Completed Saying Goodbye (Rinya)

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Season of Fall, Day 87, 513 AV

It had taken a few days of failures to finally reach his decision. Not that it had been an easy decision. Jorin really hated giving up; he was a man who never did anything by halves. If he could have, he would have continued to fight to get his job back at the Amphitheater. But despite his sincerest efforts, the stage master refused to budge, and while he no longer felt the depression, he still couldn't help but feel the frustration.

Rinya had been very supportive during the entire ordeal, and Jorin was extremely grateful to have such an understanding wife. Nonetheless it wasn't fair to his wife and bondmate to have to deal with his frustration day in and day out. She'd married him because she knew it would make him feel better, and he didn't want to waste that by falling back into angry frustration again.

He'd told her he'd try for a few more days. He'd done so to no success. So it was time for him to keep his word, and give up the attempt. Honestly, he should have guessed this would happen. After literally days of attempt after failed attempt, with every avenue from begging to cajoling to persuading attempted, nothing worked.

Jorin might have tried more underhanded tactics, like intimidation, or bribery, or even a bit of flat-out subterfuge. But Jorin's kind nature just wasn't suited to methods like those and for all the chances they might have given him, he couldn't bring himself to lower himself to Farline's level. So he refrained, and likely cost himself any chance of undoing her damage.

But that didn't mean that Jorin was depressed. Far from it. The fact that his beautiful bondmate and mate had married him, and was now his wife, made everything else seem minor. So despite what he now saw as just a minor setback, he decided he'd still bring his wife with him on a very important trip. Well, important to him, though he wasn't aware she'd already approached the man once before.

As he'd told Rinya earlier that day, the Thespians were leaving pretty much within the next few days. They did not have much time to say goodbye, and Jorin wanted to meet his old stage master at least once before he never saw the man again, or at least not for a very, very long time. He didn't want Rinya to be in trouble at the Warren though, so he was happy to wait for a day when she could get off work early.

Besides, he himself was feeling a bit... sore, from their activities at home. Ever since they married, neither of them could really keep their hands off one another and as much as Jorin absolutely loved joining with his wife so often, his body could use the time to recover from it.

Rinya had promised to do her best to see if she couldn't get shifts switched around so that she could make it home in time. As he waited for his wife to meet him at the Knirin Gardens, Jorin looked over almost sadly at the colorful tents that marked the Thespians. Those tents would be struck by tomorrow, he knew, and then after that, the ground would be swept and cleared, and by the end of the season, no one who looked upon the scene would even know they had been here. It was almost tragic, in a way.

Jorin grinned and waved at some of the actors, stagehands and understudies that came to say goodbye. He knew every one of them, of course, having been on the road with them for nearly five years. Some simply came to say their farewells, others who noticed the Cheva's Mark upon his neck came to congratulate him. But after only about ten or so chimes of waiting, he could feel the approach of the woman he'd been waiting for.

It wasn't so much a real sense. Nothing like that at all. Just... when Rinya got closer to him, physically, her emotions tended to get stronger in every way, whatever those emotions happened to be, whether it be love, happiness, contentment, or even anger or jealousy. Proximity to him always amplified her emotions in general, and in a way it told him when his wife was near.

Her emotions were relatively muted today, probably because she was tired from working the Warren. Jorin turned to see Rinya's approach, and waved at her even though he knew it wasn't necessary since she was already headed in his direction. She was wearing his favorite outfit of hers; the ruffled red blouse with the gray skirt, along with the leather jacket. She had her hair done up in a high ponytail, which gave her - in his opinion - a playful, fun-loving appearance. He definitely liked it, and wasn't afraid to tell her.

"You look beautiful as always, my love," he commented. He leaned in to give her a quick kiss, before offering his arm to her. Even though he didn't actually know which of the Thespian actor tents Eric was actually in, everyone there already knew him and knew who he'd be there to see. He was absolutely certain he'd find someone to direct the way.

In the meantime, he led them to the closest tent. Even though winter was not yet quite there, the wind was getting somewhat nippy as it whistled past them, despite his cloak and Rinya's jacket, so he headed for the nearest shelter. Eric probably wouldn't be there, but someone would, and honestly Jorin just wanted his former coworkers and to some degree friends of sorts to meet his wife.

"Jorin!" a cheerful voice called out from behind, and he turned to see a sandy-haired young man stroll up to them with a broad grin. It was one of the lead actors, and someone Jorin knew well from dozens of rehearsals he had with the man. With embarrassment, he realized a good half of them he was late to, something he never did anymore.

"Harad! I hadn't expected to see you again," Jorin replied, returning the man's grin. "I want you to meet my wife, Rinya," he continued, introducing Rinya to the man. Harad nodded and bowed low to her, not bothering to extend his hand when he realized she was attached rather possessively to her husband's arm.

"A pleasure to meet you," Harad said, "Jorin... Eric's over in the main tent," the older actor informed him, waving his arm in the general direction further ahead, "But you really should make the rounds. I mean, man, we may never see you again! You can't just leave half the Thespians hanging, could you?"

Jorin sighed. He hadn't planned out the time to meet ALL the Thespians to say goodbye. He figured to mostly say his farewells to Eric, maybe a few choice friends. But Harad had a point. He quite literally might never see any of these people again, so it might be worth it to say goodbye to as many as he could get a hold of. Shrugging slightly, he turned to his wife.

"I hope you don't mind if I say goodbye to a few more people," he sort-of asked. But in truth, if his wife had expressed concern or disagreement, Jorin would cut his visit short, and go straight for Eric regardless. Some might view him as whipped, but the truth was Rinya's happiness simply trumped the happiness of the Thespians.

Because while they might have been his (now former) co-workers, they ceased being his family the moment he'd left. Rinya, however, was very much his family. He punctuated his question to Rinya with another light kiss, and Harad laughed. "Oh for Ionu's sake, I get it! You're married and in love, you don't have to rub my nose in it!" He chided lightly. Jorin laughed with the man and shrugged.

"Hey now, I never complained when you kissed your wife," he needled, to which Harad shrugged.

"I guess fair's fair," he concluded lightly. "Just... try to find time to visit a few of us over at the actor's tent, won't you?" he requested with a small wave, before bounding off. Jorin sighed. Right, the actor's tent. Where most of them were almost certain to give long-winded speeches about camaraderie that would take bells and bells and bells. Well alright, maybe not that long but it was pretty bad.

Deciding to just get it over with, Jorin quietly led Rinya over to that tent, while laying one hand comfortingly over hers that she had wrapped around his arm. He was aware of the possessive nature of her action, but honestly just didn't care. Stopping slightly, Jorin glanced over at Rinya and grinned. "So, what do you think of the Thespians so far?" he asked.

x

[Rinya]

Day 87, Season Fall, 513 AV

Even if Rinya did not share the bond with Jorin, his frustration would have been extremely obvious to her. She knew he was completely torn inside, between holding to his word that he would only try a few more days to get back his job, and his stubborn pride that insisted he never give up. In the end she unfortunately knew he wasn’t going to land his job back—the stage master really was wrapped around Farline’s finger. It had been tempting to go down to the Amphitheater herself and insist to the stage master that she knew what he had done. But that wouldn’t have likely helped Jorin’s situation any.

So Rinya gritted her teeth together and did her best to help Jorin whenever they were home alone together. In the very least his depression had not come roaring back. Frustration she could handle—after all she worked with Rhys nearly every day. That was frustrating alone in itself. The poor Akalak had taken one look at her Cheva mark and looked about ready to have a heart attack. She would have felt bad, seeing as the first few days Rhys had no idea how to speak to her. It was like the mark had put some kind of distance between them—Seymantis included. She really hoped that they would snap out of it soon however.

It was dangerous at her job—at times—and the last thing they needed to be doing was… did arguing count? After all they really hadn’t said anything to her, just the shocked look and now it was an almost cold silence. It did worry her a little, considering she counted them as friends for the most part. Rinya wondered if maybe perhaps she should ask Jorin about it. While he wasn’t close with the Akalak—they didn’t get along actually—it was obvious her Cheva mark set it off. Jorin was incredibly insightful, so he might get an idea… or at least pick up on something she couldn’t.

That was a conversation for later however. Jorin had invited her to join him at the Gardens where the Thespians were getting ready to leave. It didn’t entirely surprise her that he’d want to say goodbye to some of his old friends. Rinya actually had the idea to insist that he rejoin them. Eric obviously would take him back in a heartbeat, and with his job at the Amphitheater at a dead end… it seemed entirely plausible to suggest it. She would follow of course, offer whatever assistance she could. She was better than ever with her longbow and there were likely to be dangers ahead should he choose to go.

It was a thought she was twisting around her head as she approached Jorin. Their condo didn’t have much in it, nothing special that couldn’t be brought along with them. Being uprooted wasn’t entirely shocking against her system anyways, since she had that drive to migrate. She had managed to get a shorter shift for the day courtesy of Raistren. She had mentioned she wasn't feeling well, but in reality it was more that her muscles still... ached... from all the extra activity at home. They had been all over each other since the wedding, not that she was complaining in the least. It did leave her a little sore however. But the whole entire shift had been quiet and full of thoughts that maybe perhaps she really should bring the issue up with him. It wasn’t failure—Eric had said it himself. He had just wanted Jorin to grow up a little, but he was one of his best actors. Rinya had seen that side of Jorin herself. Because of all these thoughts, Rinya had mostly kept her emotions quiet across the bond—save for love of course. She swore that would take more work to keep quiet, and there wasn’t a point to muting it of course.

Rinya smirked at his beautiful comment, rolling her eyes but she easily accepted his kiss with a small one of her own and twisted her arm around his. It was a position she was most certainly growing comfortable in. Jorin led the way, and Rinya followed, trying to figure a way to ask him what had been on her mind all morning. They were here already—it wouldn’t hurt to ask before they met up with Eric would it? She really didn’t want to put him on the spot, but she wondered if the idea itself had crossed his mind at all. ”Jorin… I’ve been thinking,” She started, but was firmly interrupted by a bright voice behind them. Rinya felt her jaw snap shut, but oddly enough she wasn’t upset by the interruption. Considering where they were she had a feeling it was going to come up—a lot.

Jorin greeted the man—Harad—before introducing her as his wife. Rinya couldn’t help but grin brightly at the man. While Jorin never had an issue calling her ‘mate’ before, to humans that wasn’t much of a claim. She supposed more people respected the marriage part—well most would anyway—plus it was an easier word for them to understand. ”Hello.” Rinya stated softly, nodding to Harad slightly. And while her grip on Jorin’s arm wasn’t likely to come off, she actually felt far more comfortable now than she did at the after party earlier in the season. She was more than content to watch the two converse.

Jorin hinted at the possibility of saying goodbye to other actors and Rinya simply smiled softly at him, shrugging her shoulders. ”That’s just fine Jorin. We’re in no rush.” And that was completely true. There really was no rush, and if Jorin shot down her proposal, then he might never see many of these people again. Rinya did however turn red at Harad’s remark about being in love and rubbing his nose in it. Jorin just fired his own remark back and Rinya couldn’t help but playfully roll her eyes at the two. They certainly could fit like family couldn’t they?

As Jorin finally led her off, he asked her what she thought of the Thespians. It crossed her mind that she had forgotten to tell him that she had visited them before. ”Well they seem nice enough. They did before as well.” Rinya shot him a sheepish smile ”I needed advice on how the whole marriage thing works… who better to ask than your father figure?” She doubted Jorin would be mad at her, though he could be irritated that she didn’t mention it. It wasn’t the first time she forgot to tell him something important. This time the distraction was getting ready to marry him, instead of moving in with him.

But her statement made it easy to bring up the question at hand. ”Jorin why don’t you rejoin the Thespians? With your job being sabotaged there isn’t anything actually holding you to Riverfall, and I already know Eric would take you back.” Rinya shrugged before shooting him a gentle look. ”I would be going as well, so don’t try to use the fact I would be here as an excuse to remain in Riverfall.”

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

One of the reasons Jorin never really liked the idea of bringing Rinya into the actor's tent was the fact that, honestly, it would be crowded full of people. Well-wishers, and old friends, certainly, but it was still a crowd and he knew his wife didn't like crowds. She far preferred to simply spend her time with him, and if he was honest he loved just spending time with her. It felt almost... perfunctory, to have to do this, though Jorin had to admit Harad was right. He really ought to say goodbye; he might never get another chance.

Rinya had apparently wanted to ask a question but was interrupted by Harad's appearance. She'd been fairly quiet on his arm, and Jorin was fine with that. He knew his wife didn't talk much to other people, and he was happy simply having her there. If it had been a Season ago, Jorin might have worried that he'd appear to be treating his wife like a piece of arm candy; a pretty face to display. But they both knew that wasn't why she didn't speak much and the love that he felt across the bond was as strong as ever. Who cares what the rest of the world thought?

One of the things that Jorin did notice, however, was Rinya's own tension during the last few days. Of course, it could just be her responding to his frustration, which today was partly to relieve if he had his way. But not all of it was, or at least he didn't think it was. Nonethless, Rinya seemed oddly reluctant to specify. Jorin decided not to push; he fully trusted his wife, and he knew she would tell him when she was ready to.

But Rinya mentioned 'before', which caused Jorin to quirk an eyebrow. She'd met them before? That was when she mentioned that she'd spoken to his 'father figure', which could only mean Eric. Aaaah...

"Well, I hope no one was too rude to you," Jorin joked playfully, as he leaned in closer to his wife to nuzzle her cheek with his nose. To anyone else they probably looked exactly like what they were: a young married couple very much in love. And neither of them had any problems whatsoever with displaying it.

Jorin's hair wasn't long enough to hide his Cheva's Mark, not that he would hide it even if it had been, and Rinya had pulled her own hair back in a ponytail to proudly display her Mark as well. As they walked side-by-side, many of the understudies and stagehands they passed took the time to congradulate them. Jorin graciously thanked them for the consideration.

Rinya had softly asked him why he didn't return to the Thespians. The question brought a thoughtful expression to Jorin's face as he stopped slightly, indicating to Rinya that they temporarily sit at a nearby bench. When they'd seated, Jorin took his free hand and gently caressed her face, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips and sending his love to her by both action and bond. The kiss, as usual, felt like it lasted bells even though they seperated after only about a chime. Smiling at his wife, he answered her.

"I had thought about that, actually," he confessed to her. "But... the Thespians are a traveling Troupe. I know you'd come along but, well..." Jorin bit his lower lip as he tried to put his feelings into words. He wanted to make her understand why it didn't work for him anymore.

"Before I met you, traveling was something I felt like I needed. Probably because I didn't know what I wanted yet, and I figured the more places I went, the more chances I'd get to find what I was looking for." Jorin looked directly into Rinya's golden eyes, as he sent pure love across the bond. "I found it here in Riverfall," he stated simply, shifting his hand from her face to her heart. The heart he'd claimed the night he married her.

"I... I don't feel the urge to travel anymore, Rinya. I have you now. I have a wife, I have a family. I know we only briefly talked about this but... I want children with you, my love. And the road is no place to raise a child." Despite the slight reddening of his cheeks at the mention of children, Jorin nevertheless stated it with conviction and not a trace of hesitation. He did want to raise a family with his wife, but he'd seen the tremendous difficulties the few families that traveled with the Thespians went through. It wasn't something he would put his wife or their potential baby through.

"I'll admit," he confessed, "I'm not the biggest fan of Riverfall. I still don't like the fact that they see you as a pet. Worse, they see you as my pet. I had hoped our marriage might change their minds a bit about that, but some Akalak just won't learn." Jorin sighed a bit. "But at least I don't see you as a pet. I guess that's all that really matters."

And it really was. If their first fight had taught Jorin anything, it taught him that what mattered the most to both of them is how they felt. The Akalak would probably always see Kelvics like Rinya like pets. It was ingrained into their mindset and changing mindsets was hard. He knew his own heart; Rinya was far too precious to him to ever be seen that way. They both knew this.

"Well, anyway, I'm glad you're here," Jorin insisted, smiling as he felt his wife's heart beat under his hand. He could definitely see why she liked doing this so much. If he let himself, he could become addicted to just feeling her heart while experiencing their love twisting between them, surging through the bond and their hearts.

"I'm sure Eric will be pleased to see this," Jorin hummed, taking his free hand and gently brushing it against Rinya's neck, right over her Mark. "I know I am. Rinya, I don't say this enough, but I love y-"

"Why hello, Jori-dear," came a bitterly cold voice from their right. Jorin blinked in surprise before turning to see Farline Darfi glaring at the both of them, her eyes blazing hatred at Rinya and her lip curled into a sneer. The scars on her cheek were still angry, raw and red, somewhat swollen and clearly the stitches had just been removed. Gone was the haughty, arrogant woman, replaced with raw fury and scornful venom.

Farline opened her mouth to say something else, before the marks on their necks caught her attention. Her jaw dropped still further, especially when she saw how Rinya was attached to Jorin's arm, one of his hands lovingly stroking her cheek while the other rested brazenly on her breast, over Rinya's heart. The implication was clear. They were married, and unashamedly in love.

"Y-you married this fool?!" she screeched, and Jorin winced a bit at her volume. He wasn't even sure which of them she was directing the question to, though if he had to guess, he would imagine she was talking to Rinya. Farline was gritting her teeth, her fury quite clearly rising.

"How... you... she hurt me, Jori!" Farline wailed, giving Jorin an accusatory look as one hand rose instinctively to her ruined skin. She would never get her beauty back, and it was this stupid bird's fault, and Jorin married her?!

Jorin just looked back at Farline with an unreadable expression on his face. Inside he wasn't even sure how he was feeling, but surprisingly he wasn't feeling what he thought he'd feel. He wasn't angry, or sorry, or even particularly sympathetic. He just felt... detached. Like Farline's woes were not his woes. Not anymore. Now that Rinya had taken up residence in his heart, Farline's troubles no longer mattered to him.

"Yes, she did," he replied mildly, which only seemed to enrage the woman further.

"Y-you... you're just a pair of lovesick children," Farline managed to choke out, the angry scars on her cheek almost seeming to throb with her anger. "You will never last," Farline warned, flashing Rinya another hate-filled glare.

"I told you before, didn't I? She'll leave you. You'll see. She'll see what a loser you really are and when she does, she'll take wing. And when she does, I'll be laughing," she added, venom dripping from every word. But Jorin felt strangely calm. The words did not affect him the same way it did at Beautyfest.

Ever since he'd pressed her hand to his heart and declared it hers, and placed his own on her heart and declared it his, the fear of what Farline was suggesting no longer dominated him. Oh it was still there, a tiny bit, and likely always would be. But it was a single voice against the hurricane that was his love for her, and her love for him.

Nonetheless, despite the actual contents of her words, it was clear that Farline had addressed her venomous words to Rinya. So Jorin kept quiet, suffering the lashes of Farline's tongue in silence while holding Rinya to him. His hand still pressed to Rinya's heart, his other hand now dropping to her waist to hold her protectively to him. As long as she was there, nothing Farline would say - could say - would change the simple reality. He was happy now, despite what she did. And thanks to Rinya's continued love, he knew always would be.

x

[Rinya]

Jorin teased her over her previous encounters. Rinya smirked slightly, shaking her head. ”Nope. People ran from me actually. I think I’m rather frightening.” Rinya sniffed delicately as if she truly believed it. There could have been any number of reasons why the kid had run from her, but she preferred to think she was just that terrifying. Of course Jorin knew better than that. Sure she had a temper—and yes she had used it on several occasions with Farline and one understudy—but in general she just avoided people anyways. Of course the image was now ruined as well. Jorin leaned in and nuzzled his nose against her cheek and she couldn’t help the far more tender smile to emerge.

Rinya wasn’t used to such attention of course as people from the tent stepped up to both of them to congratulate them on their marriage. Well, she had the feeling they were more congratulating Jorin than they were her, and that was just fine by her standards. She nodded occasionally, throwing out a soft thank you when it was appropriate and was incredibly grateful that Jorin himself didn’t seem to mind her indifference to the group in general. In the very least she wasn’t uptight about the amount of people mingling about.

As she questioned him about the Thespians however Jorin slowed them to a stop, motioning for her to sit down. Tilting her head slightly, she did as she was silently asked and watched him carefully. It wasn’t fear, but simply curiosity. Jorin stroked her cheek and kissed her with enough tenderness to make her heart clench in her chest. As he broke the kiss she drew in air quickly as her face flushed slightly. It wasn’t so much that there were others around, but in public Jorin did not usually lavish this much attention on her person. Yes he kissed her—even dipped her during a dance—but this kiss was different than the after party, or any other time they had been around others really.

Jorin brought up the fact that the Thespians were a traveling group. Rinya could only raise one eyebrow at him as she already knew that fact, but she couldn’t quite see why that was such a big deal. She had traveled from Syliras to Riverfall all by herself—well with a group of rough tradesmen. To a lot of people travel was a necessary evil, or joy depending on how one looked at it. She could easily imagine a younger Jorin wanted to set his own way out into the world. Though the fact that he was looking for something somewhat surprised her. Jorin’s hand slipped down to her chest, right over her heart, and he claimed that he found what it was that he was looking for.

”Well that was quite the journey to find yourself a Kelvic.” RInya teased lightly. She knew he didn’t mean her exactly, but the fact of the matter was he found his place in life. Apparently that was by her side, and Rinya was struck again at how lucky she was. He could have wooed anyone—like Kirsi—and probably won them over. He could have had the same life with someone else, including children. Rinya smiled at his reddening cheeks at the mention of kids. Why she had no idea—considering they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. The idea of carrying his child actually made her a little giddy, and she wasn’t entire sure why. She heard that being pregnant—despite the beautiful outcome—wasn’t entirely fun for the mother.

”You realize we don’t even have to worry about that until spring right?” They could more than certainly travel between now and then… that was if they tried in the spring. That was a conversation for another time though. He did mention that Riverfall itself wasn’t his favorite city with their view of her. But if he didn’t want to travel, nor stay in Riverfall… that made her head hurt a little. ”Jorin… we could handle it. Granted it probably isn’t that fun, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lay down roots somewhere else while traveling.” She merely waved off the mention of Riverfall viewing her as a pet—his pet. Despite his feelings on that, it actually made her far more safe than if she was on her own.

”It is all that matters, but it is for the better so long as we stay here. But if you prefer to stay here instead of traveling that’s fine by me.” She was with him that was all that really mattered. Her home was him, no argument would change that. If he wanted to remain in Riverfall and have children, then she had no qualms. In the very least it was a beautiful city. Jorin mentioned that Eric was likely to be pleased by the mark he was stroking across her neck. Before she could tell him that the man practically hounded her to marrying him for the right reasons, a voice broke through that set her teeth instantly on edge.

One thing Rinya had completely forgotten about in going with the Thespians was the one woman Rinya could not stand. Rinya raised her eyes to the woman before them, who was glaring at them as if they were truly the enemy. Perhaps to Farline they were, but the future scars on the woman’s face looked quite nasty. Rinya hadn’t been able to really see the damage she had done before with all the blood. Yet somehow there was no regret to be felt. Deep down Rinya knew she should apologize, but it would be pointless if she didn’t mean it. Farline’s anger seemed to spark the longer she stared at them and Rinya frowned slightly.

And then as the harpy screeched, Rinya realized it was their marks that was driving Farline nuts. Jorin winced as Farline scolded her—at least she thought it was her—for marrying Jorin. By now Rinya was used to the idea however that Farline could not see Jorin as good marrying material. One did not marry a toy after all. Rinya didn’t bother to answer the obvious question. So Farline tried to play at Jorin, mentioned that Rinya had been the one to indeed hurt her. Rinya watched his face carefully, because she couldn’t quite read it—or the emotions from the bond. Jorin had known about this, but this was the first time he actually saw the damage as well. After what felt like a chime Jorin just mutely agreed with her.

It sent Farline over the deep end, as she hissed that the two of them were just children, playing at love. Rinya sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. Normally her presence sent Rinya into an rather fitful rage herself. But Rinya couldn’t bring herself to even dredge up any hate for the woman. It could have also been Jorin’s presence keeping her calm, but Rinya almost always reacted to the words. When that barb failed to get a reaction out of either of them, Farline tried to grab onto a hook of Jorin’s. That she would leave him and the sadistic woman would thoroughly enjoy watching Jorin break.

Jorin himself did not react to it, and Rinya felt incredibly proud of her husband and mate. It was one of those deeply seated fears of his. Rinya released another sigh and looked up at Farline with an unreadable expression of her own. ”Seriously? Is that the best you got? That I’m going to leave him?” While Rinya was not angry per say, she couldn’t help the comment that next came out of her mouth. ”I thought we already established that I’m not you. I failed every one of your lessons didn’t I?” That Jorin was a toy, something to play with and put away when you got bored. You certainly didn’t kiss him because you wanted—much less lay with him. Rinya wondered how badly Farline would break if she found out just how often she did with him.

”If you aren’t careful, you’ll rip open that new skin of yours.” Rinya smiled sweetly… too sweetly.

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Jorin raised an eyebrow at Rinya telling him that people ran from her. He would describe his wife with many words. Beautiful, faithful, independent, and sometimes fierce. But he wouldn't describe her as scary. Though he did have the advantage of being her husband. He knew she could never frighten him, because he knew she would never harm him. Just like he could never harm her.

"Ran? From you?" he repeated, with a cheeky grin. "Well I suppose you are a hawk," he noted, the grin still on his face. In truth, Jorin was sure it was something else. No matter how fierce her demeanor, no matter how harsh her temper, Jorin knew his wife was a good person. She only struck out when she was threatened or seriously pushed.

Rinya's teasing comment about the journey to find a Kelvic drew a chuckle from Jorin. "Not just any Kelvic," Jorin insisted with a playful wink. But they both knew she understood what he meant. He'd found his place in the world. His purpose. Rinya had given him what his father, what the Thespians, could not. A reason to be.

He smiled slightly as he listened patiently to Rinya's light teasing about not having to worry about children until Spring, or the fact that she agreed that the only thing that was important was how they felt for one another. He just shrugged lightly in response. "Well," he finally concluded, "We'll see. I might ask Eric if he wants me back. No matter what, you're my home." If they ended up having to raise their children on the road, he was sure they could manage somehow.

The tender feelings that Jorin was experiencing died a quick death when Farline entered the picture. He couldn't help but feel hurt by her words, the way she described him. While Jorin was oftentimes his own harshest critic it still stung to be called a loser right to his face; and in front of his wife no less. And at one point he loved Farline. To hear her trample him underfoot so easily... Jorin just took a deep breath and held his tongue.

Fortunately, Rinya answered for him, taunting Farline about how she 'failed' all of her lessons, and making a veiled threat regarding her scars with false sweetness. Jorin couldn't feel the hot rage across the bond he was used to feeling when it came to Farline, and he was quite proud of his wife for her control. But Farline just narrowed her eyes and sneered again.

"That's right, you're not me," she fired back at Rinya, not even deigning to favor Jorin with a glance and pointedly ignoring Rinya's too-sweet comment about her scars. "You may have damaged me, but in the end you're the one stuck with a failure," she added.

Turning to Jorin, she gave him a false saccharine smile, tinged with anger and cruelty. "I see you've come crawling back to Eric," she commented, sugar-sweet, and mocking Rinya's own tone. "Have you forgotten that he was the one who kicked you out to begin with?" she asked. Jorin just set his jaw.

"I seriously doubt you could have manipulated Eric as easily," he growled. Rinya was right; Eric was his second father-figure. He knew the man, and knew he was not nearly as easy to fool as the stage master of the Amphitheater. Farline just shrugged.

"There is more than one way to manipulate," she fired back viciously. "And do you really think that fool of a stage master was the only man I managed to turn?" She tossed Rinya a triumphant grin, before frowning and clutching her face as her soon-to-be-scars apparently ached from the movement. Taking a few moments, she regained her composure before continuing.

"So you managed to lay with him once," she hissed at Rinya, eyes narrowed and voice low and dangerous. "Congratulations. If he was as awkward as during his first kiss, I'll bet you didn't feel anything." Turning to Jorin with a triumphant smile, Farline just winked at him, though the effect was marred by the fact that she winced again at the pain on her cheek.

"Did she tell you she enjoyed it?" Farline cooed, with false sympathy. "Trust me, Jori-dear. She lied. I didn't even feel anything when you kissed me."

Jorin couldn't help it. He just couldn't. If she'd said this after their first time, he might have been a bit worried, though not by much since the bond easily told him he had done something right. But now, after the intense mating they'd shared over the last few days - his muscles still pleasantly sore from the act - that Farline's words merely came across as amusing.

So without thinking he threw his head back and laughed. Rinya would feel sheer amusement from him as he just couldn't help guffawing at the idea. Farline was so far off the mark he didn't even know where to begin, and honestly, he was getting tired of trying. For her part, Farline's face nearly turned purple, her eyes flashing a warning as she snarled, "Stop laughing!"

Jorin eventually managed to calm down, enough to simply look Farline in the eye. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was rude," he apologized, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "But how often I do - or don't - lay with my wife is my business," he managed, as he looked at her with some semblance of control once more. As he said 'wife', Jorin quite deliberately tugged Rinya's waist closer to him, silently prompting her to hug him tighter.

Jorin wanted to say to Farline that she was wrong. That every time he ever laid with Rinya it was more and more amazing. But those were personal details he didn't want to share with Farline. So he did not. Instead he turned to his wife, giving her a gentle, calming smile. Farline did not take well to being ignored.

"As rude as ever, I see," she spat at Jorin, but then she turned to Rinya. "You looked so happy, so natural with that Akalak of yours at Beautyfest," Farline noted, glancing at Jorin to see if she was having any effect. Jorin refused to react, though he couldn't help but feel the surge of jealousy at the mention of Rhys.

It was something he tried hard to work on, but he couldn't deny the jealousy he'd felt, when he saw Rinya's smile and laugh during the party. He wasn't afraid he'd lose her. Rinya was his love, his bondmate, his wife. He trusted her completely. But seeing her with another man, even temporarily... he just didn't like it.

Farline pressed on. "You should have left her with him. He is clearly so much better than you. Taller, stronger... ooooh, did you see those muscles?!" Farline gave a vicious grin as she cooed over the memory of Rhys' handsome form. "Face it, Jori-dear. You're nowhere near as good. The stupid bird here will someday figure it out. And when she does..."

Jorin was silent for a few chimes. He couldn't deny her words finally managed to have an effect on him. His insecurity over inadequacy was something that he would probably always have, and Farline just kept attacking it mercilessly. Not to mention, he had always been jealous of Rhys, since they'd first met. Because he was taller, and stronger, and more muscular. But there was one thing the man did not have.

"Everything you say is true," Jorin admitted quietly. His voice sad and Farline almost crowed with victory. "I... I don't deserve a woman as incredible as Rinya. But, she chose me. And I chose her. Logic would say that she should choose Rhys, for all the reasons you said. But... I love her. And she loves me."

Unconsciously, Jorin's hand went up to his Cheva's Mark, looking over at Rinya and gently touching hers as well. Then he turned back to Farline, who was staring at them almost vibrating with fury. Despite the woman's obvious reaction, Jorin just continued to look at her placidly. The brief surge of jealousy her words manged to summon had already dissipated. One look at his wife, one surge of reassurance and love from across the bond, and the jealousy was gone. It might come back, but it never stayed. Only their love remained.

"Maybe we are children, playing at love," Jorin shrugged. "But this love feels more real than all the love stories I've ever participated in. I'm tired of this, Farline. What do you want?"

It was such a simple question, but it seem to draw the woman up short. What did she want? ...What did she want? Farline couldn't decide. Did she want revenge? Satisfaction? To see Rinya suffer? She didn't know and her jaw worked despite the throbbing in her cheek. "I want... I want to talk to her," Farline snapped, pointing a finger at Rinya. "Alone."

Jorin didn't hide his surprise at Farline's demand. His first inclination was to refuse, but after all, the challenge had been issued to his wife. Turning to Rinya, not even caring that Farline huffed at the action that she obviously perceived as both weak and a deliberate dismissal of her, Jorin just said gently, "Farline does not control my actions. If you want me to leave so you can face her alone, I'll go. If you don't, I'll stay. Our bond is telling me you probably don't, but I want to hear it from those beautiful lips I love so much."

Jorin ignored Farline's disbelieving snort at his romantic words. They weren't for her, they were for his wife.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked. As Rinya spoke her reply, he closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss against her soft lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth to enhance the action, the love, tenderness, and passion that crossed the bond - mixing and twisting about inside their very souls - made for a potent combination that drove out the frustration of dealing with Farline's venom. And Farline's shocked and angry gasp told him what he already knew: that this passionate yet tender kiss with the woman he loved was probably the best insult he could hurl her way.

x

[Rinya]

Rinya sighed wearily when the best shot Farline could again take was that she was stuck with a so called failure. But that completely depended on their own points of view. Farline wasn’t capable of seeing Jorin’s value or worth because she put all her ducks in one basket. The handsome, strong, rich man that would take care of her, only Rinya saw that as a cage. Someone to control her just to get material items, and in the end her life wouldn’t be her own. Because Farline never took into account that the fantasy man may have a temper or worse, Rinya could not imagine such a life really. Jorin gave her what she needed, which more often than not went with what she wanted on top of it.

Farline tried to indicate that Eric wasn’t likely to take Jorin back. However with her short meeting with Eric, Rinya had little doubt the man would. He not only cared for Jorin, but counted him as one of his best actors. Jorin had been working hard since he left the Thespians, and Rinya was sure Eric probably kept tabs on him. After all the man even knew she was Kelvic. The little bird stealing away his best actor—if the words came back to her correctly. Jorin was clever in his own right though, as he noted that Eric would not be so easily manipulated by Farline as the stage master was. ”Yes, not the only man. But that just goes to show that you pick the same weaklings in a row. And it just drives you nuts that Jorin at least learned his lesson. Apparently men with a challenge frighten you.” Rinya snorted. ”Guess he’s not as weak as you thought.”

And then Farline said something that neither Jorin nor her could keep from laughing about. Perhaps yes, their first mating was awkward. But that was the first time for both of them—perfection was a ridiculous expectation. And honestly she wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Her first time was with someone who cared about her pleasure before she even knew it could exist. He could have very well taken what he wanted from her, denied her pleasure, and she may have never known about it. That was a selfish idea and Jorin would never use her like that. He even stated that he couldn’t enjoy their joining without her enjoying them as well.

Rinya was tempted to say that to feel something in a kiss usually indicated attraction in the very least. Farline didn’t care about love or attraction—she was never going to feel anything if her track record kept up like this. But Jorin’s mirth overrode her desire for words and Rinya pressed her lips into a tight line and giggled. It made her already sore sides hurt, but Farline’s face was completely worth it. Jorin just tugged her closer and informed Farline it wasn’t any of her business how often they bedded each other. Because if they were honest—there was no way to keep tally anymore, though Rinya had a guess just from the past few days… well a rounded guess anyways.

Farline was clearly unhappy with the turn of events. So she went back to her previous barb. That perhaps Jorin should have left her with Rhys. Out of all the Akalak if Rinya had to be stuck with one Rhys was really the only choice. But that did not mean she wanted to be stuck with him. In fact she was fairly sure she’d go crazy after the first week. She could barely handle him for a few hours every day. Living and mating with Rhys—the thought caused a disgusted shiver to flow through her. Jorin himself piped up first though before she could shoot back her own retort about why Rhys wasn’t a choice. It was true, that they chose each other even if it didn’t make sense, but it bothered Rinya a little that the feeling flared in him. The fear of her disappearance from his life.

His jealousy and fear didn’t stick around for long though—which made Rinya calm slightly. She didn’t want to have another discussion about why Jorin was it for her. Jorin for his account seemed to manage to draw Farline up short however with one simple question. What did she want? It took several ticks before the woman pointed directly at her. She wanted to speak to Rinya alone? Hadn’t she learned that every time they ended up alone, Farline walked away with a new injury? Rinya sighed slightly—this was never going to end until the woman was gone.

Jorin himself just faced her, ignoring Farline’s request, and asked her simply if she wanted him to go. In some ways she didn’t want him to go anywhere—there was always the chance that she could become enraged again and go after Farline. But it didn’t actually seem likely. The woman was pulling cheap shots and Rinya had the urge to burn out the frustration for the past week or so that had been building from Jorin’s loss of job. However the idea flew out of her head before she could actually answer either of them. Jorin leaned forward to kiss her—simply—before he suddenly slipped his tongue into her mouth and she couldn’t stop the moan that erupted from her chest.

After the past week one would think she would be getting used to this. They mated so many times over the past few days that all the desire should have been burnt out of her. But it only made it worse. It actually took quite a bit of effort not to further the kiss—and probably anger Farline more. Reluctantly Rinya pulled away from the kiss with a groan. Her head swam with their emotions and Rinya took a tick to try and re-gather her thoughts. Clearing her throat, Rinya reached up to stroke his neck where his mark was before smiling softly at him. ”It will be alright. I promise to behave myself. This won’t take long.”

Rinya reluctantly pulled herself away from Jorin to stand. She knew he was hesitant to leave them, but he would simply because she asked. The moment Jorin gave them their space, Rinya whirled around to face Farline, snickering slightly. ”For someone who spent so much time with Jorin, you really don’t know him at all huh? Oh well… you’re loss is my gain. If you want Rhys you’re more than welcome to him, or any other pretty man with a little Mizas. Hope you enjoy the idea of being controlled just to get those pretty little baubles you want.” Rinya snorted again, making a slight wave of dismissal at the thought.

”What is that you actually want? I figured you’d have learned by now.”

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

When Rinya started talking about weakness, Farline just snarled at her with disdain, her mouth curling up at the corner as she glared at her hated rival with a heat that could melt metal. Farline clearly did not think much of any man, so to her they were all weaklings. But it was not that which she sneered at Rinya. "Oh don't you worry your head about me," she sniped. "And Jori here is hardly a challenge. He's simply too stupid to know what's good for him is all."

But Farline seemed almost hesitant to talk with Jorin there. It was almost as though there was something that she wanted to say to Rinya, but didn't care to have Jorin himself there to hear it. What could that be? Jorin himself didn't know as he watched his wife and his former love go at it with some concern. To be perfectly honest, despite what Farline had done to him, he still had no real desire for Farline to suffer further. Perhaps he was too kindhearted, but that was simply who Jorin was. Besides, the scratches on Farline's cheek looked swollen and painful, and he knew that if she pressed his wife far enough, Farline would end up gaining a matching set.

But Farline seemed insistent on attacking Rinya in any way she could, and the only thing Jorin could think to do to blunt the damage was to interpose himself between them. But after their kiss - which if Jorin was being honest with himself, he really wanted to continue and couldn't help his little pout of disappointment when it ended - Rinya had stroked his neck where his mark was, and promised to behave. She then implied he should leave, telling him it wouldn't take long.

Jorin hesitated for a moment. He felt a bit torn; he trusted his wife, of course, but he didn't want to leave her without backup against someone he knew she hated. Besides, Farline seemed not just capable but intent on pushing his wife's buttons. That wasn't something Jorin liked to see, or feel across the bond even if he couldn't see it.

Nonetheless, Jorin had never, and would never, refuse a direct request from Rinya. He would do anything to make her happy, and if she wanted him to step out for a bit, then that was what he would do. Somewhat reluctantly, Jorin nodded at her, leaning in as he did so for one last quick kiss before smiling and walking off, entering one of the tents to say goodbye to some of the actors he'd not seen in a while.

As soon as Jorin left earshot Rinya's words came out, and Farline narrowed her eyes at the Kelvic woman in front of her. She seemed to chew on Rinya's words for a moment before she spoke.

"I simply cannot believe you would lay with a fool like him," she started, nose a bit in the air. "Your purity is one of your most valuable commodities, and you would give it away?" Farline touched her cheek gingerly while giving Rinya a pitying smile.

"Not to mention marriage... what is next? Would you bear children for him as well?" Farline laughed harshly. It was absurd! Jorin had done nothing whatsoever to deserve such things, at least as far as she was concerned. For Farline to lay with a man, she would have to be well compensated. Even after Rinya's attack had ruined her face, Farline still felt her purity was a commodity she could yet sell, though the price it once commanded was likely now reduced.

The loss of her beauty had hit Farline hard, and the first night after Rinya's attack she had almost been catatonic, especially after she spied her own reflection passing a mirror in the hospital. It had been one of the most difficult moments of her life, realizing the one great advantage she had, the one thing that allowed her to live the lifestyle she wanted and (she felt) she so richly deserved, had been taken from her. By Rinya.

"Jori's work at the Amphitheater, it was all part of the game," she snarled, but her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I said I'd find a way to win, and I did, but the game was never supposed to go this far. You took my face, you stupid bird!"

Farline took a few deep breaths, trying to be careful not to tear open any of the scratches again. Even though they hadn't been too deep, the jaggedly torn flesh was waxy and an angry red in color, and it was quite clear the scars would be both ugly and prominent. Impossible to hide.

"So it's not a game anymore," Farline announced. "And I just want to know one thing. Why?"

It truly did not make any sense to her. It really didn't. Farline had played the game for most of her career, and it was always just that, a game. Sometimes a vicious game, it was true. And if she was honest with herself, she'd admit to be a sore loser, who often went to quite extraordinary lengths to "get back" at people. But even the game had rules, and for all that she was vicious and false and manipulative, Farline did follow those rules.

Had Rinya permitted Farline her 'victory', had she simply fumed in impotent fury and allowed Farline to crow and rejoice in her success, it likely would have ended there. Farline wanted to see Rinya hurt, it was true. She didn't like the woman; the Kelvic had turned what had once been her most reliable toy into a brick wall. Not only that, but she kept insisting on making the worst choices and yet... and yet she somehow kept winning.

But despite all that, had Rinya given Farline her victory, even Farline would have had to admit that she didn't really have any plan for what happened afterwards. It was quite possible that Farline would have simply lorded her superiority over Rinya for a few days, and then quickly grown bored and moved onto her next conquest.

Farline's face was gone. It was never coming back. No amount of makeup could hide the scars; no amount of surgery would remove them. Regardless of if she was twenty or eighty the scars would remain for as long as she was alive; a permanent reminder of what Rinya had done to her. And on top of this, Rinya had actually threatened to kill her should she try again.

"M-my face. My precious face... I lost it, not because of you but because of Jorin," she bit out. "Jorin, the loser who could barely screw up enough courage to kiss me. Jorin, the idiot who forgot his lines halfway through a play. Jorin, who was so easy that I could put him away and he'd still be foolishly loyal..."

Farline sneered in disdain at Rinya's husband, clearly seeing Jorin as not just a toy, but a useless fop. A man who was barely a man, hardly worth anything except to be used and discarded at the earliest convenience. And it was clear that what she couldn't understand, what she was trying to ask Rinya, was how was it that such a man could have prompted her to such a degree of loyalty that she'd take Farline's face for harming him.

"It makes no sense!" she wailed. "How could a loser like that... why would you take my face... for him?! What do you see in him?!"

x

[Rinya]

Rinya really did know better by now than to try and argue it out with Farline. But that didn’t always stop the irritation from rising. Apparently Jorin was too stupid to… be used as a toy. Rinya just shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes again. It was becoming more obvious that Farline just used any excuse to insult Jorin to excuse the fact that he just now knew better than to get mixed up in her own game. Hai, he was well on his way to figuring that out a long time ago judging by his blow up at the hospital earlier in the season. The only problem was Jorin was extremely loyal to a fault. He probably would have stuck it out until she said otherwise.

Jorin himself was completely hesitant on leaving the two of them alone. She could understand why, even if he did trust her—she was known for her own bad temper and bad things always seemed to spring up from that. And they did happen to be in a far more public place. But he gave her a sweet kiss before heading off into another one of the tents. Not too far away, but certainly enough to ensure that he wasn’t going to be able to overhear the two of them. Rinya knew the moment he disappeared she was going to be in for it. And after a long tick of silence Farline started the attack all over again.

Rinya could almost feel a type of exhaustion pulling at her mind. Now she was going after her apparent purity? She let the woman give her the pitying smile before crossing her arms under her breasts. ”Well firstly—humans put more stock in such a silly idea than Kelvic do. It’s kind of a moot point for us animals,” Rinya spat out animal rather sarcastically, but not as harshly as she might have thought. ”Secondly, it’s far more worth it to give it to someone who cares… trust me.” She knew the words ‘trust me’ were pointless with Farline—especially now. She would never believe her if Farline’s life even depended on it.

”And not that it’s actually any of your business, but yes. Children aren’t something we’ve talked about in length, but we certainly plan on them.” She stated it mildly, as if it didn’t matter what she thought. Which was par the course that it didn’t anyways, it never had. It had only mattered when Farline made sure to make Jorin miserable just to get back at her. Whether toying with his mind, or costing him his job. Farline certainly did know what buttons to push when it came to her, but Rinya had apparently done the final blow.

Farline tried to insist that costing Jorin his job was all part of the game. Just how far the game went—those rules were completely up to Farline. So once Rinya took it too far by her standards was all that mattered. That wasn’t even a game by that point, and Rinya had to grit her teeth to keep from snapping at her. There was a slight flare of anger at the fact that she did indeed win but the cost of her face was too much. So Farline admitted it wasn’t a game anymore—simply insisting that she just wanted to know why. The problem was Rinya had been telling her why since day one. Farline lacked the ability to understand it.

The idea that she lost her face over Jorin was just mind boggling to her. And Rinya would agree that while she may have done the damage to her face— it was over Jorin. It was difficult to swallow however as she went into detail once again about how pointless Jorin was. Perhaps some of those points were correct. Jorin was loyal to a fault, and probably would have been far more hesitant to kiss her first if she hadn’t done so herself. That was another thing Rinya could never change, her view of Jorin. Maybe he had been those things when she had met him—could still be now—however Rinya didn’t really care that he couldn’t remember his lines, or had no job now.

Instead of anger however, Rinya couldn’t help but feel pity. She shrugged slightly, taking a deep breath and seriously thought about her answer before opening her mouth. She wanted to understand, and Rinya knew it was likely she wouldn’t—but she’d at least do the woman the good of answering her. ”Does it really matter what I say Farline?” Rinya raised a brow at the woman as the question was more rhetorical than anything else. ”You say you won the game… but now it’s no longer a game. One thing you have failed to listen to the whole time—this was never a game for me. A game indicates rules—and not just rules you made up yourself. So while you consider my actions to be ‘going too far’, you never took into account that I was never playing.”

Rinya shook her head again, tapping her fingers across the top of her arms. ”What does it say about you? That the only thing pretty about you—worthwhile—was your face. You could found someone rich and handsome and oh so strong. But what’s to stop that said man so shallow to fall for your face—when he finds a prettier one and throws you out into the street with nothing?” Rinya cocked her head to the side. If there was one thing she knew, beauty didn’t last. Farline would use someone until they were no good to her, but it was entirely likely that someone could tire of her first. The broken promises someone would grow weary with. But she charged on before Farline could answer.

”You can’t understand love, so there isn’t any point in telling you why I would do anything for that man you deem a loser. You’ve made up your mind about him, can’t see the worth in that loyality, much less the love he’s capable of giving. Love doesn’t add up to anything in your world… but it does mine.” Rinya glanced back at the tent Jorin had entered, already feeling the absence of his presence. ”I’ll never have to worry about some pretty face outdoing me. Or the man tiring of promises I never intend to keep. I’ll never have to work hard just to make sure I stay on top of every man I meet. That’s an exhausting lifestyle. I’d rather be loved—know that when I go home at night, he’ll be there waiting for me.”

With another shrug Rinya looked back at Farline. ”But you don’t understand it. He may not be super strong, but I don’t need that. I can take care of myself. Mizas… they come and go easily. Basing a life on that is—fickle to say the least. He loves me, and I love him—more than anything. We don’t make sense, and we don’t have to. I can feel it, even without the bond. The love and—well let’s face it—we’re attracted to each other like no other.” Rinya felt a little long winded. Words useless for someone who would just laugh them off.

”So I’ll ask you this agaom Farline. Now that I ruined your face… what does that say about you? Your own worth according to you lost. Whatever do you do now?”

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

If Jorin had been there, he’d have said that Rinya was wrong. Youth didn’t last. Physical attractiveness didn’t last. But beauty - at least beauty as he defined it - was eternal. As far as Jorin was concerned Rinya was, would remain, and would always be, the most beautiful woman in the world. And while he certainly saw her as extremely attractive - not to mention devastatingly sensual when she wanted to be - that was not even close to being the only reason he loved her. He loved everything about her; and he’d love her just as fiercely when her youth had faded as he did now.

Had Jorin’s sole qualification for love been physical attraction, he’d have gone after the first pretty face he’d seen. He’d have chased Kirsi, or Krima, or petch he might’ve continued to try to win Farline. Then again, if Jorin had been shallow enough that his sole qualification was prettiness, it was quite probable Rinya would have never been attracted to him, to say nothing of bonding to him, marrying him, or mating with him.

But that was something Farline would never, could never understand. From Farline’s perspective the issue was one of perception. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t understand love, though that certainly was an issue for her. For Farline, up until she had met Rinya her life had been quite simple. Her face allowed her to manipulate men so easily, and her skill as an actress assisting in it, that she’d grown to believe that men were only good for such manipulation.

Rinya had been wrong. Farline greatly appreciated a challenge. It was why she was so disdainful of Jorin. Because he wasn’t a challenge. He’d been easy, and despite her vanity, Farline liked the fact that she could always go back to her ‘old faithful’ if she needed to. She relied on Jorin to be there, almost like a salve to her bruised ego on those rare occasions she couldn’t manipulate someone. She took advantage of his natural kindness and loyalty because in her mind, if he never fought back, he deserved to be exploited.

But Rinya had taken that away from her. Robbed her of her of the crutch she’d relied on, turned him into one of the hardest people to turn she’d ever experienced. Farline did not love Jorin. She didn’t even really like him, at least not in that sense. She liked Jorin the way one might like a safety blanket or favorite toy. Under other circumstances, had it been another actress at the Amphitheater that had taken Jorin from her, Farline might have been able to swallow defeat. After all, she didn’t win the game all the time, and if another actress played it better she might have been willing to concede, even if only grudgingly and with a few spiteful parting shots.

But Rinya was different. She didn’t play the game and still won. And she had no problems rubbing it in her face. The stupid bird had brazenly confessed to simply giving away her purity, and her tone implied she didn’t see anything wrong with doing so. Farline couldn’t help but smirk at Rinya calling herself an animal. She’d get no argument there. As for trusting her, Farline would rather gain matching scars on the other side of her face than trust Rinya.

“Children... you were serious?!” Farline’s face displayed her obvious surprise. She’d been mostly sarcastic when she mentioned children. Farline, of course, knew how children were made, and it was more a jab at the fact that after having laid with Jorin, Rinya would probably wind up pregnant if she continued to do so. Not that Farline wasn’t sure Rinya knew that was a possibility; it was more intended as an insult. But apparently, the bird was dumb enough to actually want to carry Jorin’s baby.

But she listened in stony silence as Rinya laid out how the only thing pretty about her was her face. And that Rinya did not have to worry about another pretty face stealing Jorin from her. Farline’s head began to hurt; the bird still didn’t get it. Farline didn’t care about her man being loyal to her. Before Rinya had ruined her face, Farline knew she could always find another. If Rinya had attacked her face over Rhys, Farline might have understood. The man, after all, was big, and strong, and wealthy. In order to secure a position as a Nakivak, Farline could see actions similar to Rinya’s as being extreme but understandable.

But what did Jorin give her? ‘Love’? Farline rolled her eyes when Rinya mentioned coming home to Jorin waiting for her. Was that it?! That sort of sappy, soft-hearted stuff was what she’d ruined Farline’s face to protect?! It was so absurd, Farline barked out a bitter laugh at it, unable to hold herself back. “You... you really are a stupid bird, aren’t you?” Farline sneered. “You’d ruin me, just to preserve something as intangible as ‘love’. Guess what, Rinya. You can’t spend ‘love’. You can’t eat it or drink it or use it in any way. It’s useless.” Farline growled, her eyes narrowing at the other woman.

“In the end, what do you really have?” she asked, her lips curled into a sneer. “A loser who doesn’t even have a job. A fool who will be ‘loyal’ to you while giving you nothing. Look at what he’s taken from you! And that was who I lost my face for?!”

Farline couldn’t really deny what Rinya had said though. It was true; her beauty was gone. And with it, her very existence, at least as far as she was concerned. She half-expected Eric to kick her to the street when she returned, face red and swollen with the scars that Rinya’s talons had made. But Eric simply looked at her with an unreadable expression; a slight frown on his brow but eyes steady and not sharp, before he told her to take a few days off to recover.

What was left for her now? Vengeance? Farline had considered it. For those awful days in the Hospital, Farline had considered it. She had noticed, somewhere inside, that unlike Jorin who had both her and Rinya vying for his attention when he landed at the hospital, she had no one. Nobody had come to visit her. Not a single soul. Not Jorin, not one of her ostensible ‘friends’ from the Thespians, not even Eric. She was alone.

And during her lonely vigil Farline had considered devoting herself to exacting vengeance. After all, if she could damage Jorin or Rinya the way Rinya had damaged her, surely that would give her some measure of satisfaction. But the problem was, Farline didn’t know what she could do. Outside the game which they’d stopped playing, Farline was lost. She thought she had damaged Rinya when she cost Jorin his job, but they both bounced back from it.

He had been happy, smiling and laughing and kissing Rinya with abandon as though it was the most natural thing in the world. And Rinya had been happy too, clearly overjoyed to be married to that useless fool. Despite her best efforts, nothing had changed. In fact it had gotten worse. And Farline couldn’t help but feel she’d lost her beauty for nothing. And the uselessness of it all burned her inside, like a hot brand.

So what now? Rinya’s question hung in the air over Farline’s head like a sword. One thing was for certain though. Farline didn’t want Rinya to think she’d completely won. “Now? That depends,” she replied carefully. “If Jorin rejoins the Thespians, I can promise you, I will do everything in my power to make his life here miserable. You know I will. So think carefully, before you suggest that to him. If he doesn’t...” Farline shrugged.

“If he doesn’t... well. You may have won this round, But you and I, we will not be done. I may be absent but that doesn’t mean I will be gone. I will always be there, in spirit if not in body, and nothing you can do will drive me away. You think this will drive me from his thoughts? Regardless of how he feels about me, I’ve in too deep in his heart. For better or worse, you will be sharing space in Jorin’s heart with me.” Farline crowed the statement with a vicious smirk.

“He might not be foolishly in love with me, he may not even like me. But he will remember me, and my influence will inform everything he does. With friends, with family. With you.” Farline laughed at that thought. If there was one thing Farline was good at, it was digging her hooks into men. The stage master at the Amphitheater was still doing her bidding, despite her not being there. And that was after only a week’s work. She had years to work on Jorin. Farline was sure that even Rinya could not dig her barbs out of Jorin’s heart so easily.

So Farline glared at Rinya challengingly, daring her to reply. But the truth was, this was the only weapon she had left. She’d considered taking vengeance against Rinya, either directly or by proxy via Jorin. But her beauty was taken, her influence evaporated with it. How could she exact vengeance now? Who would obey her, now that she could no longer wrap men around her finger? So despite the haughty arrogance that Farline managed to display, she could feel the cold fingers of fear crawl up her spine and grip her heart. What could she do, if this last barb didn’t work? Still, Farline was determined not to show this to Rinya.

x

[Rinya]

Rinya did her best not to wince at Farline’s tone over children. Was it really that hard to believe? It really didn’t make any sense to Rinya by this point. She had already displayed that she was not only more than happy to love Jorin—and lay with him for that matter—that children were not so far out of the scope for them. Knowing Farline it wasn’t worth having children unless you were well paid for it, and she never wanted to see any child Farline would raise. Children wanted to be loved, and for someone who couldn’t grasp the concept—well it was entirely possible she would want nothing to do with a child once she had one.

And that was a saddening thought. Even her father, with his mood swings and tough love showed her his own version of love. She would ask to see the city and he took her hand, more than happy to point out the sights, or even do his best to comfort her when she had been ruthlessly picked on by the other children. Granted he wasn’t great at it, but she knew the effort when she saw it. However if Farline tried to actually insult her over the thoughts of having children she fell a long way from succeeding—considering the thought had passed through her mind just earlier.

But as Farline sneered at her over being a stupid bird, Rinya released a sharp breath and rolled her eyes—for what felt like the millionth time—over her view of love. It did not physically give her anything, and it wasn’t likely to save their lives if a Glassbeak jumped out of a bush and attacked them. Rinya was still in the firm belief however that Farline wouldn’t understand even if she told her. How did one explain the worth of love to someone that couldn’t see any point in it? To Rinya it was something you had to feel yourself, that vulnerability and power that naturally came with it.

Rinya reached up and began to massage the side of her temple with one hand. "Yes Farline, that is what you lost your face over." Rinya’s tone indicated she was growing weary of this conversation. Oddly enough, she wasn’t growing angry… in fact the pity was growing stronger by the moment. "You think he gives me nothing, but the truth is we just see his worth differently. Your opinion of him doesn’t matter, mine does. He is the one I chose, so I do wonder why it bothers you so much. You are not the one stuck to him the rest of your life. "

After a tick Rinya settled for a glare of her own. Nowhere near as heated, but clearing annoyed. "I told you, I wasn’t playing the game Farline, and because of that you were messing with my life. The very same way I messed up your face. Your meddling wasn’t required, and I have no issue giving you your so called ‘props’." Rinya waved her hand slightly, almost in a dismissal motion. "You are better at twisting men around your finger. Big whoop, now tell me… what exactly has that gotten you thus far? You don’t have some big strong muscular man on your arm either do you? The height of your beauty, and nothing to show for it."

Taking a deep breath in order to calm herself slightly, she charged onwards. "Of course this is even before I ruined your face. You had nothing before to show for your so called work. Now it will take that much more work to get what you want." Rinya hissed before taking a step back away from the petching girl beginning to try her patience. Her threat however to make Jorin’s life miserable if he rejoined the Thespians was a weak jab considering both of them had little issue shoving her off now—though she could probably work some of the other actors to behave badly with Jorin himself.

However the fact that the woman would forever be in their lives was something that Rinya slightly feared actually. Considering their last fight, when Jorin had brought up that Farline was right and that she’d leave him once she figured out how useless he was… She didn’t want to live with that over her head the rest of her natural life with Jorin. He promised to do his best to excise her from their relationship, but it really wasn’t that simple and she knew it. And of course the selfish part of her didn’t want to share space with Farline. But Jorin had loved her at one time—would always be a big part of who he was now. It was a wish she knew wasn’t likely to come true.

But it depressed her none the less. Jorin had already reacted to some of Farline’s words just today and the future would likely bring them up again in a different fashion. The fact Farline was embedded in his heart as much as she was—while there was nothing she could actually do about it, it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. How he reacted to her because of Farline’s influence… she knew he did it. Just avoided doing her best to think about it, much less admit to the woman she was right. Rinya considered it her best self control yet that she didn’t just hit Farline to make herself feel better.

"You may be right. He actually has a lot to thank you for because of you… and he’s who is he partly because of how you treated him. The man I love is affected by you, but it’s his choice how much. But even if you are there," Rinya leaned forward slightly, grinning at Farline in a stage whisper. "I’m still first. And that’s all I really care about." Standing straight, Rinya reached up to tighten her ponytail, glancing at the tent Jorin had slipped off to.

"Are we finished miss ‘Empty Threats’, or was there something else you wanted to say? Jorin has a lot of people to see."

white