-Why?-

07 – You're Right

By Euphrosyne


He watched those wet locks drip against her corset. Those silky black strands contrasting against her pale skin just perfectly like stars against the deep night sky. The girl sat peacefully with her head against the bed, eyes closed with relief.

He continued staring.

"You better not be comparing my eyes with Kai's. We're not related." The girl revealed those said mahogany orbs, raising a brow at the silent redhead.

"No, but there is something familiar about them now that you mention it."

"Hmph."

"Okay, now you sound like Kai."

Silence.

"…There's something on your mind."

He knew she would figure it out. "Oh, really?"

"Never doubt a woman's intuition, our corpus callosum is larger; perception, analytical reasoning, face recognition-"

"Should I lose or win my battle in the World Tournament…?"

"Awfully confident of your skills there, aren't you? Self-enhancer- People who see themselves more positively than others do tend to be more emotionally well-adjusted-"

"Riley."

He combined her first name with her last; she never objected to its sound.

The said girl sighed before turning to analyze the boy's expression.

"Bryan and Spencer will both win their battles; we're destined to win, we're created to win…but what will happen next? If I choose to lose, world domination will still proceed. I can't possibly make a difference in a situation-"

"You've been around me too much."

"I want amenity."

"There's no right answer."

"I want your answer."

She took in a breath. "Let's play a game; word associations. Everyone has to experience it once in their life time. It's simple. I say a word and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Got it?"

The redhead shrugged.

"Science."

"Power."

"Solace."

"Comfort."

Rye raised a brow. "Comfort in sorrow, misfortune, and distress?"

"You said the first thing that came to mind."

"Fine. Let's try something a little different. First, I'll ask you to picture a scene. For each question, you will select an option best suited to the word-picture you see."

Tala rolled his eyes.

"Just do it. You wanted my perspective and I'll give it to you once I know yours, alright?" The redhead closed his eyes. "Picture yourself in a forest. You don't need a great imagination. What did you see the second the word forest was mentioned? Is the forest dark or light?"

"I see myself at dusk…no wait, dawn."

"Do you see a path?"

"Yes."

Rye smiled at his answer but continued. "Now I ask you to walk through that forest. You see a cup. What does it look like? Valuable or of no value?"

"Valuable."

"What do you do with this cup?"

"I pick it up and take it with me…"

"You continue your walk through the forest, you see a bear. Describe it."

"Well, it's a real bear-"

"What's the bear doing?"

"It saw me but it's minding its own business…Ay, next."

"You need to continue moving. How do you get around this bear?"

"I ignore him, duh."

"You continue walking through this forest, you see water-"

"Okay Rye, now it's getting stupid. Just answer my question already."

The girl didn't expect to get too far with him. "Fine, do you want to know what I've concluded from your answers?"

"Humor me."

She began. "As cliché as it may sound, the forest represents your life and how you see it. It has been said the more light you see in the forest, the more content you are with your life."

Tala continued fiddling with the chain of his necklace.

"You selected a forest at dusk or dawn suggesting there are one or two things you would like to change in your life. If you had selected a forest in daylight, this would have suggested your genuine happiness with life, if you had selected a forest at night, it would have suggested the opposite."

She caught his attention.

"You said you saw a path in this forest; you're not yet settle in life as it is." She smiled. "Younger people usually see a path because it is symbolic to where they are heading. People still finding their way in life are most likely to see a path too. Those settled in their direction or place in life are less likely to see a path."

"You seem happy with my answer."

The girl chose to ignore that's statement.

"By now, you've probably figured out the cup represents your wealth and the bear the obstacles in your life. You saw a cup that was valuable to you in some way and took the chance to quickly reward yourself with easy picks and took it. The bear however, is indicative to how you deal with problems and how you choose to resolve them. You, on this hand, chose to walk away and ignore him."

Tala squeezed the ring in his palm before looking up. "And the water?"

"Well, you stopped there so all I can really tell you is that the water represents your sex life; how fast, how deep, and how easy to get across-"

Damn.

"Don't toy with me. You still haven't addressed the issue." He joined the girl against the bed frame, hoping his sudden contact with her would add to his intimidation.

"I think the real question you want me to answer is by what stands, by what values, would we decide whether one is good or bad, talented or untalented, successful or failure. How exactly do we know what we think is right…?"

Tala rested a hand on her knee and stared into those mahogany eyes.

"Exploration of the inner self, Tala. That is my answer to you. Human aspire can find the best, for the journey is everything and the end is not-"

He kissed her; his lips meeting her soft ones. Rye pulled away.

"Wha-?"

Gracing his hand by her face, his thumb traced the contours of her jaw. For the first time he noticed how different their skin tones were; both pale, his a lighter almost translucent tone while hers was powdery with glow…

His body weight pushed her onto the bed, his face inches away from her own, his breathe sending goosebumps throughout her body. He began kissing a trail towards her collarbone.

A tingly sensation washed through her before a face slammed into her mind. Dark hair, grey eyes, the man who inspired this whole mission in the first place…

Tala's hands urged her to respond.

Her slip: She submitted to the stimulus.


Gotta love psychology.

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