Lunch Reunion

“So yeah,” Continued Jules while stuffing his fork overflowing with spaghetti in his mouth. “Mrs. Howart was bummed out you weren’t there. She didn’t manage to keep up with all the people requiring help with the exercise today.”

He looked up from his friends’s notes to answer. “Eh. I don’t really get why… This looks pretty easy as usual.”

“Heh, of course Marcus the math nerd would say that.” Jules snickered.

“Ah, actually, I wondered if…” He tentatively started, unsure about his own decision. Sam dropped his enormous hand on his shoulder.

“Something the matter?” Asked the colossus of few words.

“Nothing- I mean no, not nothing, but… Not much either, ah…” He started to mumble, trying to get out of the awkwardness he had just created.

“Come on dude, looks pretty important to me if it’s making you hesitate like this. What’s the deal?” Asked Jules with a mischievous smile. He realised Jules was probably expecting some gossip.

“It’s nothing like that! It’s just… I… I don’t like my name.” He felt Sam’s hand shifting to his upper back, trying to put him at ease.

“Yeah, we know. Was there new development on that front?” Enquired Jules, now sporting a concerned frown.

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and took a breath to calm himself. “I’d like if you didn’t use that name for me anymore.”

His friends stayed silent momentarily, which was unusual for one of the two. Sam looked as usual, distant yet deeply invested, Jules ended the pause with a relaxed sigh.

“Sure. What should we call you then?”

“I… Don’t actually know yet.”

“That might be a problem.” Jules shrugged. “I mean, we can try just not calling you anything through clever phrasing, but that’s not exactly sustainable, is it?”

It was true, but… He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He didn’t have a name in mind, and whatever came up in his head didn’t feel right.

“Just for today, okay? I’ll… Find something before tomorrow. If I don’t, just… Just call me Marcus again, I’ll stomach it.” He smiled, feeling an uncomfortable tug at his heart.

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“...Anyway, how’s your team doing, Sam?” Queried Jules. It had become an habit to ask that question at every lunch, as otherwise Sam would barely say anything.

“Training’s good.” Replied Sam. “Still don’t think 4-4-2 is correct for the next match, but that’s what coach has been making us focus on last night.” He continued on, describing how each of his teammates were doing. As usual, the discussion was a bit too technical for his friends to be able to completely follow, but they were simply happy that Sam had this outlet for opening up.

The conversation continued, changing topic every once in a while. Their trays were barely emptying up, Sam was listening to Jules going on about the new RPG that came out, while the last person at the table was deep in his notes, copying word for word the lessons he’d missed this morning like a dutiful scribe.

He was pulled out of his trance by the sound of metal clicking he now recognised. He raised his eyes just a bit and caught a glance of the incriminating boots - yep, Lucie was walking straight towards them, her own tray in hand.

“Hail and well met, Knights of the Lunch Table. Mind if I join your little party?” she jokingly said to break the ice.

Jules immediately hit it off. “Well excuuuse me, princess, but this warmachine in shining armor you’re ogling right now has been finely oiled over lifetimes! Indeed, my noggin and body contains the experience of hundred of heroes- from mere princess-obsessed handymen to literal gods!” he retorted with humor.

“Gosh, lucky me.” replied Lucie, sitting down across Sam. “Name’s Lucie.”

“I’m Jules, and the lad in front of you’s Sam. He’s a bit timid, you’ll have to excuse him.” The aforementioned threw out a half-smile and a quick hand gesture to the girl. “And that last one’s…” Jules’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Call him N, for Nobody.”

“Hello again, ‘Nobody’.” she said with a knowing smile.

N, who took on the moniker immediately, blushed.

“Ah come on, you should’ve started with that.” Blurted Jules with a mock annoyance that ‘Nobody’ felt might have actually been genuine. “You know each other?”

“We’ve met this morning. And we’re supposed to go somewhere before the end of lunch break.” Lucie said, though N thought it wasn’t really wise to reveal that. “Hey, maybe you guys could come with us too.”

“What!? That’s not on you to decide, that’s on Mr. Robert!” He almost shouted before catching himself and toning the volume back to that of a regular conversation.

“Ah come on, if he’s fine with us he won’t mind them either. Worst case scenario a half-assed lecture, from what I’ve seen of the guy.”

“What does Mr. Robert want to show you?” Plainly asked Sam, glancing at the two people arguing.

“Some sort of teleportation device, I think!” Affirmed Lucie, eyes beaming.

“Oh come on, that just does not exist. It’s probably a…” N thought for a moment, searching for an explanation that existed within the realm of the possible. “...A complex hologram screen at best.”

Jules and Sam looked a bit lost in all this. Lucie leaned towards Jules and mock-whispered “You really need to teach him how to have an imagination.”

Jules giggled, but Sam was having none of it. He grabbed onto his friend like a mother bear shielding her cub. “Come on. That’s just not fair to say.” The mischief makers glanced away, now feeling kinda guilty.

They finished their meal quite quickly, the conversation struggling to start back up for a while. N put his notebook back in his bag, and was the first one to stand up, grabbing his tray to deposit it atop the neat pile that started to accumulate from the other students that had already left the cafeteria. He then waited at the door for the rest of the gang to do the same.

Once they were all regrouped, Jules spoke up. “So, time to see Mr. Robert’s thing then?”

Lucie nodded, and they walked back to the main building.