A 'WARM' REUNION:

Ezra's character scoffed at Max's actions,

"Wow, I must've missed the memo about the new handshake involving a punch. Classic!"

He cleaned the blood trail running from his nose with his sleeve, looking at the stain in annoyance, "Guess I need to upgrade my greeting repertoire - maybe a flying kick or a hard punch right to the center of that ugly mug for that extra touch of warmth. Wouldn't want to be outdone in the welcoming department, right?" 

In a charged atmosphere, his enraged Ex's fists clenched again, he lunged forward, gripping Ezra's collar with a vice-like grip. His eyes, ablaze with anger, conveyed a volatile intent. Tension thickened as the impending violence loomed, but just in the nick of time, two interveners, namely Louis and the new girl, stepped in, restraining the furious assailant and diffusing the potentially explosive situation. The air crackled with the unresolved conflict that hung between them. 

Witnessing the tumultuous scene, even the dazed Alicia couldn't help but snap back to reality, her frustration evident as she angrily shouted at the two, "Stop already! What is the matter with you two?"

Running her hands through her dress shirt and jeans' pockets in an annoyed and overwhelmed state, Alicia grew even more agitated when she couldn't find what she was looking for. Huffing and puffing, she scanned the tables until Penelope handed her a phone. Alicia furiously typed into it before showing Penelope the screen. With a calm expression, Penelope read aloud to the two embroiled in the fight, "Just cut it out, okay! Must you always fight as soon as you see each other? This isn't a competition for who can be more unbearable. My sanity at the moment really can't handle this constant drama."

As these words hung in the air, Alicia let out a long, exhausted sigh, slumping into her seat and closing her eyes—likely an attempt to calm her mind and restore some peace. Ezra couldn't help but deduce that before his arrival, a significant scene had already unfolded.

Having heard those words, Maximilian stood up, nonchalantly shrugging off Louis and the girl, then calmly fixing his clothes. His gaze locked onto Ezra as he spoke grimly, "Guess you are saved today. You probably have no idea how much I've fantasized about our heartwarming reunion, dreaming of the day I could unleash my inner fury on you. It's been a real highlight on my calendar, let me tell you."

Louis, rubbing his temples in annoyance, interjected, "Beat it already, Max. Why are you being so childish? Look, I just saw all of you for the first time in a long while a few minutes ago at most. Why don't we make this a happy occasion?"

The new guy chimed in, his gentle features melting into a kind smile. "That's absolutely right. Y'know, all of us here have our share of problems. Let us just... go about them maturely, hmm? We have long passed the age of adolescent defiance and immaturity."

Max scoffed at those words, his eyes never once leaving Ezra, "I do not intend to fraternize with pathetic fools that can't even f***ing lie down and just give up on a love that has long died down. Hell, he can't even comprehend the fact that his girl is gone already."

"Oh dear," came a simultaneous gasp from around the room, Penelope's being the most conspicuous and exaggerated.

'Oh dear indeed,' Ezra thought. Max had just touched on the topic that his character was ridiculously sensitive about. He almost expected his body to lunge at Max and strangle him, but his body stayed still. However, the anger building up in his body was evident to him. It was overwhelmingly evident, actually.

Contrary to his guess that pointed at another physical altercation between the two, his character laughed hysterically at those words to the point that tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

It took seemingly everybody by surprise, not just him. Ezra heard the new girl speak to him in an odd tone, "Congratulations on achieving the coveted 'Laughing at Inappropriate Times' award. Any chance your sanity got lost in the punchline?"

Ezra shook his head before looking at her in the eyes while pointing at Maximilian, "Ah no. I just thought it's so ironic how this violent guy is worried about my love life." His eyes turned to Max's furious ones as he continued in a mocking tone, "Because nothing says 'relationship goals' like a guy who communicates with fists."

Giving a deliberate side-eye to the still close-eyed Alicia, who seemed to be pointedly ignoring the situation on their side, the look he gave Maximilian became even more ridiculing, "I'm sure his love interest dreams of being swept off her feet by a tornado of rage. I can just see the romantic candlelit brawls in their future."

The increasingly bulging veins on Maximilian's fists and forehead almost threatened to pop out of his skin. He looked as if he wanted to beat Ezra fifty feet into the ground. His gaze shifted to Alicia, who was still ignoring them, and the others who all seemed ready to step in and interfere at any second if the situation turned bad. Maximilian took in sharp breaths, visibly working to calm himself down.

His eyes followed Ezra's, who finally stood up from the ground and was now dusting his clothes. Having calmed himself, Maximilian jabbed back at Ezra with words, trying his level best not to resort to fists, "Well, coming from the expert in manipulation and his own ridiculous anger management, your relationship advice is truly invaluable. I'll be sure to enroll in your 'How to Win Hearts with Sneaky Tactics' seminar. Thanks for enlightening me, oh wise one."

Ezra, now visibly ticked off, seemed ready to escalate the situation. Realizing that it might not calm down any time soon and would only worsen, Penelope swiftly walked in between the two, who looked as if they were going to tear each other to shreds at any given moment.

"Bravo, gentlemen! Truly, your mastery in diplomacy is awe-inspiring. I'm sure the Nobel Peace Prize is just around the corner for this heartwarming display of maturity. I can't imagine a more fitting way to resolve conflicts than turning every encounter into a potential boxing match."

Penelope let out a huge sigh before placing her palms on their chests and slightly pushing the two away from each other, trying to de-escalate the situation in the same way an adult would stop a kids' fight. It was clear she was mad at the two and unconsciously mocking them but still gentle and seemingly sincere in her tone out of worry for the entire situation.

"Alright, you two, let's dial down the drama, shall we? Instead of a brawl, how about we settle our differences over a nice game of rock-paper-scissors? Winner gets the title of 'Most Chill' for the day. Trust me, it's a prestigious honor in the world of grown-ups."

Ezra rolled his eyes at her words, "I never resort to violence—I say I will, but I never do so in the end. It's clearly Captain Anger Management over there who is always ready to unleash his inner Hulk over the smallest inconvenience. With that said, dear Miss Peacemaker, any insights into why our dear friend here decided to greet me like a berserk boar? Did I miss the memo that said, 'Punch your acquaintances for a warm welcome'?"

After he said that, Ezra got hit on the back of his head and scolded by the new girl, her shoulder-length straight blonde locks swaying gently with the shake of her head in exasperation at his words, "Boy. Shut the hell up already. You may not resort to violence yourself, but your stupid loathsome mouth is always enough reason to whack some sense into you."

"No Eloise. My mouth may not usually have a brain-to-mouth filter, or me not sharing a particularly pleasant history with this guy, or even the fact that this dumb f**k tends to sometimes get physical—all of these reasons may not let us have an agreeable relationship, true, but his reaction this time was clearly way too over the top." And as if mocking him, Ezra turned to Maximilian and innocently asked, "Am I right?"

Maximilian did not think he could get any more pissed than he already was with this guy. Before he could say anything, though, Penelope intervened again, her voice filled with undisguised guilt and apology, "Ah, that... would be my fault. I'm very sorry, Ez. I may have accidentally revealed something that should have been kept hidden." Her voice dropped down to a whisper, audible enough for only her and Ezra's ears, "That you... y'know, may have asked Alicia to lie about that again? It was an honest mistake, Ez. I really did not mean to make things difficult for you."

Ezra never doubted this woman. She had always been an honest girl. He just took in that information with a heavy heart and gently traced his gaze over all the faces in the room. His gaze had unconsciously passed by Alicia, who was shaking her head and wiping down her waist with a wet handkerchief, "Oh dear me. that hurt so bad. That tea was scalding... Why must my character be so emotionally unstable at all times..."

'Ah.' He thought, 'She is out of character.'

"And so? Who are you to beat me over her and my issues?" Ezra spoke in a bland manner.

Max huffed at those words before tightly shutting his eyes. After a few seconds of standing still, he just fell back down to his seat and asked, "Why are you here again?"

At this question, the others, except Alicia, who gave him a very short side-eye before getting back to soothing down the swelling at her waist, looked at him.

Ezra snorted at that, "What a stupid question. If you mean why I'm at the University, then clearly the answer is the same as the rest of you all's reason for being here too. I'm a student here if you could not already guess. The same applies to the clubroom. I came here to apply to be in this cybersecurity society. I just heard from the professor that it was formed a week or so ago. I would have never guessed that you all were behind it. This is no longer coincidence. It is an almost laughably unfortunate fate I fear."

Having heard those words, the rest looked at each other in a complex manner before their eyes fell on Alicia, who was now, once again, seated in the chair with her eyes closed.

After a few minutes, Ezra felt himself gain back control over his body. Before he could think over it, a big and warm palm cupped his cheek that had been previously punched, and gently stroked it. Ezra's eyes followed it to finally be met with those blue eyes that had previously been filled with nothing but fury, now overflowing with unabashed worry.

"Are you okay?" Max asked with genuine concern.

Maximilian seemed to have realized that his actions and words were odd. He quickly took back his hand, rubbing his index finger and thumb, and looking at them thoughtfully before speaking almost dumbly, "Well, you see, my subconscious was just doing its own stand-up routine, and I accidentally became the audience. It's not a mistake; it's just my brain trying out some new material without consulting me first. We're all victims of our own comedic instincts, right?"

Hearing that unnecessarily long excuse, Ezra merely scoffed and did not bother with him. Instead, he wondered out loud, "Why can I suddenly move?"

"It is a scene of introspective contemplation," Penelope answered in a light manner. Ezra turned to her in confusion to which Penelope tried to clarify, "She has entered a moment of introspective contemplation, where our presence takes a backseat to the unfolding narrative. It is within this introspective soliloquy that the tapestry of our surroundings allows for a newfound liberty of movement."

Ezra's brain stopped functioning for a second at the sudden onslaught of the linguistic gymnastics Penelope exposed him to.

Louis on the side chuckled before clarifying Penelope's words, "Miss Alicia's character over there has entered a state of what we call an internal monologue. Attention has been shifted away from our actions and onto her thoughts. That is why we are all able to speak and move freely at the moment."

It seemed to be true. Everyone else, apart from Alicia, was able to move freely at the moment. Above everyone's heads, the scene was being described. Alicia's character at the moment was reminiscing about their characters' past, it seemed.

Understanding that fact, Ezra nodded solemnly before reaching out for Max's collar and punching the guy in the face. Though not as hard as he himself had been punched, Ezra unconsciously couldn't bring himself to hurt Max very much. Still, he snorted at Max, "No matter if you were not in control of your actions. I tend to return favors no matter what. You do know that, right?"

Everyone was slightly surprised at the sudden action. Maximilian, though, was pretty calm. He almost seemed like he had expected it. He was about to speak but was suddenly interrupted by Penelope's words to Ezra, "Could you not deliver a decisive blow with enough force to leave a discernible mark upon his countenance, if you please?"

When Ezra looked at her as if he were questioning her sanity, she pouted, "I suppose there is no way but to take action myself in regards to my own curiosity."

"What do you mean-"

Everyone was taken by surprise when Penelope raised her arm and dropped it decisively at the edge of a nearby chair; a disturbing crack could be heard in the silence of the room.