Meliora - Extricate - 36

[lady_mab]

Zoné Altair

I hitch my backpack higher on my shoulders as I dive into the crowd. Students push this way and that, forming little streams in various directions. I pick the one heading to the food.

Oh sweet lunch period, how I have missed thee.

In the middle of the sea of students, I spot two familiar blonde heads, and a grin makes its way onto my face. I know those bobs.

The Darcy twins are so deep in a whispered conversation that they don't even notice my approach. In order to announce my presence, I drape one arm around each of them and let the cheer take over. "Heya!"

Lia yelps and jumps a few inches in the air. Lio jerks out from under my arm and stumbles into a group of passing students . "Fucking Christ, Altair! Are you trying to kill us?" He doesn't even bother to apologize to the students giving him disgruntled looks.

I offer them a small wave in apology before returning my attention to the twins. I pull back from Lia and she relaxes, hand pressed to her chest, eyes still wide. "First day back at school after winter break!"

Lia's small smile is comforting compared to her brother's stony silence. "How was your vacation? I mean, besides from when we were doing the exact same things."

Ah yes, those few Meliora related events that dominated the last half of December and ruined Christmas. "Better than most, I'd imagine. How are you feeling? I heard about what happened--"

To my surprise, Lio punches me in the arm. "That's none of your business."

Lia slaps him in response as I rub my forearm. It didn't really hurt, but it definitely caught me off guard.

The two of them waste precious lunch minutes glaring at each other before Lio huffs and turns away. He starts to walk, away from the direction he should be heading, so I reach out and catch onto the strap of his bag.

"Come eat lunch with us," I offer. It should be a question, but I don't want to give either of them the excuse to wriggle out of it.

They turn to stare at me with wide eyes. "Lunch...?" Lia shifts her gaze to Lio, as if the word is a foreign concept to both of them.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah. You know, that brief reprieve in the middle of the day? Where we can sit around and eat with friends?"

Lio takes the cue to look at his sister in shock. "Friends?"

Lia doesn't hide her amused grin fast enough as she smacks him again.

I release a sound that's somewhere between a groan and a laugh. "Oh my God, you two." I try to usher them 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."

I remembered the first few weeks when I got to this school, before I met the others in a project in our English Comp class. They were a quiet and lonely time.

Lia's eyes brighten and she whirls to pounce on Lio. "Let's go."

"If you mean 'go' as in 'get out of here', then yes--"

"No, I mean go with him."

Lio visibly hesitates, as if he hadn't expected that. "Why?"

She purses her lips and crosses her arms over her chest. "Because it's better than eating in the computer lab."

"I don't eat in the computer lab," he says, offended.

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

Alright, enough is enough. I need to save these two kids. I grasp Lio's shoulders. "Skipping lunch is bad. Jun always brings plenty, so there will be enough for two new people to join in." I push him ahead of me towards the food and friends, and thankfully, Lia trails along.

We're bombarded with a wave of kids going in the other direction. I feel a slight pressure on my backpack, and turn to find Lia grabbing on.

"I didn't know that Jun cooks," she says, voice soft and barely audible in the hubbub.

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

And quite possibly a mob boss, but that's neither here nor there.

Lia ducks her head,so I resume steering Lio to the dining hall.

A table has already been claimed, thanks to Beat and Ayumu having study hall together right before lunch. I can hear everyone's voices even over all the echoing clamor. They're all seated, and Jun is unveiling her lunch for today.

My arrival causes all of them to fall silent, pulling our table into a black hole of sound.

Jun is the first to react, jumping to her feet and smiling politely. "Are you joining us?"

"No," says Lio, hanging from my hands like a disgruntled kitten

"Yes," Lia chimes. "If you don't mind."

Jun reaches for her hand and pulls her in as Glen snatches two chairs from a neighboring table to squeeze into the cluster. "No problem at all."

The rest of the group looks slightly dumbfounded.

Eager to please, Beat throws his hands into the air and announces, "Welcome to the coolest table!"

Ayumu is the second to shrug off the shock, cool as a cucumber like always. "Nice of you two to join."

Mal gives a wary glance in my direction, but I let it slide off my back. "As... random as it is..."

I survey the group as the twins settle down into their seats, taking mine between Jun and Robbie. A very nice, crowded little cluster we have here.

Once the boxes are spread out across the table, Jun looks up at me. “We need more forks.” She says this in a way that makes me think it’s supposed to be code for something, and I wonder if I’ve forgotten what sort of secret message she’s trying to send my way.

I think quick in an attempt to cover up my possible lapse in memory. “Er, hold the salt and a dash of pepper.” I add a belated wink for good measure.

The black hole of silence returns.

Jun blinks. "What?"

"What what?"

"Why are you talking about salt and pepper?"

I look to the others, as if hoping one of them would actually understand. "I thought you were talking in code."

A strained noise leaks from her, but there is amusement still in her gaze. "I was talking about how we need forks."

The fact that there is no code starts to sink in. "You just want me to get forks?"

"I will come with you," Jun says, pushing herself to her feet. "It might be safer." She catches onto my arm and turns a smile to the rest of them. "We will be back soon, but there is enough for the rest of you. Feel free to start eating!"

Jun tugs me away before I can protest, though I do catch the momentary panic that flashes on the twins' faces.

We break free of the throng and approach the utensil cart.

At my side, Jun shifts her weight from foot to foot, picking absently at her nail beds. "Do you think this is a good idea? Inviting them to sit with us?"

Apparently 'we need forks' is code for 'I need to talk to you away from all the others'. I knew I wasn't imagining things.

"Why, would you have preferred if I ignored them?"

"No, of course not." She shakes her head and reaches out for my arm. "I am really glad you did. They could use a larger support group -- in and out of Meliora."

"Then what's the problem?" I wince as soon as the question leaves my mouth, because it sounds a lot more aggressive than I meant for it to be.

She takes it in stride, though, and holds my gaze steady. "How are we supposed to explain to the others that we are suddenly friends with a pair of students who I have heard are notorious for keeping others at an arm's length?"

"Oh." That's a very good question. Admittedly, I haven't even thought that far ahead. All I could think about was how they might be lonely. "I don't know. You think it'll be a problem?"

Jun considers this carefully before shaking her head. "Probably not. Everyone will just accept it as you being you."

I puff out my chest and she grins in response. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should." She snatches the forks and heads back to the table without waiting to see if I'll follow.

I take a moment to reflect on her words before turning my feet in that direction. I almost don't notice that Jun had stopped a few tables away until she catches my sleeve. "They will accept the twins, since they have your approval."

"Just like they accepted you?"

There's a hint of a smile before she ducks her head. "I feed them."

"C'mon, you're more than that to them." Her gifts on Christmas proved that much.

And it's amazing that, because I didn't want her to be lonely either, I invited her to lunch. Because without her, I wouldn't have decided to participate in Meliora, I would have no clue about my brother, and the Darcy twins would be sitting in the computer lab alone.

Lia is the first to spot us, a nervous smile flitting to her mouth.

"Oh good, Wendy and Peter have returned!" Ayumu says as we take our seats.

"I told you to start eating." Jun places the fork by her and then hands me the other. "You should not have waited."

Beat reaches out, and she starts to hand him a fork from the pile by the boxes, but he takes her hand instead. "We didn't want to start without you!"

A tight, disappointed expression flickers across Glen's face, but it disappears as he looks away. "That would be a first."

I wait until everyone is seated and has a fork before I sit down. Jun explains the contents of a dish to Lia and Glen offers a fork to Lio. At the other end of the table, the rest of our group watches in tense anticipation.

Lio hesitates, then takes the utensil, and everything jumps back to normal.

Jun's shoulder bumps mine, getting my attention, and she hands me a plate.

This is good, I think. Everything about this is good, and I'm glad to have it.

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