The gang waited for Goku patiently, and it became clear Trunks knew who all of them were, but they know nothing of the time traveler. Gohan decided to chat with the teenager and apologize for a previous awkward encounter.

Trunks watched the young boy approach. She put on her kindest, most comforting smile. Her heart couldn't bring itself to refuse him. And yet, deep down, she knew she shouldn't fraternize, she died inside as the memory of his future counterpart's death came to her mind. And his shy, embarrassed demeanor.. She could only guess why he was approaching, as their first interaction was still on both their minds.

"Mister?"

"Gohan-san, yes?"

"I'm just a child mister, you don't need to be so formal towards me," Gohan mumbled, embarrassed by the reverence the teenager showed. He was used to -chan and -kun, but -san was a first, it was jarring for the young boy.

"My mother would have my head if I discarded formalities," Trunks half-lied, and disintegrated the empty can in her right hand. Truth is Bulma didn't raise her with formalities as a focus, but would break her spine if her identity was compromised. That involved fraternizing with the past version of her 'gang'. Gohan finally stated the reason why he'd approached in the first place.

"I- uh… I wanted to say I'm sorry, for jumping at you like that, before, I thought you were.." The boy was tactful, he spoke in hushed tones and didn't gesture to attract the others' attention, but he was as red as a tomato. He kept his eyes down. The shame from his first encounter with the teenager dawned on him.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Damn it all. Trunks let out a breath and pushed herself off the rock, and took a knee to be at his level, hoping to catch his eyes and attention. Just like his future counterpart used to do. Gohan missed his dad, a lot, enough so that the super Saiyan aura and ki was enough to convince the boy to throw caution away and leap into the person he believed was his dad. "And there's nothing wrong or dishonorable with missing your father," she added in a whisper when he raised his wet eyes to meet hers. He nodded and rubbed his eyes to chase away the embarrassment of their awkward meeting.

"Alright," Gohan affirmed, he understood the message. "You- you've heard about us, then? That's how you know our names?" He needed confirmation, which Trunks gave with a nod. She ended up sitting back against the rock, on the ground and invited Gohan to sit nearby so they could continue their conversation. The sword between her back and the rock didn't bother her. Gohan sat close with his drink as she explained.

"That is correct, I heard about all of you, actually, Yamcha-san, Krillin-san, Bulma-san, Piccolo-san, Tenshinhan-san, Chaozu-san," she said with a slight head gesture towards every individual as she mentioned them by name, her eyes traveling, and ended with the one closest to her, with a soft, melancholic look in her eyes, "and you, Son Gohan-san, the son of Son Goku-san and Chichi-san." She ignored Pu'ar. She knew who the cat shapeshifter was, but disclosing that would be perhaps a little too much insider knowledge. She also didn't mention Vegeta-san, as pronouncing his name might summon him. She'd already addressed him by name.

"All of them participated in a World Martial Arts Tournament, and Bulma-san's corporation is famous," she said, showing her jacket, and looked around again. It wasn't how she learnt their names, but it's partially how Bulma learnt many of those names and how she passed on the knowledge to her.

"Oh. So, you're a martial artist too then?" The boy asked with interest. He knew his father's friends were strong, but he didn't know they all participated in the tournament. Gohan only really knew that was how their parents met and how Krillin and Goku became best friends. Goku wasn't the kind to tell stories of his past to his toddler son, after all.

"In a way, I guess? We- don't really do martial arts where I come from. I just fight." Her fingers trembled on her legs, and she grabbed at the fabric.

"Your hands- are you okay, mister?"

"You needn't worry, I am just excited to be in everyone's presence and to meet your father," she breathed in and out to calm down, and showed she was ok with a slight smirk. She had half-lied again, her trembling fingers were also a sign of stress, and she had abandoned the idea of indulging in another stress relief habit, at least for as long as she was surrounded by these people.

"Wait, you didn't come here to fight my dad, did you?" Gohan didn't want his dad to fight again, and risk his life upon arrival. The sudden worry and despair broke his voice and Piccolo's ear twitched. Considering how quickly the teenager disposed of Freeza and King Cold, and how strong Gohan knew his father was, such a fight could turn ugly.

"No, no," Trunks laughed nervously. "Well I might request a friendly spar," she corrected with a little haste, truth is her blood still boiled. "But no, I came to talk to him, first and foremost. I won't hurt him." She raised her hands to display honesty, but Gohan doubted. He extended his closed hand with his pinky finger out with a serious face, and Trunks observed. That brings memories, she realized, turned to face the child, and matched the gesture, linking their pinkies to seal the promise. They talked for a little while of other miscellaneous superficial subjects, and even drew on the dust with a twig, taking turns.

Bulma and Krillin were especially attentive at the scene, even if they didn't hear their hushes, both agreed they were basically children, even if the older one had seemingly been forced to mature fast. The Capsule Corp heiress mentioned how the sleeves of the teen's jacket were a little too long; the shoulder a little too wide. She even noted the deep pool of loneliness behind those blue eyes. She mentioned some similarities with Vegeta, which were denied by the monk who compared their vibes. Krillin, and unbeknownst to him, Piccolo as well, had kept alert when Gohan approached the fighter, just in case, but they relaxed when both came to the conclusion they seemed to be playing by the end of it.

Gohan left the time traveler alone to chat with the others, and Trunks sat back on the rock, after dusting her pants. She pulled her right leg against her and locked her fingers on her tibia, waiting patiently for the time to fly by. Her hands would stop trying to find the item in her pockets, this way. She glanced back at Vegeta, who had observed the previous interaction with disdain. Trunks recalled her mother telling him Vegeta was a proud man with an obsession to catch up to 'Kakarot', Goku's Saiyan name. The Prince's distaste for Gohan was inherited, according to what her mentor told her of their interactions when she'd asked him to know more about her father. Gohan had described the Prince of All Saiyans as a 'reluctant ally' to her when she was a pre-teen, and now Trunks understood the weight of those words. Vegeta didn't act on his wrath, the brat's power outclassed his and it only increased his rage, but he made sure Trunks felt it, and Trunks was intimidated.

So instead she looked at Piccolo. She couldn't be faulted for staring at the green alien man, who was so different from everyone else, so if asked she could hide her reasoning behind curiosity. It wasn't exactly untrue, either way. Gohan had told her of his training with him at age four (or at least what he remembered), how he sacrificed himself when Vegeta's companion was about to kill him, how they fought together on Namek and Freeza almost killed the both of them. Gohan admired his childhood mentor, and as a child, Trunks admired Gohan the exact same way. Still did, actually. Gohan never talked about how he survived after all of these warriors perished to the Cyborgs. With older eyes and a more mature mind, she could finally piece things together. Piccolo had most certainly protected Gohan at the cost of his own life, removing the then-nine year old from battle some way or another. And Gohan did the same for her, almost fifteen years later. And if the cycle of death was any indicator, Trunks could place a reasonable bet that it was Piccolo's death which pushed Gohan to transform for the first time. I'm here to change that, her inner voice murmured and she eventually saw his eyes. He'd noticed for a while she was looking at him, but she didn't shy away. The Namekian turned to fully face the teenager, expectant, gaze matching. A million ideas rushed to her mind, about what to ask, what to say, and Trunks was stuck in the decision process. Piccolo eventually made the decision for her.

"Kid, want to spar?"