Yardie (prime)/Painful Reconciliations
Nereid’s Cradle - Beachside
Been a while since I took a beating like that.
Yardie’s keen ears perked toward the hints of celebration off in the distance of the Canopied Walkway, entranced by the crashing crests of crackling water suddenly muffled by dampened sand. All other senses numbed in his hyperfixation, including the raw steak resting over the fresh knot on his swollen cheek. Good for him – every welt, cut, and bruise screamed at the Faendryl instead of each assailant.
Tabubu caught him with a clean shot. Technical, swift, a blur that took a moment to realize the impact.
Erienne had landed a shot of her own, an accusatory retaliation of brown sugar supposedly stolen from her cupboard. It had not been Yardie. He had a sugar assessor of his own.
But it was Lithyia that took the annual Festival of Remembrance and Reconciliation and celebrated it with the vigor of a thrashing that not only caught the Faendryl off guard, but kept giving, over and over. Had it not been for the gentle waters hissing into his eardrums, memory would have simulated the knuckles pounding into his flesh almost endlessly. She did cheat; yet today, that didn’t matter. He should have known better.
In combat, people learn about each other, their personalities etched with every movement, feint, shift of the hips, and strike. Emotion did not betray truth, as the Dhe’nar would say – it *revealed* truth. And there was a lot of truth in those strikes, a playful malice between friends, telling the story of grievances, annoyances, and welled-up slights perhaps etched into the brain but translated into punches on his frame.
It was better this way. Let it out. Take the thrashing. Learn from it. Move on. Peace through inebriated violence, putting aside differences for one night. No bandit killings. No philosophical debates. No conquests and corruptions. Just one day to live, not survive. One day to indulge in true freedom without grudges or retaliation. Yardie shifted under his supine position, and a jolt of pain elicited a groan.
It could have been worse. It could have been the beating the Gentleman Hoorne took. With his family sins catching up, Hoorne had far worse to answer for.
A jackal howled off in the distance, cutting through the ocean waves and the gentle breeze. In response, Yardie chuckled through gritted teeth. “Yeah. I bet you did,” he chided wearily.
My thanks go out to Erienne, Lithyia, and Tabubu for allowing the mention of their characters, and GM Kaonashi for putting together this wonderful Festival of Remembrance and Reconciliation.