Sevrin, Videl, Hercule, Pan, and Gohan went into the dining room. A large spread was set out on the monstrous table. Sevrin stared in awe. An assortment of chicken legs, wings, rice bowls, rice balls, large cuts of beef and other meats he didn't recognize. Even the vegetables on the table were massive. He saw the largest heads of broccoli he'd ever seen, and large tomatoes and other veg sitting in the center of the table. A large bowl of rice noodles was at each table placing. Sevrin looked past the main course and saw a row of desserts, all of which looked scrumptious. He wasn't much for eating mortal food, but even he couldn't deny the food looked sensational.

Sevrin's mouth started to water. I'm going to regret this…and it's going to disrupt my feeding schedule….but I want to try this food…plus I can't be rude and not eat…but damn, it looks so good.

Gohan saw the shock on his face. "It's quite a spread huh?"

Sevrin nodded. "It's three times the size of anything people back home can do…"

They all stared at him. Videl looked him over. "Really?" she asked, "This is normal size around here." Sevrin's eyes went wide. Videl nodded. "Seriously."

Sevrin looked to one of the table placements. "Which seat shall I take?"

Pan's dark eyes lit back up. "Sit next to me Roland!" Sevrin smiled and nodded, pulling the seat out for her. She hopped on her seat and he pushed her in. Gohan did the same for Videl and her seat. Hercule sat at his seat, which was quite obvious. It wasn't only the largest seat there, but also the most elegant. A large, complex dragon emblem was carved throughout the seat and it the wood was polished to a fine shine. Sevrin could only grin. It reminded him of his own fine chairs back at his old mansion. Being in such fine surroundings made a part of him long for home…but he couldn't go back, at least not yet. He looked to the chopsticks at his right. He wasn't sure which was appropriate to do first, eat before his hosts, or wait, so he waited to see what they'd do. Hercule went first, grabbing an assortment of sliced meat on his plate with some serving chopsticks and grabbing a little bit of veg with the other hand. Sevrin noticed that Gohan followed, taking a heaping helping of just about everything, his hands moving faster than he could see. He noticed that Pan and Videl went for the same thing; meat and vegetables, but they also grabbed a side of dessert as well. Sevrin raised an eyebrow to that, but it dawned on him. Ah, I see…portioning out the meal. Sensible. Sevrin went last, using the etiquette he learned in Japan to get food with the chopsticks. They seemed impressed with his ease.

Hercule smiled. "I would have taken you for a spoon and fork guy."

Sevrin smiled and piled some meat cubes on his plate. "I haven't used chopsticks in years, but I still remember how. It's more precise than a fork." Hercule nodded and started to devour his food.

Pan looked at Sevrin as he picked through a large plate of cut up meat. The skin was green, but the meet on the inside was fully cooked. He studied it for a moment. Pan smiled. "It's from a dinosaur, it's really yummy!"

Sevrin was about to put the bite in his mouth when she said that and he stopped. "Wait…this is from a dinosaur?" He looked to Pan and the others. They all nodded. "Oh…"

"Is it bad?" Videl asked.

Sevrin shook his head. "Oh no! It's just…where I'm from…there are no dinosaurs…" They stared at him again. Sevrin shrugged and put a piece in his mouth. The flavor was exquisite. He nodded and quickly grabbed a few more pieces, along with some of the huge heads of broccoli and the other types of meat in the spread. He quickly devoured them and reached for his noodles. He started on that and noticed their stare. "What?"

"So…how was it?" Gohan asked.

Sevrin grinned. "It was delicious. I'm ready for the noodles now."

Pan giggled. "I told you it was good!"

Videl nodded and polished off her meal. She looked at Sevrin, watching his jaw as he ate. She noticed something odd about his mouth. He ate like he didn't want to show his teeth. It was almost as if he was trying to conceal something.

That's so odd…I wonder why he's eating like that…I wonder if he has false teeth…

Sevrin could hear that and he smirked, a noodle hanging from his mouth. He slurped the noodle in and looked at her. "It's all delicious." Videl nodded and looked to Gohan. She smiled and shook her head at her husband. He had already cleared seven plates of food and four bowls of rice and three bowls of noodles. I wish I had his metabolism. We've been married for ten years and I still don't know where he puts it all. Sevrin suppressed a snicker and looked to the desserts that were left. One of them looked like a tiramisu. He hadn't one of them in a long time. He looked again and found chocolate chip brioche bread on the side as well. They both looked fresh. He decided to spoil himself and go for a slice or two of both. He used the serving knife that leaned against the plate and cut his slices. He brought them to his plate and started to use the chopsticks on it. He looked to the meat juice that still dripped off and reached for the napkin at his left. He wiped them off thoroughly and went at the tiramisu. It was just as he remembered from back in Morrigan. It was done perfectly. He devoured it quickly and went to the brioche. The brioche was rich and buttery, and the chocolate chips contrasted the butter perfectly. He finished that off and looked around the table.

The food was nearly gone, and everyone had a pile of dishes at their side. Sevrin rubbed his belly. "That was outstanding. I haven't eaten that well in a long time. Thank you again for inviting me." Videl and Pan nodded, but Gohan and Hercule looked at him.

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you don't eat much do you?"

Sevrin chuckled. "No. I've always been a light eater. Plus, I don't have anywhere to put all that food. You must have three stomachs."

Gohan also chuckled. "Sometimes it feels like I do. But I'm full tonight."

Sevrin cast a curious eye to Videl. She had a glow about her. He'd only seen a glow or aura around people a few times in his life; Jillie, his son Adrian, and his old friend Claire. Videl's aura seemed almost divine, interesting considering the violence she was capable of. He wanted to stare more, but he didn't want make either of them uncomfortable.

Pan looked at him. "Roland?"

Sevrin turned to her. "Yes, Pan?"

Pan looked around nervously. "How old is your son?"

Hercule and Gohan stared at him. "Son?"

Sevrin nodded. "Yes. My son's name is Adrian. I named him after a very famous king in my city. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how old he is."

Pan looked him over. "How old is he?"

Sevrin grinned. "He's twenty five." They all stared at him.

Videl looked at him, her eyes wide with shock. "You have a twenty five year old son?" Sevrin nodded. Videl shook her head. "How old are you?"

Sevrin grinned. "I'm 45," he said.

Gohan looked him over. "You're not 45…"

Sevrin nodded. "I'm afraid I am."

Videl looked at him, her eyes full of disbelief. "You look like in your late twenties…"

Sevrin laughed. "My dear, you flatter me beyond words."

Videl looked down, slightly embarrassed.

Pan's eyes went wide. "Your son is 25? And you named him after a king?" Sevrin nodded. "That's so cool! I'm surprised Uncle Vegeta didn't do that with Trunks or Bulla!"

Videl cut her eyes at her and she stopped. Sevrin was surprised. "Who is Vegeta?"

Gohan cleared his throat. "He's an old family friend..er…rival."

Sevrin cocked his head. "Rival?"

Gohan nodded. "He and my father have been rivals for years, but deep down he cares about my dad. Vegeta cares about all of us."

Videl laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that!"

Gohan laughed and rubbed his head. "Woops…I forgot; he's still a 'cold bastard at heart'."

Sevrin laughed also, for the information flowed more freely than he'd ever hoped for. He looked at Pan. "To answer your question, Pan. I'm sure he didn't name them after a king or queen because he wanted them to have their own names. There were times, god bless him, when Adrian would come to me and ask why I'd named him after a famous king. He said that the expectations were a little overwhelming at times." Pan nodded and looked back to her plate. Sevrin noticed disappointment in her eyes. He smiled. "I'm also sure that your parents didn't name you after your grandfather because Hercula wouldn't suit you."

Pan looked up. "Hercula? Ewww! That sounds horrible! I like my name much better!" She turned to her father. "You never considered that did you dad?"

Gohan saw the glint in Sevrin's eyes and chuckled. "No. Herculitta was my original idea."

Pan pointed at him. "I'm so glad you didn't, Dad! That sounds sooooo bad!"

After an awkward moment of silence they all started laughing. Sevrin could hear Videl's thoughts. I'm so glad he did that…I thought for sure she was disappointed with her name…I hope she's not disappointed with us…Sevrin looked back at them. "I'm afraid it's getting late, and I must get going. I must find a house or apartment for rent."

Videl looked at him. "You don't have a place yet?"

Sevrin shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said, "But I saw an abandoned place on the other side of town. I'm sure, if there's no one there of course, that I could get it."

Hercule nodded. "I know the place you mean. I'm friends with the guy who's selling it."

Sevrin looked on with interest. "Oh? Do you know how much he wants for it?"

Hercule shrugged. "Eh…last time I checked he wanted three thousand zenni for it…" Sevrin nodded. Hercule crossed his muscular arms. "Seems a little high for that little place…"

Sevrin raised an eyebrow. "I'm quite happy with that price. I have five thousand; I can buy it, and make it quite homey."

Pan's eyes lit up. "Yay! Once you get your place can I come over and learn those counters?!"

Something about Pan made Sevrin's heart melt a little. He smiled. "If your parents don't mind, of course, but call me first. I'm an absolute mess first thing in the morning."

Pan nodded and looked to her parents once more. "Please?"

Videl nodded. "Okay, sweetie," she said, "You can go over there. But let him have a few days to get settled in first! You don't want to jump him as soon as he wakes up!"

Pan nodded. "Okay! We'll video call you!" They all stood up at the same time. Sevrin pushed in his chair and looked to Hercule.

Sevrin bowed. "Sir, you've been a most gracious host. It's been such a pleasure having dinner with you."

Hercule returned the bow. "Thank you for coming."

Sevrin looked to Gohan and also bowed. "Thank you for the match."

Gohan returned the bow. "Thank you."

Sevrin looked to Videl, who seemed delicate as she picked up some of the plates. He smiled and reached for his and Pan's plates. He handed them to her. "Thank you for inviting me, my dear. It truly was a pleasure."

Videl almost flushed again. "Thank you for saving me. And thank you for saving Pan."

Sevrin nodded. "She's got talent. Don't let that go to waste."

Videl grinned. "Oh don't worry, we won't."

Pan walked up to Sevrin. "Bye Roland!" She extended her hand.

Sevrin leaned over and shook her hand. "Keep practicing, Pan. I want you in top form when you come to see me."

Pan nodded and shook his hand quickly. "I will!"

Sevrin looked back to Hercule, who wore a proud smile on his face. Sevrin looked to Pan once more, for the first time reading her mind. He found something slightly disturbing. She'd thrown a martial art's tournament because she didn't want her grandfather's popularity. He leaned down. "Pan, I want you to know something."

Pan looked at him. "Yes?"

Sevrin smiled. "The next time you fight in a tournament. I want you to fight for yourself, not for a title. Okay?"

Pan looked at him blankly. "What?"

Sevrin put his hand on her shoulder. "You can defeat anyone you set your mind too. Remember this; fight first for yourself. If you fight for a title or money you're fighting for the wrong reasons." He looked up at Hercule, who wore a look of pure shock. "Your grandfather fought for himself. He wanted to be the best. And that's why he's undefeated. Do you understand?"

Pan nodded and smiled. "I understand, Roland."

Sevrin patted her shoulder. "Good girl, I knew you would." Sevrin looked back to Hercule; he finally relaxed. Videl got up and led Sevrin out.

They were in the doorway when Videl looked at him. "Roland…"

Sevrin looked at her. "Yes?"

Videl couldn't help but smile. "Thank you for giving her that pep talk. We've been trying to convince her to do the tournament for a while now…she keeps putting it off…"

Sevrin nodded. "I'd like to give the same advice to you, my dear. You fight for yourself and your family. Not for money or anything else…" He frowned. "I grew complacent and stopped fighting all together…"

Videl looked at him, the pain creasing his face made her wince. "Roland?"

He shook it off. "Forget I mentioned it," he said, "I hope I can catch the realtor before he calls it a night."

Videl nodded. "He's probably at home. He lives around the corner. He might be out for a walk too. His name is Zugo."

Sevrin nodded. "Thank you, Videl." She nodded and he slipped away into the night. Videl had hoped he would find a place. She wanted to see him settle down. She wanted to see him train with Pan. More importantly, and selfishly, she wanted to see him again too. There was something about him she found mesmerizing. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him captivated her. I've never seen a stranger come out and just take on Gohan like that…I could tell both of them were holding back, I know Gohan better that…but Roland seems so…mysterious…I wonder what he's really capable of…