Normally Shinta peels off to hold down a table for them. This time though, she hunches her shoulder, tightens her hand on the strap of the sling for her machine gun, and sticks by the others. 

...Yeah, Daniella's going to stick by them too.

A lot of the underclassmen haven't arrived yet, so there's still open tables when they emerge, though mostly the bad ones. And still a lot of people trying to invite them to the good tables.

Once again, fuck 'em.

El leads the way to the least bad open table, passes her tray to Daniella to hold, and clears it out.

It doesn't take very long after they sit down for some of the enclavers from New York to stand and begin making their way over - and then to be blocked by what seems to be students from or allied with Shanghai.

...Looks like she maybe missed a thing or two. She makes as if to stand back up.

El grabs her arm. "Sit down," she says. "You're with us."

"Okay."

There's some confusion at first, but the Shanghai-allied students form a bit more of a cordon, and the New York seniors push their way to the front - and are met by the Li siblings, Jiana in the lead. The resulting discussion is muffled, impossible to hear over the general hum of conversation, but it looks somewhat tense. Not imminently violent, at least.

And then Jiana says something, looking exasperated, and gestures at one of the Shanghai freshmen awkwardly standing around.

Who looks a bit caught in the headlights, but quickly turns and makes her way over to El and Lu's table - and she's familiar - and then freezes like she has no idea what she's doing and then in a snap bows very deeply, and then waits to be addressed.

Sigh.

"It's an apple or something to sit down. Or did you want something else?"

She straightens. "I had a question, I apologize for the imposition!" And uh. Bow again??? Maybe she should use more formal language. Should she? She's not sure she'd be very good at it. Crap how did people talk to the Emperor in period dramas?

And back to straight back, then: "Are you willing to answer questions about yesterday? Or to - let a few representatives of the larger enclaves talk to you?"

"Not at breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am!" Was that too much. She bows again, not knowing what else to do, and scurries back to report. 

And Jiana listens and then turns to the New York contigent and makes a broad gesture, clearly snaps something - then points to the London table for some reason, who are apparently studiously and determinedly pretending that absolutely nothing weird has happened in the last twenty four hours -

And then with some visible grumbling, everyone disperses and goes to sit down.

The New York crowd keeps staring, though nearly everyone in Shanghai's sphere is studiously ignoring their table. Sometimes a little awkwardly or excessively, but.

Things settle after that, though they have more underclassmen than usual trying to sit with them.

And then as the first freshmen begin leaving the line, the girl from earlier - who'd kind of aggressively muscled her way to the front - emerges and beelines for their table with an entire second tray. It has: four apples, an orange juice, two extra milks, a small stack of toast with a wobbly stack of jam and honey packets next to it, a cranberry orange muffin, and three entire blueberry pancakes. She's also got a new cut on her cheekbone. 

She reaches their table and bows and awkwardly holds out the second tray in the same motion. 

Uh.

El takes the tray before it falls.

"Have... a seat?"

Is there a seat open right next to El?

There can be. (This looks juicy.)

She sits very primly right next to El - not touching, but where El can very conveniently touch her. If she wants. 

"This is quite a lot of food," El says.

Blush! (And a tiny smug smile.) "I wanted to bring a good offering."

"Well," she takes a bite of pancake. "Thanks."

Luthien reaches over and grabs a few things. 

"Hey, this was brought for me this time."