After sleeping like a baby through the night, Rain wakes up a bit later than normal. Checking his omniwatch and schedule, he sees that he only has about half an hour until his survival class. Feeling a surge of alarm, he hastily gets dressed, dashes to the cafeteria to grab something portable, then scarfs down a muffin on his way to the room designated for survival bootcamp.
He arrives outside the door to his class with only a couple of minutes to spare. Walking into the room, he notices that it's actually a large, outdoor space resembling a campsite. He sees an artificial-looking lake, a sheer rock wall, and a set of stone and wood structures that look like they're used for starting campfires, among numerous other unfamiliar setups.
Walking further into the outdoor space, Rain spots Chosen Sarge standing near a small wooden table, studying some kind of portable monitor with great interest. He walks over to the professor, and speaks up in a calm but firm voice.
"Chosen Sarge? I'm Rain...you may recognize me from your orientation yesterday. I'm here for your survival bootcamp."
Chosen Sarge suddenly swivels his head, locking his surprised gaze onto Rain. Registering his face, he waves Rain over as he turns back to the monitor, speaking in an unexpectedly casual tone.
"Ah, Rain, welcome! Sorry for not greeting you sooner, I was engrossed in the student combat power rankings. It seems that one of your classmates is...quite exceptional. Truthfully, I've tested those machines myself and my score was slightly lower than this. To think that a mere Champion produced this kind of result...I guess she's her father's daughter after all."
Rain is briefly confused about what his bootcamp professor is talking about at first, then he pieces it together in time to feel a pang of anxiety. He scratches his neck and responds to Chosen Sarge, trying not to let his voice sound too nervous.
"Oh, is that right? I'm not really sure who you're talking about...I've never been in the combat training room myself. Uhm...anyway professor, didn't you say yesterday that there's another person in this bootcamp with me?"
Chosen Sarge turns to him again with a look of surprise, seemingly moving on from Rain's yet unknown sins as he sets down the portable monitor.
"Oh, yes, that's right! She should be here any moment, I'm sure. She's always quite punctual, and a very sweet girl. It's been just her so far, so I'm sure she'll be glad for the company. Plus, now I get to work team-based survival concepts into your training! This will be a great opportunity to practice trusting a partner in tough situations."
Before Rain can think of an appropriate response, he hears the door open behind him. Turning around in surprise, he sees a girl his age standing in the doorway, staring at him in turn. Rain has to agree with Chosen Sarge, she certainly looks like a very sweet-natured girl. However, he's also convinced that's just a facade, because the beautiful, innocent-looking girl in front of him...
...is none other than Tess.
'What is she doing here? I'm certain she's not an orphan, and I have an even harder time believing that she's a Rim kid like Bright. If she's a citizen, she would have covered most of this in her normal school. Does that mean she voluntarily came here?'
As Rain continues to look her over with a bewildered expression, Tess looks back at him as well. Her face is the same bubbly, welcoming work of art that it was the first time he laid eyes on her, but he can see recognition and animosity burning in her eyes. She opens her mouth to speak, struggling somewhat to keep her voice fake-sweet.
"O-..oh, Rain...it's you...uhm...I'm so glad to see that we'll be working together in Chosen Aron's class!"
Chosen Aron's voice perks up happily behind Rain.
"Oh, wonderful, you two are already acquainted?"
Before Tess can respond, Rain gives her an empty smile as he stares at her, responding to Chosen Aron in a neutral tone.
"Only briefly...we didn't get to talk long. After all, Champion Tess is so...popular."
Chosen Aron's voice booms out excitedly.
"Well, what a great opportunity to build a rapport then! I'll make sure to focus on the team-building exercises first!"
The carefully constructed smile on Tess's face seems to falter a bit, and her sweet voice is slightly strained as she responds.
"Great...really looking forward to it."
*****
True to his word, Chosen Aron makes sure to arrange their first day of activities so that they are as team-focused, and awkward, as possible. Currently, he's decided that it'd be a good way to build stamina and trust if the two of them take turns carrying one another while they jog through the man-made forest behind the Academy. It's supposed to simulate carrying an injured comrade to safety.
However, it seems to serve another purpose, in Tess's mind. Their prior activities were under the close supervision of Chosen Aron, but this one separates them from him while they make laps through the forest, since he can just track their omniwatches remotely. So, Tess is using the newfound privacy to let her true feelings show to Rain. All, of course, while he carries her on his back and jogs.
"You say a word about yesterday to Chosen Aron and I'll make you sorely regret it, Rain."
Rain feels a pang of annoyance surfacing, but he doesn't want it to snowball into something Unhinged gets to claim. It'd be really bad if he got the uncontrollable urge to drop or throw her here. Instead, he lets out a deep sigh, trying to calm himself.
"Tess, could you please stop with the idle threats...I don't go out of my way to meddle in people's affairs. Maybe you're confusing the two of us? Besides, what are you even doing here...didn't you get survival training in school? Or, did you have one of your little boy-toy slaves do that for you, too?"
He feels her tense on his back, then lean over his shoulder so that her face is right next to his ear. He also feels something pillowy pressed firmly into his back, which would be...distracting...if not for her practically snarling at him shortly after.
"Me!? Tch...you don't understand a damn thing about how it is for normal folks, do you? I grew up on the absolute bottom of the citizenship hierarchy...wondering every month if our family would remain important enough, valued enough, to avoid being kicked out of the city. I didn't get the caliber of survival training that people like you do, Rain. That's why I'm here. Unlike you, I can't afford to waste anything at my disposal if I want to live. I'll say whatever I need to, do whatever I need to, use whoever I need to...whatever it takes to survive. I don't give a shit about the ignorant moral ramblings of some silver spoon Legacy like you."
Rain's eyes widen in surprise, her words shocking him so much that his steps falter a bit.
'D-...does she still think I'm a Legacy? How fucking du-...why would I be here!? Also, we've been talking less than a minute! What's with the full, goddamn villain monologuing!?'
That aside, he's a little surprised to hear about her background. Granted...it's not nearly as bad as his, but it's not exactly the pampered upbringing that he expected either. Still, he can't believe she thinks he's a Legacy. Rain smiles and shakes his head in amusement, then directs a teasing tone at Tess...fully intending to irritate her.
"Wow...you're a real piece of work, Tess. It must be convenient to use your hardships as an excuse to treat other people like things for your amusement. Oh, by the way...I'm not a Legacy. I never said I was."
Rain feels her grip on his shoulders tighten menacingly, and her voice comes out full of disdain.
"What difference does it make whether you're a Legacy? Anyone spoiled enough to come here already gifted with a rare Relic that grants immunity to mind attacks has no business judging someone like me."
He chuckles wryly, reveling in the irony. Tess, however, hears his chuckle and becomes even more venomous.
"What are you laughing at?"
Rain lets out an exasperated sigh.
"Me being spoiled...that's what I was laughing at. I've never had any Relic like you think I do, Tess. My Nature makes me immune to mental influence, that's all it ever was. Truthfully, I'm an orphan, and I came here from the Rim. Why do you think I have this mandatory survival bootcamp? So, you complaining about being safe behind the city walls, with clean air and water, regular meals, some form of schooling...a family...forgive me if I find it hard to feel sorry for you.
"Believe me, I understand more than anyone doing what it takes to survive. That's not what I've seen you doing, though. I've seen you lording your power over others unnecessarily. They're not trying to kill you, the conditions aren't forcing your hand to make someone take care of you to survive, you're not even just information gathering...you're using people because you can, and you enjoy it. That's the part I'm judging you for.
"Even people who have practically nothing, like those in the Rim, they at least have their own choices...limited though they may be. But you're taking that from them carelessly, then acting like you don't have a choice...like you're entitled to it. Well, I say go sell that excuse to someone else...I, for one, know that you're full of shit."
Rain feels the grip on his shoulders loosen significantly, and a long silence falls over the surrounding area. For a few minutes, Rain just ignores Tess. He weaves through the trees of the forest as he jogs, smelling the pine in the clean air, hearing the gentle flow of the wind, feeling the painful yet invigorating burn of his muscles as he revels in his unprecedented health...this spat with Tess reminds him just how lucky he is to be in this position.
Eventually, Rain is broken from his reverie by the abrupt sound of Tess's voice. It sounds more...subdued...than normal.
"Stop. Put me down....please."
Rain feels his jaw nearly drop.
'Did she just say...please?'
Shocked though he is, Rain slowly comes to a stop, then bends down to let Tess dismount from his back. He turns around to face her, his expression curious as he studies her. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest as she looks back at him, an unusually conflicted expression on her face. Eventually, she frowns in disapproval and speaks up, her voice annoyed.
"You could have just told me up front that we're th-...that you aren't privileged like the rest of these people. Also, you're...still an asshole."
He raises his eyebrows at her incredulously, and just glares back in silence. He feels like she knows that he had zero reason to share such personal information with her, especially given how she behaved. She stares back, her expression still conflicted, struggling to maintain eye contact. Eventually, she looks away entirely with a scowl, clicking her tongue in disapproval.
"Tch...whatever. We need to head back, so...climb on...I guess it's your turn."