Rebecca notices they seem jumpy but that could be anything, here, maybe they got cornered by something with fourteen heads on the way somewhere and narrowly escaped. She shuffles up to the table after she's claimed her seat beside Zeke.

Vanya sees her, and waves. He - actually looks kind of better today? His eyes are actually focusing on the room, his expression alert. He's not smiling, but he's radiating concentration more than misery. 

(Larisa told him very firmly that she NEEDS HIM to be ON HIS GAME this week, because he might be only a sophomore but he's stronger in a fight than most of the juniors, and if there's a maleficer running around then there may well, at some point, be a fight. Vanya finds it much easier to keep it together when he's desperately needed for an emergency.) 

"Hi Vanya! - so which of you is Landon?"

"Huh? Oh - he's in the food line. Why?" 

Larisa's eyes sweep past Rebecca, scanning the room, and then jump back to her. "- Oh. It's you." She scowls. "Hey - any chance that New York boyfriend of yours coughed up some wards for your room?" 

"Yeah but he says his won't be very good till he's layered them a lot more."

"Did he tell you the news from this afternoon, yet?" 

"...no?"

"- Well, it'll be all over the school soon enough. Surprised it isn't already. We've now got two maleficers running around. Shanghai's decided to vouch for one of them - which is absolutely going to cause a giant shitstorm that we don't even slightly need - but it turned out he wasn't responsible for the recent murders and possibly-attempted-murders. We don't know who was. So - just, watch out for yourself, okay?" 

"I can walk you to class sometimes if Zeke's busy," Vanya offers. "I've got good combat spells." 

"Oh yikes! Thank you for telling me, I'll, uh, be careful with - people I don't know already I guess? Walking to class when it's not in the right part of the school for Zeke would be good especially for lab and shop..."

"Yeah. We've got a whole rotation set up, we don't want anyone below junior year going anywhere alone until this is resolved. What's your schedule? Landon can see how workable it is to fit you in." 

Block EF (Th) Intro to Lab
Block EF (T) Intro to Shop
Block K Diaspora Enclaves: A History
Block L American History
Block AB (M) Language Lab (language track only)
Block I Language Lab
Block J Language Lab
Block D Introduction to Geometry
Block G Mathematics in Music
Block C Ovid
Block H Freshman Composition
Block L Milton's Poetry

Larisa peruses it. 

"Well, you've got Milton's Poetry with Shannon, we can make sure someone walks you there." 

"Shannon's in the music math one too! ...It's a good class. Rebecca, I have notes from it last year if you need study help at some point?" 

"Oh, that would be super great, thanks Vanya! Math is easier when it's music but it could always be easier than that."

"I think the rest of this should be workable but Landon will have to do the scheduling– oh, here he comes." 

Landon brushes past Rebecca, eyes noting her and moving onward, and sets down two trays of food. "Sorry, this is all I could get." 

"Rebecca here wants to talk to you. I said you'd make her mana storage in exchange for her help." Larisa does not specify help with what. Vanya's right there. 

"Yeah, I was wondering if I need to, like, check the shop shelves and see if there's a piece of wood that speaks to me, or meet with you and take a personality quiz, or what, I don't know how this works."

Landon gives Larisa a Dark Look, which she can translate very easily as 'why did you sign me up for more commitments this week of all weeks.' 

He sighs. "No need to go down to the shop. Cassie's room is our enclave's spot for stashing all the extra supplies we can pick up in shop and lab. We can swing by - maybe over lunch, this morning's rushed for us - and, yeah, you'll want to pick something that feels right. And then hopefully Cassie will let us borrow her shop setup in there sometimes, so I don't need to guard you down in the actual shop for the parts I need you around for. It's about a weeklong project, and then you'll need to do more homework with it before it'll hold mana really well." 

"Okay, lunch is fine! Thank you so much."

Landon mutters something which is probably meant to be acknowledgement, and starts shoveling food into his mouth. 

"Seeya later, Vanya!" Rebecca says, and she drifts back to the New York table.

Larisa eyes her tray, and then nudges most of it over to Vanya. "Please eat. ...Landon, we need to work Rebecca in on our guard roster as much as possible, she's a freshman." 

"Doesn't she have a boyfriend? With freaking New York? Why are we doing this."