Tess sighs bitterly as she looks out at the amphitheater in front of her, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular.
'So close...I was so close...'
She's more than a little miffed about her loss to Ronin in their match earlier today...she wasn't kidding when she called herself a sore loser. Glancing down at her battered state in the wheelchair, and feeling the pain coursing through her entire body, especially her ribs, she's tempted to chuckle at the irony.
'Yes...I'm quite literally a sore loser...'
Tess feels a fresh wave of indignation over the loss. She hates losing in general, but she especially hates this loss...because it was to Ronin. She's...not fond of the girl, in part because she's a Legacy, but especially because of Ronin's relationship with Rain.
It's not romantic jealousy that she feels. Rain has been satisfyingly adoring towards Tess since their camping trip, and he doesn't seem remotely interested in Ronin in that way. But...their tea parties together, Rain's apparent confidence in Ronin, how much Ronin seems to know about Rain personally...it all makes Tess a bit frustrated.
Especially since their little lunch a couple days ago.
That's because, when Tess introduced herself as Rain's girlfriend, her Nature let her sense Ronin's emotions, albeit faintly. And what she felt was...surprise, confusion, skepticism, a touch of indignation. Essentially, she thinks that Ronin considered her unworthy of being Rain's girlfriend. Tess isn't sure if it's jealousy or something else, but it really irked her...and she is one to hold a grudge.
Unfortunately, lately Ronin has been rather...
'Ugh...why is this bitch being so goddamn friendly to me...'
Tess glances over to her side, where Ronin is standing stoically as she watches the ring of the amphitheater with detached curiosity. After beating Tess in their match, the girl carried her to the infirmary and looked after her until Rain arrived.
Then, after Rain had returned to the amphitheater ahead of his own match, Ronin later made a second appearance at Tess's bedside. Unexpectedly, Ronin offered to escort her via wheelchair to the amphitheater if she wanted to watch Rain's match.
Tess was, to say the least, stunned...and also pettily inclined to tell the blonde girl to pound sand. However, she reminded herself that Rain considers Ronin a friend of sorts, and Tess really did want to see his match. So, she accepted Ronin's offer, and now they're here together...in awkward silence.
She dislikes Ronin, but she also knows objectively that she should just be nice to her...especially with how helpful she's being. Unfortunately, Tess's Quirk makes it so that she can't be dishonest about her desires. In some cases, that can include pressuring her to share her feelings instead of remaining quiet. That's part of the reason why she's been so...forward...with Rain on occasion.
So, being fake nice to Ronin, when all she really wants to do is question the girl about everything that's been on her mind, is taking its toll on Tess. She can feel an internal pressure from her Quirk, pushing her not to suppress her true feelings.
Able to bear it no longer, Tess clears her throat loudly and directs a neutral look at Ronin.
"Ehem...so, what's going on with you lately? No offense, but...you're being suspiciously nice to me, and it's bugging me that I don't know why."
Ronin's eyebrows raise slightly in surprise, and she directs a stony look at Tess, whose gaze remains unflinching. Ronin studies her thoughtfully for a while, before eventually responding in a subdued tone.
"There are multiple reasons, but...it is mostly my way of apologizing."
Tess lets out an annoyed sigh...the last thing she wants is this girl's guilt or pity over trouncing her in their combat match.
"I told you...and so did Rain...there's no need. You beat me in the match, fair and square. I don't like it, but it's also not something you need to be sorry about."
Ronin's lips press into a thin line, and her eyes begin to hold a trace of...concern.
"That's...not it. My apology is for...my judgement of you...before."
Now it's Tess's turn to be surprised, her eyes widening as her voice becomes confused.
"Wait, what do you mean? And before what?"
Ronin appears to shift her weight uncomfortably, her tone becoming hesitant as she responds.
"After we met, a couple of days ago. I assumed that you were...different...than you are. I deemed you to be a weak, shallow, manipulative parasite. I simply couldn't believe that..."
Ronin trails off for a moment, seemingly conflicted about her choice of words. Eventually, she sighs, as if she's decided to ignore something.
"Never mind...it doesn't matter. What I mean to say is, after I watched you in your matches, I slowly realized the truth from the way you fight – you're one of the most determined, self-reliant students here.
"My match with you has only made my error in judgement seem more egregious to me. You were...truly formidable. So, even if I never spoke my thoughts aloud, I think I was unjust in my assessment of you. That's what I'm apologizing for...I don't like feeling indebted to someone."
Tess's mouth slightly parts in disbelief.
'Well...she's an honest one...'
After she finally gets over the shock, Tess shakes her head in exasperation, addressing Ronin in a tone that's almost...pleasantly surprised.
"Okay...that's an unexpected level of transparency..."
Ronin shrugs at her indifferently.
"You would know if I was lying, so I saw no point in trying to hide it."
Tess frowns in disapproval at the reminder that Ronin knows about her Nature's effect. However, she decides to let that curiosity go for now...she doubts that Ronin will explain herself anyway. Truthfully, she thinks that applies to lots of questions she has for Ronin. Why was she so interested in an alliance with Rain? Does she have romantic feelings for him? How much does she know about him?
The latter is something that she asked Rain recently, and after some hesitance, he admitted that Ronin knows as much about his abilities as she does...even his Quirk. That realization was only made less hurtful to Tess by his assurances that he told her before Ronin, and that Ronin finding out wasn't entirely within his control.
'There's also his recent promise...to tell me about whatever secrets he's told that woman, Bright. His Bloodline, his Lineage, and who knows what else...'
As nonchalant as she was in the moment with Rain, the suspense of having to postpone that conversation until after the tournament is actually killing her. At the same time, though, she feels a little surge of warmth in her chest every time she thinks about the fact that he's going to finally confide in her so completely.
Sure, she's a little annoyed that he's already done so with Bright, the woman he seems to barely know. But Tess is less bitter about that the longer she thinks about it. Rain made it clear that he was desperate for help understanding his abilities when he told Bright. Plus, from what she was told, Bright worked hard to earn Rain's trust. Meanwhile, his first impression of Tess was...
'...probably a nasty, manipulative, mind-controlling bitch...'
Tess admonishes herself internally...she can't really be judgmental towards Rain for who he told what first, given how she began their relationship. Her head and her heart aren't always on the same page, though, and being his girlfriend but not his main confidant stings.
She's snapped from her self reflection by the sound of Ronin's voice...it's become uncharacteristically strained.
"Tess...that opponent of Rain's...do you know if they've ever spoken before this?"
Surprised by the sudden question, she looks over at Ronin. The blonde girl's entire posture is tense, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and her blue eyes are cold and full of apprehension.
Tess follows her gaze towards the ring, where she sees Rain and an auburn-haired boy of similar build standing across from one another...both staring in this direction. She feels a seed of unease take root in her chest, and she glances back at Ronin, confused.
"No, never. Why...what's going on? Why are they both staring this way?"
Ronin's lips press together tightly, her expression becoming visibly solemn.
"I'm not sure...exactly. But I think Rain's opponent may be th-"
In that moment, Ronin cuts off her own speech, her face seeming to pale slightly. As Tess prepares to ask about the sudden shift in behavior, she feels it too...
It's like there's a sudden change in the air around them...a spike in pressure, but one that isn't physical. It's more of an existential urgency weighing on them...like the laws of reality are losing their grip on the world, and the concept of a future has become less certain than it was just moment ago.
Tess feels a shiver run up her spine as her eyes instinctively search for the source of the eerie sensation...and they settle on Rain.
She immediately recognizes that something about him has changed. On the surface, he looks the same as her boyfriend. But now he seems to radiate a dark aura, and she can't look at him without feeling like she's standing on the edge of an endlessly deep, dark ravine.
If Tess was closer to the ring...to Rain...she might also have noticed that his irises have turned pitch black, devolving into swirling masses of darkness. However, there is something else that she notices instead...something just as jarring to her.
Tess's eyes widen as she studies the subtle changes in the tension of Rain's posture, in a way that only she can. Her heart goes cold as she pieces together the implications of what she sees.
'His Ichor...it's like he's...why is it...'
Tess is especially sensitive to the flow of Ichor in people, due to her Nature. And while she can't directly sense Rain's Ichor like other people's, she has become very aware of the subtle physical signs of Ichor use as a result of her Nature. So, she can tell...Rain's Ichor is raging inside him, as though it's on the cusp of being expended without restraint.
It's the first time she's ever sensed him freely using Ichor, and...it's terrifying. Not just because he insisted that he had no intention of using Ichor in the tournament, but because he has an inkling of how strong he is even without Ichor. If he fully reinforces himself...
As Tess's apprehension grows, she's startled by the sound of a sudden, sharp whistle.
The tournament judges, as if completely oblivious to the changes taking place around Rain, have officially initiated the match.
Though Tess's eyes are already glued to Rain intently as the whistle sounds, she's shocked by his sudden movement. He seems to blur towards his opponent before her eyes, all ability to see the details of him lost, and the next thing she perceives is the sound of a thunderous explosion, like wood being blown apart violently from the inside.
As her brain works to process the series of disjointed images she just witnessed, she hears a few terrified yells from students across the amphitheater, and she snaps her head towards them in surprise. When her gaze settles, she feels her breath catch in her throat as her eyes take in the scene around them.
Rain's opponent is now lying far from the ring, slumped against the student seating a few rows up. The boy's body is bent unnaturally, his white, Academy-issued armor caved in towards his chest and stained red, and fragments of what appear to be his shattered sword are lying around his body. He seems alive, but he's coughing blood violently, his expression dazed.
Still in deep shock, Tess's gaze flits to Rain. He's standing at the edge of the ring, eerily calm and still. He's staring after his opponent, holding the shattered remains of a sword, the hand gripping it lightly covered in blood.
His expression is one of morbid satisfaction, his lips twisted into a dark snarl, and his eyes are black and cold...almost inhuman.