Chapter 4: Exceptional

-Tor and Julie's dorm-

Tor and Julie looked at each other as the moonlight bathed the porcelain skinned Scandinavian girl in pure white rays, making her seem almost ethereal, her eyes seemingly becoming more like jewelry in a doll than the eyes of a real person.

What happened next was purely on instinct on Tor's part, as he slowly leaned down to the small girl in his arms while she stood on her tiptoes to meet him, their eyes closing as they kept moving…

And then their lips met, the spark that came from it causing them to embrace one another.

Despite himself, Tor stood up fully while he held onto the shorter girl, having no issues with holding her like this.

After a moment, the two of them separated for air and looked into each other's eyes.

"Julie… I–" Tor started to say before the white haired girl pecked him on the lips.

"Don't apologize. That… That actually felt good." She told him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. "I liked it." She added, smiling a bit.

"... So did I, honestly." The boy smiled, holding his partner close. This felt like a good step in the right direction, in terms of becoming an actual couple.

…

Tor then immediately woke up seconds later, realizing that he was having a replay dream of what happened the previous night.

"What…? A dream?" He muttered before his hands brushed his lips, remembering how Julie's felt on his. "They felt really soft…" He mused to himself.

"Mmm…" Julie hummed, still sleeping… Right next to him.

"... I wanna freak out, but she's too adorable." He sighed, unable to stop himself from smiling as he looked at her.

She really did look adorable right now.

"Julie, it's time to wake up." The boy told her, touching her shoulder.

This caused the girl to slowly wake up, causing Tor's heart to nearly go into overdrive at how cute she looked.

"Hey, Tor…" The girl yawned. "Is everything okay?" She asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, just… Why're you in my bed?" He asked.

"We decided to sleep together last night. Don't you remember?" The girl asked.

"... Oh. Right." The Tenno blinked, remembering what happened last night. It was at that moment a new thought entered Julie's mind.

"Tor, I'm curious. Aside from your sister, did you have anyone else back in your previous reality?" She wondered.

"Yeah, actually. Me and my sister were part of a Tenno clan that we joined a while after we woke up after the Old War ended." The boy replied, looking wistfully at the ceiling in remembrance of his old Tenno clan.

"Old War?" The whitette blinked.

"I'll explain some other time." Tor told her in reply, since they had one topic in front of them already. "My clan was known as The Wrathborn, for their legendary fury. It actually had two forms. First, the loud and boastful, who scared our enemies to their cores; Second is the calm and collected, who were honestly scarier since nobody would see them coming until they wanted them to." He explained, shivering at the end. "The Founding Warlord of the clan was actually said to be in the second category." He added.

"What category were you in?" Julie asked, tilting her head

"The former, though I think that may have changed over the years." Tor replied before sighing. "I actually miss the others…" He muttered, sounding a bit homesick about not just his dojo, but also his Orbiter.

He'd give anything to hear Ordis' voice again, even once…

Julie hugged him, trying to ease his spirits.

"I wish there was a way for you to know they were alive." She sighed.

Unknown to them, someone was watching them, Tor, specifically… Someone far from normal by this world's standards. It looked vaguely feminine despite being invisible, and she was watching Tor from afar.

(Later)

Tor and Julie were now in class, talking with Tora and his duo partner.

"We heard you guys put up a fight against Tsukimi. Really banged her up pretty badly." The bespectacled teen remarked.

"Oh yeah. She picked the wrong guy to target." The Tenno smirked in reply.

"Shouldn't you guys be resting, though?" Tomoe questioned.

"Yeah, you guys were really banged up yourselves." Miyabi nodded.

"Ja." Julie agreed.

"Well, they were only inflicted by a Lukifer, so it wasn't too bad." Tora shrugged in reply.

"Forgive me for calling bullshit on that." Tor deadpanned.

"I just hope that Tsukimi faced consequences for what she did, beyond the beating she got." Tomoe hissed, getting nods in return.

Then the door opened… And in came Tsukimi, much to their disbelief.

'Seriously?! The headmistress let her come back?!' Tor thought with wide eyes.

"Okay, class! No more dilly dallying! Get to your seats, because we have stuff to go over today!" The woman exclaimed in her cheerful persona.

(Later)

After class…

Tsukimi was walking down the hall, when she stopped when she saw Jason Miles cutting her off from the rest of said hall. Tor and the others were right behind her.

"Okay, there's one thing I wanna know, and that is: how were you allowed back?" The hidden Tenno questioned sternly, itching to summon one of his many weapons.

"Huh? You wanting to pick a fight or something?" The woman sneered. "You should show more respect to your teachers." She added.

"That's a lot to ask from someone you tried to kill." Tor snarled, causing Tsukimi to turn to face him.

"True enough, I guess." She smirked, but in the split second she had her back turned, Jason grabbed her from behind and now had his Hidden Blade Blaze ready to stab her in the neck.

"I've been itching to kill you all morning. So please, give me a reason. I'm begging you." The assassin snarled.

"I would, but our headmistress is watching." The bunny woman pointed out, causing Tor and his group to look behind them, and sure enough, the headmistress was standing right there.

"I do believe this requires an explanation. Come with me to my office." The short woman stated.

(Later)

"The fuck do you think you're pulling, bringing that homicidal bitch back? Have you lost your fucking mind, or are you just that stupid?" Jason questioned right as everyone walked in.

"Please refrain from talking to me like that." The headmistress told him in reply as she took her seat. "As for why, she may have tried to kill you, but you're all still alive, aren't you?" She asked rhetorically. "Add to the fact Tooru put up a fight that resulted in her being incapacitated, I decided to rehire her so she could bring out similar results among the student body." She explained further.

"Okay, I stand corrected. You're just insane." The two tone eyed kid guffawed.

"Can't really argue there…" Tor nodded.

"Better get used to it, because you're stuck with me!" Tsukimi giggled.

"Try and pick a fight with me again and you might not be so smug." Jason threatened.

"Ditto." Tor nodded.

"Now if that's settled, I should tell you that you'll all be undergoing a level two sublimation process at the end of the week." The headmistress told the kids.

"Wait, are you serious?!" The hidden Tenno gasped.

"I am, and you in particular, Tooru, have certainly given the impression of being at a level far greater than your rank would suggest." The short woman nodded, looking at Tor.

"A little too far above his rank, if you ask me." Jason whispered to himself, glancing at Tor with a low amount of suspicion.

(Timeskip)

It was the next day and the kids were all now in class discussing the levels of Lucifers, at least until someone walked in the door.

"Huh?" Jason grunted, being woken up from a nap while Tor was still deep in his thoughts. "Well look who the cat dragged in." He mused.

It was a fair skinned girl with blonde hair and blue eyes around the class's age wearing a differently colored version of the girl's uniform for the school. Her features suggested European ancestry.

She immediately walked up to Tor and looked him in the eye.

"Come with me." She basically demanded in a British accent.

"Uh, sorry, but I'm in the middle of class." Tor stated, seemingly unphased by the girl's sudden appearance. "And could you move? You're blocking the board." He added.

"Don't make me say it again." The girl told him. "Besides, I have special permissions, so there won't be any issues, will there?" She asked, directing the question at Tsukimi.

"No. Go ahead." The bunny woman shrugged.

"This bitch…" Jason muttered.

"Hey, whatever you want to say to Tor, you can say it here." Tora barked.

"Ja." Julie nodded, though her expression seemed to convey that she was feeling either jealous or possessive, which wasn't clear.

"Silence, peons, both of you." The English girl scoffed haughtily as she walked toward the door. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Lilith Bristol. I just transferred here from the England campus." She winked.

"Nice! Nobody cares!" Jason chimed in.

"Rude." Lilith huffed.

"And you calling us peons isn't? Get off your high horse, blondie, I don't think your brain's getting enough oxygen." The American snapped.

Lilith seemed to glare at him, before taking a breath and deciding to ignore his verbal barbs. "Anyway, come along, Tor. I have some things I'd like to discuss with you in private." She beckoned the hidden Tenno.

"Alright, I guess…" The boy sighed before looking at his Duo partner. "I'll be back later. Share your notes with me then?" He told her.

"Ja." The whitette nodded in reply.

(Later)

Tor sat with Lilith as the both of them had tea.

"Well, Tor. I've come here to tell you that you're going to be my duo partner." The blonde told the teen.

"Yeah, not a chance," The brunette rebuked bluntly, sipping his tea. "I already have a Duo partner, and I'm content with who I got." He added. "Side note, this tea is well made." He hummed. Though what he left unsaid was that it paled in comparison to the tea he had from time to time in the Origin System.

"I know that you have a duo partner but the rules don't apply to me. I'm an exception." The blonde told him, right before what he said after that hit her. "Wait, did you just turn me down?!" She questioned.

"Yes I did." The Tenno confirmed. "I get that you're an exception, but it seems like you have nothing in case your chosen partner turns you down, so how about I point you at someone who actually lacks a Duo partner?" He offered before looking to his right. "You can come out now!" He called

Lilith looked confused before Jason dropped down next to Tor.

"How'd you know?" The assassin themed boy asked with a surprised blink since he thought he was quiet enough.

"Please. I've dealt with people who take the concept of stealth to levels you can't reach." Tor chuckled in reply. "Anyway, Lilith, since you have no Duo partner, why not give Jason here a shot?" He offered, much to the surprise of both of them.

"Me? Partner with that prissy bitch? Have you flipped your lid?!" The boy questioned in disbelief.

"Oh please. There have been crazier and unorthodox Duos out there. What makes this proposition so different?" Tor shrugged.

"How about that he isn't worthy of my talents?" Lilith questioned, bringing out her Blaze—which turned into a rifle.

"… That's why you're an exception?" Jason questioned with a blink, before he started laughing.

"What's so funny?!" The English girl questioned irritably.

"You think that just because your Blaze is a gun, you're more special than everyone?!" The American guffawed. "Please! Tor over here has a lot more going for him! Not to mention, my hidden blade has a gun function!" He added, showing said function on his blaze. "In fact, why don't you show her your stuff?" He asked, looking at the Tenno.

"Let's save that for the next Novgladius." Tor told him. "That said, why don't you show her your stuff? I'm gonna head back to class." He added, getting up.

"You're not seriously just leaving this matter as it is, are you?" Lilith questioned, almost sounding like she was hoping Tor would change her mind.

"To borrow a phrase from you, don't make me say it again." The Tenno replied, looking back at her with a smirk before he left. "Oh and by the way. My current duo partner, Julie? She's also my girlfriend!" He called back as he walked off.

"Well, there's that dead in the water." Jason chuckled, sipping a glass of tea with a smug grin. "Now…" He hummed, turning to Lilith. "You were saying?" He added.

(Later)

Tor was now with Julie back in their dorm, having casual talk.

"Hey, Tor." The small girl said, looking at her boyfriend. "What was it that Lilith wanted to talk about?" She asked.

"She wanted me to be her Duo partner, but I turned her down." The boy replied as the two sat at their coffee table. "Apparently her Blaze is a rifle, which makes her an exception." He added.

"But your "Blaze" is a dozen guns, melee weapons and power suits." The girl pointed out, using her fingers to make quotation marks when she said Blaze.

"Exactly." Tor nodded. "She may be an exception, but I'm an irregular. The rules of Blazes never seemed to apply to me." He added. "Plus…" He hummed, pulling her close. "I couldn't help but feel like accepting her offer would have been like I was cheating on you." He told her.

"That's sweet of you." Julie smiled, snuggling into him and pecking him on the cheek. "By the way, do you think it's getting a little boring just staying here like this?" She asked, since they hadn't really gone anywhere outside the academy.

"I was thinking the same thing." The boy frowned, catching the meaning of her words. "I know a shopping mall in the city. Why don't we go there on our next break?" He proposed.

"Ja. It could be a good opportunity for me to get some more summer appropriate clothes." Julie nodded.

'Thank you Miyabi…' Tor sighed in relief.

(Flashback)

"Oh, the mall?" Miyabi asked as Tor brought it up. "Yeah, I know some good stops there, why do you ask?" She questioned.

"I was planning on taking Julie there one day this week." Tor replied. "It's uh… Kind of a first date." He chuckled nervously.

"Oh! You two got together?!" The brunette gasped. "Wait, did you two–?!" She started to ask before Tor cut her off.

"We've only really kissed, Miyabi. Nothing more." He deadpanned. "Honestly, just stop letting your mind go into the gutter." He added.

"Sorry. Force of habit, I guess." The girl apologized sheepishly. "But I do know a few places you could go to with her." She added before she started filling him in on viable places to go to.

(Flashback end)

"So are you ready to go to bed, Tor?" Julie asked, crawling into her boyfriend's lap.

"Yeah. I think now's a good time for us to get some sleep." Tor yawned in reply, laying down in his bed with Julie still on top of him. A moment later, however, she moved off of him.

"Tor?" She asked, getting his attention.

"Yeah?" The boy asked right as the small girl kicked him.

"Good night." She smiled before falling asleep next to him.

(Timeskip)

Fast forward about four days later, Tor and Julie were now on a train heading to the city. No one else was aboard, so they had the train to themselves, it seemed.

"I guess this means we're the only ones in our class with plans today." The boy noted.

"I figured more people would want to head to the city." Julie remarked as she looked out of the window, watching the seagulls.

(Later)

After taking a bus to the mall, Julie couldn't help but look around, a look of amazement in her eyes despite her facial expression not changing.

"This place is so big." She commented as she looked around.

"Yeah, it's big, alright." Tor chuckled. 'Not as impressive as my clan's dojo, though.' He remarked in his head.

Then again, any Tenno clan's dojo would outclass a mall when it came to style, so that was a given.

"So, where to first?" Julie asked, taking Tor's hand in hers.

"Not sure. How about you choose?" The boy offered, squeezing her hand.

"How about we head to a clothing store first?" She suggested.

"You did say you wanted to get some new clothes." Tor hummed. "Alright, let's go." He nodded as they headed to a clothing store.

With that, their first date was in motion.

"Let me try this on first." Julie nodded as she stepped into the dressing room to try something on.

"That girlfriend of yours is super adorable." The receptionist said. "You're one lucky guy." She added.

"Yeah, can't really argue with that." Tor nodded.

A moment later, she came out in a blue summer dress complete with a straw sunhat.

"Whoa, Julie!" The Tenno gasped in surprise. "Y-You actually look really cute in that." He admitted.

"I'll take this outfit, then." The short girl said instantly.

"Wow, that was quick." The boy exclaimed in surprise.

(Later)

Not long after trying a good few outfits on, the two paid for what they picked out and started going about their business.

Though Tor did feel a bit awkward when the shopping trip inevitably involved getting swimsuits and underwear—allowing him to inadvertently learn that his girlfriend was an AAA-Cup, almost a B-Cup.

For some baffling reason, Tor also had to save Julie from being swept away by a small mob of children a couple of times.

Things finally calmed down, though, when they decided to have some ice cream.

Julie had gotten German chocolate cake ice cream while Tor got mint chocolate chip

"Mmm. It tastes just like German chocolate cake." The girl sighed in bliss.

"Really? Huh, I always thought that there wasn't cake in it." Tor hummed.

"Would you like to try it?" The whitette asked.

"... You know what, I'm actually a bit curious. Sure." He nodded after thinking for a moment.

"Alright, say ah." Julie told him, holding up her spoon.

Meanwhile, around a corner, Tomoe and Miyabi were hiding behind a plant and watching the two.

"Wait, are they actually–?!" Tomoe gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

"I think they are!" Miyabi gulped, a blush on her cheeks.

Back with Tor, he had an amused look on his face as he ate the offered ice cream… And found himself pleasantly surprised when he tasted actual German chocolate cake in it.

"Wow, it really does taste like cake." He blinked.

"Now it's my turn." Julie nodded, opening her mouth so that she could try his next.

Chuckling in amusement (and pretending not to notice Tomoe and Miyabi watching, since their stealth was actually awful), he held up a spoon of his mint chocolate chip ice cream for his Scandinavian girlfriend to eat. She bit down on it and shivered from how cold it was to her.

"It's cold, just like my homeland." She noted. "But it's also sweet." She added with a hum.

"Well I'm glad it reminds you of home." The brunette smiled, glad to see her happy.

Julie smiled back, before leaning over and kissing Tor on the cheek, causing him to nearly drop his spoon in surprise.

"Did you have to do that in public?!" He hissed with a blush.

"You had no problem spoon feeding me, or me doing the same." She rebuked calmly.

"... Fair enough." The Tenno conceded as he reigned in his blush.

Speaking of blushes, Tomoe and Miyabi had some big ones on their faces as they watched the two interact.

"Okay, you were right, those two are dating." Tomoe nodded.

"You thought I was kidding?!" Miyabi hissed.

"I thought that you might've misheard!" The blue haired girl corrected. "After all, who would think that a duo would even end up getting together after only knowing each other a week? No rational person would make such a conclusion without proof!" She added.

"... Fair enough." The brunette sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here before they see us." She added.

Tomoe nodded as the two girls turned to leave. However, four teenage boys from outside the academy came up to them.

This seemed to catch the attention of Tor and Julie. Though the latter of the two noticed a figure in a white and red trimmed hoodie stepping out of the crowd that was heading in that direction—and was heading right for the guys, Tomoe and Miyabi.

The figure then deployed an all too familiar wrist mounted blaze—however, before they could get to them, something strange happened.

Four ghost-like figures appeared in front of the teenage thug rejects, grabbed them, and chopped their necks. This made them fall to the ground before they vanished, leaving Tomoe, Miyabi and Jason confused.

"Uh… What was that?" The assassin wondered.

"Got me." The bluenette shrugged, just as clueless.

"I don't know, either—it happened so fast." The top heavy brunette nodded.

Meanwhile, Julie looked at her boyfriend, who had a look of shock on his face. He knew what that display was.

"Tor, are you okay?" She asked, shaking his shoulder a bit.

"Julie… That was Ash's fourth ability we just saw!" He whispered to her. "I know I didn't use Ash Prime just now, so that means my sister's killer is watching… Or there are other Tenno out there, and one such Tenno was here!" He continued.

"That's great… And bad… Uh oh." Julie exclaimed before she became confused.

"What?" The Tenno asked, worried that something was wrong.

"I feel dizzy…" The girl groaned, holding her head.

"Why?" Tor asked, catching her.

"Not sure. I think the moves we saw made me dizzy." The girl admitted.

"Are you gonna be alright? Do we need to head back to the dorm?" He asked gently.

"No… No, I think it's starting to pass." The whitette replied as her head started to right itself. "Okay… I'm fine." She said, taking a breath and exhaling.

"Good." The boy smiled.

"Hey, you two." Jason said as he, Tomoe and Miyabi walked up to them. "You wouldn't happen to have seen what happened to the four stooges?" He questioned.

"Yeah. What we just saw was something one of my Warframes can do." Tor nodded in reply before frowning. "But I never equipped him for this." He added.

"Okay, that's a bit of a mystery right there, yeah." The American nodded with his own frown.

"Is there someone else out there with abilities like yours, Tor?" Tomoe questioned.

"Yeah… But he's also a psychopath that killed my sister." The boy replied, causing those who didn't know to gulp. "Which would also make what just happened more puzzling, since he could've killed those guys, but he didn't." He analyzed.

"The plot thickens." Jason hummed.

Unknown to the group, someone was watching Tor. Despite being invisible, there was a clear outline of a male body structure. Then the figure decloaked, revealing an Ash Warframe colored black, purple and green. He was also wearing a Locust helmet in place of the standard one.

In terms of armaments, he had a Cernos bow, Hikou throwing stars and a Karyst dagger. All of which were standard models.

Ash looked at Tor for a moment longer before he vanished again and left for parts unknown.

And across from where the Warframe was, an astonished Lilith dispelled her rifle blaze.

Seems like she may have been the exception and not the rule.

But what did that matter to those not even inside the confines of the rules?

(Later)

Tor and Julie sighed as they walked back to their dorm, feeling spent from their day at the mall… As well as the sign of another Tenno besides Tor and his sister's killer.

"Well, at least the date went well." The boy commented. "I gotta say… It felt good." He hummed.

"Ja. I had a good time." Julie nodded as they entered their dorm… And spotted something on their table.

It looked like a banjo, but Tor knew better. It was white and gold, and had only three strings, but that was all it needed.

"A… A shawzin?!" He gasped, walking up to it while his Duo partner closed the door behind them.

"You know what that is?" The girl asked, tilting her head.

"Yes. This is an ancient instrument from the time of the Tenno's former masters, the Orokin. This one in particular is a Dax Shawzin." The boy explained. "This means… Me and my sister's killer are really not the only Tenno here." He gasped in relief and some joy.

"I'm glad that's the case." His girlfriend smiled as she walked up to him and hugged him, pleased at the positive feelings her boyfriend was having.

This was a sign that things were going to slowly look up for Tor. Old friends could very well be in hiding, waiting for a time when they're needed once again.

Dragon Emperor0: Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait, but this story was in our backlog and we had other stories to take care of in between it as well.

ThermalsniperN7: If you've seen our files, then you'll know that we have a lot. We can't focus on this all the time, even though I personally enjoy having a story like this on hand to work on. It feels nice being the brains on certain things like this.

Dragon Emperor0: That said, it is official, the Harem drama is hereby nixed from here on out because we do not have the patience for that shit. So Julie and Tor are put together pretty early on, as you can see.

ThermalsniperN7: Yep, and I decided to bring my own Warframe clan into this so Tor can have people that he can count on for help, and some possible ship candidates for the ladies who are still single. Before anyone asks about the name of my clan: Yes, I called it The Wrathborn when I founded it, and yes, I'm aware of the rivalry between the Warframe and Destiny fandoms. Here's one thing for you to be aware of, in particular: I DON'T CARE! I just want to do my own thing, and have fun doing it.

Dragon Emperor: And for those of you thinking that Jason was an asshole here with Lilith, let me ask you this: if you were in his shoes and possibly just witnessed what she did and as well as how casually she expected Tor to just obey her and not only leave but also cheat on his girlfriend—all because she was an "exception" (and I use the term loosely) how would you react? Personally, I'd be pissed!

ThermalsniperN7: Exactly. I'd also give them the cold shoulder once I figured out what was going on. Also… It looks like some of Tor's clanmates are looking out for not just him, but also others as they do it.

Dragon Emperor0: That's gonna come in real handy later on, believe me. Anyway, guys, see you next time.