SLVR

Vance listened intently to Lev, frowning at his lack of hobbies. That was just not right. Everyone needed hobbies! However his attention was soon stolen again when Lev showed off his semblance, standing atop the Faunus's head with ease. Vance gasped and reached up to touch Lev, unwilling to move his head for fear of causing the boy to lose focus and fall off of his head. He couldn't help but smile as Lev jumped off of his head, turning to watch the black haired boy. "That was so cool!" He exclaimed, staring at Lev with bright eyes. His smile disappeared once Reyna punched Lev. As the fight escalated, the faunus boy shrunk back and curled up in his bed. His ears flattened against his head.

While Lev answered his questions, Sylvia had reattached her prosthetics in the vain hope that maybe it would help her somewhat with the shocks of feeling that would intermittently run through her nonexistent legs. No such luck. She finished in time to catch Lev levitating on top of Vance, noting that was how he had managed to get on the Nevermore without it reacting to him. The situation flipped once Reyna stood. Almost immediately Sylvia was on her feet, ready to react as the two got in each other's faces. The silverette watched for a moment before moving. Swift as a bullet, Sylvia was in between Lev and Reyna. She held a hand to their chests and pushed.

"Enough!" She growled, pushing the two away. "I don't care what happened in the past! You two are teammates now. You're looking after each other in battle. Fighting isn't going to get either of you anywhere!" She turned to Reyna, her green eyes stony and stern. "Yes, Lev did horrible things to your friends. Being angry is natural. But taking it out on Lev isn't gonna help your friends out just like his apologies won't. Insulting him and immediately assuming the worst won't fix anything and will just start more trouble than fixing it. And you," She turned to Lev, crossing her arms. "need to stop with the high and mighty crap. Not every person does what you can do Lev, and you can't do what every other person does. I get it, your parents were crappy, but sometimes you need to be a bit more sensitive toward others. Everyone's got different abilities and different strengths. Just because they didn't meet what you considered good enough does not mean that they needed those classes."

Sylvia gave the two one last stern look before adopting a more concerned tone. She relaxed her shoulders a bit as she spoke, "Like I said before, you two are teammates now. We can't afford one of you not looking after the other because of past mistakes. I don't expect either of you to be buddy-buddy right away, but at least make an effort to try and understand each side before you go and bite each other's heads off. If you really need to fight it out, at least wait until we're training and not in our dorm room where things could easily go wrong." With that, the silverette flopped back into her desk chair. She moved to massage her stumps, watching the group before sighing. "If you two are okay now then I think I have a story to tell you."

Still shocked by the fighting, Vance popped up when Sylvia mentioned a 'story'. "You don't have to tell us, Sylvia. We can wait for a better time." The faunus squeaked out, still hesitant as he looked between Lev and Reyna.

"Thanks, Vance, but if I don't tell you guys soon then I'm gonna lose my nerve and never tell you all. So unless Lev and Reyna still have some beef they need to work out or some apologies to give, I'll tell you guys how I lost my legs." The silverette watched her teammates carefully, hands never moving from the spot they had on her stumps. Vance also waited with baited breath for the two other members of their team to state what they needed before Sylvia launched into her story.
 
Lev and Reyna both came back to reality when Sylvia came between them. The pinkette gave Lev one last glare before retreating to her bedside, deciding against retorting against her leader. Lev, too, backed down as the silverette spoke, though he kept his focus on Reyna as he sat down. "We can settle things tomorrow." Lev huffed, swiping his bangs away from his eyes. "And stop assuming that my parents suck. Just because they were a bit harsh doesn't mean anything. Besides, I am better because of them."

Reyna immediately sat up when Lev declared that he was better, seeing an opportunity to retort. "Hey, she said to knock it off!"

Lev was all too willing to be baited into another argument. "I wasn't trying to make a statement."

"That's never stopped you before!"

"Why do you keep picking on me?"

"Because nobody had the guts back in Signal."

"Pig!"

"Hedgehog!"

The two made their final childish declarations before turning away from each other like siblings being held at bay by their mother, that being Sylvia. The two simply waited in silence for the silverette to begin speaking again, hopefully now about a different topic.
 
At the two's childish behavior, Sylvia ran a hand over her face, quietly groaning. "You two are going to be the death of me..." Taking a moment to collect herself, Sylvia sat up straight. "All right. I'd prefer not to have to tell this story twice so if you all could please listen I'd be grateful." The silverette looked around at her teammates before taking a deep breath. "Before I lost my legs, I always was an active kid. I'd run around, play all sorts of games with my younger brother, and just cause mayhem for my parents in general. I knew from the moment I saw my parents first fight that I was going to be just like them." Sylvia worked on her prosthetics, putting them on the desk behind her to at least give her something to do. "We lived in the middle of a forest, still close enough to town to be able to get to school and things, but far enough in that we were completely surrounded. My little brother and I loved to go run around in the woods and climb the trees... It was our own personal playground. We'd always have our parents there to watch over us, never let us go too far... We should have waited for them."

The room suddenly grew colder to the silverette as she pulled her severed thighs as close to herself as she could. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at her teammates as she continued. "Mom and Dad were out fighting. They had told us to just stay home, we could go out as soon as they got back. It would've been so easy to just wait, but I wanted to go out and show Zak a new climbing tree I found. So we ignored our parents and went out into the forest." She paused there taking a moment to gather herself before she continued. "I was so stupid... We went further than we were supposed to, further than Mom and Dad ever allowed. I had snuck out to find that stupid tree, and I thought it was safe. We climbed up only to climb back down, just enjoying the thrill of it. We were gonna head back and show Mom and Dad how we could take care of ourselves when we saw it. The grimm." Vance gasped, pulling on his blanket as he listened to Sylvia's story. He wanted to go over to her, to tell her to stop but the silverette seemed determined to keep going.

"It was an Ursa. They were pretty common in those woods which was why Mom and Dad never let us roam too far. Zak and I just froze when we saw it. It was just so big and scary. We couldn't move until the thing started running at us. I pulled Zak along, screaming for our Mom and Dad. We needed help, but nobody came. We tried so hard to outrun it, but we were just kids. It got to Zak first." She felt tears start to pool as they snuck out, one by one. "It nearly ripped him in half. I couldn't do anything to help. I was 10, what was I supposed to do? But he just kept crying... He screamed and cried and looked at me before the grimm tossed him aside and killed him. I didn't even think. I just ran. The ursa caught up to me and shredded my legs. I could see my own muscle and even some bone lying on the ground next to me. A hunter finally found us just before the thing could kill me, but it was too late. Zak was already dead. I blacked out after that." Sylvia's throat grew tight, clogged by emotions as she tried so desperately to stay strong in front of her team. They had enough to deal with without her baggage, and yet here she was laying it all out on the floor for them.

A pregnant pause filled the room. Vance inched closer, about to ask if Sylvia was done when the silverette started to speak again. "When I got to the hospital they said that the hunter couldn't save me before the thing completely tore off my legs. They mentioned it was a miracle I was still alive, that I at least still had half of my thighs. They were so happy that I survived, while my world simply crumbled. I didn't have legs, I lost my brother, and I lost my dream." Sylvia choked back a sob before looking up at her team, opening her eyes. "But, as you can see I got two of those three things back in a way. So that's how I lost my legs." Finally, the leader fell silent. She rubbed at her face, trying to get the tears to stop.

Somber silence encompassed the team. Vance was the first to move, quickly sweeping Sylvia into a hug and lifting her off of her chair. Surprised, the silverette clung to Vance while she was carried. No one had dared to hold her like this since she had made her own legs. It felt strange, having Vance just hold her in a standing hug without having her own legs to support her. Yet the faunus had moved one of his arms to what was left of her original legs, supporting their leader as he started to cry and apologize. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked you that! I'm so, so sorry!" Sylvia was stunned silent by the whole experience. Faintly, she wondered what Lev and Reyna were thinking, watching their leader be carried around like a toddler in Vance's sobbing arms.
 
Both Lev and Reyna were able to put aside their squabbles in order to listen to their leader speak. It wasn't long before their interest became entirely genuine, as they were hooked on every word of the girl's traumatic situation. Reyna couldn't help but run her fingers down her legs, feeling the muscles inside with a newfound reverence. Lev, on the other hand, nearly choked when Sylvia said how her brother had passed, immediately looking to the screen of his scroll for a sign of his own sibling. Sure enough, there was a message awaiting his response, but it could wait. Vance had picked up the silver haired girl by then, and both he and Reyna wanted to be a part of it. Getting up, Reyna added her sturdy build to the embrace, helping her partner hoist the girl. Lev took his own approach, hopping and settling on Vance's shoulder with his semblance to take Sylvia by the hand. It only took a brief second of looking into her eyes before a few sympathetic tears trickled out of his eyes, and a smile cracked from his lips.

"Sylvia..." Reyna began, pressing her head into her side, "we really appreciate you telling us that. Like...wow, I really feel like a bum now. I'm sorry." The pinkette gave her friend a squeeze and an apologetic smile.

Lev, on the other hand, remained silent for the most part as he held on to his partner's hand. After a moment of searching her face for all it had to offer, he closed his eyes with a sigh. "We're quite the bunch, aren't we?" He chuckled, giving Sylvia's knuckle a gentlemanly kiss outside of Vance and Reyna's line of sight before jumping down to the floor. "Well, I'm taking a shower, then headed to bed. I don't know about you guys, but I have a pretty grueling day ahead of me." With that, he sauntered into the bathroom and closed the door. The sound of running water indicated the end of Lev's night.

After he was gone, Reyna let Vance handle Sylvia, sitting down on her bed and tucking her knees under her chin. "I-I think I'm gonna rest up too. With classes, and all of this," she waved her hands around vaguely, "I think we would all benefit from some shuteye. Maybe we can fit in some practice after classes? After all this talk, I'm ready to swing something." She smiled before patting herself down, realizing she was still in her uniform. It wasn't long before she had rushed to the bathroom, taken her shower, and come back out to the exact same position.
 
Her team continued to surprise her. Reyna and Lev soon joined the impromptu group hug, Reyna adding another form of support and Lev pulling from above. Sylvia looked around at her teammates, her tears still trailing down her face. She sniffled as Vance started to quiet down, listening to Reyna's apology. "You're not a bum." She retorted weakly before looking back up at Lev. She smiled along with the black haired boy. Once his lips touched her hand, a light dusting of pink warmed her cheeks. She chuckled along with him, looping her arms around Vance's neck as he set her down on her bed and practically tucked her in. "Yeah, I think we could practice after class. I'll try and scout us a good area to work with. Though, I think I'm gonna stay up a little bit longer." She squirmed out of Vance's cocoon of blankets and scooted to the edge of the bed. Flipping over, Sylvia simply walked on her hands until she was back at her desk chair and settled herself. "Hey, Lev, Reyna? Would you guys be okay if I looked at your weapons? I wanna get to know them so if they break then I can fix them." Sylvia turned to her teammates for an answer before getting to work on one of the weapons she was allowed to handle. As soon as Lev finished, Vance snuck in to take his own shower and get into pjs himself. Once done, the boy curled into his own bed and let the sound of Sylvia quietly working on the weapons to lull him to sleep.

The next day seemed to go smoothly for the team. Classes had picked up a bit since there were no more syllabuses to hand out, though the majority was still lectures and furious note taking. By the time their last class had ended, Vance was practically vibrating while Sylvia led her team to the small practice area she had managed to find during their lunch break. Smiling, the silverette pulled her ponytail to tighten it. Instead of her usual combat clothes, Sylvia was wearing a workout outfit with sweats and a tank top. Vance had dressed similarily, his muscle shirt ripped down the sides leaving only a small bit attached at the bottom and shoulders. Sylvia wondered what the point of a shirt like that was, but quickly pushed it out of her mind as she turned to look at her team. "Well, I guess here's where we're gonna get to training! Um..." She bit her lip before chuckling awkwardly. "I don't really know how to start with a team thing... Maybe we should just start with typical stuff like stretches and running and things like that. Then we can focus on combat things and spar and stuff. That sound good?" She looked over her team, feeling more than a little embarrassed.

Vance immediately got to work as soon as Sylvia laid out a possible plan. "Sounds good!" He started to stretch, reaching toward his toes and working through various other stretches before starting to jog around the training area. The wolf faunus seemed to enjoy himself immensely as he started to actually do things.
 
Both Lev and Reyna were happy to lend their weapons to Sylvia for the night. Lev felt prompted to explain how his worked, but the pinkette simply pushed him back to his bed with a smile. "This is her thing, doofus. Just go to bed." Reyna remarked, settling in on her own cot and digging into the covers, taking one last look at all her teammates before going to sleep. Lev rolled his eyes, but succumbed to Reyna's decision, and went to bed as well, hoping tomorrow would be less bothersome.

The next morning went much like the first, with Lev waking and leaving early to run and eat breakfast on his own, Reyna sleeping in as much as possible, et cetera. The familiarity continued with classes, though they were more intense now that students were familiar with the professors. Lev's notes seemed to double, though he had no issue with that, and Reyna found her limit and ended up dozing in a few of her classes. It was only after the day's workload that any of them felt comfortable complaining.

"Ugh, nobody said it'd be this much work trying to keep up with our professors!" Reyna whined as they walked to the training grounds that Sylvia had found. The pinkette was dressed in simple shorts and shirt, but she looked as ready to train as the rest of her group. "I mean, I get that it's all lectures, but why can't they slow down, or-or give us handouts with notes on them?"

"Because then people like you would stop paying attention to the class, though that doesn't seem to be stopping you now." Lev interjected with a wry smile. Unlike the rest of his team, Lev was wearing his usual combat gear, though he had shed his cloak for the sake of working out, carrying it on his shoulder as they walked. Ignoring Reyna's glare at his insinuation, he responded to Sylvia's plan of action with a chuckle. "I guess it's a traditional way to start things off."

Reyna narrowed her eyes at the black haired boy. "It's a good and healthy way to start things off. Not that you'd know, string bean."

Lev narrowed his eyes back at the pinkette before looking at his arms, as though making sure his muscle mass was still present. "Sh-Shut up! I'm well aware of its importance. I just prefer a more...direct approach. Speaking of, we still have a grudge to settle."

"That we do." Reyna responded before turning to Sylvia with a smile. "Lev and I are gonna spar a little ways away. Don't mind us." With that, they wandered off to a more empty spans of land, facing each other in the midst of a flatland with grass and grass alone to pad the ground. "How's this? Perfect enough for your perfect little complex?" She taunted, pulling out her shield with a grin.

Lev flinched at the taunt, but returned the grin as he pulled out his weapon. "Not ideal, if you must know. It doesn't matter though. I can take you on anywhere, anytime. Now, what are the stakes?"

Now it was Reyna's turn to flinch. "Stakes? What do you mean? Like a bet?"

"Sure. We'll play by tournament rules, so first aura down to 25% loses." Lev spoke, setting up his scroll to accommodate to the conditions. "Now let's wager. If I win this match-"

"No! No, no wagers. I'd rather not have to take care of any of your responsibilities, especially because of some dumb bet. Now make your move!" Reyna insisted, readying up in a stance.

Lev only sighed in disappointment at the pinkette's refusal before getting in a stance of his own. No more words were exchanged between the two rivals as the battle officially began, already reaching a stalemate as neither moved a muscle. However, the tensity in the air was staggering, as though they were waging mental warfare before physical. Then Lev crouched low to the ground, slowly changing his rifle to its melee form. With his hands free, his fingers set themselves on individual blades of grass like a runner takes his mark. With his ground secure, he took one last look at Reyna's form, and she did the same to him.

*BOOM*

Reyna made the first move, firing off a cluster of missiles from her shield. Lev was on point though, using the grass to propel his lithe frame at breakneck speeds. A few of the projectiles rammed straight into the ground, but the rest wouldn't be so simple to dispatch.

Heatseakers? Lev panicked, realizing that this fight wouldn't be as ordinary as he thought. His circular path around Reyna quickly changed to a zigzag pattern as he desperately worked to throw off his pursuers. Meanwhile, the pinkette followed his movements as closely as possible, changing her shield to a war fan in the hopes of catching Lev off guard. Seeing her chance, Reyna swung at her opponent with the accuracy of a hawk, and with the power of a locomotive. The black haired boy could feel the wind being pushed by Reyna's weapon, and turned his head just in time to see the war fan's magnificent base rushing toward him while a few missiles were still on his tail. Using the grass once again, Lev came to a sudden stop, then jumped high into the air to avoid both impacts at once. Reyna unwittingly took out her own missiles, and as she recovered from the force of her own swing, Lev had his rifle back out, getting in a few good shots as he slowly descended from the air. Before he could land though, the pinkette struck again, this time making direct contact with her rival and bringing him down like a fly under a swatter. Letting her handle slide back into the base of her weapon, she took a leap on top of her shield, hoping to crush Lev with the weight of her muscly figure. Luckily for him, he squirmed out and put plenty of distance between them, firing off a few more shots before Reyna could pull her shield back in place. Once again, the battle was at a stand-still, both opponents waiting to get a read on the other. Finally Lev got impatient, and pulled something out from his pocket to change the game: A smoke grenade. Pulling the pin, he released it in the middle of the field and watched it spray a heavy cloud of smoke between him and Reyna. The pinkette almost snickered as she once again brought out her war fan, sweeping away almost the entire cloud with one stroke. However, she hadn't seen Lev scamper over the monstrous cloud to jump behind her back; a lapse in judgement on Reyna's part that would cost her the match. As she stood bewildered at Lev's disappearance, he readied the barrel of his rifle at the base of the pinkette's skull and fired before she could turn to meet the sight.

Everyone's scrolls sounded an alarm as Reyna's aura fell below 20% from the point-blank rifle shot, and the battle ceased. Lev looked down at his victim for a moment before heaving a sigh and helping her up. "Not bad, I guess, but you underestimated me. I can tell." He spoke, hoisting her shield into her hands before pulling out his scroll to see how the match had shaped up. Reyna's aura sat at a low 17% while Lev's was a flat 50. His eyes widened as he realized that all the damage he sustained came from the single swing of the pinkette's war fan. "Y-Yeah, n-not bad at all. Why don't you just, uh, take a rest right here." He put his scroll away and brought Reyna to a nearby bench, scratching his chin as he first observed the pink haired dynamo, then the battlefield. There were giant patches of flattened or barren land from Reyna's strikes, whereas Lev hadn't left a dent in the ground, which made the black haired boy ponder which was more impressive.
 
Sylvia bit her lip as Lev commented on her plan, but Reyna soon used the comment as a way to start a fight with the black haired boy. Sighing, she started her own routine while observing the two. Watching Reyna and Lev fight proved a great pastime as she stretched out. She filed the info she learned from the two in the back of her head, reminding herself to never get on Reyna's bad side-or Lev's for that matter. She was about to go congratulate them on a good fight when Vance pounced on her. "I wanna spar too! That looked so fun!" The faunus boy had watched the whole fight with attentive eyes while he had started his routine. "I wanna see how strong I am compared to Lev and Rain!" He smiled widely, bouncing as he got ready to ask one of the two to spar.

"Whoa, hold up there bud. Lev and Reyna just finished a spar. Let's give them some time to recharge." Sylvia turned to face Vance and smiled. "You can spar with me though." The words barely left her mouth when Vance grabbed her arm, pulling her over to a spot close to Lev and Reyna's own battleground.

"Yeah! Let's go! I'm so excited!" The wolf boy practically vibrated when he let go of Sylvia to stand a ways away from her. He punched his fists together, properly activating his brass knuckles. "I'm gonna kick your butt!" He boasted, puffing his chest and falling into a combative stance.

The silverette chuckled as Vance gave his proclamation. "We'll see. First below 20% loses. On three, ready?" She fell into her own stance, kicking up one of her boots. "One." Vance crouched lower. "Two." Sylvia bent her knees. "Three!"

They ran toward each other. Unlike Lev's and Reyan's fight, theirs started with a head-on collision. The two fought with a flurry of limbs. Vance would go for a hit. Sylvia'd grab onto his arm and use the leverage to throw a kick. For the first few minutes, neither party hit each other. Vance punched. Sylvia kicked. She blocked. He dodged. The two danced around each other in circles. SMACK! Sylvia's boot smashed into Vance's chin. With a glint, Sylvia's boot was sent backwards, throwing the girl away from the boy and into the ground. Vance pounced. He threw his fist back and aimed for Sylvia's jaw. Still fallen, Sylvia planted her hands on the ground and pushed. Her feet caught Vance's fist and threw the boy over and away from her, flipping into a standing position. Vance bounced on the ground before landing on his feet. He skid to a stop and dashed back at Sylvia. The girl met him halfway. They clashed once again. Sylvia grappled and punched, using whatever she could to give her feet more leverage in the fight. Vance kept up a constant offence, very rarely becoming completely defensive. If Lev and Reyna watched their scrolls, they could see each fighter's aura inching slowly toward the 50% mark.

Sylvia and Vance broke apart. Panting, Sylvia looked around as she realized they were going to stay at a standstill unless she did something drastic. Observing Vance for a moment, she looked around them to see what was to her advantage. After only a few moments, a smirk wound itself across Sylvia's face. Running at Vance, she jumped and aimed a downward kick. Vance reacted instantly, bringing his gauntlet up to Sylvia's leg and activating his semblance. The barrels in Vance's gauntlet added a propellant to the hit. With a sharp CLASH, Sylvia was sent high ward into the sky, Vance smiling as he knew her landing would end the battle. As soon as she had been hit, Sylvia curled up into a ball, controlling her flight somewhat as she soared into the air. Once she had reached her max, she uncurled, one leg ramrod straight as she descended faster and faster. Vance didn't notice until too late, starting to move out of the way when Sylvia caught his cheek and pummeled him into the ground.

The alarm sounded from everyone's scroll as Vance's aura fell below 20%. After that final attack Vance's aura landed at an 18% while Sylvia's aura held strong at a 46%. Sylvia made sure to get off of Vance as soon as she could, helping the poor boy up and quickly fluttering around him in an attempt to make sure he was all right and wasn't hurt too badly. Other than a few bruises on each of them and a bit of dirt on his face, Vance simply laughed off Sylvia's concerns. "That was so fun! But, I was sure I was gonna beat you with that. How did you know you'd hit me?" Vance asked, watching Sylvia with bright amber eyes.

Glad that her teammate was all right, Sylvia explained. "Simple. Whenever something runs head on, you use your semblance to rebound them. I knew if I ran at you and tried to hit you from above, your semblance would just throw me back where my hit was coming. Coincidentally, it threw me in the air. All I had to do was aim my landing so I landed boot first on you instead of in the ground. If I hadn't hit you, the fight probably would have ended me right then and there." The boy's ears drooped as his leader told him of his predictability, but soon turned it into a challenge as he slumped down next to Reyna.

"Then next time you won't be able to predict what I'll do! I'll beat you so hard into the ground you'll be tasting dirt for a week!" The faunus boy exclaimed, his eyes bright and smile large.

Smiling back, Sylvia chuckled. "I'm looking forward to it. You're not the only one who's gonna be trying to improve." She stretched and grabbed a water bottle from the gym bag she had brought with her, taking a moment to rehydrate herself and wipe away some sweat.
 
Lev sat on the ground next to Reyna as their other two teammates fought, watching them both with renewed interest in how they both fought. Watching Sylvia keep the wolf boy at bay with such precise kicks was quite the show to see, not to say that Vance's display of brute strength wasn't a marvel all its own. He hardly bothered with his scroll until the final hit.

"Yeah, Syv!" Lev shouted, jumping up enthusiastically as she landed the last blow. "That was a nice match. It looked like you two were pretty neck and neck for a while." He laughed for the first time in what felt like ages as he sauntered up to his partner. "But hey, you used his semblance against him. Pretty slick if you ask me."

While the winners of their battles chatted, Reyna hung an arm around Vance with a grin. "You looked pretty good out there. Maybe next time I'll take you on. How's that sound?"

The talking and training drew on until everybody was willing to head home, where Lev immediately stole away to the shower, and Reyna gave first dibs to Sylvia. Eventually, the whole team was all cleaned up and tuckered out, though the sun was still far from setting, so Lev set to his studies, Reyna took a nap, and everyone set to their own activities for what should have been the rest of the day. However, a knocking at Team SLVR's door prompted Lev's attention.

"Hello-" Lev responded, opening the door only to feel his heart drop to his feet. Swallowing his pride, vanity, integrity, and any other virtues and vices in a single instant, he collected himself and welcomed the imposing figure into the room. "Good evening, mother."

Lev's mother, who now stood in the center of the room in order to gaze with disapproval upon everything in sight, was a stunning, tall, lithe businesswoman. She dressed to impress, wearing a long red dress that hugged her slender frame. Her hair was even longer than Lev's, and just as black. Not only that, but the sharpness of her features matched her son's as well. There was no mistaking the heritage, much to Lev's chagrin.

"You haven't packed." Lev's mother stated coldly, looking with significantly increased distain at Lev's area of residence in the room. "Have you said your goodbyes? We're leaving now-"

"Mother!" Lev interjected, forcing his parent to turn about and focus her burning gaze on him. "M-Mother, I...I don't want to leave."

She stood there a moment, as though pondering her boy's request. Though they were equal in height, Lev seemed to look up at her, like a dog to its master more than a child to its mother. As if to further the divide, she slapped him across the face, having only been thinking of how hard she ought to hit him. "You were raised better than that, Lev." She continued in her icy tone, clearly believing she had done nothing wrong, let alone shocking, in the midst of three other teenagers. "We are leaving. Now. Your father is waiting on the ship."

And just like that, Lev seemed to cripple under his mother's intensity. She took him by the shoulder and guided him away from his team without a word. Reyna's mouth was open wide during the whole ordeal, and her eyes had almost popped out of her skull when she saw the slap. As the black-haired boy was lead away, she looked first to Vance, then to Sylvia, wondering if they would do anything, wondering if they should do anything.
 
Lev's praise brought a sheepish smile to Sylvia's face. Meanwhile Vance nearly tackled Reyna at her suggestion, excited and wanting to go right then, right there. But the group simply continued to practice, Sylvia observing the others and trying to come up with techniques and maneuvers that they could perform as a group or in pairs. All seemed to be going well as Sylvia gratefully took the shower first and slipped into her usual sleep attire of shorts and a tank top. Vance flopped on his bed at first, sweaty and tired only to peel himself up once Lev opened up the shower. Vance tried to work through the required readings as Sylvia worked on different sketches for weapons. Everything suddenly grew tense once that door opened.

Self conscious about her prosthetics showing, Sylvia quickly pulled herself as flush against her desk as she could to hide them from their guest. Lev's reaction shocked Sylvia as she saw who she presumed to be his mother walk in. She looked like a female version of Lev, but if he was a jerk. Sylvia pulled herself closer to the desk, feeling it cut into her skin a bit as she watched the interaction. SMACK! The slap reverberated within Sylvia's body. She watched wide eyed as Lev simply took it and allowed his mother to gear him away from his team.

Vance's ears twitched once he heard the woman, looking up only to shrink back at how intimidating she was. The slap made his ears swivel back. He shrunk away from the situation, his eyes wide and dilated. He nearly whimpered at the cold words from Lev's mother, wishing to simply hide away. Reyna looked to him, but Vance couldn't look back. He laid, paralyzed and afraid to go after him.

Sylvia moved before she could think. Her hand grabbed Lev's wrist and ripped him from his mother's grasp. She pulled Lev back into their room and behind her. "He said he doesn't want to leave." She stated, strong and clear. Gone was her fear of others seeing her scarred thighs and prosthetics. She practically bristled in front of the woman, puffing up her chest and squaring her shoulders. Her arm kept itself in front of Lev, as if the silverette was using her body to physically shield the boy from his mother. "You can't make him leave. Unless Headmistress Wunderland says he's not fit to study here anymore, he's not going to leave unless he wants to." She stood firm. Sylvia was a mother lion protecting her cub as she kept her teammate from the woman in front of her.

Watching their leader so fearlessly get into the thick of it, Vance felt brave enough to join. He slowly uncurled himself, his ears still pulled back but in rage. The faunus boy unintentionally bared his teeth at Lev's mother as he stopped right next to Lev, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Lev's our teammate. We won't let him leave unless he wants to." The boy growled, his voice deep and threatening.

The extra backup of Vance only made Sylvia's stance taller, more solid. "We won't let you hurt him." She stated deliberately. She glared at the woman, daring her to try and do something about this, to try and take their precious teammate away from them.
 
When Sylvia made her move, and Vance joined in, Reyna couldn't help but do the same. "Yeah, don't even try it lady. Lev ain't goin' nowhere!" She huffed, taking her place on Lev's other side and folding her arms. Lev looked around at his team with fear, unsure how he should react to the situation. Attempting to meet his mother's eyes only made him quieter. This was a mess.

"You." Lev's mother nodded to Sylvia, sizing her up before doing the same to the rest of the team. "You're the one Lev told me about. Prosthetics? What a joke. No cripple should be in a place like this, much less a leader of a team."

"Mother!" Lev gasped at her blatantly rude response, but she continued.

"No son of mine associates with failures...or Faunus for that matter. Tell me, Lev, when has living with a smelly mutt been considered appropriate? I've never let you have a pet before."

Now it was Reyna's turn to gasp. "Hey, lady! Step off!" She yelled, balling her hands into fists and taking a step forward. Lev's mother simply looked down at her for a moment before ignoring her presence entirely.

"Come on, Lev. We had a deal, and you broke it. Now be a good child and follow me. We'll wrap things up with the headmistress and head home." Her icy tone never evaporated. With her hands folded neatly behind her back, all Lev's mother had to do was wait. Sure enough, Lev wiggled his way past his team, looking back at them with solemn eyes.

"Don't get involved, please. You don't know what she can do to you." He whispered before walking out with his mother, intent on seeing the headmistress.
 
Vance shrunk away from the woman at her comments, clenching his fists. He bit his lip, his ears flattening against his head as he wondered if Lev thought of him that way. He held a small comfort as Reyna stood up for him. Though Lev's mother gave her no thought as she simply insisted that Lev come with her. Lev's whisper only made Vance want to pull him back. He couldn't go with this mean, awful woman. But... What if Lev really thought of them like how his mother did? The doubts kept the faunus put.

Sylvia was a different story. Though the comments the woman made pierced her heart, she refused to let it affect her for now. She knew once everyone was safe and they were behind closed doors she would confess how the comment hurt her, but right now her team needed her strong. "Like hell I won't get involved." She countered, stepping forward as Lev started to leave with his mother. "Even if she hadn't insulted our team and me. Even if you weren't my teammate. Even if I don't know what she can do to me, I'm still going to get involved because you're my friend, Lev. She's forcing you to do something you don't want to do. She hit you. That's not right. So if I can help in any way, of course I'm going to get involved." The silverette had followed Lev and his mother as she spoke, determined to keep her teammate where he belonged.

"Now, now what seems to be the problem here?" A familiar voice questioned. As if appearing from nowhere, Professor Sher smiled at the group, his striped ears twitching as they focused in on the group of people in front of him. "It seems there is a bit of a conflict. Let me take you to the headmistress since that seems to be where you are going. Most likely to settle this, yes?" The man didn't wait for a response as he lead the trio down the halls, off to the headmistress's office.

In her office, Wunderland had been attending to some important contracts between the school and the government when her door opened, revealing Lev, his mother, and Sylvia. Glancing up at the trio, she set down her papers and leaned back in her chair. "Ah, Mr. Castor. It's wonderful to see you again. I assume this is your mother? I expected her to come today." Standing up Wunderland strode over to Lev's mother and held a hand out. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Headmistress Alice Wunderland. Now, you wished to discuss something?" She walked back to her desk, gesturing for the group to take a seat as she settled back into her chair and started pouring a few cups of tea.
 
Lev avoided everyone's eyes as he walked alongside his mother, forced along by her harsh hand like a child in need of discipline. Sylvia's words rung true in his head, but he knew that fighting back now would be too much of a risk. Instead, he planned ahead. He remembered his talk with Wunderland all too well, and knew that if anyone could deter his mother, it'd be her. "Please, don't do this." Lev whispered back to her, "Let Wunderland handle it."

Speaking of Lev's mother, she had no trouble completely voiding out Sylvia's existence as she led Lev along. However, Professor Sher's sudden appearance brought back her look of distaste. "Not conflict. Resolution." She corrected as Sher guided her way. It wasn't long before they reached Wunderland's office. Lev breathed a sigh of relief as the headmistress recognized him, but he had no chance to speak. His mother was quick to keep him in the background of her business there. "My name Lila Castor," she began, taking Wunderland's hand as if by muscle memory, giving it two firm shakes, and dropping it to immediately return to a neutral stance, "and if my son did as he was told, then you know what I am here to discuss. Why is my son not one of these leaders you have here? Some lapse in judgement, I assume? Someone ought to be fired over this." Lila buckled herself into her argument quickly, firing off a quick and concise assumption and solution before Wunderland could get a word in edge-wise. Even so, she sat down at the headmistress's behest and accepted the tea as if the air wasn't abundantly thick with conflict just waiting to happen. Lev took a seat next to his mother in silence, hanging his head as she took over the conversation.
 
Sylvia kept quiet at Lev's plea, only sticking close to him. She'd let Wunderland handle it, fine, but that didn't mean she couldn't at the very least provide some sort of moral support for Lev as the two women duked it out. As they sat, Sylvia plopped herself right next to Lev and took his hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze as his mother explained the supposed problem.

Wunderland kept a calm face as Mrs. Castor introduced herself. "Ah a pleasure. Now, normally I'd be quite offended by your 'lapse in judgement' comment since I hand pick all of the leaders of these teams myself, but I will ignore it for now since you clearly do not understand how my school, and therefore this whole system, works. You see, while your son is an excellent fighter and hunter, he does not have what it takes to lead a team. The reason for this would be his lack of care for his teammates and his horrid teamwork skills as shown from his records in Signal. Now normally, I would take such comments with a grain of salt and wait to see myself how he does, but he performed exactly how his records had suggested." Laying her scroll on the table, Wunderland gave it a few taps before a projection of the fight with the Nevermore had started.

"Now, every year we hold an entry exam of sorts in order to determine teams by observing how they work together. Mr. Castor, when faced against an enemy that was far above his own abilities, tried to take it down himself without considering what the actions might mean for his teammates or himself." The blonde woman paused for a moment, tapping out a few things before starting to play the footage. "Now, his plan did not work, but I created a simulation to show what would happen if it did." The footage played, Lev lifting off with the bird and shooting it in the wing. Cawing, the Nevermore hurtled toward the platform Sylvia, Vance, and Reyna before crashing into it beak first. The stone cracked and broke under the bird's force, breaking the rest of the pathways along with it. As everything broke away, the simulated versions of Team SLVR fell into the abyss. "Not only would he have killed the beast, he would have killed his teammates and possibly himself with it if he couldn't activate his semblance in time and get to a safer place. Now, let's imagine that instead of his team, there are innocent citizens that were on that platform." Wunderland set up the simulation again, this time replacing Team SLVR with a platform full of innocent people. The simulation played out the same way, the people falling into the abyss along with Lev. "Or even if you and your family were on that platform." Lev's family appeared, the simulation leaving them crashing to their death as it had before.

Done with the simulation, Wunderland returned to the original footage. "As you can see, Mr. Castor did not think his plan through and it would have resulted in his team's deaths had Miss Slater here not intervened. Because of his lack of foresight for his team, I concluded that he would be unfit to be a leader. Now, if that is your only concern then you may leave and Mr. Castor and Miss Slater here can return back to their rooms to prepare for their daily classes." Wunderland grabbed the papers she had been working on before the interruption and sipped her tea, waiting for the trio to leave or for Mrs. Castor to start objecting once again.
 
Lev gratefully accepted his partner's hand, unafraid to let a little emotion loose now that his mother's focus was on something else. The more Wunderland explained, the tighter his grip grew. The only time he released Sylvia's hand was during the simulation. From the moment the grimm began to crash, Lev turned a ghastly shade of white and seemed to recede into himself. He grit his teeth and clamped his eyes shut from then on, until he was sure the footage had ceased. Then he took hold of her hand again, doing his best not to shake like a leaf for his mother's rebuttal. He was right to do so.

The moment Wunderland concluded, Lila stood and turned to her son, fury in her eyes. "I told you." She began, standing over him like a cloud brimming with thunder. "Your father and I both told you that you'd be wasting your time with these delusions of grandeur! Hunters and huntresses have their place in the world, and we have ours. Clearly we were foolish to believe you had a chance. Now let's go to the ship. Your father is waiting." Without giving Lev a chance to plead his own case, Lila turned back to Wunderland with a sigh of resignation. "I'm sorry to have put you out like this. I'll be taking Lev home now. Don't feel the need to defend my idiot-child. He was warned."

Lev cringed at his mother's harsh words, once again releasing Sylvia's hand in order to wring it in his other. The pressure of the demands dumped on him finally started leaking out, leaving Lev broken in his mother's hands. With sternness, Lila placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to stand and walk alongside her towards the door.
 
As soon as Mrs. Castor tried to take Lev away, Sylvia grabbed his arm. "You can't let her take him away, Headmistress! He deserves to be here! My team needs him! I need him! He's my partner, you can't let her take him!" The silverette pleaded. She desperately ignored the simulations that played over and over in her mind, the possibility that they could have died running rampant in her mind.

Wunderland glanced up at the scene before setting her papers down and taking a long sip of her tea. "I think you misunderstand, Mrs. Castor. Lev may not be fit to lead, however he is more than fit to be a hunter. Yes, he could have put his teammates in danger, but when deferring command to a fellow fighter he managed to help them take down a creature that most veteran hunters would have difficulties with." Wunderland tapped once again at her scroll pulling up the actual footage of the fight. Lev's shots were shown in detail as the giant bird collapsed, in position for Sylvia to land the final blow. Earlier footage of Lev easily taking out an ursa continued right after. Wunderland stopped the footage and watched Mrs. Castor. "Now, I wouldn't call Mr. Castor's abilities "delusions" since he is, indeed, a marvelous hunter. His teamwork skills could be improved, but that is why he is here. To improve himself." The blonde woman stood up and walked around her desk, ready to make her second point.

"Now, I understand that you do not know how the hunter's system works. Therefore I will take it upon myself to teach you and resolve this ignorance. You see, while your son is still your son, he is no longer a child in the eyes of the law and government. Therefore, you no longer have any power over him or his actions. You see, even if your son were not 18-thus making him legally an adult and no longer forced to live by whatever rules you set for him-he would have been declared an adult as soon as he entered this institution. Students here, as they learn, also go on missions that may put their lives at risk. Thus, because of this willing sacrifice, the school and the government sees these young men and women as legal adults. Therefore, if you tried to take your son from this institution without his consent, you would not only be violating his rights as a legal adult, but you would also have to face a possible trial, which I assure you would not end well for you." Wunderland spoke casually, as if this was just another class she was teaching and another silly student who needed to have a reality check.

Walking over to Lev, Wunderland glanced at Sylvia who relunctantly took her hand from his arm. The headmistress brushed Mrs. Castor's arm off of Lev's shoulders, leading Lev a bit away from the two women and towards her desk. "Now, let us say that you did not have Mr. Castor's full consent to leave this school. Then you would not only face Mr. Castor in the court of law, but you would also face this institution, and by extension the military, and by extension the government. Everyone would be against you, Mrs. Castor, and from previous experience, I assure you that you would not win." Turning to Lev, Headmistress Wunderland kneeled slightly to look face to face with Lev. "Now, Mr. Castor, please tell me what you would like to do. If you truly wish to leave, I will not stop you. However, remember that this must be what you want. Not what your mother wants. Not what Miss Slater wants. What you want." Wunderland's piercing blue eyes stared straight into Lev's crimson. The room waited with baited breath for Lev to do something, for him to speak and make the final decision.
 
"Ugh, let my child go! Who do you think you are!" Lev's mother growled at Sylvia before looking to Lev accusingly. "Are you and her...no, never mind. We can discuss it on the way home." She was about to start dragging Sylvia along with Lev, but the headmistress's voice made her cease. After hearing Wunderland's first point, Lila spoke up to counter, her brow furrowed in frustration. "I'm afraid it doesn't matter if he seemed capable or not. My son is no follower, and neither is the rest of our family. That," she motioned to the footage of Lev's successes in battle, "is exactly what delusion looks like. Sitting outside the fence, watching someone else reap the credit, and thinking he'll still receive the marks he ought to." She looked down at Lev as she said this, causing him to buckle uncomfortably under her gaze.

With that, Lila folded her arms expectantly, waiting to hear Wunderland's second point. She was about to make another rebuttal when the headmistress took Lev to her own side, bringing a barely considerable grin to his mother's lips. "Fine. You've made your point, but Lev knows what he must do. His failure has slandered the Castor name. Refusing to accept the consequences of his actions is simply a stupid thing to do." She gave a little sniff before locking eyes with her son, willing him to accept her side of things as though she truly had all the power in the room.

Meanwhile, Lev was running his fingers through his hair in a panic, clutching onto it like a rope over a pit of vipers. First he looked to his mother, her cold, unflinching, blood-red eyes cutting into him like fangs. Then he looked at Sylvia, trying desperately to hold onto what he wanted most from Beacon as he met her gaze. Lastly, he re-locked eyes with Wunderland, losing his senses and becoming calm in the pools of bright blue. "I-I..." He stuttered, turning back to the two women awaiting his decision. "I'm staying. M-Mother I-"

"Don't call me mother." Lila spoke flatly, her previous grin turned sour at the sound of his voice. "As of now, you are disowned. A failure like you isn't worth the name of Castor. As we agreed, I'll send you a final pension to keep you afloat for your first year, as well as the legal papers to resolve our contract."

"W-What, wait! What do you mean, disowned? That wasn't our deal, w-was it?" Lev pleaded, only to be shut down by Lila's hand.

"I can't help you if you didn't read the terms and conditions. You'll have a physical copy to observe for yourself in about three to five business days."

"But you always read through my contracts for me! That's how you raised me and Vivian!"

"That's not my problem, Lev. You voluntarily went through the process to get what you wanted, and now you have it. Never contact me again." After making things clear with Lev, Lila turned to the headmistress with the same stoic expression. "I'm not new to this game. Toy with me like some feline again, and I'll see your head on a silver platter, served up to someone fit to handle this institution." With that, Lila spun on her heel and left without another word, leaving Lev to collapse to his knees. In a panic, he grasped for his scroll and began to type rapidly, attempting to reach his sister for some potential clarification. His hands shook violently as he attempted to compose his message, inevitably causing his scroll to slip out of his fingers and hit the ground. After trying and failing to pick up the device, he simply clutched at his hair again while working to regain some semblance of composure.
 
Wunderland crossed her arms, gripping them tightly as the woman in front of her disowned her own son and threatened to take Wunderland's institution away from her. "I'll stop toying with you when you stop being an ignorant fool who does not have the capacity to think outside of her own wants and needs." The headmistress didn't give it a second thought as she walked over to one of her shelves full of teapots, opening a rather large pot only to pull out hot chocolate packets and cookies. She started to mix the hot chocolate as well as the tea and laid the cookies on a platter in front of the chair Lev had occupied.

As soon as Lev sank to the floor, Sylvia was right there next to him. She felt a huge sense of relief that the boy still wanted to stay, but knew that being suddenly cut off from his family put an intense amount of strain and stress on him. Pulling him into a hug, Sylvia took his hands from his hair and squeezed them into her own. She took a few moments to just hold Lev, provide a point of stability for him to latch onto if he needed. After a few moments, she stood up and pulled Lev with her, guiding him to the chair and sitting him down. She gratefully took a cup of hot chocolate from the headmistress. "It's gonna be okay." She told Lev, moving to grab his hand again and give it a squeeze.

Once Lev had sat down, Wunderland pulled a chair up and sat down in front of him. "I'm glad you decided to stay, Mr. Castor. Please, take a drink. I think it will help you with some of the shock that you just endured. Do you prefer hot chocolate or tea?" The woman asked, offering both comforting drinks to the boy. She would have to discuss tuition with him, but for now she simply needed to make sure that her student was safe and in a good state of mind.
 
Feeling Sylvia take him in caused Lev to fidget and shake as he attempted to make sense of the situation. His eyes refused to stay focused, hovering rapidly between the door his mother left ajar, and his scroll that still lay sprawled on the floor. Even while his partner helped to lift him into a chair, he grabbed onto his scroll for dear life, and craned his neck back to continue watching the door, as if his mother, or anyone for that matter, would come and tell him it was all just a dream. It wouldn't have been the first time...

But it didn't take long for Sylvia's voice, then Wunderland's, to reach through his brief stint of denial. The situation he was in now was, in fact, real, and it visibly took every ounce of Lev's strength not to rush out of the office to beg his family's forgiveness. Finally, he gave his gaze over to the headmistress, letting his paralyzed-from-shock expression lend itself to the off-putting lack of emotion in his voice as he answered with a, "I'm not thirsty." He sat that way for a long period of time, with his only movements being prompted by messages on his scroll. Regardless of their contents, he didn't bother replying. He only sat and stared, mentally attempting to work his will to change the reality he was now stuck in.
 
Wunderland nodded and simply sat in silence for a while. The trio just sat and let the situation catch up to Lev for a while. Finally after what felt like an eternity, Wunderland spoke up. "We will have to discuss how you are going to handle your tuition for after the year your mother promised. However, I believe that you need some time to process all that has happened. I do not doubt that you will find a way to pay your tuition, but for now go back to your teammates and rest. You have a full day of classes tomorrow. I will speak with you later, Mr. Castor." With that the Headmistress looked back to her other duties.

Sylvia stood up once they were dismissed, gently pulling Lev along and leading him back to the dorm. "Hey..." She started once they got out into the halls, glancing around to find them mercifully empty. "How're you feeling?" She asked, turning to Lev with concerned eyes. She wanted to ask if he was okay, if he needed them to do something or if he just wanted to talk. Yet she kept quiet since she knew that the boy wasn't okay. All she could really do was give him support.

As soon as they got back to the dorm room, Vance's ears twitched forward. He looked up from the curled up ball he had settled himself into. His amber eyes were still watery, a bit red from his earlier crying. The poor boy had curled up on his bed once Lev left, refusing to move or speak until Lev came back. "L-Lev?" The faunus started, his voice cracking. He bit his lip before looking down at his hands, clutching his knees to his chest. "Do you..." His ears swiveled back. "Do you really think I'm just a mutt? That I'm just some... pet?" The boy curled further into himself, afraid to look at the black haired boy. Sylvia bit her lip. She wanted to reassure the faunus boy that of course Lev didn't think of him that way, but it wouldn't help. He had to hear it from Lev, but Sylvia didn't know if Lev was emotionally well enough to comfort Vance.
 
"Yes, of course..." Lev gave his response to the headmistress, his mind clearly still on other matters. After being dismissed, he returned his full attention to his scroll, replying to messages, scrolling through all kinds of files, and basically doing anything to keep his mind occupied. Sylvia had barely gotten out the second word of her sentence before Lev responded with a, "Fine, I'm fine." He reached for the doorknob to their room as he answered, but stopped short, shoved his scroll into his pocket, released the door, and pivoted his entire body to give his partner his full attention.

"...I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be saying that." He began, shuffling his feet and running his fingers through his hair. "It's...really hard, right now anyways. We didn't see eye to eye on much, mother and I, but...I-I don't have a family now." Lev was tugging at his hair now, trying desperately not to fall into hysterics. "Th-Thanks for sticking up for me, considering how I've acted so far..." He looked like he was about to say more, but closed his mouth and turned away instead, taking a breath before opening the door.

Vance's question was loaded and ready when Lev showed his face. Reyna had done her best to comfort the faunus boy, but she was still trying to sort out the situation for herself, and ended up curling in her own little ball on her bed in the end. Now Lev had three sets of eyes locked on him for an answer. It was more the reminder of his mother's impact on the whole team that caused him to freeze in place rather than the question itself. "I...I...no, I d-don't, I...I'm sorry!" He cried, making a complete 180 back through the door, pushing past Sylvia and running down the hall. From the direction he took, it seemed he was headed towards the roof.

"Sylvia, what happened? I thought...I thought Lev was going back home." Reyna held the silverette back to ask her question. "Last I saw, you were chasing him and his grimm of a mother out the door. Did something happen? Did a professor get involved?"
 
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