Lucia makes her first ever real friend on Field Day of freshman year.
Celia Palomo jumps an oversized amphisbaena before Lucia can get to it. Lucia was probably going to make it in time to save the scrawny little indie the mal clearly had its sights on, but only probably. She doesn't not step in, just because someone else is handling it; that someone else could get hurt.
Lucia doesn't recall her name immediately; she's pretty sure she remembers putting this girl's name and description on a flashcard, but she hasn't finished making her flashcards yet, let along started seriously studying them.
"Nice save," she says.
"Thanks," the other girl says, looking her over warily. "Lucia Walsh-Rhys from New York, right?"
Lucia cringes internally. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name--"
"I wasn't aware you ever knew it to forget it. I'm Celia. Palomo. No enclave."
Lucia nods. "Anyway. Thanks. Um, it looks like you might've wrenched your shoulder a little," she says, and shoves a container of healing goo into Celia's hands, and bolts. Mals she can handle. Social situations? Not so much.
Lucia keeps an eye on Celia after that, though. Celia is less aggressive than Lucia; she doesn't patrol, or anything. If she saves someone, she'll insist that they pay her back. But she doesn't insist beforehand, and if someone tells her off and runs, she doesn't chase them.
Lucia steps in to keep Celia from getting eaten by something pointy six days after Field Day.
"I could've handled it," Celia says defensively.
"Okay, sure, but you'd've gotten hurt. I like it when other people make my job easier."
Luzai very deliberately sits next to Celia at dinner that night. Celia is more or less game to be courted by New York because of their friendship, which is sort of exasperating but entirely reasonable.
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