A Familiar Shade of Blue (Orion Michaels)

[Edreina]

33rd of Summer, 513 AV 2nd Bell The corridor was eerily quiet save for the gentle padding of Edreina's leather soles. After a long night of work, her red hair hung limp in its braid, corset strings had loosened through the night, and her clothes were generally disheveled. Not at all the same woman that had gone into work hours earlier.The near silence was disconcerting to the foreign red head. She had never heard the city become truly silent. Even now, if she listened hard enough, echoes could be heard from far off. But even they were fewer in number than most nights. It made Edreina feel nervous, antsy to get back to her ship. Glancing about, she picked up her weary pace ever so slightly. Just enough for her to feel a bit more safe as she moved closer and closer to the docks. She silently wished that she had brought Navis along with her today but he had been under the weather, having eaten something wrong the night before. His minuscule weight and warmth at her side was missed acutely. She was so hurried, so focused on what may be behind her, that she did not see the figure step in front of her from a side passageway. The two figures collided with a thud that was almost thunderous in the dead corridor. Edreina was lifted from her feet and tossed onto her rear end with a near-bounce that jarred her spine and clicked her teeth together. The rapid change in direction was the final straw for her yellow bandanna. It landed feet away, between herself and the stranger. "Dammit," she muttered, shaking her head and turning onto her knees to reach for the little strip of brightness in the rather dim setting. After capturing it in her slender fingers, she dusted it off and looked up to the stranger, an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm so-," For one of many times in her life, Edreina was struck dumb. Struck dumb by an ever so familiar shade of crystalline blue.

[Orion Michaels]

Another day, but not a miza to be earned. Gods it was depressing to watch his funds dwindle day after day. Every time he went out for a drink, every time he wanted to have a little fun, every coin disappeared and there was nothing coming in to replenish it. How depressing. Those twenty miza bottles of wine at the White Swan were absolutely delicious, but if he had them too often, well, that was that.

Worst off was when he had a bit too much to drink and afterwards realized he was doing a late night patrol down at the gods forsaken, petching stupid ass docks.

Not that something like that would ever happen.

There was no way that's what was going on tonight.

A somewhat grumpy Orion made his way slowly around the docks, his full plate clanking, clashing in battle with the serene sound of the salty waves. He rarely spent time down in this part of the city unless forced to by patrols. He was no sailor, there was nothing here for him. Dinah insisted he be the squire to patrol it solo, of course. Orion assumed the woman had heard him muttering about it, and being the sweet and kind woman she was, volunteered the former doctor for the best shift of the day. She really knew how to endear herself to him, didn't she.

Continuing to mutter, Orion wasn't paying nearly as much attention as he should have as he made his way through a corridor just off the docks. There were sometimes drunks passed out there; that would be easy enough to deal with. What he didn't expect was someone to come running into him as he rounded the corner.

The civilian went tumbling to the ground. A drunk? A thief? Or just someone in a hurry? Regardless, he reached down to help the stranger up.

Then he froze as his eyes met a familiar ocean blue gaze.

"..Edreina?"

[Edreina]

OOCWow... It's odd to see how much my writing style has changed, at least to me, since I made the first post. XD "...Edreina?" The woman addressed stood slowly, head cocked to the side. The blue eyes were familiar, as was the bone structure, but the man standing before her was barely more than a wisp of a memory, a whisper in the dark of her mind. The armor marked him as a knight, or perhaps a squire... had she ever had an encounter with a knight in her other trips to Syliras? No, but she had once lost at a footrace to a cook. Recognition sparked within the depths of her glittering eyes. "Orion... Orion Michaels?" Even as the words left her lips she knew them to be true. The cook she had encountered one night at the Stallion, he was a knight now? How on Semele's great earth had that happened? A lot could certainly change in a few years, it seemed. Edreina's exuberance was not, however, among them. With a cry of surprise and joy, she hurled herself at the metal-clad man and hugged him firmly about the neck. An instant after the embrace was initiated, it ended as the redhead's curiosity won out. "How on earth did you join the knights? My how you've changed since we last met! How have you been? When did you stop working at the Stallion? Wow, I really just cannot believe my luck running into you! Well, literally! And well I guess it's not too much of a shock seeing as you live here. But still! Wow! It's been quite awhile!" Eventually, she quite literally slapped a mental hand over her mouth, forcing herself to pause for breath. The grin lighting her face was oddly young for the adult face it perched upon, giving her the appearance of a child who had dug under their bed and found a long forgotten toy. Despite her mental muzzle, the Svefra still bounced up and down in place, earlier fears banished from her thoughts as she attempted to rein in her questions.

[Orion Michaels]

He’d not thought about this woman in ages. He’d never expected to see her again, after all. Fiery red hair, endless blue eyes, and those freckles that drive him insane the first time they’d met. Edreina Whitewave, Svefra. He’d spent some time with her a handful of Summers back, out on the ocean. He’d learned quite about the ocean and the curves of her body in that time. In the end, she was Svefra and he a lowly cook. Her home was the sea, and his was most certainly not. Parting ways was unavoidable, but it didn’t make it any less bitter.

To see her again was as refreshing as the sea breeze hitting his face.

Then came her onslaught of questions and speech. Anyone who knew him prior to his joining the knighthood would have been just as surprised. Not many of the, however, would have reacted in the way she had. The energy poured out of her as she spoke with nary a breath until realization came across her face and she forced herself to get her speech under control. Grinning, Orion wrapped his arms around her and lifted, spinning around in a circle with the Svefra woman. It was good to see a familiar face. Better yet, a woman from his past that didn’t hate him. ”Good to see you to,” he deadpanned before setting her down and releasing her from his grasp.

Where to even start? He’d been through some crazy things that led to the position he was in now. ”Ina, I don’t even know what I could say,” he said, chuckling. ”I dropped the cook thing after the Djed Storms and started working as a physician. That led to me being recruited by the knights, and now here I am, running around in the middle of the night looking for nere’do wells. That means rowdy drunks as far as I’m concerned.”

It must have been shocking to see him like this. From flirty cook to . . . well, flirty squire. Maybe not that much had changed after all. ”How have you been? Where have you been? Are you busy, I’ve got a patrol to finish up if you’re not busy and would like to accompany me? Maybe you’ll get to see me in action.” He looked down the cooridor she’d come down before turning to head back the way he’d come. ”Not that you haven’t already,” he added with a sly grin.

[Edreina]

”How have you been? Where have you been? Are you busy, I’ve got a patrol to finish up if you’re not busy and would like to accompany me? Maybe you’ll get to see me in action. Not that you haven’t already,” A faint pink blush danced over the redhead's freckled cheeks, making her grin appear even brighter in the dark corridor. "I actually just got off work. I'm sure I could spare a bell or two to catch up with an old... friend..." Oh, how such a simple word could carry so many secrets, so much shared pleasure and so many shared laughs in equal measure. In his presence, her body automatically transformed from the haggard bar-maiden to the playful, teasing Svefra he knew well. Full lips remained eternally quirked in the ghost of a smile, greenish blue eyes with silver flecks danced with excitement. If he chose to continue his patrol, she would follow him, padding along at his side with her fingers laced behind her back. If not, she would lean back against the wall - it had been a long day, after all. Either way, she would answer his questions. "I've been really well, actually. Bit bored most of the time," she grinned sheepishly up at him, knowing he likely understood her nature for he shared elements of it, "But last season was... interesting." Her lower lip was caught between her teeth for an instant as she considered how best to tell of it without droning on. "I was living on the Anchorage with my pod since we last met, spending some time relaxing and then... after the Storms hit, I did the best I could going out with search parties, attempting to find marooned vessels and bringing their crews back to the Anchorage." She was, of course, referencing the same Djed Storms that had driven Orion to becoming a physician, that had danced across the Suvan, destroying and separating entire pods. After so much death and destruction, the Anchorage had grown exponentially as stray Svefra came together to mourn and to rebuild and find one another. Her skills in caves had come in handy as she was able to find Svefra sheltering in coastal grottoes. "I met a Myrian warrior named Razkar," she did not doubt her friend's name would register with the knight. "And he reminded me why I loved the world on the edges of the Suvan so much. I decided to visit port cities, to learn more about other cultures so that maybe I can help my people grow..." Many of her kin felt that everything one could ever want or need came from Laviku and from the Suvan. But Edreina had often considered that perhaps, the land-striders might have come up with something worthwhile, even one thing. "So I left. I decided to start in Syliras, since Razkar was heading here too. Thought it might be nice to have a friend here." Black lashes flashed together for an instant as she blinked thoughtfully, remembering the mixed emotions that haunted her decision, clinging to the outside and whispering sweet little nothings of fulfilled but unacknowledged hopes that had driven her to follow the Myrian. An instant after her smile fell, ever so fractionally, it was back. "And so I'm spending a season here, learning the ways of the Sylirans." She laughed once, shrugging lightly. "But what of you? I'm sure that you've seen more than bumps and bruises and boisterous drunks since we last saw one another," she flushed, remembering exactly how she had last seen him.

[Orion Michaels]

He knew all about her boredom. He'd been first had witness to what happened when the boredom overflowed. "Oh, I don't doubt it. I imagine that's why you find yourself back in lovely Syliras again. And working? What an unexpected twist." Then she spoke of the Djed Storms. A sobering thought, indeed. He'd not been present to view the actual wrath of the storms. Deep withing Stormhold Keep, protected from the magical damage, but not from the horrible realities of humanity. When corned, trapped in a cave, the most civilized would turn into beasts. He'd tried to save who he could. The last breaths of those he couldn't, well, they haunted him still.

The mood lightened quickly, with an opportunity to tease surfacing. He'd not heard of this Myrian she spoke of, though she sounded as though he should have. Truth be told, the only Myrian he could recall ever meeting was one named Min. She'd disappeared quite suddenly, like so many others in his experiences. "So you've got yourself a new boytoy you're tagging along with?" Orion grinned widely, looking over to his Svefra friend. "Nothing quite like following the waves, hmm, Ina? Even if they lead you to Syliras again. I'm glad to see you well."

Where could he start? Everything that had happened to him, it was unbelievable at times. "Well, I'm pretty much the same as far as I'm concerned. If you ask other people, they try and say all these nice things about me and it grosses me out." Orion looked at the ground as they walked, contemplating his next words. She was a friend, but he hardly liked speaking on his own struggles. It . . . it was best to keep it mostly general. "Well, the storms changed things for me, too. After we came out of the castle and started rebuilding, there was more need for me as a physician than as a cook. I set to work there and kinda drifted along for a few seasons. I guess I caught the knights eye for my work, one thing led to another, and here we are. A doctoring cook squire, wondering the docks well into the evening. I'm on my way to the top, Ina, I swear."

[Edreina]

For some reason, Edreina found herself blushing at the word boytoy more intensely than she should have. Oh, she only wished it were so. But, his transition into how she lived her life kept the Svefra from sailing down that river again. A grin split her face, crinkling her eyes and making them dance with playful light. "I am glad to see you well, also, Orion." By the conclusion of his story, Edreina had a thoughtful curve to her lips. In all of the fates that she had imagined for Orion, becoming a knight had not been one of them. In fact, she had always worried over him getting into trouble with the nights for his -ahem- exploits. But, the last time she had even thought of him had been before the storms, and for that she felt just a bit bad. He had been a good friend to her, expecting nothing more than a bit of fun and it appeared as if he did not begrudge her for her abrupt departure. "I've never doubted that you would run this town, Orion. You already have all the girls here eating out the palm of your hand." She smiled up at him, narrowing her eyes and blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face before continuing. "Sooo... After your patrol, what's your plan? I'm getting kind of bored..." There was no meekness in her grin no apologies in her statement. But, then again, this was Edreina... He should have just been lucky that she did not bid him farewell and gallivant back towards the docks.

[Orion Michaels]

oocSorry to cut this abruptly. I'm really trying to close up some of Summer, and I figured this would give us a reason to explain why they only met up once while she was in the city.

Maybe it was the fact it was so late. Perhaps it was just his natural temperamental nature. Or maybe it was the fact that he was still drunk and didn't want to deal with anyone's shyke. No matter, the way she acted so soon after they met up again. It was had been a matter of chimes and she couldn't be bothered to entertain speaking with him? Unbelievable.

Orion's lips furled as his face contorted into scowl. "Are you kidding me, Ina? Whatever. Go petch yourself." He didn't have near the patience to deal with her unpredictable and ever changing attitude, though he couldn't claim his was any better. Powered by a night of drinking, he was prone to emotionally charged outbursts, and if the reunion was soured for him with her small comment, he'd do his part to return the favor.

It was probably no big deal. She'd probably meant no harm by what she'd said.

But for her to say it with the history they'd shared, with the fun they'd had, and the feelings they'd explored? It just didn't seem fair. It didn't seem right, and he wasn't going to deal with it, not tonight. Not the memories of time on The Goldengrotto, not those lips, not even the curves of the redhead would calm him.

Without another word he turned and continued on his patrol. The excitement from seeing someone from his past who didn't remember him with disdain was gone. Who gave a fuck if he burned another bridge? It wasn't even close to the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. Just add her name to the list.

The bitter sea breeze would only seem more so that evening.

[Edreina]

Usually, emotions came and went easily for the Svefra, her rapid onset of boredom displayed that. However, when Orion suddenly stormed off in a huff, Edreina could feel nothing but complete and utter shock. After a few ticks of blinking dumbly in his direction, Edreina attempted to summon up some sort of reaction and came up with an odd mixture of annoyance and confusion. And what the petch does that mean? Wordless notes of exasperation flew from the Svefra's lips as she flicked her wrist in his direction, a symbol among her people for something that should best be forgotten, that was not worth one's time. Who was he to get so angry about her nature? She had not meant that talking to him was boring, only that walking around in the damned fortress was. Edreina just did not understand why he was so quick to anger, it did not make any sort of sense. How could one example of poorly picked words destroy their... their friendship!? It spoke of how little he apparently thought of her. Annoyance turned to indignation as the Svefra contemplated so a multitude of possible hand gestures to send in his direction. Instead, she decided to follow her own and start heading down the corridor in the direction of the Suvan. Of course she had been excited to see Orion again, hoped to have a nice night catching up with him over a few drinks or on the docks - perhaps she could have even convinced Razkar to leave the boat for the night... But, this was just another disappointment, one of an infinite number presented by life. It was best to, instead of dwelling upon it, move on and seek bluer seas.