CHAPTER 14: Play of Words
Aurana
It was not my fault.
I blamed everything on him and his foolish superiority complex. Yes, of course he had to attempt to prove me wrong concerning Earth's sunset and nightfall. Of course he had to sit down to receive the gamut view. And of course he had to morph human. It must have been some silly, irrational plan he had proposed in his sick Andalite mind to set things up like this.
I was forced to put up with Ana and her inexorable laughter. She found this amusing. I, on the other hand, did not.
So that you are not completely lost, let me explain what occurred. Before I fell asleep, I remembered watching the sunrise with Aximili. Ana was making some humiliatingly derisive comment about species who watch sunrises together, something I chose to ignore.
We were talking as usual, and for once we were not debating (ironically, the only thing we can usually agree on in our conversations). And then silence ensued. What resulted next was a representation of our fallibility.
We fell asleep. That portion was partly my fault; though Aximili did have part in it by forcing me to stay up with his relentless debate, and I was forced to continue to stay awake to correct him, I should have attempted to sleep nevertheless. And through some thoughtless action, we...
Well, we ended up humiliating each other.
I awoke at the most twenty minutes later; thankfully the sun had not yet completely rose, but I was tired. I opened my eyes to see what had awakened me, to notice that my head had laid across something soft rather than the hard ground I usually am forced to put up with.
And within seconds I realized that it was Aximili. My sudden jerk away woke him up. Unsure of what to do, I attempted to push him away, which was useless because he had already jumped up and backed up almost as quickly as I had jerked away myself. We stared at each other for one long moment.
"You..." he began, gesturing toward me as though it were my fault.
"Me?" I shouted suddenly. I was angry, confused, and annoyed. I did not need the blame on something obviously not my fault. "It was you who forced me to watch the sunrise! And you sat down next to me as well. I would say this was your fault, Aximili."
"Mine? I sat down because I wanted to see the entire thing to prove you wrong. And I did not force you to watch anything.," he said so obstinately I wanted to take a Dracon to his tenacious Andalite self.
"And you did not have to prove me wrong," I said as obstinately as he. "So this is just as much your fault as it is mine."
I did not believe that. It was his fault from the beginning. But I was never going to say that, because I was too humiliated to even look back at him any more. A burning sensation came to my face; under dark eyes I watched him.
He demorphed and return to the other side of the room, wary of me.
Keep telling yourself that, he said. I do not care. He seemed amused at something; a sudden brightness came to his face.
The nerve of him! I fumed to Ana. She, through this entire time, had been laughing.
I think someone has a- she began.
Finish that sentence, Ana, and you will not live to see tomorrow, I muttered. Then, to Aximili, "What is so amusing, Andalite?!"
Your face is red, he responded. Either you are flushed or you are blushing. A common human reaction under humiliating conditions.
"I am not blushing!" I yelled, angry. "And I am not flushed."
Su-ure, Ana said.
So you are admitting that you are not humiliated. Aximili responded.
"I am not humiliated, either," I lied, responding more calmly. "It takes more than something like what just occurred to humiliate me."
So you were not humiliated the night before, when we-
"No," I said suddenly, not wishing for him to finish the sentence. "It was just a ridiculous accident that occurred as a result of a mistake. As was this."
Another moment's silence, then he looked up at me through all four of his eyes. And so how many mistakes are you planning to make?
I retorted, "How many are you?"
Listen, he said after a moment. This argument is foolish. What will it matter? By the end of the day you will not remember any of this.
"True," I said, aware that the sudden bursts of anger had been foolish. "I had forgotten."
Well, he said matter-of-factly, Do not forget. I remind you, this is surprisingly lenient for your kind. If it were not for the fact that you have pleaded to be a part of the movement, you would not be alive now.
"Shame, is it not? I am sure you would have liked to see that."
You take me for a barbarian.
"I take you for an Andalite."
Ah. And here I was, thinking you did not like me.
"I never said I did not like you Aximili I-" I shut myself up before I said something foolish.
He smiled, obviously amused. So you do like me?
You set yourself up for that one, Ana said nonchalantly. You know, you are really losing out tonight.
I intend to get myself up for it, I replied. I attempted not to smile, but rather shrugged and answered. "Well, if you were not the stubborn, detestable Andalite that you are... yes. Of course. You would be an enjoyable friend." Our eyes met and I ended up smiling anyway. I hesitated, and then said, "Well... do you like me, then?"
He stared at me, struck unaware and dumbfounded. I turned away so that he would not see my face. But he answered, despite the atrocity of the question. Well... if you were not the adamant, obnoxious Yeerk that you are... yes. You would be an enjoyable friend as well.
Now that was sweet, Ana said. I was only glad that speech between my host and I remained between my host and I.
There was another break in the speech between Aximili and I, yet the quietness seemed calming. I looked out the door toward where the sun had completed rising, and was now a burning point in the apex of the sky.
"You are still wrong, Aximili," I said.
He turned to me. About what?
"Earth's nightfall is far better than any sunrise or sunset."
Aurana
It was not my fault.
I blamed everything on him and his foolish superiority complex. Yes, of course he had to attempt to prove me wrong concerning Earth's sunset and nightfall. Of course he had to sit down to receive the gamut view. And of course he had to morph human. It must have been some silly, irrational plan he had proposed in his sick Andalite mind to set things up like this.
I was forced to put up with Ana and her inexorable laughter. She found this amusing. I, on the other hand, did not.
So that you are not completely lost, let me explain what occurred. Before I fell asleep, I remembered watching the sunrise with Aximili. Ana was making some humiliatingly derisive comment about species who watch sunrises together, something I chose to ignore.
We were talking as usual, and for once we were not debating (ironically, the only thing we can usually agree on in our conversations). And then silence ensued. What resulted next was a representation of our fallibility.
We fell asleep. That portion was partly my fault; though Aximili did have part in it by forcing me to stay up with his relentless debate, and I was forced to continue to stay awake to correct him, I should have attempted to sleep nevertheless. And through some thoughtless action, we...
Well, we ended up humiliating each other.
I awoke at the most twenty minutes later; thankfully the sun had not yet completely rose, but I was tired. I opened my eyes to see what had awakened me, to notice that my head had laid across something soft rather than the hard ground I usually am forced to put up with.
And within seconds I realized that it was Aximili. My sudden jerk away woke him up. Unsure of what to do, I attempted to push him away, which was useless because he had already jumped up and backed up almost as quickly as I had jerked away myself. We stared at each other for one long moment.
"You..." he began, gesturing toward me as though it were my fault.
"Me?" I shouted suddenly. I was angry, confused, and annoyed. I did not need the blame on something obviously not my fault. "It was you who forced me to watch the sunrise! And you sat down next to me as well. I would say this was your fault, Aximili."
"Mine? I sat down because I wanted to see the entire thing to prove you wrong. And I did not force you to watch anything.," he said so obstinately I wanted to take a Dracon to his tenacious Andalite self.
"And you did not have to prove me wrong," I said as obstinately as he. "So this is just as much your fault as it is mine."
I did not believe that. It was his fault from the beginning. But I was never going to say that, because I was too humiliated to even look back at him any more. A burning sensation came to my face; under dark eyes I watched him.
He demorphed and return to the other side of the room, wary of me.
Keep telling yourself that, he said. I do not care. He seemed amused at something; a sudden brightness came to his face.
The nerve of him! I fumed to Ana. She, through this entire time, had been laughing.
I think someone has a- she began.
Finish that sentence, Ana, and you will not live to see tomorrow, I muttered. Then, to Aximili, "What is so amusing, Andalite?!"
Your face is red, he responded. Either you are flushed or you are blushing. A common human reaction under humiliating conditions.
"I am not blushing!" I yelled, angry. "And I am not flushed."
Su-ure, Ana said.
So you are admitting that you are not humiliated. Aximili responded.
"I am not humiliated, either," I lied, responding more calmly. "It takes more than something like what just occurred to humiliate me."
So you were not humiliated the night before, when we-
"No," I said suddenly, not wishing for him to finish the sentence. "It was just a ridiculous accident that occurred as a result of a mistake. As was this."
Another moment's silence, then he looked up at me through all four of his eyes. And so how many mistakes are you planning to make?
I retorted, "How many are you?"
Listen, he said after a moment. This argument is foolish. What will it matter? By the end of the day you will not remember any of this.
"True," I said, aware that the sudden bursts of anger had been foolish. "I had forgotten."
Well, he said matter-of-factly, Do not forget. I remind you, this is surprisingly lenient for your kind. If it were not for the fact that you have pleaded to be a part of the movement, you would not be alive now.
"Shame, is it not? I am sure you would have liked to see that."
You take me for a barbarian.
"I take you for an Andalite."
Ah. And here I was, thinking you did not like me.
"I never said I did not like you Aximili I-" I shut myself up before I said something foolish.
He smiled, obviously amused. So you do like me?
You set yourself up for that one, Ana said nonchalantly. You know, you are really losing out tonight.
I intend to get myself up for it, I replied. I attempted not to smile, but rather shrugged and answered. "Well, if you were not the stubborn, detestable Andalite that you are... yes. Of course. You would be an enjoyable friend." Our eyes met and I ended up smiling anyway. I hesitated, and then said, "Well... do you like me, then?"
He stared at me, struck unaware and dumbfounded. I turned away so that he would not see my face. But he answered, despite the atrocity of the question. Well... if you were not the adamant, obnoxious Yeerk that you are... yes. You would be an enjoyable friend as well.
Now that was sweet, Ana said. I was only glad that speech between my host and I remained between my host and I.
There was another break in the speech between Aximili and I, yet the quietness seemed calming. I looked out the door toward where the sun had completed rising, and was now a burning point in the apex of the sky.
"You are still wrong, Aximili," I said.
He turned to me. About what?
"Earth's nightfall is far better than any sunrise or sunset."
