[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/rFqmKNsx/Orion-Nightingale.png[/img][/center][sub]Interactions:[@PrinceAlexus] Sya [/sub][hr]
[indent][color=#ffffff]Sya’s confused words created a calm look on Orion’s face, and the corners of his smile softened into a kinder expression.[/color][color=#0054a6] “Kira, an egg?”[/color][color=#ffffff] he asked again, both curious and entertained. [/color][color=#0054a6]“A hard shell, you say, protecting her yolk from bad spoons? You’ve got a way with metaphors, Sya.” [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Not that he didn’t understand what she was trying to say.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Orion pondered the comparison, discovering a surprising understanding in Sya’s tipsy insight. Kira’s stoic exterior wasn’t unfamiliar to him; it was a shield forged from pain and necessity. He understood the layers she kept hidden—the soft, vulnerable core that feared exposure, much like anyone who had endured hardship. Protecting that fragile yolk, as Sya had put it, wasn’t just survival; it was self-preservation. Yet beneath that shell, he suspected, lay someone worth knowing.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]He took a quick look at Sya, noticing how her large blue eye caught the soft light from the nearby fires. He couldn't help but wonder if she understood just how perceptive she could be, even when she had a bit too much to drink. After a brief pause, he spoke up, his tone reflective, [/color][color=#0054a6]“So, you mean she’s protecting herself,” [/color][color=#ffffff]he clarified. [/color]

[color=#0054a6]“Protecting herself from the outside world, from other people, and perhaps even from her own feelings,” [/color][color=#ffffff]he added slowly. [/color][color=#0054a6]“But you’re suggesting that over time, she will learn to trust again and let her defences come down, allowing her heart to open. That’s... a strangely beautiful way to describe it, Sya.”  [/color][color=#ffffff]He paused once again, his eyes wandering to the sparkling snow beneath his feet, this time lost in thought. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]In the background, the town square hummed softly, filled with the joyful sounds of laughter and the comforting warmth of crackling fires, creating a pleasant contrast to the serene silence they were experiencing together. Orion found himself drawn back to their conversation, curious to delve deeper into his companion’s thoughts, but just as he was about to speak, Sya took him by surprise with her bold gesture. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]He softly placed his fingers on the spot where Sya had kissed him, feeling a wave of emotions wash over him like a sudden storm. This gentle touch sparked memories of his past, a time he was still struggling to move away from. As he opened his mouth to speak, the words [/color][color=#0054a6]“I—” [/color][color=#ffffff]formed on his lips, but he hesitated, caught in a delicate dance between the sweetness of this moment and the weight of his recent heartbreak. His jaw clenched slightly, and his deep crimson eyes shone with a whirlpool of feelings he couldn’t fully understand, ultimately causing him to lower his hand back to his side as if waving a white flag amidst a battlefield of emotions. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]His emotions were clearly deep and tangled as Sya suggested, like many layers stacked upon one another. As Orion carefully unwound her tail from his legs, his large hand inadvertently brushed against her smaller one. The instant of contact sent a tingling sensation through him, akin to a spark igniting the quiet night. Though the touch was fleeting, it felt like an unfathomable depth he hadn’t experienced in far too long. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Intimacy, even at this small degree, had become a stranger to him, wandering far away into the past and seemingly getting lost there. Orion caught himself lingering for just a moment too long before stepping back, creating a polite but unmistakable space between them. His crimson eyes softened as he studied his companion, a possible friend, a flicker of something tender crossing his face.[/color]

[color=#0054a6]“It is not my desire nor inclination to…take advantage. So…there’s no need to be sorry, regardless,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Orion said softly, gesturing for her to continue while slipping his arm back into hers. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]The two friends continued on their path, the lively noises of the town square fading behind them and replaced by the soothing embrace of the inn’s gentle light. The Eye of the Beholder rose ahead, its windows shining softly like fallen stars, casting a warm glow on the snow-covered ground, which sparkled as if sprinkled with diamonds. As they drew nearer, the sound of laughter and faint music seeped through the cracks in the heavy wooden doors,  welcoming them back to the heart of the settlement. Orion glanced down at Sya, his expression touched with the faintest hint of a smile. [/color]

[color=#0054a6]“Your tower awaits, Lady Sya. And do promise to have Becky look out for you for awhile till you're...better. Please.” [/color][/indent]