The guy blinked, confused. "What do you mean, what's my—? Are you serious?"
Lucien tilted his head, feigning mild interest as he took a bite of his bread. "You said I never liked games before. I'm trying something new."
That seemed to convince him—mostly. The guy huffed and leaned back in his chair with a shrug. "Fine, fine. It's Caelum. Caelum Dreshal. Your best friend since childhood."
Lucien hummed thoughtfully. "Mm. Noted."
Caelum squinted at him. "Is this game just you pretending I'm a stranger?"
Lucien met his gaze with an unreadable calm as a moment of silence passed between them. Then, he muttered calmly, "Your turn."
Caelum perked up at this, a grin on his face. "Okay. What's my favorite food?"
"…Are you serious?"
"Yup. Your move, Mr. I don't know my best friend's name."
Lucien sighed through his nose, glancing over at the fruit on Caelum's tray. "Meat skewers?"
Caelum's grin widened. "Oh, so close! But wrong. It's honey-grilled boar with wild onion glaze. Your mom made it every year for our birthdays, remember?"
Lucien gave a slow nod, though inwardly, he filed away the clue. So our families were close? Shared birthdays?
"Alright," Lucien said. "My turn again. What class do we have first thing in the morning?"
Caelum let out a loud groan and flopped halfway across the table. "Ugh. Spell Gate Theory. With Professor Corven. Worst class ever. He makes us draw diagrams until our fingers cramp."
Lucien didn't even pretend to know who that was, but he did faintly remember hearing the name from that girl earlier. "Sounds thrilling."
"You have no idea. You fell asleep last time and he didn't even notice."
So the old Lucien was slacking off in class, hm…
"Okay, okay—my turn!" Caelum said, suddenly energized. "What was the name of the girl who used to have a huge crush on you last term?"
Lucien raised a brow. "That sounds like a trap."
"Come on. You have to remember her. She passed you, like, five letters in one week. All scented."
Lucien paused, lips twitching as if trying to restrain a grimace. "Er… Se…Selena?"
"Moira," Caelum corrected with a grin. "Selena is the most popular girl in our school. You know she'd never think twice to even look at us."
"…Of course."
They both chuckled, Caelum's laugh easy and loud, Lucien's a quiet exhale more than anything else—but a genuine one.
Something about the rhythm of the game, the harmless questions, the dumb trivia—it dulled the weight on Lucien's shoulders, if only for a moment.
As the sun dipped lower through the window with how much time they must have spent playing the game, the golden light of the sun began to stretch across the table.
Around them, the cafeteria slowly emptied, students drifting off with yawns or books tucked under their arms.
Caelum scooped the last of his stew. "Alright, one more from me. Let's see…" He tapped his spoon against his chin. "What do you want to do more than anything?"
Lucien's expression didn't change, but his pause was longer this time.
That's not a question I can answer honestly.
"…Sleep," he finally said, smirking faintly. "That food was heavier than I expected."
Caelum burst out laughing, slapping the table. "Classic! Alright, alright. I'll give you that one."
Lucien rose from his seat, brushing crumbs from his uniform. "I win, then?"
Caelum tilted his head. "Do you?"
Lucien gave him a sideways glance, the ghost of a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "Let's say I do."
Caelum followed after him as they left the cafeteria, the torches lining the hallway flaring to life with a soft crackle as they passed.
"So what do I owe you, huh?" Caelum asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Don't say money. I'm broke since my father has refused to give me any allowance for what happened last semester."
Lucien thought for a moment before answering, his tone deceptively casual. "Just tell me more."
"Huh?"
"About me. About this academy too. Anything you know."
Caelum blinked, scratching the back of his head. "Man… you really are acting weird. But alright. If you're serious, I'll tell you anything."
Lucien didn't answer, but the small nod he gave as they climbed the stairs back to the dormitories was enough.