Making the Right Choice

Writers: Bree, Dana
Date Posted: 2nd April 2007

Characters: Lenala, Ar'lis
Description: After her confrontation with M'galec, Lenala takes her temper out on Ar'lis, but finally makes some positive choices.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 2, day 27 of Turn 4

Lenala

Lenala had worked herself up from hurt to furious by the time she got back to Ar'lis. Instead of letting him soothe her, she had elbowed her way past him and stormed into his weyr, wishing she had something to hand that she could break. Maybe even M'galec. "That _sharding_ excuse for a _scorching_
man--" She kicked off one of her shoes so hard it bounced into the couch.

"What did he say?" Ar'lis snarled quietly, watching her stride angrily around his weyr.

She snarled and kicked her other shoe off. When that wasn't satisfying enough, she picked it up and threw it at the wall. "That _I_ was never suited to _him_." Everything she'd gone through--everything she'd done to try to make herself into the woman he wanted--and this was what he had to say?

}:It does not matter what he says! He is gone!:{ Vilarth's voice was filled with anger.

Furious, the bronzerider clenched his fist. It tore him up inside to see Lenala like this; so confused and resentful and _angry_. He'd never seen her so riled before. Ar'lis opened his mouth to let loose a string of colorful oaths when Zylarth's rumbling, brassy bugle cut him off.

}:Vilarth is upset because her rider if upset! Vilarth's rider must be calmed. _You_ must calm her. Do not feed her anger.:{ Muttering under his breath, Ar'lis bent down and snatched up her soft shoe, doing his very best not to give in to frustration and squash it in his palm. Then he looked back up, watching her as she stalked around the room. What should he do? Let her keep on ranting? Maybe it was good for her to let loose her anger. But if she resorted to throwing things....
Well, he didn't want her to hurt herself.

Lenala's pacing brought her back in front of the couch, and she flopped down on it gracelessly before picking up a pillow and throwing it. "Do you know what he said then? _Do you_?" It was obviously a rhetorical question, as she didn't even give him a chance to respond. "That he'd always been in love with someone else anyway. With _Abrei_."

"_Abrei_?" Ar'lis hadn't seen that one coming. But then, every man in this sharding Weyr (himself included) had panted after that woman at one point in their lives or another, so why should M'galec be the exception?

He obviously wasn't.

The bronzerider dropped her shoe onto the low table in front of the sofa before easing down next to her. "Come here, darling," he murmured gently, tracing her cheek. "Come here."

For the first time, she didn't slide willingly into his arms. Instead she clenched her hands around another pillow. "How _dare_ he act like this was all my fault? He said that everything had always been about me! That I'd used him and made him miserable!"

His hand trailed to the back of her neck, and he rested it there, softly rubbing. What he really wanted to do was storm over to her weyr and punch the sharding bronzerider in the face for reducing her to this. But he reined in his temper instead kept his tone calm, but firm, his touch light. "He's a prick, Lenala. After the way he's been treating you, I'm not too surprised that he's turning everything back around to you. Isn't that his usual way of arguing?"

That brought her up short. "I--I suppose it is."

}:He makes you confused,:{ Vilarth added from the ledge. }:You should be happy, but he does not want you to be happy. So he confused you.:{ Lenala sighed. "Vilarth said he's just trying to confuse me. Why does it _work_ so well?"

"People like that think they're always right, darling. And when they act so sure of themselves..." he shrugged a shoulder, continuing to gently rub the back of her neck, "...they make you second guess yourself."

"He manipulates me," she said darkly. "Shards, I _know_ he does it. I just can never see it when he's in the middle of doing it."

She was still talking about him in the present tense. Like she was going to see him again. The very thought made his hackles rise. "You mean he did it. Past tense." He looked at her. "You don't have to deal with him anymore, Lenala."

"I--" Her face brightened. "I don't, do I? I can just ignore him." It was such a simple solution it had never even occurred to her.

"Mmmhmm." He gave her neck a gentle, encouraging squeeze. "That's right, sweetheart. You can just ignore him."

Lenala turned sideways on the couch and smiled. "I'm sorry I threw things around your weyr."

He grinned down at her, his voice gently teasing, "I'm just glad it was nothing breakable. Not that there's really much to smash in here...
Except for maybe a glass jar or two..."

"Maybe you should get something breakable for next time," she said lightly. Lifting a hand up, she ran her fingers lightly through his hair.
"Thank you for wanting to help me. It means a lot, Ar'lis. But it means even more that you're going to let me make my own choices."

"Of course, Lenala." His hand drifted from her neck up into her hair, returning caress for caress. "And what do you choose to do right now, hmm?"

She leaned in to kiss him softly, her fingers trailing down his cheeks. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done to pull back and smile at him. "I should choose to go do my work. I don't suppose you're free for dinner this evening..."

"Actually, I am." He smiled at her. "Is that an invitation?"

"It is. I wouldn't mind some company." Lenala squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Ar'lis."

His hand turned, calloused fingers gently squeezing back. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Last updated on the April 3rd 2007

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Making the Right Choice