Against All Odds, We Have To Save The World (Candira & HeartOfTheDarkness)

The day wasn't too bad. While Alex wasn't really interested in the lessons, more like he didn't understand most of it, Mia looked like she was enjoying herself. It looked like she was learning a lot from the lessons, which meant she'll be more prepared for the mission.

When the lessons were over, the thought of lunch really sounded delightful. "Sure, we can try out the student grill." He threw his arm around her hip and pulled her close to him. Sure they were suppose to look like a couple, but thinking about what they might do tonight, it got him excited just thinking about it.

She chuckled a little and looked up at him as he pulled her into his side. Smiling, she wondered what had gotten into him all of a sudden. Still, she wasn't going to complain about his giving her affection. "Well, aren't you a happy one?" They needed to keep up appearances, she supposed, but she'd have been lying if she said that was the only reason she leaned into him, her arm going around his waist. The fact was, she was enjoying herself, and though she knew that might be a little problematic later on, they were okay for right now. Besides, a little harmless touching was fine in her book.

And Mia got the feeling she should let him choose their "fun" activity for the night. With a happy little sigh, they entered the student commons and found the grill shortly after.

"You don't seem to be complaining." Alex teased her after hearing her comment on how affectionate he was being towards her. Once they entered the student grill, they went around and grabbed their meals. Grabbing some pizza, french fries, and a soda, he waited for Mia to join him and paid for the meals. Afterwards, they sat down to enjoy their food. "So, do you feel like you're learning some interesting things? Things that can probably help us?" While he wasn't interested in the lessons, Mia at least looked like she was.

Mia stayed fairly close to Alex, getting a chicken salad sandwich, curly fries and a flavored iced tea. When they were all paid for and seated, she smiled up at him. "Oh, yes. I'm learning a lot about dream magic. I know it might be a little trying, but I'm glad you're with me there. It's good to have a grasp of basics and theory and a chance to ask all of my questions. I've always been interested in this type of magic, but I've never had a real chance to take classes until now."

She smiled and bit into her sandwich, enjoying how the flavors and textures worked together. "Mmm, so tasty...I'm glad it's lunch time, though. Studying is hard work."

"Yup, it's nice to finally grab a bite to eat." Alex said as he took a bite of his pizza. Although, what she said seemed interesting. "Really? You've never really took classes before? So how did you learn to be so good at magic? Private tutor? Parents taught you? Learned on your own?" He kind of imagined her to be the kind of girl that was at the top of her class, so it was kind of a surprise when she said that.

She chuckled and smiled at Alex. "Well, I took general magic classes and can do a variety of things, but my concentration was fortune telling magic--it suited me well and I learned to divine, read fortunes via various different methods, and a few other neat tricks. But I've gotten to study with other professors once they added me onto staff and have learned quite a bit in a relatively short time. That's when the headmaster took interest in me,"she said with a smile.

"But I did learn some things on my own and my parents taught me a lot growing up. I should have worded it a little more clearly." She smiled and continued to work on her sandwich, enjoying his company. "Have you always wanted to do what you do?" she asked, deciding to keep the details vague in public.

Yea, it could've been worded better, but he understood her. "I see, so you specialize in fortune telling, but I'm assuming you know a little bit of everything?" Because it would be a little odd that she would be chosen for this mission because of fortune telling skills, but since he didn't no much about magic, he didn't really have any room to judge.

Finishing off his pizza, he started eating his fries. "I guess you can say that it ran in the family, all the way back to my great-great grandfather." Trying to remain vague about what he was talking about to whomever would be listening in on them. "Growing up with my dad, it kind of prepared me for this kind of lifestyle, with his strict schedule." He laughed a little, finishing up his food.

It didn't take long for Mia to finish her lunch, and she listened to Alex explain more about his life as he polished off his fries. "I see. It was a family tradition, then. Do you enjoy your career?" she asked, genuinely curious about how he felt about his position. Though she knew that it was a rather open question, Mia hoped she could understand a little more about the man who was protecting her. About the man who'd helped her forget her anxiety and how tired she was by sleeping with her. Yes, he was a unique individual, and she was always happy to know more.

"I hope you're not too bored with all of my researching. I know it wasn't probably what you had in mind."

"It gets rough at times. Things don't always work out how you'd like, and you occasionally lose someone, maybe people you know. But, it all comes with joining the military. Other than that, I can't really complain." He tried not to really go too deep into his past, it was kind of rough to remember. He knew she was just trying to get to know him a little better, and couldn't really give her a hard time, she didn't know about what happened to him.

After finishing his fries, he downed the rest of his soda. "It's alright, it has to be done in order to help you with your mission." Alex got up to throw away the trash, then came back to Mia. "So, should we get those books from the library?"

Mia got the distinct sense that Alex had had a rough time of things in his chosen profession. Parts of his past were painful, and the last thing she wanted was for him to have to experience that all over again. When he came back from the garbage, she was finished with her food, too. "Yes, let's go." She smiled and tossed her wrappers on their way out and held onto his arm as they walked.