Chapter 257: Bunk
They stepped into the living room.
Several people were already there, spread across the couches in various states of rest.
Some were talking quietly among themselves, others had their eyes closed, and a few looked up briefly when the door opened before looking away again.
Nic stepped in behind them, spreading his hands. "These are some of the people you’ll be working with. They’ll work alongside you guys as security detail for the Le Fay ball."
He paused, taking in their reactions. "Even if you’d rather not make conversation, take a good look at every face in this room. When everyone’s gathered, you need to know who belongs and who doesn’t."
"Anyone trying to slip in by pretending to be part of the security team, you’ll catch them faster if you’ve already memorized the people who are supposed to be here."
Akira swept her gaze across the room, doing a quick count. "Is this everyone?"
"Not yet," Nic said. "We’re still waiting on a few more. Once the full group is together, we’ll do proper introductions so everyone can put names to faces." He gestured down the hallway branching off from the living room. "Until then, you’ve got a few hours. You can stay out here or head to the rooms and rest."
"Where are the rooms?" Lukas asked.
Nic pointed left, then right. "Women go left, men go right. Pick any free bunk and make yourself comfortable. Someone will come get you when it’s time to gather."
A knock came from the front door.
Nic glanced back. "I’ll leave you to settle in."
He moved towards the door. "You know the layout now. Help yourselves."
He disappeared back into the hallway.
Lukas turned to look at the living room again. Most of the couch space was already taken, with people filling the seats without leaving much room for three more.
He looked at Melody and Akira. "Head to your section and get some rest. When it’s time to move out, we’ll meet back here."
Melody nodded, already glancing down the left hallway. "Don’t snore," she said to Lukas.
"I don’t snore."
"You do," Akira said.
"I don’t."
Neither of them argued further, which was its own kind of argument.
Melody gave him a small wave and headed left, disappearing around the corner, with Akira following a step behind her.
Lukas watched them go, before heading to the male dorms.
He pushed through the door, entering inside.
The room was large, lined on both sides with bunk beds stacked two high.
A few were already claimed, with the mattresses looking disturbed or boots left beside the lower frames.
Several of the men were already in conversation, their voices low. Either they wanted to keep their conversations private, or they didn’t want to distract the others.
Lukas moved to an empty lower bunk near the middle and reached down to sit.
"That one’s mine."
He stopped.
One of the men near the bunk bed beside it had turned, speaking without much urgency. He was in the middle of conversation with the person beside him and hadn’t even fully broken away from it.
Lukas straightened slowly, eyes moving across the bunk, then across the room. There were no boots on it, and the mattress was tidy. There was no sign to indicate that it was taken.
He studied the man’s face, then the face of the person he’d been talking to.
Neither of them looked hostile. The first man simply gestured vaguely towards the far end of the room.
"There’s a free one down there."
Lukas followed the gesture to see a lower bunk near the far wall with nothing near it. It was clearly unclaimed.
He frowned, wondering if this was some sort of hazing ritual for new guys.
He walked to the bunk and sat down.
Nothing happened.
No one laughed, and no one looked over like he’d been expecting.
The two men had already turned back to each other, continuing their conversation without paying him any mind.
Lukas sat there for a moment, then slowly lowered himself onto his back.
He stared up at the bottom of the upper bunk above him.
Maybe Nic had a point. He’d walked into a room full of colleagues, nearly made an issue out of someone’s bunk bed, and spent the first thirty seconds braced for something that was never coming.
Was he too suspicious? Or should he be more curious instead of making conclusions on his own?
He was expected to serve as security for a high profile event, so shouldn’t he be more suspicious?
But what if his suspicion made him offend a powerful enough person that the Le Fays would rather give him up than offend them.
Then his mind wandered as he wondered if there were figures powerful enough in the city that even the Le Fays wouldn’t risk getting hostile because of a security guard?
The Infinity Guild, maybe?
And what would others say of the Le Fays if it happens? Would people still be willing to work with them?
He shook his head. There was no use thinking about this. He hadn’t been here long enough or seen enough to understand the dynamics of the city.
And that was when he realized something he was missing.
’I really need a friend.’
It wasn’t that Akira and Melody didn’t provide companionship, but that a male friend outside of his immediate family would be nice.
He sat up, eyes sweeping around the room. Should he find one here?
Most people were laying on their bed, some already napping, so he presumed they wouldn’t want to be disturbed.
While those in conversations looked like they’d known each other for a long time, so they might not fancy an outsider like him joining the conversation.
He sighed.
Maybe another time. Or he might organically gain a friend as the mission went on.
Or most probably, he’ll head back home with his wives and no friends.
He laid back down on his back, eyes closed. He spent the time napping, unaware of the passage of time, until Nic’s voice reached them from the hallway.
"Alright, everyone. Time to gather up."
