Trouble in Paradise

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 24th December 2015
Series: The Unwanted Sister

Characters: Coran, Relea
Description: The two experience the inevitable lull of a married couple.
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 3, day 11 of Turn 8

Relea

"Tomorrow is a rest day." Relea signed to her husband as the two sat
across from each other in the dining hall. Often times they took meals in
their room, but Relea had been confined to her room since their return from
Emerald Falls and she just wanted to get out for a while. Even more so,
she wanted to do something with the healer across from her that was more
than just lounging around in their quarters. "Would you like to do
anything?"

Coran thought about it for a moment, but there wasn't really anything that
he wanted to do on his day off other than rest and relax. He shook his
head, "I don't think so. Was there something you were wanting to do?" He
asked, stabbing some leafy greens on the end of his fork.

"Something. It would be nice to do something together." Relea signed,
peering over at her husband. Over the course of the last few months,
things hadn't been exactly as they had once. Where Coran had been so warm
at one point, it had, somehow faded over recent months. More than ever,
Relea noticed it and she couldn't help but wonder if some more rumours had
begun to circulate to prompt the change. Perhaps some more meaningful
time, more than just doing their own individual projects in their quarters,
might help matters.

He wasn't sure what she wanted him to say. Was he suppose to create some
sort of activity for them to do? He worked a lot of hours in the infirmary,
relaxing in the comfort of his quarters sounded like a nice day to Coran.
On the other hand, he could understand why Relea would want to get out of
their quarters since she spent most of her time there.

"I'll do whatever you would like." he said.

"We could go on a picnic. Maybe a ride further out, get a little way from
the hold." They hadn't don a picnic in quite some time and it would be a
nice way to enjoy food together and yet still connect. "Or we could take a
walk along the stream."

"A picnic is fine." He signed back.

"You don't seem very enthusiastic." Relea didn't want 'fine', she wanted
something that he was interested in doing. At the moment, a picnic didn't
seem to interest him at all.

Coran looked at his wife for a moment. "I've just had a long day, that's
all."

"Are you sure?" Relea leaned back in her chair, food forgotten for the
moment. "Just a long day?"

"Are you trying to insinuate something?" he asked.

"You've just seemed a little distant over the last few months." Relea
admitted, her brow furrowing. "I can't help but wonder if I've done
something wrong."

Coran sighed and ran his hand over his face before looking back up at
Relea. "Of course you haven't done anything wrong. I'm just…. I just…" His
hands faltered as he brain searched for words to describe what he felt. The
trouble was, _he_ didn't know what he felt or why he couldn't summon the
excitement for things that he had once enjoyed. "I don't know, Relea, but
it's not you, I promise."

"I feel like there's a distance that's grown between us. When we were
courting, you actually wanted me around." Lately, Coran hadn't said that
he didn't want her around, but…. "You would seek out my company. We'd do
things together. You smiled more."

"I'll always want you around, Relea, nothing has changed." He sighed a
little, and shoved his food around on his plate. "I don't know what to tell
you."

"Is there something I can do to help?" Relea wished she could read his
mind, figure out what the problem was. "Is there something else that's
bothering you?"

Her barrage of questions made Coran feel frustrated. What part of 'I don't
know what to tell you' didn't she understand?

"Like I said, I_don't_know_. I just haven't felt enthusiastic about
anything lately."

"You don't know if something is bothering you?" Relea didn't quite
understand. He was acting like something was, but she wasn't sure if he
truly didn't know - an idea that seemed rather odd to her - or if he was
trying to spare her from something.

Coran gritted his teeth together. "I'm tired of being interrogated, Relea."

For a moment, Relea didn't sign anything. She stared at what little food
was left upon her plate and wondered what had caused the change in her
husband. She wondered, too, if he had tried to spare her from the truth
that she was the cause of it. Finally, her hands lifted and she 'spoke',
"You asked me to be more forthcoming and I have tried. I would hope you
would do the same with me." Before he could respond, she rose, then
quickly signed, "I'm tired. Going back to our quarters." Then turned to
walk away.

What part of what he had said had been unclear, Coran wondered. He couldn't
pinpoint any specific thing in his life, not a person or event, that caused
the indifference that he was feeling toward his life. Relea was clearly
bent on making whatever this was about her, and no matter what Coran said
he knew she wouldn't be convinced otherwise. Pushing away his plate, Coran
left the table in search of something a bit stronger to drink.

Last updated on the December 29th 2015

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Trouble in Paradise