Elayra raised an eyebrow at Ghent’s adjectival choice for the backpack. “Not [i]quite[/i] the word I’d use for it. But it [i]is[/i] interesting.” She had never seen a pattern repeated to such perfection before, let alone one consisting of skulls. Even the material of the pack was, in its own right, intriguing.
	Drust’s brows rose fractionally when Ghent addressed him.
	“Optimism will only bring you severe disappointment,” Elayra interjected, her tone and expression filled with the bitterness of experience, "or get you killed faster."
	Her attention shifted to the bag Ghent offered her. Her head cocked slightly, and she took it and the cup. She ran a thumb carefully over the flimsy cardboard. “Your cups here feel like rather impractical,” she commented, her voice filled with fascination rather than criticism.
	Drust accepted the items with a jerky nod in thanks.
	Elayra followed Ghent’s lead and sat near him. She placed the cup on the floor, then opened the top of the paper bag. She peered inside, then pulled out something wrapped in paper. She turned it over in her hand as Drust once more unstrapped his katana, and sat a bit further away, his wary gaze shifting between the door and the bag of exotic food.
	Elayra glanced to Ghent as he began his explanation. Taking note that he had unwrapped his burger, Elayra did the same with hers. 
	“[i]Ham[/i]burger?” She held it at eye-level, examining the meat shoved between the seed-studded buns. The meat glistened with grease and juices in the dim light from the phone. “As in meat from swine? Or is that a word with a different meaning here?”
	When he moved on to the milkshakes, both Elayra and Drust glanced toward the cups, tubes sticking out from the lids.
	Elayra placed the burger, still mostly wrapped, on her knee, and picked up the milkshake. She closed one eye and looked down through the straw, before deciding to remove the lid. It took her a short moment, but she pulled it off, part of the pleasantly brown milkshake sticking to the lid as she raised it. 
	Drust took a bite of the hamburger, a hint of thoughtfulness on his otherwise impassive expression as he chewed.
	Careful to not spill any, Elayra lifted the cup to her lips, the chill of the drink inside gentle against her hand. When her tongue met the sweet, chocolaty drink, her eyes widened slightly.
	“By Absolem!” She cleared her throat once the thick, cold substance slid down it, leaving a sweetness unlike anything she had ever tasted to coat her mouth.
	“Ghent.” Drust looked to him. “Our earlier conversation was interrupted. If you have any further questions, now seems the opportune time to ask them.”