"That sounds good to me." She unsnuggles and goes for her bookbag.

And they can spend the remaining time until supper studying together. Ma'ar is mostly quiet, reading through his notes and occasionally practicing bits and pieces of spells with his eyes closed, but he sits close to Azabel and occasionally pets her hair or leans briefly against her. 

It's nice! Once she has an idea of what frequency of affectionate gesture doesn't overly distract him she picks it up too.

It is nice, and Ma'ar makes a point of smiling at Azabel to make sure he's conveying that he's pleased about it. 

"- Want to go eat at the dining hall?" he asks eventually. "And maybe we can go stargazing after that." 

"Mm-hm!" They could hold hands on the way there.

On the object level Ma'ar is pleased about this, and squeezes her hand back. He's also pretty sure it has...some sort...of social significance, and is slightly tempted to read the minds of the students they pass in the hall to figure out what they are. Only very slightly tempted, though. It's hardly life-or-death. He pays attention to their expressions and body language instead. 

People do notice; they don't look surprised, if they seem interested at all, but there's one or two looks of smugness or amusement.

...Smugness? What's up with that? 

Maybe Azabel has any idea what's going on with that. As they reach the dining hall and line up to get plates of food, Ma'ar relates his observations to her in Mindspeech. :....Er, what do you think?: 

:Maybe they were expecting us to get together and are congratulating themselves for guessing?:

:Huh. Why would they have been expecting that?: 

:Because we're a boy and a girl - of the same species, even - and have been friends for years:

:....That - doesn't seem like a very strong reason to me? Aren't lots of girls and boys friends?: Ma'ar finishes loading up his plate and waits for Azabel. 

:Are they? I think it's usually girls being friends with girls and boys being friends with boys but I haven't like written down everybody I know and figured out what counts as being friends and checked:

:...I don't think I've paid much attention to who was friends period. Maybe I should have: A pause. :Do - we count as having been friends, before this I mean? I thought you...weren't sure if I even liked talking to you...?:

:I think we were friends just based on how much we hung out even if I was under certain misapprehensions:

:- Misapprehensions?: Ma'ar gives her a slightly alarmed look. :I...didn't mean to lie to you...: 

:The misapprehension that you did not like me all that much!:

:I didn't mean to give you a mistaken, er, implicit false impression based on my actions!: Ma'ar grimaces. 

:It's not like you said you didn't like me, you just didn't display it like most people do:

Ma'ar hesitates for a long moment, pausing where he is in the middle of the aisle between dining-hall tables. 

:- Do you think I should, uh, try to - learn how to display my intentions the way most people do? It's...on my list but low priority, right now, I - thought it'd be less relevant strategically than other things: 

:Is there anybody else who may have important misapprehensions?:

:Maybe? I'm not sure? You're...probably the person I've spent the most time talking to, aside from Aala, and I don't think she'd have misapprehensions...: 

:Do you like her or just think she's okay kinda?:

:...Huh, I - hadn't really been thinking of that as the important part? She's smart and learns fast and she's good with people – I want her on my side: 

:That makes it sound like you're thinking of - hiring her, rather than deciding if you want to be her friend: