Andia: The Revolution

[Eltee]

"Y'allself, y'all means. Y'all." Aarys said. "Some oatmeal would be great."

[King Acunasti]

"Stop!" Valentin hollared angrily, slamming his fist down on the table. This was somewhat common of Valentin. He often became frustrated with himself over his low intelligence level, leading him to become angry from time to time.

[Eltee]

Aarys was completely shocked. "I... I... Val, I'm sorry..."

[Leyyuce]

Peter paused near the large table, postponing his serving of the breakfast dish from its larger container into the provided bowls.

"Come on now, Valentin. We're only trying to keep morale a bit higher."

[Eltee]

"I, no, it's my fault." Aarys said, staring at her feet. "I shouldn't have... I'm sorry..."

[King Acunasti]

"I'm so f*cking stupid!" Valentin shouted, standing from the table and knocking one of the teacups onto the ground.

[Eltee]

"No, you're not! You are not! Stop saying that!" Aarys pleaded. She looked close to tears.

[King Acunasti]

"Forget this sh*t." Valentin mumbled, making his way towards the exit of the large tent. He pushed his way outside, frowning as a strong gust of cold wind rushed against his face. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking forward.

[Eltee]

"V-v... Val?" Aarys choked. She covered her face to cover her tears and ran back to her tent. She sat down, still fully clothed, and started crying, trying her hardest to be quiet.

[King Acunasti]

Valentin stormed towards one of the nearby fire pits where a few rebels were sitting and talking amongst themselves. He was mumbling to himself. "F*ckin'...not even...sh*t...coulda been smart..."

When he reached the bonfire, he kicked a small log directly into the flames, causing a burst of sparks to erupt. "THIS IS BULLSH*T!"

The other rebels backed away a bit, whispering to one another.

[Eltee]

Aarys cried for several minutes, her body shaking with stifled sobs. She finally calmed herself down a little bit, and took a few deep breaths.

[Leyyuce]

Spoiler:

What a splendid breakfast!

Following Valentin's departure, Peter had promptly given chase, only as Aarys had departed herself and he felt responsible, at least partially so, for causing his comrade's childish outburst. He caught up with the enraged, frustrated soldier near the fire pit.

"I hope you understand how ridiculously you're acting right now."

[King Acunasti]

"You know what?" Valentin replied to Peter. "F*ck you. You don't understand how frustrating this sh*t is to me! I can't f*cking think right! Okay? I try, and I try, and I try to be smarter. But my brain does not get it!"

He began pacing back and forth. "I made her cry." he said to himself, guilt consuming his eyes. "I made that innocent, beautiful woman cry. Son of a b*tch!"

[Leyyuce]

"You're still in a fury. You're only going to make things worse if you head back to her now," Peter stated bluntly- perhaps even coldly. His tone of voice, and his demeanor, were harsh.

"You should never direct your anger toward a woman. Direct it toward me. Let it out, Valentin. Blow up on me. Then return to Aarys." Peter was now aggravated himself, Valentin's brutish behavior triggering a substantial release of testosterone within his own body.

"Let it out, you stupid, unintelligent piece of s--t!" Peter shouted aggressively, wishing to provoke Valentin further despite the obvious consequences.

[King Acunasti]

Valentin's eyes were blazing. He grabbed Peter by the throat and raised his fist. But he caught himself almost immediately. "What the f*ck am I doing?" he said, letting go of Peter and pushing the man away. "No, no, I gotta talk to her."

He turned and began jogging towards his tent.

[Leyyuce]

Peter watched attentively as Valentin departed, adjusting his shirt's collar as to return it to its usual position before retrieving his previously-lit cigarette from its position in the freshly-fallen snow. He promptly returned the smoke to the ground, upon observing its shriveled appearance, and drew another from his current pack while eying the excited soldiers who had been observing the confrontation.

"Hoping to witness a fight, fellows?"

[King Acunasti]

Valentin poked his head into the tent and looked in Aarys' direction. "Rys?" he asked softly.

[Eltee]

Aarys jumped. "Val, I... I'm sorry..." She whispered, looking like she was on the verge of fresh tears.

[King Acunasti]

"No!" Valentin entered the tent and knelt down in front of Aarys. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for!"

[Eltee]

Aarys looked up at Valentin's face. Her lip was trembling. "You... I shouldn't have! It's not fair..." She whimpered.

[King Acunasti]

"Shh..." Valentin put a hand on Aarys' cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for acting like that. Don't cry, sweetheart. Please."

[Eltee]

Aarys took a few deep breaths. "Okay..." She whispered, pressing her forehead to Valentin's. "Okay."

[King Acunasti]

"I hate it when you cry." Valentin whispered. "I shouldn't have done that."

[Eltee]

"I... You just seemed so angry..." Aarys said. "I feel... Guilty. Because... You said you would never hurt me, and... In that moment; when you looked at me, I honestly doubted you. I'm sorry."

[King Acunasti]

"Oh, God," Valentin pressed his lips against Aarys'. "I would never hurt you. Never. It wouldn't even cross my mind. I wasn't angry, babe. I was frustrated with myself."