The food court of the mall was packed, bustling with students enjoying their break. Neon signs flashed over various stalls, holographic menus hovered in the air, and the scent of fried food, grilled meat, and sugary sweets mixed in the air like some dangerous potion.
As the gang slid into a large corner booth, Mellissa stood off to the side, clutching her purse.
"I'll pass," she said coolly, eyeing the crowd like they were all beneath her. "I have better things to do than waste my time stuffing my face in a noisy food court."
June rolled her eyes and looped her arm through Mellissa's before she could make her getaway. "Oh, no you don't! Come on, Mel. You need a life outside your textbooks. Your goals aren't going anywhere tonight. Take a break before you turn into stone."
Mellissa hesitated, clearly torn between her pride and the gentle but firm tug of her friend. "Tch… Fine. But only for a little while. And don't expect me to eat anything... disgusting."
"Deal!" June grinned, pulling her along toward the ordering stations.
---
"Jay, please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing," Roy groaned, watching the big guy pile his tray with what had to be half the available protein in the food court.
Jay beamed as though proud of his masterpiece. "Chicken, beef, pork, AND shrimp! Balance is important, my friends. Gotta fuel these guns!" He flexed unnecessarily as the cashier blinked in disbelief at the total.
Roy glanced at Denwen, his smile already trembling. "My wallet's crying. I feel it."
Nicole, meanwhile, had two scoops of rainbow swirl ice cream and a large order of curly fries.
Denwen leaned over and plucked the fries from her tray. "Nope."
"Hey!" Nicole pouted. "This is my break! I'm allowed to treat myself."
"You'll treat yourself to a stomachache," Denwen replied, putting the fries on his own tray like a protective parent.
She crossed her arms. "You're so dramatic."
Mellissa, true to her word, ordered nothing but a simple veggie salad. She poked at it with a plastic fork like it had personally offended her.
June and Kara both opted for burgers and fries, raising their drinks like a toast.
"To bad decisions!" June cheered.
Kara smirked. "And clogged arteries."
Logan finally appeared with just a small cup of warm milk and a neat stack of chocolate chip cookies. Hood up, earbuds in, eyepiece glowing softly. He slid into the booth without a word, nibbling on a cookie like the world's most low-maintenance cat.
Jay, balancing his mountain of protein, thumped into the seat next to him and nearly knocked over Logan's milk. Logan caught it in time, sighing like this was his fate.
"Jay, the table's gonna snap," Kara said, half amused, half serious.
"If it breaks, we'll know it wasn't worthy!" Jay declared before biting into an entire chicken leg like it was nothing.
---
As they started eating, the table buzzed with casual conversation and teasing.
"So," Roy said, glancing between Kara and Logan with a grin. "Childhood friends, huh? What's that like? Got any embarrassing stories about Kara?"
Logan shrugged without looking up from his milk. "She once tried to enchant a toaster. Set half the dorm's kitchen on fire."
Kara flushed. "Logan! You swore"
"What? It's true," Logan said, deadpan, dunking a cookie like this was the most ordinary thing in the world.
"Wait, so it was you that cause the fire out break back then" June said with a bit of shock in her voice
Nicole burst out laughing. "I knew you were hiding some chaos in you."
Denwen chuckled quietly as he peeled a drumstick. "Now I'm wondering what other secrets you're hiding, Kara."
"None!" Kara snapped, shoving fries into her mouth to avoid further interrogation.
Jay, already halfway through his meal, looked around the table. "You know, this is nice. Eating with the squad. We should do this more often. Maybe at the gym! Post-training feast!"
"Define 'we,'" Mellissa muttered. "If you're expecting me to lift weights or 'feast' after sweating, count me out."
June bumped her shoulder. "Oh, c'mon! One day, we're dragging you out. You'll thank us."
"I won't."
"You will."
Denwen just leaned back, observing the whole scene. The soft mall lights glowed like starlight above them, and the laughter from their booth blended with the general hum of the night. For a moment, the worries of school, rankings, and futures felt far away. Just friends. Just food. Just peace.
Until Jay suddenly slapped the table.
"Next week! Eating contest! I challenge you all!"
Roy groaned. "Bro... No."
Nicole raised her hand. "I'm in."
"Same," Jay said, eyes shining. "Let's make this legendary."
Mellissa sighed. "Why am I still here?"
June grinned. "Because deep down, you love us."
And Mellissa, with a soft, barely-there smile, didn't argue.
---
Away from the food court chaos, on the upper level of the mall, Garrick Clifford strolled with casual confidence. The night was buzzing, the neon glow of the storefronts painting the crowd in soft blues and purples. People moved in waves, and overhead, soft instrumental music filled the air. Garrick adjusted his lightweight jacket, the emblem of Ashvale's 3rd Tactical Unit stitched boldly on the shoulder.
Beside him walked Corbin, one of his squad members, reviewing a holo-screen displaying mission details.
"You sure about the dispatch?" Corbin asked. "The HQ brief sounded... heavy, we would need to head back to confirm the brief properly."
"Yeah, I know" Garrick replied, his gaze lazily scanning the crowd below. "High-priority stuff. Probably nothing we haven't handled before."
But his words trailed off as his eyes locked onto a familiar blonde head seated at a packed booth below.
"No way. That little brat's actually outside?"
He smirked, nodded for Corbin to go ahead, and made his way down the glass escalator, weaving easily through the crowd until he stood right behind the table where the group was mid-banter.
---
"Hey, Roy."
Before anyone even noticed him approaching, Garrick ruffled Roy's hair with one large hand, completely wrecking his carefully styled look.
Roy jolted. "Uncle! Come on... not here!"
Everyone turned at once, eyes widening as they recognized Garrick Clifford in the flesh.
"No way…" Logan murmured, his eyes briefly flicking up from his milk and cookies. "You're Captain Clifford... from the 3rd Unit."
Jay's chicken wing paused mid-air. "The 3rd Unit? Seriously?"
"Yeah," Logan continued, now fully paying attention. "They've been in the news. Completed back-to-back clears on high-risk missions without a single casualty. They're considered one of the best squads in the city right now."
"Hey, you didn't tell me you had such a high-profile uncle as well," Denwen said
June practically glowed. "You're that Garrick Clifford? Wow… I've always wanted to see someone from an elite squad in action." Her eyes trailed over Garrick's tall frame and broad shoulders with obvious appreciation. Her eyes looking down on his well-structured body that was visible through his body-tight uniform with very unholy thoughts going through her mind.
Mellissa seeing her friend going off the deep end stepped on her foot under the table, making June jolt and straighten up.
"W-What? I was just being polite."
Garrick laughed at their antics, finally releasing Roy's head and giving the boy a hearty slap on the back.
"Look at you, out here socializing. Proud of you, kid."
Roy sighed, his blush refusing to die down. "Please don't make a scene."
Garrick shrugged, already taking a seat at the end of the table. "Too late, you know what"
He glanced at their trays, then waved down a passing staff member.
"Listen, get whatever you all want. It's on me."
A pause.
Then, as if summoned by divine intervention, Jay stood like a man reborn.
"Another round of protein!" he declared, dramatically raising his hand.
Nicole immediately followed suit. "Triple scoops of the galaxy swirl ice cream! With extra toppings!"
Denwen groaned. "You guys have no shame."
Roy buried his face in his hands. "I'm never living this down."
Garrick smirked, resting his chin on his fist. "What's family for, huh?"
---
While the food court buzzed and plates clattered, the group settled into a surprisingly comfortable rhythm. Jay dominated the protein like it was a final boss battle. Nicole gleefully devoured her mountain of ice cream, despite Denwen's attempts to slow her down. June was still sneaking glances at Garrick, and Mellissa looked like she regretted agreeing to stay but couldn't find the willpower to leave.
Kara sipped her drink with a relaxed expression, occasionally throwing a smile Denwen's way.
Logan, even with all the noise, kept quietly munching his cookies, the glowing interface of his eyepiece shifting between tabs as if he were reading news reports mid-bite.
And Garrick just watched them all, a proud glint in his eye.
"Good crew you've got here," he said to Roy.
Roy looked around at the laughter and chaos.
"Yeah... they're not bad."
Garrick leaned closer to Roy, his tone dropping into something quieter, more sincere.
"Your dad's proud of you, y'know."
Roy looked away, picking at his fries. "Yeah, right."
"I mean it. He's just... bad at saying stuff. Always has been. But after your last evaluation, he couldn't shut up about you at HQ."
Roy blinked. "Really?"
Garrick nodded. "Talked about your control, your skill, your rank and even your potential. He's watching, even if he doesn't always show it."
Roy didn't reply immediately, but a faint, almost embarrassed smile crept onto his face.
"Thanks… I guess."