Rise of Ruin

Farei stood in silence as she quickly figured out what they were talking about. She frowned deeply and made it a point not to look at Iridian. Avis' words took her by surprise and saddened her, overriding the initial disgust toward Iridian. "Avis..." Farei started quietly, her voice calm and quiet rather than harsh and upset. "Do you know about the Gerudo? Do you know why they're hated so much in Hyrule?" she asked quietly.

Avis was silent for a moment, confused. What did this have to do with Mardian slugging Iridian? She shook her head, her flaxen locks tussled as she did so. "Nuh-uh...I have no idea."

Farei wasn't surprised by Avis' answer. The history of Farei's kind probably wasn't a concern to many people. "The Gerudo, before they were mostly wiped out or moved on, were thieves. They stole what they could from people. It made life in the desert possible, but the Hylians didn't find that an endearing quality." she sighed. While she had never stolen from anyone, Farei disliked thinking of her own people. "That's not all they did. Because males are born only every hundred years or so, the Gerudo would sneak into Hyrule and well...use the men for their own pleasure, the way Iridian probably used you. Of course the sole reason was for the production of children, but some would go so far as to trick the men, telling them it was something meaningful, that they loved them, anything to trick them." she sighed, giving Iridian a sharp glance.

"I'm...I'm sure it was nice, but the Iridian behaves I doubt he considers what you did to have any meaning. He probably used you. And if you're okay with that and know the risks...you're an adult. But I wouldn't expect him to stick around now that he's had his fun." she looked down at Iridian. "...Right? You'll be on your way. I hope."

Avis was stunned into silence. She might have been naive, but that didn't mean that she was stupid. The thought of being used for someone else's enjoyment, even if it made her feel good as well...it struck a chord of sadness in her heart. "Iridian?" she asked, turning to face him. "It's not true...is it? What you taught me...what you showed me...it meant something, didn't it?" she asked.

Iridian rubbed his jaw and sat up a bit more. "Come on, Rag doll, don't give me those big eyes." he said. "I never promised you anything I didn't deliver on, and you don't have to worry about getting pregnant either. That's what the pill was for. We had a good time together and I do like you, but that doesn't mean I want to be tied down and limited. Sure it was special, you're a hell of a woman, and I can tell you needed that release just as much. Really they're all making too big a deal out of all this. They think that you should only have one person and that's it, that its supposed to be solely on commitment. Maybe if you intend to have kids, but I already took that possibility out of the equation."

Avis closed her eyes, tears welling up in the corners. She clenched her teeth, hugging herself, though her fingernails dug in her arms as she became further upset. "Yet still...all you truly did was use me...to make yourself happy..." she said, her voice squeaking softly in her sadness. The Triforce of Power burned white-hot on her left hand as she turned, storming from the room, her heel creating small, cracked craters in the ground with each step.

"Oh come on, as if I didn't make sure you got plenty of enjoyment out of it too." he said, getting to his feet, to which Mardian promptly shoved him back down into his chair.

"You just don't get it, do you?" he said, more disappointment than anger in his eyes by now. "It's because you did for all the wrong reasons, Iridian." said Mardian, trying his best not to shout at this point. "She deserved better than to be somebody's plaything. You do it because it feels good and I'm sure with no small amount of ego that you can talk almost any girl you want into the bedroom with you. It's meant to be an expression of love and trust, and it stands for neither coming from you. You act like you think you were doing her a favor by taking advantage of her, and no matter what you say, you know that's what you did."

"Look-she was fine before the two of you popped in on our business-"

"No Iridian, you look. What Farei and I did was explain exactly what you did. If Avis had known all of that ahead of time she probably would have turned you down, but instead you decided to lie to her by omitting every detail that didn't serve your purpose. Just because you don't value that kind of bond doesn't mean that Avis doesn't. You knew that after all she's been through that the prospect of feeling loved would be a strong influence on her and you exploited that.

You think everything should just boil down to animal instinct, you've said it yourself plenty, but if settling down with one woman couldn't be fulfilling then why do you think that so many people look down on you for the way you behave? Why do you think most people choose to commit in the end? If you took the time to stop thinking just about yourself, and no, making sure someone feels good from the way you treat their body doesn't count- maybe, just maybe you'd be able to see more of a woman than her potential for being your novelty for the night. I know you have some sensitivity in you, you know that Avis thought that the way you were treating her was an expression that you truly cared about her. Can you blame her for feeling betrayed?"

"I do care about her, she's a sweet girl. I just said I wasn't going to get tacked down-"

"If you really cared about her, you would have told her the truth about what you were suggesting and let her make her own decision."

Iridian felt that last bit sink in a little. He guessed he really hadn't been playing fair with her, he thought that the pleasure he'd give her would have made up for any hurt he would have caused, but maybe there was a little bit to what Mardian had to say. He'd heard similar speeches from his parents before, so he wasn't exactly sure what was different this time. Maybe it'd been the look on Avis' face.....

Somehow, Iridian's words only made Avis feel worse and she ran from the kitchen, her bare feet slapping the floor as she sped into her room, slamming the door shut, although by this time she had managed to contain the Power enough so that she didn't break anything. She took to her bed, sitting with her legs drawn to her chest, clutching a pillow as she huddled underneath her blanket, burying her face in the soft fabric. She screwed her eyes shut tight, trembling and trying her best not to sob, but it was so hard not to. It just hurt...too much...

Iridian ran a hand through his thick, dark brown hair. He'd be an idiot not to see that Avis favored Mardian and Farei's view on love far more than his own. He'd really never meant to cause any harm to her, he'd never thought beyond his certainty that she would enjoy the act just as much as he did. "...Can I go now?" he asked quietly. "I'm the one that hurt her, I should at least try to fix it." he said.

Mardian frowned at him. "I'm not sure that it's a good idea that you talk to her right now." he said.

"So I'm just supposed to let it stand like that right now? How is that doing her any favors?"

Mardian sighed. "Just don't do her any more 'favors' like you've already done."

Iridian got to his feet and walked past them, trying to think of how to approach her now. He'd made light of it all before, but she wasn't taking it lightly, so that approach just wouldn't work. He gathered his thoughts and braced himself for anything he could expect and knocked on Avis' door.

It was silent for a long moment, and the door did not open for Iridian. "Come in..." came Avis' voice from inside, still huddled on her mattress, her eyes red and puffy, pillow stained with tears, and the tone of her voice marred with a slight hiccup.

Iridian opened the door slowly and stepped inside. He saw her curled up and mostly cocooned inside one of the blankets and saw the tears on her face. He moved over to her and sat down on the bed, gently reaching to brush aside her tears. "Oh Rag doll..." he said quietly, his voice attempting to be soothing.

Avis jerked away from his touch, even his nickname for her sounding hurtful to her ears. "Wh...what do you want?" she said, squeezing her pillow tighter.

"I want to talk." he murmured. "Listen, Avis...Mardian and Farei might have been right about a lot of things, but I want you to know I wasn't trying to hurt you. I'm not pure evil or anything....and I wasn't lying when I said that I like you." he said. "You're a very sweet girl and there's a lot about you that a man could appreciate...and not just things about your body. You're sweet, you have a sense of adventure, and you care about people. I think your enthusiasm for things is adorable. I should have told you about all the rest....before we did anything."

"Why didn't you?" Avis asked quietly after a moment. She had wanted to close the door on him, but she couldn't hate him like that. It just wasn't in her nature. She did feel a bit better after he'd admitted what he liked about her, but the sting of heartbreak still remained.

"Because I didn't want you to say no." said Iridian. "And I've never really believed in monogamy myself. Not since my first time, anyway. I wasn't thinking about how not telling you about the more reserved ways of thinking about what we did would hurt you, I was only thinking of the good time that we could have together. I figured so long as you didn't have to worry about a kid being produced then what was the harm of feeling good and making you feel good in the process? I know that you're insecure about your looks with those scars. I thought I might even be doing you a favor to boost your confidence, that you could be appreciated despite them. I've made it a point not to ever get too attached to a woman....but it doesn't mean I don't care if I hurt someone. I'm sorry, Avis...."

Avis closed her eyes, setting the pillow down as she turned to face him, sitting cross-legged before him. "You should've told me anyway...I don't like being lied to, Iridian...even by omission. I appreciate...that you tried to make me feel better, I really do...but you should still have told me...and let me truly decide for myself...granted...I did enjoy what you showed me."

"Well all that is over and done with now, so where does it go from here, Avis?" Iridian asked. "I'm not ready to consider committing to anyone, but if you'll let me, I'll still be your friend." he said.

Somehow, those words, in spite of Iridian meaning them nicely, still stung. Perhaps...perhaps she clung too dearly to the hopes that he might truly have loved her. But no...he did care...and that was what mattered, and he truly was sorry. "If you still will be my friend..." Avis rubbed at her eyes, offering a small smile that stretched dimly across her rosy cheeks. "Then I'll be happy to have you as one."

Iridian smiled softly and smoothed back her golden, flaxen hair. "There's that smile." he said. "No strings attached this time. I won't ask you to do anything you're uncomfortable with." He gripped her hand and squeezed it lightly.

Avis smiled softly, gently slipping her hand from his. "I'm going to get something to eat...I hope Farei hasn't already served up all of that curried beef..." she murmured, slipping off of the mattress. She remained quiet as she stood, heading towards the door. She hoped truly that she could trust Iridian...he had already hurt her once, and if he did so again...well...she wasn't about to let him off scot-free again. She wouldn't hurt him, no...but she would let him know how much he hurt her.

Farei shook her head after both Avis and Iridian had left and she turned back to the meal she was preparing. She returned to the sauce just in time and pulled it off the hot stove. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry after all of that but it wouldn't benefit her if she didn't eat. She pulled the meat she was roasting out of the oven and ladled the sauce over it. She set it on the table and made a second trip to remove the spice roasted potatoes. Food in the desert had been very bland, but Farei had found that some of the food in Hyrule was pretty bland too. Her spices had yet to fail her, and she believed they were probably the most valuable things she had taken from her home.

Farei wished she were back in her tent now, away from all of this drama. "I don't want him here." she said aloud, knowing Mardian was still within earshot. "He causes too much trouble and goddesses know we don't need more. We're supposed to be putting ourselves in harm's way and he thinks this whole thing is a joke and an opportunity to play his games. I know he's your brother but I would be just as happy if I never saw him again. Ever."

Mardian had sat down at the table and rested his head in his hand. "I know what you mean, Farei. I know that little brothers are supposed to drive you up the wall from what I've heard but he doesn't have to catch up on all of it in a single week, especially when it's hurting someone else. None of us need all this trouble making in the little time we've been allotted to relax and pull ourselves together." he sighed. "But if we tell him to leave Gayle said he'd likely be killed. Despite how much of a sleaze he is I don't want that to happen to him." said Mardian. "It still baffles me that someone like him could have been raised by my Mother and Father."

Iridian was just back behind the doorway when he overheard the conversation. He supposed he hadn't really tried to appreciate the position that his brother and their companions were in. Mardian had already been hurt once and pretty badly. He'd done fairly well about behaving himself when he was taking care of his injured brother, but how easily he'd let it slide after he was back up on his feet. No wonder they all hated him. Perhaps he should just leave. He could stay in that cave or something, still safe from whatever was supposedly threatening out there, but out of everyone's hair.

Avis grimaced as she listened to the conversation as well. Yes, Iridian did cause problems...but that didn't mean that he needed to go away, especially not if he was sincerely sorry. But she knew they wouldn't want him around...not after everything he'd done. She too thought it best if he kept out of everyone's hair for a little bit, but preventing him from being around others? That would be far too cruel. People needed to interact with other people. Otherwise, they'd just go crazy.

Farei finished setting the table after the meal was finished and she sat down. She looked over at Mardian. "Well, eat. I didn't cook for more than one person for my health." she growled. She noticed his arm was looking better. "Did you drink another potion or something? That's a pretty quick few weeks." she pointed out, slicing herself off a piece of meat and putting half a spiced potato on her plate.

"I remembered about a fairy fountain that's close by here." said Mardian, getting up to make himself up a plate. She had just finished cooking, he just chalked it up to a sour mood.

Iridian turned and started heading for the room. He didn't want to deal with that, and she didn't want to deal with him. He gathered up his pack and headed out the door after leaving a small note for Mardian to tell him where he would be. He climbed up into the cave after the small walk and set himself up inside the cavern where he and Avis had been. He had been hungry, but he didn't have much of an appetite now.