Completed A Private Lesson (Rinya)

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 40, 513 AV

Unlike his unpleasant experience with Farline, this time it seemed, both he and Rinya would get what they wanted. He felt Rinya's arms slide beneath his own, hooking under him and one went to his shoulder and the other to his spine. Jorin smiled against Rinya's lips when he heard her grumble "About time."

Jorin was half-expecting Rinya to pull away, but realized that it was a silly expectation. She wouldn't pull away. If that was to be Rinya's reaction, she would have never played this game to begin with. And Jorin had been right; in the end it really didn't matter which one of them "won". They were both just fooling around; what mattered was that they both had fun. And from the emotions floating across the bond, Jorin was pretty sure they were both having fun now.

Jorin's hands started to roam again, as his left hand came up from Rinya's back to take the place of his right hand at her neck. His right was going down again, lower and lower, past her back and to her waist. The kiss was igniting his core, and he could feel the heat and fire all the way down to his toes. Even though he'd felt this so many times before, it still was capable of stealing his breath and leaving him hungry for more.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the voice of reason was shouting that they were in public, and he needed to exercise control. That voice was quickly silenced when Rinya moaned out his name, as she shifted slightly, leaning a back a bit. Jorin understood instantly; her legs were probably bothering her. Jorin broke off the kiss, and lowered her backwards, slowly and gently, making sure not to break contact between their bodies, until she was lying down on the sand, looking up at Jorin as he resumed kissing his mate with abandon.

His right hand had already migrated to its favorite resting place, and Jorin was prepared to remove the one remaining article of clothing he was wearing when he started to notice a buzzing. Or was it really a buzzing? Jorin's head slowly cleared, and he realized it wasn't a buzzing. No, it was the sound of someone's voice, calling his name. And that voice was not Rinya's. He broke off from their second kiss to look up.

"Jorin!" the voice sang out, slicing through his head like a hot knife through butter. This time the voice was clear as crystal. Farline. And Jorin could feel a rather negative cocktail of emotions well up inside him. It was equal parts exasperation, anger, frustration, and wonderment. His head turned slowly to his one-time romantic partner.

"Farline," he greeted her, through gritted teeth, as his molars ground in the back of his mouth. "You have the worst timing ever."

His face took on an incredulous look. "How did you know we were down here, anyway?" he wanted to know. "I certainly never told you. And I know Rinya didn't tell you."

Instead of answering his question, Farline just looked Jorin up and down, her face critical but her eyes shining. She'd never seen him shirtless before, and now that she saw his musculature, she re-evaluated him as perhaps not quite as worthless as she had originally. Nonetheless, Farline did not deign to answer Jorin's questions, instead just giving both Jorin and Rinya a faint smile.

"It is an open beach, is it not?" she said airily, as she fanned her self with her hand. "What ever were you two doing here, anyway? And you really should put on some more clothing, Rinya dear. Have some respect for decency."

Before Rinya could answer, or indeed before she could strike Farline, Jorin stood them both up and held her close to him, his right arm snaking around her waist and pulling her to his chest in a rather possessive manner.

"I really don't think it's any of your business," Jorin replied flatly. "And you still haven't answered my question."

Farline tilted her head slightly. "Jori, dear," she began slowly. "You're not still angry about what happened at your home, are you?" Her eyes widened. "Oh! Oh... can't you forgive me, Jori dear? Can't we be friends again, like we used to?"

Jorin wanted to just flat-out say no. But the truth was, despite her head games, despite how she looked down on him, despite how much Rinya hated her, Jorin just couldn't bring himself to actively hate Farline. Oh sure, she annoyed him, irritated him, angered him, and today of all days he had absolutely zero interest in seeing her, but despite all that, he still couldn't hate her. Hatred was a very strong emotion for Jorin to be feeling, and he still couldn't bring himself to direct it at Farline. Jorin's lips pressed into a thin, tight line.

"That would depend on Rinya," he responded finally. And it would. If Rinya could forgive Farline, Jorin was prepared to do the same. But he suspected, even before his mate opened her mouth, what her answer would be.

[Rinya]

Day 40, Season Fall, 513 AV

”Jorin!”

Rinya hadn’t been paying much attention to anything but him honestly. When Jorin finally pulled away from the second kiss she had been so wrapped up in him she hadn’t heard the voice. Very well the last voice she ever wanted to hear again. It took her a moment for her dazed mind to come back to reality. The mix of emotions coming from Jorin helped however and Rinya didn’t have to twist her neck in order to figure out who might be causing it.

"Farline, you have the worst timing ever."

Even through clenched teeth, Rinya could tell he wasn’t too happy about being interrupted. Neither was she for that matter, though in the long run she supposed it was a good thing actually. The last thing they needed was for someone else to find them on the beach, too busy being caught up in one another to notice. But really Rinya would have preferred nearly anyone else.

Farline noted her being indecent again and Rinya opened her mouth to make a snarky remark. Jorin must have known it was coming though, as he pulled himself off her and helped her stand as well. And maybe perhaps for Farline’s own safety he wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her pressed up against him. Rinya wasn’t sure if she should be irritated or pleased with the gesture. Regardless, Rinya let her head rest against his chest, trying to focus on his heartbeat instead of Farline’s voice.

The fingers of her left hand came up to rest on his hip, fingers twitching slightly as she closed her eyes. The fact that Farline was asking Jorin to forgive her seemed ridiculous in her opinion. It obviously was just her way of trying to win her way back into Jorin’s good graces. She had misjudged him the last time they saw her—offened him through her really. And oddly enough Rinya figured if Farline was smart enough, she would apologize to her, not Jorin. Not that Rinya would have accepted it anyways.

"That would depend on Rinya,"

Rinya frowned and shifted her face slightly so she could look up at Jorin, though she kept herself pressed up against him willingly. That was the worst possible answer Jorin could look for. He had to know the answer to that one. But then—it really wasn’t her choice. Rinya had already told Jorin everything; there wasn’t anything to hold back by this point. Jorin however, wasn’t the type of person to really hold a grudge and Rinya couldn’t hold it against him entirely. He wouldn’t be him otherwise.

”That’s your choice Jorin. You know enough now.” Rinya murmured into his skin, the words were not meant for Farline to hear. And it was the truth, voicing her inner thoughts. And while she dreaded the idea of trying to fake being friends with this girl for Jorin’s sake—she would. Well at least the best she could anyways. She couldn’t imagine telling him that he couldn’t see someone, or be friends with them. It was a selfish idea, one that never turned out well.

So Rinya bit down on her own pride, pressing a kiss to his chest—this time innocently. In an effort to show him that while she may not like it, she would accept it. But Rinya pressed herself even tighter against Jorin, almost as though she wanted to disappear. She was having such a nice day too…

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 40, 513 AV

Jorin honestly thought that Rinya would look him in the eyes and tell him to send Farline away. He knew how much she disliked Farline, and left the choice in her hands for that reason. But Rinya surprised him yet again. He really should be expecting to be surprised, he mused. Instead of angrily requesting that Farline petch off, she just murmured that it was his choice, turning the whole thing back on him.

During this, Jorin noticed that Farline's face twitched just a bit. It was a minor thing, but years of being an actor gave him insight into the involuntary twitches and tics that people tended to have, that gave away emotions they normally want to keep hidden. Even the best actors had them, if you knew where to look. Farline had not heard what Rinya said, but she knew that she'd said something.

More emotions floated briefly across Farline's face when Rinya kissed his chest and held him even tighter. As good an actor as Farline was, Jorin knew she was not nearly as skilled as himself. She hadn't yet learned to control the finer parts of her face, that gave away her emotions like as though they were written on an open page. It was not easy, sometimes, to convincingly feign anger when calm, but it was even harder to feign calm when angry. A good actor, learns to do both.

"So do you often come down here for such inappropriate behavior?" Farline sniffed. She was clearly not a good actor, Jorin decided.

"What in the world makes you think I'm going to answer that question, Farline?" he asked. "And for your information, we were learning how to swim." Not that it was any of your business, he added silently, but kept his face a careful mask of neutrality. No doubt, Rinya was feeling his building frustration, but Jorin knew Farline did not have the advantage of his bond with Rinya. All she would see would be a placid face.

"Oh how darling!" Farline exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I would have been oh-so-happy to have joined you! Was it anything like when you and I danced?" she asked, innocently.

Jorin really didn't want to relive those days. When Rinya had cut off the bond, when she'd blocked him from feeling her, it was possibly the worst week he'd ever had. It really did rank right up there with that day he got struck by lightning. Not being able to feel his mate... he really didn't want to experience that again.

"No Farline, it wasn't," he replied, his voice carrying a tone of finality. He really didn't want this conversation to continue, but Farline pushed ahead anyway.

"Oh, that's a shame," she giggled. "You should have seen him, Rinya. Poor Jorin must have been nursing the same mug of ale for over a Bell! Did you know, apparently he flipped over a table and set fire to the stage of the Amphitheater the day before!"

Jorin was finding it difficult to maintain control. He really didn't need Rinya knowing about his minor meltdown. "Farline... massive inaccuracies in that story aside, I really don't-"

"But I managed to pull him away from that stale beer. Oh you should have seen it... we were so awkward on that dance floor, but at least we tried," Farline added. Jorin could feel the fire of anger boiling inside, and he was amazed his face could stay as placid as it did. He didn't know how much longer before his acting skills would fail him, and his emotions would begin to show on his face.

"I fell, and Jorin dove to my rescue. It was so sweet," she cooed. Jorin took a breath. He was sure Rinya would not want to be hearing about this. If the emotions coming across their bond was any indication, he needed to put a stop to whatever Farline was doing.

"Farline, was there something you wanted?" Jorin asked. His face was as neutral as ever but the question was as sharp and pointed as a spear. Farline blinked, and smiled brightly, cocking her head to one side.

"Jori, dear, do I need a reason to visit a friend?" she asked, and she sounded genuinely hurt. And that was the rub, as Jorin saw it. Was Farline still a friend? After what Rinya had told him about what she had said about him behind his back... Jorin was a forgiving man. Maybe too forgiving. He could bring himself to truly hate Farline, although what she did to Rinya in that hospital room came very close to making him do so. But Jorin searched within himself and concluded no. He didn't hate her.

But that didn't mean he had to like her.

"Farline, whatever relationship, be it romantic partner, friends, or whatever, that we may have had in the past is gone," he said evenly. "If you wish to be my friend again, now in the present, I'm willing, but I have to warn you, that's going to take some time. And interrupting my mate and I is not helping."

"G-gone?" Farline stammered, her mouth opening slightly and her eyes wide as saucers. "I don't understand... we had such fun on that dance floor. For those two Bells, you forgot that she had hurt you so badly. Your eyes were on me..." And Farline made sure to give Rinya an accusing stare as she said the word "she".

Jorin could feel frustration truly building to rather worrying levels now. Farline had sidestepped his question. Again! He still didn't know how she'd found them, and now he didn't even know what she wanted. Was she just here to anger the both of them? Was she here to try to right things with him?

Because if she was, she was doing an awful job of it. There were many things he could say in reply to Farline's statement, but at the moment he was so frustrated it was taking all his skill as an actor to simply appear calm. For the immediate moment, Jorin just closed his eyes, and hugged Rinya even tighter to himself. Her warm presence calmed him, and he wondered briefly if maybe, if he just squeezed his eyes shut and hugged Rinya enough, Farline might just go away.

[Rinya]

Day 40, Season Fall, 513 AV

"I would have been oh-so-happy to have joined you! Was it anything like when you and I danced?"

From her warm spot cocooned by Jorin’s chest and arm, Rinya jolted slightly. Her face scrunched, and Rinya tried to think back. Jorin had never mentioned dancing with Farline. In fact she was rather sure that Jorin didn’t even know how to dance. But Jorin’s emotions probably gave him away the most. It was a flurry of feelings; most of them were hard to tack down. Jorin however seemed rather reluctant to talk about it, even if he never used that tone of voice with her; she had heard it from her father many times before. The don't even go there kind of tone. Only Farline didn’t seem to understand it—or just simply ignored it.

And then she went into detail. Jorin had been drinking and—throwing tables and playing with fire? Rinya had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing at the thought. She couldn’t imagine him setting the stage on fire, especially since that was likely he would have lost his job of all things. Jorin seemed to feel uncomfortable with this statement though, once again he tried to derail the entire conversation Farline was pretty much having with herself.

Rinya couldn’t help it. There were spasms of jealousy that stabbed at her, causing anger to flare. She knew Jorin had chosen her, but she knew even from what very little training she had in dancing, that it could be quite intimate. Part of her wondered though if Farline had fell on purpose—and she didn’t like the image popping into her head of Farline lying across Jorin’s chest like she did. Gritting her teeth, Rinya took a deep breath.

Jorin was angry too. And it was kind of a shock to her really. Such an emotion was generally not something she gathered from him. There was no specific reason that she could figure that Jorin would be angry though. Unless he was picking up something from Farline that she hadn’t noticed—though that would have required Rinya to pay more attention to Farline than she was willing to give. It was bad enough she was jealous.

In an attempt to control Farline, Jorin cut her short. While he was willing to give the petching woman another chance, apparently he had taken to heart what she had told him. And Farline couldn’t seem to believe that Jorin had let their past go. In some ways, Jorin had just told her that he knew about her games without the actual words, but of course Rinya should have known what game Farline was playing, because she pulled out the ace under her sleeve.

"I don't understand... we had such fun on that dance floor. For those two Bells, you forgot that she had hurt you so badly. Your eyes were on me..."

Rinya’s eyes flashed to Farline just as the girl glared at her. It only took her a moment to realize when this had happened. Farline had her hands all over Jorin while she had blocked the bond. Rinya felt her chest burn… two different kinds hurt seemed to war at her mental state. They had successfully avoided talking about their week of “separation”, Rinya already knew she had hurt him. But she hadn’t thought it would be bad enough to cause Jorin to act out—even if it wasn’t like Farline said.

The other part of her almost felt lonely. She had spent the entire week alone, save for work. The idea of Jorin seeking comfort from Farline was hard to swallow. At this point there wasn’t much she could do about it, but her jealousy had faded and she was sure Jorin was going to end up feeling it. Even as he hugged her tightly to him, Rinya could feel herself taking shallow breaths. She really wanted to ask him if it was true—Farline obviously had a tendency to lie. But she didn’t get the chance to open her mouth.

”Well well well… what do we have here?” She knew that voice. Instantly Rinya felt her back go rigid, the hurt in her chest faded into one thing. Dread. Twisting her face away from Jorin’s chest she spotted someone she hadn’t ever thought would show up. Rhys stood several feet behind Farline. He looked to be sizing up Farline before shifting his eyes to Rinya and Jorin. And his eyes lit up when he realized she was naked.

”Wandering around naked again pet? And here I thought I was special.” Dramatically Rhys put one hand over his heart, feigning hurt as Rinya cursed under her breath and withdrew herself from Jorin’s arms and stomped over to Jorin’s folded clothing. She snatched up his shirt, pulling it over her head in one fluid motion. Since Jorin wasn’t much taller than her, the shirt only fell across the tops of her thighs, but it more than covered everything important. If it had been any other Akalak her nudity wouldn't have bothered her. But she worked with Rhys of all things!

”Feeling better Jorin? You certainly look better than the last time I saw you,” Rinya recognized his tone of voice. Rhys was up to something—but then, when was he not? Rhys smirked at Rinya before turning to face Farline, wiggling his eyebrows at her. ”Hello again beautiful.”

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 40, 513 AV

Jorin had been feeling the familiar pangs of jealousy coming from Rinya as Farline continued to speak. He really didn't like the direction this was going in, and for the first time he could see what sort of game Farline wanted to play here. He had to hand it to her, she was rather good. If Rinya hadn't told him about what Farline truly thought of him, he'd have been utterly confused, and quite liable to being swayed by her plea for them to still be friends.

But when she mentioned how he had forgotten Rinya during their dance... that was not true at all. He never forgot Rinya, that was the whole problem. It was the entire reason he got hurt, the whole reason he went dancing. During those two bells dancing with Farline, Rinya was all he could think about. It was why he failed to notice Farline's mis-step until she was literally falling down and he had to break her fall with his own body.

And Rinya's jealousy faded some. Instead the emotions Jorin got from her were... loneliness. Sadness. He couldn't know what she was thinking, but that was enough to tell him that they needed a conversation about that week. Get everything out into the open. Their relationship, their bond, their love, depended on honesty. From both of them. This was a conversation long overdue.

But before he could suggest it, or perhaps find some excuse for them both to leave the beach, Jorin heard a rather familiar, if not particularly welcome, voice ring out over the sand.

"Well well well… what do we have here?" Rhys had called out, as he strode up to them. Farline started, clearly not expecting to hear someone speak from behind her, but to her credit she recovered quickly, and as Rhys sized her up, Farline's brown eyes evaluated Rhys as well. Jorin knew that she had met the Akalak once before, at the hospital, though he wondered if she'd remember him. In any case, Rhys turned back to Jorin and Rinya and continued to speak.

"Wandering around naked again pet? And here I thought I was special," he continued, with a rather poor imitation of acting hurt. Rinya withdrew herself, and Jorin instantly felt colder; her warmth, both physical and emotional, that had kept him buoyed disappearing with her absence. He watched as she strode over to his clothes and picked up his shirt, and in one smooth motion pulled it over herself. Jorin had to admit the shirt looked good on her. Then again he loved her. A barrel would've looked good on her in his eyes.

Jorin strode over to where she was now standing, and looking into her eyes and searching the bond for confirmation, took her hand in his. He wanted contact with Rinya, now more than ever. He had enough problems with Farline and Rhys, but with both of them here together he needed her emotional support. He wasn't sure he could do this alone.

"Feeling better Jorin? You certainly look better than the last time I saw you," Rhys asked. His tone of voice was mild, but Jorin sensed there was more to his question than he let on. He just shrugged.

"Can't complain," he replied, with a tight smile. Best to maintain his cover, Jorin decided. But inside, Jorin was fuming. Rhys, now? Seriously? Who else was going to show up? Was Dust going to drop in from the sky?

Rhys, however, seemed to have taken his eyes off of Rinya for a moment, an opportunity that Jorin did not waste, using it to pull Rinya a bit closer. He could feel a twinge of jealousy himself, as he noted how Rhys had been leering at Rinya's nude form. It was silly, of course, and he was being a hypocrite considering how he himself had done the same earlier that day. But he couldn't help it. He didn't like it when someone other than himself looked at his mate like that.

In the meantime, Farline was regarding Rhys with hidden interest. This man was quite handsome, large, and clearly young at least by Akalak standards. He seemed affable and friendly, but had a head on his shoulders. She figured him to be a fairly decent challenge, but nothing she hadn't tried and succeeded in catching before. When he wiggled his eyebrows, Farline made sure to blush just the right amount.

"Hello again beautiful," Rhys said, and Farline just smiled, and blushed still further.

"Hello," she replied with a shy smile, her large expressive eyes wide and innocent.

"I remember you," Farline breathed. Farline batted her lashes as she acted like she was struggling to recall. "From... the hospital, yes! You didn't even stay long enough for me to get your name."

Farline pouted cutely, as she almost sashayed over to Rhys. "My name is Farline, by the way," she giggled. "Farline Darfi. But 'beautiful' works just fine with me."

[Rinya]

Day 40, Season Fall, 513 AV

Rinya was trying desperately to get a hold of her head. She greatly wondered if she would ever get used to having to deal with so many emotions at once. Before Jorin, she survived. Sure she got angry now and then. But she never so many emotions that balanced out—or left her either feeling incredibly happy or intense sorrow. And they seemed to shift so quickly her head just felt like it was spinning in circles. Rinya tried to focus on pushing most of the emotions away, if nothing else but to start from scratch. Latch onto a feeling that was more appropriate.

But Rhys’ sudden appearance seemed to shake Jorin for some reason. After she pulled the shirt over head, she noticed he was watching her with an indefinable expression across his face. In fact, she had a familiar cold sensation that seemed to be crawling across the bond. Frowning a little, Rinya tilted her head at him. Had she caused it? She really didn’t want to stand naked with Rhys around… or maybe it had been the feelings before Rhys had showed up. She couldn’t tell.

It didn’t really matter too much however; Jorin seemed to make up his mind. He approached her, weaving their fingers together and stared into her eyes. But the feelings still didn’t make sense to her. So she squeezed his fingers in hopes that maybe he could understand that she wasn’t mad at him. It had just been bad thoughts, especially over a time when she realized she really could have lost him. In more ways than one.

Rinya glanced at Rhys and Farline. They were getting acquainted with each other and Rinya rolled her eyes. She could just imagine the games those two could play with each other. And if Rinya had to guess, Seymantis wasn’t going to like Farline much. Jorin tugged on her hand, and Rinya looked back up at him. There was an overprotective tone to his stance and Rinya could easily guess why. Rhys had no issue with decency. Rinya let go of Jorin’s hand, instead choosing to slide underneath his arm and wrap both her arms around his waist, resting her face against Jorin’s shoulder.

”Well Farline, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Rhys reached out, picking Farline’s hand and placing a gentle kiss across the back. ”You may call me Rhys. I am Rinya’s Warren partner.” Rinya couldn’t help it. She narrowed her eyes at Rhys’ back. Rhys knew everything about Farline. She had ranted long enough at work to him about the petching woman. By the looks of it, Rhys had turned on his own set of charms.

”If I did not already have a date for Beautyfest, I would most certainly wish you on my arm. Assuming Jorin hasn’t snatched you up yet either.” And there it was. Rhys wasn’t turning on the charm for Farline—it was for Jorin. Rinya felt like the floor fell out from beneath her feet. She had completely forgotten she had promised to go to Beautyfest with Rhys in order to pay back her little “debt” to him. Rhys had to pull quite a few charming strings to sneak her into Jorin’s hospital room. Worst of it all, she had completely forgotten to tell Jorin.

”Rhys!” Rinya growled. Her patience had finally snapped. He let go of Farline’s hand, whirling around to face them with a large grin on his face. Almost innocently at that. Rinya dearly wished she was dealing with Seymantis. He was so much more personable as he was more on her level. She wasn’t made for this level of game playing. Games with Jorin were mutual—she always knew where she stood with him even without the bond. But these two were going to cause her heart to give out under stress.

”Don’t tell me your trying to get out of this already Rin. You already said yes.” Rinya ground her teeth together. He made it sound like he came in a swept her off her feet. Rhys was all but pouting; looking as though he was ignoring Jorin which she knew couldn’t be farther from the truth. Since her injuries, Rhys had been insisting that Jorin wasn’t a decent enough choice for her. She didn’t have to talk about Jorin for Rhys to know where her decision making was heading. And lately he seemed determined to stop it.

Rinya feared the worst however. The phrasing was entirely wrong—Jorin was most certainly going to get the wrong idea. Rinya took a deep breath, glaring at Rhys as she muttered through clenched teeth. ”I’m not backing out.”

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 40, 513 AV

Jorin felt relief wash over him as Rinya wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head on his shoulder. He put his arms around her back and hugged her close, letting her warmth flow through him again. As long as she was here, everything would be fine. Farline seemed to be... getting along with Rhys. Not that Jorin was at all surprised. Farline had a unique gift for getting what she wanted. He had no doubts that she'd be able to get what she needed from Rhys.

"If I did not already have a date for Beautyfest, I would most certainly wish you on my arm. Assuming Jorin hasn’t snatched you up yet either," Rhys had mentioned, and Jorin's back suddenly straightened. He barely heard Rinya's growl of Rhys' name, nor did he notice Farline's sly smile. Inside, Jorin could feel hot anger churn within his stomach. She... was going with Rhys?!

Jorin couldn't understand it. Couldn't comprehend it. Why... would she choose to do that? What possible reason... setting aside for the moment that Jorin had intended to ask her to the event himself, since she'd expressed interest in it that day they'd gone to Rosela's, he never thought she'd choose Rhys of all people. Jealousy mixed with anger mixed with a bitter sense of betrayal, and all of it settled into his gut. If it weren't for the sharp anger he felt from Rinya across the bond, Jorin's own mask might well have cracked.

Farline, for her part, seemed to be considering something, before turning to Jorin and smiling sweetly.

"Oh, Jori, dear! I'm so sorry!" she cried. Despite the fact that the concern in her voice sounded absolutely genuine, Jorin was fairly convinced it wasn't. "I know you wanted to go with her, but perhaps you could go with me? For old time's sake?"

Jorin took a breath. This needed to be handled delicately. He did not wish to insult Farline, but he also had absolutely no intentions of going with her. Not after what Rinya had told him about her, but he realized; Farline likely did not know what Rinya had said. Was that why she was doing this? Was she still playing her "game"? Jorin's head was still ringing with the idea of Rinya going to Beautyfest with Rhys, and he was not in the mood for Farline's games as well.

"I'm afraid the Amphitheater puts on a few shows during Beautyfest, to commemorate the event," Jorin explained neutrally. "Therefore it is probable I will not be able to attend. I apologize."

It was all perfectly true. What Jorin had left out was that he had not been selected for the Amphitheater Beautyfest events, mainly because he'd begged out of it. Ironically so that he could go with Rinya. But that seemed like it wasn't happening.

Rhys was pouting at Rinya, asking if she was backing out after she'd already agreed. Truthfully, a part of Jorin wanted her to back out. It was a greedy, ugly, jealous, and selfish part of himself, but it was part of him nonetheless. But the larger part of himself didn't. Jorin was a man of honor. If he made a commitment, he'd keep it. If he started a project, he'd finish it. Even though he had no interest in archery, Jorin had already begun to work archery training into his daily regimen. Because he'd begun it, and he'd be damned if he'd just quit.

So it was a strange mixture of relief and anger that Jorin felt when Rinya confirmed that she was not backing out. Anger, that she was now going to Beautyfest with a man who clearly wanted to put his hands all over her, if Rhys' gaze earlier was any indication. And relief, that he was not mated to someone who could so easily break a commitment. But that left him in a quandary. He could no longer go with Rinya. And he would not go with Farline. And going alone would just be sad, on multiple levels. Jorin wondered who else he could possibly ask. He shook his head. A question for another time.

He wanted to ask... well, he wasn't sure what he wanted to ask. Clearly, it was true, since he did not feel any deception from Rinya. So this was definitely happening. It was just too much to handle, all at once, and Jorin just didn't want to be there anymore. He took a breath. Then two. He counted his heartbeats. One, two, three, four. He needed to calm down.

For one thing, flying off the handle here would be useless. It would embarrass himself and Rinya in front of both Farline and Rhys, and what's more it wouldn't accomplish anything. So Rinya was going to a festival with another man. Jorin couldn't help the surge of jealousy that ran across him when he even thought about that, but he realized it didn't change anything. Two nights ago they'd shared something very special. And no festival was going to change that. Rinya had shown him then that she fully trusted him. The least he could do was fully trust her. Not that he didn't anyway.

Still, Jorin didn't trust himself to speak. He wanted to congratulate Rhys, and wish him a fun time at Beautyfest, but the words did not come. That would be a full-on lie, and his tongue refused to form the words. It simply was not in Jorin's nature to lie that easily. In that way he was utterly different from Farline. So instead, he schooled his face into another smile. Hopefully a congratulatory one, and he gave Rhys a curt nod. One thing was for certain, though. He and Rinya would need to talk tonight. Because she'd never mentioned this before.

He'd always been honest with her. Why would she hide this from him?

[Rinya]

Day 40, Season Fall, 513 AV

The anger coming off in waves by Jorin… she never felt anything like it from him before. Not that she couldn’t understand it—Rhys was laying his own cards down, right next to Farline. And she snatched up the opportunity with open hands. Rinya quite literally bit her tongue until it bled to keep her mouth shut. If Jorin accepted her offer, then she really might explode. She wasn’t sure, seeing as they had never had this sort of a situation before, but Jorin didn’t seem the type to do something irrational just because he was angry.

"I'm afraid the Amphitheater puts on a few shows during Beautyfest, to commemorate the event, therefore it is probable I will not be able to attend. I apologize."

Rinya released the breath in her chest that she hadn’t even realized she was holding. Even with Jorin turning her down, she could still feel it. Anger she could deal with, jealousy wasn’t even an issue in her eyes—she felt it often enough, but it was the soft underlying betrayal that had her heart beating painfully. Rinya didn’t blame him—he had every right to doubt her, she hadn’t told him. But it literally had nothing to do with hiding it from him. If Beautyfest had more meaning to her, she wouldn’t have let it slip from her mind so easily.

She could feel Jorin’s breathing, purposely slow and deliberate. He smiled at Rhys and Rinya thought it was wrong. To see him smile and yet feel such opposite feelings through the bond—Jorin was an amazing actor. As he took his breaths Rhys winked at Farline.

”Well I’m sorry sweetheart. You’ll land yourself someone I’ve got no doubt,” Glancing at Jorin, Rhys seemed to be sizing him up, and Rinya felt her glare turn cold. She wouldn’t like it, but she’d back out if he kept pushing—and he knew it. ”Good to see you up and about Jorin. Wouldn’t want something to happen to my favorite girl.” Rinya just groaned at his claim. They had to go… they needed to get away from both Rhys and Farline or she was going to start swinging. Pulling from Jorin’s arms—which despite the betrayal he had kept around her, though she wasn’t sure if it was for acting sake, or because he didn’t want to let her go—Rinya leaned down and handed Jorin his pants, before picking up the blanket.

Shaking it out a few times, Rinya folded it and wrapped it around her waist using one hand to hold it to her. She was a little afraid actually, by her crossing thoughts. If Farline and Rhys left, was she going to get the chance to explain? So instead she took the lead. She reached out snagging Jorin’s wrist, tugging him along behind her. Rhys watched her with acute interest, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Rinya shot a glare at Farline however as she passed. ”Don’t follow us.” Rinya didn’t have to issue a threat, her voice was hot.

And those were the only words Rinya spoke the whole walk back to their condo. Her grip remained firm on Jorin’s wrist, though if he really wanted to—well there was nothing actually keeping him there behind her. So in the very least she considered that a good sign. But the walk home also meant she had time to think. Too much time. Her anger faded into a nervous painful kind of pit in her stomach. This was a feeling she could live without.

By the time Rinya actually got them in the door, the silence in her head became unbearable. She let go of his wrist, shut the door and almost immediately her mouth opened up.

”I’m so sorry! I didn’t… I completely forgot that I told him yes to Beautyfest.” She was pacing in front of him, unable to look at him at all as her nervous energy seemed to burst out of her. Her fingers snaked into her hair and she would be entirely surprised if he even understood anything coming out of her mouth at this point.

”I owed him Jorin! For getting me into the hospital. All because Farline used up your one visitor.” Rinya spit her name out with venom, though none of it was aimed at him. Really that had been her fault too—guilt ate at her stomach. If she hadn’t turned off the bond she would have known instantly. ”When he offered to use my little “debt” up with being his date to Beautyfest it seemed like a good choice. I was going to tell you… the day you asked me to move in with you.”

Rinya stopped moving, practically panting from the fact that she spouted the whole thing on a single breath. Only she didn’t feel better she felt worse. She realized she was barely holding back tears, her chest felt completely hollow. She screwed up… again. Rinya glared at the floor, wishing that it would just swallow her whole and she wouldn’t have to deal with this whole outcome.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 40, 513 AV

"Well I’m sorry sweetheart. You’ll land yourself someone I’ve got no doubt," said Rhys, although Jorin really wasn't listening anymore. The blood rushing through Jorin's ears sounded like thunder, and it took every effort not to just bolt from the scene. Grab his pants, put them on, make his excuses and run. But that would leave Rinya to face Farline and Rhys alone, something Jorin would not stand for. He said they'd face any trouble together, and this was certainly trouble. Farline just smiled brightly, with a casual shrug of her delicate shoulders.

"Of course, Jori dear," she soothed. "I understand completely. There is no rest for the weary, after all! But if you manage to slip away from your duties to join the festivities do look me up, won't you?"

Rhys, in the meantime, had turned his attention back to Jorin, who just stared evenly back at him. It was not very often that Jorin had an opportunity to practice emotional masking. On stage, however, if the scene called for calm, then it didn't matter what your personal problems were. The show had to go on. So you bit it down, and portrayed whatever emotion the scene demanded, regardless of how you actually felt.

"Good to see you up and about Jorin. Wouldn’t want something to happen to my favorite girl."

Then again some scenes were harder than others.

Jorin bit down on his inner lip, and the coppery taste of blood ran down his tongue as he forced another smile. Rinya's groan at Rhys' words did little calm the feeling in Jorin's gut, but he managed out a fairly neutral "Of course," despite his roiling insides. Rinya, it seemed, was none-too-happy herself, and she pulled herself out of his arms and rather brusquely handed him his pants. Jorin put them on without a sound, and watched in silence as Rinya shook the sand off his blanket and wrapped it around her waist.

"Don’t follow us," Rinya had growled to Farline in passing, to which Farline gave an airy laugh.

"Oh Rinya, darling, I don't have to!" she giggled. "I've been in your home before, remember? I know where you live." she added with a wink. "I'm sure you don't mind if I make a visit later this evening? See how you two are settling in?"

Jorin just groaned inside. Just what they needed, a visit from Farline. But Rinya had already begun pulling him away by the wrist, marching back to the Windswept Condos in silence. If it weren't for the atmosphere between them, it might have been funny: Rinya with his shirt on, and a towel wrapped around her, dragging a shirtless Jorin through the streets. They both received a few curious stares, but ultimately they reached their condo, Rinya having not said a word, and neither did Jorin.

As soon as the door shut, however, Rinya did not give Jorin a chance to speak, immediately launching into her apology and explanation. Jorin listened in silence, walking over and placing both hands on the back of a seat and leaning slightly on it. He felt slightly better that the whole thing was because of an obligation, though he'd still wished she'd told him earlier. Apparently she had planned to tell him the day they moved in together, but Jorin couldn't help flushing when he remembered what had occurred later that day. No wonder it had slipped her mind.

Jorin took a few deep breaths. Now that he was safely in their home he didn't need his emotional mask anymore, so he dropped it completely, letting everything he was feeling show on his face. Not that it would have mattered; the bond ensured Rinya would know what he was feeling, but it was just so exhausting to be pretending all the time. He wondered how Farline was able to keep it up so well.

"I'm not angry about you going with Rhys, Rinya," Jorin began, before grimacing and backtracking his own words. "Well alright, that's not accurate. Of course I'm angry you're going with Rhys. I was going to tell you, but when you'd expressed interest in Beautyfest when we'd gone to Rosela's... I wanted to ask you to Beautyfest. Still, I could have dealt with that. What I'm upset about was that you didn't tell me. That I had to find out from Rhys of all people."

But even as he said it, Jorin realized how unfair he was being to Rinya. She didn't ask for this, and it was clear from what he was getting across their bond that she was just as upset about it as he was. He wanted to stay angry, because the anger was an easier emotion to deal with, but Jorin found he couldn't hold onto it. Not with Rinya looking and feeling the way she was. With a grunt, Jorin released his hands from the chair and ran his left hand down his face, then pulled the chair out and plopped down it it, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.

"I suppose it was my fault as well," Jorin sighed. "I didn't really give you an opportunity to say. And I know how hard it would have been for you to bring it up in the first place."

Jorin snorted. "I want to say that I would have preferred that you never made that deal with Rhys and stayed away from the hospital entirely, but that wouldn't be true. Because that was when I said that I was in love with you, and I would not give up that moment for anything. And it is still very much true."

Jorin looked back down from the ceiling. Rinya looked devastated, and he could feel the shame and upset that was tightening in her gut. Clearly, she wasn't happy with the situation either, and Jorin started to feel somewhat guilty. "Look, if it had been anyone else..." Jorin sighed again. "Thing is, I know what Rhys wants from you. I saw the way he looked at you, before you put my shirt on. To have to stand there, and smile, and watch him run his hands up and down your body..."

Jorin really didn't want to think about it. On an intellectual level, he knew Rhys wouldn't get very far, but still the images set fire to his insides. And not the pleasant hot fires of desire either.

"I'm a pretty good actor, Rinya," Jorin said, eyes very distant. "But I'm not sure even I would be able to stand that for very long."

[Rinya]

Day 40, Season Fall, 513 AV

Rinya seriously debated on whether or not she should tell Jorin that it was kind of his fault in the first place that she had expressed interest in Beautyfest. But it seemed to be a completely moot point by now—she was going, and she wasn’t going with him. Shoving blame down either of their throats was just going to make this worse. It wasn’t even really so much a secret as it was a simple fact. One that wasn’t going to change. It was also a fact, that she had never seen Jorin act like this before. This she was sure was her fault.

The fact he was sudden so distant with her bothered her. Ever since she had promised not to ignore the bond again, Rinya had been very careful not to hide herself from him in any way. The both were the kind of people that internalized everything—they acted one way in front of people, and could feel completely different inside. But because she bottled all that emotion up, she projected it—there was no way Jorin wouldn’t feel her emotions, she couldn’t hide them if she wanted anymore.

Rinya herself still couldn’t get her head on straight. She felt such a diverse range of emotions, and for once she understood why she felt each one. Sorrow—because he thought she purposely kept this fact from him. Anger—because apparently it was mostly her fault (a fact she wasn’t actually going to argue over, but it still left her mad none the less). Guilt—because Jorin had every intention of going with her, but she just hadn’t considered it until it was too late. The fact that Jorin was jealous of all things just clouded her head.

"Thing is, I know what Rhys wants from you. I saw the way he looked at you, before you put my shirt on. To have to stand there, and smile, and watch him run his hands up and down your body..."

Rinya knew this fact wasn’t going to easily be disputed. Rhys knew in a public place with so many others around, she would be forced to put up with his so called charm. Rhys would take every liberty he could get—but the fact that Jorin though she would just let Rhys touch her anywhere made the hurt in her chest intensify.

"I'm a pretty good actor, Rinya, but I'm not sure even I would be able to stand that for very long."

”Well I’m glad you finally get the feeling then!” Rinya snapped. Jorin was focused on what Rhys might attempt to do, but Rinya already got a bitter image in her head from earlier. Farline sprawled on top of Jorin while the two of them attempted to learn how to dance, and forget about her. If Jorin hadn't admitted to her that she had been his first, Rinya was quite positive her mind would conjured up an even worse image of the two of them in a situation similar to the beach.

But even as she spit the words out in an overly hard tone, Rinya knew it wasn’t fair. The moment her mouth clamped shut she flinched, closing her eyes letting out a staggered breath. It wasn’t Jorin’s fault—her own jealousy was a fairly ugly monster in itself. ”I’m sorry… that wasn’t—“ Rinya sighed, pushing the blanket off her hips and finally looked at Jorin.

She relied too much on the bond to fix things between them. Jorin was patient with her, and she had promised to control her temper. Taking a deep breath, Rinya slowly approached him. Kneeling down in front of his seat, Rinya reached out her hands and rested them on his knees. She wasn’t going to corner him—she could entirely understand if he would want to leave and have time to himself to think. She couldn’t read his mind, so she tried to be there for him, without pushing herself at him. It wasn’t easy as all she wanted to do was hide in her own room and just cry.

”I didn’t keep it from you on purpose Jorin I swear. Beautyfest just… it isn’t on my mind, especially since we moved in together. And yes—Rhys will probably do his best to overstep the normal boundaries and I’ll have to do my best to put up with it. But you should know me better than that; I’m not going to just let him drag me off somewhere. I don’t want him. Especially not in the same way I always want you.”

Sighing softly to herself, she pushed herself up to stand. Rinya was starting to wonder if they could ever go anywhere really public without someone getting in the way. But she wasn’t as tired as Jorin felt. Her chest just ached painfully to the point of actual physical pain and she seriously still considered just burying herself in her room to cry. Running her fingers through her hair, Rinya winced slightly. She was a mess all the way up to including sand in her still drying hair. Without another word, Rinya stepped away from Jorin and into her own room. Leaving the door open—she didn’t want him to think she was shutting him out even in a literal sense—she pulled his shirt off her, and started to brush the dry sand out of her hair with her fingers.