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Jicama and Mezzo were too invested in their conversation to notice the man's entrance, but both stopped their joking and talking when Quash made his comment. The two stared at the newcomer in silence for a few seconds, then Mezzo greeted, "Good day, sir!" His voice had a hint of an English accent to it, but it was kind and welcoming. Mezzo rose to his feet and tried to say something else, but Jicama couldn't contain his excitement.[break][break]

He jumped to his feet and launched himself forward, putting himself uncomfortably close to Quash. In an accent similar to Mezzo's, he cheered, "'Ello!" Without skipping a beat, he got right to the point, "You have got to try Mezzo's dinosaur fricassee. It's quite divine!" Jicama turned and looked at their camp. There was still a bit of stew left steaming in the pot, and with a little bit of effort, one of the plates and utensils could easily be cleaned off for another round of dining. Jicama's tail flicked excitedly as he bounced around the camp trying to collect everything Quash would need.[break][break]

Mezzo grabbed his pupil's shoulder and held him still, then apologized, "Don't mind Master Jicama, sir, he can be a bit, ah, abrasive around others,"[break][break]

"Abrasive?!" Jicama quipped back in frustration. He shrugged his shoulder free from Mezzo's grasp and groaned, "Where are your manners, Mezzo? We've got plenty left for him to try!"[break][break]

Seeing how Jicama seemed serious about it, Mezzo just sighed and waved his hand at the camp. Jicama got back to collecting everything their guest would need to try some of the dinosaur stew. Meanwhile, Mezzo tried his best to be hospitable, "I hope we aren't trespassing on your land. Our route was meant to avoid any private property, though it's been a while since I've made a trek in this region. Perhaps things have changed since my last visit,"[break][break]

In terms of trespassers, the Fortepiano caravan was probably the friendliest bunch possible. Mezzo looked at the youngster trying to scrape off a bowl with a jagged stone he'd found. Suddenly he realized Jicama may have had a point about his manners, "Oh, pardon me. I am Mezzo, the lively one is Master Jicama Fortepiano, and the rest of our helpers are out exploring the area. We are here so Master Jicama can sightsee and see what our great green planet has to offer. He's shown quite an interest in nature so far," The way Mezzo described Jicama made it seem like the Saiyan had just shown up to Earth recently.

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Both Mezzo and Jicama listened as Quash explained his circumstances and relation to the area - of which he had none. Jicama had scrounged up enough food into a bowl and was holding it over the embers of their fire to heat it up some, but he had become so focused on Quash's brief introduction that he nearly burned the food. The only saving grace was the heat that had started to build in his hand, which brought his attention away from their new acquaintance and back to his very important task.[break][break]

Jicama juggled with the bowl for a second just as Quash directed a question at him. The young man looked back at Quash to answer when, for a brief fraction of a second, something seemed to click in his Saiyan mind. Saiyan. Both of these two beings were of the alien species, yet neither had addressed the elephant in the room. Quash was likely used to other Saiyans, but this was uncharted territory for Jicama. He had never even seen a photograph of another Saiyan, let alone met one. When he locked eyes with Quash, a primal fight or flight instinct flared up in the back of his mind, and with everything he'd done in his life, Jicama definitely leaned towards fight.[break][break]

Of course, that all took place in his mind in less than half a second. In real time, it was masked by his attempt to save the hot bowl from hitting the ground. During his attempt, Mezzo had walked over and reached forward, where the bowl calmly landed in the helper's hand. Jicama grinned at his helper and thanked, "Thank you, Mezzo!"[break][break]

He took the bowl back, stuck a spoon in, and extended it towards their guest, "Bon Appetit!" Mezzo pulled up a few chairs for the crew to lounge in.[break][break]

After allowing Quash to get comfortable and start digging in, Jicama started rattling off an answer to his question, "I'm from the Fortepiano Manor. It's... that way," He sat up a bit and pointed off to the east. Mezzo lightly pushed Jicama's arm so his point was in the right direction, which was more pointed towards East City.[break][break]

"Master Jicama didn't get out much in his youth," Mezzo explained, since saying he was from a house was the most blatant answer possible, "Now he's trying to see as much as he can,"[break][break]

Jicama nodded in agreement as he sunk back into his chair, "It's quite fascinating, actually," He leaned forward and asked Quash with a serious tone, "Have you heard of boxing? Now that's a spectacle!"[break][break]

Mezzo laughed and speculated, "Boxing is fairly popular, Master Jicama, I'm sure Captain Quas-"[break][break]

"That!" Jicama abruptly blurted out. He furrowed his brow and asked, "What are you the captain of? Pirates? A team?" Those were the only captains Jicama knew about, especially since he knew nothing about military rankings or anything of that sort. Mezzo seemed interested, too, which left the floor to Quash.

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Between Quash's munching, the otherworldly visitor made a few comments in regards to the conversation. He explained that he'd never heard of the Fortepiano family, a fact that likely did not surprise Mezzo, but absolutely floored Jicama. Blasphemy! How could someone not know the Fortepiano family? Everybody Jicama had talked to knew about them - granted, everybody he'd talked to was an acquaintance of his parents - so for someone to not know seemed impossible.[break][break]

Before he could give him an earful about how great his mother and father were, Quash got into what the duo wanted to know. His background, though he really gave them the spark notes summary of it. Captain Quash: Captain of the Saiyan Military from Planet Vegeta.[break][break]

Silence hung in the air. Minds teemed. Well, one of them did. Mezzo looked over at Jicama, who had a blank expression as he tried to process what Quash had said. Then he cracked a smile and laughed, "C'mon, man, what do you take me for? You - an alien!?" Jicama turned his attention to his helper and joked, "He's havin' a giggle. Right?"[break][break]

Judging by Mezzo's grim look, Quash may not have been having a giggle. Jicama's smile faded as he pressed, "What? Is Planet Vegeta a group of pirates?"[break][break]

Mezzo rose to his feet and sighed, "I think our gathering here is done. Captain Quash, it has been a pleasure, I you enjoyed the meal, but I do believe we need-"[break][break]

"Woah, woah, woah," Jicama practically leaped out of his chair and jumped between Mezzo and Quash, though all of his attention was on his helper, "What's going on?"[break][break]

"Master Jicama," Mezzo spoke in a hushed tone, "Master Clef warned me about this. Believe me when I say, this is something you do not want to be involved in,"[break][break]

To say Jicama was confused was an understatement. It was clear that Mezzo was withholding some kind of information from him, but he had no idea what. He turned and looked at Quash, trying to pinpoint something about the man that could have put Mezzo on edge. Appearance-wise, Quash looked like anybody else. Jicama thought nothing of his tail because he figured there were a lot of people with tails. He even had one![break][break]

It just didn't make sense. Everything seemed so cordial just a minute prior; now tension dampened the mood drastically. And Jicama was just confused in the midst of it. He whispered back, "You are being rude, Mezzo. I thought this trip was so I could explore the world!"[break][break]

"And it is," Mezzo agreed, "But he has no place in it. Go fetch the others, I will see Captain Quash off,"[break][break]

He tried to push past the youngster, but Jicama was much stronger than he had been as a child. The Saiyan stood his ground and countered, "I don't know what Father told you, but he was wrong! Quash has been very kind and answered all of my questions, so I don't see what the problem is,"[break][break]

The helper tried to argue, but Jicama wasn't having it. He simply ignored him as he turned to Quash and immediately apologized, "Forgive him, Mezzo has had many long nights on our journey. If I'm honest, I think he may be a bit delusional -- perhaps a tad dehydrated. One of our other helpers should be back with a pail of fresh drinking water shortly, hopefully my dear friend Mezzo can hold out 'til then," Excuses behind him, he posed his next question, "What is Planet Vegeta? I've learned much about astronomy, from constellations and stars to even a little bit about other planets, but I've not heard of that one. If you're not joking, are you saying you're actually an alien?"[break][break]

At this point, Mezzo had accepted defeat. Jicama's Saiyan heritage had purposely been glossed over and brushed aside his whole life, aside from the occasional story about him turning into an ape man if he didn't learn control. Jicama grew to believe that was nothing more than folklore, but that was also because he'd never met another Saiyan. With Quash not only being another Saiyan, but a ranked member of their military, he was skipping a few chapters in Jicama's adulthood textbook. Now Mezzo could only sit and wait to see how the rest unfolded.