There must be better ways of parting...[Tags: Veyani!]

Hearing Veyani's footsteps become more distant as she headed toward the door, S'jiro pivoted half way around, watching her reach for the door. Already, he was feeling sick to his stomach. That sinking feeling in his chest had deepened and he knew it was because Veyani was about to do what he'd been trying to get her to do -walk out of his life.

All the same, for that reason, he shouted after her, "Easy? You think -" The Bronzerider growled under his breath then, deciding to stalk after her. Just before she opened the door, he caught her arm, pinning her with a glare.

"If you're going to start a whole new argument, then don't try walking away from it!" In truth, S'jiro wasn't sure if it was a totally different argument or not, but it sounded good, at least. Really, the Bronzerider just didn't want to see her go. Once she stepped through that door, she would be gone. He knew that he should have just let her go instead of intervening in any way, but he couldn't stop himself.

"I don't know which of us is more conceited, then! The one who can't ever make a right decision, or the one who presumes to tell everyone what they can and cannot do, based on the compass of her own heart! Who cares about the heart of others, huh? Who cares if they're just doing the best they can do? "

All of a sudden awkward with his words, S'jiro stuttered a moment, "Y-you know what!? Fine! If you want to go, get out of my weyr! I don't want you anymore! Just get out!"

Truthfully, he didn't know what else to say. There wasn't much else to say. He just felt the need to solidify that feeling between them both somehow -that he didn't want her. Even though they both knew it was a lie.

Why was he stopping her? She wondered, eyes working not to fill with tears. the longer he kept her here the more likely she would cry. Used to be she never cried but now she was at the Weyr and crying seemed inevitable. Or maybe that was only when S'jiro was involved? With his hand on her arm, she avoided his gaze because he would see that she was fighting back tears.

"Oh S'jiro, you, silly..." He shouldn't be touching her or keeping her there. He was angry with her now, yes but she was not to blame entirely for this moment. He was the one who had chosen to break things off with her. Once again she saw how he valued his own desires much more lowly than his family's. It was his life, he should have some say in it. She shook her head, "I know you are capable of better."

She glanced at him momentarily when he started to ell at her to go. If he saw tears then, it wasn't her intention because she just wanted to look at him one more time before the door was open and she was through it. Veyani wished so badly that he would let her stay with him and help him work through the things his parents had laid against him. There had to be another way, even if Indylari wanted the marriage but Veyani had never gotten the feeling from S'jiro that either of them were enthused about it.

Veyani wouldn't fight for something he didn't want. If he didn't want her then she would have to leave him alone. It was difficult, putting her hand on the door, she saw it trembling, unable to get a good hold at first. When she did and it opened, she took in a deep breath and looked straight ahead.

"As you wish."

He was making her cry. The thought of doing so created a new point of stabbing pain in his heart. And upon hearing Veyani's final words, he too, started to feel choked up.

That's right. He wanted this. He wanted her to leave. He needed her to leave him. Right? So, when he put her hand back to the door, S'jiro released her arm to put hands back in his pockets.

Angling himself away from her again, he tried to manage a few words with that same derisive tone as earlier. Only, It probably didn't come across that way. "Don't worry... you won't have to worry about me coming into your life again, either. I'll be too focused on other things to trample on you, anymore. But, I hope you've learned something from all of this, because if I'm not there to do it, someone else will try to, instead. So, just... don't let anybody do that. Okay?"

It was so difficult for S'jiro to let her go, but if he had to... he wanted to make sure that at least she wasn't gong to let anyone else hurt her. She'd been hurt enough by him, and this was the only way he could express that eternal concern for her her, without being too direct. After all, he'd just said terrible things to her, in order to get her to leave him and never want to think about him again.

But, as the Bronzerider was finding out, it was easier -much easier- to pretend to like somebody. Pretending not to like someone, was much harder.