After pushing his way through the other students in his area of seating, Rain jogs down the hallway in the direction of the infirmary, hoping to catch up to Ronin. However, it's already been several minutes since her departure, and she's nowhere to be seen.
Eventually, Rain makes it to the infirmary, rounding the corner into a large room. Looking around, he sees several students lying in small beds separated by privacy curtains, no doubt from especially brutal tournament matches earlier today. Interestingly, most of them seem to be staring at a back corner of the room, where a beautiful blonde girl is leaning stoically against a wall, ignoring all of them. It's none other than Ronin.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Rain quickly makes his way over to her. As he does, he notices Tess laying on the bed closest to Ronin, her eyes open and alert, but her expression pained and a little bit annoyed. The white Academy sparring armor has been removed, so she's only in training pants and a grey undershirt, the latter of which is soaked through with sweat. Reminded of her overly exerted state in the match, he's relieved to see a bit of color has returned to her face.
When he's a couple meters away from Ronin, they both look towards him in surprise. After a moment to process his arrival, Tess's expression warms a bit, a light smile coming to her face. Meanwhile, Ronin seems...he could swear that she's nervous. Ronin's blue eyes are studying him intently, and her face and body seem tense...apprehensive.
Ignoring the strange observation, he nods at Ronin appreciatively and moves to the foot of Tess's bed, smiling at her as relief infiltrates his voice.
"Well, how are you feeling? That was, uhm...quite the display you put on back there...you have to be exhausted."
Tess flashes him an amused smile, while her emerald eyes study him affectionately. Her normal fervor is a bit subdued, but she still manages to be the most radiant person in the room. Her tone becomes dismissive...almost teasing.
"It's nothing that a hot shower, a good night's sleep, and maybe a back massage won't fix. Care to offer your services for that last one?"
Shaking his head with an exasperated sigh, Rain can't help but smirk at Tess in response.
"Okay...you're obviously not as exhausted as I thought. What about your ribs...that blow that finished you off looked pretty severe?"
Casting a glance at Ronin, Tess's lips purse disapprovingly, but then she sighs dejectedly and directs a shrug at Rain.
"Yes, that hurt...but I'm fine. It looks like I'm only a little bruised. Breathing deeply may make me wince for a day or two, but the only thing seriously injured is my pride..."
Tess's expression becomes kind of glum as she finishes her complaint, forcing Rain to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he just looks over at Ronin, who is still watching him intently from her position leaned against the wall. He gives her a polite smile, his tone becoming friendly as he addresses her.
"Thanks for bringing her here, Ronin...I really appreciate it."
Ronin nods, her body language seeming to relax slightly, but there's still a trace of concern in her eyes. She responds hesitantly, glancing between him and Tess as she does.
"Of course. I'm...sorry...Rain. About how hard I hit Tess, I mean. It wasn't malicious..."
Ronin stares at him expectantly, the concern in her eyes becoming a bit more prominent. He just gives her a bewildered look.
'Why the hell is she apologizing to me? Actually, why is she apologizing at all?'
His voice becomes confused, glancing between an equally surprised Tess and the strangely behaving Ronin.
"Uhm...it's okay? Are you forgetting that I shattered my own opponent's hands? You were pretty tame by comparison. So, you don't need to apologize, especially not to me. Besides...Tess kind of left you no choice, right? She's stubborn and tenacious like that. I don't blame you, and I'm sure she doesn't either."
Ronin's expression seems to visibly relax, and she glances at Tess expectantly, as though waiting for confirmation. Tess, seeing Ronin's gaze, rolls her eyes and frowns disapprovingly. She nods her acknowledgement to Ronin, her tone becoming mildly annoyed as she speaks.
"Yes...like Rain said, I brought it on myself. I'm a sore loser, but I'm not a big enough baby to blame you for my decisions. I don't need you coddling me either, so...quit looking so guilty."
After staring at Tess blankly for a moment, the corner of Ronin's mouth seems to twitch for a moment. Her eyes acquire a trace of something that Rain thinks could be approval or amusement...or both. Eventually, Ronin nods agreeably at Tess, and any remaining apprehension disappears from her demeanor. When she responds, her tone is once again calm.
"I understand...very well. In that case, I'll leave you alone..."
Ronin gives one last awkward nod to both of them, then walks out of the room without another word. Putting her strange behavior from his mind, he returns his attention to Tess. Just as his eyes meet hers, however, he sees a mischievous smile on her face as he feels a hand grab him by the back of the hair.
He's suddenly pulled towards Tess for a kiss, her soft lips pressing against his firmly and causing his thoughts to spin hopelessly. After a few seconds, Tess releases him and lets out a deep, satisfied sigh. She continues to run her fingers through his hair as she smiles at him warmly, studying his bewildered expression with amusement. Her tone becomes teasing.
"Weren't you cute...rushing in here to check on me with that dumbass look on your face. I guess you're pretty into me, hmm?"
Rain tries to give her an admonishing glare, but he can feel his inner amusement slipping into his expression. So, he gives up and just smirks at her playfully.
"Is it that obvious? Damn, and here I thought I was playing the dark and mysterious archetype so well."
His snark elicits a short chuckle from Tess, her tone becoming even more teasing.
"I mean, you're only two for three on the tall, dark, and handsome checklist."
His eyes widen in surprise, a trace of amused excitement infiltrating his voice as his silver eyes seem to shine more brightly.
"Now wait a second...did you just admit to finding me handsome, Tess? Or are you changing your position on my height?"
Tess rolls her eyes at him in an exaggerated fashion.
"What do you think me kissing you is for, dumbass? Target practice?"
Rain flashes her a shit-eating grin, completely undeterred by her sarcasm.
"Good point, that'd be ridiculous...your aim is terrible, after all. Good thing it doesn't seem to afflict your archery."
Tess's eyes widen in shock at the dig, then her expression turns annoyed.
"You better take that back right now, Rain...or else."
Fighting the desire to laugh maniacally, he quickly waves his hands deferentially, his voice becoming apologetic.
"Alright, alright, no need for threats! I was kidding, I'm sorry. You forgive me, right?"
Rain gives her a weaselly smile, batting his eyes sarcastically. Though she tries to keep a stern face, he can see Tess's lips twitching upward. Eventually, she gives up and sighs at him defeatedly, a wry smile coming to her face.
"I guess, but..."
As she trails off, her eyes glint mischievously, and her smile transitions into a smug smirk.
"...in return, I've decided I want that back massage after all."
*****
A couple of hours later, Rain is standing in the ring once again, preparing to face down his third opponent. The person in question is a guy only about an inch taller than Rain, with a slim build, dark green eyes, and short, auburn hair. From his qualifying score, Rain assumes that he only has a Titan Bloodline, but his presence makes Rain more nervous than any prior opponent.
The guy's eyes aren't filled with the disappointment of his first opponent, nor the hyper-wariness of his second opponent. Instead, his gaze is like Tess's...cold and calculating, as if he's deciding on the most efficient way to dispose of something that he considers to be an inconvenience.
'So...this guy is a Legacy...'
As Rain continues to assess his opponent, the young Legacy speaks at him, his tone and expression conveying idle curiosity.
"You...you are the mouse that Niklaus of the Raging Sun has been training, are you not?"
Rain raises his eyebrows in confusion at the young man's statement.
'Fuck's sake...and here I thought Nik's speech patterns were tedious...'
The part about the Raging Sun...Rain has no clue what the hell that's about. The other part, though...
Nik has told him that Legacies sometimes use the term 'mouse' to refer to Champions with no family history of being Marked. It's meant to be derogatory...as in, they're just test mice to be sacrificed in Asphodel, hoping it teaches the 'better' Marked something useful.
'Yeah...what a dick...'
Feeling the sudden urge to make sure the uppity Legacy has a shitty time, one way or another, Rain throws his sword over his shoulder lazily. Then, he picks at his ear with his pinky as he casually responds to the guy, not even bothering to make eye contact.
"Hmm...oh, you talking to me? If you mean, Nik, then sure. Also, I identify as more of a rat than a mouse...please keep it straight in the future."
Rain watches in absolute pleasure as the Legacy's eyes narrow, remaining silent for a moment. Eventually, the guy's lips twist into a small, amused smile, but there's nothing but disdain in his eyes.
"My, my...if only he'd spent some time training you how to address your betters. Though, I suppose that's more than I should expect from that embarrassment. Oh well..."
He feels his eye twitch in annoyance as he listens to the cocky bastard, then he forces a shit-eating grin onto his face, and he tries to mock the Legacy's proper tone.
"Oh my, dear me...have I been impolite to a better of mine? Doth thou know of any in thy vicinity, because the land appears barren to me."
All the fake amusement disappears from the Legacy's face, and his eyes turn menacing.
"Here's some free advice...nobody is going to care if a little mouse goes missing in Asphodel. So, you'd be wise to avoid antagonizing people above your station. Because I don't mind making time for a little pest control...once the orphan is gone..."
Rain stifles the urge to shudder at the not-so-subtle death threat, and he begins to wonder if he pushed the Legacy a bit too far. However, Rain's expression twists in confusion over one part of the guy's statement...what he said at the end, almost to himself...
'Orphan? What orphan? He doesn't sound like he means me...'
As he struggles to make sense of the comment, he notices that the Legacy is no longer looking at him...he's staring off intently to the side. Following his gaze, Rain notices that he's staring at two people near the edge of the amphitheater – a stunning, brown-haired girl in a wheelchair being escorted by a stoic, regal-looking blonde girl...Tess and Ronin.
In that moment, it finally clicks what the young Legacy meant...the orphan is Ronin. All this time, Ronin has been telling Rain that she thinks some of the Legacies here intend to kill her. While he didn't doubt her, per se, he hadn't seen any evidence that she was correct, either. Teenagers being sent to kill other teenagers by their parents...it is something he'd rather not believe.
Now, though...
'He...practically admitted it. That there are Legacies here who plan to kill Ronin if they can. The people hunting her like an animal...he's one of them...'
Finally having a face to the enemy, any semblance of fear of the Legacy that he previously had evaporates in an instant. It's replaced by an intense, burning desire to see him suffer.
As the more abstract rage he's felt about Ronin's situation finally takes form, Rain feels the Ichor in his body start to swirl, until it's raging like a hurricane inside him. Meanwhile, he's oblivious as his eyes darken until they're black as night. Without even thinking, his voice comes out low and threatening, directed at the Legacy across from him.
"Hey asshole...which of the two major clans do you serve?"
The young Legacy snaps his head back to Rain in bewilderment, noting the change in Rain's demeanor but oblivious to the implications. His expression turns annoyed as he responds to Rain, his tone dripping with disdain.
"The great Clan Veyron, little mouse. I'd ask why you care, but...I've just decided that I'm tired of hearing you talk. In fact, I think I'll fix that nasty little ability of yours..."
Rain stares at the Legacy evenly for a moment, mulling over his opponent's words, his expression completely unfazed. Eventually, Rain realizes something, and a sinister smile forms on his face as he mumbles, as if to himself.
"No more talking...yes...I think that sounds perfect...just perfect..."
Then, Rain feels the sensation of his mind being narrowed...sharpened...until it's fixated on one goal single-mindedly. It's a sensation he's all too familiar with...the feeling of Unhinged finally getting its way...