[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/0CZnHYX/Orion-removebg-preview.webp[/img][/center][sub]Interactions/Mentions:[@The Muse] Kira, [@PrinceAlexus] Sya [/sub][hr]
[indent][color=#ffffff]Orion accepted the bottle from Kira with a subtle nod, feeling the weight of her gaze rest on him as he lifted it to his lips. Her amber eyes held a spark of playful challenge, her presence enticing, magnetic even, drawing his attention in a way that unsettled him just enough to make him pause. He hesitated, his gaze drifting to the spot where her mouth had touched the bottle. It was a detail he knew shouldn’t matter—a triviality he would typically dismiss without thought. Yet here, it did. 

That slight, unbidden awareness lingered, unexpected and oddly compelling, stirring something within him that he wasn’t entirely prepared to examine right then and there.[/color]

[color=#ffffff] He finally took a sip, the wine’s warmth blending with the natural heat of the springs.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The pause that followed then felt significant. His gaze met Kira's, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly in a silent acknowledgment of her curiosity—a curiosity that was more direct than he’d anticipated. It wasn’t often that someone pried, however lightly, into the bond between him and the prince. He set the bottle down beside him, leaning back slightly as he allowed himself to consider her words.[/color]

[color=#0054a6]“The Prince is… resilient,”[/color][color=#ffffff]  he replied after a moment, each word carefully chosen. [/color][color=#0054a6]“He’d manage, even if I were to disappear for a night or two.” [/color]

[color=#ffffff]The truth was far more complex, of course. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]His loyalty to the prince went beyond simple duty; it was forged in hardship, and Orion’s role as protector had become inseparable from his identity. The bond between the two was not one of mere service but of unspoken trust, a connection deeper than the expectations others might place on a noble advisor.[/color]

[color=#0054a6]“The prince… he saw potential in me when others didn’t. Especially after….well, after I changed,”[/color][color=#ffffff] he continued, the words drawn from a place he rarely shared with anyone. [/color][color=#0054a6]“Not everyone would trust a blight-born, yet he has.”[/color][color=#ffffff] He didn’t mention how that trust had kept him anchored, a quiet certainty that pulled him back from the brink when isolation threatened to become all he knew. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]The prince’s acceptance had been more than a gesture.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]It was the reason Orion still stood here, a silent reminder of who he could be despite what he had become.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]He let his gaze drop, the memories settling over him like a heavy cloak, almost tangible in their gravity. [/color][color=#0054a6] “There was a time I didn’t even trust myself, not fully,”[/color][color=#ffffff] he admitted.[/color][color=#0054a6] “The change was… more than I’d anticipated, and the darkness felt stronger than I could control. To the world, I was something to be feared, something monstrous. But him—he didn’t even flinch.” [/color][color=#ffffff]He allowed himself a brief, quiet smile, one that faded as quickly as it had appeared. [/color]

[color=#0054a6]“The prince believed in me before I believed in myself,”[/color][color=#ffffff] he continued, his tone quiet but resolute. [/color][color=#0054a6]“And that’s something I won’t forget.” [/color][color=#ffffff]In fact, the prince’s unwavering belief in him had become a kind of redemption, a chance to reclaim the parts of himself that the blight hadn’t taken.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]His gaze drifted to the sky, where stars blinked coldly against the endless dark, untouched by earthly burdens. For a moment, he let himself lose focus, recalling those early days of transformation when everything had felt chaotic, fractured, the blight a force within him that was as foreign as it was consuming. The cold brilliance of the stars reminded him of that isolation, of the silence that had once seemed all-encompassing. But something here, something in this very moment, was different. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Kira and Sya’s subtle companionship—together, they brought him back, grounding him in a way that felt strangely comforting.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Turning his attention back to the two women, he allowed a softness to enter his voice, his tone carrying a note of genuine curiosity. [/color][color=#0054a6]“And what about you?” [/color][color=#ffffff]he asked, glancing between Kira and Sya. [/color][color=#0054a6]“Do either of you have any past connections that you still treasure?”[/color][color=#ffffff]He knew his question was intimate, perhaps even bold, but he sensed they might share more in common than just the blight that marked them. [/color][/indent]