As Aleksandra looked around, she was greeted by Zyanya. "Oh, you're up early. Good morning!" she replied through a yawn.
"Well I didn't sleep much, but good morning." Ezpalli said as she got out of her bunk. "Hey Aleksandra, let's go get some breakfast. Zyanya, have you already eaten?"
Aleksandra hopped down and followed Ezpalli to the mess hall. Once they got their food, they found a free table and sat down. "Are you excited to be going back? To Oudhal that is." Ezpalli asked shyly.
Aleksandra seemed shocked at the question, but answered nonetheless. "Well, I don't know if 'excited' is the word I would use. A lot of things changed since the war. The Garden was hit pretty hard by the bomb and the fires that ensued." she said somberly.
"Oh... I'm sorry. That wasn't very sensitive of me. I just... um... Thought maybe you had some family or friends back home that you might want to see. I'm sorry. You probably lost a lot in the war. We all did. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." Ezpalli blushed as she apologized and stared down at her food.
Aleksandra giggled. "No, it's okay, really. My parents died long before the war began, but I do have some friends around the northern parts of Oudhal." There was a brief minute of silence as they ate. "What about you? Were you from Halistrand or somewhere else?"
"I was actually born in Clodhelm. My grandparents were researchers in Xydrift so I spent about as much time there as I did at home. After the war, my mother and I moved to Xydrift. My father is a solider so I don't see much of him. I hear he survived the war though." Ezpalli said. The two finished up their meals and joined the others in packing up their things.
Meanwhile, Vukani had already finished packing. As the others ate, he sat on his bunk examining his mission files and eating a small nutrition bar he had pulled from his bag.
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