I Own You

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 1st December 2024

Characters: Saedyna, Ç'pier
Description: Saedyna asks to talk to Ç'pier but things don't go the way she planned.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 22 of Turn 12
Notes: Follows "The Decision is Yours"

Ç'pier

}:Mine would like to meet yours on the beach. Here.:{ Avarith sent Yuliuth an image of a sandy strip a short way down from the Weyr.

It was possibly monumentally stupid to meet her attacker alone, but Saedyna only felt a flicker of fear. Avarith would never let anything happen to her. Besides she wanted a private conversation and there was no way she was going to invite him to her _weyr_.

Although Yuliuth never suspected a thing, Ç'pier secretly hoped that Saedyna meant to get her revenge on him. He also suspected that she might have something more nefarious in mind. Maybe it was all a setup to make him look like he had decided to try to finish the job.

While B'lyse had wanted nothing to do with it, Azureth had nonetheless agreed to watch from afar, just to be another set of eyes. To make sure Ç'pier did not do anything untoward, of course. It was enough for Ç'pier to decide that he might as well satisfy his curiosity about what she wanted.

Yuliuth landed, and Ç'pier dismounted but did not venture far from the brown. And then he waited for Saedyna to do whatever it was she was going to do.

She walked up to him, but not too close. She crossed her arms with a smug little smile. "The Weyrleader says I get to decide how much money you owe me."

"Alright," said Ç'pier. He had already been prepared to be in debt for the rest of his life. There was no number she could assign that would be anything but good news.

"You tried to kill me, but now I can make you do whatever I want for as long as I want." That wasn't exactly true but that didn't matter right now. "I _own_ you C'pier." It felt so good to have power over someone who'd hurt her.

"Seems fair," said Ç'pier. He supposed she wanted him to be upset about it. But she was right. There was nothing for _him_ to be upset about. Nobody had tried to kill him. Yet, anyway.

"That's it?" She frowned. "You don't care at all? Do you even care what you did in the first place or are you too busy feeling sorry for _yourself_?"

Ç'pier rolled his eyes. Did these people get together to get their script straight before they bothered him? They were obsessed with him feeling sorry for himself, whatever that meant.

"What do you want from me?" he asked. It clearly was not just money, whatever it was. "Do you need me to feel some kinda way? You want me to beg you? You want me to cry and whinge? What?"

"_Yes_!" she screamed. Avarith roared, spreading her wings. "I want you to get down on your knees and _beg_! I want you to be sorry for the rest of your life! I finally got free and you tried to _take that away from me_!" Her eyes burned with the threat of tears.

Without breaking eye contact, Ç'pier got down on his knees.

"I will be sorry for the rest of my life," he said, and that was true. Obviously, escaping their debt was easier than he had ever imagined, as they had both now done it-- with help they both would have had access to. He had never had to even risk ruining everything to be free.

"I'll go on paying you for just as long, too, if that's what you want." Then he leaned forward and touched his forehead to the sand.

"But I'm not going to ask you to forgive me. I'm not going to ask you to let me go." The only reason she wanted him to ask was so that she could say no. And he supposed that was the one thing he was not going to give her. "You own me."

Saedyna burst into tears. It was satisfying. It was terrible. She hated him. She felt sorry for him. She covered her face with her hands while Avarith pressed against her back, crooning and filling her with love.

Ç'pier stood and returned to Yuliuth. The brown wanted to offer his comfort to Avarith, but he had a feeling she did not need his intrusion at that time. Ç'pier sat back against the dragon, averted his eyes, and waited for Saedyna.

She turned and sobbed against Avarith. Great, now she was being weak in front of him. How had this gone so wrong? There was so much inside her she didn't know what to do with and the tide of emotions overwhelmed her. Eventually her tears slowed and she got herself under control. With her throat raw and her eyes puffy, she walked over to C'pier. "I wish I could hit you, but I wouldn't do that to Yuliuth." She held a hand up toward the brown.

}:If she promises not to kill you,:{ said Yuliuth. }:Then she may strike you.:{

**Whoa, hey. Whose side are you on?**

}:You cannot lie to me. You would have said the same.:{

"He says you can hit me," said Ç'pier.

}:If she promises not to kill you,:{ Yuliuth insisted.

**She's not going to kill me.**

"You know how to make a proper fist?"

They were never supposed to fight another rider, but this wasn't dueling with belt knives or something. The temptation for Saedyna was too great. She rolled her eyes. "They taught us in self-defense class." She balled up her right fist, feeling a giddy rush.

Ç'pier nodded. A smile tugged at the side of his lips. This was going to feel good. This was what he had been missing.

Faranth this was going to feel so good. Saedyna looked him over, considering going for his nose, but she aimed for his left eye instead. She pulled her arm back and struck as hard as she could.

Ç'pier put no effort into resisting or putting up a tough front. He let out a cry of pain as her fist connected and staggered back. Yuliuth righted him and stopped him from falling, and his eye leaked tears as it was already turning red and swelling.

"Ach... fire... I thought you'd go for the soft middle bits," he groaned. "Is your hand all right?"

An ache throbbed across Saedyna's knuckles and she shook out her hand. "I'm fine." She felt a tiny bit of guilt but mostly it _had_ felt good to pay back a little of the pain he'd caused her.

"Well. One good turn deserves another," said Ç'pier. He refused to rub his face, but the whole side of his head was throbbing. "Feel free to put these little meetings on your schedule for as long as you still want another swing."

She was going to enjoy him showing up to class with a black eye tomorrow. "I'm sorry, Yuliuth. You don't deserve this."

}:I made my choice,:{ said Yuliuth to Avarith. }:This is the way forward. ... Or. It is _a_ way forward. Please do not be sorry.:{

Yuliuth leaned forward to offer his snoot for Saedyna to touch.

Avarith relayed the brown's words. Despite everything, Saedyna smiled as she rubbed Yuliuth's nose. "You're very sweet." Then with a sigh, she turned back to C'pier. "You're going to keep working for me, but you can keep a quarter of the marks for yourself."

Ç'pier was genuinely surprised. A path forward, indeed. He bowed his head.

"Aye, milady. As you wish."

Now she could feel both powerful _and_ merciful. Saedyna liked that.

Last updated on the December 4th 2024

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I Own You