A man with a huge scar over his right eye and a pale complexion knocks into her as he opens the door.
"I'm sorry about that," the man whispers. He looks away quickly, walking the paved road.
Before Abby could muster the words "I'm sorry," the man was out of hearing distance. What an odd man. And he had a horrible sunburn. Where was his sunscreen? She enters the dining hall, which has a rich crimson carpet and a ceiling made of white stained glass.
This is way better than the junk we had at basic training. The depressing image of soggy waffles filled her brain as she thought back to her instructor, Technical Sergeant Brian Worchester. He was a devil of a man with a large square head and bad breath that would drop a horse in its steps.
The cursive calligraphy on the menu gave the dining hall a posh atmosphere. We are in the capital after all. To her surprise, chicken was on the list but not the type Luna requested. I guess she will have to make do. Abby looks at the prices. Dinner is 20 Florian Dollars. Opening her purse, Abby looks down to see a five hundred Florian Dollar. I guess I will have to break this dollar. Food is expensive in the capital. Throughout the dining process, she requests an additional helping of ranch dressing and a side order of garlic bread.
Abby put the meals neatly in her lap as she guides her horse back to the dorms. Hopefully what I got will help make Luna happy. Heading upstairs, Abby knocks on the door.
"It's me," she says in a cheerful voice. She hears a click followed by the door being opened. "Put the knife away, it's just me." Abby says in a stern manner.
"You could have been an imposter," Luna whispered.
"A what!" Abby shakes her head. What am I going to do with this woman? Abby sits the food down, opening both meals.
"This isn't garlic chicken." Luna frowns, looking at Abby.
"Wait and see." Abby peels the skins off Luna's platter of fried chicken. In a paper bowl, she mashes the garlic and ranch dressing together. "Look, now you have chicken garlic ranch with noodles."
Luna wipes a single tear from the corner of her eyes before lowering her spectacles. "You did this for me. You had enough love in your heart to make sure I had garlic flavored chicken even though it wasn't on the menu. Thank you. I guess you're not evil. I'm going to give you a chance. You better not break my heart. My friendship does not come easily." A faint grin creeps over Luna's face, her cheeks flushed.
"You're quite welcome." Abby took a sip of her beverage. "I told you from the start I am not going to hurt you," Abby assured.
Abby had the dish in her hands when Luna snatched it away. "Let's have a look at this. Cake with sprinkles and this chicken you cooked for me are among the offerings. Not awful at all. According to my estimates, I'll need a workout in the morning to burn this off. I also have an eye on calorie consumption."
"If anything, you need to gain a little weight," Abby says with a slight chuckle.
"Oh, you like to joke, okay." Luna stuck out her tongue. "Your bosoms are flotation devices."
Laughing, Abby collapses to the ground. "That's so relevant because we live right by the ocean. When it does flood, I will be good to go, right?"
"You're hopeless. That was supposed to be a jab, not a compliment." Luna takes a bite of her cake. "To be fair, this is rather good for military rations. For basic training, I was at a place where the food was appalling."
"What did you expect? It's basic, didn't you hear the stories? Has anyone in your family served in the military before?" Abby canted her neck to the right, her eyes fixed with curiosity.
Luna tapped her chin with her finger. "No… I was forced in. My family does not believe in war."
"For religious reasons?" Abby inquired.
"No, my family believes we don't need to be killing each other over resources. There are enough resources on Eltia to please everyone. A veteran from the Outlands Offensive stabbed my father fatally. The incident occurred due to a chance encounter. The man screamed and stabbed my father in the throat. The guy is off on insanity charges. The last thing I ever wanted to do was serve in the military. It has brought nothing but bad memories to our family."
"I'm so sorry." Abby's eyes glared towards the floor.