Ascending | ✔

Indecision

"Oh no," Kale muttered as she paced around the kitchen. "What am I going to do?" What will I wear? What will I say?

"Calm down, Kale," Caulifla advised, licking her fingers and dropping the bone of her devoured roast on her plate. "No need to overthink it so much, you know?"

Kale couldn't believe she had actually agreed to Cabba's proposal. Not only that, but she had spoken to him smoothly and clearly when accepting his invitation. He would be expecting her now. And what was she doing? Freaking out. She laughed nervously, glad that Cabba had left to attend some matters at home and would not be able to see her having a breakdown.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Goku said, leaning back in his chair. "We've faced bigger things before. Were you this afraid when it came to the Tournament of Power?"

"W-well, no. But that's different!"

When Goku gave Kale a perplexed look, Caulifla sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll admit that you're a fighting genius but you're abso-fucking-lutely clueless when it comes to the female mind."

"Hey! I'm pretty sure I'll understand better if Kale explained things a bit more. But right now I can't see how she managed to cope with a do-or-die battle royal and not a visit to Cabba's."

"It's just different," Kale said desperately. "What if his parents judge me? What if they don't accept me?" She paced even faster. "What will it mean then for our... umm..."

"Relationship?" Goku suggested.

"I guess... But, well, we're not exactly romantically involved..."

"Yet," teased Caulifla. "But look at yourself, Kale. Worrying over a silly dinner date with some old birds. It shows you genuinely care about Cabba if you value his parents' opinion so much."

"I second that," added Goku. "Chi Chi did the same thing before I reminded her that my parents are dead."

"Well, you're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

"Pfft, says you." Goku stuck out his tongue at her childishly, causing her to growl softly and do the same. Goku raised an eyebrow at her. "You have to admit though; I'm right."

"Whatever." Caulifla turned her attention back to Kale. "Point is, you care. And because of that, I'm willing to help you. But be warned, Kale, there's little advice I can give you on this matter."

"I'm here too," Goku offered. "If you ever need help."

"Thank you," Kale said with a sigh of relief. "But I think I'll try to figure things out myself first."

"That's my girl!" crowed Caulifla, grinning at her protégée.

Kale nodded timidly and made her way upstairs to the room she shared with Caulifla to gather her muddled thoughts. As soon as she was gone, Caulifla's gaze hardened into a steely glare again.

"Don't... Don't talk to me like that," Caulifla said. "And don't treat me like... we're friends. That façade I put up for Kale was draining enough."

Goku sighed heavily. "You know, we can still be friends. I know what we shared was wrong but... It was a two-way street."

"Tch. That's not what I hate most about you. I'm well aware that it was a shared decision. But the fact that..." Her lip curled into a snarl. "You went crawling back to that... that woman infuriates me."

"We've talked about this before, Caulifla," Goku said, a warning tone in his voice. "She's my wife."

"That doesn't mean jack to me. You are not mated with her, nor do you truly love one another. How can you not see it? Is your skull really that thick? Even I can see it, Goku... The love you share, if one could even call it that, is forced to the point of being materialistic."