09.Feb.12, 07:28 PM
They were stuck in a sort of stalemate. Now that I'shan had advanced forward, he couldn't exactly let up without looking weak, just as Erisi couldn't step back and put some space between them without looking equally weak. There was a brief, but distinctly uncomfortable expression upon his face when I'shan took a more confident step forward. The expression was quickly stowed away, but there was a darkness to his eyes that spoke of that discomfort. He wanted to put some space between them, but his pride wouldn't allow for it. Erisi would stand his ground, because he absolutely hated the idea of losing face to someone like I'shan. He shifted his weight from one leg to another, trying to silently work out the uncanny jolt of nerves that were shooting through his mind. "So, then don't call me your friend," he answered acidly.
"That's a lie. There's a ton of things you can do, could do, but you won't. So don't stare me down and lie to my face. You could fix it if you wanted to, but you don't. You'd rather I suffer for your so-called 'greater good'. What you end up is with dangerously depressed Candidates, people who don't ever want to belong to this Weyr. The more people you take, the more you guys risk these stolen folks getting together to finally fix their problems." It wasn't like Erisi would ever lead a revolt, not now, especially since he wasn't exactly well-liked. But, it certainly sounded that way, which was entirely unintentional, but he wasn't about to retract words that were so freshly spoken.
It wasn't exactly an insult that I'shan had flung back at him, rather it was a fairly accurate estimate of Erisi's lifestyle. But, it hit with the sharp sting of an insult. I'shan, for all intents and purposes, was implying that Erisi very well belonged here. His cheeks flushed red with anger, his brows knitting downwards as emotions boiled underneath his skin. He would have hit I'shan, and he probably would have felt good about it, but he imagined a dragonrider was far better off in a fistfight than a Harper. So, he stayed his hand, though that didn't prevent it from curling into a fist against his chest. "You would like that, if I were a proddy green. Is that the only reason you kidnap people? So you can vent your physical frustrations on them. I certainly can't see anyone sleeping with such a foul person willingly," he finally hissed, unable to form an eloquent rebuttal to words that were fairly truthful.
"That's a lie. There's a ton of things you can do, could do, but you won't. So don't stare me down and lie to my face. You could fix it if you wanted to, but you don't. You'd rather I suffer for your so-called 'greater good'. What you end up is with dangerously depressed Candidates, people who don't ever want to belong to this Weyr. The more people you take, the more you guys risk these stolen folks getting together to finally fix their problems." It wasn't like Erisi would ever lead a revolt, not now, especially since he wasn't exactly well-liked. But, it certainly sounded that way, which was entirely unintentional, but he wasn't about to retract words that were so freshly spoken.
It wasn't exactly an insult that I'shan had flung back at him, rather it was a fairly accurate estimate of Erisi's lifestyle. But, it hit with the sharp sting of an insult. I'shan, for all intents and purposes, was implying that Erisi very well belonged here. His cheeks flushed red with anger, his brows knitting downwards as emotions boiled underneath his skin. He would have hit I'shan, and he probably would have felt good about it, but he imagined a dragonrider was far better off in a fistfight than a Harper. So, he stayed his hand, though that didn't prevent it from curling into a fist against his chest. "You would like that, if I were a proddy green. Is that the only reason you kidnap people? So you can vent your physical frustrations on them. I certainly can't see anyone sleeping with such a foul person willingly," he finally hissed, unable to form an eloquent rebuttal to words that were fairly truthful.