Bam! Eye contact.
Levi entered the cafeteria, his stomach growling loud enough to drown out the chatter of his fellow students. As he scanned the room for an empty table, his eyes locked with Lysandra's across the sea of breakfast-goers. Suddenly, the world's most intense staring contest began.
Lysandra's silver eyes bore into him with the intensity of a cat eyeing the last can of tuna. Levi felt like a deer caught in headlights, if the headlights were attached to a very angry, very powerful truck.
'Blink, you fool!' Levi's inner voice screamed. But his eyelids refused to cooperate, apparently enjoying this awkward standoff.
Was that recognition in her eyes? Anger? Indigestion from last night's mystery meat? Levi couldn't tell, but he was pretty sure his soul was being judged.
Levi's mind raced. Should he wave? Wink? Break into song and dance?
Just when Levi thought he might turn to stone under her gaze, Lysandra broke the spell with a head shake so subtle it could've been mistaken for a nervous twitch.
Levi released a breath he'd been holding so long he was pretty sure he'd discovered a new form of meditation.
"Well, that was...scary," Levi muttered, making a beeline for an empty table. His tray of food suddenly felt as heavy as his chances of ever having a normal conversation with Lysandra.
Settling into his seat, Levi decided to drown his social awkwardness in the only reasonable way - by inhaling his body weight in breakfast foods. He attacked his plate with the enthusiasm of a man who'd just discovered eating wasn't just a hobby but a competitive sport.
The scrambled eggs were so fluffy they practically floated off his fork. The bacon was crispy enough to make him consider proposing marriage to it. And the pancakes? Oh, the pancakes!
As Levi took his first syrup-drenched bite, he made a sound usually reserved for people discovering lost civilizations.
But breakfast wasn't Levi's only mission this morning.
Oh no, he had plans.
Spy plans.
Bird-brained spy plans, to be exact.
Glancing around furtively, Levi closed his eyes, trying to look like he was savoring his food instead of summoning otherworldly bird spies.
Levi's eyes snapped open, breaking the connection as he coughed and sputtered. Nearby students looked at him with concern, probably wondering if the Heimlich maneuver worked on idiots who couldn't handle their breakfast.
As Levi caught his breath, his mind reeled.
'What did I just see?'
He wondered, shock visible on his face.
Who knew Toby had it in him? It was like finding out your goldfish could tap dance.
Toby was... dancing. Not just any dance, but the most ridiculous, over-the-top interpretive dance Levi had ever seen. Arms flailing wildly, legs kicking at impossible angles, all while making faces that looked like he was simultaneously experiencing enlightenment and severe indigestion.
As Levi watched, slack-jawed, Toby attempted a dramatic spin. His powers activated mid-twirl, causing him to float comically for a moment before crashing back down in a heap of limbs and cape.
It was at this point that Levi choked on his pancake, his brain unable to process the sheer absurdity of what he was witnessing.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Levi returned to his now slightly soggy pancakes. The day had barely started, and already he'd survived a staring contest with the academy's resident force of nature, conducted a covert breakfast-based feeding operation, and discovered hidden depths to his roommate that he was pretty sure he'd never be able to unsee.
He cast one last glance at Lysandra's now-empty table. "Well," he mused, "at least life here won't be boring. Terrifying, possibly fatal, but definitely not boring."
As Levi polished off the last of his breakfast, he couldn't help but grin.
With his phantom flock at his disposal, he was like a one-man spy agency. A very amateur, possibly idiotic spy agency, but hey, you had to start somewhere.
He stood up, ready to move on to the next part of his schedule for the day.
Onto the training grounds!
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Which character image do you guys want next?
1. Toby 2. Lysandra 3. Ryn 4. Alex