Alice didn’t need to see the looks of other people she passed by, the way their noses scrunched up, the way they glared at her, how they hurried on the moment they got near her. She wasn’t stupid, who’d want to be around her? Nobody in their right mind, that’s who.

God damn she smelled. She wasn’t even inside yet and she could smell the rank stench emanating from under her jacket, even with the cool breeze dissipating things slightly. The return to a regular schedule from the previous month long “break” had been brutal, even for someone like her who hadn’t done much in the way of break-like activities for the most part. She’d read a book, and browsed the internet occasionally, but there were only so many stupid jokes from people concerned about being conquered and subjugated to alien rule that she could take. She’d huffed off at some point and spent at least half her waking hours cutting, hacking, slicing, and thrusting at hard-light holograms. 

And [i]still[/i] the return had managed to completely and utterly exhaust her. To say nothing of the other people, several of them had done only the bare minimum required and they’d been painting the floor with the contents of their stomachs. She’d almost felt sorry for them, sparring against each other was part of training after all, and she was all too aware of how a kick to the solar plexus felt. And that hadn’t even been half, or a tenth of it. Then it had been on to actual swordplay against hard light holorgrams, and plain old dragging every single mote of energy contained in their bodies and using it. The Morrigan was absolutely brutal. 

Passing more people, Alice mused silently on what they all might’ve done with a month free of classes. Maybe some of them had gone out to the nearby city and bought things, probably a good deal of them just slept through the whole thing. 

She’d contemplated going out, but’d had no idea what she’d have even done. She was a stranger in a strange land even back in the country she’d grown up in, to say nothing of China. Unless eating contests were a thing here.

But that break was over, and they were all back to learning new and exciting ways to kill new and less than exciting people. Such fun…

Nearing the building itself, and sighing in relief as cool air washed over her, Alice made for her room- or at least the tram that would take her to the area where her room was. 
_________________

Alice barely had the energy to flop onto the bed as she practically dragged herself into the room. “Hey look at me colonel, I can do the crawl after all.” she rasped wryly, burying her face into the mattress. A shower could wait, a little nap first was in-

Actually the bathroom sounded lovely. Very, very lovely.

Pulling some energy from somewhere, she hurled herself off the bed and onto her feet, running headlong for the great and towards the small room off to the side, or more accurately the perfect porcelain throne within.
______

Emerging fifteen minutes later with a wet mop of hair still clinging to her face, Alice flopped back down on the bed with a soft sigh. 

Tempting though it was, she didn’t sleep. Pushing herself to her feet, she stumbled back over to the small closet nestled near the bathroom and grabbed a jacket, shirt, and pair of pants exactly like the dirty ones, the only difference being these were clean. It wasn’t as if there were different clothes to choose from, she kept them all the exact same for a reason.

Never again would she know the hassle of choosing what to wear in the morning!

But choosing clothing was a problem she’d rectified long ago, and it was a non-issue at this point, and the reaction of her turning up in something other than the trademark cargo pants coat would be more hassle than it be worth. No, there was a problem, but it wasn’t related to clothing. The problem in the present was the ferocious, gnawing, howling, vicious hunger that tore at every inch of her stomach.
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Alice was in a very bad mood by the time she arrived at the cafeteria. She’d just missed the tram and had to wait for the next one, she’d somehow managed to take a wrong turn in a building she’d lived in for more than two years now, she gotten even [i]hungrier[/i], and it looked like most everyone there was wrapping up on seconds and thirds. 

At least the food wasn’t sparse by any stretch of the imagination. She had to admit, if this was what her last few days, months, or years would be like, she didn’t have too much of an issue with things. 

Mouth watering slightly as she loaded shrimp, mashed potatoes, fried shrimp, dumplings, more shrimp, and essentially enough food from the American Deep South to give a coronary to an elephant.

Hefting the plate and carrying it to a table along a wall and near a corner, Alice made idle observation of the other occupants of the room. Most of them seemed to be finishing up and engaging in idle banter, but as she scanned the room she noticed at least three people who apparently were similarly late to lunch- judging by their full plates and lack of post-stuffing-your-face-lethargy.

She looked over to the two girls eating their food. One of them- Lily something was her name- sat in a blue dress with no pockets or anything useful whatsoever, and was speaking with her friend. Who had… cat ears…?

But of course.

Grabbing some of her own food and scarfing it down to keep her stomach quiet, she looked over at the other person.
Ah yes, she didn’t know his name but she knew who he was. He kept to himself, and that suited her just fine. She didn’t really get why people stared at him or well, anything they stare at. He was a guy who apparently liked playing with pocket watches, big whoop.

He suddenly stood up and made for the exit, Alice watched him with a mild curiosity. She looked back over to the two girls, then back at him. Curiosity to know what the hell had just happened burned in her gut like a hot spike.
From what she knew, he wouldn’t exactly take kindly to an [i]“Excuse me, I was curious as to what just happened over there?”[/i] and to be fair, she most certainly wouldn’t either. She looked over to Lily and her friend, then to the door he’d gone through.

Making up her mind, she sighed, pushing up from the table and taking her plate with her, she made her way over to the other table at a medium pace, sliding her plate onto a table a little ways away she walked over to the table. 

“Pardon me, but do you know what was up with him?” She gestured vaguely to his abandoned plate of food and the door. “He looked over at you when he left, did you notice? I’m wondering what exactly is up with that.” She said in the somewhat dry, if not lifeless, tone of voice she used when speaking to most people.