Hey Everyone!! :-)
Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)
Excerpt from the third Petri Dish book:
Chessie shrugged. “Well, hun, I don't agree with you. But we can argue about that until we both grow old and die. What’s not up for debate, though, is that what’s done is done, and now we need to figure out how to deal with the consequences. And you harping on the past and picking fights with Petri doesn’t help us do that, does it?”
“There is nothing to be done, now,” he sighed. “She has doomed us all with her reckless selfishness.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Chessie said, “That’s quite an attitude for someone who professes to have a duty to protect the innocent. You’ll die to save others, but you won’t fight for them?”
Daji sprung to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides, and towered over Chessie. “How dare you?”
She just cocked an eyebrow at his display. “I dare because it’s the truth. You need to stop bitching because life hasn’t granted you the set of circumstances you wanted, and start dealing with reality as it is. I don’t know what we’re going to end up facing when we get where we’re going, but I would rather go in knowing that you’ve got your head screwed on straight and aren’t still nursing old grudges. Especially, when what you’re angry about wasn’t even Petri’s fault.”
“And what is it you think I’m angry about?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“You’re mad because the Arcanum make you feel helpless,” she answered, patting him on the arm. “You’re not able to protect others, or even yourself, from them, and that’s not a feeling you’re used to. And you don’t trust the only person who might be able to protect us, which makes it worse.”
“I don’t trust her because she thinks only of herself.”
Chessie shook her head sadly. “That’s not true, hun, and I think you know it.” She shrugged. “Even if you don’t, you’re smart enough to know you’ll have an easier time convincing her to listen to you if you aren’t constantly insulting and belittling her. You’re only hurting your own cause by continually attacking her.”
The energy went out of Daji, and he seemed to collapse into himself as he dropped back into his chair. Closing his eyes, he sighed. “In that, you are correct. I will attempt to contain my anger and modify my approach. Perhaps some meditation will help center my psyche.”
“Alright, then, I’ll wish you luck. Because if you two can’t even have a civil conversation with each other, this is going to be a long trip. No matter how short it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment