It was already past eight o'clock. I was supposed to be on time, but listening to Nomi nagging me about the destroyed closet held me up. Obviously, I didn't tell her about Pikachu. I just told her that I was practicing fire magic when it happened -somehow. But then, she nagged even more about not using magic in the room.
I was hurrying to the refectory, hoping that Vivian hadn't left yet. Fortunately, it was pretty close to my room. I just had to go downstairs and cross a couple of corridors. It took me less then five minutes to reach it.
The refectory was a grand room, to say the least. Huge carved tables of oak with raw barks at the edge dominated the space, left without a tablecloth. The floor beneath it all was slate and the walls were covered with a damask patterned ivory paper. On the center of each table, a chandelier hung down the ceiling on a wrought iron chain, providing the proper ambiance lighting for a fine evening meal.
The hall was a discord of loud chatter. With people raising their voice to be heard above the din, it was in no shortage of ambiance.
I looked around the busy tables, searching for a familiar face, when someone snuck up on me.
"Boo!" A high-pitched voice rang in my ears.
I turned around almost immediately.
"Did I startle you?" Vivian asked with a beaming face.
"You sure did!" I exclaimed.
The young girl chuckled proudly.
"Sorry for being late," I said. "My roommate held me up. You didn't wait for too long, did you? "
She shook her head. "Nope! At least, you gave me time to think about what I'd be taking tonight!" She joked. "Although I have to admit, I was starting to wonder whether you stood me up or not."
"Sorry…" I apologized once more.
We made our way to the buffet tables. The food seemed washed-out and overcooked, but at least it was plentiful. The options weren't limited. There was a cold buffet for the starters, a warm buffet for the main course, and a third buffet for the desserts. Vivian filled her plate with a large serving of lean meat and lentils. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so I just took some salad.
We sat at the end of the nearest table. Vivian immediately dug into her meal as she began to eat heartily.
"So yummy~!"
I didn't share her opinion. I had been accustomed my whole life to high-quality food, cooked and prepared by master chefs, so this kind of meal didn't impress me. It wasn't particularly bad, but it did lack flavor to my taste. In a way, it kind of reminded of my hospital days. The mushed vegetables, the chewy meat… That same-old gray taste, served on a gray plate… Nevermind, it was kind of bad. I'm glad I didn't take a large serving. Looking at Vivian's enthusiasm, I was seriously starting to wonder if the food we were eating came from the same kitchen. I suppose for a commoner of this world, this is a small taste of luxury -or maybe it's just my salad that's bland. Despite this, I was in a particularly good mood. It was the first time I was eating with a friend after all.
"By the way, did you start reading the books?" Vivian asked, as she kept chewing on her meat.
"Yep," I responded. "I've already read the first half of the summoning book. I should be done in a few days."
The young girl stared at me in awe. "Really? You're fast!"
"I tend to read a lot on my free time," I explained. "That's probably why."
"Are you the studious type?"
"I guess…" There was a hint of doubt in my voice.
Reading has always been one of my favorite activities, but I only read about things I liked, so I never really considered it a studious hobby. I do know for sure that I would've never opened a book about politics if my tutors hadn't forced me.
"What about you?" I returned my attention to Vivan. "What were you doing until now?"
"Practicing," she answered, her mouth filled with partially masticated meat. She is a commoner alright. I guess she wasn't taught about etiquette and manners. "I'm not very talented, so I need to train regularly if I don't want to fall behind."
So she is diligent, after all. I didn't get the wrong impression.
"By the way, I heard you were involved in that accident a few days ago." Vivian continued, nibbling on her fork, her plate now almost empty. "Did you see it? The legendary beast?"
A smirk played on my lips as I understood that she was referring to Pikachu.
"Uh… Yeah, I guess."
"Really?!" Vivian exclaimed, her mouth and her eyes wide-opened. "What did it look like?"
I scratched my head, trying to think of a way to describe the "fearsome" Pokémon. Since it was said to be legendary, people had some insane expectations about its appearance, and as a wise man -whose name I don't remember- once said, rumors grow deformed as they travel. The last I heard, the legendary beast was two meters tall, had razor-like claws, and invoked the thunder with its cries.
I felt really bad when I saw the sparkles in Vivian's eyes, as I was about to crush her expectations. However, I didn't even get the chance. Before I could start my description, I was distracted by the clanging sound of a plate slamming against the table, right next to me. When I turned my head, I noticed the tall boy who just arrived.
You've got to be kidding me…
"What are you doing here, brother?" I asked coldly. In one instant, my good mood was gone.
Aoban didn't pay attention to the tone in my voice as he took a seat next to me.
"I'm eating," he simply replied.
"Like I said, what are you doing here, brother?" I repeated. "This is not your refectory."
Aoban ignored my remark. Instead, he stared straight into my eyes, his face completely serious.
"We need to talk," he said.
God damn it. The talk. Just as I feared. I broke the eye-contact, sighing.
"Can this wait? I'm with a friend right now."
"A friend?"
Aoban hadn't noticed Vivian's presence. When I mentioned her, he frowned, clearly displeased. It didn't take him long to spot the now completely tensed up Vivian.
"Who are you?" He groaned audibly.
Vivian didn't openly panic like most people did when confronted to my brother. But I could see that she had noticed from the corner of her eyes Aoban's judging glare.
"Erm… My name's Vivian." She introduced herself with a small voice.
"Vivian who?"
"Just Vivian."
Aoban raised a skeptical eyebrow. "How did you guys meet?"
"Brother," I cut him off. "What do you think you're doing right now?"
"Getting acquainted with your friend."
"No, you're interrogating her," I corrected, as I crossed my arms against my chest. I gave him a stern look, but he simply ignored it. I let out a heavy sigh. "Fair enough, I'll introduce her to you. This is Vivian, we met on this campus, like most people. She helped me find my way back when I was lost and we became friends. What else would you like to know? Her address? Her parent's occupation? Her hobbies?"
Aoban shot me an annoyed glare. It was straight provocation. I was perfectly aware of it. But it was time for him understand that he was violating my personal boundaries.
"I'm just worried for you," he tried to justify himself.
I sighed. "I can take care of myself, I'm no longer a child."
"You're a target, Lyni. And you're too naive for your own good. People will try to deceive you."
"Like I said, I can take care of myself," I repeated, impatience growing in my voice. "Besides, if you dealt with your own problems, maybe I wouldn't be a target in the first place."
I wasn't looking in his direction, but I could guess his expression right now. Before he could say anything, I continued. Now that I made my point clear, I had no intention of resuming our argument from this afternoon. "Where's Lukas anyway? And what about your friends?"
Aoban didn't reply immediately. "They're at the Eastern Refectory. I came alone." His voice was filled with acrimony.
Since I understood he wasn't going to leave, I decided to confront him about his reasons for coming.
"Look, I-"
I turned in his direction, expecting to see him, but instead, I saw the face of a stranger who just butted in between us.
"Hello! May I sit here?"
Who in the world…?
The stranger didn't even wait for a reply. He casually sat at our table before greeting us with a broad smile. He was being unusually friendly, yet, I couldn't remember him from anywhere. He was definitely older than me. There was something mature about him, I couldn't put my finger on it. But his brown curls and his freckled complexion gave him a strong boy-next door vibe.
I gave a quick glance at my side. Vivian was growing more and more uncomfortable. Too many people at this table. To think that it was supposed to be only the two of us…
"What do you think you're doing, right now?" Aoban asked with a threatening tone.
"Chill down, Whiteheart. I'm not here for you."
Great. Another one of my brother's acquaintances. Now I definitely don't want to know him. Moreover, they don't seem to be on friendly terms.
"You shouldn't be here," Aoban continued. "This is not your refectory."
"I return you the remark. This isn't your refectory either."
Yes, thank you.
"Find yourself another table. My sister's here."
A smirk played on the stranger's face. "That gives me as much right as you to stay here. You see, my sister is also here."
His sister? He can't possibly mean… He shifted my gaze on the only other girl at this table. Her head lowered, her bangs didn't allow me to see her face anymore, but I could see her clenching her fists under the table.
"She's your sister?" Aoban groaned.
"Come on Vivian, don't stay silent. Why don't you introduce me to your new friend?" The boy was displaying a bright smile as he said this. However, the tone of his voice didn't sound even remotely friendly.
"No, I…" Vivian's voice was barely audible. Her head kept sinking even lower than it already was. It almost seemed like we were going to be the same height.
"I knew something was fishy..." Brother clicked his tongue and grabbed my wrist. "We're leaving." He then declared.
"Wh- what"