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Part II Chapter 28 - Team

***Lynett***

It was already past eight o'clock. I was supposed to be on time, but listening Nomi nagging me about the destroyed closet held me up. Obviously, I didn't tell her about Pikachu. I just told her that I was practicing fire magic when it happened -somehow. But then, she nagged even more about not using magic in the room.

I was hurrying to the refectory, hoping that Vivian hadn't left yet. Fortunately, it was pretty close to my room. I just had to go downstairs and cross a couple of corridors. It took me less then five minutes to reach it.

The refectory was a grand room, to say the least. Huge carved tables of oak with raw barks at the edge dominated the space, left without a tablecloth. The floor beneath it all was slate and the walls were covered with a damask patterned ivory paper. On the center of each table, a chandelier hung down the ceiling on a wrought iron chain, providing the proper ambiance lighting for a fine evening meal.

The hall was a discord of loud chatter. With people raising their voice to be heard above the din, it was in no shortage of ambiance.

I looked around the busy tables, searching for a familiar face, when someone sneaked up on me.

"Boo!" A high-pitched voice rang in my ears.

I turned around almost immediately.

"Did I startle you?" Vivian asked with a beaming face.

"You sure did!" I exclaimed.

The young girl chuckled proudly.

"Sorry for being late," I said. "My roommate held me up. You didn't wait for too long, did you? "

She shook her head. "Nope! At least, you gave me time to think about what I'd be taking tonight!" She joked. "Although I have to admit, I was starting to wonder whether you stood me up or not."

"Sorry..." I apologized once more.

We made our way to the buffet tables. The food seemed washed-out and overcooked, but at least it was plentiful. The options weren't limited. There was a cold buffet for the starters, a warm buffet for the main course, and a third buffet for the desserts. Vivian filled her plate with a large serving of lean meat and lentils. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so I just took some salad.

We sat at the end of the nearest table. Vivian immediately dug into her meal as she began to eat heartily.

"So yummy~!"

I didn't share her opinion. I had been accustomed my whole life to high-quality food, cooked and prepared by master chefs, so this kind of meal didn't impress me. It wasn't particularly bad, but it did lack flavor to my taste. In a way, it kind of reminded of my hospital days. The mushed vegetables, the chewy meat... That same-old gray taste, served on a gray plate... Nevermind, it was kind of bad. I'm glad I didn't take a large serving. Looking at Vivian's enthusiasm, I was seriously starting to wonder if the food we were eating came from the same kitchen. I suppose for a commoner of this world, this is a small taste of luxury -or maybe it's just my salad that's bland. Despite this, I was in a particularly good mood. It was the first time I was eating with a friend after all.

"By the way, did you start reading the books?" Vivian asked, as she kept chewing on her meat.

"Yep," I responded. "I've already read the first half of the summoning book. I should be done in a few days."

The young girl stared at me in awe. "Really? You're fast!"

"I tend to read a lot on my free time," I explained. "That's probably why."