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Hika had been called to Kitchen Duty, and had JUST gotten out. She darted down to the field, and found a spot out of the mud to stand, and watch. It felt odd, watching Zeke fight Ever, knowing the little she did. She watched the two fighting, eyes curious and fascinated. She would cheer, occasionally, when Zeke made a hit but not in an over the top or overly excited fashion.

She didn't want to be obnoxious, or strange. She did notice Melvin, however, and moved over to his side, giving him a slightly shy smile.

"Every once in a while," he conceeded. "But never out here." Behind closed doors was quite another story.

He knew his shield was wearing thin by how much that smack on the leg actually hurt. Unless he managed afew very impressive hits, and Ever fumbled a bit, he didn't have many illusions of winning this thing. Which was fine, he supposed. As far as Zeke was concerned he'd already be walking away from think thing ahead.

Which prompted a flick of hazel eyes towards Hikaru, then to Harley as her obnoxiously loud whistling cut across the muddy field. "Good afternoon, sweetheart. So nice of you to stop by." If it were any match she'd manage to make it to, of course it'd be this one.

Hey very obvious presence might have had a bolstering effect, or maybe his luck liked to come in irradic waves. Regardless of how, Zeke managed to get back to his feet, and maintained balance long enough to bring the heavy ax around for an overhead slash over Ever's shoulder.

He had no intention of yeilding.

HP: 15
DMG: 8

"Its okay sharkboy! I'll kiss your booboos better later!" She promised Zeke, cupping her hands over her mouth so her delighted yell would carry more than it normally did. Because she often strove to be the loudest person in any given crowd. The tall redhead was distracted, however, by a noticibly smaller person at her side. Apparently, it was him she hit. The person she was apparently taking care of. Right. Him.

"Tiny Hobo!" Hattie cheered, pulling him into a crushing hug before he could scamper away and escape her clutches. "Did you brush your teeth this morning? Wash behind your ears? Eat breakfast?" She crooned obnoxiously, in between motherly smotherings and patting his hair and telling him what a good boy he was. It had been fun to annoy him as an adult, but it was even more fun to annoy him now that he was a teenager. They were way more easily embarrassed.

Harley was clearly winning Guardian Of The Year.

Well, so much for a comeback. At least he had the promise of a pretty nurse to take care of him.

He felt the top of the blade about a split second before he felt himself falling back into the mud again, with Ever on top of him, using his own weight to drive the skinny blade deeper in what would have been a fatal stab if not for his shield. Which broke under the pressure. There was a second to feel it so much more intensely, and then the wards were there to protect him. Turning what would have been, well, death, into an almost ignorable ache.

Hissing around what was still something of a pained breath, he let his ax go back to her totem so he could reach up for Ever with both hands, pulling him down with twin handles of his shirt, close enough to kiss, but not. Yet. Close enough so when he answered, it was just a murmur, low and rumbling deep. "Why, do you want me to?" It'd all been banter, sure, but when want there a thread of seriousness behind it?

There was a look on Tommy's face that could have only been described as the purest of teenage disgust when Hattie shouted above the din of the crowd once more, with promises that made the teenager make a quick gagging motion, before he found himself crushed in the embrace of his so-called guardian.

Desperate sounds, a mix of surprise, amusement and feigned irritability escaped him as Tommy struggled to get away from the much stronger woman. "Yes. Yes. Maybe, I am not remembering." Were his answers to her string of questions, and it was in that moment, his cheeks flushing bright red, that he decided to never sit so close to her, anywhere, ever again.

If ever she were to relent, he'd huff out an indignant breath, but shoot her a look, and a sideways grin, to show that most of his protest had been nothing more than an act. Watching the match up, it was to see Zeke be defeated by that guy that he was often hanging out with, but they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get out of the mud.

Tommy suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable, the red of his cheeks there for a different reason, now. He glanced at Hattie, and back to the men in the mud, and finally, noticed Hika, whom he'd seen Zeke with after a match earlier, where he'd lifted her up and carried her away on his shoulder like he'd owned her.

The teenager might have struggled with a lot, and had been having a difficult time understanding many things, but he was not blind. Slowly pieces were shifting into place, and the more he thought he knew, the less he liked it.

He kept his mouth shut, however. He wouldn't have been able to vocalize his feelings if he tried, and ranting in Italian to the red head next to him wasn't likely going to be very effective, either. Finally, he just decided to say. "I will go find Nick or Iskander."

Heck, he'd even take Lex, who was probably gloating over his own wins.

"I do not want to see kissing of booboos." He teased, and forced a small smile.

"Every now and then." Ever grinned down at Zeke, let himself be pulled down -- lazy and pleased, about ready for the kiss that hovered just between them --

And then there was shouting from the crowd, Harley's shout drawing his attention upward, instead. If it had been intentional, it would have been a tease: the way he straightened before their lips touched, the way he desummoned his weapon to wave at her in a pleased way, apparently unconcerned about the fact he was still sitting on top of Zeke. His expression was bright and cheerful.

Why shouldn't it be? He was covered in mud, but he hardly even seemed dinged by their fight.

It would figure that the moment Zeke was lifting his head to steal that kiss, that was the moment Ever was drawing away, distracted by Harley sitting at them. It pulled a resolved sigh from him, his chest riding and falling a little easier with the stiletto gone, and he let his head drop again, tipping it back against the mud to glance over at the energetic redhead that was grinning at them.

And who had spotted Hikaru walking back towards the dorms. That had auburn brows arching all on their own, curious what was running through the poor trainees head, but she was about to be ambushed. "Hikaru! Meet you're new neighbor!" Well, short of physically running away, she was stuck there now anyways. Might as well dive into the deep end.

His hands slipped from Ever's shirt, landing on the other man's legs. They were a mess, and he was glad he'd thought to remove his shirt before hand. He didn't want to have to drag muddy fabric over his head. "We need a shower."