"The laws of celestial mechanics dictate that when two objects collide, there is always damage of a collateral nature," she puffed, pretending to hold a pipe against the corner of her mouth.
"Lila, what the fuck are you talking about?"
A few chuckles rose from around the table as the clatter of bowls dampened the rest of Ivy's fleeting complaint. It didn't matter how Lila spun her words; they were always so infuriatingly unavoidable.
"Is that what humans do with their skewers?" Lunae cocked her head like a curious dog.
"Nah, I'm larping," the Earthling grinned, pinching the stick between her teeth.
"Be that as it may," Yrix crossed her arms. "There's always a message with you."
It was odd to have her there, the oppressor of their dreams participating in the festivities. But it seemed only Sonera could maintain her grudge through the mist of trauma and retroactivity. Everyone else was simply too weary for a denial of fondue and crackers.
Besides, Yrix wasn't the only enemy Lila's family could make peace with.
For the moment.
"Think she's trying to play us up," Rena spoke through a mouthful of cheese.
Resting on her shoulder lay Alia, who paused her own fragile slumber with a faint smile. Ivy could swear she was amused, and for a brief moment, began to hate that girl once more. Insecurity had a habit of sneaking in at the worst times; it seemed.
"Well then." The heiress shook her head, allowing Alia to regain some sympathy in her mind. "Take the compliment."
Rena waved her off. "Nah, we don't got shit on you guys, no reason to even keep score. Alia here got rocked and ya'll saved my bacon. As far as I'm concerned, its a done deal."
"Is it?" Sonera interjected, her voice softened. "We've all faced defeat before. How we learn and adapt will decide the next battle."
Rena wanted to say more, but the twins were already giving her a dirty look. Long had they been obscuring their true strength. And unlike Alia, they possessed no personal vendetta against their fellow students.
More formal that way.
Less hesitation.
It was then essential that the twins maintain a low profile. Or at least that was the idea. Truth be told, they loved Fondue.
Why not break a few rules?
"What about you guys?" Lila waved at them. "We've never seen you guys in action."
Mina stared at her with a blank expression. The other sister might as well have been deaf, picking at her cheese absentmindedly.
"Another silent type? Well, if Sonera's anything to go by, ya'll probably be spreading cheeks out there."
A rare crack formed across Mina's face. "You remind me of my brothers." Her voice was jagged and rough, not at all like the smooth ballerina she had been compared to. "Bold."
"Ugh," Ivy muttered under her breath.
Another spat of jealousy.
"Well, what can I say?" Lila spread out, leaning back in her chair. "I'm what the denizens of mankind call a tomboy. Or perhaps even a pick-me, as my own brother would say."
Her voice came out like broken Southern English, forcing another laugh from Lunae and Rena. Even Dina nearly smiled. She too enjoyed reminiscing about family.
"Damn, Lila, say you've got like a superpower for breaking tension," Rena choked on her food.
Her table manners weren't nearly as eloquent as Ivy's. Nothing quite as disastrous as Lunae's, though, who struggled to hold her skewer.
Sonera chimed in with one of her warm smiles, "Agreed."
"It's only fair, I be getting my ass carried all the way to...well here and back." Lila blushed. "Fraud material's gotta stay relevant somehow."
"Nonsense," Lunae frowned. "We've been over this."
"Indubitably," Ivy seconded. "I've seen you for what you really are."
The heiress struggled not to kiss her partner, opting to embrace her arm instead.
"Well, if my input means anything," Yrix wagged her fingers, knowing full well she had the superior opinion. "You should take solace in knowing that your abilities are more evenly matched than you think."
Lila still wasn't convinced. Pressing the matter would only make her look desperate, however.
"Who wants some cake?" The Arch-Flayer intervened. She knew Lila needed the distraction. "I picked the colors of each segment to match your style."
"Y-yeah!" Lila beamed.
Yrix could read every response, verbal or nonverbal. She wasn't exactly surprised then to piece together a consensus.
"Slick for a monster."
"Still pretty cool though."
"What's cake?"
Yrix waved for the girls to follow, having already served the dessert at another table. A brief commotion followed as Lunae straggled behind. Finally, her skittish tendencies had given Sonera just the opportunity she needed.
"Lunae," the assassin sneaked up behind her.
Ivy was following her partner as she fawned over the cake. The coast was clear.
"Hmm?" Lunae looked up, still in her seat.
It was just as she practiced with Ivy.
Perfect.
"Hah!" Lunae's hands shot up, her tail contorting as if she were shocked. "Mmh!"
Sonera had craned her neck over the princess, delivering a passionate kiss on her lips. She made sure it was brief, remembering not to rely on the tongue so early. A first kiss should be reserved and brief.
Not that Lunae cared. She was in a state of complete disbelief. A kiss was more than a proposal.
It was a promise.
That one day she would break the rules for her.
"Sonera," Lunae exhaled. Her partner was already turning to rejoin the others. "I-."
There was a time and a place to talk it over. Yet Lunae couldn't help but purr uncontrollably as a low, growling roar escaped her throat. She was in love.
And terribly ashamed.
Sonera had kissed her. She had not kissed Sonera. There was a distinction.
An anomaly.
A chasm.
"Maybe you're right, mother," Lunae whispered, as if Lovatte was right in front of her. "Maybe I am a coward. But I'm her coward now."
She didn't know how to move forward. It all happened so fast. But if Sonera could keep her calm, then perhaps Lunae could do the same.
To an extent.
"Dang, this is super cool!" Lila poked the segment of the cake with magenta frosting. "Look, Ivy, she put us together!"
She hadn't seen Yrix prepare it like the Fondue, but it was evident how much effort had gone into the project. The dessert was perfectly round and triple-decked, loaded with ornamentation that resembled the vines in the Aerie. It was perhaps Yrix's greatest work yet.
"Yeah," Ivy sighed. "She did. It's a nice cake."
"Dependents," Yrix explained. "That was my logic for the orientation."
"Cap, you totally just shipped us hehe."
Yrix shot a glare at Lila.
"My apologies, good sir." Her accent was mockingly British. "Let us not be rash."
"It's...nice." Rena blinked.
She'd spent a good deal of time waking the dancer, unsure if Alia had been cognizant during the whole affair.
"It's very nice." Alia stared with drooping eyes. "Thank you, Yrix."
The Arch-Flayer seemed a bit surprised hearing that. She had always known of Alia's troubled upbringing and how life under the Consortium wasn't exactly a step down. Yet still she hadn't expected such warmth.
"You're even worse than Lila," Rena poked the dancer in her side. "Lucky I can't hit you."
"Too in love with me?" Alia taunted, still relying on her partner's weight to stabilize herself.
Yrix waved her hand dismissively before turning to leave. She could tell where the warm festivities were heading.
"Enjoy the cake." She didn't bother reminding the students of their impending finality.
They already knew.
"So how did ya'll become a thing?" Lila broke the tension once more, waving Yrix goodbye as she reached for a plastic knife.
Ivy wanted to call her primitive for that. Why serve food with your hand when a Psionic grasp can get the job done in a fraction of the time?
"Here." Ivy plucked the utensil out of Lila's hand. "I'll do it."
Even her so-called enemies got their share of cake, carefully sliced and levitated onto their plates.
"Thanks," Rena nodded towards Ivy. "And to be honest...I'm just a total sucker for girls like her. She knew it, and she got me. Can't even say it was hard."
"It was easy," Alia snickered. "Though the same went for me. A girl like me can't resist a good tomboy."
That clearly wasn't the whole story, nor the extent of their relationship. But why get caught up in the shameful details when vague summaries worked just fine? And in fairness, it wasn't like Lila was about to regale her friends with the full tale of the Mimic.
"Ah." Lila scratched her chin. "Yeah, I get it. Kinda like Ivy with monkey girls from Earth."
"Hey!" Ivy puffed. "Don't insult my taste!"
"And then there are those two," Rena chortled, pointing towards Sonera and Lunae. "Peas in a pod."
The princess was curled up on Sonera's lap like a cat, purring with loyal excitement. She didn't even bother explaining herself. For in many ways, Lunae's position spoke far louder than words.
"Heck yeah," Lila stabbed her cake, offering up a piece to Ivy. "We're all not single anymore. This was totally worth it."
Rena laughed once more before allowing herself a moment of silence. "Listen, I wanted to say thank you."
Sonera adjusted her gaze. She could miss a few seconds of admiring Lunae to hear what Rena had to say.
"Alia means a lot to me and well...you could have killed us both. Don't let it go unsaid that we owe you."
"Debt accepted." Sonera nodded. "We have a common enemy."
"See, that's what I was saying!" Lila jumped. "Ya'll thought I was crazy?"
"I think you're still a little crazy," Lunae was the one to say it. "But that's not a bad thing."
"I think we're all fucking crazy." Rena shrugged. "But hey, at least this cake tastes good. Who woulda guessed that psycho alien could cook."