The look of cold doubt that crossed John's face gave Cissel a sudden fright. She took a step forward, her voice shaky and terrified.
"That's not entirely true, John! This is indeed my second time coming back to this specific starting point and joining the academy... But this is the absolute first time I've ever met you!"
"She's lying," Ricky countered smoothly. He knew this was the perfect wedge to drive between the two of them. If he could make John doubt Cissel's sincerity, he could dismantle the trust that gave her so much influence. "She must have scouted you in a previous loop. She would never have missed you."
Hearing Ricky's words, seeing his savage expression, the one that spelt greed and evil intentions just from one look, made John settle on something.
"I don't think she is lying," John said.
Against Ricky's cynical expectations and Cissel's paralysing fears, John's words landed with a calm that shattered the tension.
