Liora leaned forward on the couch, her chin in her hands, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Okay, okay! Next question. If you were all animals, what would you be?"
Klyden perked up instantly, slamming his fist into his chest like he already knew. "Easy! I'd be a lion. King of the jungle, powerful, majestic, everybody bows to me—"
"—Annoying," Keiya cut in without missing a beat, her tone flat as she adjusted the sleeve of her uniform.
Reiyell let out a small laugh behind her papers. "I was going to say something like a parrot."
"Why a parrot?!" Klyden shot her a betrayed look.
"Because you never stop talking," Reiyell said calmly, flipping to the next page.
"BAHAHAHA!" Liora nearly fell onto the table laughing. "Yes! A squawky, colorful, obnoxious parrot! Fits you perfectly!"
Klyden pointed his feather duster at her dramatically. "Take that back, Vallegoire, before I pluck your feathers!"
"You don't even have feathers, parrot-boy." Liora stuck out her tongue.
Keiya's lips twitched, but she stayed composed, one leg crossed neatly over the other. "She's right, though. You'd make a perfect bird."
"Oh, sure, and what would you be, huh, Keiya?" Klyden shot back, puffing out his chest. "A wolf? A hawk? Something edgy?"
Keiya tilted her head, thinking. "…Maybe a cat."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"…A cat?" Liora blinked, then smirked. "Ohhh, I see it. The type that looks calm and elegant, but secretly wants to claw everyone's face off."
Reiyell covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "That… is surprisingly accurate."
"Mh." Keiya gave a simple nod, as if they'd all spoken the obvious truth.
Klyden flailed. "Wait, wait, so she gets to be a mysterious cool cat while I'm a dumb parrot?! That's not fair!"
Liora smacked the table in tears of laughter. "Life isn't fair, feather-brain!"
From the side, Wads—who had been silently stacking books with military precision—finally muttered without looking at them, "You'd be a donkey, Klyden."
Everyone froze.
Reiyell coughed into her hand, trying to stifle her laugh. Liora's jaw dropped, then she exploded into hysterics. Keiya actually cracked a visible smile.
"WHAT?!" Klyden whipped around, offended to the core. "A donkey? Why a donkey?!"
Wads finally turned, his expression deadpan. "…Because you're loud, stubborn, and carry useless things in sacks."
"USELESS—HEY! These cookies are not useless!" Klyden grabbed the sack defensively and hugged it to his chest. "Take it back, Waxzi!"
"Prove me wrong." Wads shrugged and turned back to the shelves.
Keiya, eyes sharp but amused, rested her cheek on her hand. "…I mean, he has a point."
"ET TU, KEIYA?!" Klyden dramatically slumped against the couch, nearly dropping his cookies.
Reiyell's soft laughter finally bubbled into the open, and she looked up from her papers. "Alright, my turn for a question."
"Oh, this will be boring," Klyden muttered from his sulk-pile of cookies.
Reiyell ignored him. "If you had to trade lives with one of us for a week, who would it be?"
"Ooooh, good one!" Liora clapped her hands. "Okay, I pick Reiyell. Then I can finally sit around with grace and pretend to be elegant while secretly judging everyone."
Reiyell smiled faintly. "I don't 'pretend.'"
"See?! Perfect!" Liora grinned.
Keiya crossed her arms. "I'd pick Wads. At least I'd get peace and quiet."
Klyden's head shot up instantly, betrayed again. "Peace and quiet?! What about me?!"
"That's exactly why not you," Keiya replied smoothly.
Wads, finally sighing, muttered from the shelf. "If I had to choose, I'd pick… Keiya. She seems responsible enough to not destroy my body in one week."
Liora gasped. "WHAT about me?!"
"You'd ruin my discipline in a day," Wads answered flatly, stacking another book.
"Pfft—he's right," Klyden snorted.
"And you?" Liora narrowed her eyes at him.
"Oh, me? Easy. I'd trade with you, Liora," Klyden smirked.
"…Why?" she asked suspiciously.
"So I can finally pass math without studying!" Klyden declared proudly.
Reiyell sighed with a smile, muttering softly. "This is going to end with the cookies on the floor, isn't it?"
Keiya leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, but for once, the corner of her lips curved upward. "…Probably."
Liora suddenly turned toward Wads, who was still dusting the spines of a heavy encyclopedia like his life depended on it. "Alright! Enough being a boring librarian, Waxzi! Sit down and join us."
"I'm fine here." Wads didn't even glance up.
"Nope. Nope, nope, nope." Liora grabbed one of Klyden's cookies, held it hostage between her fingers, and waved it dramatically. "Sit down or the cookie dies."
"…That's childish," Wads muttered, but his eyes flicked to the cookie for a brief second.
Keiya, crossing her legs elegantly, raised a brow. "She's serious. I'd sit."
Reiyell giggled softly. "She will eat it in front of you."
"…Fine." Wads finally sighed, slid the last book into place with surgical precision, and walked over to the couch. He sat at the farthest possible corner, as if he wanted to minimize contamination by their collective nonsense.
"Yay!" Liora shoved the cookie into his hand like a prize.
"I didn't ask for this."
"Too late. You're in now." Klyden leaned over with a grin. "Welcome to the arena, donkey-boy."
"…Regret," Wads muttered under his breath.
"Alright, Waxzi's turn to ask a question!" Liora clapped excitedly.
Wads stared at them, expression unreadable. "…What is the square root of 144?"
Everyone groaned in unison.
"BOOOO! LAME!" Klyden threw a cushion at him. "This isn't a math exam, Waxzi!"
"Fine." Wads calmly set the cookie down on the table. "…Which one of us would die first in a horror movie?"
The entire group went silent for a second. Then chaos.
"KEIYA," Klyden blurted immediately.
Keiya's eyes twitched, and she slowly turned her head toward him. "…Excuse me?"
"You'd be the one who splits off from the group, all mysterious and serious, and then—BAM! Ghost eats you."
"Ghosts don't 'eat,'" Keiya deadpanned.
"Well, whatever they do. Poof. You're gone."
Liora slammed her palm on the table, laughing. "No way! Klyden would go first. He'd hear a creepy noise and say, 'I'll check it out,' then die instantly."
"I wouldn't die! I'd fight the ghost!"
"With what? Your donkey scream?" Liora howled.
Reiyell tried to keep composure, but her shoulders shook as she held in laughter. "…I actually agree with Liora. Klyden would die first."
"NOT YOU TOO, YOUR HIGHNESS!" Klyden clutched his chest as if betrayed by heaven itself.
Keiya, smirking faintly now, finally said, "No. Actually, Liora would die first."
"WHAT?! Why me?!" Liora gasped dramatically.
"Because you'd make jokes in the dark hallways until something killed you out of annoyance," Keiya replied without blinking.
The group roared. Even Wads's lips twitched slightly at that.
"Alright, Waxzi, answer your own question." Klyden leaned forward, suspicious. "Who dies first, huh?"
Wads calmly picked up his cookie, broke it in half, and said flatly, "…All of you."
They all froze.
"…ALL of us?!" Liora demanded.
"Yes." Wads bit into the cookie with the serenity of a monk. "I'd survive. Alone. Peacefully."
Reiyell finally broke into open laughter, covering her mouth. Keiya pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something about "infuriating Waxzis." Klyden practically fell backward on the couch, wailing.
"You can't just wipe us all out in your imagination, Waxzi!" Liora cried, shaking him by the shoulder.
"…I can. And I did."
"Monster." Klyden whispered dramatically, pointing his half-eaten cookie at him like a weapon.
"Okay, okay," Liora clapped her hands like a game host. "Next question! Who here has the worst fashion sense?"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Wads.
"…What." His tone was flat.
"You wear the same black uniform like it's glued to your soul," Liora said.
"It's practical."
"It's depressing."
Keiya smirked faintly. "It suits him. Dark, dull, unreadable."
"…You're all unbearable," Wads muttered.
"NO, no, wait." Klyden slapped the table. "Retro has the worst fashion sense. Remember last week? Yellow shirt, purple pants, green shoes—he looked like a fruit basket exploded."
Reiyell coughed politely, covering her mouth to hide her giggle. "He… did resemble a parrot."
"SEE?!" Klyden pointed at her like he had just won a court case.
"Alright, next," Reiyell said softly, playing along. "Who is most likely to cry during a play or sad story?"
Everyone's eyes drifted… to Keiya.
"I don't cry." Keiya crossed her arms.
"You did cry when that squirrel fell from the tree last month," Liora chimed in.
"I was… concerned. Not crying."
Klyden leaned forward with an evil grin. "Nah, you cried. You even whispered 'be strong, little warrior' to it."
The group burst out laughing. Keiya glared daggers at him, but her ears went slightly red.
"My turn!" Klyden slapped his thigh. "Who's most likely to get arrested?"
"YOU." Everyone shouted at the same time.
"Wha—WHAT?! Why me?!"
"Because you keep shouting in public," Liora said.
"Because you argue with guards," Keiya added.
"Because you once tried to climb the academy gate at midnight," Reiyell said, barely holding her laughter.
Wads calmly chewed his cookie. "…You're too loud. A crime on its own."
"BETRAYED AGAIN." Klyden threw his hands up.
"Alright, Waxzi, your turn again," Liora nudged him.
Wads sighed, clearly regretting ever sitting down. "…Fine. Who is most likely to betray the group for food?"
Everyone turned… slowly… toward Klyden.
"HEY!"
"You literally carry snacks everywhere," Keiya said flatly.
"You'd sell us for cookies," Liora added.
Reiyell giggled. "He did once bribe me with chocolate to copy notes."
"That's survival!" Klyden defended. "Not betrayal! Survival!"
---
"Okay, okay!" Liora almost fell over laughing. "Next one. Who would win in a fistfight—no powers allowed?"
They all went quiet, thinking.
"My money's on Keiya," Reiyell said softly.
"WHAT?!" Klyden jumped. "No way, I'd crush her!"
"Please." Keiya tilted her head. "I'd drop you in two moves."
"She would," Wads said immediately, not even looking up from his cookie.
"WAXZI, STOP SIDING WITH HER!" Klyden shouted.
"I'm not siding. I'm stating facts."
Reiyell, smiling now, asked gently, "Who here is most likely to forget an important date?"
"LIORA," everyone answered in sync.
"WHAT?! No way!"
"Yes way," Keiya said smoothly. "You forgot your own birthday once."
"That was ONE TIME."
"You brought cake for yourself the next day," Klyden laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch. "You threw yourself a belated birthday party!"
Reiyell hid her smile behind her hand while Liora screamed, "IT WAS A SPECIAL CELEBRATION, OKAY?!"
Finally, Keiya asked with her cool, sharp tone: "Who is most likely to annoy Wads into murder?"
The room went quiet. Then slowly… everyone pointed at Liora.
"YEP, it's you," Klyden grinned.
"I am innocent," Liora protested.
"You've been poking his shoulder for ten minutes earlier," Reiyell pointed out.
"And you threatened to burn his books just now," Keiya added.
Wads finally set his half-eaten cookie on the table and said flatly, "…Correct."
"NOOO! Waxzi!" Liora clutched her chest in mock betrayal. "You'd kill me over love?!"
"…No. Over peace."
The group exploded again. Klyden actually rolled off the couch this time. Reiyell's laugh rang like bells, Keiya chuckled softly, and Liora pouted, hugging a cushion.
And for a rare moment, even Wads had the faintest trace of a smile.