"I think it's all got protein? It's all nutrient paste magicked up to provide different sensory experiences. I guess I don't know if it's all equally nutritious nutrient paste but I don't know why they'd bother with different kinds. It's all halal, even though I think this sausage is pretending to be pork."

Annisa fills her tray delightfully unconcerned with mals (though still looking). Really she thinks the rich people sabotage themselves by getting their children accustomed to delicious food and lots of variety, but she's not going to express that opinion to an enclaver and especially not one who doesn't even seem so sabotaged. Unless she can think of a way to frame it as a dig on New York, she's guessing those go over well (though maybe only from Bostoners, not outsiders?)

"I heard some speculation that what you think you're eating affects how you digest it but there wasn't a controlled study or anything." She finishes loading up her tray, taking a bit more than she plans to eat in case another Bostonian had bad luck at one of the less-protected counters, and when the others are done they can go sit down.

Annisa is pretty sure that variety makes you hungrier, which is why no one gets fat eating just rice even if they eat as much as they want and why Americans are fat, but she isn't actually sure she knows what a controlled study is so she's pretty sure she shouldn't be trying to participate in this conversation. How would you even control a study? She doesn't think they usually have personalities to start with?

"Well I think I'm eating nutrient paste, so who knows how that'll work out" She takes a bite of her sausage and makes a face.

" - OK, no, actually I seem to think I am eating pork sausage, which as it turns out is gross. Does anyone who hasn't spent their whole life avoiding this stuff want to trade?"

"I'll swap you for my eggs." They're very rubbery. 

Marcy gets Abigail to confirm the wholesomeness of the blueberry muffin and splits it with her, then gives some of her eggs to Franklin in exchange for a potato wedge and starts eating. "So is anyone else looking forward to Maleficaria Studies or is that just me?"

"Thanks."

Rubbery eggs are better than pork sausage, though she was kind of hoping she could trade with Marcy or another Boston enclaver because small acts of kindness and reciprocity help build goodwill. Not that Annisa's goodwill isn't valuable, but she's already locked down a lot of trust with her. She really wants Marcy to think well of her and every little bit counts.

"I don't know if it's the class I'm most excited for, but sure, looking forward to it."

"Oh, I'm definitely most looking forward to Shop." 

"Lab for me," says Abigail.

"My father would be so disappointed in me if he saw how long I made faces before I moved shop out of Monday morning. I really want to start building stuff." 

"Also shop, though Mediterranean secret societies is a close runner-up. I've requested Arabic for language lab, hoping the school lets me get away with it and I can use that block for other things. Did you get Intro Theory of Artificing?" The question is directed mainly at Marcy.

A girl shows up with a breakfast tray, an Asian boy following her, and absolutely no sense that you can't just walk up to people who are sitting at enclave tables, as long as you already know them. She doesn't sit down, she just casually walks up and starts talking. "Hey Malak. How'd scheduling go, got anything good?"

Fuck fuck fuck those kids have power sharers fuck 

"Very pleased to meet you, Naima, I think she looks busy – " 

Oh NO poor Malak also who the fuck does that??? She doesn't look like one of the confused Americans who doesn't know anything!! Annisa....will rehearse at bedtime graceful ways of handling this situation both as a bystander whose reputation is nonetheless mildly at stake here - Malak's the one who got her the introduction to Marcy - and as the primary victim should, god forbid, it ever happen to her. Right now she's coming up completely empty. She can't say "we're in the middle of something" because if Boston likes to be superficially more polite than that - the Brits do - then she's been too blatant and been rude. Malak's best move is probably to say "yeah, I'll show you later" and hope the girl can TAKE A HINT but if the girl could TAKE A HINT she wouldn't be doing this.

... Oh no.

"Oh. Hi Naima. I think this table is full?" GO AWAY PLEASE "Let's catch up at lunch?"

She is seriously tempted to vanish off the face of the earth forever.

Julian cannot read the enclave kids but that south asian girl looks like she wants them dead. He's not sure if one person can look apologetic and slightly protective but also totally uninvolved all at the same time but he sure is trying his best. 

Huh. Normally, Naima would feel like a table not having more seats isn't a reason not to trade schedules while she's standing here, but Malak additionally seems really stressed about something? Weird. Maybe she's having a really stressful interaction and needs to focus on it, or something? Yeah, that seems like the vibe she's getting here.

"Cool, talk to you then," says Naima, and she walks off looking for a different table.

Probably that was not a deliberate act of sabotage because who hates someone else that much on the first day of school but also can you possibly be that oblivious? Maybe she's...blind, and can only sense life-force and not see power-sharers- she's really stretching, here - 

She would shoot Malak a sympathetic glance but she's working quite hard on maintaining a range of facial expressions that can't plausibly further offend Marcy. She will give Malak a hug later - wait, where did that thought come from, they're not friends - she will give Malak a sympathetic glance later, there.

THANK YOU GOD FOR SHOWING NAIMA SOME SENSE.

" - So that was Naima, she's from Cairo, has a real entrepreneurial spirit and traded away all of her social skills for a strong healing affinity."

(And Julian is gone. He was really expecting his most stressful moment in the Scholomance thus far to involve something with more teeth.) 

When something awkward happens it's often a good strategy to pretend it didn't so that everyone else can join you in a collective delusion if they want. She mentally rewinds the last thirty seconds and says "I didn't get intro theory of artificing, which is too bad, it sounds great. I did get what looks like a start on math-for-artificers alongside algebra 2, though, and the German stuff I wanted, so not a bad pull all told." Maybe Malak will need help with her artificing theory homework and show her all the cool things she does not ill-wish her fellow students that is not proper. She can try again next semester.

Phew, that is a relief. God bless Marcy - God has already blessed Marcy a ton, but, hey, Malak is grateful, God can bless her some more if He feels like it.

"I got a pretty good assortment, only really disappointed in 'Malice and Maleficaria in 18th century French poetry' Monday mornings - more mal studies is fine, but French is my weakest language and I know nothing about European poetry."

Maybe the school noticed Malak had recently acquired a French spellbook, but she can't say that.

"Yeah, if I have a hard time with anything it'll be Akkadian Divinations. I'm hoping we'll get translations of the primary sources; if it's meant for fluent Akkadian speakers only I'm going to be in a hurry."

" - Ooh, Akkadian. My brother - had Akkadian." oops she didn't mean to pause there but she almost said 'has' and - now it's awkward and a little sad. Uh, moving on, "Do you have any other semitic languages or are you coming at it blind?"