Rules

"What did you see?" Her ears were perked up and her full attention was on him. She actually thought it was kind of amazing that he had a power like this. He seemed so normal, so mundane and like a guy you'd see any other day.

But these little things, like how he blinks a lot when he's thinking and how he brushes his teeth with his eyes closed, and most importantly of course, how he doesn't act like he can see through people's souls. He may just float by a crowd of people and get out of there with tons of information about each person in the crowd but no one would ever know.

That was scary… and cool. And Tiara found that amazing. She suddenly got an idea that Mitchell failed to think about. A gasp gave her away.

"What happened?" Percy asked her with concern.

Tiara pursed her lips. "Mitchell said they had gone to collect inside information from the Lightning Dragon Sect, right?"

Percy nodded.

"If they had taken you along, one glance at their target and you would have collected the information they needed. Mitchell wouldn't have had to kill. They wouldn't be on the run right now."

Percy's lip parted in surprise, realising that she was right. He laughed, "Yeah." He patted Tiara's head lightly. "Nice, you're growing up."

Tiara smiled and Percy dropped his hand immediately. "That's what teachers do to their kids when they do a good job, don't get any ideas." He felt himself internally blushing. He shouldn't have done that. Only a stupid guy does that to a girl he doesn't even like.

"Let's go!" Tiara yelled excitedly.

"Where?"

"To the Lightning Dragon Sect people, let's get the information that Mitchell couldn't get."

"No." What was she thinking? "We both know very well what happened the last time we stepped out of the house."

"But this is something serious, we can stop the stupid sect which is coming in our way!"

"Our way?" Percy questioned. "How is any of this related to us both? All we need to do is do this game experiment for them. The real world things will be handled by the others. We have our own worries in the game, remember?"

"Yeah but-"

"Do you want to know what I saw in Alex or not? Before he comes back."

Tiara sighed, not sure which conversation to pursue. How can Percy not see the things they could find? It annoyed her that only if Mitchell had taken Percy along, they would be here right now. And now that she knows how to turn things around and not make her brother's mission a total waste, she doesn't want to sit here idly and be what she had been till now… useless.

But she also wanted to know what this new addition to her life, named Alex, was hiding.

So what Tiara said next was a simple, "Yeah okay."

Percy rolled his eyes and got up. "Nevermind, you don't seem interested in the slightest. I'll just keep it to myself."

"Percy!" Tiara whined from the sofa. "I wish I had some sort of power," she grumbled.

"A beggar like you? I doubt it," Percy joked.

"Well you're nothing in the game either. You'll have to start from square one."

"I'll surpass you in one day, maybe less, now that I have got a hang of how the game works."

"Well, aren't you quite the overachiever."

"And aren't you quite the dumb one."

"I'm not dumb! Just…" her face went red in anger, "Just inexperienced!"

"Oh you want experience?" Percy asked with a slight lilt in his voice.

"Yeah yeah," Tiara lolled her head from side to side, "Now you'll say to get experience, I'll have to work hard in the game and earn those experience points blah blah blah, and how you'll get more points than me, blah blah blah-"

"Tiara," Percy was sitting on the table opposite her now. Tiara definitely noticed his knees touch hers, but she wasn't the type to understand what it was supposed to mean. Percy however, was just thinking of what to say next, oblivious to the fact how close they were right now.

"We have another guy in the house," Percy finally said what had been on his mind for so long.

"So?"

"And he isn't an old man or an uncle."

"So?"

"Since you're a girl, he could treat you in a way you aren't comfortable with. And… I know you don't know how men our age may behave when they are crossing the line."

Tiara frowned. For some reason, she knew what Percy was hinting at.

12 years on Earth hadn't left her a stranger how gentle humans can be, but at the same time, how rash and instinctive, like the animals they descended from.

"Alex might not be like that," Tiara said after some thought. He seemed nice, not like Tiara's mother's second husband. Tiara hated him, to the core, after the things she had seen her do to her mother. She never understood why her mother remarried, especially to that jerk. Alex was nothing like him.

"Yeah, but don't you think you should keep an eye out?"

Tiara nodded, "Yeah, you're right." A feeling of light safety came over her, despite being more aware that she was here alone with two men. Percy was looking out for her, and that feeling was quite new to her. "What should I look out for?"

Percy smirked. He sat up straight and held one finger up. "One, don't be alone with him in a dark place."

Tiara nodded, "Fair enough. So keep all the lights on at night."

"Yes and keep the bedroom keys in a place only we both know," Percy added.

Tiara thought about it and caressed her lips in thought. "Why should you know? YOu are also a man of my age right?"

"Yes, but I won't do anything fishy with you."

"What's the guarantee?" She asked, trying not to smile. She loved seeing this face of his. It was yellow in annoyance and his lips were twisted as he grit his teeth at her responses. She wanted to pull his cheeks because it was the cutest face she had ever seen him make.

He let out a breath. "Fine, you hide the keys in a place only you know."

Tiara deflated at the lack of a fight and then nodded. "Okay, next?"

"He mustn't come closer than 5 feet to you."

"FIVE FEET?" Tiara whined. "Are you kidding me?"

Percy sighed, "Okay fine, 2 feet. Any less than 2 feet, it's dangerous."

Tiara pouted and thought 2 feet was still overkill but said okay anyway, just like Percy had expected she would. He felt proud of himself now, the oldest psychology trick in the book worked.

If you want the other person to agree to something you want, first tell them to do something that's huge and too hard for them. Once they refuse, tell the person what you actually want them to do. They will end up feeling guilty for refusing the first time and most likely say yes the second time even if it's a bit hard for them to do so.

"Three, he will not do any injections or the dream related stuff when I'm not here. Four, you will acknowledge me as your guardian anywhere you go until you regain your total mobility."

Tiara agreed to both of them one by one. She didn't find them so hard to agree to since they were Partners after all.

"Five, if he talks suggestively, you inform me, even if he threatens you."

Tiara frowned. "What do I know what counts as suggestive ?"

Percy shook her head, "You're a girl. You'll know."

"Okay… but what if he threatens to kill me or something?" She added, since Percy was being super serious about this.

Percy didn't change his rule still. "You will inform me whatever it is, Tiara. I'll handle it."

"But-"

"No-" Percy suddenly said, realising that's not what he should think of Tiara from now on. "We'll handle it together," he corrected and Tiara seemed to calm down when she heard those words.

"Woah," she muttered, looking down at her feet. "Okay, Percy. So Alex and you are both acquaintances to me?" She asked for the final time.

Percy gulped. Why does she have to ask all the right questions? He didn't know how to answer this. Before he could, she spoke anyway.

"Because it certainly doesn't feel like it. You're much more than what Percy is. And Mitchell is much more than what you are. That's it. I don't have anyone else."

"Tiara I-"

She looked up at him, her eyes a little blurry with the start of tears. "So don't tell me to call you just an acquaintance Percy! You don't know how much it hurts!" She didn't want to explode on him like this, but she didn't want to deal with these feelings by herself anymore either. "Unless… I was right all along and you see me only as a stone to stand on while you master the game." Her voice hitched and she asked him for the first time, and the last:

"What am I to you, Percy?"