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Having made her way to the cafeteria without incident, Ayla walks slowly through the mass of people. She's drinking her water and looks like she might be finding friends or the recipient of a letter she's carrying. Neither of those things is true, though, and in fact she's half biding time, and half hoping to find someone who looks as lost as she is in all this.
She might spot a tall, muscular girl with a large bun standing somewhat to the left of the center of the room looking like she doesn't know where to go. The girl is blank-faced in a way that looks a bit strained and is fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
lionness
She's seen a truly surprising number of mundane-born kids in the last fifteen minutes. It's unexpected good cover for a story Ayla could tell, the story her clan told her to use, that she's never heard of any of this before and just thought she was great in shop class. But... it's hard for Ayla to decide to lie like that. She knows it's important to keep the clan's secret, but she's chosen to take the risk of sticking out as an unsolved mystery if it means she doesn't have to lie. And even the elders admitted she had a point (by pretending she hadn't spoken and integrating what she'd said into their conversation) when she said, if expectations shape wizards' reality, what might happen to a lie that big told that often?
Ayla does another circuit-and-a-half around the bank of cafeteria tables on the left, then goes near the nervous girl - who's neither asking relentless questions like the mundane-born kids nor folding into any pre-existing packs, so she's indie, Ayla predicts, though the numbers are on her side for that anyway. "What's your name?", she asks, looking down at the girl's hands by default.
Her hands go still. "Gladiola." she says. If Ayla were looking at her face, she might be able to perceive the wall of words trying to burst out of her mouth, knock into each other, and collapse in their inability to make their way out in a sequence. As it is, she just sounds a little uncertain.
lionness
"I'm Ayla" - she crinkles her eyes in a smile, the kind that always came more naturally after practice than mouth-smiles had. "I'm not sure it's safe to brave the meal line alone, but my stomach is ready for more than water. Do you want to go together?"
"Yes." Gladiola says firmly, and begins making her way toward the start of the line. "It is very important to inspect the food carefully; many mals like to mimic the dishes. Though it should be fewer right after induction."
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