"Well…you know… you haven't been out of your room since Mr. Bentley visited. You okay?" Tibaut asked in a subdued voice.
"Did you know?" She asked.
"?"
"Mr. Bentley wants to have it after the cultists are dealt with. Good luck."
She said before closing the door. Tibaut hurriedly put his foot between the door.
"What do you mean 'good luck'? You're gonna help us out, aren't you?"
She kept trying to close the door which slowly crushed Tibaut's foot.
"Come on, stop that already."
"Just leave already, you and Elizabeth are supposed to be training."
"Did you forget you're also part of that?"
"You think I don't know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I heard about what that commotion in the night was about."
"Oh that, I guess I do need some more training after that fight but that doesn't mean you can skimp out. Don't you want to avenge Ezekiel?"
"Heh hah ha, you don't even realize it."
Tibaut looked at her puzzled for a moment before she continued.
"He actually drew his weapon against you. I was putting all I had in when I first met him yet he didn't even feel the need to bother. Yet, against you, he felt threatened enough to try and kill you."
Tears started to form in her eyes and she leaned against the door frame.
"The worst part," she struggled to say as the tears started rolling down her face "The worst part about it is, you were barely able to stay awake after it happened. After all that gruelling training, with that little energy left, you were able to fight him on that level!" She threw a punch in his face.
"IS THERE THAT BIG OF A GAP BETWEEN US!?" She shouted as she cried.
("Ah, shit. I stepped on a landmine. What should I do? Do I comfort her? No, that'd just be throwing salt in the wound. Walk away? No, that'd be cold. Shit, what would a battle manga protagonist say at a time like this!?") His mind was in turmoil at the problem before him. It had been a while since he had to comfort someone and this was well outside his usual niche of annoying alcoholics.
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Before he could think of a way to resolve the situation she started wiping the tears off her face.
"I'm sorry, please just…just please kill him."
"So what if you're weak?" he responded.
She looked at him.
"Are you still going to be weak when you meet him again? Hell no!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her outside the room.
"Do you think hell we'll go through until we meet him again won't do anything? What kind of talk is that? Are you okay staying weak? Do you want someone else to defeat him? Is this what you want, Tina!?"
"Of course, it fucking isn't but what am I supposed to do!?" She responded as she dragged her hand out of his grip.
Tibaut reached out his hand. "You say how I made him fight me seriously but even then I'm not sure I'd be able to fight him at one hundred per cent. That's why," he reached out his hand towards her.
"Why don't we help each other out? Who says it has to be you or me individually that defeats him?"
"What, feeling pity for me? What? Want to do all the work and hand me him on a golden platter? Don't give me that shit, I-I can't accept that." She said hesitantly.
"Why not fight him as equals then? Come on Tina, don't just beat yourself up over one training session. If you stop training how are you ever gonna know if you can stand up to him or not?"
Tina looked like she was about to cry again but persevered and looked him directly in the eyes.
She wanted to argue and wanted to tell him it was no use but she couldn't bring herself to do it. No matter how she called herself weak, she wouldn't give up the chance for revenge, even if she had to accomplish it with someone else. She knew her other peers weren't up to the task and if someone outside their trio wasn't responsible for taking him down she was positive she, no, the three of them as a whole wouldn't be able to accept it as long as they lived.
She shook his hand and immediately went back into her room.
("I hope that was alright.") He thought to himself as he began walking away. He rubbed his cheek and wondered if he would have to deal with any more gorilla women.
As she was in her room she thought back to the night of the attack.
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She was lying in her bed fast asleep before being woken up by an explosion.
She slowly staggered out of her room to the first floor where she saw Elizabeth.
"What was that?" She asked as she leaned herself against a wall.
Elizabeth looked at her and said, "For the time being, stay in your room."
"What are you talking about? I can still fight."She said.
She began walking towards the stairs but was stopped by Elizabeth.
"On the off-chance this is who you saw then you're in no condition to fight. You pushed yourself too hard today. Go back."
"What the hell are you talking about? Besides we don't know if it's him so let me throu-"
She was interrupted by the mansion trembling slightly and a giant explosion being heard.
Tina tried to use this as a chance to run up the stairs but Elizabeth grabbed and delivered an earth-shattering gut blow to her. This left her whole body limp and Elizabeth caught her before lowering her to the ground.
"Sorry, but this isn't the time for this."
She went up the stairs and out of Tina's vision as she lay motionless on the floor.
"wait…don't…kill him." She muttered on the floor. "please, I have to do it"
She tried to crawl but Elizabeth's point-blank blow was too much for her body to handle.
"please, I can help! don't leave me here!" She weakly begged.
Tears slowly filled her eyes as she passed out on the floor.