Ezra followed Veda to the cafeteria.
It was evening already. Most of the candidates had finished eating earlier, so the place was almost empty. Only a few caterers remained behind the serving counters, quietly cleaning dishes and arranging trays of food that had not been touched.
The two boys walked toward the center of the cafeteria.
They sat across from each other at a long wooden table.
The quiet felt strange after the tension that had filled the group these past days.
"So," Ezra said, folding his hands together on the table, "what did you want to talk about?"
Veda lowered his head slightly.
"First… I'm sorry about the trouble my group has caused you and the trouble they're still causing you."
He bowed his head properly this time.
Ezra looked at him for a moment.
"You really don't need to apologize," he said flatly.
"I'd be more shocked if none of them reacted like that. A friend just died, and it happened because I was the target."
