Joel, So Innocent...

Nilima shifted uncomfortably in her chair, noticing Nero looking at her.

“But…pretty…” Nero said.

“I know, but sometimes pretty needs to be left alone.” Yule reminded nervously.

Nero grunted and nodded. He still thought Nilima was pretty.

Nilima wondered if it really would be safe to say she was a lesbian and just be left alone like Yule and Haven were.

Nero gave Yule and Haven his usual pat on the table to say goodbye before getting up and taking his bowl back to the cook. He let them have it and with an awkward wave, he left.

Yule sighed, knowing their friend was disappointed, but she didn’t want him to do anything stupid. “It’s okay,” She whispered more to herself than anyone else. “He just wants to make friends…”

Haven sighed. “It’s not easy to adjust. Even if the place you came from was so terrible…”

“Yeah, but Nero seems to have it the worst…” Yule said, glaring at the girls that were making fun of Nero earlier. “Bitches…”

“I know.” Haven glanced at the mean girls.

The girls glared back as they left. Yule let out a soft hiss and ate her food in an angry manner. “If anyone hurts my friends, I’ll claw them.” She stated between bites in what was almost comical.

Joel sat down with them before digging into his food.

“Hi Joel.” Haven said, hoping the coyote boy was keeping out of trouble.

Yule sniffed at Joel. “Why do you smell like perfume?”

“I got my tail frozen while helping Skorn one of the doctors helped thaw it out” he replied “she smelled good so she shared her perfume.”

“Sorry about that…” Nilima said. She had a lot of people to apologize to here, and probably would in the future before she got over the brainwashing. It was only a matter of time before she said something offensive to a baseline.

Yule blinked and couldn’t help but giggle. “Joel, most guys don’t wear perfume…”

“it's ok you were still scared I use to be like that” he replied turning to Yule “but it smells good”

“You haven’t gotten lured by…peanut butter again, have you?” Yule asked with concern.

That was when Skorn walked in, grumbling about the fact he’d had to fight off a shockingly strong tiny woman. “Fuck, fuck, fuck…” he grunted as he looked over the food and tried to find what to eat.

“I still don't get why I can't eat the peanut butter here instead of their rooms” he replied in a confused tone.

“These peanut butter women should be put on a registry.” Haven said.

“Agreed…” Yule said, ears falling down. “Can you stop saying that, Skorn?”

Skorn jumped, turning to look at Yule. “What?”

“That word…”

“What word?”

Yule hissed in a very cat-like way.

“Joel, don’t go near the peanut butter girls!” Skorn called and grabbed up some bread to eat.

Joel nodded “so what got you so angry.”

“Tzeitel was having an…episode.” Skorn didn’t want to speak badly of her to others. He knew what it was like to have an episode of panic.

“Oh…” Haven thought Tzeitel could be really scary. But she rarely saw her. “Isn’t she usually in her room?”

“She was running in a panic and used her powers…” Skorn bit into his bread and sat with them.

“Oh no. Was anyone hurt?” Haven asked.

“I think some people only have some vomit fits, but that’s it.” Skorn replied and leaned back, rubbing his own stomach. It had taken a lot not to vomit earlier.

Haven shuddered, glad that she was not in the hall when that happened.

“Yeah, agreed,” Skorn said when he noticed the shudder. He finished his bread and dropped his head back with a sigh. “I should go home, but I really don’t want to…”

“Tired?” Haven asked.

“Kind of,” He made a hand gesture and looked at Joel. “But I have to keep someone out of trouble.”

“Poor Joel, he’s so innocent.” Haven said.

“Yeah,” Skorn said and yawned. “Joel, I suggest going to your room after eating. Don’t fall for the peanut butter girls. Got it?”

Yule was finished with her food and patiently sat there. “We still need to show Nilima to our room.”

Nilima was finishing her own food. She was having mild culture shock at how casually everyone mingled.

Haven nodded.