Completed [Docks] Is This Still Happening?

[Orion Michaels]

"I'm pretty sure it is. Not many winners, though." Oh the good times; sure he was a complete mess when he was playing those games, but there was still plenty of entertainment to be had. It was a lovely touch on their history to be able to reflect on it, if just for a moment. 

He glanced over at her as she replied to him with uncertainty. The doubt was understandable. He was the one who was sitting there having a breakdown. For him to suddenly declare he was doing fine was easy to question. "Honestly, I'm not sure," he said softly. "But I must tell myself that or else I fear I will actually fall apart." Perhaps that would have been a time to lie and just tell her that yeah, he was fine. Sometimes  a little white lie had a place, but with her he figured there was no point anymore. Their shared history at least deserved some truth. "I do suppose I'm childlike, huh? Pretty easy practice, so I'd say it's a pretty good call."

So it was possible for them to get along still, if only for the time being. No yelling, no arguing, no tears, and no anger. Just sitting, joking, thinking on what could have been. Life rarely went as one planned, and both of their personal plans had been decimated. For one night, the squire and the smith could put everything aside and just..relax. Orion was drained. He couldn't have argued about anything if he wanted to, but he was thankful there was no need. "There's not much more we've got to offer, right?" He gave a full grin as he looked across the corridor to the stone wall before them. "Take that away from us and what do we have? No one can accuse us of not having personality."

They were calm, but he could still feel the tension and awkwardness that existed between the two. Despite anything said this evening, the foundation of who they were, whatever that was, had been laid. She'd seen the way he snapped at the slightest of provocation, and he'd seen the way she could fight back. His previous grin disappeared when she spoke, a sad fact that she had to feel that way.

"Ah, I suppose that sums us up, doesn't it, Hadyn? It's disappointing that you have to feel the need to say that, but I can't say I blame you. I've..I've been awful to you." The blue eyed man's words trailed off, the biting reality of how pathetic they really were settling onto his thoughts. "Live and learn, I suppose."

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn smiled to herself at his words, settling back against his shoulder, eyes closing. It wasn't all piss and vinegar. The relationship certainly hadn't started that way. There was a small comfort that they could (once in a blue moon) live on playful banter and the simplicity of the others company. But there was an underlying tension - no, not tension. Apprehension of expectation. That it could so easily devolve into a mess of anger, curses and emotion-fueled tantrums.

His final statement opened her eyes, the corners of her lips sinking from the earlier smile as he finished his thought. He was so petching self-deprecating sometimes. She would have to watch what she said around him to avoid these jabs. Adjusting to sit up (with as much grace as she could manage) the brunette turned her gaze to look at his face, still in profile to her as he stared at the opposite wall.

"Orion, I meant it as a comment on your changed demeanor." Her tone was not reproachful but tentatively gentle, dark brows furrowed carefully in bemusement. She rested the weight of her torso on one straight arm, hand pressing into the stone ground, the other arm still on her belly. "A season ago I don't suppose this," she jerked her head to the space between them, "would've happened."

Hadyn didn't press the issue but she did feel it necessary to inform him she didn't think so poorly on him. Perhaps she ought to have phrased it better. After all, hadn't she found him in a pile of emotions ready to weep? still, his initial thought was vexing. But she let it go. He could gather enough from her response that she hadn't meant the comment in the way he'd perceived it.

Sighing the brunette leaned back against the wall again, staring at her boots. While she reveled in this new - calm - experience with him it was like walking on eggshells. Offhandedly she mused on what his relationship with Emily's mother must've been like. Clearly fraught with disdain and frustration from what he'd told her of his daughter's attitude toward him. He hadn't spoken much about the mother or his interaction with her. Not that it was any of Hadyn's business. But it was a curiosity difficult to ignore. But she knew better than to inquire.

"I don't know 'bout you," she spoke in a murmur, a grin pulling one corner of her lips. "But I think we're doin' far better tonight than we have in seasons. Perhaps ever."

She turned to offer Orion a genuine smile, white teeth flashing in the moonlight. Brown eyes watched him for a moment longer before breaking away to look at the wall before them. This was the closest she'd ever come to having a semi-committed relationship, even if it was for the purpose of their child. They were just two people. She didn't feel much of anything toward him in that respect. As the father of her child, Hadyn admitted it was more complex.

"I'm not one for complicated things," she said again, surprising herself when the words came out. "Can't wrap my head 'round attaching myself to people the way I used to. Can't imagine why people want anythin' more than momentary pleasure. It's all fleeting anyway. Seems you're better off that way. Always figured I was. All this," she glanced down before looking up at the stars. "It's all a mind-petch for me." Hadyn paused with a wry smile, glancing sidelong at him. "I'm glad y'aren't the clingy blubbery type. I'd have stabbed you by now if you were."

[Orion Michaels]

Orion fell silent as she replied to his statement. Why was he so negative about everything? "I..I guess I have a habit of assuming the worst, huh?" He looked over at Hadyn, trying to decide how best to answer.  He knew that life had soured him, and that he often looked at things through jaded eyes. Few things had happened for him to give him an optimistic outlook, and if he didn't catch himself when it was happening, he'd frequently view it as the worst. He was somewhat surprised that Hadyn had been so . . civil . . about that fact. In their experiences, she had to know how he could be, better than a lot of people. Volatile emotions laced with pessimism.  "No, I don't suppose it would have. Maybe I'm just too tired to run anymore," he admitted, giving a slight shrug. When he sat there and thought about it, he wasn't entirely sure why he was doing the things he was doing.

"That's just another excuse from me, right?" He grinned, shaking his head. Orion felt somewhat numb; not just from this interaction with Hadyn, but from everything that he was dealing with. There was a slow acceptance of the changes he was undergoing, but it still felt like he was being punched again and again, and he always had an excuse to help him go on and prop himself up. It was a rather unexpected twist that Hadyn be the one momentarily sitting in his corner supporting him. "You've done nothing to deserve my ire. Unless you would like to fault yourself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Orion listened to her as the woman shared her trepidations with the squire, worries of having to care about someone other than herself. That was a concern they'd both carried for some time. Neither of the unlikely pair could be considered paragons of reliability. He could appreciate and agree with most things she said; they'd been of like mind from the start. Things would have gone so much smoother if not for a lapse seasons ago. "Unfortunately," he began, almost sudden and upbeat tone crawling onto his voice. "I'm a complicating person. Always have been. There is not a thing which passes simply that involved Orion Michaels." The squire dragged himself to his feet, turning in place to face his front to the pregnant woman. He offered his hands to aid in her rising as well, if she chose to take it. "All we can do is roll with the punches," he said with some bit of resignation. "I'd have stabbed myself, too, if I had to deal with me acting like that every day. Explosive is more fun. Though what's wrong with the clingy type?"

The challenge in his tone was not an uncommon one; there was nothing serious about it. What It could do was bring some levity to a situation wrought with embarrassment. "Couldn't stand it if I were constantly about, trying to reassure you and shower you my affection? What about gifts? I could bring you lovely dresses, presents for the kid, suffocate things with emotion." His gaze fell on her face as he stood, looking down at Hadyn. "Would drive me crazy, too. We don't have to complicate things, Hadyn. I've been thinking on it, and...well, we will kill each other if we try and be anything we aren't. I cannot say that I'm aware of what that is, but I am quite confident when we near something that we aren't. It looks as though it is to be a rather big lesson on patience and a crazy experiment, too."

Internally, Orion was screaming. In his mind, he didn't know what he was doing, how to handle the situation. He didn't know if he was right or wrong, or somewhere in between. But he was trying, and that was more terrifying that anything he'd done in his life. It would have been so easy for him to just turn tail and run. It wasn't as though he was a stranger to the concept. It was much easier to pretend problems weren't there and hope they didn't turn around and bite you later. But there was something about a good cry, or near cry that seemed to lift some of the tension from his life. Just saying some of that which was beating him down and getting it out in the open, even if there weren't any details released some the pressure that was leading him down a dangerous path. 

"Sorry for all this nonsense. Whether it's me, the knights, or that burly guy who carried me to the dorms, I'm sure you'll have as much help as you are willing to accept."

[Hadyn Skellig]

Gods was he a confusing man. This. This was why she avoided commitments and relationships like the bloody plague. Having to parse through the many emotions and subtleties of a fellow human. It was hard enough for her to admit to herself that she was scared or lonely. An arduous trial of discerning another's feelings and intentions was simply not her forte. Besides, her clumsy attempts and failed misreading of tone and expression only served to annoy or hurt the other party. So why try?

Gazing up at him as he managed in all his armored glory to stand the woman offered a one shouldered shrug to his comments. Staring at his extended hand she geared herself up for the awkward practice of becoming vertical. She let him speak as she considered the best method for collecting her legs beneath her. An eyebrow rose and her gaze followed northward to find his face as he spoke with candor and openness. It sounded quite odd to hear such things from Orion Michaels and she nearly searched for a mocking tone hidden in his voice. But it appeared he was once again being honest.

Accepting his outstretched hand the weaponsmith gave a disarming grin, hoping to put him at ease before she changed the subject. She certainly appreciated his insight. But neither really knew how to deal with emotions beyond their own. And she had no intention of alienating him by expounding on the truths he'd spoken.

"Well I'll need more than your hand to haul my arse up," she replied wryly, shrugging his apology off with a smile. No need to make things awkward. "I can't tell you how much this," she dipped her chin to indicate the belly, "has done me in. Messed me up proper, it has."

Brown eyes rose to meet his blue, the smile lingering on her lips. As she gripped his hand she did her best to brace the other hand on the wall behind her, a poor go at inching herself up. Blood rushed up her neck, coloring her cheeks as the woman bit her lower lip. It was humiliating but she'd rather get to the joke before he did.

"I'm a petchin' whale," Hadyn muttered, boots skittering on the pavement as she slowly raised her body from the ground. Her back ached with the effort, a sweat breaking on her forehead as she breathed through the sore effort. "You're a lucky bastard that you don't have to manage this thing," she breathed as she labored to stand.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion was just ready to be done with this encounter, but at the same time, he wasn't sure he should. It was an unbearably long moment of weakness, of vulnerability. She had to think it was a joke. He wouldn't have blamed her in the least if she'd thought such a thing as the man had a reputation for sneering and biting words. Yet for perhaps the first time in their tumultuous relationship he was speaking true, no influence from anything but his own every shifting emotion.

It was all wrong, wasn't it?

She hardly acknowledge the words he'd spoken, and it wasn't exactly something that surprised him. If they could just slide past the topic, then there was no chance of the explosions they'd experienced time and time again. It was so fitting, then, that the one time he actually wanted to be expressive, it was completely pointless.

When it became apparent that his hand alone wasn't going to be enough to get Hadyn off the ground, Orion acted, though not before taking a moment to weigh his options. There were basically two: let her do it herself or help her. Both could be embarrassing and humiliating for her.

"Try not to hate me, alright?" Without asking, Orion stepped inside Hadyn's personal space and wrapped his armored arms as gently as he could around her, using his own body strength to help her get to her feet. She was trying to defend herself against any barbs which came from him, but tonight he just wasn't interested in fighting her. He was drained entirely, and the sooner this was under control, the better.

"That..ought to..do it." What a ridiculous situation they were in. Armored knight pulling a pregnant woman to her feet just outside a sleazy tavern. Nothing ever went smoothly between Orion and Hadyn. Blue eyes avoided her's, trying to avoid giving any indication of judgement or amusement at what was going on. It was frustrating as it came.

"..Why," he whispered, his lips a short distance from her ears. "..why's it so petching difficult with us all the time, Hadyn?" It was a stupid question. He knew that he was the majority of the issue. His emotional outbursts, his unpredictability led to a damaged relationship between two already damaged people. He didn't expect an answer; he doubted one existed, after all.

[Hadyn Skellig]

He came close. Very close. His arms wrapped around her, surprisingly gentle for all the metal that covered his body, and assisted her. Uncomfortable making him do all the work Hadyn made quick of becoming vertical again, careful not to lean on him. As he helped her up his words repeated themselves in her mind.

Try not to hate me.

With a sigh Hadyn found her footing and stood up, still in his arms. Her hand rested on his shoulder for balance, the other gripping his elbow as she straightened her spine. She was going to remark on his earlier request with a smart-ass remark when his lips moved close to her ear, halting the words in her mouth. Brown eyes looked up to find his blue, unable to mask the concern manipulating the lines of her face. Again he surprised her. She should endeavor to expect the unexpected from him. That way she'd never be left with a quizzical if not shameful expression lingering as she tried to find the right response.

"Orion," her voice was low and breathy from the exertion of standing, searching to hold his gaze. "I... I don't know. I don't want it to be. Seems this is the best we've had since we met."

Hadyn took a step to right herself fully but didn't break from him entirely. If he moved away she would be stable but the way he was speaking tonight it was as though he was looking to be open and expressive. It made her uneasy at first. Nervous. Why was he acting like this? All she wanted to do initially was run. Save her own skin, even if that meant wounding him in the process. Means to an end. All the things he'd said though. All the ways he tried to explain himself to her. It made Orion more real to her than he'd ever been before. And she couldn't just brush that off. It wasn't fair.

"We're difficult people, you and I," she continued, biting her lower lip as she considered what to say. Being this close to him there was no bluffing her way out. No way to shrug off the tense air between them with a joke. It wasn't right. He deserved more. "But I can be less difficult. Try to be, at least. I've seen your temper. You've seen mine. Orion, I'm sorry. So sorry this happened."

Hadyn swallowed, dropping her gaze to the ground. It was overwhelming to be so close to him. There was no spark or tender emotions toward the man. But the fact that he could be so honest and expressive was significant. He was making progress. She had to as well. Though her voice was steady the torment on her face was evident, even in the poor light. She felt partially responsible for his breakdown and consistent unhappiness. Not usually one to dwell past actions his non-rhetorical question had the woman hesitating to consider how poorly she'd treated him.

[Orion Michaels]

”It’s the best we had, yeah, but..I don’t feel like we’ve got much more beyond it,” he admitted, an almost defeat in his tone. ”Yet, I don’t know what we’ve got to achieve by rehashing it all. At least not tonight.” Orion wasn’t dumb to how uneasy he made her. Funny thing to feel about the father of your child. He was sure it killed her to have him help her, but he wasn’t going to sit there and watch her embarrass herself, either. It made him ill that she recoiled from him so, as though the worst thing in the world was for his skin to interact with her in any way. ”You know, I used to dream of having children, many years ago. Never thought it would happen like this, but since when have either of our lives followed anything sensible?”

He could feel his eyes watering up again, and the realization that was happening only upset him, which in turn made the tears harder to stop. ”Gods…petching..piece of shyke,” he muttered, turning his gaze from Hadyn to hide his truth, his shame, and his quivering lip. Yet he never broke from her, either. Crave did Orion for human touch, for something intimate, something real with someone. Anyone. It was almost fitting that it was with someone that only seemed to tolerate his presence because he’d knocked her up. If not for the child, they wouldn’t have seen one another in two seasons at this point. Their lives had crossed and their paths diverged.

Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?

When he felt she was stable, Orion pulled away, turning his back to Hadyn, unwilling, even unable to look at her anymore. She was apologizing for their combined folly. ”Don’t you fucking dare,” he hissed, voice breaking as it pushed through the hardly restrained emotion. ”There is nothing to apologize for anymore, Hadyn. Not a gods forsaken thing.” The squire took a few steps to the other side of the alleyway, laying his forehead against the cold stone wall. It was almost soothing to the touch, the fiery emotions he was experiencing transmitting to heat in his face. The stone structure contrasted the blood rushing to his face, bringing momentarily relief.

”I’ve been killing myself over all of this, but if I do this woe is me stuff anymore, it will quite literally slay me. I can’t take it.” His fists balled up and released over and over again as he fought with what to do and say. There was nothing to be gained by destroying himself to the point he broke down in the middle of an alley. ”If anything, I’m sorry you had to see this. Shatters my reputation as an emotionless asshole. I’m not sure how I feel about that.” Orion peeked back at Hadyn, a hint of a smile glowing in his eyes.

”We’re just running around in circles, chickens with our heads cut off. How’d a couple of idiots like us get here, Hadyn? Besides getting drunk and petching, of course.” With a deep sigh, Orion turned around to look at the surely bewildered woman.

”This has got to be unbelievably uncomfortable for you, and I don’t just mean having to stand there. You don’t have to listen to me if you’ve somewhere to be. Or even if you don’t. I can’t imagine you wandered clear down here to listen to a squire have a nervous breakdown.” With his emotions at least temporarily under check, he could smirk, he could grin, and he could always poke fun at himself.

”If you’re going to listen though, can I make a small admission?”

[Hadyn Skellig]

"No more rehashing," she agreed quietly. The burden of their shared incapability was practically tangible. They were touching, his arms around her, skin against skin but there was barrier between them. She'd never felt so thrown by a man in her life. They were trying to wade blindly through this mess of emotion, hurt and fear. At least with others she'd been blatantly accused of being emotionless and cold before they turned and walked away. There was a certain pride that'd developed in pushing a man far enough away that he would throw his hands up in frustration. He'd list her shortcomings, tell her she couldn't be save before leaving. Then she'd be free to move on to the next one.

It wasn't to be so with Orion. He was just as incompetent at expressing himself as she was. Though he was doing a fine job this evening. But unlike the other men she'd been with he seemed so absolutely at odds with the turbulent emotions his body was torturing him with. As if he couldn't figure out how to express them in a socially acceptable manner.

Brown eyes met his when he spoke again, lamenting past dreams. Finding the Orion behind his many masks was like picking up a single piece from thousands of shards from a broken statue. She didn't quite know what fit where. He gave her things here and there. All she could do was collect them and add them to the others to make a complete picture. But he gave her considerably more than she'd returned. She didn't respond to his comment but offered instead a knowing quiet smile. She could sympathize.

Hadyn's hands gripped him tighter as he broke again, the turbulent maelstrom within him bubbling over.

"Orion, it's alright," she murmured dumbly, surprising herself as the words tumbled out. She attempted to steady him, brows knitted as she tried to discern the cause of his unrest. Her fingers pressed into his skin, giving him something to anchor himself to if the anguish proved too much. But he pulled away. The woman's hands suddenly held a phantom, still trying to impart some manner of affection. Dropping them she stared at the squire, lips parted in both surprise and genuine concern.

It seemed as though her heart grew inside her chest, pressing against her ribs as the man reproached her in hushed tones. Swallowing again she let him have it out, his face hidden in the wall as he tried again to speak. In the poor light Hadyn could barely make out his shape, hunkered in those pieces of metal. The air between them was taut like a bow. He was doing all in his power to contain himself it seemed. The weaponsmith was shocked by her own desire to go to him and hold him. Touch him. Convey that he didn't have to turn away from her.

Don't be fucking stupid.

So she stood there awkwardly as he composed himself. It was painful - offensively so. Why did it matter so much that he was so broken up about it? he was just another man in a long list of bedmates. Sure, he'd gotten her pregnant. But that didn't mean she was going to change herself for him. It didn't mean she would suddenly become a doting maid when he displayed his misery and self-condemnation. Standing somewhat stiffly she shared his grin, though it was half-assed as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear distractedly. She was going to offer an equally snide reply but he spoke again.

Another smile as Orion attempted to placate the situation. She wanted to go back to the cheeky remarks and sly glances but she couldn't trust him. Couldn't trust that he wouldn't lose his composure again under the weight of his unhappiness. She didn't enjoy the feeling of helplessness she experienced with him tonight. Part of her wanted to offer him physical comfort, the other wanted to back away. How could she know what he wanted? he was too volatile to take a chance. Brown eyebrows rose when his question came.

"Uh oh... well I suppose you may as well," she replied mildly before adding with a light smile: "if you're going to tell me you're droppin' out of the Knighthood I might punch you."

[Orion Michaels]

At least she agreed that much. They’d tried to discuss what had happened in the past and it was far from successful each time. It was what it was, and there was no going back and undoing it. He’d have pulled that trick out long ago if it were possible. It was still hard, nigh impossible to believe that this was happening. Such a stupid, stupid night..

”I’m all over the place. All over the petching place.” Orion pushed against the stone wall, lifting himself back to standing before letting his weight go back against the wall. Again and again he did this, trying to calm himself, trying to shake the words out, just trying to maintain control. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t bolted away as fast as she could have in her current status. He certainly would have.

I guess that makes her the stronger one..

After finally turning to face her, he wasn’t sure how to say what was on his mind. She couldn’t possibly care. He was just selfishly using her to try and find his base and regain control of his emotions, and wasn’t that what they’d somewhat done to each other in the first place? Orion was forgetting, and she was…well, he had no idea. Orion didn’t know a thing about the woman his child would call ‘mother’, except that she had an extraordinary temper like he did, and that she was almost too understanding that it made him uncomfortable and irritated. What a mess.

”I’m not dropping out of the knighthood. Far from it. If I didn’t have that, I’d probably be dead in the Stallion right now,” he said with a shrug. ”No..it’s..gods, I don’t even know how to say it. I don’t fucking miss any of the mess I was. That’s not to say I’m not one now, but…It’s different.” He wiggled his fingers as he stood somewhat awkwardly staring at the ground before her feet. ”I hate what I was, Hadyn. That prick that’s at least half responsible for our shared torments. I can’t do that anymore. I don’t want to get so angry at you, or petch, even at me. I know you don’t give a shyke about any of this.”

His eyes began to water once more, every exchange another battering ram at his doors. He wouldn’t be able to hold much longer so he turned away from her once more, taking a few steps down the alleyway. ”I’ll stop being a bother, Hadyn,” he said, wiping his eyes before giving her a quick glance back over his shoulder. ”At least for tonight,” he added with a forced smirk. ”You didn’t have to listen to me drivel on like the fool I am. You’ve my thanks.”

Orion paused for a moment with his back to Hadyn, trying to will his legs to move away and leave her there in the alley. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d done so to her.

Instead, as though they’d taken a life of their own, his legs moved to turn him in place to face the unfortunate woman once more. Metal plates clanked as he strode over to her once more, slowing as he neared her. His feet slid across the stone floor to approach her more from the side as his long, armored arms reached out to envelop the brunette within them. ”It’s for me, shove me away at your pleasure,” he quipped, exhausted in every way. ”I’m a needy girlfriend. It’s a good thing we did away with all that and went straight for the kid.”

He knew he was invading her personal space, and he would be surprised if she denied him right there, but if she did, the squire would lay his forehead against the side of her head for a moment, stealing from Hadyn just one more moment of human contact. A final act of selfishness before he departed seemed fitting.

[Hadyn Skellig]

Orion appeared to be losing it. Again. The brunette watched him from where she stood rooted to the stone, gaze following his movements as he pushed off from the wall, his words forced through like he was being tortured to say them. Perhaps he was. Despite listening Hadyn couldn't help but feel disgusted. This was not the way two people should interact - much less two soon-to-be parents. Wasn't this the very reason both of them shunned relationships?

Folding her arms loosely across her chest the woman gave the most careful of nods as he told her his secret. It wasn't much of a surprise. Self-loathing was among Orion Michaels' best skills. But the change in attitude was new. His words suggested some manner of personal growth - though it remained to be seen whether he would move forward with this change or slip back into his old ways. Hadyn was the first to admit it was easier to say such things. Acting on them was entirely different.

"I'd be half way to Sunberth if I didn't give a shyke," she put in quietly with the hint of a smile. It was true, whether or not he chose to believe it. And not just for the kid. After everything they'd put each other through listening was the least either could do. But that was where it stopped. Hadyn didn't have the slightest idea how to actually offer comfort. How to be a decent caring person toward him. Listening was her limit, though she'd be willing to try more on his behalf. He was just too volatile. One wrong step and they'd be back to yelling at each other, though she had hope he was preparing to change that part of himself.

But it proved too much for the squire. He wasn't able to handle his admission and further interaction with her. That was fine. She couldn't blame him nor was she particularly shocked when he turned away. There was a familiarity to this back and forth. Admittedly Hadyn couldn't deny the sting of bitterness in her heart as he practically forced his lips into a smirk she could barely see. So this was how it would end tonight. Fitting.

But then he surprised her. Really surprised her. Her arms dropped from where they crossed her chest, hanging by her sides ready to fend him off or put more distance between them. Pink lips parted as her eyebrow rose, ready to beg the question of what the petch are you doing? but it was swallowed up as his arms enveloped her. She was tensed at first, entirely uncertain of what he was aiming at or trying to accomplish. But as he spoke, the fatigue evident in both body and tone, she relaxed. He was holding onto her closely, her shoulder pushed against his metaled chest as she adjusted her posture slightly. Hands still at her side she felt his forehead rest against her head, the air he exhaled caressing her ear.

Instinctively Hadyn's arms came around the squire. There wasn't much for her to impart tenderness what with all the armor separating them but she reached a hand up, her fingers finding the exposed flesh of his neck. Gentle pressure was given to assure him she wasn't about to knee him in the crotch or break away. He was allowed to stay like this as long as he needed. Her other arm wrapped around his middle, anchoring her to him lest she lose her balance. The large bump indicative of their shared troubles didn't face him straight on, otherwise there'd be no way for them to embrace.

After a tick the brunette tilted her head toward him, maintaining contact with him until her face was in profile against his. The skin of his cheek was soft against hers, his height giving cause to angle her head up a bit. Her fingers threaded through his dark hair, eyes closed as she felt the heat of his body. Despite having petched and awkwardly assisted one another over the past few seasons this was likely the most intimate they'd ever been with intention. Hadyn was astonished her initial reaction wasn't to feel uncomfortable or overburdened. Instead she turned toward him. Offered him her body and even initiated further contact. How things change.

"Suppose it's fitting we'd start there and work backwards," she murmured softly with a half smile. She stood there, ready for whatever the unpredictable squire did next. Her hand rested on his neck, fingers grazing the edge of his hairline gently, the planes of her face flush against his. The woman's body was relaxed, prepared to detach if he so desired. The fleeting hope he'd press a hand to her belly stirred as the child kicked within her. Orion was (by choice) so disconnected from the whole ordeal. But now that he was here willingly embracing her she wanted him to experience his son or daughter.

"Baby's moving," she whispered against his ear. If he wanted to feel he could. There was no asking Orion. They were more comfortable with an out. With the freedom to extricate themselves from a situation. Asking implied obligation. Waiting for the man to make his move the Hadyn opened her eyes, staring at the wall beyond ready to expect the unexpected from this man she barely knew.