"Then let's go for a bit of tea. If he gets angry, just tell him you had to use the privy."
Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he couldn't find it in himself to turn her down. "I suppose I can. But just for a bit."
The dining hall was its own edifice, located around the centre of the collegia's grounds where it was most accessible to faculty and students. Whitewashed like all of the other buildings, the single-story construct consisted of a large hall that was filled with several dozen tables of considerable length, each sandwiched between a pair of long, wooden benches. The far end of the hall was sectioned off, designating a large area for the cooks to keep a constant supply of food idling atop the lengthy counter that barred the area.
"Let's get some tea and then go over there," said Lessa, pointing at an empty table in the far left corner. "It'll be warmer if we sit closer to the kitchens."
