Completed Calls Me Home (Jorin Ertihan)

[Rinya]

Day 75, Season Fall, 513 AV

It didn’t long for Jorin to pull her further into him. Before he could tug her tightly up next to him, she sat up and reached down for the covers. It was likely they weren’t going to bother getting up after this point, so she draped the covers across their waists—she wanted easy access to his chest. He buried his face into her neck and for the most part Rinya remained completely still save for her fingers. Instead of throwing a leg over his like she normally would have done, she still left a little space. Half for himself—half for her. The bond still pounded with emotions, but she could still feel his exhaustion.

After several long chimes, he apologized to her. At least her failed attempts at easing his pain didn’t go unnoticed. And she agreed mentally with him that really all he needed was time. But in some ways Rinya knew she was extremely selfish. Not only in keeping Jorin as her bondmate, but as her mate as well. With everything being so obviously logical as to why he was acting the way he was—she still wanted him to be fine. Her impatience with emotions was starting to show. So instead of focusing on the building frustration, she shook her head against his chest. ”You’re fine Jorin. I just hate feeling… pointless. I’m a ‘do’ kind of person. Being unable to do anything is just—frustrating.”

There was no point in denying it; even with her attempts at keeping it down she was sure if Jorin wasn’t so wrapped up in his own emotions he would have felt it. Maybe he even still did, but thought better than to mention it. Either way he seemed to daze out again, lost in his own thoughts and Rinya decided perhaps it was just better to leave him there instead of interrupting his thoughts. After all, they had agreed that there wasn’t anyone that could fix this for him. It would be something Jorin would have to work out in his own head. And in the very least he wasn’t delaying it. So Rinya sighed again, letting his scent and warmth of skin tug at the edges of her consciousness.

For her there really was no telling how much time had passed. Despite everything, being curled up against Jorin felt normal. Deep down she didn’t even feel the shift in his emotions. Though it may have been indeed due to the fact she was so very near sleep. His fingers running across her skin were hypnotic and he was comfortable—there was nothing wrong with falling asleep on her mate. Maybe other than the fact that he was so upset. The hum when his fingers met her cheek however was a reaction to the pleasant feelings wrapped in it, and she opened her eyes to look up at him as he insisted her face lift.

Though the gentle kiss caused her insides to curl, a splash of heat that she couldn’t hide in the bond. The kiss was much more familiar, traces of her Jorin shining through. Which only made the desire flaring inside harder to control. Luckily for her he pulled away, releasing her face and just holding to his side. He insisted that while he may have loved his job—it was just a job. Rinya could have argued, but Jorin seemed to have had most of the shock wear off. And if this was what he gathered from his mind—well it was certainly better than him blaming himself. Of course she figured that he was just going to internalize those thoughts from this point. Nodding a little, she shifted herself so she was looking down at his chest. It still bothered her that his passion had been taken from him again. In more ways than one. If she got a hold of that stage manger he was going to wish he never met her that was for certain.

He hesitated, and she tilted her head to look at him—desperately trying to ignore the feeling of his hands on her skin. Without sleep addling her brain she was putting the touch into the wrong category… for once she regretted not getting into the bed dressed. In hind sight that would have been better really. Desire was—deterred by clothing, or it helped if nothing else. The words out of his mouth stole the breath from her. And not entirely from desire or passion. It was completely true of course, but it was never really said aloud. They loved each other, but they rarely had issues like these—once for her nightmares, and now this. It was different to hear it… they were not alone. They had each other. And that was part of the shift between them since that night on the grass. They fully and completely had each other.

He kissed her again and Rinya felt like her mind was suddenly lagging behind. She tried to return the kiss, to keep up, but the only thing that rang in her mind was did he actually want this? Or was this an attempt to rationalize the rest of his pain, his sadness. So with a protesting groan at her thoughts, she pulled away and took several deep, calming breathes. ”Jorin…?” She didn’t have the words to finish it. Her hesitation was for him and him only. She could still sense his exhaustion—she could honor that. But if he started something and backed away… well there would probably be little to stop her from crying. With his emotions flowing through her, she had little doubt she would see it as a type of rejection even if her mind logically told her otherwise.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 75, 513 AV

Jorin did not tend to hold onto the negative emotions like anger, jealousy, or depression for very long. Perhaps it was because so very little changed the core fundamentals of who he was. Certain events could probably do so. For example, anything negative happening to Rinya would earn the perpetrator the enmity of her mate for a very long time, if not forever.

But this was not something that truly changed Jorin, for better or for worse. It was simply a shock; the event occurred so suddenly in his opinion. His dismissal from the Thespians, like so many things in his life, was seasons if not years in the making, spawning from his seeming inability to take the art seriously and as Eric described it, his need to grow up as both a person, and an artist.

It had still hurt, of course. More than Eric truly realized, he suspected, or he would not have done that to him. In retrospect, even though it was less than two seasons ago he'd grown up so much as a person. Back then he hadn't even taken the time to consider the situation, just reacted instantly and very negatively to what he had interpreted as a rejection of who he was. Looking at it with the advantage of time, Jorin realized Eric was not rejecting him so much as wanting him to gain a finer appreciation of their art.

In some sense, Jorin knew he could go back to the Thespians. Now that the Amphitheater it would seem no longer wanted him, he could ask for his old berth among the Thespians again. But he was not sure how he could explain the rejection from the Amphitheater, or why the stage master there was so angry with him. And there was his stubborn pride; he'd have to admit to giving up on the Amphitheater to consider such an act.

He was not surprised to hear Rinya explain that she was a 'do' sort of person. He'd known that about her for a long time now, and he knew that this sort of situation, where there wasn't much for her to do except just be, was hard on her. Despite everything she was doing for him just existing, she still felt useless. And he could feel her frustration regardless of her attempts to tamp down on it for his sake. And he knew she was doing it purely for his sake.

Rinya's unasked question, initiated with his name in a questioning tone as she pulled away from their kiss with a few deep breaths, was clear in Jorin's mind. It was the same question she'd been asking the whole time. Are you sure? He knew that if the answer was yes, Rinya would give of her self fully and completely. But Jorin did not do things by halves. If he did not want it at that moment, he knew he should not force the issue. That never helped, and worse, it would deeply wound Rinya in a way Jorin just wasn't willing to permit.

In the end, exhaustion and the fact that even despite the fact that he did feel significantly better than when Rinya first came home, the mood still wasn't quite right, that won out in the end. But he felt the need to reassure his mate that it was not her fault. "I know, Rinya," he reassured her, murmuring to her as he drew her back to himself. She'd left some space between them, probably deliberately, but he refused to allow it, hugging her even closer than before. Regardless of whether they mated or not he still wanted that closeness. Needed that closeness.

"It's all so hideously unfair. To you, and to me. But I love you Rinya, and I know you feel it." He felt the need to say it though, because despite it all he worried that she might be wondering if this was somehow her fault. A bad habit she shared with her mate, apparently. "I do want you, and desire you. But... I think we both agree, the mood is not right. Please don't worry Rinya. Tomorrow will be another day."

Jorin was absolutely certain that, with a good night's rest, the vast majority of his exhaustion and pain would have eased by the next day. There would still be a ghost of it remaining, of course. And it would likely be amplified whenever he met one of his former coworkers or revisited the Amphitheater, which he intended to do early the next morning to see if he could perhaps argue his way back in.

So there was no rush. Rinya always came back to him, every single day, to their home. Losing his job stung, but he had a home to go back to an a mate to confide in. So long as he had those things, Jorin was absolutely certain he could get through this. Would get through this.

"Goodnight, Rinya," Jorin said, as he yawned a bit. His eyes felt heavy now that so much emotion had passed through his heart and mind. He suddenly felt the entire weight of the exhaustion hit and it nearly drove his breath away. Shifting slightly, Jorin gently took one of Rinya's hands and pressed it to his chest, right over his heart. He then took his own hands and pressed it to over her heart as well, smiling for the first time that day with genuine happiness as he realized their two hearts were beating as one. How... utterly appropriate.

"Still beating strong..." he mused drowsily, trailing off near the end. His eyes fluttered, then shut. Within chimes, he was asleep.

--------------

Syna's light had barely peeked above the horizon when Jorin woke. It had become habit now. Regardless of whether he had work at the Amphitheater or not, Jorin simply could not shake the habit of waking early. Besides, he did still have practice at the Kendoka and he was absolutely certain that Sohryn would tan his hide if he did not show. His eyelids creaked open as he stretched and yawned a bit, taking care not to disturb the beautiful woman lying beside him as he did so; though he suspected he might have anyway.

Jorin ran a hand up and down her side as he smiled at her sleeping form. She just looked so peaceful, and their bond was much quieter now that it didn't have his insane number of colliding emotions and her frustration at her inability to help clouding it to a ridiculous degree. And truthfully, like he'd told Rinya the night before, the night's sleep, as well as the perspective that only the passage of time could provide, had robbed the event of much of its initial shock and depression.

Jorin did not know when RInya would wake, so he quietly slid off the bed to put on his clothing. The Kendoka was waiting, and then he'd make another trip to the Amphitheater. It was a long shot at best, but he needed to at least say that he'd tried. Jorin spared his mate quite a few glances as he pulled on his clothes. He still loved her, that much hadn't changed from last night.

Unlike last night, the very sight of her began the stirrings of desire in him again. It was light; a tiny flame as opposed to the roaring inferno, but it was still there, smaller but no less strong. And the fact that it had not disappeared, that the loss of his job had not cost him something so dear to him, warmed him greatly.

He was extremely glad he could still feel such strong desire for his mate. Perhaps they could make up for their lost opportunity yesterday later. For now, he had practice at the Kendoka to attend. Jorin had considered skipping it. But to be honest; after everything he'd been through in the last twenty bells, he could do with a little physical exercise, if only to distract him.

[Rinya]

Day 75, Season Fall, 513 AV

It took him several ticks it seemed to actually make up his mind. It felt longer. And in that small amount of time, she knew he could really feel it. He was tired mentally, which bled over into the physical. That alone was hard enough to overcome, and then there was still the fact he wasn’t completely better either. Rinya honestly didn’t expect him to be himself fully—not for some time. But the choice to rest instead of mating was just as easily accepted by her. He just agreed with her silent question and pulled her back to his side. This time with him much calmer, she let herself slide a leg between his and threw her arm around his waist, holding tightly.

Rinya almost snorted at the mention of tomorrow being another day. It would have been a sarcastic comment turned into a jab. While it was true that tomorrow held more promise, Rinya herself did not hold much to that. Tomorrow would not change the fact that Jorin was now jobless. Nor would it entirely make him feel any better. Jorin was resilient, but this wasn’t going to just go away either. ”I know Jorin. Just… don’t think about it ok?” It was easier said than done she knew, but that last thing he needed to worry about was whether or not she felt it was her fault, or believe that perhaps she felt as though he suddenly did not want or desire her as he used to. At this moment, she was in safe enough territory that she knew that was not the case.

”Goodnight Jorin.” She had closed her eyes, trying to find the sleep that had nearly taken her over not chimes before. But it seemed oddly elusive to her at the moment. Despite his exhaustion though, Jorin moved and pulled her hand from his waist to press it into his chest. And then repeated the process to her, his warm hand pressed to her skin. Rinya’s eyes opened in confusion and she shifted her face so she could look at him. He was smiling, and the happiness that filtered across the bond made it impossible for her not to smile back.

”Yes it is…” Rinya wasn’t sure if he meant his heart, or hers. Probably something even more romantic than that possibly, but sleep pulled him away from her and for she would allow it. But she was determined to take away his pain completely. No matter what it took. The first step to that problem however was more obvious than she would have liked. She had no idea where to even begin—much less what would help him. It was a puzzle… one she might actually need help to clear.

----------

When Rinya finally shifted on the bed, she realized two things very clearly as though her mind itself had not been asleep. One—Jorin was gone. And two—the bond was not full of the depression from the night before. It still tinged the bond slightly, but for the most part Rinya figured the worst of the storm had passed. Unless something else happened today, but for once she was determined not to think like that. Jorin needed her support and it was something she was going to have to learn how to give better. The amount of frustration she held yesterday hadn’t helped the situation much and she could see that now.

But she was uncommonly tired. She hadn’t felt Jorin get up from the bed, much less leave at all. Well… her mind didn’t, her body did. Rinya found herself sprawled across his side of the bed like always. Throughout the night Rinya found herself jolted awake by her own subconscious, trying to determine if Jorin was likely to have any nightmares over his terrible day. Which luckily for him, he seemed to sleep through the night like he always did. For her it had just been a long night of waking, and trying to settle back down enough to sleep.

The only place Rinya could assume Jorin would be was the Kendoka. Since he really didn’t have a job to get up for… Sighing softly, she ran her fingers through her hair before her eyes fell on light coming from the window. It looked like a beautiful morning and she wanted to enjoy it. Perhaps it would be something that fed across the bond to strengthen him—Rinya couldn’t help but twitch her nose slightly at the thought. It was all good and well, but she sounded like him. He really was wearing off on her. And while there was nothing wrong with that thought, she couldn’t entirely imagine herself the romantic he was.

Reaching down, she pulled one of the heavier blankets from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. She knew once she reached their garden she would be tempted to shift into her bird form, perhaps take the trees for bit. Dressing just defeated that purpose—why bother when she’d just have to take it all off again. She slipped from the bed and made her way out of the house into the yard. Rinya shivered when her feet touched the cold grass, but she easily ignored it in favor of making it into the middle of the yard. Kneeling down, Rinya closed her eyes and just let the quiet sounds around her calm her mind. The sounds of morning birds and a light breeze brushing past her.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 75, 513 AV

The bring morning sun beat down on the small garden where Rinya was standing, providing warmth on what would have otherwise been a chilly Fall morning. The gentle breeze rustled through the branches of the nearby trees and shrubs, providing a soft counterpoint to the cheerful whistles and calls of the birds that had risen when Syna's face lit up the world.

There was someone waiting near the entrance to Jorin and Rinya's condo. It was obvious she'd been waiting there for some time, as she yawned and buffed her immaculately maintained nails against her soft, sky-blue dress. The clothing she wore, like everything else, was perfectly coordinated; the blue matching perfectly with the small white shoes she wore, her toes peeking out the front, and the entire affair was composed of a shimmering, sheer material that caught the light just so while cascading down from her shoulders like water.

Yet despite the understated elegance of the woman's dress she also wore a rather practical jacket over it. After all, Winter was quickly approaching and as vain as this woman was, she was not interested in freezing to death. In a show of uncharacteristic patience she'd waited for almost a bell outside the condo, despite the possibility that her intended target would not appear.

She'd tried catching her before, but had been too late and had arrived after she'd already entered the building. The two occupants had not exited since; although the male had left earlier he was not her target so she let him go without approaching.

But then the intended target finally deigned to make an appearance, and after watching her leave the house in what appeared to be nothing but a thick blanket - there was an insulted sniff; how inappropriate! - the time was judged to be correct and a discreet approach was made.

"Why Rinya, dear," came the soft cry from Farline, sugar-sweet as always, her brown eyes haughty and her pert nose quite high in the air. "You don't look very happy this morning. Did something happen?"

Farline gave one of her airy laughs, the one that spoke of nonchalance and dispassion. One hand went delicately to her mouth as she simpered, but the smile she gave Rinya never reached her eyes. It barely reached her cheeks.

"I certainly hope nothing bad happened to Jori-dear," Farline continued, watching Rinya's face carefully to see what effect her words were having on the other woman. "He looked just so broken this morning..." Farline punctuated her statement with yet another of her laughs, her dress swaying slightly as her abdomen shook with her mirth.

Farline shrugged almost expansively, gliding over to where Rinya was standing and giving her a rather imperious look. The laughter had stopped as she quietly circled Rinya once again, despite Rinya's warnings and what had happened the last time she did it. It was not that Farline did not realize the significance of the act, but she was making a statement. She'd drawn blood... well, metaphorically anyway. She could practically taste it, and now was the time to go in for the kill.

Farline stopped in front of Rinya, her eyes boring into the other woman's and not backing down. She was well-prepared for a physical assault from Rinya. After all, the last few times Rinya had gotten physically violent with her and Farline was not stupid. But this time was different. This time she was prepared. And even if she got the worst of the exchange, she still knew she would come out ahead.

"Did you really think it was over?" Farline hissed at Rinya, dropping her mask and getting in Rinya's face a bit as she drew a bit closer. "Did you honestly believe that my humiliation at Beautyfest would go unanswered?!"

Farline's eyes were hot with clearly suppressed shame and rage, and she glared at Rinya with white hot contempt, clearly judging her appearance, her lack of clothing, everything about her. Then, slowly, Farline's mouth curved into a cruel smile. "I wonder who might have wanted to hurt poor Jori-dear," she mused. But the answer was as obvious as it was clear. And Farline looked positively proud, as though daring Rinya to hit her again. It wouldn't matter.

Farline had won. Finally, after all that time, she'd finally won.

[Rinya]

Day 75, Season Fall, 513 AV

There was the sense of calm Rinya had been looking for when she had stepped outside. Jorin may have been gone—and not even all that happy when he left—but there were times when she could enjoy the solitary lifestyle. It came with being part of who she was. Other than a mate, her species were not actually all that social—she couldn’t imagine a gathering of Osprey looking very much like ducks. Although it wasn’t entirely uncommon either, but really the longer she kneeled out on the grass the easier it was to distinguish the good from the bad. Rinya knew she had a lot of thinking to do over an unknown amount of time. Trying to surprise Jorin seemed like a difficult plan all in itself. Most of their spare time was spent together now after all…

But to disrupt her calming thoughts was one of the only people in the whole world of Mizahar—was the one person she hated the most. Well… hate was a relative term for Rinya. In some ways it was actually more instinct to dislike the woman than hate. Though she did have her moments, like when she just pushed Rinya too far and generally got the brunt of some kind of physical attack—that was usually out of flashes of hate. Her whole body froze and dread filled her mind. She did not want to imagine what kind conversation Farline was going to cook up this time. She never made a visit that didn’t mean she was here to get under her skin. Sometimes it worked, but with how close Rinya and Jorin had been as of late—well Farline wasn’t having much luck pushing those buttons like she used to.

And the worst part of it was—she didn’t give up. The further she actually got from her goal, just made her try harder. Rinya wondered if she didn’t view this as a different sort of conquest. One to royally push all the buttons she could manage before she—hopefully—left Riverfall. It was one of the only things that actually kept Rinya in check besides Jorin; the idea that by the end of fall she would be leaving with the Thespians. Gritting her teeth, Rinya stood and turned to face the one woman who just never got the message. Every time they met Rinya seriously considered if the woman had been dropped on her head as a baby—several times. The brain damage was beginning to look obvious.

”I thought you finally got the hint Farline. We could care less about your ‘concern’.” Rinya knew the woman wasn’t actually concerned for her—or Jorin for that matter. But she managed to keep an even tone, perhaps even a little pleasant for the moment. There was always an underlying game with Farline, and Rinya had learned that she didn’t have much choice but to play along until Farline got to the point. Then it was likely she was going to haul off and hit the petching woman—sending her crying. Or fuming… it completely depended on who was around at the time.

Farline’s movements were smooth. So very graceful, but the look on her face told that Farline obviously thought she was about to get something she had always wanted. The dread in her stomach turned to lead, but Rinya was practiced at this sort of game. Her face remained emotionless, though Rinya could feel her fingers grip the blanket tightly around her body. The last time Farline had circled her, Rinya had given her a good shove. And she warned the woman not to circle her. It set off every instinct her body to prove just who the better predator was. And that was all dependant on the game they were about to play.

The woman stopped in front of her and Rinya easily locked her gaze with Farline’s. There was nothing that actually frightened her about Farline. ”Humiliation? Sweetheart you did that all by yourself. Coming up with petty little lies to get under my skin. But I told you once… and I’ll tell you again. You underestimate Jorin… always have. And let me tell you—you really underestimated him this time.” There wasn’t a smug tone to her voice, but the insinuation was obvious. Rinya didn’t have any other experiences to go by—but the one Jorin never failed in was making sure he learned everything about her. Commit to memory and dedicate himself to being the best.

It was why she had no doubts that even without his job he would still end up on a stage somewhere. Even if they had to leave Riverfall and start fresh somewhere else. They would go together, and that was all that really mattered. ”But it’s never over with you. I’m not really surprised to see you sulking around here. You never have anything else better to do.” For the moment it seemed Farline was the one who was much more upset. She judged Rinya and in all honesty Rinya could not have cared less. She was free to do what she wanted—and Jorin loved her all the more for it. There was no reason why a woman hai bent on destroying the two of them should change that.

But Farline’s words took a turn down the worst possible path she could have taken. The smile sent a cold chill down her spine and Rinya felt her eyes narrow instantly. Immediately the dread in her stomach flared into anger. It didn’t take much to put her insinuation together. And really with how odd the whole situation was over Jorin losing his job—Rinya realized she should have put it together sooner. She had no idea what Farline had done, but it was obvious the woman wanted her to know she had done it. Dug down deep into Rinya’s one true weakness and made her bleed.

Only Farline didn’t realize the biggest mistake she could have ever made. Osprey were not fighter birds, in fact they often flew away before any sort of problematic issue could arise. Except for one thing—their nest… their home. For Rinya that was not a place but a person. And since the beginning of fall Rinya had been trying to drive Farline from her territory. Jorin was hers, but the woman just did not get the message. Rinya was not human. And she had just attacked the thing that mattered the most. It wasn’t human instinct—it was feral.

”What did you do Farline?” Her voice was quiet… deadly quiet. There was no doubt that Jorin would feel this anger. This was hatred. And she was barely holding it together. ”What did you do?" Rinya snarled, what little space that had been between them she closed instantly. Standing toe to toe with Farline with a glare that told the woman if she pushed this issue—there was going to be blood. Literally.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 75, 513 AV

At first, Farline wondered if she'd miscalculated again. Rinya's initial reaction to her presence was, of course, far from friendly. But it wasn't the seething anger it used to be. And while Rinya's fury often left her with bruises in places she really preferred not to be bruised (she had to apply so much makeup just to cover up that one time Rinya had marred her face), Farline often felt a sense of satisfaction whenever she managed to push Rinya to that level.

Farline narrowed her eyes slightly at Rinya's superior tone as she emphasized the word 'we'. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she crossed her arms under her breasts in an unconscious imitation of an act Rinya herself sometimes performed. It was not even that Farline even particularly cared about Jorin; he had always been a means to an end.

Farline's jaw muscles twitched slightly as Rinya told her that the humiliation was entirely caused by her. And Farline just gave her an incredulous look, like as though she literally could not believe what Rinya was saying to her. "M-my fault?!" she nearly squawked, her volume perhaps a bit louder than the normally graceful actress typically permitted. "How dare you. How dare you..."

How dare this brazen woman turn it on her?! It had been her fault, somehow?! How could that be, when Farline had only experienced humiliation after humiliation after she came into Jorin's life? And after she'd offered to be Rinya's friend, too! She offered to teach the petching bird the secrets of the game, to guide and coach her in how to properly use Jorin to her benefit and what did she do? The ungrateful wench turned around and spat in her face, that was what!

But after a few more insulting shots about her 'sulking', Farline finally got to see what she wanted to see. As she'd suspected, it was her speaking of Jorin that finally triggered the anger that she'd been looking for. Farline knew that Rinya had that anger inside, but up until now it had been well-hidden. And every time she tried to strike at it, her attacks bounced off, with Rinya getting less and less effective.

At one point she could drive Rinya to violence, but at Beautyfest the Kelvic woman hadn't even bothered. In fact, Farline was relatively certain Rinya had all but laughed at her. So Farline's smile spread even wider, turning almost into a feral grin, when Rinya's fury finally bubbled to the surface. It was about time.

"What did you do?" Rinya had snarled as she had gotten right up into Farline's face. But Farline was not intimidated yet. She'd expected and truthfully had been looking for just such a reaction from the Kelvic. She knew that getting Rinya angry would result in a bruise, or perhaps two. But it would be worth it, to know that she'd finally drawn blood. That she'd finally won against her for the first time in what felt like forever.

The unflappable, unshakable Rinya had been injured. And Farline crowed with her victory. "On it was so easy," Farline cooed, her voice fluttered like leaves on the wind. "A wink here, a look there, the right words whispered in the right ears at the right time... and it wasn't even my first time at that Amphitheater, you know. That poor stage master was just such a lonely man. I offered him what he needed. In exchange he gave me what I wanted."

Farline shrugged and laughed, but this one was different. Not the light, fluffy laughs of before, or rare genuine tinkling laughs she sometimes had. No, this one was cruel, and utterly mirthless. She was amused by what she'd done to Jorin, and by extension to Rinya. And she laughed at Jorin's obvious predicament, for it was clear she did not think there was anything he could do to undo what she'd done.

"You silly, stupid bird. Did you really think I wouldn't find a way?" Farline sneered as she looked right back at Rinya. Despite the lack of space between them she refused to back an inch. This was a battle of wills and Farline would be damned if she would be the first to back off.

"I told you it wasn't over at Beautyfest, Rinya dear," Farline continued, poison dripping from every word. "So you go ahead. You hit me, like you've always done. Go ahead and do it! It doesn't matter." Another smirk. "In the end, I still managed to get to you. In the end, I still win."

[Rinya]

Day 75, Season Fall, 513 AV

Rinya was amazed at herself. She didn’t even flinch at the volume Farline had started to nearly screech at. Oh yes… how dare she? Rinya had no issues making sure Farline knew where she stood in her own little ‘game’. It was amazing to her that actors got away with being as shallow as they were—well most of them that she had met. They had such a broad range of emotions, how did one even act something they didn’t understand. Or much less never feel before? Farline obviously didn’t believe her when she said she loved Jorin, since every time the subject was brought up she all but laughed in her face.

And yet she could understand that Jorin was her weakness? One did not gain a weakness by simply allowing it. How Farline justified in her head that Rinya could not actually love Jorin based on her own views of his worthlessness, but let Jorin become the one thing that could hurt her… Maybe the girl was just certifiably nuts? Not just brain damaged like she had originally thought. ”You should know better than to dare me Farline. I don’t have a problem taking your twisted little game and turning it in on you.” Rinya huffed as if it should have been obvious. And it was—thus far based on Farline’s count, Rinya was winning at Farline’s own game.

But the fact that Farline got what she wanted out of Rinya—anger—made no difference to her. Not anymore. She stood her ground as Rinya felt an odd sense of detachment from the whole ordeal that was currently taking place. Not as if she was ignoring it, but as if she knew what was going to happen. And Farline thought she did too. The girl had withstood enough punches already to know that Rinya got violent when it came to Jorin. In the past it had been about protecting who Jorin was as a person. Now Farline had injured her mate—again. Made him think that he was at fault over the loss of his job, when in reality it was the woman before her.

In hind sight it was probably good for both of them that Rinya had not dressed. She would have brought her dagger instinctually. And that would have been a can of worms that probably would have led Rinya into some bad trouble. One that not even Rhys could help her get out of. The more Farline taunted about how easy was to get the stage master to just fire Jorin for a promise Rinya could guess Farline had no intention of keeping. ”What you wanted… all the pieces in your tainted little fingers…” The words slipped out on their own, Rinya wasn’t even entirely paying attention to the words Farline was saying by this point.

”You stupid, stupid girl. I’m not going to hit you. You always think you win… and by some degree yes you did.” Rinya’s tone was cold… detached even. Inside she knew Farline would crow over victory, but Rinya intended to not even give her the chance. ”You made one mistake. You forgot that I’m not human.” Rinya was the one this time that began to circle Farline. A slow steady pace that matched her tone. ”I’m not human. And you wandered into my territory. For you this was just a game. For me… you’ve crossed my instincts too many times to count. And you’ve been lucky… I love Jorin enough to stop. But apparently the hitting was not enough to drive you out of my territory.”

Tossing the blanket onto the grass, Rinya twisted herself to face Farline. An almost feral smirk came across Rinya’s face. ”Tell me Farline… was it worth it?” In some sense Rinya knew Jorin would not approve of her next actions. But in other ways she knew she couldn’t stop it. Without her dagger there was only one way to draw blood on Farline. And it seemed to oddly fit with her rage, that the only way to make Farline pay was in her hawk form. It was these instincts telling her to drive the danger away from her and her mate. Because it was clear Farline wasn’t going to just stop unless Rinya gave her reason to.

For Rinya it seemed like time had slowed. The shift into her hawk form was instant of course, but felt like forever. And it only took her a tick to judge the distance from her place perched on the ground to Farline’s shoulder. That would be her target to start with. With a hard push between her legs and wings, Rinya practically buffeted Farline with her wings. Her left foot easily found purchase with Farline’s shoulder, digging her talons into the girl’s shoulder just enough to give her leverage. And of course it was more than enough to draw blood to begin with. It was her right foot that wasn’t even aiming specifically for anything other than somewhere else to latch onto that flailed in Farline’s face that was likely to cause the most damage.

All the while Rinya screeched furiously in a set of whistles that she had no intention of silencing until the petching woman was gone. Her beak snapped at Farline’s neck. She had no intention of killing her—probably couldn’t even if she wanted to, but maiming her 'beauty' was another thing entirely. And she didn’t have time either way. So Rinya aimed for the muscles running down the back of Farline’s neck as her target instead. Her timing was cut short however, mostly because the woman would not hold still to take her punishment. Rinya released her shoulder and beat her wings to give her enough boost to land on a low lying branch nearby. All the while she continued to screech at the woman. Rinya wasn’t even thinking about the neighbors—they were likely to get in trouble alone with the sounds.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 75, 513 AV

For Farline, this exchange couldn't have gone better. Rinya was clearly angry now. All traces of forced politeness was gone, replaced with cold anger and obvious dislike. Good. That was what she was looking for and she was entirely glad to finally see it, after such a long hiatus. She thought she had lost the touch; when Rinya became less and less interested in playing the game Farline began to genuinely worry that perhaps it was her that had lost her touch.

Farline actually laughed when Rinya mentioned that all the pieces were in her 'tainted little fingers'. This one was an amused chuckle, what most would call a cackle except somehow from Farline's throat it sounded neither high-pitched nor grating. To Farline it was clear that Rinya simply could not understand that this was how the game was played.

Then Rinya continued, and Farline quirked an eyebrow at Rinya calling her a stupid girl. She'd expected name calling, of course. She'd been called far worse than just a stupid girl and frankly if this was the extent of Rinya's anger now Farline was slightly disappointed. She even said she wasn't going to hit her. Farline took it back; she was very disappointed. Even though physical violence from the other woman was always painful, it was expected and would finally irrevocably validate that Farline had finally, truly accomplished what she'd set out to do.

Farline opened her mouth, clearly looking to crow over her victory when the petching bird kept talking, telling her she'd made a mistake in thinking Rinya was human. Well of course she didn't. She even told Farline she was a Kelvic, and she saw the woman turn from a bird to a naked girl right in Jorin's hospital room. But what did that have to do with anything?

Apparently Rinya viewed Jorin as her 'territory'. Farline had encountered similar situations with human girls marking their territory before, and the worst that had ever come out of it was slaps to the face and the occasional puddle of tears. Did Rinya mean she marked her territory in a different way from human girls?

Farline's musings was cut short when Rinya threw the blanket on the grass, and the hairs on the back of Farline's neck instantly stood up. Every meager instinct inside Farline's city-bred body was telling her that there was danger here. That somehow, someway a bird of all things was going to pose a serious danger but but she ignored it. To her mind, how could there be danger? Rinya was just a stupid bird. And before she transformed, Farline just smirked right back at Rinya and sniffed slightly to Rinya's question if it had been worth it.

"Well of course it was worth it," Farline sneered. "I finally made you angry. I finally drove you out of your comfortable little shell. Poor Jori-dear doesn't even realize it does he? The sap! I'll bet he even thinks it's his fault. What a dope."

Farline had no time to further gloat because there was a flash of light and the nude girl in front of her was gone, replaced by a very angry fisher hawk that immediately sprang straight for her. Farline was not prepared for this. She thought she'd finally won. That Rinya would be unable to take the pressure and simply fly away to escape Farline's words. How little did she know. Rinya had not intended to run away at all.

RInya's wing had smacked Farline right in the face. Despite the relative sizes of Rinya's bird form compared to that of an average human woman (Farline for her part fell somewhere below the standard average in terms of human women, but not too far off), her wing was surprisingly strong. Given it would need to lift the entirety of her body not only into the air but out of the water as well, it perhaps should not have come as a surprise just how powerful the initial blow to the head with her wing had been.

Blood flowed freely from Farline's nose but she was hardly thinking about that when sharp searing pain stabbed into her shoulder, as the petching bird became a furious mass of claws and beaks and feathers. Farline fell backward, ear nearly deafened from the racket of Rinya's screeching and whistling as she viciously attacked her. This was utterly unexpected.

Farline, as she'd already told Rinya, had fully expected retaliation. Even she knew that what she did to Jorin practically invited such; especially since she was so incredibly bold as to go right up to Rinya and all but rub her actions in the other girl's face. But one thing she had not counted on was how far Rinya was prepared to go to exact revenge.

Rinya's right foot found purchase on Farline's cheek, the sharp talons tearing into the soft, delicate flesh that she prized so dearly. In her panic Farline did not realize quite the severity of the damage that had been done to her face; a series of gouges had been dug into her cheek that were both deep and raw, and was clearly the work of some form of raptor.

Two angry marks tore its way down from just above her right eye down to her cheekbones, another two worked their way up from her chin. They met at just above her lips, the jagged talon marks forever marring the once-perfect face. Farline, for her part, was screaming in pain, confusion, and fear, for once not worrying about her looks as she struggled and flailed to try to get the bird off of her.

She didn't even know that Rinya's beak was snapping mere inches from her neck. The sharp pain and throbbing agony of her claws, both dug into her shoulder and scratched across her face had her full attention already so she did not really stop to think about such details. Given the time of day, and where Jorin and Rinya lived, there were not very many neighbors that woke that early and those who did would have left, much like Rinya's mate did almost a bell ago.

In the end, despite her best efforts, marring Farline's face with her talons, likely entirely by accident, was about the most immediate damage Rinya was able to pull off (besides the talon marks on her arm from where Rinya had grabbed her). By the time Farline's desperate flailing seemed to finally actually work to drive Rinya off, it was too late. It was far too late.

Farline, for the first few chimes when Rinya had landed on her low branch, been fuming herself. She was in a state of absolute shock. She'd never, in her entire life, been attacked so suddenly, so viciously, with such intent to harm her. Truthfully, she probably could have done better with someone actually intending to kill her. But someone trying to mar her perfect face...

"Wh-wha-what have you done?!" Farline screeched out. The panic, indignation, and yes even crippling fear was evident in her voice as she brought a hand to gingerly touch the claw markings on her cheek. The pain was still throbbing and intense and she knew she needed to see a doctor as soon as possible.

But would even that be enough? Farline looked back at the stupid bird. Still cradling her ruined face, Farline gave Rinya one of the hottest glares she'd ever given anyone. One hot enough to melt steel and stone. She hated Rinya now. And she was quite sure the feeling was mutual. The only problem was, she could not do to Rinya what Rinya had done to her.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Rinya had experienced exactly what Farlined wanted her to experience: a shattered and broken Jorin. And for one exhilarating night she knew Rinya would be in indescribable pain to know she could not help the man she apparently 'loved'. But this... oh this was different. As night and day.

How dare Rinya attack Farline's beauty? How dare she?! Farline was a bit hesitant to see her own reflection now. Rather than reach for a mirror - or go looking for one - or petch even going over to a lake somewhere and stare at her reflection in the water, Farline simply growled at Rinya, her eyes wild as she cradled her wound.

Despite most of the neighbors being away, some of them were still home. Farline just hoped the city watch would come. Except, Rinya was a bird and could fly away if she needed to, leaving behind just wild stories about a crazy Kelvic girl who attacked everyone she came in contact with. Farline however, for her part, merely (and angrily) eyed Rinya with caution but nowhere near the same amount of respect.

"Y-y-you..." Farline tried to start but the rest of the words died in her throat. So she set her jaw, taking especial care to not further injure her delicate cheek, and settled down for more angry glaring. The pain in her cheek, neck, and shoulder were unbearable. But she had to bear it.

She would not give that petching little bird the satisfaction.

Not ever.

[Rinya]

Day 75, Season Fall, 513 AV

With the space came composure. For the most part anyway. Rinya could still feel the heat of fury in her gut regardless of her form, but in all honesty Rinya figured that would probably never go away now. She didn’t have a problem with Farline coming after to her—so long as she left Jorin out of it. Using him as a pawn, it was unacceptable. If she wasn’t strong enough to take on Rinya by herself she should have never including anyone else in this little battle of wills. And for the first time Rinya actually realized how very little power the woman held by herself. She could only wield it to twist people.

But along with the distance between them Rinya’s sharp eyes could easily make out the physical damage she had done to Farline. Blood was already soaking her pretty blue dress and Rinya actually had more sympathy for the ruined dress than the ruined skin on the girl. Her shoulder was bleeding, but it wasn’t anything serious—at worst she’d have small circular scars that would be hard to notice unless one was looking for them. But her face—that had actually been entirely done by accident. Not that Rinya actually cared that she apparently had just marred the Farline’s face. Rinya knew her well enough to know how vain she was. It seemed oddly justified in Rinya’s mind. Farline went after her weak spot, so Rinya went after hers. And in some ways Rinya hadn’t even realized she had.

She had just wanted to draw blood. It had been so hard trying to deal with Jorin’s depression. Rinya was surprised she had even managed to hold it together for him and not break down crying. It was one thing to feel terrible for him, but Farline miscalculated their bond. She didn’t just have to deal with her own pain of seeing Jorin in such pain and being so despondent, she felt it too. It wasn’t a kind of torture you inflicted one someone just to win a petching game. So the odds were now even. Because there was no doubt in Rinya’s mind even with the best surgeon stitching up her face—there was going to be scares. Very obvious ones at that. No amount of makeup could ever truly hide it.

Farline didn’t even move much once Rinya had released her however. Like it was taking everything inside her just to put together what had happened. Her fingers touched her cheek and Rinya could guess that it was probably painful. Her talons were no knife, the claw marks across her cheek were slightly jagged and it would only enhance the visibility of the future scars. But she finally gathered herself up enough to look up at Rinya, and the glare she shot her was one Rinya probably returned quite often in her human form. Pure hatred. Well—at least they were very much on the same page. With the damage done, Rinya was able to push down the instincts to just dive at the girl again, insistent on driving her off.

It was Farline’s turn to screech at her. What had she done? Wasn’t it obvious? She had already said it before the even attacked. She pushed too far, took too much. So Rinya evened the odds. Brought them both right back to square one. And somehow Farline found the strength to stand her ground. Foolish girl. Rinya snapped her beak in annoyance several times; the idea of still burying it in her neck was very tempting. But there was without a doubt that Farline would be far more ready for a second attack. So instead Rinya dropped from the branch and lit on the ground a good distance from her and shifted back.

”Yes, me.” Rinya hissed right back, facing Farline and glaring sharply right back at her. With slow, measured steps she started to approach her. ”You stopped playing the game a long time ago you petching waste of space. You weren’t strong enough to beat me on your own, so you dragged Jorin into it.” Rinya narrowed her eyes further, tempted to smirk at Farline as she cradled her cheek, but managed to just scowl further instead. ”You went rock bottom just to make me hurt. So why should I have feel any different?” Rinya made a half motion with her hand at Farline’s cheek.

”This little game you think you’re playing… it’s over.” Rinya growled sharply. She was done having to deal with everything this woman was trying to constantly shove down her throat. Rinya could care less about winning—she didn’t need to win. Farline needed to win, but the cost was too high. Too much greed for her pride. ”If you can’t be me on your own, and you dare drag Jorin into your inability to beat me again—I’ll kill you.” Rinya wasn’t entirely sure if the threat was completely legitimate, but it most certainly sounded like it even to her own ears.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 75, 513 AV

It hadn't truly sank in yet, not really. The reality of what had happened to her, the finality of what Rinya did to her. Farline's face had been marred, permanently. The champion of Rak'keli herself probably could not fix what was done to her without leaving traces of it behind. The scars of the wounds on her face would remain for as long as she was alive, a constant reminder of Rinya's final triumph.

It wasn't supposed to go that way! Farline's heart couldn't decide whether to be despondent or enraged. So she juggled somewhere in between the two, alternating between crushing depression and murderous fury. She'd gotten everything she had so far in life from using her looks and that petching bird had taken it away from her. And despite the pain all she could think of was, what do I do now?

Farline did not even know if she dared show her now-marred face at the Thespians. Farline was convinced that she had been ruined, utterly ruined. Despite the fact that many women in Mizahar carried scars on various parts of their bodies from various sources, and many men still found them quite attractive, for Farline that was not enough. Her face had to be spotless. Even when Rinya had placed a bruise on it she'd stayed hidden away for a week until the mark was small enough to cover up.

And Rinya had the temerity to simply shift right back into human form, glaring at her and all but taunting her with her words about how she'd lost and wasn't strong enough to beat her on her own. And normally Farline would have an answer to it but all that went through her head was how unfair it all was. How had it come to this?

She'd been so convinced, so sure that Rinya would at worst merely punch her repeatedly. Perhaps "beat her up", as the saying went, leaving Farline battered and bruised but ultimately not harmed in any permanent fashion. But when Rinya warned her that should she drag Jorin into it again, she'd kill her, her head snapped up, eyes wide in shock.

She'd what? Farline felt glued to where she was. This had gone so far out of hand it was beginning to make her lightheaded. The whole deal with the Amphitheater, Jorin's job, it was just to make Rinya angry. To finally get under her skin. But Jorin hadn't been permanently harmed, Farline argued with no one in particular within her self. And sure she knew that the act would hurt him terribly, but it was just a means to an end. She knew that what hurt him would hurt Rinya. Just because she didn't believe in Rinya's love didn't mean she couldn't use it.

Farline's mouth opened in a soundless scream, her eyes watered with unshed tears as she backed away from Rinya, her eyes shining hatred and disbelief in equal measure. And that would be when Rinya would feel the full force of tremendous shock as Jorin walked back home... to see a bloody Farline clutching her face, the red of the blood staining the blue dress she was wearing and running all the way down to her waist.

Jorin glanced over at Rinya, the bond filled with his shock, but there was no accusation in his eyes or emotions. He was not angry or upset with her, but he was shocked and confused. He knew Rinya hated the woman, and frankly after what she said about him, he wasn't the fondest of her either, but he did not think there could have been anything she could have said that would have warranted Rinya scoring Farline's face like that.

Farline's mouth worked, her eyes searching for sympathy in Jorin's face as she pointed a trembling accusatory finger at Rinya. Jorin felt a small pang of sympathy for the woman; after all, an actress lived and died on her face and Farline's had been badly damaged. And really, he just wasn't the sort of man who could honestly derive joy from another person's suffering, even if that person was Farline.

Jorin wanted desperately to ask the most obvious question. What happened. But his curiosity would have to wait. Besides he figured he would not have received a satisfactory answer right now anyway; Farline was obviously in shock and Rinya was practically vibrating with rage and hatred. Jorin was genuinely surprised; the amount of hatred surging across the bond was not anything he'd ever felt from his mate before. Whatever Farline said to her must have been bad.

"Farline, do... do you want Rinya and I to take you to the hospital?" he tried gently. Farline's eyes grew wide and she gave Jorin an accusatory look, like as though he'd given her the greatest insult possible by suggesting that Rinya accompany Farline to the hospital.

There was a moment of thick tension one could cut with a knife. Farline seemed to gather herself eventually, though, and drew herself up. "I can go by myself!" she snarled, for the first time no longer taking the usual airy tones she generally did with Jorin.

Jorin, for his part, looked taken aback by the venom and heat in Farline's voice. What had he done? Nonetheless, he nodded quietly as Farline quickly gathered up the hem of her dress and stormed off. As she did, Rinya's sharp eyes might have noticed the hitching of her shoulders, or the tell-tale signs of the tears that she'd refused to directly show her now most hated foe falling from her cheeks.

Another chime, and she was gone, presumably to go to the Gilia Medical Center to be treated. For all her vanity, Farline was not stupid enough to leave such obvious wounds untreated. Even she knew that doing so would only make things worse. Her departure left just the quiet whistling of the wind through the trees, and the singing of the birds once more. Jorin licked his lips, trying to see if he could form the question on his mind into actual Common words.

"Farline's face... did you do that?" he asked Rinya, making sure to not put any accusation in his voice or in his heart. "W-what could Farline have possibly said... possibly done... to have deserved that?"