Back Room at the Magic Box, Friday Night

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa didn't realize it was Friday, or that she hadn't taught her class today. Rinoa didn't remember the last time she'd had a full conversation with another human being, instead of just nodding at people and waiting for them to go away.

She was too deep in her book.

She'd been obsessed with books before, but never like this. It was a Sorceress's

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[whateverknight]

Squall walked in with some Mooby's. It wasn't the best-tasting food, or the healthiest, but it was quick and easy and he had a suspicion that Rinoa hadn't been eating much lately. This, she could shove in her mouth and then go back to reading, and maybe he'd feel less worried. It didn't help that he still had no idea what had happened to Quezacotl, and Jono seemed sick or something. Rinoa was his priority, though.

She hadn't spent much time at home, and she hadn't talked much when she was around. Her behavior was abnormal, and he didn't like it. He didn't know how to phrase it in a way that wouldn't come out rude.

(...But I have to try.)

He walked up behind her. "Hey. Are you learning a lot?"

[angelo_wings]

Somewhere deep within a village, several centuries ago, Rinoa's nose found its way to the present.

"Food?" She lifted her head from her book. "Is that food? Did you bring me food?"

Could she have it? Please? Please? It suddenly smelled amazing. Mooby had never, ever smelled that good to anyone in history, ever.

She wasn't ignoring his question. She just hadn't heard it.

[whateverknight]

Squall nodded. "It is. You didn't answer me last night when I asked if you'd eaten, so I thought I'd bring you something just to be sure." He shrugged. "You don't normally miss meals, no matter how good a book is. This one must be really special."

[angelo_wings]

He'd asked her last night? Oh. Right. Okay.

Rinoa stood up from her chair and gave Squall a perfunctory kiss. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's incredible. It's -- so many answers to questions I didn't even know I had. I've been taking notes? And then I go back and double-check my notes, and take new notes, and --"

She shook her head. "I'm not not-eating on purpose. I just keep meaning to, but later, and then later is so much later that I don't even realize it happened."

And without further ado, she was going to tear into that Mooby's and devour it.