Adelia laughed at his dramatic declaration, not missing the way his group waved him off with little more than amused smirks. “Wow,” she said dryly, her lips quirking. “No loyalty. Not even a single rescue attempt. You might want to reconsider your fanbase.”

She allowed herself to be tugged along this time, her steps easy and light. The moment he tossed out [i]As you wish[/i], her head tilted slightly—and her smile turned sly. “That better not be a Princess Bride reference unless you're ready for me to quote the whole movie back at you,” she warned, sipping her water with a knowing glance. “I’ve seen it too many times to count because of my siblings. Big mistake bringing that up.”

She followed his gaze to the food table, the buzz of the crowd fading just slightly as they approached the buffet. His answer to her question came with that same offhand honesty she was starting to find charming. “Digital design?” she echoed with interest. “That actually makes a lot of sense. You give off [i]I have a dozen half-finished personal projects I’m super passionate about[/i] energy.”

Her expression turned thoughtful, but still kind. “Sounds like something that lets you be creative but still, like..build something real. That’s cool.” She set her water down to free a hand and reached for one of the skewers she’d spotted earlier, inspecting it for a moment before popping the grape into her mouth.

“I’m in Allied Health,” she said after she swallowed. “Trying to be useful, I guess. Eventually I want to work in physical therapy or maybe occupational therapy. Help people get back on their feet. Literally.” Her tone was light, but there was something quietly grounded beneath it, a conviction that lingered even in the casual way she spoke. She didn’t need to embellish it. It was just who she was.

When made his comment about escaping the crowd, she hummed in agreement, nodding slowly. “Sometimes it’s nice to just… step out of the chaos and breathe, yeah,” she said, casting a quick glance toward the still-lively mixer behind them. “It gets loud. Everyone’s trying so hard to be memorable all at once.”

Her eyes slid back to him, thoughtful. “You’re memorable, but not in the trying-too-hard way. That’s rare.” She popped the piece of cheese into her mouth and smiled around it, playful again. “But you lose points for eating the cookies first. Rookie move, McCail.”