Two hours later, Fiona is the last one to turn in her test.
I know it can't be because of the multiple choice and math portions because I've taken years off of my life to drill basic knowledge and reasoning into her, as well as pre-calc.
Once the last form was placed in front of Night Woman, she called a break while she spent the next hour grading them.
During that break, I elected to go back to the cafeteria for a post-test celebration that would consist of exactly one slice of the most heavenly creation every composed by ancient man...
A slice of devil's food cake drenched in chocolate syrup, with chocolate buttercream and a medallion of fudge, powdered with white chocolate shreds and decorated with little chocolate penguins. Oh and a cherry. For fiber or something, I guess.
Little did I know, I'd find a familiar-looking werewolf girl staring through the glass at a mountain of pasta and meatballs...
As soon as I had my prize, I slid up to her, intent on saving her from herself. "Unless your metabolism is Rank 5, I'd recommend protein and light carbs instead of complex carbs like pasta. More energy for the practical that way."
Tala's ears perked up and her tail wagged a little. "I didn't know that. I guess it makes sense, since you were smart enough to finish the test in twenty minutes... what did Night Woman want you for? You smelled a bit annoyed, I think..."
Oh no, she's got a scenting Talent. I should have guessed that... I'd need to be a bit more guarded with my emotions around her.
"It was mostly nothing. I'm sure at some point you'll find out I already have my GED."
"Wait, so why are you here?" she smiled at the cafeteria lady and received a heap of mashed potatoes in gravy and meatloaf, the latter of which smelled so good I thought I might actually try it. Destiny was many things, but a good cook she was not, and thus her one attempt at meatloaf had left me toilet-bound for what felt like an eternity.
She did have excellent ordering skills. And the H.I. tower had a dedicated kitchen. Nothing deserving of a Michelin star, but they did try.
"I'm here because the rents want me to make a reputation the "proper way" and not out on the streets or in some shitty internship," I scowled.
Tala gave me a knowing nod. "My parents wanted something like that for me. Except they didn't want me to go to school on the Rez. Not a lot of resources compared to a place like this, you know?"
Oh girl, did I know. In my last life, most of my spoils went to exactly three places: Foreign resistance organizations fighting for their independence against the largely defunct empires of old, police bribes (What? I'm not above cushioning myself for a fall that it turned out never happened), and First Peoples like Tala.
"Which, ah, tribe are you? If I may ask."
"Hopi," she replied. "Thanks, most people don't think I'm native because, well, I've always looked like this."
"Most people wouldn't know manners if you twisted them into a pretzel with one end up the other."
Tala giggled, a surprisingly girl sound mixed with little wolfish noises.
That was the point at which the lunch lady called over the divider, "I'm sorry, girls, but would you mind sitting? It's about to be the first lunch bell." Her accent was vaguely Eastern European.
"Thank you," I said, echoed by Tala before we sat down together. For twenty minutes we talked, me following my habit and piecing apart precisely perfect bites and taking them one at a time while Tala forked her meatloaf into the mashed potatoes and blended them together into something like a semisolid crater before she took up her spoon and bit down.
"Ugh," she fished the spoon head out of her mouth and let it drop onto her tray. "I hate plastic spoons."
"Oh, I have a titanium spork," I remembered, temporarily removing my pack and fishing for it.
"Why do you have a titanium spork?"
"They make good digging tools and screwdrivers in a pinch. Plus, my sister sometimes needs something stronger to eat with if she's not paying attention."
"You and she must get along quite well," Tala noted.
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the things we got up to. I think it goes back to when we turned eight and got kidnapped." It didn't feel right to mention the true start of our good terms was when I got our babysitter fired on accident.
"You got kidnapped!?" Tala's ears perked up.
I told her the story, and afterwards she exclaimed, "So that was you... All I heard about it was my parents trying to scare me saying 'Even Crusader's kids can get kidnapped.'"
"Yep. That's us. Daughters of the worlds most polished assh-"
"Ash! Ash! Come quick! They're starting us early! Bring your girlfriend!" Fiona practically bounced while hovering.
"She's not my girlfriend!" I shouted back, sparks flying from my eyes. Stars, this girl...
Tala gave a good-natured chuckle before lifting her plate and using my spork to shovel the food quickly past her fangs.
"Tell me a bit about life on the Rez while we walk?" I proposed and she nodded, chewing rapidly as I took the best corner bite I could before taking my tray to the depository.
Fiona didn't miss a chance, "Hee hee hee..."
"Oh shut up!"