Unfamiliar Cuisine

It had been a quiet evening so far in the district...well as far as quiet went with a whole district full of raucous and rowdy Saiyan’s could be...but nothing had blown up yet and almost every bar was still standing...which was a step up from her last proper night here in the lower end of the city. Jagaimo was tired, hungry and sore from various scraps, fist fights and other evenings entertainments as she moved through the busy streets, the scent of cooking, sweat drink and other odours of the Radditsu district filled her nostrils...it wasn’t anything special but it was home and she missed it every time she had to leave...but once back she found she became restless to get going again...there was so much out there to discover and every encounter so far had left her with more questions about what she could find and what she could do if she pushed hard enough...it was an exciting time indeed and she’d rarely felt this good in the past.

The growl in her belly told her once more that she should be looking for something to eat and the smells in the air told her she was definitely in the right place. She could hear the sounds of shouting, laughing and eating filling the air as she passed by busy window-fronted buildings...mostly ram shackled but sturdy enough to survive the nightly festivities that took place almost without fail every evening. Some of these places had been rebuilt so many times it was amazing that the owners still bothered to go through with it.

The young women paused as she passed by an alleyway to some of the less trodden eateries, it's not that they were completely terrible but many of the others were just better...the amount of traffic they saw meant they had to be good or they risked getting trashed by angry...and hungry warriors. The young...whatever he was...he didn’t look like a Saiyan but she could spy a tail of sorts...a big bushy luxurious tail...and he was wearing some strange headgear...they almost looked like ears…Well that just marked him out as a newcomer, and travelling down the alleys as the sun went down in the district was a good way to get mugged, jumped or just beaten for the fun of it. Oh you’d wake up again, but your purse would be much much lighter...or gone completely.

She told herself she should just keep walking and lifted a foot to do just that before the young warrior sighed and called out to the stranger, having some idea what it was like to be a little lost now and then.

“If you wanna spend the night in a crapper then I'd go right ahead in the direction you're going...if you wanna eat some real food then I'd hit up the main street. This way.”

Jagaimo waved him towards her and then motioned down the street...

Jagaimo cocked her head to the side as he spoke, the accent nothing like she had heard on Plant before and his look was certainly different now she could see his face as he turned. She assumed it was him by the voice but you never could tell with all these aliens making the rounds in the Radditsu District these days. Throw a rock and you’d probably have a good chance of hitting a non-Saiyan...who was then likely to pummel you into the dirt given her past experience with the aliens she’d come across so far. They never seemed to show up weaker than the Saiyans, something that needed to be ratified down the line...her mind wandered again as she stared blankly down the alleyway and then shook her head clear again when she caught movement coming her way.

One foot immediately dropped back and her arms started to lift into a defensive pose when she suddenly remembered that she had in fact invited him to step out and come to her. She let her posture relax and her arms dropped back down to her sides as the young man approached her. When he dropped the scarf from his face she realised that the ears were in fact, not part of the headgear, they didn’t move with the material as she expected...strange as it seemed they were part of his head...well why not, she had a tail after all...he had a tail...why not some strange triangular ears as well?

“Jagaimo.”

She eyed his hand for a moment and figured what the hell, before shaking it...what was the worst thing that could happen. It's not like fights were that uncommon here in the slums over anything more than a sideways glance. This did not seem like one of those times, but she had been wrong in the past. Her grip was firm and strong, the way most people with pride in their strength tested themselves, holding his eye for a moment and increasing the pressure with a polite smile before letting go when she was satisfied...neither of them had broken fingers so it was a good start to a meeting. She waved a hand down towards the alleyway while she answered him, her voice raising to a shout as if intended for someone specific listening out,

“Not so bad? They are the worst...UNDER SEASONED AND OVERPRICED SAIBADUNG!”

She glanced down the alleyway for a moment, and when no one came out to dispute her claims she grinned and looked at the newcomer once more.

“Don’t sweat it, we get all sorts here but we’re not exactly tourist friendly in the slums”

As if on cue a brawl broke out across the street between a number of Saiyans arguing over a table of all things. Said table was quickly turned into debris as punches were thrown. She shook her head and smiled, shrugging her shoulders as if to prove her point. The young warrior raised an eyebrow and looked at him, her mouth opening and closing a few times as if he’d just asked the most obvious question in the world. She even ran both hands up and down either side of her as if to say...well yeah.

“Well I'm no Tuffle if that's what you're asking...damn you really are a tourist huh?”

She gave a laugh at something off to the side where the brawl was taking place and winced as someone went through a wall before smiling at Nilen again,

“Common then Bushyboy. Let it not be said that Saiyans don’t know how to treat visitors…”

She smirked and leant over towards him as they walked, speaking in a quieter voice,

“Oh, just remember, keep your purse out of sight, your eyes open and if someone asks to have a conversation with you get ready to block…”

“Sounds like your companion was a smart person to listen to then.”

Her tail unwound itself slowly from her waist, the ‘belt’ she was wearing over her armour clearly becoming a two toned furry tail with a lighter underside. She let it wave back and forth for a moment before she wrapped it snugly round her waist once more, keeping it out of the way and out of reach for most people. They didn’t always wrap them but it was a fashion of sorts and for some younger Saiyan’s who weren't quite in control of their tails, it prevented them from having such a weak spot exploited. Pulling Jagaimo’s tail didn’t really do much anymore after a few years of training apart from just piss her off, but the habit had remained so she still wore it like a furry belt.

“Are you kidding? We’ll find some food no doubt but I'll be disappointed if there's not a few fists flying by the end of the night!”

She grinned at him, a glimmer of glee in her eyes as she said it, the prospect of a scuffle just another part of the Saiyan way of life, especially down here in the slums. She expected that the guards up in the Palace district didn’t just go about brawling with each other in public but instead were more formal and organised with when and where…who knew, she’d never made it past the front gate of the palace and even that was years ago on parade. It's not like she had any reason to be there other than in an official capacity…and she was never there in that capacity.

“Down here, this place is a decent watering hole.”

She waved for Nilen to follow on a short way down the main street, ignoring many of the busier eateries and stopping at another side street, this one looking much busier than the last, no one fighting but lots of people standing outside the various doorways laughing, drinking and where there were a few tables out in open air, eating as well. Jagaimo’s stomach growled as she smelled the scents of food drifting from the kitchens out back and grinning, nodding,

“In here…”

The young woman ducked a lazy swinging punch that came across her view and slipped to the side, returning the favour, her fist driving into the puncher's the gut, the impact doubling him over gasping for breath. Jagaimo patted him on the shoulder as he chuckled, catching his breath and exchanged a few words, the tone between them

“Still to slow Kabu!”

The Saiyans with him spoke loudly and laughed, nodding to each other in recognition, helping their friend stand up straight. There was no malice or anger in anyone's eyes…everyone here was just having a good time, and it appeared very few people were strangers to each other. Making sure Nilen was still following, she pushed her way to a table and dropped onto one of the seats, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she took a deep breath,

“So Nilen, where are you from? Your clearly not a Saiyan with a tail like that…and i haven’t heard of any Tuffle experiments that looked like you…your not a spy are you?”

The young warrior leaned forwards on her elbows, chin resting in her hands and looked him dead in the eye, the smile never leaving her face before she laughed and leant back once more. Even if he was, he was unlikely to admit it…and there wasn’t much he was going to learn hanging around in this place. Jagaimo turned when someone caught her eye and she waved her hand, pointing to the sign above the bar and holding up two fingers, nodding when the Saiyan there signalled back,

“I hope you're hungry.”

Jagaimo chuckled as she relaxed into the chair, scanning the noisy room and the busy crowd before letting her attention fall back onto her bushy tailed companion. She could only smile at the energy of the place, letting her senses dance around the room, feeling the tension rising as more and more bodies filled the space and the drinks flowed. She listened as Nilen asked his questions, having her own motives for helping him,

“Before, during, after…anytime really…”

She’d never really thought about it to much before it had always just been the way of things in the District and the where ever the Saiyans seemed to go as a whole, but how to explain it to someone that wasn’t the same as her, that maybe didn’t feel that same drive to improve and see every look from another Saiyan as a challenge.

“How does your tribe decide who leads? Do you have contests or is it by birth? With us it's like…something inside us drives us to test ourselves constantly, to fight and improve. There's nothing like the thrill of a good fight to my people…even our leaders are chosen this way. If you're strong enough, why shouldn’t others follow you?”

She nodded as he kept going, again her eyes scanning the crowds, listening and paying attention without staring at her companion. When he started talking about himself the young warrior's eyes snapped back to him, drinking in the information and storing it away for the day it might be useful…even if that day never came it was always good to know who you were breaking bread with. She laughed loudly and grinned at him,

“That's just what a spy would say!”

Before he could say anything she shook her head still smiling, holding up a hand in apology,

“I’m just pulling your tail. If you were a spy you're in the wrong district to learn anything helpful apart from how to eat and drink like a Saiyan!”

As if on cue, to huge mugs of something fizzing and foaming slapped down on the table followed by a huge tray of steaming bowls of broths, plates stacked with meats and breads and vegetables…which Jagimo promptly slide towards the fox-tailed Nilen before a second tray, equally overflowing with food was dropped onto the table. The young lady handed something over to the man that brought the trays to them, the objects clinking together before they vanished into an apron pocket and they were left to their meals again. Jagaimo grinned and then slid her chair sideways so she could see her guest past the mountain of food that now sat between them.

“Just a small snack for now…”

She threw back half the strange drink and dug into the food while Nilen talked, nodding and keeping her attention on him, chewing thoughtfully and never interrupting,

“You wouldn't find any Tuffles this far into the District…even if we weren't at war you’d struggle to find one in the whole of the city…we’re not exactly on best terms with those dirty little tech-lovers. And no…can’t say I've even met an Earthling yet, it's one planet I've not managed to visit so far in my travels but i do intend to change that.”

She nodded as she chewed something covered in a thick sauce, her first attempt at speaking muffled until she swallowed the mouthful and started again,

“So you're a traveller then? How did you get all the way out here? Where's your ship docked?”

Jagaimo was busy stuffing something into her mouth and chewing loudly as Nilen spoke about his tribe, nodding here and shaking her head there before downing a large gulp from one of the steaming bowls of broth. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and picked up something that resembled a thick steak with the two pronged fork implement that had come with the platters…without cutting it she took a bite and waved the steak at him,

“So you don’t push your old and weak to the edge of society or look down on them in any way? What if I really want the old leader's job, what stops me from just taking it?”

It was for lack of a better way of putting it, a completely alien way of thinking to the young warrior. If you can't fight, defend your people from someone stronger, or hold your position through strength then step out of the way or risk getting thrown aside by the next generation. It was how things had been her whole life…even unconsciously Saiyan’s seemed to gravitate towards their strongest, or even the strongest in the area either to gauge themselves or test themselves if they thought it was a fight worth having. But this Earthling was saying that wisdom and the experience of age made these people just as valuable as the fighters of the tribe. It was an interesting idea but it was a step too far for her brain to comprehend right now…Saiyans followed the strongest because they had the strength to hold on to the leadership and the crown…or at least the support of the ones strong enough to keep them in power…There was an idea there somewhere but for the moment it wasn’t fully formed and it drifted away almost as soon as she thought about it.

She took another big bite…then another and finished the meat, tossing the fork onto the platter and reaching in for something else that looked like a large potato, chewing thoughtfully on the roasted looking vegetable. The young lady laughed loudly, almost spitting out her food as Nilen lowered his voice to comment on his fighting ability. What was wrong with these Earthlings if a little food slowed them down? She swallowed again and dropped the vegetable onto her plate…she’d probably polished at least half of her own platter already, glancing at what was still on her companion's plate.

“Hah you don’t wanna say that to loudly round here…and you're admitting to me…a total stranger…that you’d be weak after our meal?”

The young Saiyan was looking him dead in the eye right then with a grin on her face and some kind of bright orange bush like vegetable that might have been distantly related to earth broccoli in her hand. She waved it at him a few times then popped the whole thing into her mouth, chewed and swallowed before emptying the rest of her broth bowl. Smacking her lips as she leant back in her chair, hands ruffling through the wild mane on her head and then leaning forwards again, elbows on the table, chin resting in her hands,

“An Arcosian you say?”

Jagaimo raised an eyebrow. So far the one Lizard she had met hadn’t gone all that well for the others around her. She was too busy puking her guts out to be any bother to him but she remembered what he was capable of.

“And just like that he took you along for the ride…no strings?”

Who knew what went through the Lizard’s minds most of the time. When you were the most powerful people in the galaxy you more or less did what you wanted. Maybe one day it would change, but it was hard to see when or even if. He mind wandered back to the present,

“So…seeing as you owe me for the food...”

There was a mischievous gleam in her eye when she spoke to the fox eared Earthling,

“And are too weak to defend yourself after our snack right now…you owe me one favour…”

She grinned at him, an excitement flashing in her eyes,

“Next time we meet we’re going to fight, just you and me...loser buys the next meal.”

“Your way is different for me, my way is different for you yet we’re both warriors and our people are still alive…so we have that in common at least and it shows that something must be working for both of us.”

It was true that whatever they were teaching the young of their ‘tribes’ on both planets was working, Nilen was strong compared to many Saiyans in the district but he paled in comparison to some of the beings Jagaimo had met or knew that were out there…even Nilen himself had met one, an Arcosian…and everyone on Plant knew just how strong and dangerous those Lizards could be, the young Saiyan had seen first hand what even just one of them could do without getting angry, she had no idea what their limits might actually be but it was quite a scary thought.

Returning her attention back to the table and away from her own thoughts, the young Saiyan grinned looking across the table at Nilen behind his platter of food, much of what had been ordered still sat on it, the broth bowl still holding some of its hot spicy contents and steaming beside them, a teasing glimmer in her eye when she spoke, the corner of her mouth curled up in a smirk,

“But if it was an eating contest for your tribe I think you’d lose!”

She laughed when he spoke so quietly, trying to hide his words, leaning back in her chair again, her plates all empty, mug drained, just relaxing now as she digested the snack, idly picking her teeth with the metal fork,

“Well I'd be a fool not to take advantage of an enemy's weakness now wouldn’t I? A warrior should be ready to fight at any time, otherwise what right do they have to call themselves one?”

She shifted in the chair, dropping the fork back onto the empty plate with a clatter but still smiling when she spoke again,

“If we fight, you're my enemy even if we’re friends before and after. You fight like you mean it otherwise what's the point?”

He talked about the Arcosian and it was pretty much as she expected, Nilen had as much of an idea as to why he was allowed to tag along as anyone else. It didn’t do well to question how the Lizards thought and trying to ask them wasn’t always the cleverest of plans…in her very brief experience with them they were as likely to bury you as they were to actually give you an answer…although granted she only had limited interactions to base her ideas off of. Maybe that would change one day. She smiled again and lifted some kind of vegetable from Nilen’s plate, tossing it in the air and tilting her head back to catch it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing,

“Maybe he was just feeling generous…probably not worth thinking too hard about it in any case. That's like trying to understand how a Saibaman can talk…”

And then he agreed to her offer and her face lit up. She held up a bare hand before spitting into the palm and holding it out to him expectantly to seal the deal made between them. She was if anything a person of her word and if she lost she’d be paying for dinner…again…which reminded the young woman. She wiped her hand on the side of her pants before her companion could shake it and rose from the table,

“Lemme settle up and I'll be right back and we can seal the deal right?”

She slipped away from the table towards the bar at the far end of the eatery, her small frame pushing past other rowdy Saiyan’s as they ended their days loudly together, vanishing from sight behind many of the larger warriors. Apart from a few eyes no one seemed to pay her much mind, but a few pairs drifted from their drinks to where the young Saiyan had just disappeared to, across the room to where the fox-eared Earthling now sat alone.

There was a flicker of power behind Nilen as a heavy hand came to settle on the Earthlings shoulder, another on the other side as a 3rd person appeared in front of him and settled into the chair that had only recently been occupied by Jagaimo. The one in the chair was a thickset Saiyan with a heavy jaw and a scar that ran down the middle of it from lip to chin, his hair pulled back and tied down over one shoulder. The other two, a woman with arms as thick as Nilen’s thighs held a hand lightly on one of his shoulders while a slimmer male that towered over his fellows held the other. Chinscar smiled…but it wasn’t a warm friendly smile…the look on his face and the flash in his eyes gave away the desire for violence, his voice gravelly,

“My friend there…”

He nodded to Slim,

“Tells me you flew in with a Lizard, you some kind of pet? Your master should know better than to let you off your leash in this district…we got no love for those smooth skinned Acro’s round here.”

Slim’s hand tightened on Nilen’s shoulder, fingers digging into that soft part where the arm joined the socket, while the female, Bigarms took a firm grip on the foxling’s clothing, knuckles cracking as she tightened the grip,

“Or their little pets. Now the 4 of us are gonna go have a little chat..”

Slim and Bigarms shifted their hand positions, gripping Nilen's clothes more with a nod from their ring leader, looking to pull him to his feet when there was a grunt on either side of him and a very un-tough guy yelp as the hands that held him in place softened their grips and slide away. Slim was on his back grabbing at the back of his calf and scratching the flesh raw with his fingers as he tried to work the feeling of the burning needles away from his skin. Bigarms seemed to be fairing a little better, hopping on her one good leg as she beat at the other with a some slapping motions of her big hands, brushing the feeling away as best she could, eyes shooting a wild glance up at the Fox eared attacker just in time to see the hot sand blast right into Chinscars face across the table, catching him off guard and toppling the heavily muscled Saiyan back of the chair he had procured and onto his back. With a move that looked well practiced he continued rolling backwards and pushed off the ground to slide onto his feet again a short distance away. Any semblance of humour was gone from his face now as he rubbed his jaw and glared at the Earthling, body tensing to bound forward before something caught his eye and he took a step back...

There was a fleshy thump as something barrelled past where Nilen was sitting on his left side. Something had collided with the female Saiyan and thrown her off her feet into a pile of tables and up against the wall, her arms swinging and all manner of curses leaving her mouth. Sat astride her chest was a smaller woman, hair whipping around her hammering elbows, fists and forearms into any exposed piece of flesh she could find, shouting various slurs against the other Saiyan's parental lineage. There was a huge grin on her face as her head shot round to glance at Nilen while she wrestled with the bigger woman,

"Don't just sit there like a mushroom! Hit someone!"

To Nilen's right, Slim had rolled round to his knees, one hand on the ground, the other reaching up to grab the collar the fluffy tailed earthlings outfit, that long body of his meaning he didn't even need to rise to his feet to be at head height with the seated diner. His longs arms meant that even from his knees there was a whole lot of Nilen within his reach and it was clear he knew it too. There was violence in his eyes after the surprise attack by this stranger in the district and he wasn't happy about it. Chinscar seemed content to watch for the moment, shifting his weight and moving slowly round the table, away from Slim to keep Nilen's attention split, working away step by step into a blindspot if he could find one, wary of that tail for the moment at least.

Bigarms had managed to get the upper hand for a moment in her personal brawl and with an all mighty heave of her arms, lifted Jagaimo clear from her chest and slammed a foot into her exposed gut. There was a growl and then a grunt as a smaller body flew up and backwards in an arc from the wall, clattering into some furniture as she rolled to a halt, other patrons moving out of the way, close enough to keep watching but out of the way so they didn't help. Unless it spilled into the rest of the eatery they'd just enjoy the show. The young Saiyan warrior sat up amidst the broken stuff and shook her head, clearing the daze from her eyes and locking them with the advancing woman, the others forgotten for the time being as they squared off against each other once more.

Slims hand lunged for Nilen, clutching at his clothes, the other hand now swinging in a wide haymaker towards his face while behind him there was a loud thump like something heavy landing only a short distance away from the direction Chinscar had been moving towards...obviously now trying to flank his opponent...