Colors of Remnant

Ax's particular block of the dorms was seemingly always bustling with some kind of activity and noise. Various students left their doors open, so all the students playing video games, watching movies, and blasting music were easy to hear basically throughout the whole floor. Some theorized that the faculty had apparently seen fit to stick a lot of the really noisy kids together instead of spreading them out all over on purpose. Naturally, it only made sense that Ax's dorm was right in the middle of the hall, the door partially open. She was expecting company soon.

Softly playing music in Ax's room could be heard even from the hall. Her dorm looked clearly quite lived-in thanks to the miscellaneous laundry, pillows, papers, shoes, and other miscellaneous possessions strewn throughout, but the lighting was warm and the walls were cluttered with posters, photos, and other various decor. The bird had made a very sincere effort to clean the place up a bit in preparation for her evening plans. It wasn't every day that Ax got to reconnect with an old friend, so she did basically the best she could despite how tired she was after a full day of classes, drills, and fitness training. She'd cleaned up the worst of the trash and old takeout boxes around her desk, figuring that was the most offensive. The rest of the mess... eh, Ivory probably wouldn't be that bothered, right?

Satisfied enough, the showy bird contented herself to lay back and wait, stretching out on her bed and splaying her limbs out like a lazy cat while she waited atop a messy assortment of blankets and sheets. She held her scroll up and idly panned through her apps to occupy herself, but every few seconds her eyes would drift over the little clock display in the corner as though she expected a span of minutes to fly by in mere seconds.

Ax was... almost kind of nervous? Maybe that wasn't the right way to put it. It'd been a long time since she'd seen Ivory, and she had no idea where to start catching her back up. She couldn't help but smirk a little to herself, reflecting on a time long ago when Ivory had showed up at her door and the aftermath had been a big, dramatic mess. Now they were friends. It really was funny how things worked out sometimes.

She let her scroll fall out of her hands and onto the mattress beside her as the clock approached 6 o' clock. Ax's guest would be here soon.

Pacing frantically around the living room Ivory was staying off campus for the moment. After just returning from her exchange program the school had yet to give her a room assignment. Which wasn’t too big of a deal as she was able to crash with her cousin for a week or two without problem. Well at least it wouldn’t have been a problem if not for…

“Hey, stop pacing like a crazy person! I’m trying to clear this level!”

…her panicked thoughts were cut off by her cousin Jim. “Oh shut up! Not all of us don’t care about anything like you!”

With a sigh Jim would pause the game and actually show some concern. “Hey, you’re gonna do fine. I know Ax can be a bit intense, but from everything I ever heard she does really consider you a good friend. Just relax and everything will be okay.”

Ready to rip his head of Ivory was shocked by the genuine advice. “Umm… j-jeez thanks…” Walking up she’d give him a hug too which he would reply. “See, you got this, now get out of the way.” Her eyes would roll, and he would laugh, but she was appreciative all the same.

Heading up to the guest room Ivory would look over her cloths and even sneak into Cassandra’s room to look at her cloths. Nothing really stuck out, so finally Ivory just decided to heed Jim’s advice and wear her usual combat gear. Ax liked a good fight so hopefully she would respect that. Of course, all this debating and panicking had taken quite a bit of time and when she checked her scroll to see that it was 15 minutes of, she gasped.

Rushing downstairs in a silvery streak Ivory yelled out. “I’m running late I’m taking you bike.” Jim’s eyes shot open as the door shut in a blur. Racing to the door he saw his cousin starting it up. “HEY! What the hell…” By the time he finished the statement she had already sped off. “…god damnit…”

Not the most proficient rider in the world Ivory would weave and wobble her way along and even drop the bike at one point. The good news is the huntress was easily able to lift it back up. The bad news was that the there was now a solid scrape on the side. “No, no, no!” There was no time to worry about it and making the best time she could the rest of the way there. Ivory would end up burning her speed semblance to streak through the school grounds and up the dorms.

By the time the knock finally came on Ax’s door it was about 6:05 which wasn’t bad all things considered. Of course, she was panting from the prolonged sprint, but it didn’t stop her from trying a polite if not completely nerve filled greeting. “H-hey Ax, s-sorry I’m late, umm… I uhh… y-you umm…” She struggled to say it as this was the last way, she wanted to start their first conversation in months. “…y-you umm, do you know h-how to fix a bike, heh?”

One advantage of Ax's personality was that she got distracted pretty easily, so killing time for a little bit wasn't too tough. She wasn't worried at all as minutes drifted on by and she gradually grew invested in an article she found online. She rolled sideways onto her belly, her feet raising up and kicking back and forth as she watched her screen. She heard and sensed Ivory coming before the white-haired girl reached the door. When Ivory came in, Ax was sitting up in her bed with a grin on her lips, her scroll in hand, but the screen dark.

"Woah-ho. Hey yourself, relaaax, relax," Ax started to get up, though the grin on her lips shrank a little as Ivory stuttered her way through a greeting. She pushed herself off the bed and started to step over toward Ivory.

"I can probably help. Are you okay? Did something happen?" Ax asked, concerned.

Within moments of speaking Ivory already seemed to shrink. Between her embarrassment of being late, the fact that in her mind she had wrecked Jim's bike, and of course now that she was standing in front of Ax. Instantly her pale face would start glowing a little red and her hands would clasp together. Fidgeting about and nervously rubbing her palms. As the Faunus approached somehow the younger Lavay seemed to make their 2-inch height different feel like a foot. Especially as she made eye contact again.

"N-no... I uhh... I'm sorry..." Her chest still rapidly panting from her run. "...I didn't want to be that late. So, I ran here from the docks. Also, I reeeally didn't want to be late s-so umm... I kinda did something dumb!" Ax may notice that the way Ivory was talking an acting was far closer to how she was when they first met. Seemingly far from the more confident and slightly more mature version that had left for Atlas a few months ago. In fact, with her semblance, she would also certainly notice just how nervous the girl was. Although it wasn't entirely due to the potential damage she had caused.

Of course, even Ivory didn't really realize all of that instead she started with the obvious. "S-so umm, before I left for Atlas Jim had let me practice a few times with his bike and so uhh... I b-borrow..." Her words would break in a sigh. "...So, I stole it. I didn’t want to be late, and I dropped it at a stop light. Its uhh... it's not too bad, b-but I feel bad!" By the time she had finished her mouth and brain had been going at the speed of light so with a little fatigue she would just fall into Ax. Which naturally brought on an even bigger blush and an apologetic gasp.

Ivory was looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights. Ax hesitated, stopping instead of further approaching. The idea had been to be reassuring... she definitely didn't want to add additional stress on top of whatever it was that Ivory was going through right now.

Ax's eyes narrowed for a moment before and Ax shook her head slightly and closed them, as if not believing what she was hearing. Ivory had ran the whole way there from the docks? That sounded like the kind of insane thing only a Lavay would do. She looked back over at Ivory incredulously, but she managed to stay quiet until Ivory had finished explaining her situation. Ax slowly inhaled a breath, her shoulders rising for a moment before steadily deflating. She tried her best to sound measured and composed as she spoke.

"...okay. So you... stole Jim's bike," Ax said with a dull stare. Oh, yeah, no big deal! Ivory had just stolen the bike of one of the most fearsome fighters in all of Beacon on impulse instead of just... communicating that she might be late. Because it was definitely more important not to be late for this than it was to make sure Jim wasn't pissed, right? Ax wasn't sure if she should be flattered or frustrated!

"And you... left it at a light. You could've just called me, you know? I'd have been cool about it. Shit happens, people are late sometimes," Ax reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose between her metal fingers.

Continuing to twiddle her fingers about as Ax listened and thought. The frantic Lavay would miss a large portion of her body language and her narrowing eyes. Twisting her feet about and continuing to look at the ground as she made that first statement. "Y-ya... I mean, I told him I was using it on the way out the door, b-but... he asked me n-not too. I uhh... I just pretended not to hear him! Ev-every other time I rode his bike nothing bad ever happened, b-but I pulled out my scroll to check the time at the light and I just lost it out from under me!" She'd almost squeal at the end she was so wound up.

Of course, what came next was almost worst as the Faunus always had and evidently still had an air of authority over her. Which meant as she said that Ivory felt even worse. At least in one way. Finally managing to look up and meet the taller woman's gaze she'd try her best to smile and then open her thin arms up for a hug. "Th-thank Ax... I... I missed you. I umm... I really really missed you..." Whether or not she took her up on the offer Ivory would stay silent for a moment contemplating her actions. She did feel bad on both sides. The obvious reason for Jim and even towards Ax thinking that she wouldn't be forgiving of her tardiness.

Among all this introspective worry and fear she'd almost missed the initial part of that comment. Suddenly as she hit her Ivory said probably the most on the nose thing for someone of her last name. "O-oh no! I didn't leave it... I umm... I was close so I just picked it up and carried it... it's uhhh... p-parked out by the docks." A nervous chuckle slipped from her lips as despite being considerably smarter than her cousins. It was clear that there was still quite a bit of the family in her as well.

"An-anyway, umm it uhh... it's not a big deal if you can't and... and we can do it later if you want, or umm... or not at all." With a long sigh Ivory again just kinda felt her body sink as slowly regained her composure.

Ax's eyes widened as Ivory continued on and painted a better image of what actually happened. Ax's goal hadn't been to make Ivory feel bad, but she also didn't want to go encouraging this kind of thing. Nevertheless, when Ivory extended her arms and tried her best to put a smile on Ax could only let out a sigh and step in to accept it. She slipped her metal arm around Ivory's side and pulled her in, her forearm wrapping around the middle of Ivory's back as she exhaled a brief, reluctant little sigh.

"I missed you too, I missed you too..." Ax murmured softly, nodding her head and sticking to a warm-sounding tone of voice in an effort to console and ease some of Ivory's nerves. Ivory was cute and she was also sweet, but she could be a little on the neurotic side at times.

'But then again, so can I.'

Ax pulled back after a moment and let out another sigh, though this one sounded more like it was out of relief.

"Well, okay, one less thing to worry about. Jim's bike is accounted for. You lost control of it, but you didn't actually lose-lose the bike," Ax said aloud, as if to confirm her understanding of what Ivory had said. She gave Ivory a chance to nod before she continued.

"You gotta call him and own up to what you did," Ax said a moment later, reaching out and resting her palms on the shorter girl's shoulders, making a point to look Ivory in the eye so she knew how serious she was. She continued to use a soft and gentle tone, but she needed to be assertive in making her point here too.

"Sooner you face the music, the better. I know Jim, he'll be a lot more understanding and cool about this if you're honest and upfront about it. The sooner he knows about it, the sooner he can pick it up and make sure his wheels don't end up at a chop-shop in Industrial or something."

Ax withdrew her arm and stepped back, turning and strolling across her room to the mini fridge by her desk. She knelt down to grab a can of lemon-lime soda before she stepped back over and offered it to Ivory.

"Shoes off, chill a bit. Stay a while. Take your time to compose yourself, catch your breath, have a drink! Your face is red and I know the route you took - it's no beginner's jog. You'll feel better if you give yourself a break. I'll be here to help you handle Jim. After you talk to him, we can catch up, maybe watch something or play a game. M'kay?"

Holding onto that hug for probably a few minutes too long Ivory just couldn't help herself. Ax was more than a friend to her. In the young Lavay's mind she was some amalgamation of Big sister, mentor, BFF, plus a tiny sprinkle of silly love interest. Long story short the Faunus was probably the person she trusted most that didn't share her last name. Which also meant despite her oft times tough love she was the perfect person for her to be around in this slightly frantic moment. When the hug was finally broken Ivory even had a small tear running down her eye that was very quick to wipe away.

"Yeah, it just fell..." She'd say with a light sigh before nodding her head at Ax's next comment. "I know I know..." The worst part in her mind was she knew enough about her cousin to know that he probably wouldn't even be that mad. Which almost made it worse for her. So, with her next comment she’d nod her head again and take the offer.

Pulling her scroll out of her pocket Ivory would place it on Ax's bed and take a seat. Sliding her boots off and putting them down nicely as well as her socks. "Th-thanks Ax, thanks so much." Her words were starting to calm down as she couldn't help the light chuckles that slipped from her lips. "...if only it were jog that would have been easy. I believe I umm I-I believe that would have qualified as a full-tilt sprint." Looking over to her scroll Ivory would say. "M-maybe in a bit let me do this first."

Reaching over she would call him and put the scroll on speakerphone. "H-hope you don't mind..." She'd say quietly as it started ringing.

"Hey..." Jim's voice on the other end clearly had a sigh at the end of it.

"Umm... Jim... f-first off I'm so sorry..." Ivory already started returning to that stammer that she had when she first arrived. A few beads of sweat forming on her brow.

Sighing again he'd say in a tone that clearly meant he was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "It’s cool. You're good Iv's just make sure to get it back tonight okay I gotta pick up some Dust at the shop this evening."

"W-well, umm... there is something else too..." Looking up to Ax. Clearly seeking a little help.

"Anytime," Ax nodded reassuringly as she sat down beside Ivory, letting her get out of her boots before she took one of her hands and pressed the can of soda into it. "Drink up, babe."

She nodded her head after that, giving Ivory a patient little smile and the affirmative to go on ahead with a little raise of her thumb. As soon as Jim's voice picked up over speaker, Ax reached up and gave Ivory a little squeeze on her shoulder. She kept quiet at first, not wanting to interrupt as Ivory started to fumble her way through a preliminary apology. Ax bit her lip slightly as Jim spoke on, clearly oblivious to what had happened and unaware of Ivory's anxiety. When Ivory gave her an uncertain look, Ax knew what to do. She immediately perked up, looking forward as if imagining that Jim was in front of her as she spoke up clearly enough for the scroll's microphone to pick her up.

"Sup Jim. It's Ax," Ax began as soon as the younger girl hesitated. Her eyes rose up to the ceiling ponderously as she thought through what to say for a brief moment.

"You busy? Ivory has something kind of important she wants to talk with you about. I'm mostly just here to provide moral support," Ax explained. Step one was to describe what happened, objectively, without judgments. Ax didn't want to rob Ivory of a chance to give the details herself, figuring Jim would appreciate Ivory being up front over having to be handheld through all the details by Ax. This was the part where Ivory couldn't really do any wrong, so long as she did her best to calmly tell the whole truth. Hopefully just by being there, being calm, and being ready to deescalate if needed... she could help Ivory hold it together and do this mostly on her own, with only a few delicate nudges.

Taking the can and stealing a few sips Ivory would smile to her friend. "Thanks..." Her voice still soft and clearly nervous. As Ax put her hand on the younger Lavay's shoulder she would reach up with her own hand. Gripping onto her the Faunus would feel her trembling. This was an even bigger struggle for her than perhaps she was letting on. She knew exactly what she had done and why it was wrong. Not only for the property damage, but also because it was complete and total betrayal of trust. Cass and by lesser extension Jim had opened their house to her and she did something this foolish and all for what? Getting to her friends place 5-10 minutes faster? She was a fool.

As the conversation continued and Ivory momentarily lost the will. She'd smile warmly or at least as warmly as she possible could through the jitters as Ax started piping up.

"Hey, hey Ax... how yeah been?" The speaker would say in an excited tone as Jim had been meaning to getting around to visiting the Faunus. Though as she made the next comment he'd say. "Nah I'm not..." There would be a little pause and eventually Jim himself would beat Ivory to the next line. "Everything okay? What's up what happened?" He sounded worried, but more so in the sense of worried for his little cousin.

Eventually, once he said that Ivory would chime back in. "Y-yes... I'm... I'm okay, but uhh... your umm... your bike. I..." Clenching her first for a moment she'd take a breath. "...I dropped it at a light, and it cracked the side a little bit. I'm so-so-so-so-so..."

Before she could say anymore Ivory would be interrupted. "Iv's..." The would be a light chuckle on the other end of the line. "...you're good." He'd finally say. "...I'll come up and grab it. Is it at the school?" He'd then pause another minute and say. "Just... next time ask first, or hell girl I would have just given you a ride myself."

Nodding to the phone Ivory would say. "Y-yes it is, and... and, Okay... th-thanks for not being mad." Her voice was quiet and sheepish as she kept eye contact with Ax for continued morale support.

"Yoooouuu’re fine! Hell, far be it from me to say I never pulled any stupid shit." A mixture of a laugh and a sigh followed. "Yo Ax, make sure Ivory doesn't die of a heart attack okay. Everything’s good. Also, we need to grab a drink soon!" He'd then wait for her to respond and then hang up.

The moment he did Ivory's whole body would be shaking as she looked up to her friend. It was as if she had almost seen a ghost, she was so anxiety ridden. "H-he was... wasn't even mad?" Hands and arms shaking she'd lean against the older Faunus and just say. "Th-thank you again... I... I never w-would have been able t-to do that without y-you..." She opened her mouth to say more. There were so many more things she wanted to say to Ax. So many more feeling and sentiments, but as she just didn't know how. Not yet. Not after her backslide into introversion.

Ax knew Ivory was afraid, but they were to be huntresses. Ivory had stared down some real monsters in her time at Beacon so far... Ax knew she could push through and be brave even if it took a little nudge in the right direction here and there. Ivory's fear and nerves, though, were also starting to impact Ax a little. She knew she had no reason to be afraid, but still... Jim wasn't that bad. Was he?

Actually, yes he was. Ax remembered the fire in his eyes, the decisive power of every swing of his massive sword. You could feel its motion without touching it, hear it cutting through the air like a wrecking ball with an alarmingly sharp edge attached. Jim had made her feel desperate, panicked, and afraid during their match together... Jim could absolutely obliterate her if she didn't stay on her toes. All it would've taken was a single hit at the wrong time to shatter her aura and her composure. She remembered being certain that she was going to lose... but just like Ivory here in the present, Ax had needed to push through her fear. She needed to be decisive. She needed to own her feelings and push past them. She needed to be confident.

"Everyone's okay. No one is hurt or in danger," Ax noted. She wouldn't say more than that. Fortunately, Ivory seemed to understand that this was a good time to pipe up. Ax nodded and gave the girl an encouraging smile as she started to speak up again. The moment Jim started to speak in reply, Ax knew that they were over the worst of it just from his tone alone. She was quiet as Ivory and Jim finished their exchange.

"She's in good hands," Ax turned her head to give Ivory a playful little grin with her reassurance. "Anytime you want, man. Text me, yeah? Thanks Jim!"

Ax let out a little sigh of relief as soon as the call ended and Ivory started to relax against her. Ivory looked a little pale, still, but she'd handled it pretty well. It was a good thing Jim was such an understanding guy. A conversation of that same nature would've probably been a lot tougher with anyone else, but... eh, that was the downside of being a big softie like Jim was. Sometimes if you were nice and friendly to people enough, people could forget that you were perfectly capable of being terrifying.

"Hey, c'mon. Give yourself a little credit. Maybe you'd have been able to do it someday. Maybe not as quickly, but..." Ax trailed off, finishing her sentence with a little shrug of her shoulders before she shifted in place and moved so that she was fully facing Ivory with her legs crossed in front of her.

"You did good, kiddo. So. Now that we've got that handled... tell me everything. What've I missed, Ives?"

"Yeah, maybe..." Ivory commented as she slowly rotated towards the Faunus.

A long sigh would then sneak its way out of her lips as she felt a strange mixture of emotions. The main ones being a sigh of relief as it seemed everything was going to be okay. The second was the resonating jitters of the experience. She should have known that this was going to be easy, but naturally that through brought on the final prevalent sensation, guilt. What she did was wrong, and Ivory knew it. She should have just asked for a ride or taken the bus and texted Ax. However, she let her nerves and neurotic nature get the best of her and now she hurt someone she cared about.

While all these thoughts circled through her head Ivory would drift and look down. It wasn't until a few seconds after Ax spoke that she'd find herself again. "Oh umm..." Taking a moment to actually hear what her friend had said. "...s-sorry... umm well..." Her stammering bought her a little time, but finally with a deep breath she'd gain a little composure. "I uhh, I went home for a bit. It uhh... it was nice being in Atlas again. I-I guess..." With a long exhale she would stop and shake her head. "...actually, that's a lie. I thought I was h-homesick, but the moment I got up there. Interacted with the Atlesian students in that exchange pr-program. I instantly felt like an alien in my own home."

Needing just a moment her hand would clasp together as the root cause for her backsliding socially became clear. "Th-they didn't care for me much there. S-some said I was a traitor, other's j-just laughed... then umm... then there was some jealousy when I beat a few in training... I even umm..." Her pale face started to go a little red. "...l-let a girl beat me s-so they picked on me less... that umm... that backfired." Another long sigh would slip out. "S-so basically the only person I interacted with w-was my little brother and he's a dork s-so that sucked too." With all that said Ivory realized she had been speaking for the better part of forever and suddenly a sheepish look would run across her face.

In an almost frantic tone, the younger Lavay would go. "Ugh, I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean t-to umm go on for so long... h-how uhh... how are you d-doing...?" As she said that Ivory would reach out and gently grab onto her metal arm.

Ax had been hoping that having the bike situation out of the way would help Ivory be a little more focused, engaged, and present. Instead, Ivory seemed stuck in the hasty choice she'd made. It was a little disheartening to see her seemingly tuned completely out of the moment. Ax had been really hoping that Ivory would be happy to see her, but the mounting silence was eating up too many seconds, precious time slashed off of their time together that night.

"You're fine," Ax firmly reassured her after her first apology.

Ax would find herself further disappointed to hear that Ivory's time away sounded like a mostly negative experience. Well, lesson learned... maybe it was best not to encourage Ivory to recount the past for the time being. She sounded like she needed to be distracted from it.

"Oh, honey," Ax shook her head gently as Ivory confessed to throwing fights for social points.

"You're seriously fine," Ax reiterated, this time a little more forcefully. Ivory's tendency to apologize seemingly out of nervous reflex wasn't a habit Ax much cared for.

"I asked, didn't I? If I didn't wanna hear about it, I wouldn't have," Ax noted before letting out a little sigh. Ax didn't seem to mind Ivory's hand on her arm at least, though Ax soon closed her eyes for a second and pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to sort through the ball of anxiety in her room that was Ivory Lavay. Her own emotions were becoming a little more tangled and messy, and she could feel herself growing irritable thanks to the strain of having to make a conscious effort to not be infected by Ivory's nervous disposition.

"...I've been good. Better than good, honestly," Ax admitted after a moment. While the words sounded a little terse at first, she put on a little half-smile in an effort to cool her mood and stay present as she looked back over at Ivory.

"Well, mostly. My dad took back the Tomahawk. I bought a new set of wheels to replace it, and I spent a few weeks working on some mods to make it feel more like what I was used to. I'm adjusting well to the new arm. Nym and I have been hanging out regularly again - not sure if I told you about some of the drama there that happened, but we're through it now. I've been making some new friends, reconnecting with some old ones," Ax shrugged, not wanting to get into all the nitty gritty details. She was sure she'd think of some fun facts to tell Ivory about as they went, but Ax had other priorities right now. This meetup was in need of a dire shift in mood.

"Let's do something. You wanna hang out and listen to some music? I can show you some stuff, you can show me some stuff, maybe? Otherwise we could go for a walk, get some food...? I had a game I wanted to show you, but it can wait 'til later."

There was some clear guilt on Ivory's face when Ax responded about her throwing fights, and even more when she got a little forceful. “Y-yeah… I umm… I… I know it was silly. I… I should not have done that." Naturally, though it was exactly what the younger Lavay needed to hear.

Ivory had been doing so well and making so much social progress before she left. If she were too ever fully leaving her shell the silver-haired student would have to learn how to keep growing on her own and without the constant support of friends like Ax. Even with how amazing it was to have friends like her there was going to be a day where she would have to learn to stand on her own.

All the same it would feel better when Ax not only reassured her, but also started talking about herself some. Ivory's eyes would go down to that metal arm when she mentioned it. Her hand's gently feeling the material as she studied it. It seemed to be of extremely high quality not that she was an expert. Of course, the mention of it also made her feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." Not that they had seen that much action together, but the sentiment was all the same. Though she wasn't familiar with the rest of what the Faunus said. "Hmm?" Her eyes would move back up. "...I hadn't heard about any of that. I... I hope you t-two are still okay. I umm... I know she's your closest friend." The girl would hold a half and hopeful smile on her face.

Once the topic had moved past that though Ivory would look around the room. For the first time since her arrival, she would actually manage to relax a little bit. Her body language would show it most as her shoulders relaxed, and muscles loosened. "Umm... well, I wouldn't mind just hanging out here. M-maybe put on some tunes and we uhh... w-we can just catch up?" This time after she spoke the smile was far more genuine. Almost as if the relief of being near a close friend had finally started to hit the poor introverted girl. "Unless, umm of... of course you had something in mind. Th-then I guess I'd be game." As she spoke subconsciously Ivory would still be holding onto Ax's arm unless the girl actively moved it away.

The mood wasn't so tough that Ax couldn't handle it. Maybe she'd just forgotten how much of a bundle of nerves Ivory actually was. It was flattering though, sometimes! It was clear that the young girl really cared a lot about what Ax thought. Not wanting to grill the girl further or give her any extra reason to feel guilty, Ax took her at her word. If Ivory said she knew better than to throw her fights for social points, then that was good enough for Ax.

She rose her metal arm a little as she felt Ivory's fingers brush against the cool, smooth metal surface near her elbow. It seemed she intended to give Ivory a more detailed look at the highly advanced prosthesis, and it was clearly some very cutting-edge tech. It was perfectly, almost eerily silent even when she bent her elbow - no whirring sounds, clicks or grinding metal. The paneling was a familiar shade of deep, cool blue like her darling battle axe, Electra Heart. It was accented with composite pieces that didn't quite look like metal, as well as veins of gold and teal-colored metal. It even had what looked like little hardlight emitters that mimicked the feathers on her other arm - pink-tinted, translucent feather-like shapes with smooth edges. It seemed startlingly natural and fluid whenever it moved. She raised her hand and flexed her fingers, eager to show off the perfectly synchronized, fluid motion. It was so lifelike that it could have passed as a glove or a gauntlet maybe, if it wasn't so sleek-looking and the fingers weren't so thin. Tech like this would have undoubtedly been highly prized, even in Atlas.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. I got this cool thing out of it at least," Ax noted with a little smile, eager to paint this whole situation in a positive light rather than a dramatic one. The new arm was better than the old one in every way, and Ax hadn't been alone. She'd had all the support and help she had needed to heal and to acclimate to her new highly customized metal arm.

Ax's face reddened slightly as Ivory revealed she wasn't up-to-date on the drama. Well... that was definitely a thing she'd want to fill her in on. A lot had changed for Ax recently. She got a grip fast, the hint of pink on her cheeks fading quickly.

"Oh yeah, we're good. Don't worry babe, I'll fill you in on all the hot gossip," Ax grinned.

Ax's room hadn't changed much. She'd clearly taken down some of the old posters and magazine scraps she'd put up before by her dresser. She'd changed out the multi-colored lights for a set that all glowed the same soft, warm color. It gave Ax's room a slightly cosier, more comforting feeling. Electra Heart rested in a case over by her desk. There was a tall standing mirror near her closet. It looked new. Ax must've replaced the old one a while ago. There were other things that seemed different - maybe she'd reorganized a few times - but it was the same dorm she'd been in since her first year.

"And yeah, sure. Games can wait," Ax nodded. She picked her scroll up from beside her and started to bring up her music player. She turned the volume up a little bit so it was a little less in the background, but so they could still hear it distinctly enough to appreciate it. Since they were still chilling and talking, Ax tried to not turn it up too high. She was confident that if it was too loud, Ivory would either say something, or Ax would quickly pick up on her discomfort. The song that started to play next sounded pretty soft and serene, but it smoothed out into a pretty poppy sound as the vocalist started to sing.

"You know, I uh... it's funny. I went back to Atlas too, really briefly over break. S' too bad I didn't have time to come visit you, see how things were going. That's... where the Tomahawk went. My dad basically summoned me back by threatening to press charges if I didn't return it. So it's back in my dad's garage, occasionally getting rubbed with a diaper or whatever instead of getting to run free. Honestly, it's tragic," Ax made easy conversation, more than happy to just sit back and talk for now.

Feeling a slight grumbled before Ax launched into everything the thinnest Lavay would reach for her scroll and interject. "W-would you like me to order some umm... s-some delivery it's the least I can do for how nice you are being." She spoke through a half smile as she was still working all the jitters of her system. It also meant that some of the adrenaline had faded, and the speedy huntress-in-training burned through her metabolism at insane rates. Something that she would chuckle further around. "Heh, all that umm... c-carrying and running worked up an appetite." No matter how that went Ivory would order something for herself. Though she was hopeful that the Faunus would allow her to cover a meal as well.

By the time that was done Ivory would hear the song playing and she would smile even wider. Ax had such polarizing effect on her. The fact that she was obviously attacked to the rocker made her innately nervous. Yet the fact that she looked up to the woman was a calming force. Which probably was why she was just soooo all over the place when thrown on top of her normal frantic emotions.

Listening to Ax the silver-haired girl would shake her head at the apology. She found herself inching a little bit closer wanting to hear more. Of course, she would giggle lightly at the story. "Oh no the poor thing. Well... m-maybe y-you can steal Jim's bike next..." Her pale face growing red as making light of a situation was not one of her strong suits. However, once she got past that the girl would just exhale. "W-well, I'm just s-so happy to be back here... a-away from the flying p-pile of Grimm trash..." She noticeably huffed. "...ev-even happier that I'm sp-spending time with you, b-but please! T-tell me more... t-tell me about..." Her face went even redder. "Y-you and Nym~" There was clear excitement in her voice. Though to the most perceptive of people they may notice there was just the slightest undertone of jealousy as at least from her perspective. It always felt as if everyone else was able to get the people they care about except for her.

Normally Ax wouldn't hear of it - ordering food was the responsibility of the host, generally. But eh... if it made Ivory feel better, Ax could let her pay for the pizza this time. She could be flexible.

"I'm down with that. Mighty kind of ya," Ax gave the white-haired introvert a small, hopefully encouraging little smile.

Ax seemed to appreciate Ivory's comment, letting out a chuckle. A little confidence would take this girl a long way, Ax realized. Ivory was plenty capable of being witty, clever and fun. Just because she got in her head a bit here and there didn't mean she couldn't be entertaining! Ax watched her cheeks turn red and she let out a slow, content little breath of air through her nose. She loved making girls blush. It was an all-time favorite pastime of hers. She'd never get bored of it.

She approached the subject pretty confidently and easily, but as she talked she started to realized this could get pretty uncomfortable.

"Nym... confessed some... pretty intense feelings to me. There was a bit of drama for a bit, and we... we didn't talk for a few weeks. But we've um, made up now," Ax noted laconically. She'd kind of dressed this up like it'd be some hot gossip, but Ax wasn't sure how much she wanted to rub what had happened lately in poor Ivory's face. She definitely detected a hint of what might have been jealousy in her words...? While she didn't want to keep secrets or anything, she also didn't necessarily think everyone was entitled to the details.

"We talked about our relationship and we're on the same page now. It was pretty rough at first. I felt pretty fucking awful. Honestly, it's still a lot to unpack. And I don't know how much you really wanna hear about it. It's not like Nym and I are married or anything, but I feel like we've... definitely grown closer after all this," Ax raised a hand and rubbed the side of her neck, smiling awkwardly. Yeah, this was fuckin' awkward. She wished she'd thought this through a little more. Ax really wasn't used to introducing the new dynamic her relationship with Nym had. She wasn't even really sure how to concisely summarize it. Calling Nym a 'friend with benefits' sounded pretty misleading in her brain, but it probably wouldn't have been accurate to say they were "dating" now either, necessarily?

Despite her initial excitement the moment that Ivory heard a few more details about Her and Nym. Several less than positive emotions would start to bubble up. "O-oh..."

After all, it would have been a lie if Ivory claimed that this wasn't a little hard to hear. Despite making many strides before leaving and even some stride in short-term relaxing during this interaction. There was still no doubt that the introverted Lavay felt some kind of way about Ax. Sure, she valued the Faunus as something between a best friend, older sister, and mentor. However, there was also a part of her that still had 'other' strong feelings for her. Not just the fact that she was out-of-her-league hot either. It was an actual emotional connection and one that she had finally managed to suppress towards the end of her last semester before she went back up to Atlas. A feat that was far easier when she wasn't hearing about it directly.

So, without a doubt Ax's intuitive semblance would pick up on a bit of conflicted emotions within the girl. However, just as her heart started to race at an uncomfortable pace Ivory would take herself a long deep breath. She would then slowly say. "Oh, umm... w-well... I uhh... I'm... I'm glad that things are um... b-better for you two." Closing her eyes after that fact she genuinely didn't mean for that comment to come off in such a short manner. There was even a part of the young girl that was genuinely happy that Ax had found something meaningful. However, she just simply could not help herself.

Eventually, Ivory would manage to say a little more as her pale face was now fully red. "Ugh... dang it... I'm sorry Ax... I REALLY am happy. It's just..." She sighed and ended up pausing there. Could she really stoop to such a pathetic level of trying to unintentionally guilt trip Ax? No... at least not yet. Instead, she would shake her head and say. "N-never mind, umm... h-how have your studies been?" It wasn't even a good misdirection it was just literally the only thing she could think of on the fly.

She felt like she'd been kind of vague, but maybe in kind of a lame, dishonest way? Did she really need to let on that she and Nym were closer now? She was caught between what Ivory was entitled to know about it, vs. wanting to be honest with a friend. The shitty thing was that being honest was probably just going to demoralize Ivory. Ax wasn't completely in the dark about how Ivory tended to feel and behave around her, which was all the more reason she felt like she'd kind of fucked up by introducing this news so thoughtlessly.

"O-oh..."

The smile on Ax's lips faded pretty fast after that. Ax was tempted to immediately open her mouth and just... blurt something out. It didn't take a genius to pick apart the vibe now. Ivory was feeling hurt. Maybe there was no avoiding it. Ivory was going to feel what she was going to feel. Better for her to find out sooner rather than later. Expectation, after all, was the mother of all disappointment.

It still felt awful. A part of Ax felt like she deserved the secondhand pain. She couldn't bring herself to smile at Ivory's words, given clearly in some kind of effort to be reassuring about this odd situation happening now. Ivory knew about Ax's semblance, and probably figured that she was making things worse now just by being here or something. Ax's blue eyes flicked over to Ivory in time to see her closing her eyes, as if regretting the words she'd just said.

Ax shook her head adamantly. She tried to focus on herself, pushing the pain away. She needed to be composed right now, not lost in Ivory's feelings of rejection.

"You don't have to be sorry," Ax repeated emphatically. "Hey. It's just you and me here right now. I'd... rather us talk this out if this feels bad or raw or weird than try to ignore it and let it fester. What'd you wanna say?" Ax asked, unwilling to bite the hook that'd change the subject.

There was a bit of a long sigh that slipped from Ivory's lips. Despite her incredible lack of social skills, she did know, at least a little, about social queues. One lesson from Ax that had at least stuck was this ability, or at least the beginnings of a skill. One that fit her far more naturally as the smartest Lavay could in fact read people. At least, to a degree that her more charismatic cousins couldn't reach. Of course, it was almost worst having that information and struggling to act on it. Instead of the blissful, well... semi-blissful ignorance that she had experience before.

That said Ivory did care deeply for Ax and maybe just maybe this was her one shot to take. So, with that in mind she opened her mouth and yet. No words came out. Instead, her pale face went red, and she winced. At least at first. However, eventually the girl was able to power through it and said. "Ax I... I'm s-sorry... I umm... I shouldn't be putting you in a position like this, and I know I'm w-well... far from a catch, but... I guess... I always had umm... this dream that maybe we could get t-together."

...and there it was. Of course, it was likely that Ax already had a strong inkling if not outright knowing how Ivory felt. However, this was finally the moment that she had said it. Which also meant that she pretty much wanted to die with the grand reveal. Though she could not quite yet, because despite it all. Despite everything she had felt she did still possess that Lavay loyalty. So nearly immediately after regaining her senses the silver-haired girl added a little. "Th-that said... I-if you really d-do have something going on. I... I could never get in the way of it. However, you... Cass, Jim. All of you have said that I really needed to step up and umm... sp-speak up. S-so I guess that's what I did!" She was talking so fast she was practically yelling the words. Though of course that was by no means her intent. It was just her only way to manage.

Ax felt her cheeks heat up along with Ivory's, and in that moment, her eyes widened. She wasn't going to. No way. She wouldn't.

And then she did. Ax knew she wasn't going to like this the moment Ivory opened it up the way she did. "Far from a catch"? Who taught Ivory to act self-pitying like that when asking someone out, shooting her shot? Ax definitely hadn't! Ax's lips curved into a slight, involuntary frown, all but wincing a little at the uncomfortable phrasing and the palpable aura of discomfort that settled in the room between them. Ax wanted to crawl into a hole and die after that one.

Ax closed her eyes and flared her nostrils ever so slightly, letting out a little huff as Ivory awkwardly rushed to fill the silence with ineffective reassurances. Ax's ears flicked back a little when Ivory raised her voice. Ax could tell that Ivory wasn't angry, but the tone was not ideal at the moment. Ax's eyes were wide, and for a brief moment, she looked almost frightened. Then, all at once, all emotion faded from Ax's face, like she wasn't even a person anymore, her eyes slightly narrow, her lip a flat line.

"Don't yell at me," Ax warned. She then shook her head.

"And bump the brakes, Ives. There's so much shit wrong with the way you just asked me out that the only thing I can do is try to pretend you didn't. I don't have the energy to deconstruct that right now."

Well, if that didn't kill the fucking vibe outright, what would? Ax didn't know how to not be hurtful after that, so the best she could do was try to just not go overboard, and try to keep the mood maybe slightly more on the light side if she could. Ax really wasn't confident she could handle a big serving of drama right now, but she was starting to get twitchy. She could feel it.

"Work on your pitch and maybe you'll get your shot someday. Winners dare to dream big," Ax said matter-of-factly, such that it sounded a little unclear if that was supposed to be genuine advice, or if Ax was kind of picking on Ivory.

Recoiled slightly and went wide eyed. How freaking stupid could she be. After months of being away and all Ivory could do was put Ax in this awkward position. Not even done well at that. The more the Faunus spoke the more the young huntress-in-training's head sank. Naturally, she had just enough social know how to know how royally she had screwed up, but not nearly enough to have done this right. Definitely, not enough to figure out a way to fix the situation without making it a million times worse.

Looking to the door Ivory considered just running out for a moment. However, as she shut her eyes and imagined how that would play out all she felt was sadness. What if she did that? It's possible she could forever lose both her guide and the only person without her last name that she trusted. Perhaps this is why they warn to not try and make friendships romantic, but then again, some people had bragged that they 'married their best friend' and it's the recipe for happiness. So many different thoughts rattling around in her head.

From the outside Ivory looked even paler that usual almost shifting to blue color. Yet, there was the tiniest of sparks still burning somewhere deep within her. A tiny tinder of courage and reason. Which after finally hitting rock bottom finally managed its way out of the introverted and awkward mess of a girl.

"Y-you're right. I... I am sorry. I should umm... I..." Ivory was fighting back a few tears and eventually she just leaps out and wrapped her arms around Ax. Not in a romantic way, but in a desperate hug. Like a little sister might do after she hurt herself. "...I should have n-never put you in that position. Ax... y-you're like a sister to me. O-one of my best friends. If... if w-we must pretend that... that conversation never happened then so be it. I... I don't want to live in a world where we are not friends. I hated that I didn't have you to talk to up in Atlas." All those statements all be it a bit messy were true and there would have to be a day where she stood up on her own two feet. However, for now she needed a good friend.

Pulling back Ivory wiped her eyes and just sighed. "...and um... I hope you know. Th-that I can always be their f-for you too."

She had aimed to try and bring some levity into this, but her efforts were probably a little half-assed. Could Ivory blame her? Ax felt way more on edge than she had a few minutes ago, and that was saying a lot considering Ivory had been bringing pure, raw neurotic energy into this room since the moment she'd arrived. Now Ivory wasn't just anxiety and fear, she was also shame and hurt. This was a lot of dimensions of negativity to be sorting through for what had been intended as a chance to catch up, unwind, play some games and have a little fun.

"Don't be sorry! I..." Ax hesitated, only to be subsequently caught off guard by an Ivory glomp. Ax felt so overstimulated right now she didn't even know what to say. She could only look down at Ivory and hesitantly wrap her arms around the smaller girl's upper back for the time being.

"H-hey, you don't gotta go that far..." Ax murmured at the label of "sister". Maybe it was tempting for Ivory to just... try and channel her emotions into applying some other kind of label to how she felt about Ax. Whatever, she guessed... whatever Ivory needed to tell herself to feel more chilled out right now. She wasn't going to hold Ivory to that.

"Hey, hey hey, woah," she gently extricated herself from Ivory's arms, reaching up and resting her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"No one said we're not gonna be friends, Ives," Ax lowered her head a little to try and catch Ivory's attention.

"What brought all this on? You're intense as fuck today, Ives. More intense than usual..." Ax frowned a little. The hell happened in Atlas to make Ivory act this way? She'd always been a little quirky, sure, but... this was just different.

"You're running off with Jim's bike, shooting your shot with me, pouring your heart out... girl, shh. It's okay. Relax. You're okay. We're okay. Everything is okay."

At a certain point as she was just running through everything. Including her poor very good friends attempts to calm her down. She would finally just have systems overload. Right about the time that Ax would basically call her out on it. Of course, it was just so much for her and already being an awkward introvert. On top of a very anxious reunion and having months of basically being in isolation. Ivory just more or less ran herself ragged trying to make up for it in some very grand and foolish show of affection for one of the few people not named Lavay that cared about her.

Eventually, the crazy waves of energy and emotion would finally just dull. Closing her eyes, she would show a shred of maturity and do a little breathing exercise. Something that Cassandra had taught her as a means to relax. Something that the elder Lavay was all too familiar with. Though for entirely different reasons. Counting to five in her head she would say the number and then list a thing or person that grounded her.

'1... Cassie.'
'2... Jim.'
'3... Twin Moons.'
'4... Ninja's of Love.'
'5... Ax...'

Repeating that several time she would finally start to calm down and her eyes finally opened again as she said that fifth one again. Shaking her head, a tiny tear would run down her face as if it were the stress leaving her body. "Ax... I... thank you for putting up with me. You... you have always been such a good friend and supporter to me. These, these past few months have been really really hard..." Her voice steadier and her body less twitchy. "I just, I just wanted to impress you... It was silly, but... I um. I didn't realize just how hard this has been on my, I guess. I truly am sorry." After saying that she would try her best to hold a light smile as she awaited the Faunus' response.

Ah. Ax recognized what was happening right now. The way Ivory was breathing, she was trying to cool down. But at the same time... should she be trying to make her do that? Maybe she just... needed to get some of it out? Eh... nah, it was probably the right thing to do. There was no rush to get it all out of her system. They'd have plenty of time to talk about whatever she went through. She'd be able to open up at her own pace as long as Ax didn't push her. If she wanted to calm down and be composed, it was probably for good reason.

Some of the intensity seemed to pass after a few minutes. Ax breathed right along with her, wondering if maybe doing whatever she could to cool herself down would also help. She gently shook her head and pulled Ivory's head to her chest, resting her chin atop her silvery head of hair, gently stroking the back of her head.

"Anyone who took the time to get to know you would, Ives. I'm sorry people in Atlas didn't give you the respect you deserve..." Ax murmured softly, hoping a soft, comforting, soothing sort of tone might help Ivory relax a bit.

"You do impress me, Ives. You've got nothin' to be sorry for. You've had to be really strong through some shit... and that impresses me. All's well with us. I'm here for you," Ax said gently. Clearly, the thing Ivory needed most right now was validation. She needed someone to just be here for her. Emotions like these could be a lot for anyone to deal with. Ax wanted to soothe as much of that pain as she could, however she could.