Back to the cafeteria!

It has food!

And no Kaylo?

No K- no, here he is, wandering in with his nose in a book and serving himself random items.

"Have I mentioned you're adorable?" she asks, walking up to him. "Because you're adorable."

"Uh." He looks up. "Hi! I don't remember if you have or not."

"I'm Kaede," she clarifies.

"I know, I don't think anyone else around speaks your language and furthermore you look vaguely Ertydon if nothing else, I just don't recall if you've said that before."

"Ah. I probably have, but you were too busy reading something or thinking to notice. Which is also adorable."

He laughs.

"—and I think this must've been the first time I've seen you laugh!" she says, beaming.

"I laugh, it's not unusual!"

"Not when you're all concentrated on your research."

"Well, it's usually not funny."

"And me calling you adorable is funny?" she asks archly.

"It was the way you said it."

"If you say so."

Shrug. He sits down and starts eating his random food without looking at it. Occasionally he brings an empty fork to his mouth.

Adorable.

She gets some food and sits with him, too, and tries to figure out what he's reading without bothering him.

He is reading about breaks.

—okay that might be interesting to ask. "What are you reading about, beyond the obvious?"

"What do you mean beyond the obvious?"

"Well it's a book about breaks, I'm wondering what in particular about breaks."

"Author has a maybe crackpot theory about spells having layers."

"Oh?"