Joel felt like he might snap, and he wasn't the only one.
To his back, the towering walls that were Raj and Milan were like raging bulls wanting to go. Even the rookie, Drake, who was usually the most quiet and reserved of them was staring daggers at Yuri. If it wasn't for their being raised on Earth and being uniquely keen on the differences between men and women—something that was far less prevalent in the Dimensional Verse, at least in terms of strength—they would have most definitely lashed out already.
It was safe to say that had Yuri been a man, even Joel would have thrown the first punch already.
It was one thing for Yuri to be speaking so rudely to them, but it was something entirely different for Aina to not even try to speak at all. Even if it might not be the case, it felt like she was looking down on them.
While others might have been inclined to go easy on her because of her beauty, Leonel's teammates felt the exact opposite. They had never looked toward Aina as a potential partner to them. In their eyes, she could only be with Leonel and no one else. For all they cared, she could be a goddess and it would still be the same.
If anything, her beauty made them look at her with an even harsher light.
On the other side, it wasn't that Yuri wanted to be harsh, but if she wasn't, how would she move the spotlight from Aina to herself? With how fragile Aina was now, could she handle the scrutiny of these men?
None of them were Leonel, but they were the closest things to brothers that Leonel had in this life. It felt as though she was facing the derision of his family. The fact that she could even stand here right now was the strongest display she could muster. Anything else was too much.
"So." Joel took a long pause. "My Captain is out there risking his life for our sakes. But, your destination is so important to you that it's not even possible to wait for him to be safe? Is it really that this is so important? Or is it that you can't stand to look him in the eye?"
Aina's shoulders trembled, something that many might have missed due to its subtlety, but Yuri most definitely would not.
At that point, she snapped.
"Watch what you say." Yuri almost growled. "Or I'll watch it for you. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Joel's eyes narrowed, his body almost giving off a steamy mist. His blood had revved to such a high level of revolutions that his dark skin began to heat up. He was really just that close to snapping, but he wasn't the first to do so.
"Fuck this! I swear to God if you stop me from talking I'll fight it out with you too, Joel. Who do you think you're talking to, tramp?! If I ate you, you wouldn't even fit between the gaps of my teeth!"
Raj was fuming, his big belly rumbling as he tried to step past Joel. If it wasn't for the latter holding him back, he really would have swung already.
"Stop holding me back, dammit! She really thinks she can just say whatever she wants without getting punched in the lip! Then there's the one behind her who's suddenly as timid as a mouse right now. What?! You're too noble to speak to us?!"
Raj was still subconsciously careful with his words when he spoke of Aina. He still felt that there were some line he shouldn't cross over. Even for a man who usually always spoke his mind without the hint of a filter, he had too much respect for Leonel to completely unleash all the things he wanted to, but he had already had it up to here.
Joel didn't let go of Raj, but he didn't stop him from speaking either.
"Fuck! Shit! I always said Captain wasted his time on her! She doesn't even have the courtesy to do it face to face!"
As though to add insult to injury, oblivious to what was happening, the talisman shone with a bright light once again, sending Raj into an even worse spiral of fury.
Even before they learned about Aina's scars, the team had always thought it was ridiculous that Leonel was so focused on one girl, they even teased him endlessly for it.
After they found out about her scars and that the face they had come to know was just a coverup by the high tech cosmetics of the 25th century, they had felt that it was even less worth it.
They were just teenage boys at the time, after all. All they could think with was their lower regions, they didn't understand why a star quarterback would ever waste so much effort on Aina when there were much better girls he could have.
Of course, they never said these things aloud, keeping it to themselves. They respected Leonel too much and while they might clown someone else among their brotherhood for banging an ugly duckling, it was clear that Leonel saw Aina as more than just a one night lay.
But now, all that pent up emotion, all those times they had bitten their tongues, had come bubbling forth in righteous indignation. They were far more angry for Leonel than they would ever be for themselves.
"FUCK! Every time I think about how many bitches Cap could have knocked down by now, I get pissed off! He could have a roster spot filled for everyday of the week, but he's wasting his time on this?!
"He spent years chasing you! And fine, you don't owe him reciprocation just because he liked you, but you did it anyway! And now you've become beautiful now so you can't be bothered with Cap anymore?! Well fuck you too!"
Joel's initial reaction was that Raj's last words were too much. In fact, what was once subtle trembling on Aina's part had become obvious even to them. But, there was no sympathy in their eyes, nor did Joel make Raj apologize for what he said.
However, for Yuri, hearing these words, she saw red. Her arm raised with every intention of blasting Raj's head off.