Major Interaction/s:
@Arreyis,
@Krytavius,
@Hammerman, &
@azoicsirenGeneral Interaction/s: @anyone who likes some goddamn fluffy heart pancakes
Having his own en suite bathroom was definitely a relief for Enzo, and for good reasons.
As he stepped out of the shower and into his bedroom, the sight of his spacious living space greeted him. Opposite him hung the banner and coat of arms of House Arachne which adorned the space above his desk. The floor itself was even well-carpeted, serving as a home for the king-size bed with its velvet satin sheets and even his quaint wardrobe from back home. There was also a wide-screen television with some gaming consoles, a powerful computer set, and even a small armory.
Shuffling towards his wardrobe, Enzo shrugged off the towel on him, and the sight of his beaten body reflecting from the large mirror beside his cabinet stopped him in his tracks.
A grim reminder, a reflection... He stopped in front of the mirror, eyes taking in the scars littering his ribbed chest. His lips quivered at the sight of the veins visible beneath the pallor of his arms. Even the ugly, raised bumps of flesh coiling around his waist up to the space of his clavicle flashed memories of that battle at Arayat. The howls, the screams, and the blood. It reminded him of how fragile mortality was, and it reminded him of how much little time he had left compared to his peers.
Jaw clenching in renewed resolve, Enzo grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts in preparation for sleep; however, instead of immediately tossing himself on the bed, the boy relented to sit on his desk first. With movements born from years of repetition, he grabbed the tattered, leather-bound notebook before opening it to a blank page. As he uncapped a pen, the legacy began humming an ancient melody passed down from one member of a Great House to another-- a song that immortalized the thirteen apostles' victory over a major battle against the creatures of the dark.
Enzo began to write on it, imprinting in ink the memories of the day. He wrote of Alex, describing him as a literal child in the world of demons. He could only pray that he doesn't give up too easily. Of Levi, Enzo smirked as he recounted the guy's deliberate attempts to piss him off, and it was somewhat refreshing, really. As a Legacy, people have always tried to tread on thin ice with him, but Levi didn't really give two flying fucks about his legacy and family. He only saw Enzo as any student, and perhaps, that was the kind of friend Enzo needed in this school. No masks, no lies. He also wrote of the fellow legacies he met, and he remarked on how on-point the first impressions he had on them during that time when he had to study the members of the other Legacy families. The Lionheart was proud, the Lepidos was gentle and soft, the Ivory was strong in both looks and actions-- as it seemed, all the legacies had the potential to live up to their family's expectations.
He couldn't really say the same for him.
'The web of life,' Enzo thought of his family's words, causing him to scoff. How was he supposed to achieve those expectations?
Finally, he sealed in ink the memory of that unpleasant guy. The loathsome individual who seemed to be making an effort to get everyone to dislike him.
Deep down, Enzo felt guilty at lashing out at him. It was human nature to always project your hatred on something else to ease your own burden, and maybe-- just maybe-- he hated the guy because it reminded him of who he once was before that war at Arayat. Cold, distant, and treated the skin of others as lesser than his own. In the same way that his pride and hostility was a cry for help due to his problems with his failing health and high expectations to live up to a family legacy, that silver stag's cold demeanor might have also been a cry to get him out of a pit of suffering.
In the same way that Teresa was the catalyst that catapulted Enzo out of his despair, maybe he or the other students could be the same for the silver stag.
A small smile formed on his face before he put down his pen and turned the pages of the notebook. His eyes glazed over the tattered pages of the notebook, taking in the written memories of his days.
A reminder for Enzo. That once his arms flail and his knees shake, once his very body fails him... he could still look back on these pages and remember that he had, at the very least, lived.
Time Skip
The clang of steel against steel sounded in a quiet place within the forest as Enzo dueled with the Panday Spirit. It was part of his daily routine to train against his own spirits in order to further improve his skills. With the Panday launching heavy blows at the swordsman, Enzo tried to dodge around, but he could only try to parry the blade before his cough started again. Brought down to his knees whilst the armored titan looked down at him, Enzo sputtered until his voice went hoarse.
"You shouldn't push yourself so much. You only slept for a few hours, and now, you've been training for almost three." The Panday spoke to him, its voice breathy.
"If I can't even fight on equal grounds with my fellow Legacies, what's the point?" Enzo reasoned as he tugged on his grey hoodie before dusting off his grey joggers. He plunged his kris into the earth before standing up. "Have you seen them? Trained and proficient. If I cannot fight on their level, at least, I want to narrow the gap."
"Hard to narrow it down six feet beneath the soil." the spirit replied. "Like a canoe, young master. It doesn't matter who gets their first or last-- they're all taking the same journey. You're not missing the boat; you're still on time."
"Hard to also maintain my family's name when I let others do the paddling for me." Enzo sighed before waving off the spirit who vanished in a hazy smoke.
Now, feeling famished, Enzo sheathed his blade before heading back to their building where he spotted a few of his classmates already awake and about. He spotted Luke, the messy blonde-haired boy was munching on the horrors of just a slice of bread whilst Levi leaned against the kitchen counter, nomming on what seemed to be a sandwich. He also arrived in time to see Ryanne and another student whose long hair glinted like moonlight. Enzo could swear that he had seen this person before, whether in pictures or in person. And, it was only when Enzo had passed by her to respond to Ryanne did he finally recognize her.
"The bread's with Lionheart, Ryanne," Enzo replied with a cheery tone, although, he found it absurd to 'point' something to a visually-impaired individual. Then again, he found no reason to underestimate her. He even admired her, actually. Two kindred souls, bound in their disabilities. "Oi, Levi, you didn't eat all the 'nanas, did you?" He called out to the other male by the counter.
Turning to the white-haired girl who busied herself with getting a glass of water, Enzo smiled at her. "Lady Rei of House Serpentine," Enzo chuckled at the thought that he might actually see all of the Legacies. "Great to finally meet you, I'm Enzo. We'll be working together soon, I guess."
With the greetings out of the way, Enzo headed for the sink where he washed his hands before going for the cupboards. He pulled out some foreign brand of pancake mix. It wasn't the same as back home, but it would do. Turning on the stove, gathering the ingredients, and preparing the pan, Enzo began making a batch of pancakes for himself before remembering that he did have classmates. Taking a whiff from the mix hardening into a fluffy heart-shaped pancake (courtesy of the varying molding trays he found at the back of the cupboard), Enzo turned to the kitchen.
"Anyone up for pancakes? I can make a batch of them," Enzo inquired before turning back to the pan. "Levi, get me some maple syrup from the top cupboard, will you? I would get it myself, but it seemed god forgot to make me taller."
Cubix
