Victoriously Yours,

Liberally Illusionary

Throughout the night, things were tense. Too tense. River could feel the animosity coming off from his skin. It was like those deodorants that lasted too long.

They slept on their sides, no one daring to speak. She felt almost guilty but then shook it off. He did the same thing to her. This was the only right way to counteract.

She was so not sorry about what she did.

The bastard needed a taste of his own medicine and she had shoved it down his throat with the spoon itself.

In the morning, things began to look up. Well, just for her.

She kept her smirky face lit up whenever he walked by or when he spoke to other tribals and he happened to meet her gaze, her heart careened.

He was promising her one thing through those blackmailing eyes. Vindication at it's brightest and at it's pinnacle.

Surprisingly, she kept waiting for it but he never appeared. In fact, he didn't even talk to her. This went on and somehow the whole tribe understood the animus between them.

Yuri seemed to glow nowadays because he thought things were back to normal. His son was free from the witch's snare and Yisrael was back to the man he was.

River also noticed how his gold bands had come off. It was thought provoking that he only wore the bands when he was with her.

She had only seen them off twice. The first time she met him and now.

Did it signify something too? Just like her pearls did?

Tired of waiting for three whole days, her shields dropped and thinking, maybe she actually did win. Finally!

Yisrael is out!

Then her shoulder dropped. Yisrael out?

She had wanted to still continue to play this plucky game with him and she had hoped he would keep it going. Keep his furtive advances coming. Yet nothing.

Heated on the inside and having nothing else to do, she initiated a new bond with his little brother, Yori.

The small boy kept chatting away in his broken English and she helped him by supplying him the right words.

He caught on quick and asked her if she could teach him some more. She didn't mind. The little man was adorable and annoying but she could bear it.

They were sitting outside the cavern where he had brought her to bathe privately. The bats didn't scare her anymore and she felt the secluded nature of the place welcoming.

The village was too crowded and any movement of hers was caught by some Iborian and a look of judgement was passed at her.

Not that she cared but it just goes to show that even if they were some mysterious tribe that was hidden away, people will remain the same.

They are judgmental, uncaring and wasn't the one to open their arms and greet new comers  into the popular club.

Chris was having a blast with his on going lame ass project but lately, she had been noticing that he wandered off to isolated areas with his bag. She didn't know why that look a wee bit suspicious.

She didn't follow him because she thought it was probably to do more research and she wanted to keep some distance after she saw him coming out with ruffled clothes from some Iborian woman's tent.

So he had time to cavort with them but not her. She plainly ignored him throughout the day and it was easy because she realized he wasn't as enticing as she thought he would be.