[h1]Eli and Henry[/h1]
[hr]
“Eli, c’mo-”

“No.”

“He’s not a bad guy, jus-”

“[i]No.[/i]”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

“Oh no, I am being [i]very[/i] reasonable. I have [i]plenty[/i] of reasons. And no matter how many times you bring it up, despite the fact that I keep asking you [i]politely[/i] to fucking not do it, I am [i]not[/i] going to be in the same room as-”

[code]“Arrived. Central Hub.”[/code]

“So [i]there[/i].”

“Fine, fine. [sub]Coward.[/sub]”

“I’ll fucking get you. Somehow, and I will make it look like a bloody goddamn accident.”

They bickered like an old married couple all the journey to the central hub. It was tradition by now, seeing the new freshman class with their own eyes. Henry’d get a feel for how much he was going to have to [i]instruct[/i] or [i]discipline[/i] whoever he took under his proverbial wing, and Eli got a new round of conversational subjects to bitch about. They stepped out of the elevator and onto the floor of the hub, taking in the sight of all the students, both new and old, congregating there. Some folks turned their heads to look at Henry with a smile, like noticing a friend out in public. Others looked at Eli like he owed them money. Or they owed [i]him[/i] money.

“You feeling up for any [i]wagers[/i] this year?” Henry asked as they strode. Eli sighed and responded, “Gee, I dunno. Think I’ve already won enough credits off your scaly ass, don’t you?” And Henry chuckled, returning with a soft [i]fuck you[/i] a little under his breath. He preferred not to swear out loud in front of the newcomers, whoever might be listening. At least, not until he got to know them first. Eli was much more candid, usually.

“We’ll see the new batch and [i]then[/i] decide if we wanna put money on the table.” Eli said. Henry simply nodded and replied, “Alright, alright. Got a good feeling about this year, though.”

“You’ve always got a good feeling about [i]something[/i].”

“Well, [i]one of us[/i] has to. Or else the whole dynamic of this relationship is thrown off.”

“Eh, fair point.”