Season of Fall, Day 6, 513 AV
It was a blur of motion. One moment, Rinya was standing there like an angry statue. The next, her fist collided with Farline's right cheek. Farline stumbled back, eyes wide in shock, her hand automatically going to the wounded cheek as a bruise started to appear on the delicate skin. Her mouth hung open, and for a moment she was utterly speechless.
That woman had hit her! Farline had never been struck before. As Rinya tore off into a string of colorful curses, no doubt because of the pain in her arm from her act of violence, Farline struggled to understand what had just occurred. She'd been slapped before, many times in fact. Plenty of women did not take kindly to her seducing away their men but, from Farline's perspective, if those women could not keep their man's attention, they deserved to lose them.
But in her entire life, Farline had never been hit, not like this. The slaps were occasionally enough to redden the skin, but she'd never been struck forcefully enough to bruise. A small, crazy part of Farline's mind was impressed at the amount of strength in Rinya's small body. The rest was furious.
"Petching woman..." Rinya was growling dangerously, and Farline actually took a step back warily, hand still cupped to her face. She could feel the heat and throbbing pain from the bruise, and Jorin would be back any chime now. What had happened? Farline had been sure that Rinya was simply inexperienced, and needed guidance in how to properly use a man like Jorin. Apparently she was mistaken. Perhaps Rinya did not appreciate Farline using the same man.
Farline's eyes narrowed. Well fine. Two can play that game. "I don't know what your problem is, Rinya," Farline snarled as she spat out Rinya's name like a curse, and for the first time she no longer used the airy, light tones from before.
"I was going to help you," she hissed. "You don't know Jorin as well as I do, I could have had him eating out of your hand. But you want to play this game the hard way? Fine. We play the hard way."
Farline's mouth opened to say something else, but was interrupted when Jorin dashed back into their little area, face red and chest heaving with exertion.
"What the petch ... what is going on here?!" he demanded to know. Jorin deposited the costumes on a nearby bench and stared rather wildeyed at both women, mind barely comprehending what he was seeing.
When he'd gone off to fetch Farline's things, he'd felt some very strange emotions from the bond with Rinya. Emotions he frankly could not comprehend. He'd thought they'd maybe make some idle chitchat, perhaps get to know each other, but about the first thing he felt from Rinya was pure, unadulterated anger. Followed by more anger. Followed by white-hot rage. It hadn't been this bad since he and Rhys had argued at the hospital, leaving Rinya alone. But it didn't feel like hurt pride this time, it felt even worse, if that was possible.
What had Farline said to anger Rinya so badly? Jorin knew she had a temper, but she usually kept it in check. Petch, even that time at the beach with Kirsi, by far one of the most compromising positions he'd ever been in, she'd been jealous, but not violently so. What could have happened here?
Before he had more time to think, Farline fairly launched herself at Jorin, tears bursting from her large, expressive eyes. She sobbed into Jorin's chest, dampening his shirt with her tears, her voice coming out in little hiccups.
"Oh ... oh Jori it was awful!" she wailed, as she continued to pour tears into his shirt. "I was just talking about the times you and I shared and she ... she ... she hit me ..."
Jorin, not knowing what else to do, patted Farline on the back, which just caused her to wail even more. He looked desperately at Rinya, his confusion now complete. Why would Rinya hit Farline for something like that? Jorin wanted to ask her, but the words would not come out. How could he possibly phrase it in a way that wouldn't hurt either woman?
Is that true? he tried to ask her with his eyes, if not also with the bond. Because at that moment, he genuinely had no idea what to think.
