Romance And Reason

Step Up or Step Off

Pan moved away from Drakna and towards her father wrapping an arm around him in case he needed any support. Gohan smiled down at his daughter and told her that he was fine. Trunks continued to stand ominously next to Drakna deciding that it was his job to keep tabs on the man since he didn't full trust him. Trunks especially did not like the way the man kept looking at Pan. Goku and Vegeta had remained strangely silent since the fighting began focusing on the woman while listening into the conversations around them.

"Pan," Goku called out drawing her attention from her father to her grandfather. Goku motioned for her to join him and she did so leaving her father standing near Trunks.

"What do you need Grandpa?" Pan asked standing between Goku and Vegeta.

"The woman, Brickan, what do you think of her?" Goku asked and Pan got the distinct feeling that he knew there was something more to the situation than was being shared.

"I think I'd like to talk to her and get her side of the story, but I don't know if she would be willing to stop lashing out and just have a conversation right now. I definitely think that she feels cornered," Pan replied and was surprised when Vegeta nodded in agreement.

"Well said," Goku continued, "There's something going on and no matter how much we question Drakna he's not going to give us the full story. There's something about this whole situation that is just not lining up to me."

Pan was about to say something more but her grandfather suddenly disappeared. Pan blinked a couple of times and refocused just as her grandfather reappeared standing directly between his son and Brickan. Goten pulled back as he realized his father was standing in his path, but Brickan continued forward assuming she was just changing opponents. She brought her leg around to kick him in the arm and was surprised when he didn't block but instead allowed her to land the blow. The older man didn't flinch and instead turned his full attention to the young woman. She pulled back and crossed her arms almost protectively in front waiting to see what would happen next.

"I am going to put this battle on pause. I'm starving and it's past dinnertime. My wife promised me my favorites tonight if I came back in one piece and I really would like to have those. I know this is going to seem very strange to you and I know you might not trust us, but would you consider coming up to Kami's Lookout with us and eating a nice hearty meal?" Goku asked stretching his arms behind his back looking more like a child than the adult he was. Brickan's eyes flashed in confusion as she tried to understand where this question was coming from.

"Why?" Brickan asked blinking several times as she tried to process everything.

"My granddaughter Pan would escort you there, but we will have to declare a momentary truce," Goku continued ignoring her question.

"This would only be for a meal? You would trust me around your family unprotected?" the woman asked a strange accent coloring her tone. Her voice grew soft as she tried to understand Goku's reasoning for extending so much trust.

"The truce would last for however long you wanted it to, provided you don't try to bring harm to anyone. The same offer will be extended towards Drakna although Vegeta's son Trunks will be the one in charge of escorting him back and you two don't have to say a word to each other if you don't want to. So, what do you say?" Goku finished and then stuck out his hand hoping that the woman would take it and seal the deal.

Time seemed to slow down as everyone waited to see what would happen. Drakna watched her through narrowed eyes wondering if she was going to accept and if she did would he do the same. When Brickan reached forward and locked hands with Goku the others breathed a sigh of relief. The woman descended to the ground and lowered her power level causing everyone around her to gasp as she stood unabashed and completely naked.

"Uh, anyone happen to have an extra set of clothes on them for the lady?" Goten asked turned around swiftly to face the mountains a red blush staining his cheeks.

Brickan looked down at her naked body and then looked up at the gathered men, confused. She couldn't understand what was so upsetting about her body. She visibly tensed as Pan moved forward. Pan reached into her pocket and pulled out a capsule starting the woman when she dropped the small capsule that began to hiss and pop. When the small bit of smoke cleared Pan picked up a set of clothes that looked very similar to the ones she was currently wearing extending them towards Brickan.

"I've always trained with a group of rowdy boys so I always bring along something extra to change into," Pan said with a smile, smiling bigger when Brickan's shoulders started to relax.

"Is my form displeasing?" Brickan asked looking down at her naked body.

Pan heard several of the men clear their throats and even Vegeta raised one eyebrow at the woman's question. Drakna stood unabashedly staring at Brickan's body while the other men were either averting their eyes or turned around. Pan realizing that this woman grew up under a difference set of rules decided to try and explain Earth's customs about clothing the best she could.

"Here on Earth nudity is not common unless it's in an intimate situation. We are born nude, but shortly after birth we are wrapped in cloth and told that we must always wear clothes. The only person who's supposed to see our naked forms are the doctors who take care of us or someone we had deep affection for," Pan explained and Brickan nodded in response.

"How do women catch a mate if they always hide their bodies here?" Brickan asked as she pulled on the pants Pan had handed to her.

"That's part of the chase here on Earth. The more covered a woman is and if she gives a tantalizing view to the man she is interested in the more his interest is peaked. The man will begin to imagine what she looks like underneath her clothing," Pan replied unable to go into details about dressing for men because of the heavy blush that began to stain her cheeks.

By the time Pan was finished talking Brickan had managed to finish dressing. Trunks told Drakna it was time to go and with one last meaningful look towards Pan the two took off into the sky. The others began to fly as well flying at a slower speed so that Pan would be within range if she needed anything. Pan turned to Brickan and with a wave of her hand they began to fly as well. Pan became aware that Brickan didn't seem to like flying at faster speeds unless it was necessary and Pan rather enjoyed the relaxed pace they set.

"So Brickan why did you go to that Saiyan Colony?" Pan asked bluntly causing the other woman to stumble slightly in the air at the bluntness of her question.

Brickan was quiet for a little while and Pan was starting to think she wasn't going to answer, but then she began to talk. "After my parents' deaths I was left alone on the only planet I had known as home. My father was a leader to the people there, but he had always wanted a better life for me. I decided eventually to follow his instructions and go out to search for the life he wanted for me, but apparently that was not to be."

The rest of the flight towards Kami's Lookout was silent as both girls got lost in their thoughts. Pan knew that in her gut she didn't believe Brickan was as evil as Drakna was making her out to be and in fact she had more distrust for Drakna, although she felt that he wasn't truly evil either. Pan noticed that Brickan seemed more like a woman that had been hurt and was trying to lash out instead of someone who was simply trying to cause destruction.