The server came from the back and handed them their food. As they left, Jovian noticed Steven trying to discreetly get his attention. Jovian turned to him and saw him pointing at his waist in the direction of the right side of the diner. Jovian turned to look and saw two men and an older woman crouched behind a pile of debris, all three armed with pipes of various sizes.
"Heads up, we got some granola thieves. Don't forget to act scary," Jovian said.
Jovian took Thee's bag as she stretched her arms.
"I've never eaten fruit before, and I'm not about to miss this chance," Thee whispered.
"It's just two guys and a granny, they don't look very tough, so be gentle," Jovian said.
Terry handed his bag to Jovian and walked out of the doors.
"Of course, what do I look like a guy who would beat up a poor kid and his dad for their hard earned meat or something," Terry said before looking back at Jovian.
Jovian tilted his head down in shame as they all left the diner. As they turned the corner the granola thieves scrambled towards them.
"You get the granny, Terry," Thee ordered.
"What? But she looks so innocent," Terry responded.
Thee ducked under both strikes launched at her by the two thieves. She seized the arm of one of them and swiftly pulled him to the ground. She stood on his shoulder, her weight pressing down on him as she slowly cranked the arm back. The muscles in her arms strained. The arm creaked and groaned, and finally, with a loud snap, it broke free. She let out a cry of triumph as she stepped down from his shoulder, the broken arm in her hand.
"Brother!" the remaining man yelled.
Thee grabbed the pipe the man under her had and whipped it at him. He knocked it from the air and charged forward. Before he reached Thee he hopped up and swung his pipe down. Gracefully, Thee struck a pose as she side stepped it. She grabbed his arm and tried to drag him to the ground but he brute forced out of her grasp.
"Oh ho, a strong boy you are," Thee taunted.
Terry stood before the old woman and smiled. "I am not as strong as those two freaks," he said, trying to be as friendly as possible. "I would appreciate it if you ran away, ma'am."
"Fresh fruit," the woman growled.
"What?" Terry responded.
"Fresh fruit!" she yelled.
The scream as she charged was so muted, Jovian barely heard it from fifteen feet away. She lunged at Terry, who nimbly sidestepped her attack. She continued her frenzied assault, but Terry easily evaded each blow.
"Stop running, coward," Thee yelled from a distance.
Terry sighed, dodged another attack before slipping behind her and pushing her over.
"Aghhh, fresh fruit!" the lady cried out.
She picked herself up and swung again. Terry dodged, slipped behind her and pushed her over again.
"Nooo! Fresh fruit!" she wailed.
This repeated itself several times before she was slow to get to her feet. Jovian noticed that Terry was not using his eyes at all; he was only listening to her thoughts. Every time she moved, he moved in perfect synchronization.
"Just finish her off!" Thee yelled as she was on the back of her opponent attempting to choke him.
Terry reluctantly advanced and prepared to deliver one last shove. Suddenly, he began to turn his head in confusion.
"Your teeth!? How!?" Terry yelled.
Jovian's face contorted into a look of disgust as he witnessed the elderly woman spit her dentures directly into Terry's eyes. Terry staggered backwards, momentarily blinded, and his heel caught on a rock. As he fell backwards, he saw the woman grasp the pipe with both hands. She swung with all her might and connected the end of it directly with Terry's temple.
"Nice," Jovian muttered.
She lost her balance and fell face-first to the ground, knocking herself unconscious. Terry rubbed his temple, which was slightly bruised.
"Ow, that hurt!" Terry whined.
"She won, dude," Jovian said with a laugh.
"No! She beat herself, clearly. Side note, I bet she was as fine as fine could be when she was our age," Terry responded.
Jovian walked over to her and carefully placed one of the bags by her head. "She can have mine then," he said. "That was an amazing combination."
Behind them they heard a loud buzz and then a thud.
"That guy was physically very strong, but his technique was terrible. After I got my fill I decided to test out my ability, I hope he's not dead," Thee said as she snatched one of the bags from Jovian.
William emerged from behind the wall and began clapping. Thee clutched her bag of granola tightly.
"Well done, you guys have talent," William said.
"What are you doing here?" Jovian asked.
"You guys were taking a long time so I decided to see if you were still alive," William replied.
Thee began stuffing her face with granola, savoring it for a few seconds between each bite. The taste of the sweet, crunchy cereal was a welcome change from the bland Sol food she had been eating for her whole life. She closed her eyes and let the flavor of the granola wash over her, feeling her spirits lift a little. She knew she shouldn't be eating so fast, but she couldn't help herself.
"Yup, still alive. Now it's granola time," Thee said, her mouth full of food.
"Before you enter a granola coma, I have a question," William asked.
"Shoot," Thee responded.
"I get why Jovian is so talented and skilled, but how did you learn to fight the way you did just now?" William asked with genuine curiosity.
Thee ignored the question and kept eating. Jovian, however, was more than happy to answer.
"Her dad is a beast, so he trained her a bunch," Jovian said. "On top of that, she was my main training partner growing up. She was the only one who didn't fear my dad. We haven't fought yet, our dads forbade it, but I'd obviously fold her like a T-shirt."
Jovian grinned as he said this, clearly confident in his own abilities. Thee rolled her eyes.
"You're so full of yourself, which is odd because you are literally a coward" Terry said. "I'm sure she's just as good as you are, if not better."
"We'll see about that," Jovian said. "Maybe one day we'll get to find out."
Thee shook her head and went back to eating. She knew that Jovian was just trying to get a rise out of her, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit competitive. She would love to see how she would fare against Jovian in a fight where he was not held back by fear.