A single peek at Shiro's face would have sent anyone but Abel into a fit of laughter. As it was, however, Abel derived no amusement from the shame that his friend felt that he had caused. He moved quickly to reassure him. “You shouldn't feel bad about what you did, buddy. Anyone who faults you for bein' exuberant and generous is an idiot. Relax and have some steak or something.”
Abel's attention was briefly occupied by the sight of the cafeteria doors swinging wide and admitting four new students. One of them in particular caught his gaze, but he did his best to avoid staring. Funnily enough, the girl with what looked like a red Ursatrap for an arm intrigued him more. What could she have suffered, he thought, eyebrows compressed in an expression of worry, To leave her in a state like that? Regardless, the new arrivals didn't have much time to both grab food and eat.
When Abel returned his focus to his own table, he found another pair of people had arrived. Rather, one, a boy with gleaming yellow eyes in an officer's cap, had seated himself, while his slick-looking companion had gotten ticked at Hansen the next bench over, who had apparently asked her for something. As he watched the heavy-set boy rubbing his neck and joking about her to his sister, Abel made a point of remembering not to get on the hatted girl's bad side. “Hey,” the guardian replied to the newly-introduced Goldstein, and inclined his head respectfully. Anyone wearing the regalia of a soldier was worthy of esteem in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Oswald had been talking, but only now did Abel start listening. “The fox girl? They way she did that kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Can't help but wonder if she can reflect lightening too.” He quieted himself, hoping that nobody took the statement out of context as him having ill will against Mokuren. Any enmity he had for her was born out of his respect for hard work; to do nearly nothing to win except use a natural gift, and to be so brazen about it, made Abel upset. As Indigo spoke, Abel considered entering the subject of Sapphire as well, but decided against it. “What do you mean, she'd do well back home?” He asked instead, after several minutes had passed. “Where you come from, is there like a...!”
Abel was interrupted by the reverberating peal of the passing bell. Lunch was officially over; it was time to head to the next class. He popped his scroll from his pocket and scanned it briefly. Next class for him was Grimm Studies, which definitely piqued his interest. He stood up, and deposited his garbage into a nearby rolling trash bin. “Bad luck there,” he said to Oswald. “Where you headed next? We can talk 'n walk if you like.”
-=-=-
The clamor of the bell barely reached Paron Skaft. He sat at a corner table, hunched over the remains of his self-made lunch, contemplating the way the People Like Grapes soda had settled on the canister's lid. Across from him was the table's only other occupant, the regal Thistle Mallory-Pheasant, known to her only two friends as 'Lady'. Her spirits seemed low as well, for she was very bored, and stroking the iron feathers of her mechanical raven did not mitigate her boredom, so she stared listlessly through the open window as music played in her earbuds. Approaching footsteps notified Paron of the team leader's impending arrival, but it took Kitty clapping a hand on Lady's shoulder to rouse her from her trance.
“Pull those out,” she hissed. “It's time we got started.” Though Kitty's tone was sharp, Paron knew by looking at her face that she wasn't actually mad. In fact, her visage gave off more of an impression of fear than of anger, and she was doing that thing she did when she was upset—flicking her mechanical tail back and forth, and fingering the bottom of her baton. Back when she had a sword, she had done that as well, but not nearly so often as she did nowadays.
Paron pushed the thought from his mind. “Tattle-Tala Dei's here. She's talking to the flunkies now, but she wouldn't have left Goodwitch if I hadn't spoken to her.” Both girls flashed him an angry look; conversing with any teacher about a subject not directly related to schoolwork wasn't helpful.
“Whatever. Get up off your ass and let's go.” None of them wanted to listen to Agesander's 'counseling', but off they went, leaving any intention of listening to him behind with their garbage.