A Coalition Story

The Cafeteria Is the Main Setting

Everything that happened in their lives happened in the cafeteria. Every meeting, every first kiss, every breakup, every fight, every disaster. It all happened in the cafeteria. This, it seemed, was no different.

Ksenia's training appointment had been canceled that day, and so she had rejoined her boyfriend for lunch. Actually, she had surprised him, but luckily this was before he and Torin usually met.

She had her head on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her waist. She'd eaten lunch earlier in the day, and Cal hadn't bothered with buying food yet, so their table was empty of everything but her bag.

"Why was he walking towards us?" Ksenia asked, interrupting the silence Cal so preferred with her. He glanced up to see Torin walking away.

"No clue. Probably just trying to embarrass himself again." Realistically, Cal knew why Torin had started to come over to their usual table. This was where he'd been joining Cal for the last few weeks as they plotted their revenge. And as they talked about other things like murder and Ravyn being an idiot again. Yes, they were working out how to enact revenge for her, but that didn't stop her from being an absolute idiot like always.

"You think he'd be tired of that by now. I used to respect Torin, but he's completely ruined any good reputation he had." Not true, but Cal was going to let his girlfriend think that if she wanted to. It would certainly make their lives easier.

"He's a disaster, but he's fun to mess with," Cal mused, surprised by the guilt that crept into his heart with his words. Torin wasn't so fun to mess with, but he had a reputation to uphold. Even if that meant destroying Torin's in the process.

"You really should be nicer to people, you know," Ksenia mused playfully. They both knew she was kidding, even if not completely.

"I don't see any fun in that," Cal replied, kissing her forehead. She rolled her eyes but nuzzled closer.

"You wouldn't. You're too much of an assassin for that." He chuckled, but she wasn't wrong. Cal had always enjoyed messing with people, and as he got older, he got better at it. Maybe he learned it from his adoptive father, maybe it was innate, but wherever it came from, Cal's need for chaos had come to define him.

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After Ksenia left for her next appointment, Cal, who had given up on lunch, walked over to Torin's table and sat down beside him.

"Done with your plaything?" the dark-haired man challenged, to which Cal raised an eyebrow in reply.

"Jealous, Sloane?" Torin rolled his eyes at his ex. Yes, he was jealous, but Cal didn't need to know that.

"It's okay if you are. I understand my appeal," he taunted, which earned him a flat look.

"Whatever appeal you claim to have disappears entirely when you're that cocky."

"I seem to remember you liking my confidence."

"Only when you're drunk and only then because it's funny."

"Then let's get drunk, Torin." Again came the flat look.

"Not after last time. I don't want to take care of you and I know Ravyn won't want to take care of either of us."

Cal chuckled at his companion's reply. Ravyn wasn't in a state to take care of anyone. Not with the whole Lev situation blowing up in their faces. None of them had seen Lev going to Uncle Peter asking for Ravyn's hand in marriage coming. If this hadn't been deeply personal, Cal would have applauded the Russian for his cruelty and ingenuity.

"Ksenia suspect anything?" Torin asked, interrupted his ex's thoughts. Cal shrugged, looking around the cafeteria.

"People are too scared of us to let her know that we sit together every day, and if they do tell her, I'll tell her I'm bored and messing with your head and your heart. She knows me. She'll believe that." Torin scoffed wryly. Yeah, he'd believe that, too. Cal was certainly a special one. And yet he was completely in love with him.