Elunara dodged and came down hard with her staff, knocking her opponent to the ground. "Come on, girl. You can do better than this. I've taught you better."
Lydia jumped up and launched at Elunara. Elunara dodged harmlessly and kicked Lydia down. Lydia rubbed her face and pulled her hand away, wincing at the blood.
Elunara held out her hand. "I can understand burying yourself in your work, but not at the expense of your heart."
Lydia took Elunara's hand and was pulled to standing. "I guess I'm not myself today." She sighed.
"Want to talk about it?" Elunara tossed her staff back on the rack.
"Can we?" Lydia sighed and tucked her staff onto her back.
"Let's go to my house."
At the house, Lydia hissed and recoiled.
"Take it like a man." Elunara snorted. "I have to clean it out. I can't just heal it, because if I heal it with shit in your face, you'll just fester."
"Fucking stings." She grit her teeth.
"Damn don't it." Elunara snorted.
"Figured you'd be used to it by now."
"I'm used to a lot of things. You didn't come here to talk about that."
"No." Lydia sighed. "It's about Bradly."
"I've been hearing all about the three of you." Elunara put her fingers under Lydia's chin. "You're making a mess of things, girly."
Lydia winced. "So he told you about the library?"
Elunara's eyebrows shot up. "No."
"Well..." Lydia explained the exchange.
Elunara sighed and leaned back on the couch. "A complete mess."
"Now, I'm just so confused." Lydia put her hands in her lap.
"The problem is that you three have been close since you were kids. Everyone has been expecting the three of you to hook up in some random pattern or another. Even Bradly has thought he was going to marry you since he was eight or nine. Darguni has always been completely oblivious, but with our family claiming relatives left and right, and sticking to it... when he decided you were his sister, that was just IT."
"That much is obvious." Lydia grumbled.
"What you and Bradly failed to do, was to understand what you actually want in a relationship. Bradly was just stuck on it being you. You were busy doing the right thing, and staying out of the mess. However, you're twenty two years old, and all of your friends are in relationships. Darguni is pulling "a me", and fucking any girl willing to spread her legs. That's his gimmick in life right now, and he's pretty happy with it. I agree that it'll take a woman like Grogek to finally bring Darguni to his knees. Most likely, he'll still be pulling "a me" for years to come.
But, that's where Darguni is above and beyond you and Bradly. He KNOWS what he wants, and it's NOT a relationship. Bradly now has to figure out what he wants in a woman, and you'll have to figure out what you want in a man. Hell, in a person. Who knows, maybe that's another assumption."
Lydia considered. "What if I wanted to give women a shot?"
"Then that's what you want." Elunara shrugged and stretched.
She tugged her legs up on to the couch. "I don't think that's it either."
"If you eliminate an option, you're one step closer to knowing what you WILL want."
Lydia sighed and put her chin on her knees. "If I wanted a woman, there's only one I'd ever consider. So, that's out."
"Who's to say?" Elunara pulled out her board and began to sketch.
"Because she wouldn't. I absolutely know she wouldn't."
"Have you spoken to her?" Elunara adjusted her angle and sketched Lydia.
"Oh, I speak to her plenty."
"But, about the topic?"
"Not... exactly." Lydia sighed and raked her fingers through her hair.
"Then, how do you know?" Her eyes flicked back and forth, as she quickly captured Lydia on paper.
With half a laugh, Lydia turned her face. "Because it's you."
Elunara paused only briefly. "Ah."
"Yeah, "Ah."." Lydia sighed.
"You do realize that you're practically my daughter, right?"
"Exactly." Lydia put her chin back on her knees. "I've fantasized about you for years, but honestly, I knew that men are where I want to be. You are the only female I have had even the slightest attraction to, and I know full well it's because of all you have done for me. Ever so often, I wonder if you'd..." Lydia rocked her head back and forth. "Break me in, so to speak. At this moment, I'm still a virgin. When I heard about... Darguni's reputation..." She blushed and buried her face against her knees.
"Just like everyone else in my life, you've gotten yourself into a mess."
"Don't laugh." She whimpered.
"I'm not, sweetie." Elunara sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, other than to follow your heart. However, first you must figure out what your heart really wants." Elunara brushed Lydia's hair back. "I don't know that I can give you what you want."
Lydia turned bright red and stood up. "I have to go!" She ran out of the house.
Elunara just sighed.
Susan walked in and blinked. "Was that Lydia?"
"Yeah, she's just confused right now." Elunara ran a hand over Susan's massive belly. "How are my girls?"
"Ugh, I feel like a riverbeast. I hope she doesn't get much bigger."
"Sorry sweetie, you've got three months left."
Susan whimpered.
Lydia ran without thinking. When she finally stopped, she was surprised to find herself in front of her mother's door. She sighed. Well, her mother had been so sad since Lydia's father died in the war... perhaps a mother daughter chat would cheer her. Lydia stepped up to the door and knocked.
Thinking that maybe her mother had gone out, she decided to wait inside. Pushing open the door, she gasped and ran forward. "Mother!" She dropped down and put her hands on the crumpled form. She began to scream.
Elunara's ears pricked. Without a word, she bolted out of the house and followed the sound of screaming. Lydia was down to dull whimpers by time Elunara came through the door. She knelt and put her hands on Linda's body.
"SAVE HER!" Lydia screamed. "Please, please..." She whimpered.
"Sweetie, she's beyond my capabilities..."
"NO!"
