They looked up at Zym's distressed squeak.
"Rayla, hey!", Callum said, smiling at her.
"Do I look like `RAYLA HEY` is a good way to hi me, you numpty?!", she screamed.
Callum threw a shell shocked glance at Honsa who merely nodded slowly, with a serious face. 'I saw this coming', she said without words.
"C'mon say it, oh wise ocean brat! `Keep the heid`! Say it! You want to, don't you!? `Oohh, no! This isn't what it looks like, Rayla! He's just ma patient!`"
"Rayla…", Callum started but Honsa placed a hand on his mouth.
The touch sent sparks flying in Rayla's mind, "Take your grabbers off him, bawface! Seriously, I'm standin' right here havin' a fit - an' your solution is gettin' more touchy?! Are you off your heid? And you!"
She turned to Callum, "We've gon' through so much over the past week! The past month! The past three months! This is the last thin' I would've expected! I kno' ya have a thin' for piglets, but seriously! This!? You're better than this! You could at least do better than this drookit excuse for an elf! How about Lessa, even! Callum, I thought I could trust you! I sat in there losin' my mind over you walkin' out while the decrepit hag who wants us both dead was gabbin' on!"
Rayla now took steps in their direction, letting Zym fall to the ground where he sat, dumbfounded at his survival.
"I almost died defendin' you! By a hair's breadth! That's a thin' I can't seem to be able to stop! I give people everythin' I have and then I end up kicked aside like a crabbit skulk! You started the Bloom with me, Callum! That meant a lot to me! How can you do this to me?! How!? Do I mean nothin' at all to you, after all?"
She was now standing next to Callum, who slowly rose to look her in the eyes. He noticed she was flushed, her eyes glistening. If she wasn't so aggressive, he would have offered her a hug. Her angry tears sprayed slightly as she continued her rage filled explosion.
"I can't believe you! You thought I was dead yesterday! I thought you were happy to see me! But no! Traitor! Cheater!"
His eyes jerked to look at something slightly above and to her right, his mouth opening with disbelief. She followed his worried gaze.
He was looking at the flat of her hand. She was wound up to slap him.
Rayla gaped at her hand. She had not meant to hit him, or even imply it.
Her anger demanded satisfaction, but this was not the way.
Honsa had also gotten up, a hand half extended to stop her.
Rayla started crying, disappointment with him and herself overwhelming her anger. She turned to walk off.
"Rayla?", Honsa's gentle voice rang out.
Rayla didn't even turn around to face her.
"Ma heid's mince!", she spat, walking, "But I am not hittin' anyone here. Have a nice life."
Callum went after her, eventually pulling her into a hug from behind. She shook him off.
"Wha'? I just said I don't wanna be around you anymore"
"Well that sucks, because I really want you around"
"Then you should've kept your hands off'a her."
Callum could now barely hold off his own anger, "We didn't do anything bad, Rayla, the water calms me do-"
"I don't care, okay?! You're bein' snuggly with her and it drives me crazy that you don't see anythin' wrong with that!"
"Because we're not and there isn't!", he exploded too, "You almost hit me there! What did you say this morning? The moment you hear the sound, it's over? You're so high and mighty, look at you! Always have to stomp off after getting your barb in! How dare anyone tell you something other than what you already `know`! Why are you so stubborn all the time?!"
She whirled around. "Stubborn!? More like hardened! That's what you need to survive when everyone you've ever loved ends up kickin' you in the mouth when the fancy strikes 'em!"
"You're stubborn! And unforgiving! But yes! Also hard! Remember how you didn't talk to me for a whole day just cause I said I didn't want to call you my `fiance` yet? I'm not even sure you completely accepted the explanation I gave you for that!"
"Yeah; I wonder why!? Could it be that I was almost cut to ribbons a half-hour after that lil' talk!?"
"You keep bringing that up as though it's an excuse for how awful you're being right now! Rayla, I killed someone! I threw lighting at her and I ended her life! I'm trying to live with that, right now! I can't just do nothing and wait for that feeling to eat me up! That's why I need Honsa!", he dissolved into sobs. "I killed her, Rayla. Why are you being like that?"
Rayla stared at him, nothing but blazing fury in her heart.
"You keep bringin' that up as though it's an excuse for how awful you're bein' right now."
She heard the words, spoken in her own, mocking tone, and hated herself. Regret washed over her.
There was so much pain in his eyes as he looked into hers, it wounded both of them.
Honsa walked up to them, putting an arm around each of them.
"Oh, you guys", she said sadly, "It's good to argue but you're getting destructive now."
Rayla stared daggers at her.
"He loves you. A lot.", Honsa said to her, "He can't stop talking about you. When you walked in on us there, he was going on and on about your rare cooking.", the ocean elf smirked tepidly, "I can't stand being the reason you two hurt each other. Look."
Rayla followed her gaze, looking at the young man she still adored. He stared back, his eyes seeming dimmer than they had been when she'd first shown up. This was her doing. Her stomach turned.
"I… I'm really sorry.", she whispered hoarsely.
"Me too", Callum said, tonelessly, "I should've told you exactly what we're doing. I… get how that must've looked."
"It looked like you were gonna kiss, is what", Rayla said, slightly angrier than she meant it to sound.
"Nope. Not a chance", Honsa said, "I told you. I'm not mean or crazy enough to go after him and he's too into you to even look at me with the same eyes. No act."
Rayla looked at her, her mien softening a little.
"You two are staring down the world. That's too much for anyone to do without losing their pearls a bit", Honsa pulled both of them into a hug, essentially smooshing them together, "You are adorable together, guys! Don't let the pressure rip you apart!"
The ocean elf let them go, starting to walk off around her tent. "I'll give you a moment.", she smirked over her shoulder mischievously, "If I hear any sort of loud noise that doesn't sound like you're having a good time, I will come back here and drown you both. Pau."
As soon as she had left their view, awkwardness flooded the air.
Callum growled, "What is wrong with you?"
Rayla was nothing but ashamed, now that her fury had subsided. "I'm sorry… I just…" She had problems explaining herself, but was interrupted by Honsa, coming back around the tent behind Callum. She was walking backwards, slowly, her hands raised. A pilum came into view in front of her.
"Oh. What an incredibly unforseen back-stabby surprise", Rayla said sarcastically.
The assassin apologetically kissed her boyfriend, who was thoroughly confused since he hadn't turned around just yet, then drew her blades. The templar threatening Honsa was now in plain sight.
"Hand Azymondias over peacefully", he said dangerously, "and you won't have to d-", his last word was swallowed by unexpected loss of consciousness and the grass on the ground as Rayla's knee barelled into his temple. His left boot went flying, describing a perfect back flip and landing gracefully on his butt.
"You were interruptin' somethin' important here, knucklehead."
Honsa blinked. " I don't ever wanna catch a crack like that one! Rayla, remind me to never get on your bad side!"
"Can't believe you haven't noticed, but you already are, ya neep!", the assassin barked, peering around the tent. She couldn't see the other templars, or anyone, for that matter.
Her head spun a little and she stood up straight for a moment to let it settle. There was no way she'd risk getting into a serious fight with this handicap.
"You stay here", she ordered them both, "I need to check this out.", softly she added, "Callum, I'm really sorry. We'll have a talk about it, later."
As Rayla was jogging toward Lessa's tent, she had to step over two unconscious Templars, one of which was Pert. She could hear fighting. Rounding the tent, she was reminded of Larwein. Lessa's milites were fighting the Templars, who had received reinforcements. They were losing fast. She looked around but could see neither Lessa nor the Interpreter in the chaos. Rayla could not fathom what exactly might have happened here.
She frowned. So much for 'Nothing', huh? Time to make that exit.
Following a rather childish impulse, she dipped into Lessa's tent to grab the snobby rations.
That much, at least, they were owed.
Running back to Honsa's tent with her and Callum's stuff, she noticed the four Perytons the original Templars had arrived on. She smirked tepidly.
Riding would be a nice change, at least.