Private Tales Fragments of Imagination

[Orion]

The stare that Orion cast down at Wynne was one of confusion, concern and unease. To be shown what he had just shown her and not run for her life? To instead offer her hand, offer her friendship to a man she now knew to be an addled and disturbed killer? Perhaps Orion was not the only one who had lost his mind, after all.

Orion did not allow his gaze to linger upon her for long, his eyes cast down to the space between them as he attempted to give his wayward thoughts time to sort themselves, to grasp even the first inkling of a phrase that could express how her offer troubled him.

"I'm unsure of the wisdom in such a friendship, Miss Oster..." Underneath his robes, Orion's left hand reached over to clutch at his right arm, digging his nails into his flesh, using the stinging pain to remain rooted in reality, to assuage the paranoia that threatened to return to him. "I would go so far as to say the wilderness outside would be a safer refuge than this Academy. If I were to lose control, if I were to lash out..."

He gave a brief shake of his head, refusing to entertain the dark thought of committing another such atrocity.

"If I tell you that you must go, you must heed my warning." He cautioned her, hesitantly letting a hand emerge from his robe to take hers, the cold silver of his rings chilling her fingers as he accepted the gesture. "I will do what I can to ensure your safety so long as you need stay here, but... be wary of me, please."

Wynne Oster

 

[Wynne Oster]

Wynne shook his hand, a touch that was warm but also offering a chill all the same. Perhaps it was the accompaniment of his words that gave it such feeling, but she was unaware of how lost he could become. Not having seen it for herself, only the aftermath and remnants, she let her hand fall to her side.

"I can stay?" Her eyes widened for a moment, a small ray of hope shining through but Wynne kept herself composed all the same. "Here in the school... or the town?" She was unsure of this arrangement, having not explored much of the city. She had been curious, not snooping and figuring out what had happened here.

In time, she would learn it all in time. The illusionist looked up at Orion. "Are you able to tell me how it began for you? Is it an affliction that I may develop too?" Was there an unspoken price to the hallucinations and dreams she could sell?

Orion

 

[Orion]

It was unlike Orion to offer any such sanctuary to wayward travelers finding their way into Trastus. Even as her hand so gently took his own he questioned his own reasonings for such a choice. Perhaps he felt kindred to Wynne, connected by their shared abilities. More likely, he was simply too tired to keep pushing people away forever.

"It matters not." Orion failed to provide an answer to her question, slowly releasing her hand and tucking it once more into his robes. Turning on his heel, he again began to slowly ascend the spiralling staircase. "Though this singular tower is the only one that has been inhabited in some time. I'm doubtful you'll find food or amenities anywhere else. You are welcome to try, if you wish."

Orion did his best to keep the other two Towers tidy, but to maintain the entire city was beyond his power. He'd done enough to stop the crumbling buildings and collected the non-perishable food to keep himself alive, but beyond that his efforts were focused solely on the preservation of the Academy itself.

Stopping a short ways ahead of her, Orion turned and cast another gaze back down to his new acquaintance.

"Come. I can at least provide you with some sustenance, if you wish to speak of such matters."

Wynne Oster

 

[Wynne Oster]

She believed his word when he said the town was scarce of anything short of a substantial meal, for she had witnessed how bare the town had been. But he was still alive after these years, and at his invitation, she moved to follow him.

Wynne was quiet, afraid to ask too many questions at first, until interest piqued her again. "Have there been many others coming here seeking treasures they believed to exist within these walls? The tower and the town?" His illusions were large, powerful, enough to instill the quickest fears in anyone. Had he used them before? The serpents knew their way around the towers, the dragon familiar with the skies above.

Orion

 

[Orion]

"Some." Orion confirmed, turning his head to look back at her as they ascended higher and higher towards the tower's apex. "But they either flee, die, or think better of staying after I confront them." Wynne was not the first to try befriending him, was not the only one who'd earned herself temporary asylum in these walls. Inevitably, they all fled, leaving him alone once more.

Well, save for the child. He did wonder when she'd be back around to visit.

"You are, however, the first I've met who shares in my abilities. For better or worse." Orion had led her to the very top of the staircase, a small wooden door perched on the uppermost landing now swinging open before him. He gestured her to follow with a hand, and stepped inside.

It was easy to forget one was in a Tower built for teaching magic once crossing through the door into the quaint little living quarters on the other side. Indeed, Orion's home was built much like a modest cabin on the countryside, rather than the extravagant chamber of a powerful mage. The hardwood floor creaked under his boots, clean save for strange black markings seemingly burned into the floorboards near the middle of the room. The only furniture consisted of a large, cushioned chair, a furnace, some cabinets, and a dresser.

Another door by the furnace appeared to lead to a dimly lit bedroom, with a bath and sink, and another made of glass seemed to open out into the balcony that Wynne had seen Orion perched on when she arrived.

"Sit. I'll find you something to eat."

Wynne Oster

 

[Wynne Oster]

She did not expect his quarters to be as cosy as it presented, but her eyes peered about as if there were trinkets and keepsakes to look over. It was bare, but with all the stone and harshness she had seen of the town and towers, this room was a warmth and comfort.

Wynne turned before the cushioned chair and lowered herself, feeling at ease as this had been the first comfort she had felt since her own cot when she had woken the previous day. She now had the opportunity to watch Orion moved about his home, promising to look for food for her.

"Do you grow your own food or anything out here?" She recalled not seeing any fruit trees or gardens in the town. How did he keep himself fed in the aftermath of what had happened here?

Orion