I sighed.
“Long lecture?” he asked.
“No. Well, yes. It was lengthy, but it was interesting. It was just intense… I hadn’t realized how many details from our histories were kept exclusive to the Studium,” I explained.
“Ah, yeah. The Cataclysm, I presume?”
I nodded.
“Heavy shit,” Kieran agreed. “Though if it helps, that’s probably the most jarring revelation you’re going to face here. Probably.”
“That’s a relief,” I said. “I think I can only handle one apocalyptic shift in my understanding of reality per academic quarter.”
He chuckled.
“That’s fair. Are you headed off to another lecture?” Kieran asked.
“No, I’m done for the day. Why?” I asked, curious where he was going with this.
“Wanna grab lunch?”
Oh.
Well, that was unexpected. And it seemed as though the ever-meddling Fates were making it damn near impossible for me to avoid this man, so…
“Sure, why not?”
I had nothing else better to do.
Chapter Sixteen
Kieran
I didn’t know what possessed me to ask her such a thing.
Lunch? Really, Kieran?
I had already decided that pursuing Arken wasn’t an option, no matter how attractive she was. I didn’t really do the whole “friendship” thing either, outside of a few closer connections with my fellow guardsmen. So why was I bothering with this? I had my moment of fun when I kept the poor woman in that cell for my absurd questioning. Why couldn’t I just leave her alone?
It’s not like I was a misanthrope by nature, and I had nothing against the woman herself—I enjoyed good company and good conversation as much as the next person. It was what followed in the wake of those things that I tried my best to avoid.
The expectations of consistency. The desire for commitment or plans. The pursuit of deeper connection.
It was far too risky for me to allow myself to get close to anybody here, and so I had developed some specific rules of engagement. I was doing just fine in keeping a casual circle of work acquaintances and a string of one-night stands—and nobody suspected a thing, because I was damn good at the performance. Charisma in the hands of the clever was one Hel of a defense mechanism.
So why in the ever-loving fuck was I inviting some innocent, curious looking Conduit to join me for lunch?
Calm down, I told myself.It’s one casual meal. It’s not like you’re taking her out on a date. Relax.
I sighed internally, supposing my subconscious had a point. It wasn’t that big of a deal, and Arken was an entertaining presence. I think I had gotten a rise out of her almost every time we’d encountered each other thus far.
Entertaining, indeed.
“So, where are we headed?” she asked casually, following my lead as we made our way towards the northern half of the Studium.
“I take it you’re not in the mood for the standard student fare?”
She made a face and I laughed, her scrunched expression suggesting that she’d quickly gotten bored of the repetition of the Studium’s dining halls. I couldn’t say I blamed her, either—the scholars were more focused on nutritional benefits than they were on actual flavor. That said, it was all free and you couldn’t really look a gift horse in the mouth.