Anya flipped through the textbook, depressed.
How was she supposed to catch up to it all? Becky promised to help, but she was beginning to doubt it'd make a difference 'This isn't gonna make Papa happy, either. . . ', Anya thought wryly. All the homework he'd have to explain to her. The grades that could get her expelled if she didn't keep them up.
The risk to Operation Strix.
She sighed, deciding to just copy what the chalkboard said for now. To write what the teacher spoke.
The class dragged on forever, the teacher's voice, trying to put Anya to sleep.
No! She could. Not. Sleep! Anya, startled herself into focus, resisting the bad habit. She had to concentrate. She had to learn this stuff.
She put in every ounce of effort to stay awake until the end of class, the task proving more difficult than she thought. The bell rang, a blessed sound as they closed their books.
It was going to be a long day if every subject was like this. Maybe she should have stayed home another week.
No. Then the homework would build up even more.
"You ready?" Becky stood, getting them out of the classroom quickly in an attempt to avoid the others.
"Yep." Anya joined her as they left and Becky eyed anyone who might bother them on their way out.
She continued to do so at the next class.
Anya slept through it.
Continued to do so again. And a fourth time as they sat at lunch, Becky catching her up to the last six weeks.
"Nothing much happened."
And that was it.
"It was just school, and more school and a lot of—. . .." Becky paused, fork stabbed in her food. She shouldn't tell Anya how miserable she was. That would just make her feel bad. "Oh." Becky said. "I guess Desmond came to sit with me a couple times, which was really weird, but that's it."
"Sy-on boy? But you hate each other." Said Anya.
"mmMMmmM." Becky hummed, shrugging. Took a bite of her beef. "What abou—" Another pause. She'd almost asked what Anya had been up to, automatically. As if the time she was gone, was a vacation.
She did have a lot of questions, but Anya probably didn't want to talk about it. Becky had been holding back all morning, knowing she shouldn't probe.
How did Becky ask where she'd been? Who kidnapped her? Why did they take her? Did anyone hurt her? Was she lying about her hands? Was she really okay? Did she know someone was after her before it happened? She'd been acting all squirrelly, it was weird. And if so, why didn't she say something? Would she ever tell Becky what happened?
Becky looked to her and caught Anya casting her an uneasy side-glance, then an instant smile to gloss over it.
'Weird. . .'
Could Anya tell she wanted to ask? She thought she'd been hiding it pretty well, but maybe not.
"What about your show?" Anya distracted her, Becky never having to think how to answer that.
Berlint in Love was her favourite program and loved talking about it. But she hadn't watched it since Anya went missing. The passion for it had gone like her best friend.
"Becky?" Anya asked, concern growing on her face.
No way was she that obvious. Was she? Anya was reading her like an open book, how was she doing that?
Becky waved it away. "Just haven't had time to watch it lately. Been pretty busy."
"Mmm. . ." Anya said, not convinced and returned to eating. Becky as well.
A lull between them.
Blackbell picked at her rice as she searched for a topic that wasn't taboo.
"Oh! Let's go shopping this weekend. " She suggested and erased the awkwardness.
The prospect of spending recreational time with Becky after so long, lit up Anya's features.
Lunch was put on the back burner as they planned the trip in anticipation, entirely oblivious to the boy a few tables down, aware of their presence. Aware of their laughter. Aware of her laughter. A sound he hadn't heard in over a month and a half, accosting his eardrums. A sound slipping past the other kids to distract him from Ewen talking.
Damian looked their way. Forger and Blackbell were smiling and chatting. The unnatural sight of Becky sitting alone was gone.
Forger paused to gape at something Becky said, making him snort in amusement.
"Boss?" Emile was drawn to the noise and Ewen's story halted.
"WhatNothing." Damian's tone, calm, but rushed. The boys, searched the direction he turned away from and spotted the girls.
"Are they annoying you? Should we tell them to shut up?" Ewen asked loyally.
"Yeah! I bet they're sitting there mocking you. I wouldn't put it past them. They probably think they can do whatever they want now." Emile said as Ewen nodded along.
"Don't bother." Damian said, instantly deflating their enthusiasm. "Of course they're annoying, but it's not like they'll listen." He said in an uncharacteristic display of inaction, preventing further debate as he dug into his food.
"Oh. . . ok. . ." Emile said, raising his eyebrow at Ewen who shrugged and shook his head.
Honestly, they couldn't tell what he was thinking sometimes.
They left it alone as they went back to eating, Ewen, returning to his story.
Damian chimed in occasionally, but her stupid laugh kept ringing in his ears. Her stupid smile imprinted on his brain. Her stupid face. . .
She was sitting there with her. . .her st—her stupid face. . .
He looked at her again, still caught in the reality that she was back. Still caught at the sight of her being here.
Not that he cared. Of course not. It was just strange.
That was all.
Yeah. . . that was all.
Is what he told himself, but the more he looked at her, the more he. . . wanted to go over there?
What for?!
Oh. Because she was being annoying.
That's right.
To tell her to shut up. To stop being a pest. To stop bothering the one and only Damian Desmond.
But how stupid would that be? It was the cafeteria. Everyone was loud. Why was only Forger bothering him?
No! Forger and Blackbell, He amended. Repeated it. Repeated it.
"Tsk!" He looked away, violently digging into his food, his friends once again drawn to his odd behaviour.
He didn't care! Of course he didn't care!
"Hey, Boss, if it's really bothering you, let's just go over there!" Suggested Ewen. "How dare they anger you, the great Lord Damian?!" His words made Desmond stop to look at him, suddenly brought out of his head.
He took too long to answer. "What. . . n-"
"Yeah, c'mon, let's go!" Emile fortified Ewen's outrage with his own, the duo expectantly waiting for Damian as they stood.
Well. . . what was he supposed to do now?
"Right. . . yeah. . ." He dropped his fork, instantly regretting it when he got down from the bench.
This was so stupid.
He walked past the tables, getting closer and closer. This was so stupid. Forger's features became clearer and clearer. This was so stupid. He came to stand at the end of the table where they sat.
This.
Was so stupid.
Forger shifted to look at him.
Damian's muscles tensed and turned to stone as he met her eyes.
They were as green as ever. The brightest things he'd ever seen. What an eye-sore. "Hey." He said stiffly, before his friends could embarrass him, breaking his gaze from her unwavering one.
"Sy-on boy?" She spoke to him, the first words directed his way since her return.
"So, you're back, huh?" He sniffed haughtily, looking down his nose at her.
"What do you want, Desmond?" Blackbell asked, irritated that he was interfering with their free time together.
He clicked his tongue at her tone as he tried to think of something to say. Anything to justify his visit at their table that didn't sound dumb.
"Sy-on boy?" Forger prompted.
Again. That stupid voice.
What was with her stupid voice!
"I don't care!" He suddenly blurted out as his face warmed, his friends and the girls startled at the outburst. A few heads angled their way at the ruckus.
"What?!" Blackbell asked, matching Forger's perplexed expression.
Damian went quiet for a moment as he composed himself. Smirked as if it hadn't just happened. "I don't care." He repeated. "I came to say that you'll get no pity from me just 'cause you went missing. You're still an uggo shrimp of a commoner, so don't think anything has changed." He folded his arms imposingly, the perfect reason.
Yeah.
That's why he came over here.
Forger deadpanned at the response, completely undaunted by him. She had a feeling Operation Strix wouldn't get very far today. In fact, it felt like it was going backwards. "Why would Anya want it?" She said, repelled, before Blackbell could toss insults at them and possibly her food.
Desmond gritted his teeth, his face heating again.
"Don't talk to Lord Damian that way! You'd only be so lucky!" Ewen said, Emile joining in.
"Stupid uggo!"
"Yeah! Stupid uggo!"
"Shut up!" Damian commanded, the boys instantly quiet.
They were making enough of a scene as it was, they should just leave, but—
He narrowed his eyes at Forger. Her indifferent attitude held an unimpressed visage.
They were expecting them to leave as they always did, but his feet couldn't seem to.
They were rooted to the floor, preventing him.
"Um. . . boss?" Emile asked, wondering what was going on. The silence among them was a little awkward. Even Blackbell was quiet.
Why didn't he want to leave?! It certainly couldn't be to keep looking at her!
Heck no! He was suspicious! Yeah! He wanted to know what was up with her! He couldn't outright ask her though, she wouldn't tell him. He had to be stealthy, had to be tactful.
He noticed her face change slightly to uncomfortable and smugly assumed his glare was getting to her.
He had confidence he would figure this out. Figure her out. His feet un-glued from the ground and he left without a word. The boys, followed behind.
". . . Weirdo. . . " Becky commented at his departure.
Anya agreed whole-heartedly.