'Gods...what the hell is taking her so long? Did she fail? Should I have insisted on staying with her?'
After the Academy staff took Rain away, Ronin told Tess that she'd 'throw her weight around' with the dean to try and help him. Naturally, Tess wanted to come, but Ronin insisted that it would only detriment her negotiation tactics...whatever that meant. So, after a painful amount of convincing by Ronin, she reluctantly went back to her dorm room, where she's been waiting for Ronin and Rain ever since.
Tess groans in frustration, and a small amount of pain, as she rolls over on her bed. Thanks to her Champion constitution and relatively minor injuries, she's already recovered enough to walk around without much trouble. She also showered earlier, to pass the time more than anything, and that helped a lot. So did changing out of her sweaty training gear into night clothes. But her body is still pretty sore, and probably will be for a while.
Sitting up gingerly, she slides off her bed to stand on the floor, preparing to grab something from the cafeteria to distract herself. However, she's interrupted by a knock at her door, causing her head to snap towards the sound, and her heart to begin racing nervously.
"Rain, is that you!?"
Ignoring the franticness in her own voice, and the soreness in her body, she rushes over to the door and flings it open. A startled-looking Rain is revealed, and Tess feels immense relief wash over her. Before she has time to think of anything else, she lunges forward and wraps Rain in a hug, burying her face in his chest.
For a moment, all she can focus on is the subtle, earthy scent that she's come to associate with him...to find calming and familiar. Then, however, she remembers everything that's happened since she last spoke to him in the infirmary, and her mind races with questions. Before she knows it, her face twists into a scowl as she looks up at him and smacks him in the chest with her fist.
"What the hell, dumbass...you scared me! Why didn't you respond to my messages!? Why did you nearly kill that guy? What was that weird...state...you were in? What happened after the Academy staff took you? Did Ronin help like she said she would?"
Rain blinks repeatedly, clearly overwhelmed.
"Uhm...that's a lot of questions...hmm. I guess to answer in order...busy, anger, you're not making sense, interrogation, yes."
Tess gives him a long stare, watching his silvery, slightly confused eyes, then she sighs in exasperation.
Without another word, she stands on her toes slightly and presses her lips against his, feeling a warmth radiate through her chest as he squeaks in surprise. As she pulls her hands tightly against his waist, forgetting the soreness in her body and her frustrations about being left out, she hears someone clear their throat uncomfortably.
'That's weird...how can Rain do that right now?'
Puzzled, Tess releases Rain from their kiss, preparing to inquire about the noise. It's only then that she notices someone standing behind Rain, and she peers around him. A beautiful girl a bit taller than herself, with platinum blonde hair and striking, pale blue eyes, is wearing an embarrassed expression and looking away uncomfortably.
Tess immediately feels color start rushing to her face, her voice turning flustered.
"R-...Ronin!? Wh-...I...uhm...didn't see you there...sorry..."
While Rain seems to just be coming back to his senses after the kiss, Ronin waves dismissively at Tess, turning to leave.
"It's fine...sorry for intruding. It seems you two have a lot to...discuss...so I'll leave now..."
Ronin immediately begins walking down the hallway, her steps strangely hurried, and Tess feels an inexplicable pang of guilt. She curses at herself under her breath, then quickly calls out to the retreating Ronin.
"Ronin, please wait!"
Ronin turns around to look at Tess, surprised and a bit curious.
"...yes?"
Tess watches her awkwardly for a moment, uncertain how to express the conflicting emotions of gratitude and loathing that she now feels for the stoic blonde Legacy.
'Damn it...'
Tess takes a deep breath and forces her trademark, friendly smile onto her face, directing as pleasant of a tone as she can manage at Ronin.
"Uhm...why don't you come inside for a bit...I can make some tea? I'd...appreciate the opportunity for all three of us to talk."
She sees Rain's eyes widen in shock, though he says nothing. Meanwhile, Ronin just stares back at her with an indecipherable expression. There's a painfully long silence before the Legacy responds in a calm voice.
"Tea sounds nice..."
*****
Tess stares down at her cup of tea, conflicting emotions welling inside of her, then she glances up at Rain and Ronin, who are sitting on the floor near her drinking tea of their own. Her voice comes out hesitant.
"I see...I suppose it could have been worse..."
She's just finished listening to Rain and Ronin describe what happened after they parted ways from her, and all the fallout associated with their meeting with the dean. Two things really stick out to her.
First, from what she can gather, Ronin indeed pulled Rain out of a problematic situation. In fact, it's clear to her that, without Ronin, she may very well have lost Rain...and there may have been nothing she could do about it. That fact fills her with almost as much gratitude towards the blonde Legacy as it does frustration.
The second thing that sticks out to her, is what Rain told the dean about why his fake Quirk got triggered by his opponent in the match.
'Yeah...that's obviously a load of crap. I saw him when he faced that guy...he was far from scared. If anything he looked...angry. That part about Ronin being his reason for attacking the guy doesn't entirely add up either, but...'
Tess clearly remembers Rain and his opponent looking towards her and Ronin. Is there any truth to Ronin being involved in what they were discussing? The girl is another Legacy, after all.
Tess directs a curious glance at Rain, who is sipping his tea in quiet contemplation.
"Rain...I'm glad you've escaped this without any serious repercussions, but...why did you actually attack that guy so aggressively? I know you used your Ichor, even though you said you wouldn't, and I know that story you told the dean is half true at best."
Rain looks back at her silently for a moment, then nods solemnly.
"The truth is that he is such a revolting piece of trash that he made me angry enough to trigger my Quirk...that's why I hit him so hard. I was fixated on hurting him, and I couldn't control my actions enough to hold back like normal."
Tess narrows her eyes at him, partly suspicious.
"That much I could have guessed, but...how did he make you that angry? What did he say, or do?"
Rain purses his lips thoughtfully.
"Well...several things. Essentially, he said some mean things about Nik, so I mouthed off to him. That made him angry enough to threaten to kill me in Asphodel, which obviously I wasn't a fan of either. But..."
Rain pauses, his expression becoming conflicted, and his eyes dart to Ronin, who is watching him speak with a stoic expression. He looks back to Tess as he continues, his tone apologetic.
"...truthfully, it was something else that fully triggered me. That's...not something I think I have the right to tell you, though..."
Tess watches in frustration as Rain casts his eyes down sullenly, obviously guilty about dodging her question. She can already tell why, though...she's not an idiot. She feels her eye twitch, her gaze settling on a tense-looking Ronin, and she responds to Rain in a terse voice.
"So...Ronin is at the center of this incident, and you won't explain further out of loyalty to her...not even when I'm the one asking. That right?"
She sees Rain grimace, Ronin's expression becoming uncomfortable as well, and he just nods sheepishly.
Tess lets out a frustrated sigh, looking off thoughtfully. On one hand, this feels like Rain blatantly choosing Ronin over her, as ridiculous as she knows that thought is, and it stings. Moreover, it feels like he's not living up to the trust they've been trying to build...keeping important secrets.
On the other hand, she can sympathize with his position. His alliance with Ronin existed before their romantic relationship, and he likely promised her that he wouldn't share information about Ronin with his other allies. At the time, that meant Tess as well. Things are different now, of course, but that also doesn't entitle Rain to retroactively breaking his promise. So, she can recognize on a rational level that he's just trying to be fair to someone he considers a friend.
Still, this strange situation of three-pointed secrecy has gone beyond Rain just not answering personal questions about Ronin. Whatever he's hiding is obviously deeply personal to him too, enough to trigger his Quirk and almost get him in serious trouble. Isn't she entitled to some transparency something so consequential to her boyfriend's life?
Tess turns her attention to Ronin with a piercing glare.
"If that's how it is...fine, I'll take it up with you. The nature of your relationship with Rain...it's obviously more serious than a simple alliance. Still, when it was just you taking up some of his time, and him keeping your discussions private, I could accept that. Now, though, some of those secrets have put him in serious jeopardy.
"I know that wasn't exactly your fault, and I appreciate you helping him...truly, but he felt strongly enough about a comment related to you to do something this drastic. So, I'm no longer okay with remaining in the dark where you're concerned, Ronin. If you're really looking for ways to apologize to me, then I'd like some answers. What the hell is going on?"
Ronin's expression remains stoic for a moment, then her eyes become conflicted...thoughtful. Her voice is surprisingly firm and unsympathetic as she responds.
"What you're asking about is unpleasant...and quite personal. It's beyond what I feel like I owe you. Even if I wanted to tell you, it's dangerous for me to discuss...how do I know that I can trust you?"
Tess blinks, taken aback by the severity of Ronin's tone. However, she quickly regains her composure, undaunted, and her eyes narrow seriously.
"You can't trust me...not directly. I don't really know you, and while I'm grateful that you helped Rain, I wouldn't put your needs above his or mine. But, I'd also never betray Rain by undermining you, someone he's set on helping. So, you can trust me as much as you can trust him, at least when it comes to keeping secrets."
Ronin raises her eyebrows.
"I see...and if I refuse to discuss my personal business with you?"
Tess frowns disapprovingly.
"Then that's your right, and what I said just now still stands. However, I'm sure you can see that Rain doesn't like having to keep things from me, so you'll have proven to me that you don't really have his best interests at heart. I'll also be significantly less accommodating of how you infringe on him in the future."
The corner of Ronin's mouth twitches, amusement dancing in her blue eyes.
"Then, if I agreed to answer your questions...have you thought through the consequences for yourself? You'd become...involved...in my problems, and that could come with a certain amount of danger."
As Ronin stares at her expectantly, Tess feels her first hint of apprehension.
'Just what the hell is she talking about?'
She glances at Rain, who's watching in awkward silence, before making up her mind.
"I'm already involved indirectly...because of Rain. I might as well know what I'm involved in."
For a long time, Ronin just stares back at her in silence, her blue eyes studying Tess intently. Then, Ronin just nods matter-of-factly.
"Very well, I'll give you the answers you want. To start..."
Ronin's expression becomes a bit more tense, her eyes taking on a malicious quality that even gives Tess pause.
"...you should know that the major clans killed Fated Blade and my mother, and now I think they're trying to kill me..."