1: ceto and sal
((//answers after a million yearsI’m SO SORRY1. Soulmate AUTHERE’S A LOT SO I’M GONNA DO THE ONE WHERE YOUR CHEST LIGHTS UP WHEN YOU FIND YOUR SOULMATEsorry for the shit quality bc man it’s like 6 am rn i’m so donealso this would’ve worked a lot better with gang!au Saletta and Ceto d arn))
Embarrassing.That was what she thought at first, with her books scattered about her and papers fluttering wildly to the floor like they were trying and failing to outmatch the butterflies in her stomach. She certainly hadn’t expected to walk into someone. Barely managing to catch a surprised outburst in its tracks, Saletta quickly addressed the new teammate in front of her, her head ducked down in an emulation of apology.“Oh- I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone was in the dorm room at this time.”But when she looked back up, the rest of the apology slipped from her mind and crashed onto the floor with the rest of her textbooks and notebooks.His hair must be the most vibrant she’s ever seen. She’d only been able to spare a passing glance to her teammates as they were announced by Professor Ozpin, but Saletta didn’t know how she didn’t see it before. It’s like water, she thought, flowing in a myriad of complex braids like a system of rivers varying from a lively azure to a lovely teal and- oh my goodness, she’s staring.The realization brought a second but smaller wave of embarrassment, and she ducked her head again, but for an entirely different reason. How she could mess up twice in front of a teammate on their first day was absolutely beyond her- she was supposed to be better than this.“I- didn’t mean to stare, I’m terribly sorry. Your hair is very… unique, not that it’s a bad quality.”“No, that’s fine! I kinda get that a lot, I guess.” Her teammate- Ceto, if she remembered right- gave a small laugh, and it’s somehow reassuring. “It’s pretty different.”“Yes, it’s really quite exotic, in an eye-catching way.” Her words are coming easier now. “Well, I’m sorry for holding you up- Aagh!”As Saletta stepped back to allow Ceto to pass, her foot caught on the edge of a rather thick textbook and she fell backwards, landing on a pile of lined paper that flew apart on impact. A little stunned, Saletta just sat amid the big mess- it was like any clumsiness she had over the years had accumulated into one humiliating moment in front of her new teammate. To make her lose her composure like this, this was ridiculous, it was-“Are you ok? That looked pretty messy.” A playful smile pulled up at one side of Ceto’s lips as he held out a hand. “I mean, that’s a lot of paper.”And suddenly, she didn’t know why she was so flustered- she’d held someone’s hands before, and this wasn’t even remotely romantic at all- but Saletta could feel the blood rush to her face. With an odd shyness, she hesitantly took his hand, trying to think of something to say to disguise her awkwardness.“Ah- normally I’m not so clumsy, it’s actually quite peculiar that this should happen, really-”Her nervous babbling cut off immediately as she saw the unmistakable gray illumination of her aura cast light shadows on Ceto’s face- oh, no.Quickly, she pulled her hand away to cover the light emanating from her chest. This was absurd, this was such a mortifyingly candid display of emotions that she instinctively wanted to disappear until a lapis lazuli glow entered her vision, bubbling like the source of a creek.“Oh-”“Whoa-”“….So- I guess we’re…..”“Soulmates, yeah?”“….I promise, I’m really not like this all the time.”With that, Ceto gave another laugh, and the sound of it puts a smile on Saletta’s face."Ok, ok. Let’s get this cleaned up."