A Good-Bye Kiss

Writers: Eimi, Shelly
Date Posted: 6th March 2006

Characters: Gaiya, L'cian
Description: Gaiya tries to talk to L'cian about their last encounter.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 11, day 1 of Turn 3

Gaiya followed him down the beach. She knew he probably wouldn't want to talk to her, but she just had to see him. To tell him how sorry she was. **That's _all_ I want to do,** she told herself. **I just want to apologize.** Finally he turned around and she knew he had seen her.
She forced a smile and waved to him. **Just apologize...**

L'cian's jaw set and he returned a half hearted wave back before turning back around. **What in the name of Faranth does she want now?**

Shards. Maybe she should just let him go. He didn't look to happy to see her. And could she _blame_ him? But she should at least tell him that she was sorry. She really did care about him, and having that tension between them hurt. They had been friends once... Shards.
"L'cian!"

He waited. As much as he didn't want to see her, he still couldn't bring himself to walk away from her while she was calling for him. "What is it, Gaiya?" His voice was gentle.

She hurried to catch up to him. A little breathlessly, she looked up into his face. "I just... wanted to say that I'm sorry if I hurt you...
again... And to thank you for what you did for me."

"Consider it a goodbye kiss." He didn't look at her. "I don't think it'll happen again for a long while." Until he forgot the pain it caused him this time.

Somewhere deep down she felt a deep sadness at his words. He was right.
Of course he was right. It shouldn't happen again. It shouldn't have happened the last time. But shards... how long was a while? The fact that she even wondered confused her, but she nodded. "I understand.
But I would very much like it if we could still be friends."

"Shards, Gaiya!" L'cian was surprised that his voice sounded as angry as it did. "I _can't_ just be friends with you. When I'm just friends with you things like the other night happen and I'm the only one that gets hurt."

"You're not the only one," she said quietly.

"Sure doesn't seem like it." He fired back hotly.

"Do you think knowing that I've hurt you is _easy_ for me?" Gaiya shot right back, her own anger start to rise. After all, its not as if he hadn't been a more than willing participant in all this.

L'cian gave a cynical sort of laugh, but made no verbal reply. Instead he just shrugged his shoulders, put his hands into his pockets and began to walk away.

Gaiya was not going to take that. She marched right after him and grabbed his tunic, yanking him to make him stop. "Don't you _dare_ act like I am to blame for this!"

L'cian looked down on her. Shards he loved it when she was fired up like this. "You're not." He said simply. "I know I'm responsible for it, too."

"Then stop treating me like I did something _wrong_!" Frustrated tears were beginning to fill her eyes. "I did nothing wrong!"

"You -" He cut himself off. "_We_ did do something wrong. It was mistake
- I'm just trying to correct it."

Gaiya looked away quickly. She couldn't show him the hurt and anger in her eyes. Crossing her arms protectively around and in a voice choked by held back tears she barely more than whispered, "I've been called a lot of things in my life, L'cian. But that is the first time I've been called a _mistake_." She shook her head resignedly. "Just go."

"I didn't say that _you_ were a mistake, Gaiya," his voice was still strong but there was a gentleness to it now, "I said that what we did was a mistake. But if you want me to leave, I will." He took a few steps away before turning around for one last look at the woman. "And whether it was a mistake or not, it was one of the best of my life." Then he turned and left her to watch the waves by herself.

Last updated on the March 7th 2006

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A Good-Bye Kiss