"I don't know much of a way to put it, other than a sub-par set of circumstances... but, I think this is about the best way things could have turned out, false start or not." The Seraph noted, a yawn giving time for her audience to propose his thoughts.

"A sub-par set of circumstances? That sounds pretty detailed, for not knowing how to put it."

"Yeah, well, live with it. If I could explain this in a less complicated fashion, I would, so cut me some slack."

"We gonna go on about how hard to explain it is, or are we gonna try n' get to business?"

"For the love of... I'll credit you for sticking to your word, 'cause that's something you meant for damn sure, apparently!" Lyric exclaimed to the entirety of the room. A dynamic such as this would definitely take some getting used to, but he couldn't help feeling a tinge of excitement trailing behind that thought.

The Hope elaborated, finally.

"My situation has always had some kind of competition pinned to it, if that tracks. A lot of comparative thinking going on: your folks wanting you to be the best, that whole shtick."

"I wish I could say I know how you feel with this one. My folks have always wanted me to make something of myself, but your end just sounds a little too eccentric."

"Eccentric's a great word for it, actually... I'll have to remember that for the next time I spin this one for somebody." A smirk found the Seraph as she examined his remark, nodding in what looked like agreement. "But, obviously, with that much bang, comes some buck to pay up, if you're reading me."

She paused as a somber coat weaved through her aloof aura. "I'm the younger of two daughters; mom's had a bit of a wild life, so as you might guess, when one kid doesn't quite live up to the hype, it kinda gets to their head."

Kyoya took whatever pause she'd adopted as an opportunity to sift through the information revealed. Lyric, too, had a sister.

Well, had may not have been the correct word, in her case. After all, he knew not of this sister's well being, and for all he knew, could be one of the strongest Reclaimers alive if relation to Lyric had anything to prove.

Soon enough, she continued. "My older sister really dodged a bullet getting out when she did, and I don't blame her—things are fine now, anyway. I just wish there would've been somebody around back then to help pops with mom going wackadoo, but hey, whaddya do, y'know?"

"It already sounds like a handful... I guess I should've expected a persona as jaunty as yours to have had its ups and downs. I'm glad it's not all the pits, though. Who knows if I'd have ever gotten to meet you if things were any different—"

Kyoya stopped himself at the notice of a slightly wide-eyed Seraph staring him down, who in turn shook herself off and found a way to wrap the subject back.

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"Yeah, well, things line up the way they do for a reason, so I'm sure we'd have—..." She paused. "Actually, never mind."

"Don't worry, I get it." The Miscreant returned a soft nod. "Don't take it to heart, ya hear?"

"Right... Whatever, Blue." She nodded. That somber spool quickly unraveled into the bright, hopeful smile he'd grown to even find his own comfort within. "Like I said, things ironed out eventually, anyway, so at the end of the day, it's a lot of dwelling that I've just yet to squash. Part of accomplishing that was heading out on my own to figure out what I wanted to do..."

She took yet another pause, a finger on her chin to suggest that she was thinking. "After that, I decided I was gonna figure out for myself what could make me the best me. And, as Fate would have it, I ended up meeting Alex, Altar, Solitaire, and Ryder after coming to fight in their annual tournament."

"So you've been on the come-up for a long time, then," mused Kyoya. "It sounds just about how I'd have imagined it."

"I'll take what I can get at this point. From the tournaments a few years back, it was Alex that found a connection between me and Lioleas—and that's how I ended up making a name for myself here... and it's also why I always take anything anybody says as a potential point of argument."

She gave a mocking grin. "How'd you say it? 'Don't take it to heart, ya hear?'"

Her gesture didn't distract him from all there was to take in, just from that piece of her past alone. It occurred to him that, from the way Lyric spoke of her, she'd never actually met her sister. He winced a bit at the thought.

Such an integral piece of her life, one that led to both sorrow and success, left to wander in the depths of her mind. Obviously, there was a stark difference in losing one's sibling, but that pang of sympathy rang for her all the same. At the very least, knowing some amount of what she might have felt did well to soothe him.

But there was still something that left the boy in the dark.

"Solitaire?" he wondered. "Hey, you mentioned a name we haven't met a second ago... Who's Solitaire? Don't tell me you literally met a card game-"

"For one, maybe you don't have as great of a dome as I give you credit for. For two, who's this 'we' fella? I've met her—Adventurer-Princess, Alexandria's older sister, and one of the greatest Heirs to Eternity you'd ever meet: Solitaire Albion."

The Miscreant focused more on the second end of her explanation. Hearing mention of another Heir to Eternity got gears turning, so there was anticipation of another encounter beginning to build up, whether he liked it or not.

"I guess you really know the go-round by now." He rested with what had been said, now able to resonate with his partner far more comfortably than before.

"I hope you're not complaining, because you'd be going through hell without connections like mine."

"Nah, nothing like that. You've just done a ton to get me where I'm at, even though it's all on little else than a hunch... So, thank you. Really. I know I've said it before, but I'll keep doing my best. Especially in our fight tomorrow."

"Wow, Blue. I thought you were getting soft on me for a minute there. Way to bring it back."

"I'm better than I look at picking up on things... S'pose we'll see where that gets me."

They each idly glanced around until both their sights fell upon the wide-open bathroom door.

"Yeah, okay, then I think the first place it should get you is in the washroom—I'm still waiting on you!"

"Right, loud n' clear. I was already gonna get in, y'know..."