Dinner

Ark sat in his now empty room staring at where the three girls had once been. 

He placed his face in both hands. 

"Why do weird stuff keep happening to me?"

First was the issue with his father and now these three strange girls… Ark wasn't even sure they were human. 

From the way they behaved down to the way they looked one could simply tell that they were different from your normal everyday people. 

"Who were they then?" 

Were they from the second realm?

It was possible but at the same time it was difficult, considering that based on the current law those from the second realm are not allowed military facilities, which the center technically was. 

And otherworlders almost never visited either…

It was probably their way of being considerate, letting the world slowly adapt to the new change. Having outsiders flood into their world was simply asking for trouble. 

Ark rose to his feet. 

This was once again a problem he could not solve currently.

'I'll think about it later.'

Right now, all he could do was think about dinner, speaking of which… It seemed about time.

He opened his door only to see groups of teenagers, presumably heading in the same direction he was going. 

As much as he wanted to have a decent meal, he needed to do something first. 

It took a time to find the person he was looking for but he eventually did, the lady that had directed him to his room. 

When he first arrived, practically all members of the staff gave him strange looks that said "you don't belong here." 

She was the only one who he could count on to actually give him directions so he decided to search for her and finally found the lady. 

She was speaking to one of her colleagues when he appeared. 

"Excuse me. Can I have a second?"

"Sure."

She walked up to him. 

"Is it possible for me to get a phone? I really need to speak with someone."

Almost everyone had a smartphone, everyone excluding Ark. His father did not get him one and he had no money to buy one for himself, so he had to rely on phone booths whenever he needed to make a call. 

Not like he had many people to call though…

"Oh." The woman looked thoughtful. "I think we have one somewhere around, just that no one ever uses it. Come with me."

The woman led him to a separate room not too far away from them. Hanging on the wall was a blue telephone that was meant for public use. 

He thanked the woman who then returned to her post. 

Ark tapped the number of the person he wanted to call. He placed the phone on his ear and waited for some time. 

The phone was ringing…

Someone answered shortly after. 

Just the fact that the phone was answered filled his heart with intense relief. The number he had called was actually his home telephone. 

He had no idea what happened after his father confronted the apocalypse beast, it had been at the back of his mind, never truly allowing him to relax.

But now that the phone had been answered he knew it just had to be his dad. 

A static voice came over the phone shortly after. 

"Who the hell is this?!"

It was no doubt him.

"It's Ark, I was just checking on—"

"Damn it you little shits! The ball was right in front of you damn it!"

He then proceeded to release a string of insults, Ark heard the unmistakable sound of glass crashing against the wall and then the line went dead. 

He sighed. 

"Yup, it's definitely him."

As to how he escaped an apocalypse beast though… Ark was beginning to wonder if there was more to his old man than he actually knew.

Even the lowest tier creatures could cause problems for regular untrained humans, talkless of whatever 'that' was.

As far as he knew, his father had no training and neither was he a curse bearer. Unless…

"Argh, I really don't want to think right now."

He was getting late for dinner and his stomach was already playing the drums of rebellion, making it difficult for him to form any reasonable line of thought. 

At the same time, he did not want to be distracted. 

'I'm here to change my situation. The only thing I have time to think of is the trial and what comes after.'

There was no space in his mind for anything else.

With those thoughts, he hung up the phone and proceeded to the cafeteria. 

The wonderful aroma of delicious food drifted into the air. There was a slightly subdued noise as the teenagers chatted amongst each other. 

The hall was rather large with enough seats to take every single one of them. Ark had arrived slightly late so by the time he got there everyone was already seated and eating. 

Already groups were being formed and alliances being made. Some had known themselves before today while others were just getting acquainted. 

It seemed only he had managed to remain alone. 

He walked up to the serving woman and stood before the largest collection of food he had ever seen in his life. 

'The government really does treat potential curse bearers right!'

He pointed at a large slice of chicken first, a bowl of rice… some thin slips of meat he didn't know, as well as a ton of other food. 

For dessert, he picked up an oddly shaped bread that was gleaming softly and a cup of a strange brown substance apparently called pudding. 

Ark stared at the food unable to contain the wide grin on his face. 

Back at home, eating alone was a luxury talk less of eating such a feast. 

He could not remember the last time he had a decent meal. In the slums, earning was difficult and as a result, he had to eat whatever was available. 

Today was different.

"Now where do I sit?"

Ark stared around the hall but to his dismay, every single table was either occupied or had ateast two people seated.

Just from the glare they were sending his way Ark knew he was unwelcome.

Every seat was taken, except…

"Oh." There was one seat that might just work out. The table was not exactly free but only one person was currently seated at the table. 

Just at the side of the room, a girl was having her meal in silence, everyone else seemed to be avoiding her for whatever reason. 

Ark walked over to where she sat just to realise who she actually was. 

'She's the girl from earlier.'

Ark had not noticed but the entire cafeteria had gone silent. They were watching him, waiting to see what the girl's reaction would be.

One of the students whispered to his friend. 

"Is he an idiot? Doesn't he know who she is?"

They had avoided sitting with her not just because of her unfriendly outlook but also in consideration of the influence her family possessed. 

After all, she was the daughter of the Stormwind Guild heir, one of the top guilds in the country.

But Ark had no idea. 

"Can I sit here?" he asked, trying to be polite. 

He suspected the reason she was alone might be because she preferred eating her food without company. 

There were indeed people who hated the sound of others chewing and stuff like that.

The girl looked up from her meal and practically glared at him, her face twisting to one of disgust. 

"Um…" Ark was about to try his luck elsewhere when she gestured at the free seat. 

'What's her deal? Her face says one thing and her body does the other…'

He noiselessly sat down. 

There was a canopy of whispers when he did. 

"She let him join her?"

"Who does he think he is walking up to her like that?"

"Isn't that the boy from the slums?"

Ark barely paid attention to them. He was far too focused on the feast in front of him. He picked up the chicken first and tore into its soft tender flesh. 

"Delicious!"