[RK] Minimal Speech

It was a strange sort of arrangement. Maybe it was simply because they didn't bother trying to pry into each other's business, never found the need to converse properly. Regardless, Wilhelm couldn't say he found himself adverse to the silence that stretched over the small table he and Nikola usually occupied in the mess hall. It was nice. There was the occasional small talk, but it usually died quickly enough, leaving behind a strange silence that was not fully companionable, but wasn't exactly uncomfortable.

"Agh!"
Scyther and Absol looked up in surprise at the sudden outburst, directing their gaze towards the gray haired Eevee staring back at them with a faint tinge of annoyance.
"You guys are too damn quiet!"
Wilhelm and Nikola shared a glance.
"And?" Wilhelm asked.

Zacharius pointed at them. "Say something! Arceus! It's like I'm watching a wall!"
"I wasn't aware we were supposed to be conversing for your entertainment," Nikola commented.
Wilhelm cocked his head to the side a little. "It's not like we have much to talk about anyway."
The Eevee made a face. "You guys are friends! You should at least talk a little bit!"
Another shared glance.
Wilhelm shrugged, going back to his food.
"We're not friends," Nikola stated.

---

There was a new addition to their table. Wilhelm looked up when a third tray landed on the worn wood, a girl with red and yellow long hair taking her seat without so much as a wayward glance in their direction. While Wilhelm sat opposite Nikola, the girl had chosen to sit next to Wilhelm, though there was still an empty chair that separated them. She looked up.
"Delaney Beaufont," she said simply. He blinked.
"Wilhelm Yakovlev," was his reply. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nikola tilt his head in acknowledgement.
Delaney nodded her head towards him but the Absol didn't say anything. They knew each other, then.

The rest of the meal went on in silence.

---

The next day, Delaney sat opposite Wilhelm while Nikola sat next to him. Beyond the change in seating arrangement and the fact that they had managed to sit closer to the door for once (the perfect spot since there was a small breeze that managed to squeeze through the opening every so often, even if Delaney had snagged the seat that ensured she got most of the breeze instead), nothing else had changed. No one said a word, even as the temperature in the mess hall climbed with every new heat source that dared enter.

All three of them let out the occasional sigh, if only to inform everyone else just how annoyingly hot it was (like they couldn't feel it for themselves), and it was to the point where only an idiot would willingly wear their uniform coat. Delaney eventually set her spoon down, propping her elbow on the table just so she could plop her chin on her palm and stare at the boys.
"It is," she stated, "way too hot in here."
Wilhelm raised his spoon a little in agreement.
Nikola shrugged. "My bad."

Choking on his tasteless broth due to laughter, Wilhelm decided, was not that pleasant.

---

Having girls and boys sleeping in different cabins meant having to wake up earlier just to go through the usual routine. It wasn't like he minded though. He wasn't too upset about getting a little less sleep, especially since it meant he could shower without having to worry about mixing up his uniform with the dozens of identical sets. He stole out of the shower, towelling his hair dry and leaving the threadbare scrap of cloth around his shoulders as he headed over to their usual meeting spot, the edge of the forest used for 3DMG practice.

Delaney was already waiting, her hair wrapped up in her towel as she finished putting on the harness for her gear, and he didn't bother with a greeting as he approached. It wasn't like she couldn't hear his boots on the dry earth, and it wasn't like it could be anyone else this early in the morning. She didn't say anything either, not even watching as he set his things down next to hers and sat behind her, reaching over to loosen her towel. Her hair was always messy in the morning, accumulating all sorts of knots from her moving around in her sleep. He didn't waste time, taking her brush and slowly going about untangling all the knots. Delaney sat still, legs crossed and hands resting on her knees. Wilhelm had no idea what expression she was making, but he always suspected she was catching up on the sleep she missed by waking up early.

It took him maybe fifteen minutes to brush out all the knots, eventually getting the brush to run through without a hitch. He did it again a few times just to be certain before setting the brush down, squeezing her shoulder to let her know he was done. Delaney jerked a little bit, probably having dozed off, and Wilhelm coughed out a short laugh when she accidentally smacked a wing against his shoulder. She didn't apologise, and he didn't expect her to, only letting her take his own brush while he turned around, letting him go about sorting the unruly mess that was his own hair. It wasn't that there were many knots, but the shorter strands often decided to go ahead and defy Arceus' will by sticking out in the oddest of manners. It was mostly a matter of water and a little brushing to get that sorted out, so it never took long for her to finish. Regardless, Delaney always took her time, and Wilhelm never complained. The teeth of the brush grazing over his scalp always felt soothing, so there was little to complain about in the first place.

Nikola found them just as Wilhelm was sorting out the previously-nonsensical mess that was his harness, so he fastened in the last buckle before taking his comb back from Delaney, waiting for Nikola to drop down in front of him before brushing his hair easily. There were still a few tangles, but it wasn't as bad as Delaney (considering how little Nikola moved while he slept, it was more likely the knots were accumulated over the course of the day rather than overnight). A weight against his back said that Delaney was definitely catching up on sleep this time, but he only made sure not to move his torso too much. He ran his comb through the longer lock of red hair, making sure it was free of knots before braiding it quickly. Nikola handed him his usual purple clasp, and Wilhelm fixed it to the end of the braid. 

With that done, Nikola helped him rouse Delaney, and they all stood, more or less ready for the day's bout of training.

---

The afternoon sun threatened to turn their skin to liquid and melt it right off their flesh. Judging from how soaked-through his shirt felt, Wilhelm wouldn't actually have been surprised if that was the case. The training dummy collapsed after one-too-many Psycho Cuts, and Nikola took the opportunity to wipe the sweat collecting on his brow. He'd decided to forego his shirt some half hour ago, deciding that it was too annoying, audience or not. Delaney's only response was to ask when Wilhelm planned on shedding his own.

A leather boot nudged his knee, calling for his attention, and Wilhelm turned to raise a questioning eyebrow, only now noticing that the Pidgeot had chosen to flop back onto the ground, too tired to even sit up, nevermind train. She had, at the same time, also managed to steal both his and Nikola's coats without him noticing, laying the coats out under her so her own uniform wouldn't get dusty.
"Do you plan on getting rid of that any time soon?" she asked, either teasing or curious and Wilhelm was too tired to figure out which she was. He glanced down at his shirt, translucent where it was clinging to his skin with sweat, and wrinkled his nose a little.
"Most likely," he replied, unbuckling the straps that crossed over his chest and shoulders. 

He heard footsteps approaching, but his vision was blocked by the fabric covering his head. A sharp tug to pull his shirt the rest of the way off remedied the situation, and he glanced to the side to realize Nikola had stopped destroying the training dummies and chosen to join them instead. Wilhelm glanced up at him, and immediately regretted his decision when he realized the Absol was standing right in front of the sun. Squeezing his eyes shut and then blinking rapidly to get rid of the after-images, he stood, wings beating the air rapidly just so he wouldn't have to put in as much effort to push himself up with his legs.

"Hey, do that again," Delaney called out from below. "That made a nice breeze."
Wilhelm looked at her, then leaned down just enough to flick his wing, the tip barely catching her nose.
"Hey!" The girl glared up at him, eyes narrowed to combat the sun trying to sear her corneas.
He grinned faintly, straightening back up. Behind him, Nikola huffed a soft laugh.
"How many did you take down?" he asked, looking to the training field.
"Ten," the Absol replied, "though one was already fairly beaten up when I started on it."
Wilhelm nodded. "Got it."

He started for the training field, already mentally picking out which of the dummies he would tackle. Raising his hands, his brow furrowed slightly as he gathered wind at his fingertips. A quick flick, and a pair of twisters erupted, taking down four dummies altogether. He glanced behind. Delaney was snickering while Nikola simply rolled his eyes, even as a slight smile caught the corner of his mouth. Wilhelm felt a smile of his own forming, his usual anxiety taking a slight backseat for once. This was okay, he decided. This was perfectly okay.