The moment Ray stepped over, was when Sunny was seemingly acting tough about his first nightmare, by naming stuff that for most sounded outrageous.
Ray also wasn't really sure what to say to that, for now, he would just be silent and wait for any response from them, all while still eating from his plate.
Still, the more he listened to the conversation, the more stupefied he was, their words, at least the ones from the legacies, didn't quite fit their tones and expressions. To Ray it seemed that they forced themselves to be… friendly?
Trying to understand their weird behavior, Ray decided to study the group more thoroughly this time. Soon, he understood why most of them were acting as they were, they were just trying to act like their frontman, who was all smiles outwards, but if one was accustomed to such people, then one would feel a slight but present presence becoming stronger, the dude was seriously pissed off at this point.
Before the situation could escalate, Ray decided to intervene. Luckily while standing close to them, his flaw activated a few times, while many of those were from bystanders, two of them were from these pompous legacies, so that should be good.
Ray couldn't hold it in. The moment the current memory settled in his mind, he let out a sharp, loud laugh, interrupting the conversation entirely.
Everyone turned to him in confusion - Sunny included - but Ray wasn't looking at them. He was staring straight at the idiot standing next to the frontman, Caster, the one who had been acting all high and mighty.
"You," Ray said between chuckles, pointing at the guy with his fork. "Cried like a goddamn baby in your Nightmare, didn't you?"
The entire group froze. The idiot's face drained of color, his eyes widening in sheer horror. "W-What?!"
Ray smirked, tilting his head. "Yeah, yeah, I get it now. You had a real rough time, but with a bunch of bunnies? Sobbing, begging, probably screaming for your mom too-"
"SHUT UP!" the guy snapped, his voice cracking slightly.
Ray just grinned wider. "Ohh, so I am right? Man, I knew it, but hearing you confirm it yourself? Priceless." He popped a piece of food into his mouth like he wasn't absolutely humiliating someone in front of their entire group.
Sunny, who had been keeping his usual unreadable expression, was now staring at Ray, mildly impressed.
The other legacies, however, weren't laughing. Caster, the one at the center of their little group, was watching Ray with a carefully controlled expression.
Ray met his gaze, and suddenly, the other memory flickered through his mind. A scene from Caster's childhood-
A grand estate. A massive hall, filled with people in fine clothing. And a young boy – Caster - standing at the center, perfectly still, his expression blank. In front of him, an older man, his face shadowed, speaking in a cold, measured tone.
"Do you understand now? Power isn't about what you feel. It's about what you show. And if you ever show weakness, you will lose everything."
The memory faded.
Ray licked his lips, watching as Caster's jaw tensed ever so slightly. Ah. So that's how it is.
He let out another laugh - quieter this time, but just as mocking. "And you," he said, shifting his attention fully to Caster. "Man, I gotta hand it to you, you're good. You've got them all copying you, huh? That fake smile, that fake friendliness. But you? You're absolutely seething."
A few of the other legacies stiffened, suddenly glancing toward Caster, as if realizing Ray had just said something they had been subconsciously ignoring.
Caster's smile didn't waver, but his eyes darkened. "And what makes you think that?"
Ray took another bite of his food. "Because I know a guy pretending to be calm when I see one." He swallowed and grinned. "Bet it's exhausting, huh? Keeping up the act all the time."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, surprisingly, Caster chuckled. It was quiet, almost amused, but there was something dangerous underneath it.
"You sure talk a lot," he said, finally dropping some of the fake warmth in his voice. "It's almost impressive."
Ray shrugged. "Gotta make up for my boring first impression somehow."
Caster exhaled through his nose, his gaze flicking to Sunny for just a second before returning to Ray. "And here I thought he was the troublemaker."
"Nah, he is just not used to talking a lot, I on the other hand, just straight up hate your guts, that's all," responded Ray.
Caster let out a hum, his expression unreadable. Then, suddenly, he turned to his group. "Let's go."
The legacies hesitated, but one glance from Caster was enough to get them moving. Even the idiot Ray had humiliated quickly scurried after them, shooting Ray a furious glare.
As the group left, Ray exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Man, those guys are tense."
Sunny side-eyed him. "You're insane."
Ray smirked. "Nah. Just observant."
He stretched lazily, glancing at Sunny. "So? You wanna grab some actual food now?"
Sunny was quiet for a moment, then let out a small chuckle. "Sure. But seriously, how can you still eat?"
Now it was Ray's time to chuckle, and with a light shrug answered, "Who knows, I guess it just goes straight into my body."
Afterwards, the comical duo of the tall and little man looked around for a quite corner to relax in. Both spotted one, and before Sunny could say anything, about the weird tension that hung in the air there, he was already pulled along by Ray.
The corner, they were headed to was mostly empty, aside from a single blond girl, just sitting in solace and silence.
As Ray and Sunny made their way toward the quiet corner, they crossed paths with the silver-haired girl who had walked in with them earlier. She stood apart from the other Sleepers, completely detached from the groups forming around the hall. Her headphones remained in place, cutting her off from the noise of the room as she watched the crowd with a calm, unreadable expression.
Ray slowed his steps slightly, something tugging at the edge of his awareness. It was the same kind of feeling he had with Sunny - an odd sense of familiarity, even though he was sure they had never met before today.
Acting on instinct, he tilted his head toward her. "Yo."
The girl turned her gaze to him, though her expression barely shifted. For a brief moment, their eyes met - hers were a striking shade of gray, cold and still, like the surface of a frozen lake.
Ray cleared his throat. "You seem kinda… uh, distant. Everything good?"
The girl blinked once, then slowly removed one side of her headphones. "I'm fine." Her voice was neutral, giving away nothing.
Ray scratched his cheek. "Right. Well, figured I'd check since you're just standing here like some kind of lost soul."
Sunny, standing slightly behind him, let out a quiet sigh. "Ray. Let's go."
The girl glanced at Sunny briefly, but if she had any thoughts about him, she didn't voice them. Instead, she simply returned her headphone to its place and looked away.
"…I prefer solitude," she said simply, as if that was enough of an explanation.
Ray exhaled through his nose, then shrugged. "Fair enough. I get it." He wasn't going to force a conversation where it wasn't wanted. "See you around, then."
The girl gave the smallest of nods before turning her attention back to the crowd.
With that, Ray and Sunny continued on to their intended destination - the quiet corner, where the lone blonde girl sat in complete silence.
She was sitting with her hands resting lightly in her lap, her face calm and composed. Unlike the others in the hall, she didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone around her.
Ray and Sunny sat down without a word.
The girl didn't acknowledge them at first, but after a few moments, Ray noticed something - her posture remained unchanged, but the way her head subtly tilted told him she had noticed their presence.
Still, she said nothing.
Ray considered breaking the silence, but after his last two attempts at conversation with stone-faced people, he decided to let it be. He stretched out his legs and leaned back against the wall, getting comfortable.
Sunny, as always, remained quiet.
The three of them sat there in silence, separate from the rest of the hall's energy.
It was definitely not the most social start to their time at the academy, but it was theirs.