We find them in a public cafeteria. The food... looks less than savory. The pale, overcooked vegetables are piled in a mushy heap, while the mystery meat grey and rubbery sits untouched by most.
Aika is sitting next to Rose, completely out cold. Her head is resting on her arms, her face squished against the table, and a small pool of drool has formed where her chin rests. Her breathing is slow and steady, completely unaware of the surroundings.
Kai sits across from her, quietly staring at the food in front of him. He looks at it, then to Aika, and then back at his tray, lost in thought. This couldn't be worse than anything Markus made, he muses, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he remembers the awful excuses for meals they used to deal with back in the day.
At the other end of the table, Arnik is poking at his own food, eyes narrowed in thought. He's barely touching the rubbery meat, using the tip of his fork to nudge the potatoes into a neat pile. He's thinking hard—A leader needs to lead by example... But that thought is cut off when the sudden sound of a fork scraping against the metal tray cuts through the air.
Rose's fork clatters again, and Kai looks over to see her almost done with her third helping, the food disappearing with surprising speed.
Their eyes were glued to her, as were the eyes of the other soldiers around them.
"I've never seen someone eat with such... enthusiasm..." one of the soldiers muttered, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Is she even chewing?" another whispered, leaning in closer to get a better look.
"How can she just keep going?" someone else said, shaking his head. "Is she even human?"
The murmurs swirled around the room like a soft hum, but Rose didn't seem to notice. She was too busy devouring the awful excuse for a meal with a single-minded focus.
Arnik, poking at his own food, leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing as he watched her.
"Rose..." he muttered, his voice barely audible. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."
He thought to himself, She's inhuman... Do demi-cats not have taste buds?
Kai, sitting across from him, let out a quiet laugh as he glanced over at the scene. He stared at the relentless motion of Rose's fork, and then his mind wandered.
I thought demi-cats were known for having refined palates, he thought. This... is something else entirely.
Rose paused for a moment, a piece of the awful food halfway to her mouth, before she looked up at Arnik with a grin.
"It's nothing like the food on Mars," she said, her voice muffled as she chewed. "That stuff is way better."
Arnik chuckled, his eyes softening a little as he watched her devour another spoonful. It felt strange, hearing her talk about Mars like it was some kind of paradise compared to this slop.
"You still eat like it's the best thing you've ever tasted," Arnik teased, letting out an audible laugh. It had been a while since he'd genuinely laughed like that, and it felt good.
Rose shot him a glare, her ears flattening slightly as she scooped another helping onto her plate.
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped playfully, her cheeks puffed out. "Let me eat in peace."
Arnik couldn't help but smile at her response. She really didn't care what anyone thought when it came to food.
As Rose continued to shovel the tasteless meal into her mouth, a big, strong-looking demi-wolf bumped into her, knocking her tray slightly.
"Excuse me," Rose muttered, a bit annoyed, but she didn't really mind it. After all, she had been too focused on her food to pay much attention to the others around her.
The demi-wolf rolled his eyes and sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Shut up, bitch."
The room went dead silent.
Kai dropped his fork, his eyes widening in disbelief. Arnik's mouth hung open as he coughed, spitting up a bit of food in shock.
Aika, who had been asleep with her head resting on the table, jerked awake at the sudden tension. Her bleary eyes widened as she quickly sat up, rubbing at her face with her hands.
"O no," she whispered under her breath, eyes flicking between Rose and the demi-wolf.
Rose was seething with rage. Her hands slammed her tray aside, sending food spilling across the table as she stood up, her entire body tense with fury. Her ears and tail stiffened, her eyes darkening with the promise of violence.
"What did you say?" Her voice was low, dripping with barely-contained anger.
The demi-wolf smirked, not even bothered by her sudden outburst. "I said bitch, you bitch!" He sneered, stepping forward, his posture dismissive, as if he could walk all over her.
Kai's heart skipped a beat, and he thought, She's gonna kill him...
"Say that again!" Rose's voice was deadly calm now, but there was a dangerous edge to it as she stepped toward him, her eyes flashing with unrestrained rage.
The demi-wolf didn't back down.
Before things could escalate any further, Arnik was quick to step between them. His voice, firm and authoritative, cut through the tension. "Okay, both of you, calm down now!" His body was positioned firmly between Rose and the demi-wolf, trying to prevent the inevitable blow-up.
Rose's glare turned to Arnik, her eyes burning with frustration. "This doesn't concern you!" she snapped, her voice laced with venom.
Arnik stood his ground, his own voice rising with conviction. "Yeah, it does! Your my responsibility!" His eyes locked with hers for a moment, trying to cool the fire in her.
The demi-wolf scoffed, clearly mocking them both. "Oh, please! You think you're so high and mighty. Gosh, you're insufferable!" He pointed at Arnik, his words dripping with contempt. "You're that Angel Squad, right? The ones who came from Mars. You guys are such a joke!" His tone turned mocking, as he continued, "Why does a group of spoiled-ass kids get such a high role? You're all pathetic!"
Kai, who had been sitting silently up until this point, suddenly stood up, slamming his hand onto the table as he pointed right at the demi-wolf. "He is the Chosen One, if you haven't heard. And your superior, so show some damn respect!" His voice was filled with authority, a protective anger rising from deep within him.
The demi-wolf laughed, completely unbothered. "Oh yeah? The Chosen One?" He scoffed, his tone mocking. "If he's so special, why did Mars fall?" He laughed again, louder this time.
At that moment, a human from a nearby table stood up, crossing his arms and smirking as he joined the confrontation. "Didn't you guys recently lose somebody?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Heard he was taught by that wack-job Crowne! Must've been a feral beast." His words were calculated, meant to dig in deeper.
The air was thick with tension as the room seemed to hold its breath.
The words hit Arnik like a freight train. The mention of Markus, the painful reminder of their loss, twisted something deep within him. Without thinking, without hesitation, his mutated fist shot forward, crackling with violent energy.
It took less than a second for his fist, imbued with the power of his mutation, to slam into the man's face. The impact was deafening. The human was sent flying backward, crashing into tables, the force of the blow pushing them aside like they were made of paper. The man's body hit the ground hard, sliding across the floor, stunned.
Arnik stood over him, his breath heavy, eyes wild with fury. He wiped his lip, a small trickle of blood staining his chin as the air around him began to crackle. Sparks of electricity danced along his skin, his mutation flaring to life as a violent current coursed through him.
"Oh, it's on now!" Arnik growled, voice filled with an electrifying rage.
Kai, standing behind the chaos, let out a heavy sigh. "This won't end pretty."
Rose cracked her knuckles, an eerie smirk stretching across her face. "It sure as hell better not be!" she said, her voice full of confidence and a hint of excitement.
Aika, still half-asleep and clearly disoriented by the sudden eruption, slowly sat up. She rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding in front of her. "Calm down, please… We're gonna get in trouble for this…" Her voice was shaky, but her gaze flickered to the ongoing confrontation.
Arnik, still seething with anger, barely acknowledged Aika. His fists clenched as his electric energy crackled louder. His focus remained on the human who had dared to mock them.
"Don't bring up Markus again…" Arnik muttered through gritted teeth, his voice low, dangerous.
The human, now starting to recover, staggered to his feet, electricity sparking from his body in retaliation. "You think you can just—"
Before he could finish his sentence, both Arnik and the man dashed at each other, their movements too fast for the naked eye to track. The air buzzed with the anticipation of the fight that was about to erupt.