Snuggling up on a bed with a blanket curling over his body slept Ty who was wasting away in a haze. He still couldn't get over the fact that a soft and comfortable bed actually existed, and better yet, one all to himself. The past couple days have been pretty relaxing despite there still being some awkwardness in the air from the party's aftermath. Nonetheless, they can still speak about it as if it were a joke. However, Seto doesn't like it being brought up in front of him. Since he's come out of bed rest, he's been wandering back and forth a lot. Quentin has warned Seto from pushing himself too hard, but he's stated many times before that he understands his boundaries and feels comfortable with how much he's doing.
If he says he feels fine, then it's on his own hands if anything happens to him afterwards. It's not one of Ty's concerns anyways. All he has to worry about is who he wants to take with him to the meet and greets. Truthfully, the deadline for his final decision is in two days and he hasn't thought about it; and it's not that he doesn't want to go with Adam, but he wants to do it with someone else. Preferably, someone he hasn't gotten to know very well in the last couple weeks since his arrival.
In the darkness of his room, he hears rustling, the sound slowly creeping towards him. He would've checked where the noise was coming from, but he was too tired to be curious. Then suddenly, he was vigorously being shaken awake. It wasn't even subtle considering how violently he was being rocked back and forth on his bed. Ty's eyes bolted open as his heart raced a mile a second, trying to gain consciousness of his surroundings. He could see a shadow looming over him as his heart fell to his stomach.
"Rise and shine sleepy head!" Jerome shouted loud and proud. He finally stopped shaking Ty and let him take in what was going on. Ty felt jittery after the shaking stopped. He attempted to sit up straight on his bed, but couldn't. He failed multiple times until he decided to stop and roll over instead. At the edge of his bed, he saw Jerome standing enthusiastically over him. He was dressed as if prepped for battle with armor plates on his body. Underneath it, he wore a casual white long sleeved shirt and black pants. Ty blinked several times, making sure he wasn't still dreaming. "Jerome?"
"That's me! Now come on, first day of training and we got no time to waste!" Jerome stated as he began taking his leave. "Get dressed and we'll head to the training grounds." Ty yawned as he swung his legs over his bed, finally being able to sit up properly. "Why didn't you tell me training began today?"
"I thought Mitch told you," Jerome shifted the blame onto Mitch. Ty wasn't happy with the late notice, but he was interested on how his training days would be like; so he let it pass. "Sorry about that Ty. I'll be outside your room when you're ready."
Jerome gently closed the door as to not disturb the rest of the team sleeping nearby. Ty got off the bed and stretched while thinking about how Jerome entered his room to begin with, the door was locked. He didn't bother checking the time as he put on clothes he found in his drawer. He was still pretty sleepy as he made his way to the door, rubbing his eyes to try and wake up a little more.
Jerome was leaning up against the wall next to the door, seeing it slowly open as a tired Ty stepped out. Before Jerome could say anything, Ty pitched in with his own thoughts. "How did you sneak into my room if I locked it last night?"
"Oh, I asked Adam for a key to your room just in case you didn't hear me knocking," Jerome explained. Ty stared at him, puzzled with his tired eyes. "Wow, good to know." Jerome smiled as he grabbed Ty's wrist and dragged him along to the training grounds. Ty was caught off guard and stumbled on his feet as he tried to measure up to Jerome's speed. "Woah, can you slow down!"
"Nope, I'm going to drag you every morning until you learn to run beside me," Jerome pressed on. "Just a simple tactic to boost your running more quickly." Ty pants as he gasps for air, tired of his feet tripping over each other. Once they arrived, Ty had to ease into a stop because he was not used to the speed. He curled his back and placed his palms on his knees for support. Adam has dragged him multiple times, but this one was harder to keep up with. He can say with certainty that he was awake now.
"What.. are we.. going to do now?" Ty tried formulating a sentence, but stopped in between to take breaths. "I promise the running is the hardest part. I'm just going to teach you the basics of punching," Jerome hopped excitedly, adrenaline running in his veins. "Let me set up some punching bags."
Jerome ran off leaving Ty to his own devices as he set up some stuff. He straightened himself and took a glance at what's around him. Inside the palace, they had a small training facility for their own personal use. While a bigger facility exists outside the palace, it's primarily for training the army rather than themselves. For efficiency, having their own work out place keeps them in shape and on top of things. A big mirror stretches from wall to wall, bouncing back the reflection of the room behind him. There's shelves stacked with swords of different varieties on the far left along with a door leading to a back room with other supplies inside. The lights beamed down on him making the tight space a lot warmer than he expected. Otherwise, it had a very beige welcoming atmosphere, even considering on using it himself every once in awhile.
Jerome finished setting up a punching bag and called Ty over. Ty saw him from the mirror and walked right over to him, excited to begin after a short break. "First, show me how you make your fist." Ty brought his left hand up and balled it into a fist, thumb over the four finger knuckles. Jerome observed and shook his head. "Uh, no. That is a very common assumption, but you risk feeling the impact on your thumb and you don't want that."
"Don't you feel the impact anyway because you're physically hitting someone?" Ty questioned, confused about the differences. "Yeah, but not as much. The point is to inflict more damage on your enemy, less on yourself. You wouldn't want to break your hand now, right?" Ty agreed, shivering at the pain breaking a hand would feel like. Jerome grabbed Ty's hand and moved it very slightly to the right position. "You want your thumb only over your index and middle finger knuckles. That way it's a tighter grip, you wouldn't feel the impact, and you're thumbs out of harms way."
"That's so cool," Ty played around, balling his hands into the position Jerome placed the left one in. "I know right! It'll become second nature and you'll be kicking butt in no time," Jerome squeaked excitedly. Ty could feel his confidence rise simply by knowing such little details. He's still afraid he'll fail as a leader and a friend, but baby steps seem like the right thing going forward. Jerome walked around Ty to get a better view of him next to the punching bag, being able to see his other side with the mirror. "Now, get some good punches out of the bag here."
Ty turned to see the bag and back at his fist, trying to figure out how exactly to go about punching it. He balled his fist the right way and swung at the bag, barely getting a light sway from it. Jerome awkwardly laughed from Ty's sad display of fighting skill. "Uh, can you try punching it harder? Please, don't hold back!" Jerome attempted to motivate him. Ty nodded and tried swinging at it again, clenching his fist tighter and swaying the back farther back than the first try. "See, that was already better!" Jerome exclaimed. "Go again. Imagine this punching bag just stole your kidney and you want it back."
"What?" Ty glared at him from the mirror, snickering at his comment. "You know what I mean, punch it harder." Ty rolled his shoulders back as he prepared to punch it again. He took some steps back to get a running start and jolted forward with his arms swung back. He quickly brought his fist forward and punched the bag once more, making it sway down almost touching the floor. Ty smiled, proud of himself for managing to hit harder than he thought he could. "Jerome, I did it! I-" Ty celebrated too early and didn't realize Newtons laws were in place, getting bonked on the head by the punching bag swinging back at him. He collapsed to the floor and grabbed his head, groaning and rubbing where the punching bag hit him.
Jerome walked over to the swaying punching bag and stopped it from moving. He sighed, understanding Ty's level of combat and knowing there's so much to be done to get him combat ready. "He just ran off with your kidney."
---
The dining table is set with morning treats ready to grab and eat for the awakening team. They slowly flow into the room, grabbing a plate and filling it with whatever they'd like to eat. Servers are on standby awaiting to collect their orders for what they'd like to drink since they all have varying tastes. Ty walked in with Jerome by his side, being greeted by the delightful scent of freshly baked blueberry muffins and heavenly chocolate chip pancakes. After his small workout, Ty was ready to endulge himself in some food to hide his embarrassment.
"Morning Ty, morning Bacca!" Mitch shouted with a full mouth, food spilling out of it onto his plate. Adam, Quentin, Mitch, and Jason were already up and enjoying their breakfast. They brought their attention towards the end of the table and waved their own individual hellos. "Hi," Ty exclaimed back as Jerome kindly handed him a plate. He gladly accepted it and circled the table, collecting everything he wanted to eat. "How was your first time training with Jerome?" Adam asked, curious to know how it went for him. Ty was about to answer, but cut himself off once Jerome began snickering. "He got beat up by the punching bag."
"Jerome!" Ty covered his face with his hand, trying to hide his shame as he walked to his seat. They laughed at him, imagining how hilarious that must've looked like. Jason noticed how red Ty's face became after all their laughter, deciding to put him at ease by bringing up his own experience. "It's alright Ty. It was hard for me too."
"Yeah, Jason somehow got himself pinned to the wall with a sword. We had to get him down carefully because he didn't want to rip his favorite hoodie," Adam chuckled, remembering the struggle he went through trying to teach Jason proper combat. Ty smiled, finding Jason's own training mishap funny enough to calm over his own. "Or the time he punched me thinking I was the monster under his bed," Mitch exclaimed. "Okay, that's your fault because you snuck into my room in the middle of the night just to tell me about an invention idea you had."
"Do you keep your door locked during the night?" Ty asked after ordering a glass of orange juice. He was legitimately curious because he remembered Jerome unlocked his door to get to in and wanted to know if something similar happened. Jason thought back to it for a moment and realized he doesn't lock his room mostly because he wants to spring into action without the hassle of twisting a lock. In a way, it makes him feel safer having it like that. Nonetheless, it was that habit of his that allowed Mitch into his room to begin with. Mitch saw Jason's defeated face and jumped up excitedly. "So it's still your fault for technically not keeping me out, so there!"
"Girls, stop fighting and eat your breakfast," Quentin rolled his eyes jokingly, pushing his scrambled eggs around his plate. The room burst into laughter as they went back to enjoying their meal and having more civil conversation amongst each other. Then, the door creaked open revealing Ian making his way towards the table, not forgetting to grab a plate to collect the goodies scattered about. "Good morning everyone," Ian proclaimed quite energetically. "Good morning!" Everyone else exclaimed in unison. As he walked by grabbing food and ordering coffee, he stared at Ty.
"Ty, have you decided on who you'll take with you on the meet and greets?"
"Oh! Uh," Ty was caught off guard, accidentally inhaling a piece of bacon and causing a coughing fit. He managed to swallow it down quickly and compose himself. Once he did, he noticed how everyone was eager to know about his decision. He felt intimidated by their curious glares, scared that he'd disappoint anyone of them if he chose incorrectly -- as if there's a wrong answer. Besides, he hasn't put enough thought into it since he requested to bring someone. "Not yet."
"Well, I'm giving you till dinner time today to choose because you're first meet and greet is in two days and I need time to adjust schedules," Ian explained as he took his seat. Ty sighed, feeling disciplined as he quietly ate the rest of his breakfast. Lastly, Seto walked in with his focus planted on the book he held in his hands. Adam has asked him not to read at the table, but sometimes he's just not in the mood to talk to others and he gets that point across by reading.
"Good morning Seto," Adam waved while giving him a smile. "Good morning," Seto replied, using his telekinesis to gather the food for him. Jerome jokingly snatches the floating croissant in front of him and eats it whole. "Really Jerome?" Seto rolls his eyes, feeling the pastry get swept away from his magic sense. "Sorry. If I see food floating in front of me, I'll eat it," Jerome stated proudly. Seto scuffs, a slight smile appearing on his face as he got a new croissant. "Remind me not to place any flying edibles near your vicinity."
"So, uh," Ty stammered, trying to start a conversation with Seto. "How's your head? Better?"
"Can I have some chamomile tea please? Thanks you," Seto spoke to a server, requesting his usual morning beverage as he sat down. Ty could be surprised by Seto blatantly ignoring his question, but he's not. Seto has been pretending like Ty's not there since he got off his bed after his injury. He deflects any conversation starters, walks past him like he were a ghost, and doesn't include him when he wants to show something off. Ty would be a little less upset if Seto treated the others the same way, but he doesn't. He's the only one being treated that way and it hurts. He just wants to talk to him on civil terms for once.
Adam has been catching on to the tension between them and tries to cautiously help out in any way he can without stirring more conflict. It mostly involves repeating over what Ty says so Seto could respond to it. That way, Ty still gets the response he wants from him. "Answer the question Seto, how's your head feeling?"
"Back to normal," Seto flipped to the next page in his book. "Don't doubt my healing abilities."
"I'll doubt them when they don't function when you need them to," Quentin butt in. Seto looked up from his book and glared at Quentin from across the table. Quentin caught his gaze and shrugged. "As the doctor, health person, medical professional, it's my job to take care of people when they can't take care of themselves. As much as you hate it, that includes you too."
"I'll admit that I overstepped my boundaries and placed myself in critical state, but my abilities themselves are of great capacity. So please, just drop it and let me enjoy my croissant."
"Okay," Quentin shook it off, preparing to leave after finishing his meal. Ian sipped from his coffee thinking if he sipped loud enough, the room would stop being quiet and awkward. "Ian please, can you sip more quietly?" Seto asked nicely. Ian stopped and nodded politely, his idea sort of working out. "Imma head out guys," Mitch stood up from his chair beaming with excitement. "I'll follow you out then," Quentin stood up as well. "Bye, have fun!" Everyone, except Seto who waved, shouted their farewells. "See you later!"
"Bye!" Mitch shouted back as Quentin held the door for him. "Ty! Don't forget your training with me begins at three in the same place Jerome took you! Alright, bye, love you!"
"I'll be there!" Ty exclaimed excitedly. The room fell quiet again and a repeated cycle of farewells occurred as more time went by until Seto and Adam were the only ones in the room. Adam took this upon himself to interfere with him once again. "Do you think I don't see what you're doing?"
"What do you mean?" Seto asked, un-baffled by the direction of their conversation. "Come on Seto, why are you ignoring Ty like this," Adam slouched on his chair, planning to wait as long as he needed for an answer. Seto noticed and used his magic to straighten Adam's back, catching him off guard. "Hey! Don't use magic on me."
"Then don't slouch, it ruins your posture." Adam crossed his arms. "I know you're mad about me adding him onto the team, but doing this to him isn't going to change my mind or his decision." Seto put down his book and took a deep breath in and out before speaking. "Look, I am a little mad about that, but that's not why I'm like this to him. I don't think you would understand."
"Then make me understand. Explain to me why in the world you would pretend an individual doesn't exist," Adam leaned forward, hoping to intimidate him. Seto stared into Adam's eyes behind his dark sunglasses, spotting the concern, confusion, and trust radiating off them. He can't explain into words what's leading him to ignore Ty like he's nothing to him. His thoughts and emotions have been scrambling together and he doesn't know what to do about it. He's mad at Majutsu for leaving him alone, his sadness over the years is building back up again, and he's happy to see him alive and well, but he mostly feels indifferent. At the moment, there is no Ty in his mind, there is no Majutsu neither, just an empty space waiting to be taken up by either name. In his mind, there is no one.
Adam grew restless and decided to push this off for some other time. "Fine, don't tell me, but don't feel like you can't talk to me, because you can." He got up and began making his way to the exit. "Don't forget that Ty has feelings too. Talk to him instead of hurting him like this because you can't resolve what you feel about him. No one likes being treated like nothing, so stop it." He left the dining room, leaving Seto to contemplate his choices. He's not ready to confront Majutsu, or Ty, or whatever he goes by. Not yet at least. He needs a new approach after his last one clearly didn't go so well. He finishes his tea and teleports back to his lab, not wanting to talk to people if they pass by him in the hallway.
---
The afternoon came by quickly, brightening the kingdom with the suns golden glow. It was a nice day that Ty wished he spent outside, but the team has been persistent on keeping him shut in the palace until after the meet and greets. He's growing tired of being a useless shut in and while he fears talking about himself to others, at least he'll get to tour the kingdom. Getting back to his companion for the events, he still doesn't know who. At the moment, he has his mind set on bringing Jason along mostly because he's grown comfortable around him and he's closer to his age than anyone else. Seto doesn't count because he's older than the kingdom itself despite his manifestation of a 17 year old boy.
Ty starts making his way to the training room he was in with Jerome, but this time he's meeting Mitch for his weapon training. He's more excited to swing around a sword than punching someone with his hands, swords being more interesting than fists. As he made his way down the hall, Seto came into view walking the opposite direction towards Ty. He saw him and tensed up a bit, knowing exactly what would happen if he attempts to interact. "Hi Seto," Ty waved awkwardly once Seto was in earshot. To no surprise, Seto didn't shift his straight gaze and walked right past Ty, ignoring his presence. Ty put his hand back down, sighing that he's still not getting a reaction out of him.
He arrives at the room to find Mitch already there and eager to begin. "Come on in Ty, do some quick stretches as I go get something," Mitch ushered him in. "Uh, okay?" Ty stood in the middle of the room awkwardly doing shoulder stretches. Through the mirror, he could see Mitch walking towards the shelves that store swords reaching for one near the bottom. He was about to straighten himself up as he saw Ty watching him from the mirror. "Hey! Close your eyes!"
"Okay! Okay!" Ty shut his eyes switching to an upper back stretch. In the darkness of his eyelids, he could hear Mitch's footsteps echo in the room, slowly getting louder and closer until he felt a close presence near him. He got chills running down his body as a creeping fear was stirring his blood. "Now open them!"
Ty jumped back as his eyes flew open, the fear he felt taking over him for just a moment. In front of him stood Mitch with a scabbard in his hands. The white leather was beautifully embroidered with green thread and plates of silver on the ends. Sticking out of it was the hilt of the sword wrapped with black leather on the grip and a stylized pommel imbedded with a small emerald jewel in the middle. Ty couldn't believe his eyes as his burst of fear relaxed and shifted into amazement. He reached out for it in awe, having a thought of who it's for.
"Is this..?" Ty is speechless. "Yup, you're own sword," Mitch switched his grip on the scabbard and unsheathed the sword for him. It was an iron sword with the edges and point sharper than anything he's seen. It was very simplistic compared to the scabbard, but he didn't mind. It was perfect.
"Jerome was supposed to give this to you a lot earlier so you'd have something to at least protect yourself with, but..," Mitch swung the sword around casually as he talked. "Yeah, he told me about the Seto thing being all his fault and I wanted to say sorry that that happened to you and Jerome feels responsible even though he's not and-"
"Yeah, we talked it out. We're good. Now shut up and give me my sword," Ty interrupted as he jumped to grab the sword, but Mitch held it high enough to be out of Ty's reach, even as he jumped. Mitch laughed at Ty's shortness and attempts to grab the sword. "Alright, but calm down first," Mitch placed his hand on top of Ty's head to stop him from jumping. Ty stopped in his tracks from Mitch's strength alone, deciding to cooperate if it meant getting his sword sooner.
Once Mitch saw Ty had calmed down, he removed his hand from his head and pulled in Ty's right hand. He carefully placed the grip of the sword into Ty's palm and squeezed his fingers around it tightly. "That's how you hold a sword. Arms up, I'm going to tie the scabbard around your belt." Mitch kneeled down and Ty brought his arms up, getting a taste of how heavy his sword was. It felt light, but still had the weight to cut through its opponents. As Mitch was tying the scabbard on his waist, Ty decided to wiggle the sword around like he saw Mitch do earlier. His fingers felt too stiff to swing it around properly, so he slowly loosened his grip on it. It worked for a short while, but eventually lost grip of it entirely.
"That should do it," Mitch stated as he finished tying. Ty shrieked as he ran for his life, acting as if a mouse had run through the room. Mitch was confused by his reaction but quickly noticed as the sword hit the ground, bouncing up slightly from the fall. It was about two inches away from slicing Mitch's knee off. Ty was panting quickly, his adrenaline still keeping him on edge. "I'm sorry!" Mitch was shocked at first, but started laughing afterwards. Ty didn't understand what was funny about almost killing his instructor, still in shock from the mishap.
"Another penny in the "could've died today" jar," Mitch brushed off the tension as he stood back up and grabbed the sword. "Dude, you have no idea how many times things like that have happened to me. With a job like this, death lures around every corner."
"Yeah, I know," Ty took deep breaths in and out to relax himself. Mitch walked over to him and wrapped his arm around his neck for a gentle brotherly embrace. "That's why we're going to teach you how not to die, starting with simple sword swings."
Mitch let go of him and grabbed Ty's empty hand to grasp the sword as well. "One handing a sword is harder when you're not strong enough. I know you will get there eventually, but for now I want you to hold it with both hands." Mitch brought Ty's other hand and clasped it properly together with the grip of the sword. Ty nodded, understanding the reasons. He knows his noodle arms don't have the muscles needed yet, so strength will be a slow development.
Mitch slowly turned Ty's hands to the side, simulating a left swing at a potential enemy. Then, he did the right swing, down slash, and uppercut slash. "See? Not so bad," Mitch repeated the moves slowly once more before finally letting go of Ty's hands and backing up. Ty felt the weight of the sword on his own once more as he continued to repeat the slashes at Mitch's slow speed. "Keep repeating that set of motion over and over again until they're second nature," Mitch walked around him, adjusting Ty's shaky arms as needed. "Do I get to slice something today?" Ty asked, curious about speeding things up. "Nope, sorry. Now do it a little quicker."
Ty sped up, feeling the pressure on his arms and shoulders. Mitch noticed and started rubbing Ty's back near his shoulder blades. "You're too tense, relax. Think of it like pushing a door, not pushing a wall. Speed up." Ty did as he instructed, but could already feel his arms getting sore. "Don't mess up the pattern I showed you. Keep your arms balanced. Don't tense up, stay loose. Speed up." Ty tried speeding up, but he felt his technique suffer in the process. He began to sweat as he tried doing what Mitch asked of him, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with it. "Focus Ty! Remember the patten, become the pattern. Don't let your arms become noodles, you'll hurt yourself! Push the door Ty, don't pull! It's not a pull door!"
"I can't!" Ty stopped, dropping his arms to the ground along with the sword. It hit the gym floor and he hunched over to take in the tension he created on his back. Mitch stood back and watched Ty's tired expression from the mirror. "Too much?"
"I don't understand how you guys have gone through this," Ty panted as he regained composure and sat down on the cold floor. "Did everyone really start out like me?" Mitch let the question sink in a little bit before answering. "I wasn't here to witness it, but I heard Jason was quite a handful. He's nerdy and has more brains than brawn, but he pulled through just like anyone else. That's why we all believe you will too."
"Even Seto?" The words escaped Ty's mouth before he could notice, too late to take it back. Mitch was surprised by the question, but knew the answer to give him. "Of course, why wouldn't he be?"
"I don't know. He doesn't want to talk to me and I think maybe he doesn't want me here?" Ty shrugged, unsure of his thoughts about it. "Does he want me gone? Or am I being a burden to him somehow without realizing I am? Do you know why he's doing this?" Mitch felt bad that Ty's been thinking horribly about himself. He walked over to him and sat down right beside him. "Frankly, no one knows why besides maybe Adam, but he acted similarly this way towards me and Jerome too; so you're not alone."
"How similar?" Ty lightened up a bit, wanting to know more about Merome's experience with Seto. "He started ignoring us too, but eventually began to talk to us when the situation demanded him to. However, yours is different in a way I don't really understand. Seto never tried hurting us, except when he hurled Jerome into the air when I brought him into the palace for the first time." Ty snickered. "I can't say he tried to hurt me when he pinned me to the wall on my first day or when he kidnapped me, it was more like he just wanted to talk to me. Or at least make me talk?"
"Wait, I thought the problem here was him not talking to you," Mitch got lost in the conversation. "Now he is and I don't understand why! Why did he suddenly switch?"
"That's Seto for you, very unpredictable," Mitch replied. "But don't loose hope on him. He might be this worldwide known sorcerer savior, but he's also a person. Granted, an old one, but still a person." Ty smiled, not really sure how he should feel about their talk, but he definitely felt better.
"Thanks for hearing me out Mitch. I heard from the others that you're not good at talking about deep stuff, but I think you did decently," Ty stood back up, making his way to his sword to put it back in his scabbard. "Wait, who says I can't be deep and emotional?" Mitch questioned, snapping back into his goofy confidence. "It's nothing!" Ty sheathed his sword and made his way to the exit. "No, you can tell me. I swear I won't beat them up."
"Thanks Mitch, I'll see you at dinner!" Ty left before Mitch could stand up to tackle him for an answer. He sighed as a smile formed on his face, happy to at least have made Ty feel better about himself. He didn't even bother telling him there was still ten minutes left for his training. "See you there!"
---
Adam was starving by the time dinner was prepared. He had an exhausting day and was looking forward to relax while he ate. He stepped into the dining room, expecting to see no one, but was surprised to find Seto had already began his dinner. "Seto? Why are you here so early?"
"I think you already know the answer," Seto stated before putting the spoon up to his mouth. In front of him, he had a bowl of vegetable soup and a glass of water along with a chocolate chip cookie for dessert once he finished the soup. His dinner was simplistic compared to the other possible meals he could've chosen. Sadly, Adam knew exactly why he made such choices for dinner. "Seriously? You're even going as far as to not be present at dinner with him?"
"I will be, but not for long. I have work to get done before the next potion shipment."
"I'm guessing you didn't even bother talking to him today, right?" Adam took his seat as he adjusted it accordingly. Seto stayed silent, only the sound of him sipping his soup echoing in the room. Adam couldn't believe Seto's behavior, but there's not much he could do about it. It's not his first rodeo, so when Seto does something like this, he's really good at not breaking it. The only thing he could do was let him go along with it until he eventually breaks the silence. "Have it your way, but when you finally decided to talk, I'll be waiting."
Seto can't help but feel guilty for hiding information from Adam, granted it being heavily personal. For too many years, he's been focused on keeping up an example for others that it's damaged his way of expressing emotions properly; even to those closest to him like Adam. The atmosphere he's in has been far too comfortable that it's made him more prone to break downs than before. He hates it. He's not perfect, but sometimes he wished he was. After living for as long as he has, you'd think he'd reach that point by now.
Adam ordered his beverage as plates of steak, rice, and peas were placed at the other members seats. Bread rolls were placed in different places at the table, the servers making sure they were in arms reach of everyone. Not to long after the stiff silence, everyone else arrived. Ty was the last one to rush in, being late by ten minutes. "Hey Ty! Glad you could join," Mitch waved energetically. "Yeah, sorry I'm late," Ty made his way to his chair. "Were you showering? You smell wet," Jerome asked, ripping a piece of his steak and chewing it. "Of course you would tell," Ian rolled his eyes, twirling his glass off apple juice in his hand. "I bet he cheated, Ty clearly has soaked hair," Adam pointed out.
"Ha, yeah. I showered."
"How can you all miss the most distinct feature? He's literally wearing a long sleeved shirt," Jason pointed out as he felt Ty's sleeves. It was a soft white pajama shirt. Ty figured it'd be nice to wear since he doesn't need to be presentable at the dinner table, along with his grey sweatpants. "He could've switched clothes for the fun of it, you never know," Quentin shrugged off Jason's answer. Ty laughed awkwardly, still surprised how they could all talk about a subject for an unnecessarily long time. He caught a glance at Seto across from him and relaxed his laughter. He was already done eating and was only wasting away his time with a cookie before he could leave.
Ty ordered his beverage and zoned out a bit as he thought back to his talk with Mitch. He's right about seeing Seto for who he is and not what he's known for. After all, Adam talked a lot about how great the sorcerer Seto was instead of what kind of person he is, but he can't blame him for that. Adam wanted him to have a good impression of everybody. He just wished there was a way they could get to know each other without the tension. He felt a tap on his shoulder and instinctively turned to look at Jason, snapping out of his thoughts. "You okay? Ian has been trying to get your attention."
"Oh, yes Ian?" Ty straightened himself as he looked over at Ian. "Have you thought on who you'd bring to your meet and greets?" Ian brought up again. Ty nodded slowly, not paying attention to the servant who quietly walked to his plate to slice the steak for him. He hadn't touched his food, so the servant thought he needed help. At the same time, Seto began getting himself together to take his leave. "So, who do you choose?"
"Wait, you want me to say it out loud?" Ty panicked as he saw everyone, but Seto, shift their attention onto him. Their behavior switched to those of a child opening a surprise present, excited to see what's inside. He knew this was coming, but nothing could've stopped him from feeling nervous. "Yeah, that's kind of why I asked."
"Don't worry Ty, choose whoever you'd like," Jason butt in. "Yeah, we won't get upset as long as you're feeling comfortable with whomever," Quentin added on, and the others formally agreed. While he's thankful for how understanding they all are, the pressure is still on. His eyes raced from member to member, running his mental notes as he came across them. He's comfortable with Jason thanks to their close age and personality, but what if Jerome was the right choice? He's soft, fluffy and is generally caring despite his goofy exterior. Same with Mitch, but he lacks fur and is more extremely open than we'd like him to be. Unless Quentin wants to- who should he choose?!
His eyes grazed by Seto who walked behind Ian on his way out. His indecisive nature made him do a double take and question his chances with Seto being a possibility. He hadn't thought about it before due to his unwillingness to respond, but it didn't mean he was out of the running. This could be the break through he wanted between each other and there was only one way to find out. Ty pushed his chair back as he stood up triumphantly, extending his arm to point at Seto from across the room and make his point clear. "Seto!"
The room fell silent as Seto halted in his tracks. None of them were expecting that name to come out of Ty's mouth. Seto had his hand on the door handle ready to push it open, but turned to face the array of eyes facing him instead. He could see Ty's smug face pop among the shocked expressions. As much as he didn't feel like talking to him, he wasn't going to stand by and let this slide. "What?" Seto exclaimed. "I choose you for the-"
"I know what you chose me for," Seto interrupted him, correcting himself. "I meant why?"
"Well, I want to get to know you a little more and thought these meet and greets would be a good opportunity for that," Ty explained his thinking. "So what do you say?"
"Sorry, but you chose incorrectly."
Ty was brought aback from the statement, even beginning to doubt himself a little bit, but continued to play confidently to get what he wants. "No I didn't, Ian said I could choose anyone and I chose you," Ty pushed the conversation, hoping Seto wouldn't get a say in the matter and just agree to go with him. "I'm sorry, I truly am, but I'm not going with you to your meet and greets."
"Please go with me! Is it really that hard for you to acknowledge me this one time," Ty felt the frustration begin to boil inside of him. "I wouldn't have picked you if you've put in the effort to begin with!"
"You can't force me to go with you! Tell him Ian, tell him I can reject his offer if I so please."
"No! I'm fed up with this silent game of yours! I just want you to talk to me."
"If you haven't noticed, I am talking to you and my answer is no. Take it or leave it, but it won't change."
"Shut up!" Adam slammed his fist on the table to grab their attention. They both shuttered from the sound of the clattering plates and silverware, facing Adam who was up and furious. He pushed his chair further behind him to smoothly transition into a walk around the table. "Seto, outside now!"
Seto crossed his arms, feeling cross himself before vanishing in a puff of purple smoke. Adam walked past Ian and placed his hand on his shoulder real quick to say "give me a minute" before exiting through the doors. Ty felt chills run through his whole body as he watched Adam angrily leave. It felt surreal being at the end of Adam's frustration, and frankly, it wasn't fun. Everyone was still surprised over what went down as they quietly went back into their food. Ty did so as well, melting back into his seat and indulging in the shame he feels for causing an unnecessary ruckus in front of everyone. Jason tried making him feel better by rubbing his back and suggesting him to eat, but Ty refused.
Meanwhile, Adam was prepared to argue with Seto outside the dining room. Seto was annoyed and clearly didn't want to have a conversation. Alas, he gave him his attention. "Did you have to make a scene like that?" Adam crossed his arms. "Are you saying I started this dispute? All I did was tell him I wasn't going and he kept retaliating at me."
"You started off by telling him he was wrong," Adam elongated the last word to prove where Seto landed on the wrong foot. "Well, he was. I get a say in this matter too, you know?"
"Of course you do, but I'm just saying you could've worded it differently," Adam shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Would it have made a difference? He's stubborn enough to go off over anything I say," Seto began inching closer towards the depth of the hallway, clearly wanting to leave. Adam noticed and tried to wrap things up quickly so he could get back to Ian. "I don't like that you said no to Ty, but I'll let it slide because I know you're going to start talking to him from now on."
"Shut up," Seto rolled his eyes as he gave his back to Adam, walking away to end the conversation. Adam chuckled, acknowledging Seto for breaking his silence with Ty; and as history may have it, it'd be awkward to ignore someone again after communicating with him. Seto didn't look back as he made his way to his lab, locking himself away for the day. After seeing Seto go around the corner, he walked right back into the dining room declaring. "I'll be going with Ty to his meet and greets in place of Seto." Ty was shocked from the announcement and stood up to dispute his claim. "But I-"
"Sorry for yelling earlier Ty. I just had a rough day and what I say is final. Did you get that Ian?" Adam interrupted him, patting Ian's shoulder as he walked back to his seat. "Yeah, I'll write you down," Ian swallowed the food he had in his mouth before pulling out his phone to make note of it. Ty couldn't believe his efforts were for nothing. If he knew things would've turned out against him, he would have chosen Jason instead. Ty felt Jason tug on his sleeve as he put no effort into facing him. "Ty please, eating something will make you feel better."
"No, it's fine. I just lost my appetite," Ty stated, brushing Jason's arm off before walking away from his seat. Everyone watched as he made his way to the exit, not saying a word. Once the door clicked shut, Jerome breaks the silence by asking, "Does that mean I can have his leftovers?" Mitch kicked Jerome in the calf discretely tell him he was being disrespectful. "What, I'm hungry!" Jerome retorted back. While Merome's goofy nature brought up some laughter in the room, it wouldn't last. One of the servers gladly gave him Ty's plate and Jerome dug into Ty's steak happily.