Closed (Kova's Well) Welcome Home... (Fallon)

[Orion Michaels]

7th of Spring, 513 AV 22nd Bell The previous day had been an emotional one. An unexpected one. He’d gone to his suite in the Squire’s Dormitories expecting to meet strangers. New faces with whom he’d have to learn to live with, coexist with, and train with. He hadn’t expected to see her. The stones of Kova’s Well were cold against Orion’s back. A cool Spring breeze ran up his spine, causing a shiver to rush through is body, making his shadow dance in the dim light provided by various torches. Slowly, his hand slid along the ground, small chips of rock rough under his touch. With legs crossed, he waited for his longtime friend to show. “She will show, right?” Their encounter yesterday hadn’t been as positive as it rightly should have been. It should have been a happy occasion. They hadn’t seen each other in a year. They hadn’t seen each other since right after the Djed Storms. Not since she left during all the chaos, despite pleas for her to reconsider, for her to wait until they knew it was safe. Fallon didn’t listen to him, of course. So instead of embracing her return happily, he was distant. Instead of asking how she was, he was quiet. A joyous occasion was not so for him. As happy as he was to see her, he was still…well, he didn’t know what he was. He wrapped his cloak around him tight, another shiver hitting his body. “Come on, Fal…” Pushing himself to his feet, Orion turned and rested his palms on the rim of the well, staring down into the dark opening. What was he going to say? He’d asked her to meet him somewhere they could talk outside the prying ears of their new suitemates. There was no reason to for them to hear it, and to be honest, no one came to Kova’s well this late. Not anyone that would be any bother at least.

[Fallon]

Fallon made herself walk, despite the reluctance of her mind and feet. Yesterday had turned from the sound of isolation greeting her had turned into that of an open wound created from emotion and confusion. Time and time again she would curse herself, if not for the past mistakes, but for the notion of running away from it all. She denied her thoughts and feelings, and although she was polite enough, there was that air of coldness about her. She kept herself alert, and wary, for that was her way.

Why? Fear perhaps, of the things he knew about her, of what he could possible share and say to the others. Worry, because in the past the pair had shared had rested on a knife edge. Guilt, because she ran away and allowed herself to be controlled by her own emotions. And when she saw him once again, those emotions and memories flooded back. And then of course, there was this meeting in private that had been arranged out of the prying eyes of others, and the quiet whines or Orvin. She made sure the pup was fast asleep before she left, for having him there would no doubt prove as an unnecessary distraction this night.

Shyke, which way is it again? She turned on her heel as she dipped down a corridor, pulling her cape around her and tucking the Kukri out of sight beneath the folds. It was a habit she had gained from travelling; always keep something you could use close to hand. Even when in the safe cities like Syliras. With quiet steps she stepped out into the gloom, a shadow in the torchlight, before she dipped away again into darkness. Kova’s Well was before her now, his form hovering at its edge.
“Some believe it’s haunted,” she spoke out and came once more into the light, low steps marking her presence “What do you believe Orion?”

[Orion Michaels]

Soft footsteps betrayed her approach, the gentle padding on the ground alerting Orion of her presence. He kept staring down into the darkness, though a smile involuntarily spread across his lips. It was good to hear her voice. Despite all the emotion, despite all the confusion and anger that he’d held about the way she’d gone, to see her here and safe was a relief unlike any other. “I don’t know if it’s haunted,” he replied, turning his head slightly to glance at Fallon. “It does have a way of marking major events for us though, don’t you think?” This place was far from foreign to Orion. It was the last place he’d seen her just shy of a full four seasons ago. “Maybe if we just avoided it, we’d eliminate some drama from our lives, huh Fal?” They’d been tucked down underneath the castle during the storms, and though it was maybe a dozen days, it felt like an eternity. He had always wondered if something happened down there to make her leave. Last Spring, before she bolted from the walled city, he’d asked her what happened. He’d asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t answer him. “You . . . you look well.” Orion stood fully, rotating on his heels to look fully on the arriving woman. He leaned casually against the well, patting the stone ledge beside him to indicate he wished her to sit. “Come. Talk to me. It’s been too long.” He needed to be civil, right? He just needed to put all the shifting, fluctuating emotions off to the side. What the sense in snapping at her? He could feel the pressure building as he thought about it. Nothing good would come of talking about it. It wouldn’t resolve things, because she wouldn’t talk to him about whatever was wrong, he was sure of it. His face flushed slightly as the annoyance crept in. Fallon was his oldest friend, even if she left. Even if she was selfish. Even if she didn’t care what it did to him. She was one of the only people he legitimately cared about, after all. Why should it matter? It was all too much. A year’s worth of suppressed emotion was fighting to boil over, and more heat had been added to the fire yesterday. He hoped she had something to say that would make it okay. He turned away hoping the low light and cloak hid his expression. It’s not like it would help things if she knew how upset he was. Though she likely knew as much without having to see him.

[Fallon]

For a moment Fallon paused, contemplating the words of Orion, a moment of hesitation gripping onto her. It stopped her from going forward. It was hard to face him, even after all the time they had been apart, it was still a difficult task. But one that she could not run away from. Not this time. She inhaled, taking in the bitter air as she listened. Always listening, always watching.
“I suppose it does have that effect for us,” her lip curled “But if it was not for that we would not be who we are today. Or are you going to correct me?”
Cool, crisp and straight to the point. She took careful steps through the dark, her eyes only focused intently on him now, his shadow not escaping her gaze. But the air itself had turned tense, suffocating the mind with emotion as the pair carefully treaded around questions and answers. She obeyed his words. It was after all the least she could do.
“I’ve been better,” she gave a laugh, but it was bitter sweet “You’ll be pleased to know the wild lands are as ruthless as ever. What about you, you been keeping well?”

Fallon carefully perched herself on the ledge, swallowing her worries as she did. It would be fine, nothing would happen. Yet guilt still rung true in her mind, a piercing ring that would not vanish until the slate was wiped clean. But where could she begin, where could she start? She watched him turn his head way, and once more hesitation rose and took hold. A cruel state that gripped around her emotions and her voice. She reached a hand out to him for a moment, an attempt to break the state of mind that once more had caught her. Her hand hovered there, barely touching his cloak before snapping away and returning to her lap.
I… I can’t. Not with this barrier between us.

She swallowed and looked down at her gloved hands, lacing her fingers together and focusing on the folds. The first step was breaking the tension, the second was explaining herself, and the third was accepting the reaction of Orion. After all, whilst she was free to choose her actions and follow the path she had set before her, she could never escape the consequences of her choices.
She spoke with a murmur, surrendering her mind in an attempt to let the words flow forth, “I’m sorry. For running away.” She raised her hands to her face and cupped it “I shouldn’t have run away. I know I shouldn’t have,” It hurt to try and explain herself, to let out what she had managed to bury without it over taking her “I was scared, and confused and…” she shook her head, finding herself unable to bring out anything else to say.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion She knew just how to pick him apart. Her words rang true, he was ready to correct her for what she'd done and the choices she'd made. He'd be nothing but a hypocrite for doing so, for who hadn't done things they had ended up regretting? "We are who we are, Fal. I'll bite my tongue this time. I'm not here to..." He trailed off, waiting as she took a seat beside him. The tension was quite frustrating, and he wanted nothing more than to dispel it. The only problem was figuring out how. "I imagine they are. Probably even worse than last time we went out." He joined her in strained laughter, shrugging as she asked her own question. "Well...I'm a squire now, just as you. I don't know if that's well or not." An awkward silence fell over the two old friends as they sat in each others presence. Both of them wanted to speak, but it seemed neither could truly find the words to begin. As his frustrations mounted, she finally spoke of being sorry, of her fears and confusion. "And selfish," he said cooly, standing up straight and taking a few steps from the well. "I'm trying not to to snap at you. I'm trying to be happy that you're here." He turned to look back at his pale skinned friend. "I am happy that you're here. But gods, Fallon! A year hearing nothing? You just leaving like that!? I've got all the faith in this whole petching planet that you'll take care of yourself, but it was after those awful Djed Storms!" He clenched his fists, his voice fluctuating with volume as he tried, and failed, to keep his emotion in check. He didn't want to yell at her, but he wasn't exactly a master of expressing his feelings. There was usually only one thing he wanted if he was talking to a woman outside of work, after all. "Fal..." He took a deep breath, wiping tears of frustration from his eyes before they could fall. "I'm...er....I didn't mean to yell..it's just..." He lost his words, finding himself looking down at the ground. Did they just need to yell it out? Hug it out? Forget about it? "Just forget about it," he said, trying to dismiss it, despite knowing that wouldn't resolve anything. "What good will it do? You're here. I should just be happy."

[Fallon]

She knew it was coming before he even began. She flinched at his words, her mind absorbing them. An emotional subject for an emotional pair. Even if Fallon often appeared calm faced and level headed, the situation broke down those barriers and left her as little more than a hopeless creature. His voiced rose whilst hers remained silent, she let him shout. The air needed to be cleared before they could continue after all. She did not remove her hands from her face, she was too busy using them to hide her expression. The only real response she could give was her shaking her head, not in denial but in a simple acceptance of his words.

I never wanted to leave like that. I never want to do it again. Never. But you’ll never believe that now, will you? she sucked in the air and removed her hands, her eyes clenched shut as she blocked out the world. She let it disappear behind her eyelids, with only the sounds showing that she was awake.
“You know I won’t forget,” she croaked as she dipped her head down “And you know that my words will never be enough.”
She cracked her eyes open and looked upon him, her expression changed from calm to pain. She accepted his words, they were true after all, but to simply discard it after it being spoken was cruel, “Yeah, happy. If you have something to say, say it.”

She pushed herself off the well at that point, but instead of stepping after him she stepped away. She forced that distance between them once more, a feeble attempt to protect herself from another onslaught of words. It was never a game she liked playing with people, but it was necessary evil. To her at least. She always had difficulty deciding with him. She turned her back to him her features once more masked in darkness, her shadow flickering in the light. She could not face him, not like this.

“I know that I’m selfish. You don’t need to tell me that. I also know that I’m cold and secretive,” she shoved her hands into her pockets “And I know it was stupid of me to,” She was too knotted up with the events in the last few days, but she pushed herself on regardless “I shouldn’t have done it. I should have stayed like I said I would, like I promised I would. Shyke, I petched up big time.” Shadows hid a multitude of sins, it hid her face, her expression, the tears that had begun to form themselves in her eyes. Yet now was not the time to crumble nor to run away, not when there was so much laid out before her. Not when it rested within her grasp. She cursed under her breath “Should of never come back.”

[Orion Michaels]

It wasn’t the first time he’d said too much, and it wouldn’t be the last time. Guilt washed over him as she remained silent in the wake of his verbal assault. She was taking it, like she deserved each and every word he said. He didn’t know how to verbalize it to her. He wasn’t mad that she’d left. The woman had every right to make her own decisions. It was how she’d left that was the cause of this discord. She’d rushed off into a world warped by magic, despite his protests. What was so horrible that she had to go? She hadn’t told him then, and by her reaction to his yelling, he didn’t have any expectations of finding out now. He turned to face her when she told him to say what he needed to say, only to be greeted by her turning away. “I…” Again his words would fail him. What more was there to say? It was a curse that tormented both of them. A shared history of ups and downs with an imperfect duo at dealing with them. “I can’t,” he began again, taking a step towards her, shaking his head, exhaling forcefully before continuing on. “I can’t believe how much I botched your welcome home. Shoot back! Call me selfish! Do something! Anything.” His words came through gritted teeth, the pot finally boiling over. “Damn it, Fallon! I was worried out of my mind.” A few more strides and he was upon her, wrapping his arms around her lithe frame, pulling her to him in heartfelt embrace. “Look at the pot calling the kettle black,” he joked, raw emotion defeating his weak attempt to restrain the flow of tears. Slowly, the salty droplets fell from his face, dotting her shoulders with the relief he felt. “I’m the selfish one. You of all people should know how hard it for me to care about anyone but me. I’m so glad you’re safe. I want to forget everything else I said there because none of it matters. Try and forgive the old man here, huh?”

[Fallon]

“Scream? Shout? Anything?” her voice rose slightly as she struggled to push down her own emotions “What good would that achiev-“
The warm embrace made her stop, her world for a moment trembling as an old friend grasped her so tightly. He was defeated, his words confirmed that. There now was no need to remain so cold in his eyes, for here was a man who had surrendered and sought her own wrath and words. She blinked away her tears, her lips pursing shut as she inhaled deeply. She wanted to tell him everything would be alright, that there was nothing else to fear. There was no need for that however.

“Old?Old?” there was a moment of laughter on her lips “I can assure you Orion that you are far from old.”
A hand at this point reached for his arm and squeezed it, a sign of reassurance that all was well and all was forgiven. Words were not necessary right now, for even the simplest actions communicated more than she could ever say. She let him hold her, her arms snaking around his. Too long she had been deprived of this feeling of want and emotion. Too long had she craved it. Too long did she think that it would be never experienced again. She shifted in his arms, turning so she faced him, before returning to that embrace and the safety that existed there. She held onto him, clinging to his form just as she had clung to him so many times before in their past.

“I missed you,” she gave a mumble as she curled herself up in his arms, “I really did.”
She titled her head up to look at him, her lips curling into a weak smile, a hand reaching up to stroke at his face. She felt those features, those tears that had formed and run free. She gave a choke, a moment to compose herself before continuing “I promise this time I won’t run away. I won’t run away ever again. I won’t leave you like I did before.”

[Orion Michaels]

”Oh come on. I’m wasting away to dust compared to you and your baby face.” He chuckled, relief washing over his features, a calmness he hadn’t felt in many seasons coming to pass. The woman knew more about him than any other person, held his secrets, held the things he’d opened up to. He was greedy, self-centered, and hadn’t figured out quite how to cope with his support leaving again. While he was some twenty-four seasons her senior, age had never seemed to matter in their interactions. “Looking beautiful, as always,” he teased as she turned to face him, long, lanky arms wrapped around her upper back. “Tell me, what’s your secret?” His eyes closed as her hand gently brushed his face, as though they were slowly rediscovering each blemish and wrinkle on the blue eyed man’s face. There was nothing impure about this scene. In fact, it was probably the most sincere thing anyone would see Orion doing. He legitimately cared for her. His heart felt lifted, his soul a little brighter, their reunion, their real reunion occurring finally. Yesterday may as well have not existed, and if they could have met before hand, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad. He couldn’t even focus on his new living companions. It was passed now, finally. “I missed you, too. No one was around to keep me on the straight and narrow,” he said, turning his head to look down, a gentle smile growing on his lips. “Welcome home, Fallon Skylar.” She didn’t have much choice but to stay true to those words, at least for the time being. She was a squire just as he. “I was surprised to see you yesterday. Though seeing me in the Squire’s Dormitories was probably as much of a shock.” He loosened his embrace, reaching a hand to softly wipe away any tear that tried sullying her cheek. A deep sigh escaped from him, as he wiped his sleeve across his face. “I want to ask you a million questions, but I don’t know where to start. Are you okay? Did anything crazy happen? What made you come back? And be a squire?” He shook his head, not from annoyance or disagreement, but from the sheer volume of what had occurred. She’d run from Syliras almost exactly one year prior. She returned suddenly, and Orion unexpectedly stumbled back into her life. What if they hadn’t been suitemates? Would they have even come across one another? Living side by side but unaware of their proximity. “Oh Fal, I couldn’t stop you from going if you wanted to. It never makes it easier, though.” He brushed her hair aside gently before releasing her entirely. A few slow steps later he was resting his hands on the stone well again, looking down into the dark void. “I told myself you were okay, but my mind was screaming that you’d died. My heart wouldn’t give in, but….” He turned to look at her again, tired eyes scanning her countenance for reaction. “No, Orion,” he said quickly, reprimanding himself. “It’s a happy occasion. My mind, it’s just everywhere.”

[Fallon]

“My secret?” there was a moment of laughter on her lips “There is none. Unless you wish to call it luck.”
She felt his gentle touch, the reassurance that the air had cleared and that both of them could now truly be themselves. Even if it was only for a little while, in their moment of isolation from the prying eyes of the world. It was the Orion that was hidden from the world, the side that was rarely scene, and it was this side that she wanted to nurture.
“I believe calling it a surprise is an understatement,” she spoke calmly for a moment, her eyes meeting his.
She gave a gentle squeeze to his hand before he pulled away, letting him escape to regain his thoughts. There were indeed numerous questions to be asked, and he took no hesitation in asking them. She took quiet steps after him, her hand reaching out to touch him once more, a habit she performed when ever close to someone she held dear. Touching, feeling, understanding, it was her way of showing she was near and there for them. Even if she did run away all that time ago to come stumbling back into his life, the meaning was still there.

She listened to his questions, the distance closing as she placed a hand upon his back, before her fingers traced along and down to his hand. She stood next to him, staring down into the dark empty space below.
“Hush,” she placed a finger with her other hand on his lips “I am here now. I am here alive and well. With no strange adventures or cases of crazies. Though… you may deem me insane for becoming a squire.”
She gave a smile, and knotted in her fingers with his, an almost conformation of her words. She really was not going anywhere, and if anything becoming a squire succeeded in trapping her in Syliras. If it could be called a trap.
“I could ask the same about you,” she turned her gaze down into the darkness of the well “From a doctor to a squire. It is a big change. Makes me wonder on how you’re going to cope,” for a moment she paused before a smirk plastered itself across her face “Particularly as you can’t have any bed warmers come visit you in the dormitories.”

She indeed held his secrets, and knowledge on his habits, which was no doubt why she had managed to eluded most of his more intimate advances. And in return she was left with this pure intent man. But just as she knew about him, he knew about her. He knew of her secretive nature, of those deep set fears that she buried so deep, of her more unique abilities. Yet, just as she kept her knowledge about him quiet, so did he. Or at least as far as she knew. It had been a year after all, and many things change in a year. Fallon inhaled, her head tilting to him for a moment, her features glinting in the torchlight.
“Ask and I will answer. But only if you answer mine” there was an element of playfulness in the manner in which she spoke “A question for a question. An answer for an answer. Sound fair?”
It has indeed, been too long.