn't willing to share.
However, that reached into another subject. The question at hand still plagued Trunks. Would he just stay behind, here, on Earth, where he belonged? Is this where I 'belong'? he wondered briefly. And what of Marice? Would Armada just drop her off on Euphoria and disappear once more? What about Naya? Laiserta? It was strange to think that after all they'd gone through in the past few months that it was all going to fall apart in a matter of days. Trunks sighed resignedly and stood upright, turning to head in-





"Help!"





Trunks stopped dead where he stood, his eyes wide in shock. Naya...?! But...how?! His eyes dropped to the floor as he shook his head slightly. No, he must have been imagining things. To hear Naya's voice scream help in his head.../Yep, definitely not real, he surmised. Besides, how would he have ever heard her voice in his mind, even if she /was standing next to him? Nobody has that kind of power... He turned and looked out one of the small windows in the former spaceship.

***

"What do you think?" Marice asked with a beaming smile, her arms outstretched to her sides as she modeled the new clothing she wore.
"You look wonderful dear," Bulma replied with a smile as she cleaned the kitchen countertop. She and Marice had returned from shopping only moments before and Marice was modeling all of her outfits for Bulma while she started preparing lunch. Currently, the girl modeled a simple t-shirt and jeans with tennis shoes, a very average outfit on Earth but very different for the Euphorian.
Marice nodded and turned to run back upstairs and change into yet another outfit when there was a knock at the door. The two turned towards the back door to see a young woman and boy standing there, waiting to be let it. A smile crept into Bulma's features as she exclaimed "Mia!" She headed over to the door and let the two in.
"Hey," the black-haired young woman replied, once the door was open. "I thought we'd come over for a visit."
"Come right in!" Bulma stated excitedly, moving out of the way of the two and turning towards the other occupant of the room. "Marice," Bulma looked up towards the Euphorian, "I'd like you to meet Mia," she gestured towards the black-haired woman, "and her son, Terry." It was then that the teenager noticed the likewise black-haired ten-year-old boy standing beside his mother. He waved at her with a smile.
"Bulma, you didn't tell me you had company!" Mia directed towards her much older friend. She walked over to Marice and held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Mia," she smiled.
Marice blinked, slowly reaching out to take Mia's hand and the woman shook it once she gripped it. "Ah, hi. I-I'm Marice," the teenager stammered nervously.
"Hey Mom, where'd you put the-" Trunks started, approaching the group from the hallway. "Hey," he stopped mid-sentence, noticing the two visitors in the room with Bulma and Marice.
"Trunks!" Terry yelled out excitedly, taking off in a sprint for the young man.
"Hey Terry," he replied as the child clung to his legs.
Mia's head snapped towards Bulma at the sight of Trunks. "He's back?! Why didn't you tell me?!" she demanded of Bulma. "Terry's been dying to see him!"
"Well, he only showed up yesterday," Bulma started to explain while Mia seemingly ignored her while approaching Trunks.
"Hi Mia," Trunks said with a smile as she approached. However, she proceeded to slap him across the face and needless to say, the smile faded quicker than it had appeared. "What was that for?!" a bewildered and annoyed Trunks demanded.
"Leaving your mom like you did! She was worried sick about you!" the small woman yelled at Trunks as her son still clung to his legs.
"It's all right Mia," Bulma said with a nervous laugh, trying to calm her friend, "really."
"Who the hell are these people?"
Everyone turned to see a wide-eyed Armada standing at the door leading outside. Apparently, she'd walked in on their conversation unnoticed.
"/Armada/," Trunks addressed his comrade, motioning for her to cut out what she was doing-which was, presently, cursing.
"That's not exactly a nice way to greet people," a slightly angered Mia responded to the mercenary's outburst.
"You'll have to forgive her, Mia," Bulma started nervously, trying to patch over the situation quickly, "she's, er, not from around here."
"Well, I guess it's all right," Mia glanced between Bulma and her son before approaching Armada. She held out her right hand at the woman. "I'm Mia."
Armada raised an eyebrow at the woman's gesture and looked over her shoulders to see Bulma and Trunks shaking hands. Figuring that was the meaning of Mia's gesture, Armada reached her hand out and took Mia's, with Mia deftly shaking it. "And you are...?" she questioned.
"Armada," the mercenary replied flatly.
"So," Mia turned to face her two friends, "who are these guys?"
"They're friends of Trunks," Bulma answered quickly, not wanting Armada to butt in with her typical 'mercenaries' answer.
"But Trunks," Terry questioned in doubt, looking up at his friend, "I thought I was your friend?"
Trunks laughed. "You are Terry, but people can have more than one friend." Terry nodded, releasing Trunks and walking over to Marice.
"You still haven't answered my question," Armada near whispered to Trunks after she'd made her way over to him.
"Mia and Terry are friends of ours," he replied. "She's two years older than me and her son's ten. Mom met her on the street one day, ten years ago, when Mia was in labor with Terry. She brought her back here, since there weren't any hospitals then, and helped deliver Terry." Trunks turned to look at Armada. "They've been good friends ever since."
It was then that the child in question came running over to Armada and Trunks. "You're strong like Trunks, right?" he asked of Armada.
"Well, eh...sort-"
"You can fly, right?" he continued, interrupting her first answer while clarifying his own question.
"Yeah," she replied slowly, confused as to why a ten-year-old would even be asking such a question.
"C'mon," he grabbed a hand from both persons standing before him, "let's go fly!"
Armada blinked in confusion and turned towards Trunks. "Can this kid really fly?"
"No," Trunks laughed, "he wants us to take him out."
"Then what do you need me for?" she questioned in irritation while jerking her hand away from Terry. She then turned and headed down the hall, swiftly leaving.
Terry watched her form walk down the hall and disappear around a corner with wide and baffled eyes. "Doesn't she think flying is fun?"
"Apparently not," Trunks muttered to himself before looking back towards Terry. "So, ready to go?" he asked with a smile. Terry nodded and Trunks picked him up, holding the child in his arms while Terry wrapped his arms around Trunks's neck.
"Don't stay out too long," Bulma reminded him. "We don't want to keep Mia here all night waiting for her son to return home."
"And I'm sure Bulma doesn't want to do the same," Mia added with a smirk.
"See you all later!" Trunks waved as he and Terry exited the house.
"Bye!" Terry shouted as Trunks took off from the ground and headed for the sky.
"So Marice," Mia started, turning to face the Euphorian, "tell me about yourself."

***

Much later that day, long after the sun had set, Armada wandered through the halls inside the CC compound. "Bulma?" she called out, apparently searching for the matriarch of the mansion. She glanced in a few of the doorways in the hall she currently ambled down, noting how each was dark and cold, bringing her to the conclusion that none had lived in each in some time, if at all. She eventually made it to the end of the hall and proceeded through the last door, seeing some light shed inside.
"Bulma?" she queried once inside the room. With no response, she ventured farther inside. Must be some sort of lab, she guessed, noticing the high ceilings and warehouse-like structure of the room. She passed several desks littered with papers and blueprints, a few computers, and the occasional workstation.
After walking quite a distance, she found an object of interest. She approached what looked like, in what little light filtered into the room from the moon above through skylight windows, a small spacecraft. Armada approached the item cautiously, placing a hand on the outside to feel what the ship was made of.
"'Hope?'" she read aloud of the handwriting scrawled on the side of the ship. She then looked up, and seeing what looked like a cockpit, flew up from the floor to get a closer look. What?! she blinked in confusion. There was only enough room for one person to sit. There wasn't room for anything else, no matter how small. What do they use this for? Exploring the upper atmosphere? She didn't have much time to contemplate any answers to her questions when a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Not real impressive, huh?"
Armada turned to see the one person she'd been looking for-Bulma. She slowly lowered herself back down to the ground. "Not really," she admitted. "I mean, what do you use this thing for? It obviously won't go very far into space."
"Hm?" It was Bulma's turn to wear the visage of puzzlement. "Spaceship?"
Armada raised an eyebrow. "That is what this thing is...right?"
"You mean, you don't know what it is?" Armada only stared blankly in return to Bulma's question. "Oh, well...it's a time machine."
"N-no way!" Armada exclaimed, taking a half-step backwards. "That's...impossible!"
Bulma was visibly surprised. "You've never heard of a time machine before?"
"Never heard of one?!" Armada near screamed, "There is no such thing!" She looked down towards the ground, searching for her voice. "It-it's a fantasy, a dream! No one can distort time!"
"Wow," Bulma almost laughed, "does this mean I'm the only person in the universe to own a time machine?" Armada only stared at Bulma in shock. "Believe me, it's no fantasy," she continued.
"You mean," Armada spoke in a near-whisper, "it works?"
"Of course it works," Bulma said proudly, admiring her work. "Well, I've never used it-Trunks has. He said it worked, and well, I have no reason to believe that he'd lie." She briefly remembered the first time he returned after using the time machine and how distraught he was over the fact that nothing had changed.
Armada was frozen in place as a wave of sheer horror and fear came over her, creating an absolutely terrified being. All this time...Trunks had that kind of power?! If he's capable of altering time... The thought of the kind of power a person could have due to time travel made her feel awash in a sea of fear and anxiety. What does he want?! Is he after my ship?! /A vision of a possible future came over her. /Trunks grinned devilishly at her and laughed. 'I'd heard plenty of stories about you Armada, but I never knew you were so gullible!'
"I heard you calling my name," Bulma brought Armada back to reality. "What is it that you need?"
Armada looked to Bulma with trepidation. I was going to ask for help with the ship, but...I can't let her see the secrets of its design! Not when I don't even know them! She could find a weakness, she could tell Trunks... Her mind raced through the possibilities, trying to determine the answer. "Ah, it w-it was nothing. N-never mind," she added, and with that, ran off.
Once out of Bulma's view, Armada sprinted down the hall, until-
"Hey."
She stopped and looked up to see that she'd stopped only inches in front of Trunks. She looked at him for a moment before moving around him in the hall, after which she continued her sprint down the hall and was soon out of sight.
Trunks watched as she ran off. The look on her face... She was terrified...of me... He contemplated with worry why she would suddenly be so afraid of him. What did he do?

***

Trunks lie on his back, in his bed, and sighed. He'd been trying to sleep for the past few hours, but to no avail. He just couldn't get the look Armada had given him earlier out of his head. There were just too many questions about the whole thing-she hardly ever showed fear, and when she did, it wasn't like this; and probably the biggest question of them all-why? He couldn't recall doing anything that would have made her so...utterly terrified.
"That's it," Trunks said aloud while sitting upright. "I can't sleep, so I've got to do something about this."

Trunks sighed resignedly. He couldn't find her anywhere/. Which, of course, wasn't like her since he was standing in the bridge of the /Verdandi and she wasn't on the ship. Nor was she in the house. And nobody had seen her leave...well, he hadn't, and neither had Bulma... Just then, Trunks heard a sound coming from the barracks-it sounded as if someone had dropped something. Well, I didn't check the rooms, he thought was he strode down the hall.
He stopped in front of Armada's room first and knocked. After waiting for and receiving no response, he opened the door to find nothing. He knew she wouldn't be in his room; he'd already checked it. He turned towards the girls' room-as he thought of it-and opened the door to find... "Marice?"
The Euphorian laughed anxiously. "Ah, hi."
Trunks sighed. "I thought you might have been Armada. By the way," he asked once a thought hit him, "have you seen her?"
Marice's reaction surprised him. A worried look came over her face as she tried to shake her head and say 'no.' "Where is she?" Trunks asked with concern, wondering why if Marice knew where she was, why she wasn't saying where.
"I-I'm not supposed to tell you," she blurted out.
"Marice," Trunks's eyes narrowed as he stated her name with more conviction. "Tell me."

***

"Nice evening for a new moon, eh boys?" Trunks declared before the two guards which stood watch at the entrance to the mansion before which he stood.
One of the guards turned toward the other and then back towards Trunks, about to say something when the demi-Saiyan cut him off. "My friend's already here. She must've forgotten to tell you that I was coming," he added with a smirk.
The two guards exchanged glances once more before one of them spoke. "You may enter." Trunks nodded to the two guards with another smirk and made his way into the building.
"Whoa," he commented once inside. The first thing the guests walked into was the ballroom, unlike what previous information had indicated. The room was roughly seventy meters long and about forty meters deep. The far side, opposite from where Trunks stood, was comprised mostly of arched windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. The floor was a beautiful hardwood, with decadent curtains and paintings lining the walls.
Noticing that he was blocking the front doors, Trunks moved forward, into the sea of guests who were dancing and drinking the night away. Thank Kami I actually bought those clothes back on Stapel, he thought, thankful that he was able to blend in. From looking at the guests one could easily tell that the party was obviously formal, and he was no exception. He wore a long, white silk-like shirt with matching pants that had simple gold line decorations on them. The ensemble wasn't spectacular, but it currently served its purpose.
He quickly started scanning the room for the person he'd come to retrieve when he noticed a huge red staircase to his far left that led to a second floor. He almost turned his gaze from the staircase until he saw a young woman in a silver dress ascending the stairs. His eyes lingered for a moment longer before he decided that the woman was indeed his target.
Once up the stairs, Trunks followed the hallway to his right as he saw the woman he was after standing more than halfway down the hall. She had her back to him, and was glancing around almost frantically. He slowly walked toward her and once he was only a few inches from her did she sense that someone was behind her. She spun around in a hurry and nearly fell backwards from the shock of seeing him. "Trunks?"
"I know all about why you're here, Armada," he started sternly.
"You followed me?" Armada asked in anger. "What right do you have-"
"The same that you have to walk out without telling anyone!" he countered.
"It didn't concern you. This mission only required one person," she stated flatly.
"Then why couldn't I go?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Armada ducked her gaze away and refused to answer him, and to Trunks, it was painfully clear why. She didn't want to admit what she had to do. As the two stood in silence, he recalled the recorded message that Marice showed him...

'I know we haven't spoken in some time,' a violet-haired man spoke, 'but a man from Rieve came by looking for you. I asked around, and apparently they're after you-though I'm sure you already know. I,' he paused, 'got word the other day of a ball to be held right here, in Ute, tonight, and one of Taydr's top officials is supposed to be in attendance. I'm sure you can get information from him, though you might have to...entertain him first.' He stopped speaking for a moment, his blue eyes darting down. 'I'm sending you all the information you'll need,' he paused, turning his gaze directly towards the monitor once more. 'Good luck.'

"It's not any of your business," Armada finally spoke up.
"Right," Trunks scoffed, "of course it's not any of my business when my comrade sneaks off in the middle of the night without telling anyone," he finished sarcastically.
"Look, if this is what I have to do to figure what exactly Taydr and Rieve know about us, then I'll do it," she spoke hurriedly and with anger. "If we take another attack from either of them, we're not going to make it. Do you understand what that means?"
Trunks grabbed both of her arms. "Armada there's no sensical reason to do this!"
"Excuse me."
Trunks dropped his hold on Armada as he saw who stood behind her. Armada turned to face the source of the voice, turning completely red once she saw who's spoken to the pair.
"Nice evening for a new moon, no?" a woman dressed in red behind the two asked in a very sultry voice.
"Nicer than most realize," Armada said slowly, unable to believe her eyes.
"So," the brunette woman smiled coyly, looking at the two people that stood before her, "both of you then?" She laughed. "Three is a lot more fun than two."
Trunks could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. /Okay, time to think of something, quick/, he told himself mentally. It appeared that both he and Armada weren't prepared for the situation as it presented itself.
The vixen opened the door to the room in front of which all three stood and led the way in. She grinned once more at the pair before entering the room.
"Looks like we'll just have to do this the old fashioned-way," Armada quickly whispered to Trunks before heading into the room.
Trunks paled. 'Old-fashioned way...?' Oh Kami... Fearing what would come next, yet not wanting to arouse any suspicion, he followed Armada into the room, closing the door behind himself.
In the time the two had stalled outside the door, the woman inside had thrown her handbag on the one bed in the room and was looking out one of the windows. "I must say," she started, "three doesn't seem to be a part of the plan, but," she turned to face the pair, "I'm perfectly fine with it."
"Well," Armada replied, closing her eyes briefly and smiling while making her way towards the 'target,' "as long as you're fine with it," she finished, narrowing her eyes and smirking.
What the HELL is she doing?! Trunks wondered from his post at the door, bewildered by his comrade's obvious actions which carried with them an even more obvious intent.
Once Armada was close enough, she grabbed the brunette by the front of her crimson jacket, throwing her onto the bed. She jumped onto the bed and knelt over top of the woman and charged a ki-blast in her right hand, holding it to the woman's throat.
"Watch the door," she shouted out towards Trunks, who then proceeded to lock the door. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"You know what this is, right?" Armada asked sternly while inching the energy in her hand closer to the woman's neck. She appeared terrified and nodded in agreement. "What's your name?" Armada demanded.
"Rain Kiari," she replied deftly.
"Head of the Manufacturing Department of Taydr?" Armada questioned. Kiari nodded. "I only want to ask you some questions," she continued, "and if you tell us what we want to know, we'll let you live. Understand?" Kiari nodded once more.
"We know that Taydr and Rieve are working together, but what we don't know is why," she started the first line of interrogation. "Care to elaborate?"
"Rieve provides disruptors for Taydr, and in return Taydr gives political asylum to any Rieve members that need it."
So it's not just disruptors Trunks deduced mentally.
"Okay," Armada continued, "both Rieve and Taydr are after a group of mercenaries known as VDD. What do you know about it?"
"Nothing," Kiari replied awful quickly.
Armada inched the ki-sphere in her hand closer to Kiari's neck. "Are you sure about that?"
"Okay okay! I don't know why Rieve wants them dead, but Taydr figures that they know too much and wants them eliminated!"
"When's the next attack on the mercenaries planned for?" she demanded, jerking at the woman's jacket with her left hand.
"No one knows where VDD is! There aren't any attacks planned!"
Armada released Rain's jacket from her left hand and the ki-blast in her right dissipated. She sat upright and glared at Kiari. "Mention this to anyone before you leave here tonight and die." Armada then jumped up from the bed and stood on the floor once more. She turned towards Trunks and headed for the door. "Let's go."
"Wait." The pair turned to face Kiari, now sitting upright on the bed. "You're VDD, aren't you?" No response. "You'd better watch your back. Rieve has a tendency to catch people off-guard." The two mercenaries said nothing in return and left.
Once outside the room, Trunks sighed. "That wasn't what I was expecting."
"Me either," Armada added with her own sigh. "I could've sworn Mace said that the official was a man," she said contemplatively.
"Mace was the guy in the video, right?" Trunks queried.
Armada nodded. "He's the guy that owns the building I keep the ship in back in Ute. Sometimes, he's a go-between for missions."
"He mentioned something about you two not speaking for some time," Trunks continued.
"I haven't talked to him since I destroyed the disruptor factory. He," she paused, "he told me not to take the mission, but I did anyway." The volume of her voice decreased greatly. "I should have listened to him."
At that moment, Trunks grabbed Armada around the waist and pulled her to his side. What the HELL?! Armada thought in total confusion. She went to say something to him but was cut off by a third voice.
"What are you two doing up here?" a guard asked the pair.
"Oh, she just really wanted to see what's upstairs," Trunks replied with a smile. "Right dear?" he looked to Armada for confirmation.
"Yes," she feigned happiness, "and it's beautiful! I'm so glad we did!"
"Only special guests are allowed up here," the guard added. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you two to go back downstairs."
"That's no problem at all. Thanks!" Trunks added with a wave while forcing himself and Armada to turn around and head for the stairs.
Once on the staircase, Armada glanced behind herself. "Quick thinking there Trunks," she spoke to him softly, "but he's still watching us."
"Don't worry," he replied, "we'll only have to do this until we can get back into the crowd."
Back on the dance floor, the two mercenaries unglued themselves from one another as quickly as they had glued themselves together in the first place. Armada took the lead as the pair strolled through the crowd. "See?" Trunks spoke as the two headed for the door. "This is why you shouldn't go on missions alone without telling anyone."
Armada scoffed. "Imagine what you and Miss Kiari would be doing right now if I'd sent /you/."
Trunks's face turned slightly red. "That's not funny."
Armada stopped and turned towards him with a smirk. "I wasn't laughing."

***

"Do you have to leave so soon?"
"We can't keep Naya and Lai waiting forever," Trunks replied, turning towards his mother who stood worried to death once more.
"Well, all right," she murmured to herself. "Come and visit more often, okay?"
Trunks nodded. "Will do."
Armada strode up to the pair. After glancing between the two for a moment, she spoke. "Sometime today," she reminded Trunks in typical harsh tones before continuing away from the house and towards the Verdandi.
Just as Trunks turned his gaze toward the ship behind himself, Bulma reached up and wrapped her arms around her son's neck, pulling him into a hug. "Be careful," she whispered into his right ear while embracing him tightly.
"Okay," he responded simply, returning his mother's hug. After being released from the embrace, he turned and headed for the ship in a carefree walk.
"Bye!" Marice waved from the ship towards Bulma, a woman who'd had a significant impact on the teenager as of late.
Bulma returned the gesture, smiling. It had better not be another four months before I see you again, son.