Burning Copper, A Need for Snacks

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

She crosses her arms and still has that expression on her face that walks the line of judgment and confusion. "Gross. How heteronormative of him," she replies with an eye roll. Do all people do that with the opposite sex? That sounds so fucking annoying to deal with. Morgan never got any teasing like that from her sisters, but Gwen wasn't much of a teaser and Morgan's never had a romantic interest or friend for Joan to tease.

Since he moved here? So he hasn't always lived in the city? She wonders where he was originally from, but she keeps that as a mental note for later. "If he does that again maybe I should just gouge one of his eyes out with a spoon," she murmurs. She looks completely serious as she says it so...it's a bit hard to tell if she's joking or not.

Her nose scrunched up in disgust at the suggestion of flirting back with him to give Will a taste of his own medicine. She was about to respond before the devil himself showed back up again with the milkshakes. She murmurs a simple thank you to Will in response before taking a sip of her milkshake. She was right, not as good as Gwen's but still pretty good.

Her eyes snap to Will when he makes an aw noise. Immediately her hand darts out for the fork available and holds it up. The glare in her eyes makes it obvious that this is not a threat it's a fucking promise. Try that shit one more time and this fork is finding a new resting place in his hand? Appropriate? Not at all. But she has witnessed her sisters do far more terrifying irrational shit.

She looks back to Alex though at the mention of the morning. Oh??? That seems to be pushing his buttons a little so she might press on that topic. She turns her attention back to Will and places her order, keeping the conversation curt. Best for the both of them really.

"Yes, I've been learning magic since I could read," she replies. "What did our waiter mean by this morning though?" She asks with a clearly amused smirk as she goes to take a sip from her milkshake.

[Sora-No]

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    Alex would chuckle at Morgan's remark about Will, "It's even funnier when another one of our friends has a boyfriend. So he's just opening the door for Jasper to just embarrass him on the spot. Either by saying she was 'looking for him' or something like that. Gets Will turning into a straight beat red real fast. And, if we're lucky, the lady will join in just to mess with him." Alex would give a small laugh, "As I said, he's a bit dense."

    Boys will be boys, shouldn't set himself up for the dunk in front of pro vocal-bball players, huh Will?

    Thankfully Alex is about 80% certain Will got the hint. Not so thankfully is that Will talked way too much and got Morgan's attention on a juicy detail. Fucker. Obviously it's not his fault he's clinically stupid, but hey what can you do. Alex better get really good at bluffing soon, or he's screwed.

    Nah, he already knows he's bad at bluffing.

    "I was-" he'd pause, picking up and taking a long sip out of the straw of his milkshake. Shit. He'd finally stop, sighing, "Okay, so here we're going to make a fun little agreement. You don't speak of any of this conversation, I do the same. And, we don't sit here answering hallf-assed. Seem fair?" If Morgan disagreed, he'd shrug, saying that he was just 'helping with something' and that it went awry. If she agreed, however-

    "I was going to show them how to operate a firearm. Though, one of our friends ruined it for the rest and almost got Will injured." He'd set the glass of the milkshake down. "Our friend Curtis thought it'd be great to ignore the safety precautions I set and almost hit Will and Jasper with the last bullet of the rifle."

    "Now, given the transparency on my end, I have a question for you-" He'd think for a moment, tapping on the table, "What made you want to adventure around and head into Avalon?" He'd lean back, "I mean, I chose to head here, and hang out with a good friend of mine, but what made you want to head off on your lonesome?"

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

Morgan listens to him and actually lets out a snicker as she pictures it. For someone as much of a bitch as her, her laugh makes her seem uncharacteristically soft. "I would enjoy seeing him humbled. Not enough to do it myself. I don't know how that shit works and I don't fucking care to," she says. She wouldn't know flirting if it hit her like a brick. She doesn't understand interactions quite yet.

Her smirk grows ever so slightly when she sees he is absolutely awful at lying. Oh yay. But never can be too careful, someone can use that to their advantage later after all. Implying she'd ever see this guy again.

"Consider my lips sealed. Not like I would have anyone to tell anyways." Morgan respects the art of secret-keeping and shutting the fuck up.

She leans closer in interest as he begins to explain the morning events. Oh someone nearly died cause of a shot gone wrong. Irresponsible idiots. Joan would have just let them get shot. ...Tough love ya know? "At least you ended it before stuff got bad." Morgan was familiar with lessons ending abruptly or magic items being taken away for her own safety. Supposedly. Part of her questions the truth of that. Still, there were times magic backfired on her and it was not pretty.

She pouted as soon as he pointed a question back at her. Ugh. She doesn't want to share. "I wanted to learn things and the only way I could do it was by traveling. If you can promise to keep secrets you might learn more," she says now cheekily taking a sip of her milkshake, indigo eyes full of mischief.

[Sora-No]

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    Alex would give a shrug, "I mean, yeah, I had everything set up. I was half-tempted to shove the barrel up his ass after that. There were rules I set up, and he trounced through them like a child." Alex would take a small second to pause, then chuckle, "Well, none of us are adults yet, so guess child is not really an insulting term, huh?"

    He would almost scoff at Morgan at her remark, "I mean, that was the agreement, no? Feels kind of dumb to socialize and talk to someone while also staying ten feet back mentally speaking." He wanted a genuine conversation, if he could help it.

    "So, let's at least take it slow, since there's at least a bit to unpack given that, and neither of us have a basis of trust other than this agreement-" Alex would take a large gulp out of his milkshake, "-where are you planning on heading? Is there a destination in mind? You don't need to really elaborate unless you want to, obviously."

    He's very obviously attempting to tow the line and be respectful. Though, on his end, it was more he didn't want to overstep bounds because Morgan would flip it on him. She'd ask a big boy question in response to his, and it'd just be them gushing about their lives while knowing literally nothing about each other. That's a bit odd to him, so if he could avoid that and just have a... somewhat normal conversation, that'd be nice.

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

She rolls her eyes as he uses child like an insult. They literally are children what the fuck is he own about. Not like she didn't act similarly, but she didn't have friends to yell at. Only two adult sisters reminded her she wasn't old enough. They always said she could do whatever she wanted when she was 18. Even that was a fucking lie though wasn't it? Maybe she's being a bit harsh towards them, she doesn't understand why they kept her isolated for so long.

There were a lot of things they never ended up telling her. For better or for worse it seems. "I would say it's an appropriate term. You are children, you act like children, you get called a child. Or get shot," she says. Still, if you want someone to stop messing with a weapon, you let them get hurt. That could always lead to an accidental death though. ....Natural selection right? Gee Morgan is ruthless.

"I just wanted to make sure the agreement went both ways. Never know who is going to spill what at the wrong time in front of the wrong company," she says. Which is to say she would rather Alex never talk about this, or her, to anyone. She'd rather be a ghost that disappears with the day.

Her leg bounces up and down at his question. Her indigo blue eyes dart around the place to make sure that nosy little waiter isn't coming back soon to overhear shit. "I don't have a destination in mind, no. I'm hoping to get lost and stay lost," she declares as she leans back into her seat and crosses her arms. "What made you wanna move here?"

[Sora-No]

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    Alex would nod slowly as he took a sip of his milkshake, nodding in understanding, "Makes sense, makes sense." He does note it sounds almost... paranoid, but honestly anonymity is difficult, so if that's what Morgan's looking for he's not going to go at her for it. He's just going to keep going at her for walking in to doors.

    "Stay lost, huh?" She isn't going to something, she's going away from something. Alex isn't going to attempt to delve in to it if he can, he'll have to see how deep the questions get before going there. Maybe she ran away, or wanted to leave a place where something happened. It's definitely an interesting thought. Maybe she took a guy's out for making an 'aw' sound in another city. Seems like it'd happen.

    "Well, if you intend to stay lost, there are definitely some amazing places I've been told look brilliant, in case you pass it on your way to lost-ness." Jasper and Will were from Solae, and have told leagues of stories about their time there. How pretty it is, all that jazz. Honestly, he's seen the photos they've taken, he can go vicariously from that.

    Oh, she's asking the fun questions. He would be mid-sip from his milkshake, a small slurping sound as he finished it, putting it down before saying anything, "Well, I had no family where I originally lived, and I met someone who could teach me a few things, so I followed him here. He's currently out doing who-the-fuck-knows what, so I'm just chilling."

    That obviously wasn't the whole story, but they are being vague. They did agree to not give half-answers or mayhapses and bullshit, that does not include being wary of each other. She wasn't large on the why of adventuring out or all that, so he's not going to be in-depth. And the 'no family' isn't a complete lie. His older brother is also in who-the-fuck-knows-where land, so he was living alone there.

    He'd tap on his chin a bit, thinking of a question before Will interrupted them with their order. For Alex, it was the same as always. A quarter pound beef patty, with mustard, ketchup, lettuce, and hot onion rings, on a nice toasty bun. Melted cheese on each patty. Next to it, a side of waffle fries. Will would then pass whatever Morgan ordered to her, then would put the tray under his pit once again.

    "Hey, so I don't want to interrupt again, but Jasp did text me while waiting for your order, Lex."

    "Oh?"

    "Yeah, he wants to talk about some stuff, said you weren't reading your phone." Alex would then realize he didn't actually, y'know, bring it, a small chuckle leaving his mouth as he padded his pockets. "Well, whenever you get to it. Do you guys need anything else?"

    "Nah, we're all set. Your shift is ending in like fifteen, so we won't bother you too much."

    "Aw, what a thoughtful coupl-"

    "If you think that dinky .22 was the biggest thing I got, I can assure you you'll have a projectile-based enema large enough to make a bar stool look like a pebble. Savvy?"

    "Right. Enjoy your meal, nice meeting you......." He would lapse on the name, realize he wasn't given a name, and would attempt to improvise, "Person?" He would then leave.

    "Okay, back to where we were at-" Alex would take a fry, dipping it into some ketchup as he asked, "So, in your travels, meet anyone decent so far? Or is that what brought on this I'm gonna gouge your eyes out type vibe?" He's obviously joking, it's mostly just to poke fun while he's setting up getting eating. So there's just the occasional bullshit sent back and forth, nothing serious. Because, y'know, chewing is a thing. Unless she chews with her mouth open, in which case he is judging immensely.

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

She tensed when he emphasized her own words. She didn't like that. She didn't like that one fucking bit. Even if it was a little joke it made her nervous. She felt like she already said too much all at once. She doesn't say anything in response. She seems quite content on consuming the contents of her milkshake. She only hummed along in response to his rhetorical question.

"Might have to point them out on a map for me." She was already learning more than she ever had at home. Though she realized just how...socially stunted she was. She could admit she wasn't great at talking to people considering she only had two to talk to for most of her life. Still by some miracle people are tolerating her for the most part. She'd rather keep interactions to a minimum for her own sake if she wanted to stay hidden though. "Exploring and learning is probably the best part of wandering..." There is that faint smile that flickers on her face before it goes back to a stone-cold RBF.

She looks a little intrigued as he mentions no family. Part of her wonders who he followed here. Mostly out of innocent curiosity. She understands the omission was there for a reason. She stirs around her milkshake as she listens. Morgan can't imagine not having her sisters. Well- now she clearly can, but growing up she wouldn't know what to do. Probably would have died without them since her mother died to bring her into this world. They were the only people who knew she existed.

..Save for her father, whoever that man is.

Her eyes flick back to Will as he approaches the table once more. The two have some exchange about people she clearly doesn't know. But she makes a mental note of all the names mentioned. She mostly zones out until she hears the word couple. She immediately snaps a glare towards Will and holds up her fork. "Call us a couple again and I will stab this through your hand," she said. She did not look like she was joking either.

Hard to tell with Morgan though.

She only gives a curt nod and cold smile when Will just addresses her as just Person. He doesn't need to know her name. She gets the feeling he would be the type to spill on accident.

She goes to take a bit of her food. Oh dang, this was really good. She wasn't going to admit she's never had anything like this though. Sure, she's heard of it but her sister Gwen didn't usually make food like this. Usually, they ate whatever they got from their greenhouse.

She rolls her eyes at his joke but there is a brief giggle. "I've met one decent-ish person on the road. Bit standoffish and a wanderer like myself. Except they had goals. The eye-gouging attitude is something I was raised with. Kinda." Gwen certainly didn't approve of the attitude. Joan was far worse than Morgan though. Then again Joan wasn't nearly as irritable as she is.

"How old were you when you first learned to shoot?"

[Sora-No]

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    "Oh yeah, the new places are definitely cool. Though most of the time it's the people in a new place that sell it to me. A picture or the way something looks is just kinda boring to me if it doesn't have something to it other than a view." Yes, despite how absolutely antisocial and annoyed Alex seems to be with most people, people let him enjoy things more. Playing a game solo? Gross. Playing a game with friends? Howling laughter and all the fun times.

    "Makes sense. Threatening to stab people in the eye is definitely hereditary, I understand completely." It's why his family has an innate ability to make drinks and food and such. It just runs in the family. They used to own a bar, so obviously it's just hereditary. He can mix 90% of drinks he knows, still, only problem being he's far far too young and that'd be a bit of a problem for work-wise.

    Alex would take a moment to eat his burger, letting the question hang for a moment. When he finished chewing and swallowed, he'd finally answer, "Thirteen? Fourteen? Something like that." Josh had helped him out in... hmm, maybe at thirteen? He doesn't actually remember, which is odd because he's got a decent memory, and it hasn't been that long ago.

    "I've got experience in most ammo types, though obviously heavier weapons and explosives I'm not experienced in, given- y'know, laws are a thing." He'd give a shrug, picking up the burger for another bite before thinking of a question, putting it down and swallowing once he figured it out, "So, since you know magic, I must ask- what school? Has it been friendly to learn?" He'd dip a fry in to ketchup, continuing, "Cause I mean, I'm not bad at magic, but 'basic' is definitely a term that comes to mind."

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

"Meeting people is one of the reasons I started traveling in the first place." She was starving for human interaction. She was desperate for it. She even abandoned her only family just to be able to seek out others. Morgan has yet to really regret her decision. Deep down there is a part of her that misses her sisters, as much as she hates admitting it.

She lets out another giggle. Yeah, there were a lot of things that were hereditary in the coven. Despite the fact that none of them were actually biologically related. She takes a handful of fries to enjoy. ...Ok she's never had this- it's fucking amazing. She tries to hide the pure joy and wonder on her face that threatens to flicker on her features. She can't really let people know what she doesn't know.

Only knowing how to shoot for two- three years? Interesting. She takes another sip of her milkshake. She wonders if magic could be incorporated with weaponry. Well if she decided to study the war path of magic certainly... But she wanted to follow after her mother's steps. It's why she kept her mother's old grimoire after all. That and it did have some hints about her dad. His name was scratched out of everything though. Her sisters refused to explain any of it. They knew something but it was obvious they weren't going to tell her.

"Well, I've been studying magic as soon as I could read. For all the good that's done..." For all the work she's put in she feels like she isn't good enough at it. Years worth of effort and what does it show? A few measly spells. Her mother was casting for more than she was at her age. "I do chaos magic. It can be a bit nasty since you're messing with luck and...well a lot of things.
The branch of magic and what it is able to do is just as confusing as the element. I've had a few lash backs but not without supervision so if something went wrong I was usually ok. I wanna get better at it though. It's the branch of magic my mother was the best at.
Supposedly."

[Sora-No]

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    "If you're meeting new people, threatening to maim them might be a bit too friendly." He'd take a waffle fry, waving it around as he talked, "Though, this conversation seems to be going better than expected, given I still have both my eyeballs, and I'm not bleeding from any newly added holes." He'd dip the fry in ketchup absent-mindedly before taking the bite, chewing slowly. As much as he jests, he can tell that Morgan is putting at least some effort to converse with others. And, though he will never admit it, the conversation in question isn't horrible so far.

    "Hmm." Alex would take a bite out of his burger, putting his hand up to cover his mouth as he spoke between chews, "It sounds like- you've got like- a really shit outlook." Alex would swallow, continuing, "Cause I mean, you're comparing your magic- I'd assume- to your mother and your teacher's, correct?" He'd sip at his milkshake, compiling his next thoughts before speaking yet again.

    "Now, I don't know any Chaos magic, but I do know that there's a difference between learning a spell and getting said spell. Some people can just pick up a spell super quick, others need time." He'd toss a fry into his mouth, swallowing, "So, y'know, take it at your own pace. Especially given the fact that there's no rush. You're what? 17? 18?" Alex has no clue how old Morgan is, he's currently low-balling it as a courtesy, "You've got time."

    Alex definitely remembers there being drawbacks if he messed up a spell growing up. Screwing up a light spell messed with his vision, or a war spell backfiring heavily on him. While he didn't know in what way a spell would backfire when learning Chaos magic -maybe have the spells affect you rather than the castor?- but maybe Morgan was taught at a slower pace to handle those? He's got no fucking clue, if he's honest, but attempting to make a prediction is at least a fun little game for him.

    "All right, your go for a question-" Alex would say, chowing down on his burger until said question is given to him. He's just vibing currently until something changes.

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

She can only scoff and roll her eyes at that comment. The sarcasm isn't missed by her and he's not exactly wrong about it. But of course, you don't want to give people the impression they can take advantage of you. They can certainly try but they would be well aware of the fucking consequences. You smirk though as he admits the convo isn't that bad. A relief for you since- well frankly you don't know what the fuck you are doing and you are becoming aware your attitude isn't palatable to most people. "Consider yourself lucky. But who knows who might lose one if you're not too careful," you reply, though that glint in your eye might indicate your joking. It is really hard to tell with that sardonic voice. You take another bite of your burger and follow it up with a sip of your shake.

A part of her wants to initially argue with him about her outlook but she stops. She supposes she does compare herself to her sisters. Which- granted, have had many years more practice than her. Along with her mother. Still, though she is nothing if not impatient. Besides she's been doing this her whole life. Morgan thinks with that type of intensive specialized education she received, she would have something more to show for it. "I have put a lot of time into this. My whole life in fact, which is 18 years thank you very much," you say now huffing and crossing your arms. The frustration isn't actually directed at Alex though. Moreso at herself for spending her whole life on one subject and now feeling woefully inadequate with it all. Not that she would let him see that of course.

Oh fuck. Right, they were still asking questions. "Who taught you magic? You said you knew some basics."

[Sora-No]

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    Okay so Alex now has paused from eating to give Morgan a very specific look. If subtitles could be added to a single look, a single frame of a second of his face, it could be put in a textbook definition of the word "Doubt". He wasn't at the least concerned with Morgan stabbing him, jest or not. If she was going to, she would've done it when he was joking earlier. Not a long while after, after he got her a burger and a shake, and they've been talking as equals for this long already.

    The question would hit Alex as he was taking the final sip of his milkshake, a small slurp sound stopping abruptly as he pulled his mouth off the straw, clicking his tongue for a second as he thinks back about the answer, "Well, my brother taught me the absolute baby basics when I was super young, I picked up a couple ideas and spells when my family visited the Grand Library in the Deep Sanctuary on a trip through the city. There was this one lady that tried to teach me as well, couldn't remember what school of magic for the life of me, but I couldn't really pick it up," He'd make a motion with his hands, "Kind of like an 'in one ear out the other' type deal, y'know?"

    "I only really know two spells, and one is one I hand-fisted together with the help of this super nice guy at the academy, don't really remember the name that well if I'm honest. Started with a K, I think?" He'd shake his head, taking a fry and chewing it before speaking again, "As I said, most of what I know are the absolute basics and I haven't really put in the time to improve since I'm not really interested."

    Having only fries left and only a bite or so of his burger, he'd lean back in his chair, "So, thought that's been crossing my mind- Chaos magic. If you screw up a spell, what happens? I know for certain types of magic there are drawbacks if you mess up a spell and all, I personally screwed up a ton in that regard. But Chaos magic is all mental stuff, right? What would screwing that up look like?" He's assuming that's why Morgan was taught so slowly. If these people have years of experience, maybe they took it easy because of the fact that she's family. Maybe the drawbacks were detrimental enough that messing with that risk wasn't something they wanted to take? He's mostly theorizing still.

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

Yeah, he's not wrong. Morgan definitely would have already gotten violent if she wanted to. She wouldn't even warn anyone at that point. She considers her warnings a courtesy to others so they have the chance to avoid something unpleasant. Even though she herself is already pretty damn unpleasant.

Morgan begins to mentally note off the interesting tidbits of information he drops. Mostly because she is always looking to improve her magic and looking at this Grand Library was definitely something she wanted to do. At least she knows where she might go next after this. Wonder if she can run into that random lady. Can't believe he has so much opportunity to learn and he just decides to shoot guns instead. ...She can't wrap her head around that.

"Guess so. That's me with math," she admits with a sigh taking another sip. It was by far her worst subject and she had little desire to practice or get better. She'd rather die! She pauses for a moment upon hearing an academy. Wait- a school? There's a school here?

"You mean to tell me there's a school here that teaches magic?" She's trying not to act excited but that shimmer in her eyes gives it away. Learning in a place filled with people rather than being stuck somewhere on her own with her sisters. Not that she doesn't love them but god she was stifled out there.

She decides to hide her excitement behind her appetite working on what's left of her meal. She doesn't say much until he asks about Chaos magic. "Oh. Well- yeah the clap back can be pretty brutal.
It's not always mental stuff. It's just- the chaos of the world around you and bending that ever so slightly in your favor. But since it's Chaos it can get pretty bad. I've given myself some nightmares or illusions that stuck. It can be disorienting at times I guess." What becomes real and what is Chaos begin to blur together at some point and that's a dangerous place to be.

"It's sorta like- giving yourself bad luck for a bit or having to see creepy shadows in every corner until you can't tell what's a shadow or a person. Stuff like that. It's all temporary though."

[Sora-No]

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    Alex would quirk an eyebrow at her question, "Yeah, there's a school. It seems to be run pretty well, minus the whole 'magic' part that I'm not really tuned in for. There's some good people, there, though one teacher won't leave me alone." He would pause, then continue, "Not in that way, more of in a 'Hey, join this school, something something potential, blah blah blah. Again, in one ear and out the other."

    He would lean back in his chair, scratching his head, "I think they have most schools of magic in terms of teaching, but I haven't gone near it since I was like- twelve?" Alex shrugged, a small chuckle coming out of the boy's mouth, "Well, I'm pretty certain they also have a code of conduct and shit of things like, 'don't threaten to stab people or actually stab people'. So, might want to go in with a better disposition before going there."

    He's been all over Deep Sea since he's moved here, but honestly thinking back he hasn't been through any place enough to really know it. Like a dumbass nomad, been here for years and still hasn't even remembered what's in the school a short walk away from his house. Probably should stop tuning out everything he doesn't care about. Or maybe those things should try being more interesting.

    "Okay, well if you're not finished up, I believe it's your turn for a question. No, I don't count the school one that's basically cheating."

[fluffymcsnuggles]

[Refs]

"Wait wait-" Morgan says holding up her hand is a fry between her fingers. "You're saying some of the faculty at the school is personally attempting to recruit you for attendance and you're just- not gonna do that?" She's fucking floored. First of all, an opportunity to learn and hone magic skills? Yes please! Alex wasn't exactly the magic type, but if he was good at it, she didn't get why he wasn't interested in it. "If it were me I would have joined in a heartbeat," she mumbles chewing down on the last of her fries.

But it's not her. Besides, she has a plethora of reasons to actually be attending the school. She wonders about their acceptance rate, or what the application process entails, and if she needs legal guardians to sign shit. She hopes not. Forging signatures is easy but when magic is involved tricking people becomes a lot harder.

Morgan begins to finish up the last of her food, frowning as she thinks about the code of conduct. Sure, she can handle herself for a while, keep herself in line certainly. Structure always benefitted Morgan but she was also a piece of shit that liked to use technicalities to her advantage. You can blame her older sisters for teaching her how to look for loopholes in the law.

"I wasn't planning on stabbing anyone in the student body," she says now angrily chewing on the last few bites of her burger. Well- she wouldn't stab anyone without a good fucking reason. She's not psycho. She may be a bitch but she is not stab happy.

She swallows down the last of her bite and sighs. Right, another question. Her frown turns into a scowl as he won't let her skirt by with a simple question. She thinks for a moment, also pulling out her coin purse to get ready to pay and tip. Just easier that way. "Fine, fine, fine. Um, not sure if you can answer this one but- how would one be able to actually get into the school like- attend as a student?" Also how much was the tuition but she wasn't gonna say shit about that. That's probably a question for the school itself.