Closed [The Great Harbor] Ships Passing {Orion}

[Hadyn Skellig]

57th Day of Winter
Midday
513 AV

It was snowing. Light airy snowflakes floated lazily from the grey sky, melting before the reached the ground. But it was a rare instance and one that either had folks staying inside or coming out to experience winter in Syliras. Hadyn was among the latter, brown boots accumulating moisture as she strolled along the dock. The hem of her grey dress was also water logged, dragging at her heels. The woman's hair was down in dark waves, pulled away from her face with narrow barrettes, the locks holding the tiny snowflakes like stars against the sky before they melted away. In her arms sat a blue eyed baby, bundled in a sage colored jacket over a green tunic. He was entirely enchanted by the falling snow. Both mother and child's cheeks and noses were rosy from the cold but each had a smile on their full lips.

Hadyn paused in her walk to gaze out onto the harbor. The grey haze settling on the water was thin, the day still fairly bright. The snow glided down, kissing nearest surface and quickly vanishing. Liam tried to capture one such flurry, his chubby hand closing around the target only to find it was gone when he unwound his fist. He looked to Hadyn with shocked expression which she mirrored before smiling. He too smiled and gurgled what must've been a laugh.

Readjusting the boy in her arms the woman returned her attention to the docks. She wasn't simply taking a leisurely walk. Her gaze was searching for a familiar form, done up in his Knightly regalia and making the rounds. She was fairly certain he said he'd be on patrol at the harbor at this particular bell. If she was mistaken it wouldn't ruin her day. But bringing Liam to see his father was a good excuse to get out of the apartment.

"You see him?" she asked the baby, juggling him to one arm so she could readjust the brown cap on his head. Placing a hand on his back she turned to the side, scanning landscape for Orion. Craning her head to look at the water the brunette sighed, closing her eyes and reveling in the quietude of this abnormally snowy day.

[Orion Michaels]

Here he was, playing knight again. The squire had been given more autonomy as he'd begun to embrace the tenets of the order. Honor, virtue, compassion, loyalty. While none of them were words that immediately came to mind when most thought of Orion, he'd at least begun to see the shadows of their values appearing in his lifestyle. Dinah had seen enough of him that she was comfortable sending him out on his own with the responsibility of protecting their homeland. She'd begun to drop hints that he was nearly ready for his quest, and that wasn't something he'd expected for some time.

The problem was, he didn't feel ready.

His patron had told him again and again that many knights in training felt the way he did. There was always more training to do, more questions to ask, and more to learn. Still, she had assured him that when it came time, when he was presented with his quest, he would be ready.

It was hard to believe.

Orion had been tasked with wandering the docks that day, making sure that no one disrupted the peace and that the fishermen and sailors were able to go about their business in peace. Conversely, he was there to make sure those same people didn't cause any problems for the dock workers or general populous. There wasn't often trouble, but when there was, it needed to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Many knights had a certain cold streak about them when it came to dispensing justice. That same distant attitude that had served him for many years would come in handy if he ever found his blade freed of it's sheathe.

Bitter winds cut across the docks, sending shivers down the squire's spine, as the cold plate armor only seemed even colder with the season's gift of cold. "Dinah's probably sitting by a fire," he muttered, continuing his third loop around the harbor. There hadn't been anything of note the first two times he'd been by, but when he glanced up from his self pity and wallowing he saw what was to him an unmistakable form.

Weary blue eyes lit up as he recognized Hadyn, assuming Liam to be the bundle in her arms. It took him a moment to really accept that it was them. As far as he'd known, Hadyn hadn't left the apartment since their son was born.

"Hadyn! Over here!" The squire raised his armored hand to wave at the brunette, a smile touching his lips as he did so. "Didn't expect to see you here! Do I have a little guest at work today?"

[Hadyn Skellig]

The stillness was broken as a voice rang out giving the woman cause to open her eyes while his words registered. Liam was also turning to find the origin of the sound. Both found Orion Michaels in his armored glory. Hadyn moved away from the water the cold breeze stinging her eyes as she joined the squire, sharing his grin as Liam's blank expression melted rapidly into a toothless smile when he recognized his father.

"Afternoon," she answered as they approached. The brunette came quite close to the blue eyed squire stopping near enough that he could touch his son if he desired. Tilting her head up to look at him Hadyn smiled. "I know. I managed to escape the apartment for a few bells. Liam and I were tired of seein' stone walls."

Warmth radiated from her body, his giving very little off. That armor probably didn't insulate very well. Taking a mitten-enclosed hand the woman readjusted the baby's cap on his head again as he looked between his parents. Although she knew practically nothing about infants it seemed Liam was exceptionally cheery and pleased with the world around him. He certainly did his fair share of wailing and had his grumpy moments but Hadyn was constantly astonished to see him so happy most of the time. Even now the boy appeared particularly happy to have both parents at his disposal, looking first at Orion and then to Hadyn with beaming blue eyes.

"Figured he ought to see the snow while it's here," she added, shifting the baby in her arms as he became fascinated with a lock of hair that'd slid over her shoulder. "I vaguely recall you sayin' you'd be making the rounds this bell so - hey, please don't eat that."

Brows furrowed as she reached with a free hand to extract the dark curl from the baby's fist. Extracting most of it the woman pulled her loose hair to the side and resumed trying to unwind the strands from his hand as it made its way to a toothless mouth. Pulling the mitten off with her teeth Hadyn managed to pry Liam's tiny fingers from the rest of the hair, glove in mouth as she gave the infant her fingers instead of hair. He didn't seemed displeased with the trade, immediately settling on gumming her pointer finger as she looked at Orion with a (mitten-obstructed) grin.

"Nanyfing he can get into hish mouf he eats," she explained with a one shouldered shrug.

[Orion Michaels]

Despite the biting cold, Orion couldn't deny that it was enjoyable to see the sky rather than be constantly cooped up within the stone coverings of Syliras. When he'd returned from his last patrol, the squire hadn't wanted to leave the confines of his dorm room for several days. Unforgiving cold and ceaseless snow had turned him off to the outdoors. It was a short lived distaste, however, as he gained a bit of an appreciation for Syna's rays. They were a beauty in her beams that the masses of Syliras were often denied.

"Can't blame you. A bit chilly, but it's good that he gets a taste for the outdoors young. Seems to be enjoying it well enough." He smiled down at his son, reaching to remove on of his armored gauntlets. With a hand exposed to the elements, Orion put his finger down by Liam's hand. He happy grasped his father's index finger while remaining fixated on his real target: Hadyn's hair. "Yeah. Sera Lorene has a tendency to put me on the best of shifts. I suppose I can't complain, since it's not a night patrol." Blue eyes scanned the docks, looking for any sign of trouble or something being awry. He could only hope that the calm remained. It was too cold for troublemakers, or so he hoped.

A soft chuckle escaped the squire's lips as Liam enjoyed a tasty bite of his mother's hair. It was quickly becoming an amusing scene. After Hadyn retrieved her hair and traded her finger, the child had control of one index finger from each his parents, and both of them had a glove or gauntlet that wasn't in its rightful place.

"We'll call it curiousity, huh?" He smiled, simply watching Liam go at Hadyn's finger. He seemed more than contented to chew the entire day if he were left to his own whims. "He's growing pretty well, it seems. Had him in to the Waters to have him checked out? How's he sleeping and eating?" He shook his head, retrieving his hand from Liam. The young boy simply took his hand and used it to make sure he had a good grasp on Hadyn's hand when he did so. No fussing from Liam was a welcome thing indeed, especially when compared to Emily.

"Sorry, I'm going all physician on you. Hard to break old habits." He nodded his head back down the docks. "If you're going to be in the area for a bit, would you and Liam care to join me on my patrol? See the exciting work that has me occupied for bell upon bell." He was going to be working for awhile yet. It would be nice to have some company, even if some of that company was a baby preoccupied with eating whatever he could get his little fingers around. "Hopefully things will remain calm and you won't actually have to see me work. Even with all us loud, armored people in this city, there are still fools who decide to create problems. Hard to believe sometimes."

[Hadyn Skellig]

Liam gummed his mother's finger thoughtfully, slight brow furrowed as he tightened his hold on Orion's digit. Blue eyes betrayed none of his thoughts but his visage remained decidedly pensive. He paused in his painless biting to look up at Hadyn, her finger sticking out of his mouth as if to check for approval. When she smiled at him the baby smiled as well, her appendage dropping from his lips as his mouth opened to emit a gurgle. The infant turned his attention to his father to determine if he too would smile. Despite being unaware of the situation the boy was mightily pleased to have both individuals so near.

"Aye," Hadyn replied once she removed the glove from her mouth. Wiping Liam's slobber from her skin the woman glanced up at the squire as he apologized. With a grin and a shrug she wriggled part of her hand into the glove before using her teeth to pull it into place. "It's alright. Never hurts to have a physician in the family."

Hadyn winked at him before following the direction of his nod. The snowfall seemed to have an effect on the city's crime though it wasn't likely to last. Hoisting the baby up in her arms to readjust her grasp the brown eyed weaponsmith canted her head as she scanned the docks. Perhaps Orion saw his work as tedious but he was fortunate to be outdoors for at least some of his profession. And on a day like this he could simply enjoy the time to himself. Well, not anymore.

"What do you think," she addressed Liam with a smile. "Want t'see what your father does to stay entirely Miza-less?" she flashed Orion a teasing grin before pulling the corner of the sage colored jacket over the infant's chest. "Don't worry. We'll protect him from fools who create problems, won't we Liam?"

Another sly grin to the blue eyed squire as the boy responded with halfhearted squeals, bounding in his mother's arms before pulling Orion's finger to his mouth. Hadyn chuckled as she raised a hand to unwind the man's digits from their son's grasp.

"Can't show escort us around if y'have him tethered to you," she reminded the boy before raising her gaze to Orion. "It's settled then. We're with you until he decides otherwise."