Closed Next time? Invitation Only. (Lorden & Orin)

[Devi]

Maiden District - Spring 1, 515 AV

This was not exactly how Devi had pictured beginning the new year. She pulled her coat tightly around herself, glad of its length once she left the warm glow of Sayana’s apartment and felt the chill of Winter curling around her bare legs. Despite the roof above their heads, the internal corridors between the apartments in this part of the stronghold still felt as cold as the outside world.

At least it’s dry in here… she mused. Her deep green eyes swivelled around the corridor outside of Sayana’s apartment and soon spotted the young knight carrying the unconscious Orin. She quickened her step to catch up with them and noted with approval that he was carrying the cook just as carefully as she had requested. The fighters she encountered tended to be all muscle and no finesse. Then again, considering her profession, it was hardly surprising that that was the case. Those with finesse had more sense in their battles (and could likely afford better paid doctors and healers than she in any case).

As she fell into stride next to the knight she realised then just how tall he was. Carefully though he was travelling, she still found her much shorter legs moving faster than usual to catch up. Devi realised that in the midst of everything that had happened that night, she hadn’t even spoke to the man before he offered to take Orin safely to Soothing Waters. She didn’t even know his name.

“Thank you,” she began, “I can cope with a lot but head wounds are tricky. I’ll feel a lot safer once we reach the doctors and healers at Soothing Waters. They can be pretentious idiots sometimes but they’re well paid for a reason.”

Sometimes it’s even a good reason. She continued internally. The bathhouse healers had always been a source of irritation for her. They flitted around intermingled with the masseuses and entertainers of the Waters, caring for anyone who could afford their fees and carefully ignoring the rest. Devi always felt like the bathhouse pandered more to vanity than to healthcare. She saw as many visitors there trying to stave off the effects of aging as she did people in genuine need. Still, medical skills were coveted in Syliras and Soothing Waters paid well to acquire them. They would be able to find help for Orin there and enough people to keep watch over him for the next day or two.

Devi looked up at the knight beside her as they walked. As his eyes flickered towards hers she found herself surprised at the intensity of them. In the dim torchlight of the corridors they almost seemed to glow, chips of icy blue amidst a dark frame. They were unusual, striking even. It was a moment before she remembered she had intended to introduce herself.

“My name is Devi.” She smiled a little nervously, “I’d shake your hand but…” and she trailed off, nodding at the unconscious cook in his arms.

Hilarious. Her sarcastic inner voice cut in, Combine that with the dreamy eye-gazing and you’re off to a winning start.

[Lorden Ladis]

Spring 1, 515 AV

Lorden pushed down the creeping alertness, that ran up his spine, as Devi came to trot a bit awkwardly beside his own lithe form.

“Thank you,” -the woman started- “I can cope with a lot but head wounds are tricky. I’ll feel a lot safer once we reach the doctors and healers at Soothing Waters. They can be pretentious idiots sometimes, but they’re well paid for a reason.”

"Oh really?" -Lorden rolled his sore, weighted-down shoulders back- "Fraid' I haven't met em'," the twenty-year old replied a bit dryly.

Lorden had, had himself treated at the Waters a time or two; but for most of his Squire'hood Cyrus had treated his wounds, the old medicinally-inclined knight, never gave him a need to visit any healers in his 'youth'. It was only recently, and after being knighted, that the tall young-man had frequented the Waters. Still, Lorden had never conversed with any of the men or woman there, for longer than a tick. He could see no reason to start judging them... yet.

Besides, the knight had more important things to worry about, namely, the reason he was carrying a concussed man in his aching arms.

“My name is Devi,” -Lorden didn't even notice the brunet's smile, as he looked straight ahead- “I’d shake your hand but…” the knight tilted his visage slightly, as the woman spoke. Lorden kept one eye on the path ahead, but did afford the healer the attentions of one of his ice-colored eyes, and a slight, but warm, tired smile.

"You don't need to thank me, Devi." -Lorden lightened his eyes- "I was just doing my job. I get a salary for it. Yer' the one, who swooped in to help, without a promise of a reward," the knight said, as his heart began to lighten a bit, with the idealism that he lived for.

"Folks like you... Well, yer' why I'm happy to be getting paid, to do what I do," the knight admitted openly.

[Orin Fenix]

The clouds went gray. Are they storm clouds? That was a funny thought and the corners of Orin's mouth twitched. Storm clouds in Stormhold. Well, where else would someone hold their storm clouds, though. Orin worried at that problem for a while. Storm clouds were in the sky. Not in Stormhold. But that didn't make any sense. It would only be logical to put the storm clouds in Stormhold. Having satisfied that problem, Orin tried to slip open his eyes. The gray was apparently the wall though.

Unfortunately, Orin didn't have much time to process this information since opening his eyes had been a big mistake. The light pierced hishead. The ache he'd been feeling worsened and Orin groaned. It felt as if someone was driving needles into his brain. Or something was stomping around in his skull. Orin was having a lot of trouble trying to string thoughts together. But it didn't worry him too much. There was a steady rocking motion and someone was clutching Orin to them in a protective manner. It felt good, to let someone take care of him and Orin instinctively pressed himself into the person.

Orin wasn't quite sure where he was. Or how he'd gotten there. And his stomach was queasy and his head ached abominably. There has been something. A gathering of some kind, it might have been a party. No, not a party a Partee! Was it next year or last year or every year or no year? Orin paused so he could examine how that sentence tasted in his brain. Except, sentences didn't have a taste, because the brain had no tongue. Now that was silly, everyone would love it if the brain had a tongue. Orin would at least.

Voices penetrated the fog around Orin's mind. They were faint until Orin strained his ears to hear them. A man and a woman. Or maybe a woman or a man. Strange, woman and man were so close. Both the words and the gender. And yet Orin didn't get women. Of course, Orin didn't really get men either. Or people, in general. Huh. How can I 'get' a person. You can't own people. Orin furrowed his brow slightly. He guessed you could have got a person if they were your slave but that was bad. Orin said no to slavery. No slavery! I don't get people! Satisfied, Orin focused on the speaking woman and man or man and woman.

Since there was a faint rumbling in the chest of the person holding Orin and that corresponded to when the man was talking, Orin decided that the man was carrying Orin. He was inordinately proud of himself for having figured that mystery out. He reached out a hand a patted the man, hopefully on his chest. He even had a name for the man. "Strong big man help Orin. Good strong big man, good." After all, Orin wasn't small so anyone keeping him off the ground had to be big and strong. Kind of like Aren. But this man wasn't Aren. Aren was at the Partee though. And in a flash of clarity Orin remembered that Sayana was pregnant. Orin struggled weakly, trying to go congratulate the Eypharian, before the motion brought a wave of dizziness down. But then he vaguely recalled someone toasted her.

The other voice sounded vaguely familiar. She was someone that Orin had met that night. She was very nice. "Nice pretty lady help Orin too? Thanks lady." Orin let his head loll as he tried to pinpoint the direction she was in without actually opening his eyes. For some reason her voice was bringing up a pleasant face with freckles, green eyes and a hair that framed the face and was halfway between red and brown. So Orin assigned the face to the voice until proven otherwise. He smiled, content, and went back to thinking of grey clouds and white clouds frolicking together like a flock of sheep in the heavens.

[Devi]

"Folks like you... Well, yer' why I'm happy to be getting paid, to do what I do,"

Devi blinked, not quite sure what to say. She had always enjoyed her role. There was an intellectual challenge to studying medicine certainly but the act of healing itself evoked something instinctual in her. She worked herself to the point of exhaustion sometimes, always managing to find new patients wherever she went. At New Year’s parties for instance... She laughed to herself.

Regardless, she couldn’t imagine herself any other way. It was in her nature to heal, to learn, to challenge herself, to be better. She made a fairly good wage only because she worked herself so hard. She didn’t regret her choices one bit. Still, it was unusual to hear such idealistic tone in the words of a knight. Throughout her life she had come to think of the Knighthood as the iron fist clamped around the people of the city, keeping them all safe but obedient. Bitter memories threatened to surface but were quickly superseded by more recent ones. It was only recently, meeting Garland, that she had begun to see a different, more human side to the Syliran protectors.

“You know,” she began, a bittersweet smile lingering on her face, “you keep that up and I may just have to start changing my opinions of knights.”

They walked in silence for a way, Devi guiding them along the right pathways towards the bathhouse. She found her focus switching to Orin as he stirred in her still nameless companion’s arms. The young doctor wasn’t entirely sure whether his fidgeting was better or worse than simple unconsciousness. She hated the anxiety gnawing in her gut and made a mental note to research head wounds the next chance she got. If the doctors at Soothing Waters didn’t make her so antsy she would ask them.

Versin would have known. Her inner voice chipped in. She pointedly ignored it.

"Strong big man help Orin. Good strong big man, good."

Orin’s arms were outstretched and attempting to pat... She didn’t even know. Soon the long-limbed cook began fidgeting even more, a look of intense concentration on his face, before falling back with a sigh. As they turned another corner Devi recognised where they were and called out softly.

“We’re getting close. Good thing too considering Orin seems determined to esca-”

"Nice pretty lady help Orin too? Thanks lady."

“Oh my.” She breathed, watching as Orin’s head determinedly sought her out. With his eyes closed it seemed to her a futile effort but he soon seemed satisfied, a blissful smile creeping onto his face.

[Lorden Ladis]

Spring 1, 515 AV

The twenty-year old watched, as an almost-conflicted light, shone in Devi's dark-green eyes. Lorden's brow ruffled a bit; the knight hoped he hadn't been... too vocal.

“You keep that up and I may just have to start changing my opinions of knights,” the woman said with a regretful tone, that made Lorden's brow and azure eyes soften.

"That'd... well it'd be yer' choice, Devi," the man replied, and formed a non-prodding and lighthearted smile, on his face.

Lorden was conflicted, while it didn't make him angry necessarily, it weighted his chest to hear his Order be criticized. Still... wasn't everyone entitled to an opinion?

Lorden looked straight ahead.

"But'd I'd be glad if ya' did. We're all trying to be good people," the knight said somberly and earnestly, as the two citizens of Syliras, continued on to their destination.

...

Lorden's unarmored shoulders were screaming, his biceps heaving, by the time Orin began to stir. The knight felt a bit of an uncomfortable blush glow on his face, when the cook snuggled up to him.

Lorden rolled his eyes, as Orin continued and reached up to pat his chest. The man's action, of course, sent only yet more soreness through the tired swordsman's thin body.

"Strong big man help Orin. Good strong big man, good," the cook spoke, as if he were a child, or a foreigner who couldn't quite grasp Common.

If only he were a bit stronger, a bit bigger, maybe his arms wouldn't hurt so damn much.

"Nice pretty lady help Orin too? Thanks lady," the obviously concussed human continued.

"Oh my," a considerably more chime-like voice, answered the dazed declaration, of the man Lorden was barely managing to keep a minimally-firm grasp on.

Thoughts and aching muscles aside, Lorden found himself struck with an odd mix of amusement and worry. Neither feeling was hidden on his face, as he inclined his head to the brunet, that had just gasped at Orin's compliment.

"How much farther?" -Lorden gestured his head, to the man that was wiggling around in his arms, in an oddly contented manner- "I'm no medicine-man, but I don't think he's healthy...," he offered.

Lorden sighed mentally.

"As amusing, as it is," the knight added; a bit of comedy and guilt, both flared in his tired eyes, as he spoke honestly in jest.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin frowned. His two friends were not getting along and his head hurt. Somehow the first of those two was far more important right now. Besides he'd stopped counting the cloud sheep when Orin had realized that numbers were all out of order. It was probably because seven ate nine. Something in there was wrong but Orin didn't have the willpower to wrestle with the idea of numbers right not. Clarity was coming back to him slowly, as the words of his companions, or saviors, really, managed to start making more and more sense. A name bubbles up. "Devi's name is nice pretty lady? No wait! Nice pretty lady's name is Devi. That's good, very good." Orin really hoped that was right. But there was another piece of information that Orin needed to know. He poked the man holding him, repeating it several times when the first finger failed to connect. Orin was apparently having trouble distances. It wasn't helped by the fact that Orin's eyes were still closed. "Strong big man has a name too right?"

However the mention of the Knights added another brick to Orin's shattered mental state. "Strong big man is knight man? No just a knight. Well, man and knight. Ser Strong Big Man." Having satisfied that and settled the matter quite well, to Orin's mind, he turned his attention back to Devi. The notion that picking and choosing his words was necessary floated through Orin's brain, and he valiantly attempted to structure his sentences into some semblance of order. "Pretty Devi, Knights are nice like you. They protect people like you and me, like us. Us. I like that word. But Knights are good. Even though they act high and mighty and insufferably smug sometimes. And forget to ask the questions first and hit instead. But still, good people. And I bet this fellow here is especially good." The mental effort required to muster up even that much of a speech exhausted Orin and he slumped back into the knight's arms. Realizing he was being rude, he shifted his weight until he thought he was facing the Knight's face. "Ser I'm so sorry! Can I get you something? Or well, I think I could walk from here, since you mentioned we're close. Or Devi did. I think? Thoughted? Thunk? One of those."

Orin was still perplexed as to how he got into this state in the first place and he racked his brain for clues. He definitely remembered going to Sayana's and some commotion involving a zith. Orin wasn't surprised that Aren was in the middle of it. And the pregnancy announcement. Pregnancies plural, although Orin hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Garland. Garland's girl-something was definitely having a baby. Because Orin had to take her drink away from her since Orin had a vague recollection of a midwife saying alcohol was bad for the little people in the womb. He should seek out the squire though. But after that the evening got a bit hazy. There was definitely a commotion. And Orin had been in the middle of it. There was a piece of paper. And a bad man. The paper was about the bad man. The bad man had done something bad.

With a sudden shock the memory kicked into place. There had been a murderer at Sayana's party and Orin had tried to stop him. Or gotten in the man's way. The blood drained from Orin's face and the first hint of panic started to stir in Orin's chest. When the Knight commented on Orin's condition Orin let out a hysteria tinged giggle. "Knight-man is not medicine man. I don't mind knight-man because you're a knight and you help people just fine. Don't need medicine too. Unless you want it. But just a heads up, medicine tastes bad. Unless you put honey in it." Orin threw a weak punch at the knight's arm in a show of camaraderie before allowing himself to rest again, fighting off his fear. Orin would have to be calm and clear-headed so he could relay his news. The Order needed to have that knowledge so they could hunt down the killer. That was far more important than having Orin's head checked out. If someone else died because Orin failed to complete that simple task, Orin would never forgive himself.

[Devi]

Orin continued to chatter to them both, somehow expressing in his garbled words how he felt about the Knighthood. Devi made a mental note of it. People tended to adore them, hate them or simply endure them. The young doctor had found herself amongst the latter group. She realised the necessity of such structure in the kind of world they lived in. Still, an imperfect and dangerous world created a society of equal measure. Knights did many good things for the city and its people, she wouldn’t deny it. However the punishments enacted for living outside of Syliras’ rigid set of rules were morally questionable at best and could be far too easily justified in the name of the greater good. It was a system that depended on the moral character of each individual Knight. Devi had known knights that she would trust by the character shown in their actions, Garland for instance. She had also known knights to tear friends or families apart without stopping to question whether the situation before them could have more depth than was immediately apparent.

Imperfect and dangerous. Still, now wasn’t the time for a philosophical debate and neither was she inclined to offer insult to her companions. Right now the priority had to be Orin’s injuries. As though in answer to her shift in thoughts, they passed beyond the boundaries of the Maiden district and out into the cold, early morning air. It was crisp and chilly, raising goosebumps on Devi’s skin. She peered up at the clear sky, appreciating the number of stars that were visible before passing inside the Stronghold’s innards once more. They passed through the large entrance to Soothing Waters and descended the staircase that led them to the reception area.

She didn’t recognise the young man manning the entrance, finding that she had rarely needed to visit the bathouse at such an hour. That fact didn’t cut the urgency from her tone as she addressed the man and made it clear that they had need of the doctors currently resident in the healing centre behind him. With a glance back at the knight carrying Orin it was clear by his expression and posture that his body was feeling the strain of carrying such a weight across the district. And no wonder...

Devi gestured for her companion to follow and strode through the hallways that she found familiar, despite her efforts not to linger there in the past. They finally made it to a small infirmary, a number of beds both occupied and not, within. A middle-aged man eyed her as though to protest the abrupt interruption to his patients’ slumber but she spoke before he could protest, eyes flaring.

“This gentleman has obtained a fairly severe blow to the back of his head. He’s conscious but not entirely... coherent.”

The older doctor’s face softened into an expression of deep thought that she recognised from her own process when first diagnosing a patient. The familiarity almost added a modicum of courtesy into her voice. Almost. He opened his mouth as though to ask a question and again, she cut him off before he could sound it. She couldn’t help it – the place made her all too uncomfortable.

“Yes he’s been drinking. No not a lot. Yes I’m a doctor.” She paused then at the expression on his face. It reminded her of Versin when he first adopted her as his apprentice. Devi felt a light blush colouring her cheeks before she continued. “The injury’s a little beyond my experience. I was concerned, given what I’ve heard of head-wounds...” She trailed off, her desire to leave warring somewhat with her desire to learn what the doctor knew of this kind of injury. He raised an eyebrow at her but continued to examine Orin nonetheless.

“Name?” He asked briskly. She told him that it was Orin, watching as he began examining the cook a little closer.

[Lorden Ladis]

Spring 1, 515 AV

Lorden looked down at Orin, as he mumbled something about him having to have a name; of course, the cook seemed to promptly forget his question, before he moved on to assign the knight an impromptu moniker anyway. Still, it was the next thing that fell out of the cook's mouth, that really concerned the twenty-year old. He couldn't honestly want to try and walk, in his state!

The knight glanced over to Devi worriedly for a tick, as they walked, before moving his icy-blue eyes back down, to the mixed-up man in his arms.

"I'm Lorden," -the knight said gently- "Just let me carry you, you're really no trouble," he lied. Lorden was practically arching his back, as it ached furiously, nonetheless, he couldn't just let the man down; no, he couldn't do that.

The swordsman shook his head, and took a breath, as he sped his step along with the doctor-turned-guide, that accompanied him.

...

"This gentleman has obtained a fairly severe blow to the back of his head. He’s conscious but not entirely... coherent," Lorden stood behind Devi, as patiently as he could manage, as she conversed with an older man.

Good Sylir, please hurry.

Lorden was concerned with both the man that he still carried, and the aching muscles, that he was using to carry the man.

“Yes he’s been drinking. No not a lot. Yes I’m a doctor.” -Lorden made a contemplative, and then a resolved face, and as Devi kept talking, the knight began to heft Orin for a few shaky steps- “The injury’s a little beyond my experience. I was concerned, given what I’ve heard of head-wounds...” the knight listened to the now-familiar voice of the brunet, as he laid his human cargo, on to the nearest open bed.

As the swordsman leaned up, from where he had laid Orin, he took a relieved breath, and rolled his stiffened shoulders. Lorden took a step back, as the man, the 'doctor', that Devi had been talking to, stepped up to the white bed, that he was standing by.

Lorden stepped over to the girl, that had accompanied him to the Waters, as Orin was examined.

"Do ye' think he'll be alright?" Lorden whisper to Devi, with a caring tone lacing his tired voice.

[Orin Fenix]

The Knight seemed to indicate that he was perfectly happy to let Orin stay in his arms but Orin was frowning. Something seemed wrong about that. After all, Orin wasn’t a child and Orin knew how to walk. He was about to voice a protest when they arrived at someplace. There was an older man there and he came over to accost Devi and Lorden. Orin didn’t like the tone this new person was taking with Orin’ new friends and Orin struggled to push himself on his elbows after he was laid on the cot. He failed and just barely caught himself from crashing back down. Orin guessed he would just have to settle for turning his head. However that brought a new wave of agony to his temples so Orin shut his eyes and kept his head carefully trained upwards.

Still, the rude person needed to be told to apologize. Or be nicer. ”You new man be nice to Devi, because Devi is a nice pretty lady and Lorden is a knight.” Orin’s voice came out weakly and breathily, but his tone was unmistakable. Orin could be surprisingly stubborn, apparently, a revelation that surprised him as well as probably everyone else in that room. Orin had to take a tick to examine this part of himself with surprise. He giggled at the thought that this was the time of all times Orin had decided to grow a backbone.

But, although Devi was a doctor and nice and pretty Devi was also wrong. ”Devi is very smart but I didn’t drink. No drinks for Orin. My name is Orin Fenix not just Orin. Why do we need two names anyway? You’d think the one would do it. But no drinks either with one name or two names. See, drinking is bad. Drinking killed my dad. So I don’t do it, much.” If Orin had been at all coherent he would’ve been horrified that he was spilling his personal details to all and sundry, and to complete strangers at that. But right now these were his friends and if the older man was willing to help Orin then Orin was cautiously extending the mantle of friendship to him as well.

But then a sudden thought rushed through Orin’s brain and he started struggling until a firm pair of hands held him down and kept him still. They hadn’t gagged him yet though, so Orin’s mouth was still free. ”Lorden Knight and Devi Doctor get to stay. I can’t, I can’t be alone or the bad man will come for me. I need them here. Don’t make them leave. Please don’t make them leave.” A tear leaked out of Orin’s left eye and he felt the prickle in the back of his eyes that threatened more. But he was still being held down and he couldn’t reach up to wipe it away. So Orin followed it as it traced a path from the corner of Orin’s eye towards his ear. Then wondering why tears fell in different directions distracted Orin. He would think they would all go down one’s cheeks but apparently some tears liked ears.

[Devi]

“I hope so.” She whispered back to Lorden. She hated to admit that head injuries were somewhat of a mystery to her. Sometimes they seemed like any other wound but other times people would deteriorate rapidly, sometimes to the point of death. Orin seemed like he would be ok but Devi found herself eyeing the doctor carefully as he examined his newest patient’s eyes. Devi couldn’t quite contain a light chuckle at Orin’s demands for his doctor to be nicer to her. Here she was marching into another doctor’s infirmary, barking answers at him fairly rudely, and Orin was demanding that she be treated with more courtesy. She leaned closer to Lorden and spoke softly to him, “I appreciate that your concern right now must be to hear what information Orin has to offer but you should be aware that head wounds are unusual injuries. As far as I can tell the danger is minor but there can be side effects – memory loss for one. I’ve known patients wh-“ Devi stopped dead in her tracks as Orin’s words filtered through to her. ”...See, drinking is bad. Drinking killed my dad. So I don’t do it, much.” Dark green eyes zeroed in on Orin, still fidgeting restlessly on the bed as the older doctor attempted to still him. Memories flooded into her mind unbidden and she felt a chill like a slow trickle of ice-water running through her blood in response. For a moment her face was utterly vulnerable to the torrent of emotion such thoughts evoked before she carefully locked it all away again. She blinked a few times, shaking herself mentally, and turned back to Lorden. “I... Uhh...” Composed once more she might be but she had completely lost her train of thought. Fortunately Orin chose that moment to begin another struggle for escape. The Soothing Waters doctor held him down, sighing as he did so. ”Lorden Knight and Devi Doctor get to stay.” She could see panic in the cook’s eyes and impatience in the doctor’s. The latter’s attention kept slipping to the few other patients in the room who had begun stirring at the ruckus. “I can’t, I can’t be alone or the bad man will come for me. I need them here. Don’t make them leave. Please don’t make them leave.” Devi finally snapped herself out of her reverie and moved to Orin’s bedside. She laid a hand against his cheek and carefully focused his attention on her to ensure he would listen and calm himself. “Of course we won’t leave. You don’t need to worry.” She smiled and removed her hand once he had stilled and turned to Lorden, speaking quietly once more and phrasing her words carefully. “He has a point. If the man we met tonight is guilty of what he is accused then he may try to silence any word against him. We should ensure the infirmary is warded against any intrusion.”