A Slap in the Face

Writers: Bree, Dana
Date Posted: 9th June 2006

Characters: Abrei, Ar'lis
Description: Abrei takes out her anger on an unfortunate Ar'lis, who nevertheless tries his best to help her.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 12, day 1 of Turn 3

Abrei

Abrei had no idea what to do to relieve her soaring temper besides storm away from the Weyr and try to tire herself out. A few months ago she would have found R'han and let him redirect her anger to something a little more satisfying, but the thought of him only made her anger sharper. She'd had it with bronzeriders and their arrogance and their egos and their stubborn conviction that no woman alive could _possibly_ find them anything but irresistable.

Most of all, she'd had it with the fact she kept letting them hurt her.

Considering her general feelings on bronzeriders in general, it was no surprise that she was less than amused when she rounded an outcropping of rocks and found Ar'lis seated in her favorite brooding spot. "Sharditall!
Why can't _anything_ go right today?"

Giving a violent start, Ar'lis's eyes flew from the page he'd been reading to the beautiful, rather dangerous-looking woman looming over him. The piercing, angry glare she was giving him could probably very well castrate a more stupid man, but _this_ certain bronzerider knew the reputation of her temper, and also knew--or hoped, anyway--how to proceed. "Pardon?" he asked, keeping his tone light as he marked the page of his book and set it slowly off to the side. To move fast would envoke a more predetory side of her...not that it seemed like the Weyrhealer _needed_ any more provoking to reach that point...

Abrei's eyes narrowed as she studied Ar'lis, trying to find a way to make his one word reply into an insult. Not that she held any sort of anger toward Ar'lis in particular, but he was there. After what M'galec had put her through with his snide remarks and condescending insults, that was enough. "You heard me. Or is my voice somehow incomprehensible to bronzeriders?"

As he stared up at her, he wondered what bronze bastard had put her in such a state. "Maybe some, Abrei, but I don't seem to be one of them."
Slowly he scooched over, then patted the spot next to him. "Why don't you sit down."

Her gaze turned wary. "I am not interested in cuddling."

A brow rose. "Well, isn't this a coincidence, 'cause neither am I." He would've been been slightly amused, but he didn't want her hissing and spitting at him. So he kept his tone neutral--and his expression--as, once again, he patted the empty space. "Sit down."

After another few moments, she sighed and slumped rather gracelessly to the ground next to him. "You'd be smarter to just leave, Ar'lis. I'm in a terrible mood and I have never wanted to yell at someone as badly as I do right now."

The bronzerider leaned back against the smooth rock behind him, casually crossing one leg over the other. "It's considerate of you to warn me, Abrei," he told her with a slight smile, "but I think I'm feeling brave enough today to take my chances."

"Good for you," she muttered, leaning back as well.

**And on that note...** He glanced at her. "So, who's the prick?"

Abrei didn't hesitate. "M'galec. I can think of other things I'd like to call him, though..."

He frowned. "Lenala's weyrmate?"

"As he likes to remind everyone." Abrei snorted. "Constantly."

Ar'lis couldn't forget that man and how he'd treated Gaiya. Scorching slighted her--that's what he'd done! He didn't like him. And apparently the Weyrhealer didn't either. "Reminded you today, did he?"

"No, today he insulted me," the Weyrhealer replied with a rather unladlylike snarl. "Loudly and at length."

"Insulted _you_?" The bronzerider's imagination conjured up many scenarios in how Abrei would have responded to direct insults. "Why'd the ass do that?"

"Because he delights in being cruel." Abrei sighed and closed her eyes. "I think I might actually hate him, Ar'lis. I've never wanted to throttle someone so badly in my life."

"Not even R'han?" He regretted the words the instant they slipped out of him.

Her temper snapped, and with it her control over her words. "At least he didn't screw me on the floor of my office and then claim I use sex to get my way."

He stared at her, unable to banish the sudden image of a naked, growling Abrei and a grunting, sweaty M'galec rolling around on her office floor.
Scorching shell cracks... Trying to shove that vivid thought from his mind, he cleared his throat. "Well...that complicates the whole sharding issue, doesn't it?" Why she would let the ass screw her in her own office in the first place was beyond him.

She laughed rather bitterly. "Oh, I don't know... I think it's a lot less complicated when they use me and leave instead of dragging it out over months and months." The look in her eyes was dangerous. "Why, do you want to be next, Ar'lis? We could go at it right now, and I bet you could think of some _lovely_ things to say to me that might keep me from sleeping tonight."

His expression hardened. "Stop it, Abrei."

"Stop what?" she demanded. "Stop being angry? Stop letting these men hurt me? You think I _mean_ for it to happen?"

"No! But don't treat _me_ like that. _I_ wouldn't sharding put you through what they have. Not me--especially not with you. I've seen how much you've been hurt, and I don't want to sharding _fight_ with you and add to it."

"Well _I_ want to fight," she retorted, though her voice had grown suspiciously shakey. "It's better than the alternative!"

"You can cry, Abrei." His voice was soft. "No one's going to see you here."

"It's not about people seeing me." She closed her eyes again, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It's about not being able to stop if I start."

"...You don't have to be alone."

"Who says I don't want to be?" She pushed herself to her feet and turned her back on Ar'lis. "I need to go. I have people to talk to. Thank you for listening."

Well, if that wasn't a slap in the face, he wasn't sure what was. "Sure, Abrei," Ar'lis sighed.

Last updated on the June 11th 2006

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A Slap in the Face