Lightning and Petals
Opposites Attract
Unfortunately, I am not a genious like Tamora Pierce and therefore none of the characters belong to me. It's tragic, I know.
Briar had only just returned, and it was strange. They hadn't seen each other in so long it was like they had to reacquaint themselves with each other – odd, Tris thought, since she had always felt closest to Briar, had always understood him better than Daja and Sandry. There were awkward silences at the dinner table, especially when they talked about their magical link. Daja, Briar and Tris at least knew what was now required of them, since they were now adults, but Sandry, naively Tris thought, believed that they could rekindle that old bond they had when they were kids. Tris at least understood that it could never happen – adults had control, had secrets – and she also didn't want the other three knowing what she had gone through the last four years away. Briar, although they weren't close and she had no idea what he thought now or, really, who he was, understood this. On some level she thought that old understanding was there, but it was fleeting at best. They sat around Daja's house working on projects, Tris feeling distant and cold. They didn't know each other anymore, which was the worst thing. And Briar, well, he was the worst out of all of them – distant, less carefree. It could have been this strangeness, this un-Briar-ness coupled of course with the physical change – he was now almost a head taller than her, grown into his lanky body with solid muscle, and a handsome face, those green eyes flashing, that made her blush madly when he grinned and reevaluate how she termed the word 'foster-brother'. The truth was that they weren't siblings, she knew that now, with the distance between them, and in all honesty they had spent more time away from each other now then they had together. They were different people, older. And it hurt her to see Briar go out every night, staying out with some local beauty, thinking she could distract him from the nightmares that Tris knew he had, when she was right here, willing – if not in the way he seemed to use the other girls – to listen, to be there, support him, comfort him, scold him. To be with him. And he couldn't see that, he couldn't see that she, and Sandry and Daja all wanted to support him. She had to remind herself again that they were adults now, and adults didn't share problems. She thought, crossly, that was half of the problem. Watching the clouds overhead puff out darker tendrils full of rain, she played absently with a thin braid, contemplating her feelings to do with the green mage. She didn't even know him anymore, how could she think to see him as anything besides an acquaintance? Something inside her did, nevertheless, and it was pointless to deny it. Argue with it, yes, but not deny it.
A head popped over the arch of the tiled roof, grinning. Tris knew without turning around who it was.
"What do you want?" She asked him crossly, annoyed however much she had been thinking about him, to be disturbed. Briar raised his eyebrows at her tone. He climbed up next to her, stopping by her head. Her braids fanned out behind her as she lay staring at the sky. He picked one up and fiddled with it absently.
"I don't like your hair this way, Coppercurls," He murmured, tugging the braid gently. Tris tried to glare at him. "It's not allowed to run free and wild like it used to." Tris stiffly pulled her hair from his grip.
"It still gets frizzy," She snapped, annoyed at his reminder that they had changed. Perhaps he didn't mean to, but for some reason she thought of her hair as a metaphor for herself, tightly controlled and unchanging, unfeeling. Maybe it was. His face loomed in her vision as he grinned down at her, not disturbed by her hostile attitude.
"Well, that's something, isn't it?" He said almost cheerfully. There was a moment of silence as Tris ignored him. Briar moved to lie next to her, watching the sky for a moment. He was not leaving any time soon that was sure, but maybe he would shut up and let her relax.
"So I heard you almost killed a murderer in Tharios," Briar started casually, waiting for Tris' reaction. Tris jumped to sit up in surprise, glaring up at him, thoroughly annoyed.
"Who told you that? It's none of your business!" She growled indignantly. He raised dark eyebrows again calmly until Tris lay back down again, understanding with a sigh he wouldn't judge her.
"I would have done the same thing." He said quietly. "We haven't changed that much, Tris. We're still the same." Tris snorted.
"I don't know about that," She said just as casually as he had been a moment ago. "You never used to have nightmares." Now it was Briar's turn to look outraged. He looked across at her sharply, unhappy. After a moment he let it go.
"And you did, if I remember correctly." He said finally, lying back. Tris shuddered at the memories. She still had those nightmares about the ships she had sunk all those years ago, but now they mingled in with her newer fears – the faces of Glaki's aunt Yali and mother Iralima still haunted her dreams. She stared at the sky, breathing deep and mentally counting, trying to think of nothing but the approaching storm.
"You should go inside, Briar," She said after more silence. Now she was calm. "It'll start to rain in about half an hour." He smiled, his eyes still closed, and shook his head.
"I like the rain," He murmured, his lips barely moving. He too was deep within his calm place. "It's soothing." Tris glanced briefly at the sky.
"It won't be in about an hour's time," She replied. "It'll be hailing then, and thundering. Lightning too... it probably won't reach us though, not unless I call it." He nodded absently, looking uninterested. She wondered if he was even listening. Probably thinking about tonight's conquest, she thought bitterly. Tris scolded herself for caring and returned to breathing meditation style, calming down almost immediately.
"How do you know about my dreams?" Briar asked quietly, not stirring. She barely heard him over the rising howl of the wind. Her braids fanned onto her face, the winds tugging them gently. Stop that, she chided. They obeyed reluctantly, turning instead to teasing Briar. His shirt whipped around him; however it remained smooth, and settled back to its original shape perfectly when that little breeze moved on. Another one ruffled his hair. He was waiting for an answer, his face creased in a frown. Tris did not know what answer to give him. She knew a little from her breezes, hearing him wake in the night, but more so from her scrying which she kept a secret, not wanting her friends to know. She wasn't sure why, but it wasn't something she wanted to share.
"I hear things on the wind," She said, hesitating. "I hear you wake." He seemed to accept that explanation, and she settled back down, content.
"Niko told me about Tharios," He answered her unasked question. "And Sandry of course told us all about Summersea. Did Daj' mention Namorn?" Tris shook her head. He didn't open his eyes but knew the answer anyway. Tris looked across at him, crossly. She knew he wouldn't offer any information about his travels.
"And you, thief?" She prodded. He didn't answer, as she knew he wouldn't. "That's unfair." The frown deepened into a scowl.
"Leave me be, Tris," He murmured, shifting his face away from her. Tris sat up indignantly, the winds picking up speed, tossing her hair and skirts awry.
"You're right," She said belligerently. "You haven't changed. You're still a hypocrite." Briar turned again to face her, his eyes glittering in anger at the insult.
"You don't know what you're talking about, merchant. Back off!" It started raining lightly, but the winds were becoming violent, pulling hard at their hair and clothes. The horizon had darkened considerably – soon it would become harder to see, with a layer of dark clouds above them and hazy light.
"You think you're above us don't you?" She replied with narrowed eyes, her voice low. "You're too good to tell us anything about your life, not good enough for the likes of you, green mage," She retorted angrily. "I've got news for you, Briar. You're still just a glorified street rat, and I'm stronger than you." Briar growled. He sat up faster than she thought possible and held her wrist tightly, crushing her wrist bones with a hard thumb. Her veins seemed to pop out, exposed.
"Be careful, Tris," He said softly. His eyes gleamed oddly, and for a second she was scared. "Don't count on it," He grinned, baring teeth. She strained, trying to pull her arm from his grip. A thorn shifted and grew on his thumb, pricking her skin. The rain came down harder, but neither noticed.
"Let go, Briar," Tris said through clenched teeth. It took everything in her not to order the winds to throw him off the roof.
"I've never backed away from a challenge," He snapped, his eyes glued to hers. Tris snorted.
"I'm not challenging you, just stating a fact." The vines on his hand grew, applying pressure to her veins. Tris winced, but refused to give in. They stared hard into each other's eyes; water running off them in rivulets, both refusing to back down. After several moments Briar almost grinned.
"You're still as stubborn as ever, I see," He said, releasing the pressure on her wrist. He kept her hand in his, though, drawing her closer. She felt the vines on his hands curl around her fingers gently. Thunder rumbled almost directly above them. "I'm glad." Tris waited, unsure of this new Briar. He had backed down to her, which had almost never happened before, and his mood had shifted so quickly.
"I'm used to people being afraid of me, I guess," He confessed quietly, looking up at her almost pleadingly. She had to lean in to hear him over the howling winds and thunder. A flash of lightning caught her eye, and she looked at it longingly, relaxing. Should she call it? Briar tugged on one of her braids to get her attention.
"Please don't," He said seriously. "You might kill my garden," She sighed huffily. Why should she care about his stupid plants? She looked at him, stared into his eyes with some of that angry tension returning. She felt something, some crackle of electricity. It wasn't lightning, but it was a shock all the same. Tension of a different kind filled the air between them, and unknowingly Briar pulled her closer still. He looked almost lethargic, his eyes locked on her lips, wanting, uncertain but instinctively drawing her closer, his tattoos crawling up around her fingers, up her arms. She didn't seem to notice, just stared wide eyed as Briars face loomed closer.
"Tris…" He whispered, waiting, hovering, seeing if she looked revolted or pushed him away. She did neither, and her mouth curved at the ends. He took that as a good sign and gently touched her lips with his. She responded by shifting closer, applying more pressure to his touch and deepening the kiss. He moved his lips slowly on hers, angling his lips so he could further access hers, gently coaxing her mouth open. They lingered, enjoying the moment. Cold rain ran between their mouths, filling their ears, plastering clothes and hair to their heads. Lightning flashed closer than before. They didn't notice. Slowly Briar moved again, his free hand finding its way to the back of her head to draw her closer still. He moved to push her back, lay her back like he did with so many of the other girls, caress her, but then thought better of it. This was Tris – not some girl he just met. He drew back completely, smiling almost drunkenly. Tris was blushing but she grinned back. He leaned in to so she could hear.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time," He murmured into her ear. She turned beet-red, trying to pull out of his embrace. He realized then that his tattoos had gotten out of control and gently chided them back into place. Tris' hand and arm had dents where the thorns had gently stuck into them, some drawing blood. Briar looked mortified.
"I'm sorry!" He said almost panicky. He wiped the blood from the cuts with a gentle hand. The rain washed the copper colour away immediately. Tris laughed.
"It's fine, Briar," She assured him. He looked back into her eyes, concerned, and relaxed when she grinned at him, a faint blush still staining her cheeks. He tugged gently on one thin braid. She glared in mild annoyance; he smirked and swooped in to kiss her again. They only broke apart when it started to hail, hard. Tris laughed when Briar cursed colourfully, trying to cover his head.
"Tris do something about this, will you?" He growled, squatting as many away as he could. She sighed and a bubble of dry air surrounded them. The hail made a gentle thwack rhythm as it hit the barrier. Tris looked down at their entwined hands, looking almost sad.
"Will you go out tonight?" She asked quietly, not meeting his eyes. He was taken a back. Did she really expect him to keep lying with girls other than her? He roughly pulled his hand away, angry at her perception of him.
"You must think well of me," He spat, disappointed. Tris rolled her eyes.
"Don't get silly, Briar. I know why you do it, that's all. You shouldn't have to stop because we shared one little kiss, is what I'm saying." Briar was startled at her depth of understanding, and at the same time hurt that she labeled it as just a little kiss, not a big deal. Perhaps she didn't care as much as he hoped she did.
"You don't care?" He asked, careful to keep his voice calm. Tris pursed her lips in an unhappy line.
"Of course I care," She snapped. "I hate it when you go out." Briars gaze softened.
"I'm sorry, Tris," He murmured. He truly didn't know she felt this way, didn't even dare to hope. He had locked away these unusual feelings he harbored for his friend, hoping to overcome them. She blushed at his look.
"Don't get all mushy. I'm saying that's not a good enough reason to stop." Briar sighed heavily and picked up her hand again, tracing the lines in her palm.
"'Course it is," He said firmly, almost irritably. "I can't believe you would let me." Tris snorted.
"It's your life, I can't stop you." Briar grinned, thinking she would be a wonderfully easy going girlfriend. Suddenly, he hesitated. Did he really want to risk their friendship, their bond? He hadn't planned their kiss, it had just happened. Did he want to take it further than that, to risk Tris' understanding? He swallowed hard.
"Tris," He began regretfully. Tris' sharp eyes caught his, and she arched her eyebrows.
"Forget about it," She murmured with a bitter smile. "I know we can't do this. It's fine." He frowned, looking intently at her.
"You're sure, Coppercurls?" He demanded seriously. He had a sinking feeling that he had already ruined the friendship just by doing this. "You won't think any differently of me?" Tris shook her head; water flicked him in the face from her braids. Briar hesitated again.
"If you're sure," He murmured, drawing her head closer and gently touching his lips to hers as a final agreement. Briar squeezed her hand gently, staring hard into her grey eyes, then got up and walked away through the rain, looking distracted. Tris lowered her shield, letting the hail and rail relax her aching heart. She breathed deep, enjoying the storm and letting calm wash over her thoughts. She relaxed slowly, realizing that it was true, she didn't mind. Thinking about it, she knew that although she could never truly be with Briar, he felt the same way about her, so in spirit they always would be together. Failing that, he was her best friend, and they understood each other, however she had doubted that since his return, and however different they were. Gods, opposites attract.