Chapter 4: Tangle

The police station was louder than Robin had expected or maybe that was because of who she was with. She sat there beside the male student who pulled her off of the campus pervert. The adrenaline had long worn off and now, she was exhausted.

It was difficult to identify know what had come over her. Tharja grabbed her ass all the time, so it wasn't something she was unfamiliar with. But when she realized that Tharja was several tens of thousand miles away, the first thing Robin did was punch.

"Lon'qu Sun, can we get one more photo? My wife is a huge fan," asked Officer Xi, who was obviously neglecting his responsibilities. "And a couple autographs before you go."

Silently, the male student nodded. "Of course."

Officer Xi came around the table and Lon'qu stood up. He forced on a small smile and the police officer snapped the photo on his phone. Behind them, there was a crowd of both officers and late-night hooligans forming.

"Thank you for all your hard work," said Officer Xi. He proceeded to shake Lon'qu's hand.

Robin noticed that Lon'qu didn't look comfortable with all the attention. She sighed impatiently, wanting to go home. She prayed that she wasn't in too much trouble. It had been self-defense. Sort of.

She waited quietly, staring at her hands, and pursed her lips. There was a reason why her parents only allowed her to do kickboxing for two years: her father was worried about her hands. He valued her hands more than probably her as a whole. She hadn't expected her body to remember that much, but considering she had spent five days a week at the kickboxing gym for two years, it wasn't surprising some of the moves were still ingrained in her even several years later. She missed the cathartic release of her stress in kickboxing.

There was a throbbing in her hands that Robin knew wasn't good news. Who cared though…she wasn't playing anymore. Massaging her hands, she checked to see if they were done freaking out over the student beside her. When it finally cleared up, Lon'qu took his seat beside Robin and Officer Xi scurried back around the table to sit across from them to fill out the report.

Robin leaned towards him. "You're kinda a big deal, huh?"

"Han'do," said Lon'qu.

"That was very elaborative," said Robin flatly.

"Sir, could I have some ice?" inquired Lon'qu.

"Hmm?" Officer Xi looked up from the keyboard. "Oh, yes. Of course!" He called over another officer to ask him to bring some ice. "You're lucky that Lon'qu Sun was just around the corner to save you, Miss."

She blinked several times and cocked her head to the side with a polite smile. Did she hear that right?

"He's the number one swordmaster in Chon'sin. Probably in the world, and he's going to take the gold at the Arena Games." Officer Xi gave Lon'qu a thumbs up. "We're rooting for you!"

"Thank you," murmured Lon'qu.

"Actually, he just pulled me off of the pervert," corrected Robin.

Officer Xi stared at her and then burst out laughing. "That's cute, Miss."

"So, do you want to tell me what happened, Mr. Sun?" asked the officer.

"Umm…" Lon'qu glanced over at Robin. "What she said."

Someone finally returned with an ice pack and handed it to Lon'qu. He mumbled a thanks and placed the ice pack in her hands before wordlessly turning back to the police officer.

"I heard a scream—"

"Wasn't me," interjected Robin.

"She was…defending herself," said Lon'qu.

"I understand that you need to protect your image, but this will all be confidential. You can tell us the truth," said the officer. "I mean, you've caught the Shu'an U campus pervert. We've been trying to get him for a couple weeks now."

Robin rolled her eyes as she pressed the ice pack on her knuckles. She couldn't tell what hurt more—the cold of the ice pack or her damaged hands.

"He's telling the truth," grumbled Robin. "I kicked his ass for grabbing my ass."

"Right," said Officer Xi. "You seem a little small to be able to take down a man."

"Her hips," said Lon'qu.

Robin frowned and turned to him. Her hips. What the hell was he going on about?

Lon'qu noted that she was staring at him. She watched the realization of how odd those two words sounded out of context slowly dawn on his face. He opened his mouth to try to explain himself, but he was quickly cut off by the arrival of a loud woman.

"Lon'qu, not another word!"

A middle-aged woman with a short haircut dressed in business casual in the middle of the night stepped forward. "Your PR manager is here to save the day! I'm Lan'fei, Lon'qu's PR manager."

"Can I go home now?" asked Robin.

When Robin didn't think it could get more hectic, a large burly, tan man arrived. He gently pulled Lan'fei away from in between Robin and Lon'qu to behind him.

Immediately, Lon'qu stood up from his seat. "Coach."

"Never thought you'd be the one causing trouble." His coach chuckled, patting Lon'qu on the back. "Relax. We'll be home before we know it. Lan'fei will deal with the kerfuffle."

"Basilio, get out of the way." Lan'fei tried to push Basilio away, but he was far too large and didn't budge.

A headache started to throb in Robin's temple. She glared at Lon'qu. This was all his fault.

Lon'qu woke up when he felt the weight distribution of his bed shift. He squinted over his shoulder to see Min lying beside him. Min never woke up before him unless had nightmares.

Before Lon'qu could ask if Min was okay, his friend stuck his glaringly bright phone in front his face, blinding him first thing in the morning. The sound that came out of Lon'qu was a mix between a groan and a hiss.

"Dude. You're the main headline on the news. You saved a girl from being raped. Why didn't you tell me?" Min jabbed at his side with his finger.

It tickled. The shit was doing it on purpose knowing that he was ticklish there. Lon'qu twisted away and pulled the blanket over his head. "Go away, Min."

"Tell me what happened!" Min continued to poke his ribs while climbing all over him like a child.

Lon'qu growled and shoved him off the bed. The tickler rolled off the bed unceremoniously and pouted at him from the floor.

"Let me sleep! I got in around three in the morning!" snapped Lon'qu. Then, he crawled back into his blanket.

"It's six," said Min, picking himself up from the ground.

Lon'qu's eyes snapped open and he threw off the covers. "What the hell, Min! We have to be at the field in twenty minutes!" He jumped out of bed and scurried about trying to find his shorts and shirt.

Min watched Lon'qu while eating a protein bar. He chewed and then smiled. "This is new. It's kinda amusing. I think I like frazzled Lon-lon."

Lon'qu had managed to find his shirt and pulled it on. When he popped his head out of the shirt, he walked over to Min to punch him in the arm before heading to the washroom.

"Ow!"

"Why didn't you wake me? I wake you up every morning!"

"I assumed you needed the sleep," Min called out to him. "Do you want a protein bar?

"Shut up before I make you choke on your protein bar!"

"Lon-lon is grumps."

The two arrived just on time and finished their morning laps with the rest of the Han'do team. Lon'qu wanted to go back to bed. He didn't even care everyone around him was whispering about him this morning. With Min beside him, he dragged his feet to eat breakfast and head over to the gym for a full day of weight training. At breakfast, Min drilled him on questions, but Lon'qu didn't have the energy to answer. He yawned and fed his friend curt answers.

"So what happened?" demanded Min. "Tell me!"

"Later."

"You're killing me here." Min pointed his spoon accusingly at Lon'qu.

Lon'qu sighed. Today was going to suck. He didn't get nearly enough sleep and Min was wearing down his patience faster than usual.

"Who was it?"

"International student."

As Lon'qu recalled the night before, the international student—Robin (which he only found out much later in the evening which was extended because of Basilio and Lan'fei squabbling about)—seemed to have a lot of anger pent up in her. The pervert messed with her at the wrong time and got the blunt of her rage. Or maybe she was angry because they had wasted her time and twisted some convoluted story about how Lon'qu saved the day and the man had tripped over and smashed his face on the concrete. Maybe that was more believable and it helped the pervert save face that a tiny Plegian girl didn't nearly kill him for grabbing her ass.

"You're not the type to pummel someone from the brink of death though. You don't even kill bugs. So tell me what happened," begged Min.

Robin must've done some martial arts at some point because her form and power in her kicks were something. Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was a mix of both.

"She had strong hips," said Lon'qu.

"Huh?" asked Min.

"She had strong hips," Lon'qu repeated, yawning.

"What does that even mean? Were you trying to figure out whether she had good child-bearing hips?"

Lon'qu flushed. "No. You and your filthy mind. It's not surprising why your attention span is worse than a koi fish. Her kicks had a lot of power to them."

"Oh." Min nodded. Then he came back with a sharp remark. "Of course you'd be turned on by the amount of power a woman has in her hips. It's no wonder you're awkward around women."

He shot Min a glare, telling him to leave him alone.

"Do you know what she's studying?" asked Min.

Lon'qu chewed on his food for a moment and considered the question. He had seen her standing in front of the music hall before. At the police station, she sat there checking her hands over and over again like her life depended on it.

"I think she might be a music student," said Lon'qu. "Something with her hands."

"So you mean…all the instruments," Min said flatly. "You're so boring, Lon-lon!"

"Go find a new best friend then," said Lon'qu.

"Maybe I will."

Lon'qu scoffed.

"You're right. Everyone else is boring. And I need to look after you."

Robin checked her watch to confirm that she was running late. She cursed under her breath and shoved her feet into her sneakers. The gears of the lock turned and unlocked when Robin pressed the small button on the door lock of the main entrance. If she ran, she might be able to catch the subway. Its frequency was higher than the bus. Robin turned the door handle to bolt out.

"Wait!" Yui grabbed her arm.

"Yui? I'm late. Can it wait?" Robin shifted between her feet.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Yui.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I kicked his ass. Besides, it was a couple days ago." Robin smiled.

"Do you want Sully and I to meet you on campus later tonight? We can all head home together after," said Yui.

Robin checked her watch again and looked back at Yui. She didn't look like she was going to take 'no' for an answer. "Alright. I'll message you later, 'kay?"

Her housemate smiled. Yui had such an adorable smile. She also had a sweet disposition. Robin understood why boys were lining up to date her.

"Okay. Good luck!"

With sprinting the entire way there, Robin barely caught the subway to Shu'an U campus. She heaved and panted, trying to catch her breath. Gods, she was out of shape. Really out of shape. Her legs were sore from that night too. She hadn't used a lot of those muscles in a long time and her hands hurt too, but she pretended they didn't. It didn't matter—she was retired.

Well, she decided that she was retired, but the world didn't know that. She didn't come out and say it in an interview or anything. Robin had kind of vanished after walking off the stage that evening.

The subway announced all the stops on the way to Shu'an University and people got on and off like clockwork. Her body rocked gently with the gradual acceleration and deceleration of the train with only a vinyl hand grip to hold her in place. The map with blinking LED lights flanked by ads counted down the stops for her.

'Arriving at Shu'an University. Shu'an University,' said the train.

The subway came to smooth stop and Robin headed to the university. She checked her watch again while running up the stairs. 12:24 PM. She had six minutes to get to music building.

Emmeryn waited at the front of the music building for Robin. There was still a couple minutes before their promised rendezvous time of 12:30 PM. In the distance, Emmeryn spotted a distinct student with silver hair sprinting down the cherry blossom walkway. She made a sharp turn and waved at Emmeryn when she saw her.

Robin arrived out of breath and bent over. "Oh…gods…so…out of shape." Panting, she straightened up. "Am I late?"

The professor smiled at her and pulled out her phone to check. "You still had an extra minute. Are you training for the Universiade too?"

"The what?" Robin huffed.

"The Universiade. It's an international multi-sport competition that's held every two years. It's being held in Shu'an this year and my brother is participating," said Emmeryn. Robin gave her a look that confirmed to Emmeryn that she had no idea what she was talking about. She tried again. "It's the sports equivalent to the Arabella Competition that's held in Rosanne every year."

"Ohhh." The young woman nodded, finally making the connection.

Emmeryn knew that Robin would be more familiar with the Arabella Competition since she had won first in piano for every age division she had entered since childhood. The judges at the competition were often biased to favour their own students since it made their own respective schools and academies look good, but Robin had taken everything home anyway. A true testament to her genius.

"So, I would like to first thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to have lunch with me," said Emmeryn.

"Not at all," said Robin. "I should be thanking you. As a prof here, you're probably far busier than me."

"I made a reservation at a nice restaurant here. They specialize in curry. Have you tried curry in Chon'sin yet?"

Robin shook her head.

"I think you'll enjoy in." Emmeryn linked her arms with the young pianist and led the way.

If Emmeryn hadn't made a reservation, they would've waited for a long time. Today was no different, the restaurant was packed, but oddly enough, it was never cacophonic and loud. The restaurant was on the fifth floor of the building. It was high enough to people-watch but not high enough to enjoy the cityscape. Black with highlights of red and gold was the aesthetic of the place. Compared to Ylissean palettes, it was strikingly different.

While Emmeryn had already decided on getting the pork cutlet curry, Robin hid behind her menu. She didn't rush her. She simply waited for Robin to choose.

"I don't know what to pick," murmured Robin. "I think I'll just go with the original, I guess."

"Are you sure? You can take more time."

"No, it's fine."

The waiter came back and they ordered the dishes. After, Robin awkwardly glanced around the place. She didn't look too comfortable. Emmeryn laughed softly.

"What?" Robin asked.

"You seem so out of your environment," teased Emmeryn.

"And what would my environment be?" inquired Robin.

Emmeryn hummed, taking a moment before answering it. "I've only seen you seated at a piano under bright spotlights—"

"Yup." There was bitterness in her response.

"But what I mean to say is that you're far from home and there's probably a lot to take in. Yes?" asked Emmeryn.

Robin met her eyes. Then, she pursed her lips. "I guess so. It's nice to be somewhere new though."

"Are you enjoying your exchange so far?" asked Emmeryn.

"I am," said Robin.

"I don't recall if I asked you this, but I would've thought you would've majored in music."

"I think a lot of people did. There's a lot of money in stats, actually."

Emmeryn nodded understandingly. They both knew the big question loomed over both their heads. Before she could delve into the question, Robin initiated first.

"So, do you like being a professor?" asked Robin.

"Yes, I was very lucky to get this position," said Emmeryn.

The waiter arrived with their dishes and set them in front of each person. The aroma of curry filled the space between them and diverted the attention. Robin picked up her spoon and mixed some of the rice with the curry. She took a bite and smiled.

"Not bad."

"There's a lot of good restaurants around here. You should check them out with your friends. If you like travelling on your own though, there are restaurants that cater to lone diners too."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Once Emmeryn dug into her own dish, the two grew quiet, occupied with eating. In the middle of the meal, Emmeryn glanced at her bag and Robin followed her gaze. Rumours had circulated this girl since her disappearance from the classical world two years ago. Some said that the pressure and expectations had broken her genius, and she was home, hiding from the world. The genius pianist seated in front of her didn't fit that image at all. Another rumour posited that she lost interest in the piano because she had mastered everything she could. A classical pianist her caliber could only get so far before becoming bored. The darker rumours included that she had turned to drugs and ended up in rehab. Recreational drug use in the music community wasn't something that was unheard of.

"You're probably dying to know, aren't you?" asked Robin.

"To know…?"

"You don't have to pretend to not be curious," said Robin, putting her spoon down. She pulled her braid over her shoulder.

"It would be rude to ask and you don't seem too comfortable sharing what happened two years ago," said Emmeryn.

A short, sarcastic laugh erupted the girl. "Of course not. I'm pretty sure my dad had an aneurysm. Long story short: I'm not playing anymore. I'm trying to move on with my life."

Disappointment sank its fangs into Emmeryn. She did her best to hide it on her face, but Robin probably already saw it.

Music was a love-hate relationship for musicians. There was a constant drive to be better. To create. Endless hours of practice and dedication to perfecting the art of the instrument were dedicated. All that time spent grueling away in a tiny room to obtain the high of the performance. But everyone hit slumps and plateaus. Some gave up. Some kept pushing forward.

Emmeryn had never seen someone as passionate as Robin when it came to playing the piano. She gave true life to the composers' intentions and added her own stylistic flair. It was always subtle, yet no one could ever replicate what she did with her hands. Her soul.

The older pianist recalled reading an article on Robin's debut concerto. In short, the critics called her a 'once-in-a-century pianist'. 'The modern piano poet'. 'Musical clarity and maturity beyond her age'. Her performances were always sold out and expensive.

"Do you still play for fun?" asked Emmeryn carefully.

"Professor—"

"Please. Just call me Emm. We go way back."

"Emm. Playing piano hasn't been a source of fun for me since I was kid," said Robin. "I just did it because I used to think it was the only reason why I lived. But you grow up. Reality hits. And there will always be someone better than me. So, everyone can wait for them. I mean Virion Lefebvre is a pretty damn good pianist. Far more mature in terms of stylistic playing than me. He can have the spotlight."

Robin hadn't touched a piano since the incident, deduced Emmeryn.

"Do you miss it?"

"No. I guess I'm not deserving of music since I don't miss being in hell," said Robin.

Emmeryn offered her a sympathetic smile.

"I have something for you." Emmeryn dug through her leather tote and pulled out a worn book.

With a perplexed frown, Lon'qu moved his pencil in between his fingers while staring at the math problem in front of him. He was stuck. Sighing, he pulled out his binder from the backpack beside his desk and flipped through the lecture notes to see if the professor had covered this or not. Of course, the professor hadn't. Lon'qu opened his laptop to see if he could find any help on the Internet.

"Lon-lon!"

Lon'qu jumped and dropped his pencil. Irritably, he turned to Min. "What?"

Min laughed like a little mischievous monkey on his bed. "That never gets old."

"Min, I'm trying to do my homework."

"Such a good student."

"If it's not urgent, bother me later."

"So, you know the girl you supposedly saved?"

He opened his mouth to correct him.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what really happened. But all of Chon'sin doesn't. Anyway. I found her!"

"What do you mean?"

Min rolled onto his stomach and typed something into his phone. "I sent you the link. Oh. You put your phone on silent. You shouldn't do that. Mom will get upset that you're ignoring her. I think she's all better from her cold now though."

He wasn't surprised that Min knew more than he did. He also wouldn't be surprised if Min was the favorite son, blood or not.

Lon'qu picked his phone up and saw that there was a text from Min. "Can I check later?"

"Fine. Don't open it. But the girl's name is Robin Grima—"

"Are you stalking people?"

"No. It was just leaked and you know people. Curious creatures."

"Nosy, prying creatures."

"Sure, you could put it that way too."

"She's pretty famous. Maybe just as famous as us in her field."

"Min, spit it out. I have work to do."

"She's like a piano genius or something. But she hasn't been active for two years. Apparently, she had a meltdown during a performance. So then, I found this video online. I wouldn't really call it a meltdown though. She just stopped playing and then walked off stage while the orchestra was still playing and the conductor was flailing. It's kinda funny. There's this gasp from the orchestra. Isn't that neat? Don't I have amazing detective skills?"

"That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" huffed Min.

"Min, we talked about this. After dinner until Mom calls, you promised we'd do our schoolwork," said Lon'qu. "Or at least let me do mine."

Min grinned at him.

"What?"

"Wanna know something else?"

"No."

"It has something to do with creepy-crawlers."

Lon'qu perked up at the term Min used to describe bugs. Playing and studying bugs was a favorite childhood pastime, but Han'do took up all his time now.

"What about them?" asked Lon'qu.

"They're doing an insect exhibition this summer at the Nature Museum. You should go."

"By myself?" And get mauled by fans?

"Yeah. They creep me out. Or take a friend."

"No, you're coming with me."

"Okay, I will. If you come out this weekend."

He should've known better. Of course Min would want something in exchange. But he really didn't want to go alone and he really wanted to check out the exhibition. Min was good with people. Him? Not so good.

"Fine. What is it?"

"The Han'do team at school is having an outing this weekend. Let's go," said Min. "Non-members are also allowed to come, so if you're not interesting in the girls on the team, you could meet someone outside of the Han'do world."

Usually, Lon'qu said 'no' before Min could finish his questions because 'no' was the most befitting answer to his ridiculous requests. "Fine. One hour."

"Four."

"One and a half."

Min sat up on his bed. He held out three fingers. "Three."

"No."

"Fine. I won't go with you then. The fangirls can blind you with the camera flashes."

Lon'qu grumbled. "Two."

"Three."

"Two."

A exasperated sigh from Min. "Two and a half."

"Deal."

"Shake on it!"

They did their secret handshake and sealed the deal.

"You do know we'll be there a lot longer than that, right?"

Lon'qu sighed. "I know."

"Robin!" sang Yui. "Why am I not surprised you're still in the library?"

Robin took her earphones out. "Ah, Yui, I'm so sorry. I was supposed to meet you outside, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, ten minutes ago. I texted you a couple times, but I think you had your phone on silent. What are you doing?"

She capped her red pen and dropped it in her pencil case. She gathered the tests and tapped them on the table top before securing them together with a binder clip. "Marking exams. For the TA job."

"Oh! How'd they do?" asked Yui.

Robin grimaced. "Not so well so far. I don't think these students know to reduce the matrices to echelon form."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Yui smiled.

"Sorry."

Yui set Robin's bag on the table and opened it for her so packing up with go faster. "Oh! Do you play piano?"

She froze.

Yui pulled out the small book Emmeryn had given her earlier at lunch. "Nice. I used to play. I mean, what kid in Chon'sin hasn't taken piano for a couple years?" She flipped through it and said, "This looks like black smears on paper. You must be good to be able to play this."

"I don't play anymore." Robin took the music book and stuck it back in the back along with the rest of her belongings.

"There's a matcha cafe close to here. I don't know if you've been yet. Wanna go?" asked Yui.

Robin relaxed and beamed. "I will never turn down anything matcha-related."

"Oh, by the way, there's a social being held by the Han'do team. I promised I'd bring you because they want to see how hot my Plegian housemate is! So you're coming with."

"Huh?"

"It's on Saturday. Maybe you'll have a fling before you head back home!"

"Yui—"

"Nope! La la la!" Yui covered her ears. "I'm not taking 'no' as an answer!"