Ceres had never known that a simple lunch could be this full of life. In her past existence, meals were purely utilitarian—usually choked down straight from a metal ration can. Sometimes it was just stale bread and jam, and other times she was forced to forage for survival in the raw wilds. Sure, she had eaten fancy multi-course meals while undercover on high-stakes missions, but those dinners were laced with poison checks and hidden daggers. There was never any joy in them.
There were moments she had shared a table with Xhylan and Marcus, but their conversations were never cheerful. Their daily lives were built on a foundation of bloodshed, deception, and every sin imaginable. What was there to smile about over food like that?
