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Nov. 24th, 2007 11:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
a1enzoEnzo stares at the lunch choices. LILO bean casserole, or steamed bleam curd. The Academy certainly cares about its cadets' nutrition. Unfortunately.
"This is a lunch line, not a browser!" snaps one of the binomes behind the counter, brandishing her ladle fiercely. "I've got hundreds of you to feed, you know! Now which do you want?"
"Now, Gladys," chides another, "don't bite his header off. Would you like an apple, deary?"
"Yeah," says Enzo, smiling weakly. "Thanks. And, uh, the bleam curd." At least that doesn't taste of anything much.
Gladys scoops it onto a plate and shoves it over. "Next!"
"That's a g-good choice."
Enzo glances over. The voice belongs to a girl some minutes his elder, with pale blue skin, dark eyes behind large round glasses, and brushed-copper hair down to her shoulders. "The--the bleam curd," she says. "It's better than the ca--the casserole."
Enzo grimaces at his plate. His entrée wobbles unpleasantly. "Only 'cause it doesn't taste like anything, 'stead of tasting like barf."
In lieu of a response, the girl just looks down at her still-empty plate.
"Hey!" barks Gladys suddenly. "I haven't got all minute! You gonna pick something already?" Apparently, a mere obviously stated preference is not valid syntax.
"Bleam curd," she says without looking up. "And g-grape juice."
Gladys shoves over a plate of white cubes; her colleague passes the cadet a glass with an apologetic smile. Enzo, food (such as it is) accessed, moves away from the lunch line and looks around for a promising table.
Quick footsteps behind him. "Um. Y-you want to--to--um--"
"Hmm?" He glances back at the pale girl. He does recognize her, a bit; he's seen her in class, though she never says much, and... "Hey, you're filed on my floor, aren't you?" He just barely remembers her from the orientation meeting. "Um... Avi?"
"Alvey," she corrects him, but she's beaming as she says it. "And y-you're Enzo Matrix."
"Uh-huh." He racks his brain trying to remember what she said at the meeting. She likes reading, and she became a Guardian because... she wants to help people. Not terribly illuminating. "I don't see you a lot in the common area or the lounge."
"I ha--I have homework." My, her lunch must be very interesting, the way she keeps staring down at it instead of at Enzo. "But if you wanted, w-we could... uh... m-maybe..."
"Yeah?" he prompts. "You okay?" he adds, cocking his head at her.
Alvey looks stricken. "I--g--I--Igottago." She breaks into a run, clutching her tray tightly, and disappears into the crowd.
Enzo stands there blinking. Did he say something wrong? She was acting really funny. He hopes she doesn't have a bug or something. Oh, there's Balun sitting with Tone and Value. Heh, look how Tone's looking at Balun, she totally likes him, can't he tell? Hey, maybe Val smuggled in some decent food...
"This is a lunch line, not a browser!" snaps one of the binomes behind the counter, brandishing her ladle fiercely. "I've got hundreds of you to feed, you know! Now which do you want?"
"Now, Gladys," chides another, "don't bite his header off. Would you like an apple, deary?"
"Yeah," says Enzo, smiling weakly. "Thanks. And, uh, the bleam curd." At least that doesn't taste of anything much.
Gladys scoops it onto a plate and shoves it over. "Next!"
"That's a g-good choice."
Enzo glances over. The voice belongs to a girl some minutes his elder, with pale blue skin, dark eyes behind large round glasses, and brushed-copper hair down to her shoulders. "The--the bleam curd," she says. "It's better than the ca--the casserole."
Enzo grimaces at his plate. His entrée wobbles unpleasantly. "Only 'cause it doesn't taste like anything, 'stead of tasting like barf."
In lieu of a response, the girl just looks down at her still-empty plate.
"Hey!" barks Gladys suddenly. "I haven't got all minute! You gonna pick something already?" Apparently, a mere obviously stated preference is not valid syntax.
"Bleam curd," she says without looking up. "And g-grape juice."
Gladys shoves over a plate of white cubes; her colleague passes the cadet a glass with an apologetic smile. Enzo, food (such as it is) accessed, moves away from the lunch line and looks around for a promising table.
Quick footsteps behind him. "Um. Y-you want to--to--um--"
"Hmm?" He glances back at the pale girl. He does recognize her, a bit; he's seen her in class, though she never says much, and... "Hey, you're filed on my floor, aren't you?" He just barely remembers her from the orientation meeting. "Um... Avi?"
"Alvey," she corrects him, but she's beaming as she says it. "And y-you're Enzo Matrix."
"Uh-huh." He racks his brain trying to remember what she said at the meeting. She likes reading, and she became a Guardian because... she wants to help people. Not terribly illuminating. "I don't see you a lot in the common area or the lounge."
"I ha--I have homework." My, her lunch must be very interesting, the way she keeps staring down at it instead of at Enzo. "But if you wanted, w-we could... uh... m-maybe..."
"Yeah?" he prompts. "You okay?" he adds, cocking his head at her.
Alvey looks stricken. "I--g--I--Igottago." She breaks into a run, clutching her tray tightly, and disappears into the crowd.
Enzo stands there blinking. Did he say something wrong? She was acting really funny. He hopes she doesn't have a bug or something. Oh, there's Balun sitting with Tone and Value. Heh, look how Tone's looking at Balun, she totally likes him, can't he tell? Hey, maybe Val smuggled in some decent food...
