Phoenicia was a very tired woman.
She'd dragged herself out of bed at an insulting nine in the morning. Her entire body ached and she couldn't tell if it was from the beating or the drugs.
She'd glanced at a mana clock on the way to breakfast and had to do a double-take when she realized how late it was.
'I can't let him find out or I'll never live it down.'
She thought, mulling over how she chastised Grant over that very same thing.
*sigh
'Whatever, at least it'll be quiet.'
She thought seconds before entering a packed room.
'I hate my life.'
She slowly made her way through the cafeteria's mosh pit to get her food, wishing that she could just die.
"Hey! Phoenicia! Over here!"
She winced at the sudden sound rising through the din of the room.
Turning to where it came from. She saw Emers waving at her, his curled hair giving him away.
He looked surprisingly happy, even for him.
'F-frickin Emers!'
She flinched as she felt Sevak watching her from some corner of the room.
'I can't stand him.'
She moaned internally as the required interaction for having a social life dragged her towards the table.
'I could pretend I didn't see him.'
She thought as he walked directly towards him.
'Too late for that. Maybe I could pass out on my way there?'
Then from the corner of her mind came a ridiculous thought.
'I could just tell him the truth..."
She shot down the idea as soon as it came and even gave a little chuckle.
Suddenly she froze, struck by a brilliant idea.
'Wait...'
'He could put me out of my misery...'
She moved even faster.
___________________________________________
*clunk
Went the tray as she half-dropped it onto the table. The sludge, somewhat concerningly, was as stubborn as she was out of f***s.
"Woah, chu good ash?"
Emers asked as she slumped into her chair.
"Don't call me that. I'm not in the mood."
She said massaging her aching head.
"Rough day?"
"Rough night is more like it. I couldn't sleep. Fricken drugs."
"Sevak?"
"Sevak."
"Well..."
He paused to scoop another spoonful of sludge.
"At least it can't get any worse."
Phoenicia stared at Emers for a moment with tired resignation.
"I hate you."
"Okay."
"With a passion."
"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad."
He said gesturing to the cafeteria.
"Look around! It hasn't been this lively in ages!"
"The man's only been back one day!"
Phoenicia protested before wincing from moving too fast.
"Come on, Ash. Give it a chance! People are gossiping, the patriarch is respected again, we even have cake! Cake!"
He said, shoving a slice of tiramisu into Phoenicia's face.
"What flavor is that?"
She asked as the man took the plate away.
"I don't know, but I can't wait to find out."
He said lifting the plate with one hand.
As soon as he lifted his fork, a blast of magic came and knocked the piece out of his hand.
"Ahhh!"
Emers screamed like a little girl.
He turned to look where it had gone and came face to caked face with Phoenicia.
The cake slowly turned into charred sludge as her cheeks literally burned with rage.
"My cake..."
He said softly while holding back tears.
"Sorry about that!"
The both of them turned to look and saw muffin looking at them with a nervous expression.
Emers looked at Phoenicia.
"Are chu thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Sevak."
Phoenicia said as the flaming cake dripped onto the enchanted table.
"Right, right..."
"New subject. Now."
"Do chu have any plans for your free time today?
"Probably gonna blow off steam at the Illegal Fighting Ring."
She said, ignoring the crumbling mass of burnt cake on her face.
"Great! Are chu watching or..."
"Watching."
"Great, great..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Good, merry, morning!"
The cheery voice cut through the awkward silence like a knife.
"Tim!"
Emers cried, grateful for the save.
"Howcha been? I haven't heard from chu since... uh"
He paused realizing that he messed up his one chance at salvaging this conversation.
"Yeah, what's up with that?"
Phoenicia said, digging the grave further as she brushed the last of the cake off.
"It's fiiine. I've got a plan. Something I've been waiting for a while."
"R-really?"
Emers asked in mild surprise.
"Yeahhh. Anyway, did you hear the news?"
"Shoot."
"Everyone is here to see Grant."
"What else is obvious?"
Phoenicia said while eating her slime.
"Apparently, not Grant."
"Wut?"
"He's not even in the house."
"What?"
"Yeah, in fact."
He raised a finger into the air.
"Word from the grapevine is that he's gone out on a shopping trip for, get this, gardening!"
"What?"
She said angrily; not noticing the spoon melting in her hand.
"The patriarch even asked for some impossible to find herb to punish him. He'll be out all day."
Tim said this last part while leaning in dangerously close to the smoldering Phoenicia with a giant grin on his face.
Emers tried to reason with her.
"Calm down Ash, chu k-"
"SHUT UP!"
Both of them leaned back as she burst into flames.
Getting up from her seat, she jumped onto the table.
From there, she charged across all of the unfortunate trays of food. Hungry mages ducking to avoid the flying globs of slime.
Someone got hit in the back of the head. Another saw someone laughing and retaliated. Soon, slime was flying everywhere and no one was safe.
Somewhere within the madness, a voice shouted.
"FOOD FIGHT!"
The slime increased tenfold.
Only one person was unaffected.
Phoenicia jumped off the table as drops of slime sizzled off her flaming robe.
Sevak was standing in front of the door, poised to grab her.
She barely even hesitated as she slid through his legs and set his pants on fire.
Sevak quickly used his mana to put it out and ran after her into the corridor.
All he saw was the trail of destruction she left in her wake.
"Oh, dear! Are you alright Sevak? "
Tim said as he was dragged over by Emers through the chaos of the dining room.
*Boom!
The explosion made the room shake as spells started flying.
"That young lady is going to be BEGGING for a beating when I'm done with her."
"Emers, I need you to go after Phoenicia while I deal with this."
He said before running back into the warzone of the dining area.
"Cha got it!"
Emers called out and dragged Tim with him down the corridor.
"Um Emers, my buddy and pal, you seem to be taking me with you."
"This is your mess, chu fix it."
*sigh
"Alas, it is as I suspected."
He said, while dramatically placing his free arm over his eyes.
"I simply cannot catch a break ever since my dear Panzer broke up with me. Now even the universe is conspiring against me. Oh, sweetest of memories, how thou tempt me."
"I'm sorry okay! I didn't mean to bring up your girlfriend!"
"EX-girlfriend! She made the distinction excruciatingly clear. Even if I don't agree with it..."
"I still respect her decision..."
Tim said as he sunk into a depressed silence.
*sigh
"Look, man. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up the past, it just happened."
"BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN CHU CAN SIC ASH ON THE TOWN! ARE CHU ACTUALLY F******G INSANE!?"
Tim didn't say anything, and Emers turned around to focus on the task ahead.
They had just made it outside when he decided to ask.
"Was it worth it?"
"Yes, definitely, absolutely without question."