Meliora - Emanate - 36

[lady_mab]

Liala Darcy

"A new post went live today for the Lady and the Ghost blog," Lionel whispers. I can barely hear him above the klaxon call of the bell ushering students on to their next class or into the lunchroom. "The ones who called out ALICE on all their shit, remember?"

"Vaguely." I don't really want to remember it. Everything that disrupts the flow of the game seems to get us in trouble, and my stomach still does knots just thinking about what happened back in December. "What about it?"

"It's weird. The tone sounds a lot different from the first message. But they've turned their attention now to the participants, and are accusing us of playing into ALICE's hands."

I do my best to disguise the shiver that passes down my spine by hiking my backpack up a bit higher. "I don't see why we have to take sides..."

Lio stares at me like I've grown a second head. "Lia, this whole game is about taking sides. Between ALICE and freedom, you know?"

"Stop trying to sound like some kind of revolutionary, will you? You're going to give Rhys a heart attack."

His groan turns into a whispered hiss of annoyance. He leans in closer, hand wrapping around my wrist to keep me close to his side. "The point is to get information, and use that information to get out of here alive." The fact that 'death' is a noticeable consequence doesn't escape me, even if he doesn't say it directly. "We can't get information if we just hog it all to ourselves. That's what the blog is saying."

"You're really one to talk, Lio."

At least he has the decency to allow guilt across his features. For a brief instant, he pulls in on himself and I expect him to shrink away.

But a beat later, an arm drapes around my shoulder and I yelp at the sudden contact. Between us, Zoné grins cheerfully -- ignoring the way Lio jerks away and stumbles into the group of students attempting to curve around us.

"Heya!" he chimes.

"Fucking Christ, Altair. Are you trying to kill us?" Lio tugs at his jacket to remove the evidence of Zoné's attempt at being friendly. He doesn't apologize to the classmates behind him.

Zoné's smile doesn't waver, though he lets his hands drop back to his sides. "First day back at school after winter hols!"

In an attempt to be civil, I return his smile with one of my own. "How was your vacation?" I hesitate, remembering that we actually hung out at Temple Fusion as part of the holiday party. "I mean, besides from when we were doing the exact same things."

He snorts and shakes his head. "Better than most, I'd imagine. How are you feeling? I heard about what happened--"

Lionel's hand snaps out and punches him in the arm. "That's none of your business."

I slap my twin in response, and he turns his glare to me instead. It's almost as if he's warning me not to open up to anyone, right after he went on his little spiel about sharing information.

He sighs, squeezes his eyes shut, and turns away. Before he can resume his path down the hall, either without me or expecting me to catch up, Zoné's hand reaches out and catches onto the strap of his messenger bag.

"Come eat lunch with us."

Lio and I turn wide eyed and confused stares in his direction. "Lunch...?" I start slowly. I turn to Lio.

His jaw snaps shut and he shakes his head uncertainly.

"Yeah..." Zoné carries on. "You know, that brief reprieve in the middle of the day? Where we can sit around and eat with friends?"

This time, it's Lionel who turns to me in surprise. "Friends?"

I smack him again for good measure.

Zoné takes it all in stride as he groans dramatically. "Oh my God, you two." He makes a grand gesture in the direction of the dining hall. "Jun and Glen will be there, as well as some non-Meliora friends, so it's not like we can just talk about it and all, but it's better than sitting alone."

The idea sends a shiver of anticipation through me. Three years in this school, and we've always kept ourselves separate. I don't even eat lunch with Trish and the others, although they've invited me numerous times. I've always felt guilty about leaving Lionel alone, and even though they said he could join, I knew that he would never want to.

I latch onto my brother's arm. "Let's go."

His lip curls slightly. "If you mean 'go' as in 'get out of here', then yes--"

"No, I mean go with him."

This catches him off-guard. "Why?"

The question is expected, but it still annoys me. "Because it's better than eating in the computer lab."

"I don't eat in the computer lab."

"No," I agree. "I do. You don't even eat."

Zoné makes a sound of offense and claps his hands onto Lionel's shoulders. "Skipping lunch is bad. Jun always brings plenty, so there will be enough for two new people to join in."

He starts to steer Lio in the direction away from the computer lab, and I skip along behind the two of them.

A wave of students rushes past, and before I can be pulled away, I reach out and catch onto a strap on the back of Zoné's backpack. He glances over his shoulder at me and grins. "I didn't know that Jun cooks."

"Oh, man, it's like... The Best Food you've ever tasted. She's here training under her uncle to be a chef!"

"I had no idea..." I mutter. But I don't know a lot about any of the other participants. Only what has come up in casual conversation, and obviously Zoné already knows this about her. On one hand, jumping right into the 'being friends' thing has made it less awkward, but it has also cut out a lot of the 'getting to know you' bits.

We trail through the crowds in the cafeteria, and Zoné leads us over to a table in the middle of the far right row.

A small patch of silence greets us, and I poke my head around Zoné to see six pairs of eyes staring at us.

Jun jumps up first, smiling as the situation clicks into place. "Are you joining us?"

"No," Lionel grumbles, looking away.

"Yes," I say, louder. "If you don't mind."

She takes my hand and pulls me to the table. "No problem at all."

Glen snatches two chairs, squeezing them in around the already crowded table.

The rest of the group looks on, confused.

One, the tallest after Zoné, with close-cropped sandy hair and a slouchy sort of look about him, throws his hands into the air. "Welcome to the coolest table!"

Ayumu, who is in Culture and Evolution with Lio and Zoné and I, leans back in his chair and regards us with casual coolness and an easy smile. "Nice of you two to join."

A boy with black skin and short, curly hair regards us warily and looks up at Zoné curiously. "As... random as it is..."

Zoné brushes it off, surveying the table as I drop down into the chair alongside Jun and Lio settles in between me and Glen. He's smiling, content, clearly proud of the strange collection he's gathering.

Jun has finished doling out the boxes and explaining the contents before she too turns to look at Zoné. "We need more forks."

He hesitates before a strained and forced grin takes over. "Er. Hold the salt and add a dash of pepper." He winks.

Silence surrounds us again, broken only by Jun's confused, "What?"

"What what?"

"Why are you talking about salt and pepper?"

His eyebrows lift in genuine surprise. "I thought you were talking in code."

Jun makes a small noise, but I can see a trace of amusement in the corners of her lips. "I was talking about how we need forks..."

He pauses again, then points to the back side of the room. "You want me to get forks?"

"I'll go with you. It might be safer." Jun wriggles out of her chair and rounds the table, catching on to Zoné's arm. "We'll be back soon, but there's enough for the rest of you. Feel free to start eating!" She tugs him away, and as I watch them disappear into the crowds, I can't stop the panic that rises up in my chest.

Lio and I were dragged into this cluster, and then quickly abandoned to sit with people that we don't know that well.

Glen clears his throat and makes a stuttering attempt at starting a conversation. "So, uh. Does everyone know each other?"

"Not really," the tall slouchy one says. "I'm Beat!"

"Liala," I reply. Then, when my brother doesn't respond, I hold out a hand towards him. "This is Lionel. Don't mind him. He's always grouchy."

He doesn't even bother arguing with me. He's sitting, practically frozen, hands clenched around the strap of his bag and glaring at the table.

Glen introduces me to the other two (Mal and Robbie) before Ayumu attempts to strike up a conversation about our history class. Talk is awkward and stilted, though I do my best to uphold my end of the chatter because Lio refuses to say anything.

I'm the first one to spot Jun and Zoné returning, relief flooding through me as they take up their positions behind the empty chairs.

"Oh good, Wendy and Peter have returned!" Ayumu chimes.

"I told you to start eating," Jun scolds him, placing a fork down alongside her place and then alongside Zoné's. "You didn't have to wait."

"We didn't want to start without you!" Beat takes her hand instead of the forks, and a blush coats her cheeks.

On the other side of Lio, Glen snorts and looks away. "That would be a first," he grumbles, but it's enough to make Beat release his grip with an embarrassed grin.

Zoné waits for Jun to sit before dropping down into his chair. I can't help but marvel at their dynamic, how well they can move in and out of each other's space like it’s nothing. How they embrace their friends without any trace of Meliora bogging them down. Glen seems to have a bit of a harder time, but I can't quite tell if he is awkward and fidgety by nature or because of his role as Informant.

And yet Zoné and Jun manage to hold a strong command over the rest of the boys around the table. It's obvious that they love and respect the two of them. Even after Jun encourages them all to eat, it's not until she reaches for the first piece that they all cheer and dive right in.

Jun hands me a small dish laden with fried veggies, though her explanation goes in one ear and out the other. I'm too busy paying attention to Lio as Glen offers tentatively offers him a fork.

A moment passes, and my brother accepts it without pomp. This seems to have been the catalyst that no one knew they were waiting for. The volume swells, surrounding us in its chaos. I can barely pick out one voice from the other, blending with all of the other voices in the cafeteria and the sound of dishes clanking and chairs squeaking and cell phones ringing.

It's fascinating, and loud, and enough to wipe away the lingering nerves as I can finally relax and enjoy the company.