"You know, you'll never get anywhere in training, if you just show up whenever the hell you feel like it."
Lydia blushed. "Sorry High General Jordan."
"The only reason I allow it, is because Elunara asked me to. Otherwise I'd toss your ass out. You're wasting my time."
She winced. "Please forgive me."
"Not until you start showing some initiative."
Darguni climbed up on the platform and sat down. "Ugh, finally, I can have a break."
Elunara held out a bottle. "Here."
"Thanks, mom."
"Three more days."
"Don't remind me." He rubbed his neck. His eyes tracked around the area until he found his target. He watched her for some time.
"How's that going?"
"Huh? Oh." He sighed. "It's really weird. I've spent my entire life thinking of her as a kid sister... I mean, I know she's technically older, but she was just my kid sister... then..." He licked his lips. "Suddenly, I see her as a sexual being, and the whole thing flips on its damned head. It's bizarre." Twirling the bottle in his fingers, he frowned. "I don't want to change who I am, but I want her in my life."
"Kind of ironic, how your father and I are the complete opposite. I fell for him, because I stopped seeing him as just another fuck. I wanted him, pretty badly. My gods he was majestic... but he turned me down flat. TWICE! I had to... I had to have him. Instead of trying to fuck him, I actually had to put in efforts to seduce him, and my heart went right on out."
"Huh."
"I'm not going to tell you to stop fucking everything that moves... lord knows I can't stop... but I am going to tell you, that when I let him in? My whole world changed. I am the goddess, because he opened my heart."
He ran his hand over his mouth.
"Meanwhile, you've been staring at her so hard, you're missing the fact that your father is giving you ugly looks."
"Shit!"
Later that day, Darguni laid back, his arms behind his head, as he stared at the sky. Watching the clouds roll by, he wondered. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted her pretty blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. He sat up and watched her crest the hill. He thought she looked like an angel in white.
"Darguni?"
"Yeah?"
"May I sit with you?"
"Of course."
She sat down, her back to his face. She tucked her legs up under her and sighed.
Reaching out, he brushed a hand down her back. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." She said, quietly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She just shook her head.
He frowned, but watched her.
"You know how you told me, that this was your quiet place, and Bradly's quiet place was the cemetery?"
"Yeah."
"My quiet place used to be my old bedroom in my mother's house."
He jolted up. "Baby, I'm so sorry."
She shook her head and sniffled. "No matter what, I could go there, and my room would be in place. I'd flop down on my bed, and she'd make me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a tall glass of chocolate milk. It was always the same. When I was a teenager, it was babyish. I may have told her that... but she'd do it anyway. She never asked me to explain myself. Never expected a word. She'd just make me those sandwiches." Lydia wiped her eyes.
"Oh, Baby." He tugged her into his embrace.
"I started to go to Bradly... but the cemetery is still too hard to handle." She sniffled. "I just want... I just wanted some quiet."
Brushing his hand down her hair, he kissed her temple. "Take what you need." He whispered.
She leaned against him. "Thank you."
The next day brought new frustration. "Lydia! I swear you get worse by the day!" Jordan grabbed her staff. "Get the fuck off of my yard!"
She turned and ran.
"Pathetic." He snorted. He turned to his trainees. "New lesson, NEVER leave your weapon behind!"
She ran all the way up the hill, and flopped down in the grass and cried.
Darguni watched her leave.
"PAY ATTENTION!"
"Yes, sir!"
