*COMPLETE* "People don't believe in us anymore. They don't believe that in the end we will do what is right. We can't let them down. We can't let Ben win."
Decisions made on top of the lonely, wind-swept cliff of Lethinor reverberate around the five...
Words chatter through the air as people flood the mess hall; having seen what everyone can do, the recruits are more sociable. Lei dogs Allayria as they go through the food line, sensing, perhaps, a prime opportunity for her to break for it and remaining determined to keep her in eyesight. Allayria slops the potato gruel onto her tray with unnecessary force.
"Halften!" someone calls as they exit the line and both Lei and Allayria look around. The blond Solveig man beckons them over to a table.
Allayria notices the man from Keesark is there too, as well as Fae Urilong and the huge, bulky Roften Beast-caller. Kali watches as they approach, a slim ankle propped on her thigh and elbow crooked back onto the back of the seat.
"Sit," the Solveig man offers with a careless gesture toward the unoccupied spots on the other bench. "I didn't catch your names, by the way. I'm Hiran."
He holds out his hand so they both have to shake it and answer in turn. Allayria makes sure to take the seat at the end of the table, forcing Lei to sit next to Durai, the bulky Roftenian.
"That was some nice Skilling out there," Hiran continues, and judging by the smile stretching across his face Allayria doubts he's being earnest.
"So I know you—" he points his fork at Lei, "are one of Beinsho's, but you—" and now the fork jabs at Allaryria, "are a bit of a mystery. How do you fit in this whole thing?" He waves the fork around to punctuate the question but his eyes trained on Allayria's face.
"I am a student of Ruben's," Allayria answers, and both Kali and the Keesark man—Rahul?—snort into their soup.
"Must be nice," the man says, and the smile on his face is cold.
"Not really," Allayria returns. "If you knew Ruben you'd know it's a disadvantage."
"Are you really that bad?" Kali cuts in and they laugh.
"He seems like a by-the-book sort," Hiran says dismissively. "What I want to know is how you two know each other." The point of the fork swings between Allayria and Lei.
"As a former student of Ruben's, I was asked to show him and Allayria around the base," Lei answers before Allayria can think of anything to say. His tone is even and flat—almost as if he is bored by the conversation—and he stirs his soup in smooth, fluid motions, not bothering to look up at Hiran or the others.
"Another pupil," Rahul comments.
Lei does look up at this, and he pins Rahul with an unblinking stare.
"If you think I'm going to win by favoritism we can go outside and I'll show you exactly how mistaken you are."
Allayria glances at Lei from the corner of her eye but the tense silence is broken by Hiran bursting out in laughter and that Urilong—Fae—leans over.
"Shut it, Rahul," she says. "You're going to get yourself kicked out."
But Rahul only leans back, a smirk somewhat softening the dark look that had crossed his features.
"As if," he throws back, and there's a self-assurance in his voice that only comes from an upbringing of moneyed comfort. "There would be all kinds of problems if Master Ruben threw me out before the end."
"You're one of the Academy kids, aren't you?" Hiran asks, and he's got a similar expression on his face as he turns toward Rahul. "Which one did you go to?"
"Bristmarks."
"That explains a lot," Kali laughs, and she flicks something off her nail.
"I know a couple of people from Bristmarks," Hiran says. "I went seal fishing with a diplomat lad a few years back—kid called Reg."
"Reg Grahm? I know him. He went—"
And they're off in one of those irritating conversations that circles around knowing the same people and bragging about all the wonderful things they've done with them. It seems that everyone but Allayria, Lei, and the Roften man know the people they're talking about, and Allayria would bet good money that if she had stayed at the "Academy of Accomplished Young Ladies" all those years back she would know them too.
You were supposed to leave this behind, a voice whispers in the back of her mind. You were supposed to have chosen to live a different life. But here you are again.
It's clear that their invitation had hinged on Hiran's curiosity. She wonders if it will be repeated. She'd rather it not.
But when she and Lei rise to put back their bowls and utensils Hiran gets up too, even going so far as to slap Lei on the back with a laugh as he passes them in the hall.
When the golden-haired Nature-caller finally turns the corner Allayria turns too, her voice twisting dryly as she remarks to her breathing shadow: "I think he really likes you. Who knew threatening bodily harm would get you so many friends?"
Lei shoots her a glare but it's not nearly as venomous as usual.
"Of course, now you're actually going to have to try next time," she continues, "or else they'll really think you're full of shit."
He doesn't answer this, but his stance seems stiffer than usual when she shuts the door to her room in his face.
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A/N: I always make friends by bodily threatening them.
Just kidding, I reserve that brand of humor for my siblings. Don't worry, they know I'm only 60% serious.
No references this chapter, except of course the illustrious return of the Academy of Accomplished Young Ladies, previously remembered in the "A Look into the Past" chapter of Paragon. I like to quietly chortle to myself while sipping on lightly sweetened tea when I write about it.
