Regardless if they won or not, Gerome has enjoyed the competition more than he thought. "You're an impressive opponent. If you ever want to spar, come find me."
COMPETITION IS A HARD BANDAGE TO UNWIND ,⠀🗲⠀but the battlefield was the battlefield, and every year the conclusion of the battle of the eagle and lion was an occasion for celebration, or so they said. as far as he was concerned, the merriment and camaraderie suited the others ; his time was better spent going over the day's decisions——from his own strategies to those of the lions as a whole, from the smallest placement of footwork to the largest gambit. only careful consideration of what'd worked and what hadn't could add up to improvement in the end. it was simple: he just had to keep doing what he did well, and reconsider missteps.
as the hoards of students and faculty alike swarmed in a noisy hoard toward the dining hall in a mass of blues, reds, and yellows, he doesn't expect anyone else to be lagging behind.
he recognizes the other student immediately. still holding the levin sword that'd cut through their defenses, the strange mask on his face makes him distinctive. the muscles of his left arm twinge, a ghost response to the memory of lightning. in the middle of a fight, there hadn't been the time to take him in, but the impression he'd left was grounded. the vanguard of the opposing deer, he hadn't let the responsibility of that task shake him ; despite sustained blows, he'd held fast as the primary threat, effectively drawing attention from teammates that would've otherwise proven themselves the bigger targets.
perhaps that'd been their strategy all along, in addition to winning over that man who'd been fighting for the eagles.
"hmph. you won. i don't need your pity." steady but not caustic, he turns the flattery back to from where it came from. more than that, he was interested in the potential of the offer that followed. a nod acquiesces, hand resting with intrigue on the angle of one hip. "but sure, i accept. i might not come look for you exactly, but next time we meet in the training ground." or otherwise. "you might've seized victory this time, but your work with that sword could've used some refining."