If there was something that Ellynn didn't understand with the young man across from her—it was his carefree attitude around her and everyone. Somehow it felt like the man was on his own world whenever he interacted with her and the others, he was uncaring of the treatment and thoughts of other people and still approached her. As if they didn't bother him at all.
But it also meant that he was willing to do things that most others wouldn't.
"You don't have to sound unconvinced—I'll help you make more friends. I mean, you can probably already count Timothy as another one right? He's not that bad and I bet you two both sit in the back in your classes, so you got there a seating buddy already."
"Well…" She didn't exactly want to make friends—at least, she wanted to do it on her own. But she didn't want to disappoint him by disagreeing with his offer either.
Han quickly stood up, "If you don't mind waiting for a bit, I'll go talk with Sir Leon right now—most of the people in his group are from the Physical Combat Class, actually."
"Han," Even if he didn't explain it further, the meaning was obvious. Most of her classmates in the Primary Mage curriculum weren't willing to tolerate her that much—the chances of making friends with strangers might work better. But she wasn't really expecting too much. The young man gave her a look and a tilt of his head, and he truly was engrossed in the fact of helping her. "...Thank you."
How much worse could her reputation already get, after all?
She watched the young man approach the group of other Students. She folded her hands together, and though she wasn't exactly one to pray, she felt the urge to do it right now. Ellynn really hoped that this didn't trouble Han's own relationship with the others, she didn't want to drag him down further if possible.
.
.
.
Alright. He needed to either get it across as smoothly as possible without disrupting the already ongoing atmosphere in Sir Leon's presence. Somehow, the tension that happened at lunch no longer seemed to make any significance—or affect the Noble that much.
Speaking of which, he glanced around the cafeteria and found the three people that stunned the Noble in the first place. It was the top three Students and they actually looked normal now that even he had gotten past the idea that they were the best… but how high were they leveled anyway? Were they in their Level 20s, or even 30s?
Han finally stopped at the table and cleared his throat, "Hello—"
"Oh, a good evening to you Han." Sir Leon de Harrington was the first to greet him as the man always did. And though he appreciated it, there was something he noticed. They now had a different seating arrangement, Diov now sat much closer to him than Angelika and even her brother. The Lady sat beside her own sister Penelope, while their little brother was nowhere to be found. The other people chorused their own greetings a bit.
He nodded, "How's it going?" Don't let his mind blank. Don't let it blank—
The Noble blinked but motioned for him to sit down, "We're fine, but I noticed that you've left Miss Ellynn at her table, did you need something?" It seemed like the man was quickly accustomed to Han's own seating arrangements. Donovan grunted and made some space for him to sit down.
Han didn't exactly sit just yet, but since the Noble was quick to catch on—then he didn't need to play around with his own words. Not that he was good at word play, but he would have built up a few exchanges before his request. He grinned at Sir Leon de Harrington, it didn't go well last time but he'd try it again. "I was actually wondering if Ellynn and I can join you guys?"
The topic was brushed about before.
And despite the sudden revelation about Diov being a Noble, the group's eyes immediately turned to Sir Leon at once. It was also notable that there were now more people than ever, what he would assume to be the friends of Diov prior to this. There was the girl who he somehow forgot her name, Calum and two other people. Yes, Han was bad at names and he thought about this while he waited for the verdict.
"Hmmm, if you don't mind the fact that we're all finished with our supper?" Sir Leon de Harrington returned the question back to him this way. Although they were actually right, most of them already had empty plates. Eating and conversing together was much more normal than joining in at the last minute.
Penelope cleared her throat and sat up, "I'm already done with my meal—and I have an appointment with Eli and Timothy, please excuse me." Without waiting for anybody else, the woman soon ended up leaving without much of a fuss. Even her own sister, Angelika wasn't even able to squeeze in a short goodbye.
But the Lady's actions were clear to everyone else.
And Han thought that Penelope didn't dislike Ellynn that much, he waved a hand and managed a smile, "Well, if not everyone of you is leaving right away, we'd just like to join you guys. We could clear up the table and have a little game?" What exactly was he saying right now?
"Game?" Donovan raised a brow, "We're not children—"
"That does sound interesting, one way to unwind after classes?" Diov spoke up with a shrug. The man pushed his plate forward before glancing towards Ellynn, "I don't mind having her around, I suppose."
Lady Angelika scratched her cheek, "Well, I was planning on checking up on my siblings… but I can stay for a bit."
"Seems like it's mostly settled then?" Sir Leon de Harrington said at last. "If anyone else is leaving, please go ahead though." The Noble said it with a smile but there was something in his tone that hinted something else.
At least that was what Han felt.
The other people in their table exchanged quick looks before shaking their heads. Perhaps their thoughts were along these lines: If three Nobles were already deciding to stay, then perhaps it wasn't so bad? What else could possibly happen?
Han on the other hand was already trying to think up possible games for them. Why did he say game? They probably didn't have card games available—something he could at least hope would increase his Luck. Until he finally noticed a bottle near one of the guy's plates. "Can I have that? We need that."
The young man knitted his brow but swiped his bottle and first drank up all of the remnants in it before they handed it to Han. "A game with a bottle?"
"Yeah…" It wasn't exactly a game and more of an ice breaker but that would have to do. He glanced behind him, Ellynn was still there. "I'll just call her back here," Han went back to Ellynn and yet there was something on his mind. Han Jing wasn't the best at setting up parties and events, someone like Mou Gu would have done a lot better at this.
But he was the one here, and not them.
Ellynn actually had a book in her hand, the one Timothy lent her and she suddenly looked up once he was near. "Han…?" There was some mild surprise in her tone. Did she not expect that he'd return back to her? "What do you have in your hand?" She raised a brow and closed her book.
"I assume this is a liquor bottle." Which was questionable in a Magical Academy setting to him—but maybe most of them were at drinking age so that didn't matter. "Let's join the others and play a fun game. It's a good chance for us to all learn about each other in a way." Introducing something like truth and dare wasn't a bad thing right? Did it even have to be truth and dare? Was this why he didn't get invited into parties that much?
"...is it truly alright?" She ran her fingers over the cover of the book. "I don't mind if it's just you guys, I think I can head back to my room and rest."
"What?" Han blinked before frowning slightly, "That's not fun, you should join us. Didn't I tell you that I'll be helping you make more friends?" Wasn't she miserable not being accepted by others? That was what he had surmised from their previous interactions. Was Ellynn that hesitant? He needed to convince her, "This is a good chance—give it a try, Ellynn. If you don't like it, we can make a quick exit."
"I see," She finally stood up and met his gaze, "...I'll give it a try then."
Ellynn sounded reluctant, but Han brushed it off for a moment. She only needed a little push and he was sure that she'll be more confident in dealing with other people after some time. He could do this, he just needed to finalize what actual game they were going to play—!