As preparations for dinner continued, Julian and Cedric helped Rebecca in the kitchen because she had decided to cook something for everyone herself. Julian stood beside her, watching with curiosity as she tossed the ingredients into the pot and stirred them together, while Cedric took his time arranging the table and making sure everything was ready. "So, how was your first day at the Academy?" Rebecca asked Julian, glancing at him as she continued cooking.
"It was quite okay," Julian answered with a small shrug.
"Just okay?" Cedric asked from the other side, and Julian only hummed in response.
"Did you make a lot of friends?" Cedric asked.
"A few," Julian replied before beginning to count them off on his fingers. "There's Blake, Darren, Josephine, and..." He continued listing names until the number became far more than a few.
"Oh, darling, that isn't a few," Rebecca muttered under her breath, and Julian grinned sheepishly.
