Sable didn't react emotionally to the 1v1.
She replayed it.
Frame by frame.
Not the spear..not the execution.
Him.
His timing.
His hesitation window.
His pulse flare before engagement.
His overcommit.
Xar.
Rax.
Xar.
Raxian.
She leaned back in her chair that night.
Opened match history.
Cross-referenced movement patterns.
Engage preference.
Lane pacing.
Risk spikes after minor setbacks.
The spirals were identical.
Xar wasn't random.
It was him.
Raxian.
She closed the client.
Decision made.
She would confirm it.
-
First glance.
Hallway.
He walks with Jake, Marcus, Bruce.
Center of movement.
Not leading loudly.
But they orbit him.
She watches the way he shifts shoulders when someone jokes at his expense.
Pulse control visible even outside the game.
-
Second glance.
Classroom.
He taps his pen twice before answering questions.
Only twice.
Never three.
Micro habit.
In EGO, Xar did the same before engaging.
She notes it.
-
Third glance.
Cafeteria.
He doesn't eat much.
Drinks instead.
Eyes tracking exits subconsciously.
Spatial awareness instinctive.
-
Fourth glance.
Gym.
He scans the room before moving.
Even casually.
Even when pretending not to care.
It's him.
She doesn't stare.
She measures.
But eventually—
He feels it.
He stops mid-conversation.
"Why is she looking at me like that?"
Jake freezes for half a second.
"Like what?"
"Like—" he gestures vaguely, "like I'm a math problem."
Bruce laughs. "Maybe you are."
Tess squints across the courtyard subtly.
"She does observe."
Marcus smirks. "You're interesting."
"Shut up."
Jake doesn't comment.
Which is louder than teasing would have been.
Logan speaks without looking up from his book.
"She's not looking at you."
Raxian frowns. "She literally is."
Logan turns a page.
"She's studying you."
Silence.
Raxian blinks. "That's worse."
Jake shifts slightly in his seat.
Trying to play it casual.
"You think she has a crush?"
Marcus immediately snorts.
Tess throws a napkin at him.
Raxian ignores that.
His eyes drift toward the rooftop access door instinctively.
Across the courtyard—
Sable stands near the stairwell.
Not hiding, not pretending.
She meets his gaze.
Doesn't look away.
Doesn't smile.
Just confirms.
He looks away first.
"See?" he mutters.
Bruce leans back.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
That was technically true.
Jake's jaw tightens slightly.
Logan finally looks up fully.
"Maybe she's deciding something."
Raxian scoffs. "About what?"
Logan shrugs faintly.
"You."
That lingers.
-
She writes one line on her phone.
Pattern confirmed.
Impulse → Ego → Correction window present.
Potential high.
Stability inconsistent.
She closes it.
Looks toward the stairwell.
He'll notice soon.
And when he does—
She'll know if she was right.