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[sub][@LuckyBlackCat][@Tae][@Heartfillia][@Inertia][/sub]
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[color=gray][indent]Tingles ran up and down Calven's body as evidence of a budding romance across the table reached his ears. The boy did not intend to eavesdrop, but the mention of duck à l'orange grabbed his attention... and held on until the very end of their conversation. With ears the color of habanero, he pursed his lips together and let his eyes wander anywhere else except in their direction.

The awkward spell dispersed as Karya's voice came to greet him. [color=76c429][b]"Good to meet you Calven! And yep. Ixius, you heard him, about getting along."[/b][/color] He smiled sweetly at Karya, but felt slightly hesitant to say anything back. Just a while ago, her anxious posture made it clear to him that something weighed heavily on her mind. Though it was not in his place to wonder why let alone ask.

Soon after, Lorelei, the girl with the vibrant hair, spoke:[color=7ce7d3][b]”I think it would be more entertaining if she didn’t answer ANY of your questions, keep you in suspense of what is true and what isn’t.”[/b][/color] Oh, [i]that was yikes.[/i] Still, Cal's internal audience clapped for her and the few others who took up a stand against Anise. Then, a realization came crashing down on his head like a 44-pound sack of potatoes.

He didn't even know what he was clapping for. Just now, they were speaking up for a reason... and that was because of something that happened between Anise and Selena, right? And yet he was sitting here the whole time like an idiot, tasting all the food and watching the two mages in front of him hiss at each other. His face fell as he sighed, wishing he had paid more attention to the fox girl earlier.

[b][color=7ce7d3]”Well aren’t you just cute as a button.”[/color][/b] Calven was taken aback. He lifted his face to look at her, his bewilderment manifesting slowly on his cheeks. A hand rose to his uniform and traced the small sewn-on disks, feeling his face grow stuffy from the coming heat. This was the first time in his life being compared to a button. Not only that, but she'd called him cute. There was no other way to take that... it was definitely a compliment - the first one he's received since coming to this school. He buried his face in his hands momentarily, completely sure he was going to turn into a tomato.

[b][color=00aeef]"Fank youuu..."[/color][/b] he mumbled through his palms.

[b][color=7ce7d3]”Meh I’m only in this for the money…”[/color][/b] At this moment, he wanted to tell her: [i] "Yes, aren't we all? Money is quite nice. Money is great, actually. I have a lot. Would you like to have some?"[/i] Even if it came from a good place in his heart, something inside urgently willed him to scrap that train of thought and walk far away from it. 

A few moments passed until sound of wood tapping at the plates sounded from his left. Chopsticks? Someone was using chopsticks. Instantly, the thought about Selena from earlier came back to crush him in waves. But before he could sulk, Karya asked a rather important question directed to the group.

[I][color=76c429][b]"Not to bring down the mood too much, but if you're from the Librarium, you wouldn't have heard anything about this? About what's been happening lately?"[/b][/color][/i]

Calven glanced at Karya, then back to Ixius. He wanted to mention something that seemed important the more he thought about it, but needed some time to recollect his memories. Then Selena spoke from the side to answer first. The mention of adventurers that vanished without a trace almost lined up with what Calven had to say, and he felt the need to add on to the discussion.

[b][color=FF3AD9]"He say roads are no ...s-safe anymore. To travel alone...he said."[/color][/b]

He nodded in her direction in acknowledgement before continuing, [b][color=00aeef]"I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I know. My father takes up a seat at the Magus Librarium, and so it's normal that he makes himself scarce at home."[/color][/b] he paused at the mention his own father, feeling rather uncomfortable. [b][color=00aeef]"...but I have not seen him for the past 7 months. My teacher said it was due to a case that needed to be dealt with, but would never go into detail. Then he suddenly insisted on accompanying me for walks right in our own garden of all places... I found that very strange, especially considering that we live in a gated community."[/color][/b] Calven glanced around the table before sparing a thought... their family estate was not too far from Hoseforn. Cases were present there. Though he didn't know where Selena was from, he was sure that she was not from around his city, surely otherwise, he would have heard about a fox girl on the loose. Adding on to that, even if Ixius had heard from the Librarium, it still counted for three people who had some idea of what was going on. He furrowed his eyebrows at Ixius and rested his chin on his hand.

[b][color=00aeef]"Just how far could these cases span over Ealinata...?"[/color][/b] he muttered to the group. A wave of unease washed over him as his look hardened. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and he began to understand why his teacher never told him about the details of his own father's case. He shook his head in an attempt to distance himself from the troubling implications of the situation.

Calven didn't want to leave that question lingering in the air, so he cycled through his mental history and landed on the next most troubling thing.

There was a glance to his plate, then a guilt-filled look towards Selena, and finally he had come up with an idea. The boy proceeded to neatly place 2 pieces of roast chicken on his plate and quietly slid it over to her side of the table, being careful not to get in anyone's way. A peace offering, one to apologize for his lack of situational awareness.[/indent][/color]