Solo (Syliras Theater Square) Here's to you, kid

[Orion Michaels]

5th Day of Fall, 513 AV
Syliras Theater Square
10th Bell

Awkward.

It was gods forsaken awkward.

What exactly was Orion Michaels supposed to do with a child, never mind the bun in Hadyn's oven? He'd been a playboy and how it had caught up with him now.

"Why are you such a dumb petcher, shyke head?"

Emily Lawrence. Daughter of Roxy Lawrence and Orion Michaels. Terror of Syliras. Easily the dirtiest mouth Orion had ever heard, and that was saying something. She baffled him, but that was to be expected. She was a stranger, a girl who's first four years of life he missed. She didn't weep when her mother gave her over to him, she didn't weep when she was given to a nanny to care for her more than Orion ever could. All she'd done was let loose a string of curses that shocked him and left him retreating from the judging look of Emily's new caretaker.

"Emily, please don't talk to me like that." It was exhausting. They'd been sitting on some of the steps in the theater square for nearly half a bell. She'd decided she wanted to sit, and sit she had. He couldn't get her to move, and at least they were spending time together, right? Besides, when he'd gone to move her, she'd break into unrelenting screaming. It wasn't worth it.

"You can't tell me what to do." She crossed her arms, deep blue eyes never leaving Orion. It felt as though she was studying him, waiting for him to have the slightest misstep where she could spout her profanities and tell Orion just what was wrong with him. ”You’re just a vagik who couldn’t get laid in a whorehouse with a million mizas in tow.”

Orion’s jaw dropped, completely flabbergasted. Roxy hadn’t said a kind word about Orion to this little one, had she? Worse yet, she’d given her a full arsenal of horrible things to say. Had she raised the girl solely to hate Orion, or was there just a general hate towards everyone?

”Can..Can we just keep walking? There’s a lot going on in the square today, Emily.”

Orion's jaw tightened as he realized this little girl already had him asking her to do things. He was her father, even if he'd not been part of her life until now. She had to listen to him.

”No. I’m comfortable, deadbeat.”

What a wicked child. Orion sighed and stretched out his legs, shaking his head. This was going to be quite the uphill battle.

[Orion Michaels]

”Did your mother teach you to say those things?”

The girl crossed her arms and turned away from Orion. She had no intention of talking to Orion about her mother. Her mother was a lovely woman. Someone who cared about her and took care of her.  Not like Orion. Orion was worthless. Orion didn’t care about her or her mommy. He was just a big jerk face who didn’t care about anyone but himself. It was his fault mommy was in the situation she was. It was his fault mommy was going to be gone.

”Come on, Emily,” he pleaded, kneeling down beside her. He was desperate for the girl to comply. He didn’t know how to deal with her. He didn’t know how to get her to open up to him in any manner that wasn’t spitting venom.

Silence.
 
Emily was a bitter young girl. Far too bitter for someone as new to life as she was. Her mother had poisoned her mind for her few short years. When the inquisitive girl would wonder about why other people had a daddy, Roxy would spout off something angry about Orion, about how she didn’t need a father. She’d tell her about how she didn’t need Orion. It wasn’t entirely untrue, that last bit, but he had to fix the destruction Roxy had wrecked on her mind.

Orion sighed, running his hand along the stone floor as he contemplated his options. There would surely be a scene if he tried to force her to move; he didn’t want to deal with that. She was never going to just listen to what he demanded, requested, or even asked of her. That wasn’t a possibility. So he would have to bribe her, that was clear enough.

”Why don’t we go see a performer? Do you like juggling? Card tricks? Singing?”

”No.”

”How about a sweet treat?”

The child raised her eyebrows at the mention of a sweet. Sugar was wonderful, sugar was delicious. The prospect of receiving something for nothing was an interesting prospect. She was only defying him for the sake of defying him. Everything changed if she got something out of the deal.

”I’ll take ten honey drops.” She smirked, blue eyes turning up to her father.

”T-ten! How about one?”

”….One hundred.”

Orion sighed softly, a half smile growing on his lips. ”Ten it is. Let’s go Emily.”

Emily grinned, rising to her feet. Orion was so stupid. She could get whatever she wanted from him.  He was worthless and he made her live with some stupid nanny, but at least he was rich.