Closed [Sunset Orphanage] Following Rumors {Orion}

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A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

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[Sunset Orphanage] Following Rumors {Orion}

Postby Hadyn Skellig on March 15th, 2019, 2:48 am

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15th of Spring
519 AV
10th Bell


Sunberth.

There was never such a place Hadyn was loathe to inhabit as this. The very thought made her stomach queasy and mouth dry for a drink. Yet here she was. Again. Though her reason now seemed even more inane than the last time she visited this shithole years ago.

Pursing her lips as she languished uneasily before the entrance of the orphanage the weaponsmith debated turning tail. No one knew she was there and she certainly could be on her way without much trouble. It really was ridiculous, this notion she'd find him - let alone in one piece.

No. She was here and not for the sightseeing. She had a purpose and would see it through, regardless the outcome. If he was gone then she would know and put any hope of his return to rest - for her and the children. And if he was alive - as her source indicated with only the minimalist of confidence - then she'd cross that bridge. Brushing invisible specks of dust from the thigh of her britches the woman released a light sigh. Get it over with.

Making quick work of the steps to the door of the imposing building before she could regret the decision Hadyn entered the orphanage. The courtyard had been empty given the chilly spring weather but within the walls the place was a small bustling city it seemed. Children passed by, offering the occasional glance in hopes of recognizing her. When it was apparent she was just another stranger they continued on, seemingly attending to chores. Hadyn gave pause in the atrium, doubting her intentions once again. Her bootclad feet nearly back pedaled her to the door but she remained rooted.

Either he's here or he isn't, she reasoned internally. Though she'd considered the two outcomes she hadn't given thought to what she'd do if he was there. Pat him on the back and be on her way? Slap him for the lack of communication to the children and storm out? Neither seemed appropriate given the time it took to travel here, much less the promise she left Emily and Liam with when she departed them in Zeltiva...



"What if he's not there?" Emily murmured, holding her lambskin doll by its tattered arm. Her blonde hair had been plaited in twin braids and she looked entirely adorable, the new dress Hadyn's sister-in-law gave her highlighting her sky blue eyes. It was far nicer than anything Hadyn would've purchased for her.

"Then at least we'll have an answer," Hadyn answered, though she knew it wasn't the most committed response. Or hopeful.

"Will Dada come home?" Liam asked casually, looking up from his new toys on the floor. The three of them sat together in the small room the children would share while they stayed in Ioan's residence. Zeltiva was foreign to all of them but Hadyn's brother and sister-in-law made them wholly welcome with gifts, food and much doting. Emily remained skeptical of their new lodgings but Liam was positively joyful since they'd arrived.

"I don't know."

"If he was there he would write," Emily reasoned dryly, this time marking Hadyn with her piercing gaze. The weaponsmith nodded in agreement, following it with a shrug. It didn't make much sense, this plan. Ioan had done his best to dissuade her from the long trip to Sunberth, especially with the limited information. But Hadyn needed answers - if only for Emily and Liam. And she definitely didn't want to examine her feelings on Orion beyond what was necessary for the children for them to either reunite with him or move on in the case of his passing.



"Miss?" Hadyn blinked as a young man of about fifteen stared curiously at her. Realizing she had been lost in her thoughts she offered a half smile to youth.

"I'm sorry," she began, knocking the dark braid off her shoulder. "I'm lookin' for the doctor. Is he about?"

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Hadyn Skellig
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[Sunset Orphanage] Following Rumors {Orion}

Postby Orion Michaels on March 19th, 2019, 11:30 pm

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A sudden knock on the door frame roused Orion from his daze.

"Tell me, Orion, why are you here?"

The question from Jillene had caught him off guard - out of the blue and a not so easy to answer inquiry. Ticks went by as he fumbled to reply, only managing to reply with the very question she asked.

"Why am I here?" Orion repeated the phrase a few times in his mind, chewing over the words. No answer he would give would please the caretaker, but it never stopped her from digging. "I've already answered that," he said, pointedly.

"You've certainly given an answer, doctor, but you've never answered. I think it's something you ought to think on. You say you're searching for someone, but I hardly see you leave that office." She was leaning against the doorway off the small medical room, arms crossed, face stern. Orion had seen her use that expression with the children more times than he could be bothered to remember, but only occasionally had she turned it on him.

"There's work to do," he replied, his head tilted down slightly, challenge in his tone. "I keep my part of the bargain, what's the problem?" He had to work and not bring trouble to the orphanage, that was the entirety of their employment agreement, and he'd more than done his part. He bore several new scars as testament to that.

"Oh, no problem, Orion. Not for me. But for you, I wonder." She paused for a moment. "You don't seem unhappy here, Orion, but you don't seem happy, either." She let her eyes fall on his, speaking her message clearer in a stare than a word ever could.

Then, as abruptly as the Isur woman had arrived, she turned and left the doctor to his thoughts.



Orion hadn't moved from his spot in several bells since Jillene had stopped by, lost in an endless replay of their short conversation.

Not happy, not unhappy.

Three years.

Not happy, not unhappy.

Three long, fruitless years. He'd tried to find something, anything, about the priestess of Kryus whom Yahal had tasked him to destroy. To find anything about how Lyla had become such a...monster. But everything had been met with nothing.

Not happy, not unhappy.

His thoughts had drifted less and less to his family, the ones that he'd uprooted but quickly said goodbye to. Emily was around ten now. And Liam, he was surely walking and talking. Hadyn, he couldn't imagine she'd ever forgive him. He was supposed to send word when he was done...

Not happy, not unhappy.

It was so hard to keep track of time. Orion placed his elbows on the desk and rested his head on his hands. Jillene had him figured out - she was good at reading people, and she'd had several years to sort him. Happy, unhappy. None of that meant anything to him. He wasn't sure how to feel any of it anymore.

In that moment, he was nothing.



The teenager nodded at Hadyn, "Yeah, he's in back in The Closet, lemme go get him." Without another word he left her standing at the entrance.


"Doc, there's a woman here to see you," said the teen, barging into the office uninvited. "At the front."

A woman? Who could that be?

"Trint, are you hurt?"

"No, doc."

"Get out," he said, pointing at the door. "Thanks for the message."

Orion gave it a few moment before he stood and made his way out of office, locking it behind him. The doctor wore a puzzled expression - women coming to find him had been nothing but bad news his entire life, but there was no reason for anyone to seek him out in Sunberth.

An unexpected sight awaited him as he stepped into view of the entrance.

Orion froze, met by the last person he'd expected to see.

"Hadyn," he stated, involuntarily.

She wasn't supposed to be here. No, she was supposed to be back in Syliras with the children, but they weren't with her, either.

Uncertainty planted him in place, as it always did, and the distance between him and Hadyn may as well have been a canyon.

Tired eyes settled on her.

"What are you doing here?"



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[Sunset Orphanage] Following Rumors {Orion}

Postby Hadyn Skellig on March 27th, 2019, 11:16 pm

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Pursing her lips the weaponsmith clasped her hands in front of her as she waited. Waited for someone who might not be there. Waited for and with uncertainty. A twinge of regret settled in her stomach as she watched the young man disappear to find the doctor. She was going to look like a right idiot if the doctor wasn't Orion.

No, Hadyn's brow furrowed in reproachment. Even if it wasn't the doctor she sought she might at least be able to put the pieces together and find out if Orion was even alive. He'd been at the orphanage - that she knew for certain. It was the best place to start. The constant need to reassure herself was a bad sign.

A familiar, if not exhausted, voice brought her from a depressing inner monologue. Brown eyes settled on a somewhat haggard (though not the worst she'd seen him) Orion Michaels. She was prepared to offer a relieved smile but his followup question had it fading before it materialized. An eyebrow piqued over an unimpressed gaze.

"That's funny. I could ask you the same thing," the brunette replied mildly. A great start to an already awkward reunion. Remembering their location the weaponsmith's expression softened a fraction as she looked him over. "I'm pleased to see you're still kickin'. I was hoping for the opportunity to beat you stupid myself."

Her tone wasn't all together menacing but Orion knew her nature. He would no doubt pick up the incredulity she was laying down, though dipped in a heavy dose of sarcasm. Unclasping her hands she instinctively placed one on her hip, the other falling to her side as she met his gaze, challenging him to question her appearance at the orphanage further.

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