To a trio of hungry Saiyans, there was no greater reward than a giant pile of food.

Following a few minutes of rest, the three of them hauled themselves to their feet before making their way to the semi-circular balcony that overlooked the grounds from the main building. There, an entire feast had already been set-up in preparation for dinner atop a single, long wood table. In the past, many of the Earth's Z-Fighters would often gather around that very table for special celebrations or gatherings, but now, the only occupants were members of the host's family; Vegeta, Trunks, and of course, Bulma herself. She hurried around the outskirts of the table, throwing down plates of food for diners to marvel at. Above, the sky was dark with storm clouds. Cabba figured that it might rain soon. Even despite the gloomy evening atmosphere, however, everyone's spirits were high. The lovely smell of steamed rice, salty octopus, and fresh-baked rolls lingered in the air, and filled the nostrils of everyone in the vicinity. The three newcomers tried to join the table, but Bulma waved them off irately and pointed to the building.

"No, you three aren't getting any food until you're all cleaned up, do you hear me?"

"C'mon, Bulma, we've been out trainin' all day!" Goku started, inching closer to a nearby plate of rice-cake with each word. "Can we just sneak a little-"

Bulma promptly slapped his hand away with an audible smack. He yielded, rubbing at the newly-made red mark that had appeared on the back of his wrist.

"As I said, not until you're cleaned up. I can smell you past the rolls, for crying out loud! Not to mention that your clothing is all torn. Go!"

"Fine, fine," The Saiyan relented. "Just try to save us some, okay?"

At that, Goku promptly bid his farewells before enabling his Instant-Transmission ability to return home. Cabba and Caulifla were left to fend for themselves as they retreated to their respective rooms and took the time to clean up from their day of training. Making use of the plentiful amount of hot water, both of the young Saiyans took showers and changed their clothes before heading back down to the balcony, where their dinner still lay waiting. The male chose to shed his usual armor in favor of a more casual outfit consisting of beige khakis and a blue button-up shirt. Bulma had given in to him as a gift during his first day on Earth, and he had worn it several times since, though only on more nonchalant occasions such as a group dinner or party, which were rather few and far between, considering that he was primarily there to work hard and train.

Nonetheless, he figured it a fitting equipment of Earth-style clothing. It was suave, yet simple, and that was just the way he liked it.

Once he had returned to the patio, he could see that Goku and Caulifla had beaten him to the table, and were already stacking their plates high with food. Goku wore his usual Gi, albeit this one freshly pressed and free of scorch marks. When Cabba spotted his dear friend, however, he had to remind himself to keep his jaw from hanging open. Caulifla was wearing a baggy, dark-pink T-shirt that she had tied off around her sternum, showing off her midriff. Not too different from her usual tube-top, Cabba noted. That was a style that she must have liked. Alongside that, she donned a pair of jean shorts that were cut around mid-thigh, and some plain brown sandals to protect her feet.

Cabba may have gotten used to Caulifla's other usual outfit, by now, but he thought that she looked pretty darn good in Earth clothes.

Taking a seat at the table, he joined his good friend alongside Goku, Vegeta, and Bulma, as they dined on the feast lain out before them. Seating himself beside Caulifla, he piled on a few slices of meat and other scrumptious-looking delicacies before digging in. The flavor was exquisite, and in no time at all, he had completely cleaned his plate and was prowling about for some seconds. With Goku, Vegeta, Caulifla and Cabba all chowing down at the exact same time, a whole lot of food vanished at an alarming rate.

Caulifla chomped down on a huge chunk of meat; pulling off a strip of flesh with her teeth before throwing her head back and swallowing it whole. In a few seconds time, she had picked the whole turkey leg clean. Cabba couldn't help being astonished at his friend's eating habits. He watched with a mixture of astonishment and terror as Caulifla bit down on the bone, breaking it open and guzzling on the raw marrow within. The male Saiyan admired the lithe body of his female counterpart; wondering where all that food even went. It wasn't his first time dining with her, of course, but Cabba never ceased to be amazed. That girl was downright scary when she attacked a plateful of pork ribs.

Having spent much time with her, Cabba quickly learned that Caulifla's mood always improved whenever she had a full stomach. Though, keeping her well-fed could be a challenge sometimes, given the sheer size of her appetite. Cabba himself may have been a Saiyan as well, but he personally preferred a more refined speed of consumption.

After a few minutes of silent dining, Bulma broke the ice with an inquiry;

"So, how was your training today? Any new developments we should know about?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Goku exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you! Caulifla here finally managed to reach Super Saiyan Three just a few hours ago!"

"Wow, really?" Bulma asked.

"Yep, I sure did!" The female Saiyan stated with a prideful smirk.

"Took you long enough." Cabba quipped, earning himself a playful smack to the back of the head. "Just joking, just joking..."

Across the table, Vegeta scoffed with an audible grunt. "Don't get too cocky just yet." He warned. "It'll take a lot more training if you want to be able to master that form."

"That's the plan." Cabba interjected, locking eyes with his esteemed master. "We'll keep working to get even stronger!"

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Goku added before donning a puzzled look across his face. He asked;

"Wait, how would you know what it's like, Vegeta? You never even reached Super Saiyan Three, did you?"

"Oh, you just had to bring that up." Vegeta growled.

The two older Saiyans began to argue once again. Bulma rolled her eyes before tugging at her husband's shoulder in an effort to calm him down.

"Well, anyways, congratulations you two!" She said to the two younger Saiyans. "I guess you earned your supper after all, huh?"

At the other end of the dining table, Caulifla burped audibly. She had just finished off her plate of food and was looking quite satisfied.

"Damn right." She agreed. "Training all day like that really works up an appetite."

Bulma gave her a dirty look for belching so casually at the dinner table like that, but if she happened to notice, she didn't let on.

Over the weeks, Bulma had come to realize a few other things about Caulifla's character, alongside her lack of manners and occasional disregard for proper dining etiquette: She had a fiery determination in her eyes, and loved to spar almost as much as Goku did. She had an attitude like Vegeta, tilted her chin up whenever she expected a fight or a heated argument, and wasn't very good at keeping her many emotions in check, either. When she was angry, it showed. When she was bored or depressed, it also showed.

However, Bulma also noticed that whenever those emotions got out of hand, Cabba was never too late to reel them back in.

Whenever Caulifla got angry, Cabba would work to calm her back down. If she ever got bored, he'd try to engage in conversation with her. Even the few times that she had appeared glum, Cabba was always there to comfort her. Despite Caulifla having told her differently, as she had when they had first met, Bulma had a strong feeling that the two young Saiyans would have made a cute couple. She recognized some sort of connection between the two in the way that they spoke, and how one would occasional steal wistful glances of the other. Being as clever as she was, Bulma never failed to notice the subtle emotions that often surfaced from those around her, human or otherwise.

Cabba and Caulifla were no exception.

Meanwhile, Goku nodded, having given up on his debate with Vegeta. "At least Lord Beerus isn't here. If he were, there wouldn't even be half the food that there is now!"

Cabba pursed his lips. He recalled meeting the seventh universe's God of Destruction during the Tournament of Power, and once more when he made a brief surprise visit to Earth just last week, much to Cabba and Caulifla's bewilderment. Apparently it was a regular occurrence for him to stop by, grab some food, chat for a while, and then leave.

"And thank goodness for that." Bulma grumbled. "Having to cook for two extra Saiyans hasn't been healthy for my income. Dealing with a freeloading God is even worse."

The female Saiyan shrugged. "Can't blame me for being hungry." She said casually before leaning forward and plucking a few purple grapes from a nearby fruit platter.

"It's a good sign!" Goku claimed. "It means that the training is payin' off!"

Caulifla drummed her fingers on the table. "And I take it we'll be doing more tomorrow?" She asked before swallowing her last mouthful of grapes and stifling a slight hiccup.

"Yes, you'll both have your work cut out for you, mastering Super Saiyan Three." Vegeta added before explaining;

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I have a feeling that Kakarot here would be the more appropriate teacher for mastering that new form of yours."

Goku scratched at the side of his head. "Wow, you really must be sure of it, to hand the job over to me, like that."

Vegeta scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm only saying that because I never reached Super Saiyan Three. If I had, then I'd easily make the better master."

Laughing in a good-natured manner, Goku nodded his head, knowing better than to outright disagree, at this point. "Probably." He said simply.

A sudden flash of lightning overhead effectively earned the collective attention of the many different diners. Everyone looked up at the sight of the growing storm. A few tiny drops of rain began to splatter down here and there, with one landing directly in Goku's left eye. His grunt of discomfort was drowned over by the sound of rolling thunder.

"Better finish eating quickly." Bulma stated, all the while sparing an uneasy glance to the darkening sky above. "Won't want to be outside when that storm hits."

Taking Bulma's words seriously, the four Saiyans began to pick out their share of the remaining food before scarfing it down as fast as they could. The rain hit soon after, and the party of diners retreated indoors before adjourning. Cabba and Caulifla thanked their hostess for the meal, and promptly made their way back to the private wing of the building, where their assigned bedrooms were located. Along the way, they encountered Goten and Trunks watching TV in a nearby gaming room, and decided to join them for a bit to burn some time. Outside, the sounds of the storm rattled against the glass windows, and streaks of lightning illuminated the grounds. After about an hour of watching TV with the two young earthlings, Cabba and Caulifla shared some hopeful words of encouragement just outside of their respective rooms before heading to sleep.

"Thank you for helping me finally reach Super Saiyan Three, Cabba." Caulifla said. "I owe you one."

The male Saiyan shrugged. "It was nothing. You earned it." He assured of her.

Caulifla gave her friend an ebullient shoulder-bump. She explained;

"Next time we spar together, I'll try not to punch you in the face as hard."

"I'd like that." Cabba said with a chuckle.

"Consider it a date, then." Caulifla stated before concluding their discussion by administering a brief kiss on Cabba's cheek. "Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

At that, the female Saiyan retreated into her bedroom and closed the door shut with finality, though not before sneaking a sly wink at her friend. Cabba smiled to himself, and promptly entered his own room, all the while trying to ignore the growing feeling of warmth that emanated from the spot where Caulifla had kissed him just moments before. Closing the door shut behind him, Cabba took to preparing for sleep; brushing his teeth, undressing himself, and turning off all of the lights that he could find before crawling beneath the covers on his bed. It was nice and warm, even despite the cold, stormy night air howling on the exterior of the building. Thunder boomed loudly in the distance, and the occasional flash of lightning lit up the view outside from the window in Cabba's bedroom. Rain poured down hard. The Saiyan had difficulty falling asleep.

Soon, with the sound of rain tuned to his eardrums, sleep claimed his soul, though he couldn't have guessed what the morning would bring.