Rain licks the frosting off his fork, enjoying the remnants of his cake. Tess is seated next to him, still savoring her own slice. He casts an incredulous glance at Ronin, who is watching him patiently from across the table, and his voice becomes confused.
"You sure you don't want any cake?"
Giving nothing away on her expression, Ronin just shakes her head calmly and answers in a flat tone.
"I'm fine, thank you."
Ronin continues to stare at him as he finishes his cake, making Rain feel a bit uncomfortable. He nods awkwardly, then responds in a cautious voice.
"Suit yourself. So, uhm...what did you need, Ronin? If this visit is just to hang out, obviously I don't mind, but that seems out of character for you."
She purses her lips as she seems to consider her words carefully, casting a brief glance at Tess, who is watching her closely in return. Eventually, Ronin responds in an even tone.
"Two reasons. First, I wanted to let you know that you've drawn attention...the negative kind. Some of the male students are apparently discussing how you deserve to be...humbled. It seems their reasons are new rumors about your relationship with another girl besides me – presumably Tess – and your particularly brutal treatment of your opponent today."
He presses his tongue against the back of his teeth, considering the frustrating update. However, Tess interjects, her voice amused.
"Oh, is that what they think? Do you know these male students' names? I'd hate for them to keep suffering from such jealousy."
Rain glances at Tess in surprise, and he sees a dry smile on her face. However, her emerald eyes are cold as ice. Ronin seems to notice as well, her eyes studying Tess, her tone carrying a trace of curiosity when she responds.
"Do you plan to do something unpleasant to them?"
Tess's smile doesn't falter, but her eyes gain a touch of malice.
"Just...talk."
Feeling a shiver run up his spine, Rain clears his throat nervously.
"Ehem...uhm...I don't think that's necessary, Tess. I'm sure it's just harmless complaining...guys being guys. I gripe about Nik deserving karmic justice all the time, but I never do anything. Anyway, Ronin...what's the second thing you wanted to discuss?"
Rain sees Tess frown disapprovingly, but she doesn't say anything else. Ronin returns her attention to Rain, her demeanor becoming...sheepish. Her tone is slightly hesitant as she responds.
"Err, yes...I had a question about something you mentioned last night, but..."
Ronin glances at Tess briefly again, as if implying that she's the cause for her hesitation to discuss it further. Tess seems to catch her meaning as well, and her expression sours. After a moment to consider her phrasing, Ronin looks back to Rain and finishes voicing her thoughts.
"...I'm not sure how sensitive you consider that information."
He raises his eyebrows in surprise at Ronin.
'Wait, so it's something I mentioned about myself?'
He sees Tess turn to look at him expectantly, presumably inferring the same thing. She's likely wondering if he's confided something in Ronin but not her, and she looks...displeased.
'Great...'
As he thinks over everything they discussed last night, he can't think of anything that Ronin knows about his life or abilities that he'd want to keep from Tess. The only exception is the existence of his second Talent...but it seems unlikely that Ronin would even be willing to bring that up here. Plus, he already declined to talk to her about it.
He directs a careful look at her.
"Uhm...I see. If it doesn't have anything to do with your personal business, just mine, and it's not about something I've already declined to tell you, then you can ask me here. Tess is probably already aware of it."
Out of the corner of his eye, Rain sees Tess's expression soften, and he breathes an internal sigh of relief. Ronin's eyes widen slightly in surprise, moving to study Tess briefly, but she eventually nods at Rain.
"Very well. I didn't want to ask you about it last night, but...you mentioned bringing someone into your Soul Temple. I'm wondering who that person is to you, and why you trust them so much? Such a thing is...difficult to imagine of you."
He notices Tess's head snap towards him, her face twisted in complete shock. Rain feels unease settle in his body.
'Fuck...I totally forgot that I mentioned that to Ronin in passing...'
He wasn't exactly hiding it from Tess, but...especially now that they're romantically involved, she might take it personally that he's already told Bright all of his secrets. Especially since Tess's only history with her is finding Bright in his room the day they went to the movies. Naturally, it would have been better if Tess heard this news from him.
Tess speaks to Rain as she studies him intently, her voice tense and incredulous.
"Rain...care to explain to your girlfriend what she's talking about?"
He scratches the back of his head, then looks at Tess apologetically, his voice becoming nervous as he speaks.
"Ah...yeah...to prove I'm not completely paranoid, I mentioned to Ronin offhand that I showed someone my Soul Temple. Uhm...the person I was referring to was Bright. Tess, you met her the day we went to the movies. Ronin, Bright is a government-employed Demigod who grew up outside the city like me, and who got me a spot in the Academy."
Recognition dawns on Tess's face, and she seems to grapple with the information for several moments, not saying a word. Ronin, however, appears more curious than shell-shocked, and her voice is calm as she speaks, her blue eyes studying Rain.
"I see...I wasn't aware that you are so close with a Demigod. One in the government, no less. Still, what made you confide in her about such...sensitive...information? Surely it wasn't just because you came from the same place."
Rain sighs and shrugs dismissively. Truthfully, he's often wondered if it was purely rational for him to trust Bright with as much as he did as quickly as he did. True, there were her efforts to earn his trust with that ring and her passing of his little test, but...more than anything, it was a gut instinct.
"In short, it was as much out of necessity as it was trust. I had nobody else to rely on back then, and she put in considerable effort to earn my trust. She's even brought me into her own Soul Temple. Plus, she seemed like a person I'd want on my side...someone capable. She even moonlights as an Asphodel researcher, and her expertise were and still are invaluable to me."
Ronin seems to consider his words, her expression deeply thoughtful. Tess recovers from her initial shock, and she looks at Rain with a conflicted expression, her emerald eyes indecipherable as they study him intently.
"I...didn't realize you two had shared so much. She...must have really helped you..."
Rain watches as Tess seems to study him with an expression that's almost...sad, and he can't help but feel like she thinks she's suddenly become a little bit less important to him. Whether he's right or not, neither he nor Unhinged are comfortable with that possibility.
He shrugs nonchalantly, then gives Tess a breezy smile, trying to keep his tone lighthearted .
"Well, why would I talk to my beautiful girlfriend about another woman like that? Seems like a waste of our alone time together. Besides, you've helped me a lot yourself...and I appreciate it just as much. I was just in a little different position back when I met Bright...that's all."
He sees Tess's eyebrows raise in surprise, then her expression warms slightly, and her lips twist into an amused smile. But her eyes retain a thoughtful distractedness, as though something is still weighing on her mind. Nevertheless, when she speaks, her voice comes out less concerned than before, her alluring, emerald eyes scanning him affectionately.
"Oh...something else you'd rather be doing, hmm?"
Rain smirks back at her, holding Tess's gaze for a moment. However, at that moment, Ronin awkwardly clears her throat and rises from the table.
"Ehem...uhm...well, I'll be leaving to prepare for my match. Thank you for answering my questions Rain...I'll see you this evening."
Realizing how he was just acting, and feeling a bit embarrassed, Rain gives Ronin a sheepish grin and rubs the back of his neck. His tone becomes apologetic.
"Uh, yeah...good luck with your match Ronin. I'm sure you won't need it."
Ronin nods awkwardly, preparing to leave, but Tess looks away from Rain to direct her gaze at Ronin. Unlike him, Tess does not seem embarrassed about their tender display. Her tone when she speaks to Ronin is...smugly satisfied, even.
"Ah, take care, Ronin. It was nice to finally meet Rain's mysterious ally. I hope this was as enlightening for you as it was for me."
Ronin halts her departure, and directs a calm, studying gaze at Tess. After a moment, she responds almost absentmindedly, her tone distracted.
"It was..."
With that, Ronin walks away from the table without another word, leaving Tess and him alone.
*****
Several hours later, Rain is lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling. After his unexpected lunch with Ronin and Tess, he returned to the amphitheater and watched the rest of the matches, including Ronin's. She, of course, won, but he was a bit surprised by the pace of the match.
She seemed evenly matched with her non-Legacy opponent for almost twelve minutes, and her fighting style seemed...different...than when they spar. Towards the very end of the match, her strikes and counters became sharper and faster for a few seconds, then she landed a lethal-equivalence blow on her opponent to earn victory in the nick of time. Overall, he was left with the clear impression that she was holding back, which he generally supports, but he's also curious about what Ronin's specific reasons for it could be.
After the matches concluded for the day, and he finished his evening sparring with Nik, he moved to his evening plans with Ronin. He was originally going to ask about her conservative display in her match, but she seemed too distracted for idle conversation while they were sparring, so he let it be.
Surprisingly, Ronin did not mention anything further about their discussion at lunch. And when he joined Tess for their evening sparring, she was unexpectedly silent about the subject of Bright visiting his Soul Temple as well. However, Tess did strike Rain as being distracted...quietly contemplative, perhaps...though not to Ronin's degree.
Rain hears the running water is his bathroom cease. Tess has taken to keeping a few things in his room for when she sleeps over, so she decided to shower here tonight after their sparring. If not for the other things on his mind, he imagination might have been rather preoccupied with thoughts about that...about her. More than was already the case, that is.
A few minutes later, Tess walks out of his bathroom in a cloud of steam, her damp, dark brown hair spilling to the side as she pats it dry with her towel. She's already changed into her shorts and tank-top, and there's a relaxed smile on her face, her green eyes shimmering warmly as she studies Rain.
He gives her an amused grin.
"Enjoy the shower? You seem to be in better spirits now...less distracted."
Continuing to dry her hair, a bit of amusement finds its way into her expression.
"I did...thanks. Speaking of distracted, were you thinking of me while I was in there?"
She continues to watch him, a trace of anticipation on her face, as though she's waiting for something. Rain's...pretty sure he knows what that is. But if he's right, then she's going to be disappointed. He smirks at her, causing her eyes to narrow in confusion.
"You kidding? Why would I not be fantasizing about my hot girlfriend showering a few feet away from me? Honestly, Tess, you'll need to step up your game if you want to fluster me. Now that we're dating, teasing me over some normal, dirty thoughts isn't going to cut it."
Tess frowns disapprovingly, and she begins walking towards him.
"That's too bad..."
She flops down next to him on the bed, then slides on top of him with a deep sigh, burying her face in his neck. He can't help but chuckle at the almost pouty display.
After a few moments, Tess lifts her head, her emerald eyes studying him with a trace of apprehension. When she speaks, she's quiet and her tone is serious.
"Rain...you know you can trust me...right?"