Elias exhaled. "Right. Makes sense. Still, I feel like I got run over after that obstacle course…"
Kikaru let out a short laugh. "I bet your heart sank the first time a sword went through you, thinking you'd just died."
Elias rubbed the back of his head, walking past her toward his pod. "Something like that. Managed to clear it in about twenty-eight minutes, though."
Kikaru's laughter cut off. She blinked, then whistled. "Not bad for a first run. I've done it twelve times now, but I only broke fifteen minutes after my seventh try."
"Huh. Good to know," Elias muttered. "Well, I'm crashing for a few hours. I'll catch up at dinner—Dot's needs some study time anyway."
He waved her off, but Kikaru hesitated. She coughed lightly before speaking. "Uh… could you make dinner again? Doesn't have to be my favorite or anything, just… your cooking's better than the mush they give us."
