Inception

Chapter 25: A Hunter Family

While most of the base ate dinner at the same time, breakfast and lunch varied. Thus, when she walked into the cafeteria it was sparsely populated by the late shifters, as those who didn't have breakfast at the crack of dawn were titled. They consisted of 'the nerds' as Hoshina called them because their jobs were outside of those of the soldiers, such as operations, food prep, technical support, medical crew, and, of course, the bases three full-time scientists. Yoji would take his food and eat in his quarters and Cromwell would be following behind Lena when he'd finished whatever he was on.

Lena gave some half-hearted waves to some of the folk she recognized from the operations crew. The nightmare of the last mission was still as vivid as the stitches and scabs on her face, so she didn't stop to chat.

She did, however, see an uncommon occurrence. One of the platoons of soldiers was here. The newbies to be exact. That explained why Hoshina was able to invade her lunchtime.

She felt a smile grow on her face when Leno and his friend Kafka Hibino spotted her and started waving. She paused in waving back when she noticed Hoshina falling just a step or two behind her. At the same time her brother's expression went that careful still that always meant he wanted to hide something.

She frowned. Glanced back at Hoshina, still smiling, then back her brother. Then decided it could wait until she ate. Her head was starting that light, achy buzz that prefaced her blood sugar getting low.

"Hey, how bout we eat outside today?" asked Hoshina.

"I don't recall inviting you to eat with me." She grabbed a tray and plate and got along the sparse cue. Lunch looked good today. A wide variety of riceballs sprinkled with sesame seeds, rolled egg omelets, and cut fruit. Simple, but traditional.

"That's why I'm inviting you. I'll give you my desert."

"I'm not a glutton." It irritated her that he thought she might be just because she ate sugar to get out of her slumps.

"But your brother gives you his dessert all the time!"

"That's my brother's desserts. You wouldn't get it."

"I have a brother. It was a game to see if he could steal my deserts before I could stab his hand."

She paused mid-reach for her second riceball, then continued to plop it on her plate.

"Sword-families are weird."

"Naw, that's just us. And technically we're kaiju hunters."

Which got Lena thinking. "That's even worse."

"How so?"

She felt her cheeks heating up a bit as weighed telling him her answer. They'd reached the end of the line and she'd turned to head towards the table Leno and Hibino sat at. They were waving to her again, and she saw something like safety from whatever discomfort being around Hoshina gave her.

Right. It would be best to give her answer. Honesty was the best policy, and maybe it would make him stop with this...courting.

"It means if I ever had kids with you they'd have to become kaiju hunters too." She didn't hide her shudder. "Never. Never ever never ever."