For SAGE, their big moment happened on stage, with the crowds and the fans and the fellow teams and champs. Sylvia kissing Seymour was just the natural progression of things to them. Ellie was smiley as could be, and Abby kept her eyes off the happy couple for her own sake. Gabe sat through Vance's giddiness, happy that the wolf was able to contain himself, and Seymour simply found it in himself to laugh through his blush.
"I am sorry to say, but you will have to think of another way to even us up." Seymour smiled after the kiss. "I cannot be caught off guard by anyone, remember? My semblance does not give me that luxury."
Lev made sure to sit alone during the ride. After seeing how ernestly Sylvia had been waiting for Seymour, and after watching her take hold of his hand for the first time, he knew what was in store. He didn't even observe the kiss, but by the atmosphere of the transport alone, he knew it happened. It hurt, despite the fact that he knew it would happen, but there was nothing to be done. The ravenette took a mite of his hair and began to gnaw on it, both to relax, and to have something to bite back his tears of frustration with. It's just not fair. It'll never be fair...
"Heya, hedgehog." Reyna interrupted his thoughts, plopping down in the empty space next to her teammate. Unlike everyone else, she, too, didn't seem as positive about Seymour and Sylvia finally making things work. It was cute, sure, but after talking with Lev the day before, the pinkette began to see something new about him. Something that she wouldn't have expected, considering everything in the past. "...How're you feeling?"
"R-Rain! I...I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Lev coughed out a response along with his hair, eyes wide at the interloper in his seat.
Reyna gave him a soft smile, finding it easy to be sympathetic with him after all they had gone through in the tournament. "Listen man, we've known each other for a while, and-"
"O-Okay, I'm going to stop you right there!" Lev held up his hands in a blush, eyes widening further. "I'm already dealing with Reese and Abby, and you seem to just be getting over your spat with Uriah, and-"
"EW! Ew ew ewww, gross! Don't even assume that was where I was going, you toad! And he-who-shall-not-be-named SHALL NOT BE NAMED!" The pinkette became huffy, batting Lev in the arm until he apologized. Once the misconception was cleared up, Reyna calmed down and continued. "Ugh, anyways...yeah, we've known each other for a while, and not under the best circumstances, y'know? You've never hid anything from me...well, hid hid anything, because we weren't careful enough with each other's feelings to care, yeah? So I... well, I-I know you like Sylvia."
Lev locked eyes with Reyna, his wide-open whites now narrowed to intense pools of crimson. "...Alright, I'll bite. How do you know?"
"I gave what you said yesterday some thought. You said I didn't 'get it.'"
"Really? That's what you're going off of?"
"Hey, can you blame me? You and I both know how impossible you make yourself to read. After all, you hid your family from the world for who-knows how many years. I'm sure you gave plenty of hints, but nobody wanted to care enough to notice. Mr. Ace couldn't have anything wrong with him, after all. So...yeah, I'm gonna nitpick! It's all you're giving me, and you haven't said that I was wrong!" Reyna pointed a finger into his nose, making sure the point was getting across.
"Alright, alright. You have a point. I still won't say that you're right, but whatever. Continue."
"Well, what else do you expect? I mean, you may be a jerk sometimes, but you're never open about it. Not like that. You don't get it... You've never been that direct. It's always passive-agressive stuff. Hints and slight of hand. And, I mean, you gave me the full rundown. You were upset that after all your planning and strategy, Sylvia still wasn't having it...but I guess that's where you let it slip, huh?" Lev lifted an eyebrow, curious, and Reyna took it as her queue to keep going. "You got what you wanted. That's always where you leave it. The method doesn't matter, but the results do. That's how you were in Signal-"
"Hey, I've changed!"
"And I'm not saying you haven't!" Reyna corrected the ravenette before he could argue further. "...I'm just saying that, even though you know not to put people in harms way for your own gain anymore, that's still a part of you. It's just how you think...but you're getting me off track. You won against Sylvia. You didn't leave it at that. You wanted her to approve of you directly. You wanted nothing more than that, didn't you! Don't answer that. The main thing is that it wouldn't have mattered if Azule and his whole squad came in and said your idea was the best. It didn't come from Sylvia, and that-"
"Okay, okay!" Lev put his hands on Reyna's shoulders, desperate for her to stop digging out his thought process. "I get it. You know. I believe you. I'll admit it. You got me. So what do you want, huh? Blackmail? You gonna hold this over my head or something? Think this isn't torture enough? Think I'm not miserable enough? That I don't have enough hanging over my head? What is it you want to hear from me, huh?" As the ravenette spoke, tears that had been building up since he started chewing his hair finally fell in large drops that dried just before reaching the tip of his nose, turning the skin around his eyes into a puffy red mess. Reyna quickly removed his hands from her, then placed her own on his shoulders.
"Get a grip, Lev!" She hissed, shooting a glance to other seats to make sure everyone was still busy with something else. "...We're friends now, remember? Teammates? Roommates? I use your shampoo? C'mon, dude, that can't be for nothing." She kept her hands on him until he visibly calmed down, then brushed off his shoulders with a smile. "Better. I just want to know how you're doing. Since Seymour and Sylvia are an item for realsies, I thought you'd like some moral support! Like, y'know, 'get back in the game, champ!' or, 'there are other fish in the sea!' ...something like that."
"Thanks," Lev sniffed up the last of his tears, "but I really don't want to hear about my prospects outside of...y'know." The ravenette stole a glance at Reese and Abby, both of which were now talking with one another in a strangely friendly way, as though, without Lev around, they were perfectly capable of being civil people. Reyna bit back a grin and nodded in agreement.
"I see what you mean. Alrighty, then what if I said that I'm still rooting for you?" The pinkette gave Lev a nudge to the side, ignoring his shocked expression and open mouth. "Ah! Don't say anything. You'll just be putting words in my mouth. Let's just say I'm just an underdog kind of girl. So there, you've got me, at least! So buck up. If Sylvia sees you sulking, it'll just turn into another mess, now won't it?"
Lev had to bite back a laugh. "...You're the worst, Rain. Get outta here...and thanks. Shame we had to become friends this late in the game, huh..."
"Bite me, hedgehog." Reyna retorted with a wink, moving back to her usual spot with Ellie for the rest of the ride back to the dorms.
-
Back at the dorms, SPHR followed Vance with mixed expressions. Sora was eager as ever, enthusiastic to see what such an awesome peer had in store for him and his team. Hakushi was completely unwavering in her focus, keeping her eyes locked on Vance no matter how bouncy he became. She had a friend in this strange new place, so naturally, she deserved her undivided attention no matter the situation. That's how these things worked, right? Reese had lucked out, on the other hand. Abby was too tired to hound her competition, so the dove faunus held fast to Lev's arm, latched on like an accessory. Her dazzling whites and blues made for an intensely contrasting color scheme to Lev's black, and the two easily stole most of the campus's gaze as they walked. It was half because of the striking sight they made, and half because of Reese herself, who was flaunting around like the fashion star everyone expected her to be. Last in the lineup was Penn, who simply held behind with his hands shoved into his pockets, grinning like a troublemaker (not like he could help it).
Once they all reached the room, Penn was the first to step up, giving a whistle at the hardware Sylvia sported. "Shoot, girl! So that's what you were kicking me with! No wonder my jaw's still throbbing. I would've asked how the upkeep goes, but after watchin' you fight in round three, I think I've got a good enough idea."
Reese was next, surprisingly, detaching herself from Lev (a moment he quickly and eagerly used to anchor himself to his bed so she couldn't reach him again) to get a better look at the silverette's legs. "Darling, these are fascinating! They look so functional, yet so customizable! I can only imagine the fashion possibilities for something like this...It'd be an exclusive line! A bit of a narrow market, I suppose, but with legs like these, I'm sure you could pull off some dazzling styles! I can see it now! Mystery! Seduction! Firepower! Ah, darling, you must let me-"
Penn dragged the dove girl away before she could go any further into her tangent. She pouted for a moment, but pulled out a notepad and pencil in the next, turning away to jot something down. Meanwhile, Sora leaned on a bedpost, his smile dropped, his eyes barely opened, and his mind clearly wondering. Penn once again assisted, giving him a nudge to say something. The SPHR leader, in response, quickly stood up straighter, gathering himself and putting on a warm smile once more.
"These are incredible, Sylvia! You really are something. I'm glad you trust us all enough with such a big thing. Believe me, we won't let you down! ...and, uh, sorry if I seemed a bit lost there for a sec. It's just that when I saw your legs, it made me think of back home. Lots a' hands-on work, peace and quiet, detailing...I used to help my pop with lumber work, so it brings back a lot of memories. I mean, it's not the same as what you've got going on, but...well, still. Thanks for your trust, Sylvia." Sora smiled again before backing off for Hakushi's sake.
Hakushi, up until that point, was standing just outside the threshold of the door, eyes wide with trepidation. Even after hearing the brief explanation Sylvia gave, she still looked worried, as if she felt guilty. Stepping forward, Hakushi gave a slow, apologetic bow, then straightened and brushed her hair behind her ears. "I...I am sorry. You were compelled to show this because of me." She began, looking into Sylvia's eyes with her own turquoise pools. "I have caused you inconvenience. Again, I must apologize." And so she did, bowing once more, then returning to a stand, and brushing away her hair. "I could not be more honored to consider you a friend, yet I treated you with such hostility at first. I will not...nay, cannot accept the bounty that the friendship of you and yours would bring. It has not been earned. Not while I still stand having wronged you before ever exchanging words. Forgive me!"
Before she could bow again, Sora placed his hands on her shoulders. "Haku, there's no need for all that. Best to let them make their own decisions, after all. You know plenty about that, right?"
Hakushi nodded slowly, understanding a bit of what her leader spoke. Then she turned back to Sylvia to rectify her words. "Yes, then please, will you be my friends? Do not hesitate to test me! I would do whatever it takes to earn my place amongst such honorable fellows!" She made her declaration with a face as steely as ever. Sora had to fight the chuckle bubbling in his throat, and instead looked at SLVR, hoping they'd entertain his teammate's wishes.
"Well of course we'll be friends! I mean, that's why Sylvia had you all come, yeah? Because you're all our friends? Did I miss something?" Reyna spoke out first, giving SPHR a smile before relaxing on her bed.
Lev, on the other hand, waited for everyone else to confirm before standing up and moving in front of Hakushi. "...I have a stipulation."
"Lev! What are you-" Reyna tried to interject, but the ravenette held up a hand.
"Hey, she asked, I'm answering. I have a stipulation." At his words and his proximity, Hakushi gave a hard swallow, then nodded to hear what his demand would be. Lev nodded back, and continued. "...come chat with me. Alone, if you don't mind. There's a nice spot on the roof."
At his words, everyone in the room looked at him like he was insane, but Lev simply waved them off and headed out. Sora's expression looked closer to a glare than it ever had before, but Hakushi patted his shoulder for reassurance, then re-steeled herself, and headed up to the roof, leaving SLVR's room in a silence that felt ritualistic, as though it was not supposed to be broken until the deed was done. Until Lev and Hakushi returned, SLVR's room remained as if it were stuck in time.
-
An hour later, and the two returned, stoic as ever on both ends. Before anyone could speak up, the two long-haired individuals turned to each other and embraced.
"Don't be a stranger, Haku. I'll expect you to have a few exercises ready for me the next time you come around."
"No stranger than you, Lev. I look forward to the clash of our blades. I see much in you that I would like to learn still."
The two crossed the threshold into SLVR's room like a fresh breeze, breathing life back into the stagnant and uneasy silence they had left. Sora's smile doubled up on itself in relief, and Reyna could only shake her head with a sigh. After a few more words between friends, SPHR and SLVR exchanged contact information and said their goodbyes.
"Oh, SLVR!" Sora popped his head back in the room before getting too far down the hall, "Haku and I were talking, and I think we might settle in Vale over Autumn Break. If you see us, don't be a stranger!" Then with another wave, he was gone.
Lev looked up from his bed in surprise at Sora's statement. Once SPHR was completely gone, the ravenette dug out a planner from one of his desk drawers, thumbing through it while gnawing on his lip. "...I forgot about break. We've got the month for exams, then everyone gets to head home..." Lev's expression grew stormy, but Reyna was quick to hop onto his bed, jostling him from his unpleasant thoughts.
"You forgot? I had to go over it with the headmistress, but they gave me a place on campus to board up since my parents aren't available. You might want to jump on that before we get too far into exams." The pinkette gave a fake shudder in an attempt to lighten the mood for her black haired teammate, but he simply returned the gesture with a nod, clearly uneasy about the idea of having a home to go back to in the first place.