Rain gives Tess an incredulous look as her emerald eyes stare back at him expectantly.
"Of course I trust you, Tess. You're the only person I've willingly told how strong my Talent is, what my Quirk is, and about framing Ronin for that score. You're the person here I trust most...the one I feel comfortable relying on. But...that's me...do you feel like I trust you?"
He sees Tess's face relax marginally, but there's still uncertainty in her eyes, and she seems to struggle with his question for several moments. Eventually, she responds in a hesitant tone.
"I thought so...before. But since you mentioned how much you've confided in Bright, I'm not sure. You're entitled to your privacy, and I understood you wanting to keep some things about your abilities totally secret. But...why tell her and not me? That's the part that I just don't understand. I mean, you met her only a couple days sooner, and I've spent far more of the time since with you than she has. Why do you trust her more than me?"
Her eyes study his face, waiting for an answer, and while he sees mostly confusion within them, there's also a trace of hurt. Rain feels a small pang of guilt at the sight.
'I...guess I understand how she's feeling. I made that big show in her room, after the movie, of how much I allegedly trust her. The few things I wasn't willing to tell her, she felt were reasonable...things you wouldn't tell anyone after such a short time, maybe ever. So, it didn't seem personal. But when she learned today that I told Bright all those things and more, probably after less time than Tess and I have known each other...well. Me withholding that info from her now probably very personal.'
Rain can only imagine how hurt Tess would be if she knew that he let Bright into his Soul Temple the same day that he met her. If possible, he should avoid mentioning that for now. More importantly, he...needs to make this right. He's put quite a lot of effort into their friendship, and he'd hate to see their trust broken over this...she's important to him.
He gives Tess an apologetic look, and he tries to make his tone as emphatic as possible.
"Tess, I mean it when I tell you this...while I trust her quite a bit, I do not trust Bright more than you. I just happen to have confided in her more about this particular thing. After my Trial, I was so ignorant about Marked and Asphodel, and I had so many questions about my abilities. Back then, I was desperate for someone who could help me with those things, and Bright was rarely qualified.
"Truly, she really did bend over backwards to earn my trust...more than was rational for her, honestly. But even so, I'm not sure that I'd have confided in her so much if I felt like I had better, safer options. If I'd learned everything I'd wanted to back then without letting Bright into my Soul Temple, and right now she only knew as much as you do, I wouldn't tell her anything more either. That's the only difference between you two, Tess...circumstance, not trust."
Rain stares into her emerald eyes as evenly as he can, trying to convey his sincerity. Tess looks back at him, the traces of hurt in her eyes dimming some, but her expression still looks conflicted...thoughtful. Eventually, her voice comes out, hesitantly curious.
"Okay...then...I can accept that it isn't entirely about me versus her personally, but you still trusted her enough to share things that even I don't know. So, can you tell me what she did to make you comfortable with that risk? You've mentioned how hard she worked to do earn your trust, but you haven't given many specifics. What, exactly, did it take?"
He purses his lips thoughtfully, trying to decide if there's anything it'd be problematic to tell her. Eventually, he nods at Tess, who's staring at him expectantly, and responds in a calm voice.
"Well...for one, she loaned me a Relic that lets its wielder tell when people are lying to them. Then, she answered every single question that I had. Also, she later agreed to let me into her own Soul Temple. Those two things helped a lot. The biggest factor, though, was that I arranged a little...test...for her.
"Basically, she learned something really important from me...information that would make you a traitor to humanity to not share. Since she'd promised not to repeat anything I confided in her, I asked her to do exactly that...not tell anyone about that critical information. Of course, I wasn't going to hold her to that...I just wanted to see how much I could trust her.
"Honestly, I expected her to tell me to go to hell over the request. Frankly, it would have been kind of irresponsible for her to do anything else...she works for the government, after all. And yet, she offered to sit on the information for an entire year, and was distraught about breaking her word to me at all. That sold me on trusting her with the rest of my secrets."
Tess's eyes widen in shock, her voice becoming incredulous.
"I...Rain...I don't even know where to start with all that. What was the information that you shared with her?"
He keeps his expression neutral, deciding it best to just respond flatly.
"It was the secret to why nobody has ever been able to return from Death's realm, Nether, the place where Fel come to Earth from via Rifts. Essentially, Nether itself likely corrupts the soul of anyone traveling there, turning them into Fel."
Her mouth begins to visibly gape, a long silence settling between them. Rain just waits patiently as she studies him with a conflicted expression. Eventually, she seems to come to terms with the information...better than he is expecting.
"Uhm...okay...that certainly qualifies as life-changing information. I can't believe a government Marked agreed to keep that secret for a whole year. Honestly, that just raises more questions...like..wait..."
As she trails off, her expression suddenly twists into one of disbelief. He feels her jerk suddenly, her hips pressing into him as she leans forward, and her hair spills over in front of her now crazed emerald eyes as she stares at him incredulously. Her voice becomes nearly shrill.
"...isn't this the subject of that anonymous academic paper that I've been hearing about over the past couple weeks? The one all the professors and Legacies are losing their minds over? Are you two responsible for that!?"
After a brief moment of surprise, Rain grins sheepishly and shrugs.
"Guilty. It's like I told you...I never had any intention of making Bright keep that information secret for me. I'm pro-humanity, you know?"
Tess snorts, shaking her head in exasperation, then she looks off thoughtfully for several moments. However, something seems to occur to her, and she quickly looks back at him nervously.
"Rain...if that's what you were willing to share with her as a test...what did she learn in your Soul Temple? Just how significant are the things you haven't told me?"
As she stares at him with an expectant expression, he frowns thoughtfully. Eventually, he sighs and shrugs at her.
"Enough that you shouldn't take it personally that I haven't told you specifics. It's not the kind of information that you spring on somebody, and swear them to secrecy over, without a good reason. Especially not someone like you...someone I care for. Can you honestly say that you want to know everything about me, now that you have an inkling of how much it could affect you?"
Rain can imagine that this isn't exactly what she thought she was signing up for when she asked to know more about him. Sure, she's his girlfriend, and sure, they have a decent amount of trust and affection for one another. But she's still only known him two months...he's not worth potentially complicating her life over. He needs to respect that...to be supportive of the fact that she has people and concerns in her life that should take priority.
He directs an encouraging smile at Tess, preparing to reassure her that she's not a bad person for whatever she's feeling now. However, to his surprise she's just...glaring at him, her eyes visibly storming with anger. As his gaze meets hers, and his expression turns puzzled, she leans over until their faces are nearly pressed against one another, her voice heavily annoyed.
"That's right, dumbass...that's exactly what I want. What did you think I would say? This isn't some pre-Crucible fling for me...I expect you to remain a part of my life, Rain. So, if what you're hiding is a burden...or worse, a threat...then I want to be in the loop. In fact, I'll be very upset if something bad happens to you and my ignorance got in the way of helping you."
As she glares at him seriously, her eyes burning with resolve, all he can do is widen his eyes in surprise. He eventually stutters out the only thing he can think of, his tone full of shock.
"I-I...uhm...had no idea you have such strong feelings on the matter."
She frowns disapprovingly, her tone scathing.
"Of course I do, Rain. I'm loyal to the people that I lo-"
She stops abruptly, a bit of color rushing to her cheeks. She glances away from him, quickly continuing in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Look, I put a lot of effort into finding a boyfriend worth keeping around, and I'm very protective of what's mine. So, the sooner you tell me what I'm dealing with, the sooner that I can keep what's important to me. If you need to trust me more for that to happen, so be it.
"Teach me how to bring you into my Soul Temple, and we'll start there. After that, if you want to borrow this lie-detecting Relic from Bright again, I'll do that, too. But you don't need to bother with another test, because what's best for the world isn't my priority, Rain. The few people important to me come first, and I don't care what kind of person that makes me."
Rain stares back at her, conflicted, unsure what the right course of action is. He searches Tess's expression for answers, but all he finds is a cold resolve in her emerald eyes. He's sure that what little he's revealed tonight has made her even more insistent to discuss the things he's hiding. Does he relent, and risk exposing himself too much, or does he reject such a discussion, and risk alienating her?
'I...don't know...'
Bright's warning to never tell anyone else about his true abilities weighs heavily on his mind, but the possibility of not having any more secrets from Tess weighs just as heavily on his heart.
Eventually, he looks at her hesitantly.
"Tess...are you sure about all of this, especially right now? If you want to wait and see how things go...with us, and with the Crucible...I wouldn't blame you."
He sees her gaze only getting more intense after hearing his words...her tone becoming almost forceful.
"No, I don't want to wait. If you're the one who's not sure whether you're committed to this, say that. But I know what I want, and I don't care that the Crucible is looming. Actually, it makes me even more sure. I don't want to go in there with any potential regrets, or any mysterious concerns about you weighing on my mind. So, yes Rain, I'm sure...about all of it."
For several moments, the pair stares at one another. Tess, eyeing Rain assertively, and Rain, looking back at Tess, full of internal conflict. Just when the silence seems like it's unbearable, however, Rain lets out a short sight and nods at Tess with a solemn expression. When he responds, there's an air of...resignation...to his tone.
"Okay, Tess...then, I'll tell you what you want to know...everything."