The tension that whipped around the room was incredible. Lorenzo had been roasting each and every member to varying degrees, and you could feel the entire room light up with emotions. Arrish took a deep breath to steel himself before answering and was met with the lovely scent of lavender and roses. Something else was beneath that as well, a familiar scent and a comforting one; like the oil the engineers worked on when they were fixing up the framewerks or the smell of framewerk after an auto-wash. The lingering scent relaxed his shoulders and helped him remain calm while everyone was being roasted. Instead of shouting or getting angry, he listened.

Elora was the first, and she crumbled apart when Lorenzo told her off for being the reason that Apple had lost the battle. Arrish looked at the young girl with a degree of shame. Her decision wouldn't have been nearly that bad if Arrish hadn't tried to save her. White Knight indeed.

Griff was the next to speak up. Although he was quick to congratulate the new captains, his voice was full of aggravated frustration and guilt. He believed that Serah and her framewerk had fought their best and were deserving of praise for being so brave in the face of the enemy. That Arrish and Mema-ka fought like saviors, knights of old, when they went to save Elora. He blamed himself entirely for Apple's failure in winning and had been about to send himself to the brig. 

His brackish emotions brought the next voice into the fold, and one that Arrish watched with interest. He had been uncertain about Serah before, thinking of her as a child, but that doubt was washed away when she didn't cry or get angry but acknowledged her own failures. Even when it seemed that it was an explosive play, it was still throwing her life and her framewerk away without thought. Someone who could see that difference, even after being roasted for being a suicidal maniac, couldn't be that immature.

Then there was Mema-ka. Arrish had some words for the noble, but listening to his logic and reasoning brought another mood into his mind. He had been so serious about his decision to send the raptor railing into a damaged but warped enemy framewerk. He had gone into such detail about his decision-making process and how it was the best decision he could possibly make. Something about it brought a smile to Arrish's face. The seriousness of it. The lengthy explanation. How everyone in the room was some varying degree of frustrated, emotional, or sad. He couldn't help himself.

Arrish started laughing.

The noble put a hand to his face to try and hide his snickering, but he couldn't help it; the look on Mema-ka's face when he said the cockroach, the squid... no no no, the [b]COCK SQUID[/b].

[color red]"BAHAHAHAA"[/color]

His gut was busting, and he had to put his hands on his stomach to stop himself from keeling over from the ridiculousness of it all. Everyone was treating this like they had been done wrong, and that they were actually all good. That they deserved more than just an ample roasting, or that they deserved such a biting critique for making a mistake. It had been a close match, and for what? Ten points and...

[color red]"... A Parrot Sticker! You've got to be pft-snrk-pft-bahahahahaha"[/color]

Arrish tried to reel back and control himself, pushing his head back up onto his shoulders and covering his mouth as the last bits of laughter stuck in his mind. He looked up with brilliant, shining eyes and smiled. This wasn't a game, Arrish knew, and the threat of the Cruxi was every last bit as important as making sure everyone was unified in their goal of defeating it. To disagree with Lorenzo, to explain why or how or what you did for what reason, was pointless. Arrish slicked back his hair and squared his shoulders, and unless Aurora had moved far away from him, slipped his arm back with hers.

[color red]"Brilliant show, everyone. To our newest Squad Leaders, I commend your promotion and look forward to working with you both. Now, unless there are further matters required of me, I have a kitchen to attend to."[/color] He slipped his arm away and bowed gently towards Aurora. [color red]"I thank you for your time and kindness, my lady. I hope to speak again soon."[/color] and then quickly turned to address the room once more. [color red]"Of course, I promised team Mango a steak dinner if they had won, but of course everyone here is invited to attend if they want to join them. In fact, I would find it remiss if anyone declined to join. Everyone shall be notified when it is done in the following hours, so if you have anything left to do, there should be ample time until then."[/color] Arrish waited for a minute to listen to any replies or if there was reason to stay around and listen, but if he found none he would be on his way.