章 48: Chapter 36: Choices and Consequences
BANG-BANG-BANG
"Ugh- wait..." Orion groaned, stumbling downstairs inside his Emberflit Alley home with every fiber of his being aching.
BANG-BANG-BANG
"WHO IS-" Orion cursed, quickening his pace. He peered out momentarily before fully opening the door. "Vander? Benzo?"
Orion looked worse for wear. His tired eyes drifted between them as his thoughts swirled through exhaustion.
'What are they- Ah, right...' Orion thought, his grip on the door tightening. He knew he couldn't stop these two behemoths without using magic. Normally, he'd be tossed and played with like paper, and he suspected they thought the same. But did they know of his magic?
'Maybe, I don't know what Vander knows..." Orion mused between the silence and tension.
"You look worse for wear," Vander commented, examining Orions' haggard appearance. "It's only been a few days- doing things you shouldn't be?" His tone carried a hint of knowing.
'Fuck, what does he know?' Orion groaned internally before sighing and stiffly replying, "Yeah...rough times. What are you two doing here?"
Vander shrugged nonchalantly. "We just want to talk. Mind letting us in? These streets are dangerous for old bozos like us."
"We could be mugged!" Benzo added, feigning distress, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Vander chuckled, glancing back at Benzo, "His fat arse couldn't even kick a chemrat nowadays."
"Hey now," Benzo began to protest, but Orion interrupted with a groan like a hungover drunkard, opening the door fully, "Fine. Come in."
The two thudded inside, the floor groaning under their weight.
"Not bad. You've taken care of it," Vander complimented, his gaze scanning the clean living room. Benzo raised a brow, adding, "Is this cause o' those topsiders? Teaching you to keep it tidy?"
Orion shuffled to the kitchen, pouring water into a few cups. "Nah, it ain't any different than the Last Drop. Just keeping it clean," he replied as Vander sat on the couch, it groaning under his weight.
"Got some anger issues, aye?" Vander commented as his gaze lingered on the knuckle dents in the metallic wall.
Orion didn't respond, glancing over his shoulder. They didn't look particularly wary of him, so he concluded at the very least it wasn't urgent. 'It may be serious still,' he thought as he brought the water over.
"No, no, boy. You'll kill us," Benzo joked, shooing away the water. "Our blood runs on alcohol- give us that and we'll croak!"
Shrugging, he placed it down on the table. For many in the Undercity, drinking alcohol felt safer than water.
'There's merit to that,' Orion thought mildly, eyeing the faintly tinged water. 'A no-win situation...'
His gaze shifted back to Vander and Benzo, the dull throb of his headache fading into the background as the real question hung in the air.
"So why are you two here?"
The two tensed slightly, exchanging concerned looks before Vander's gaze fell and Benzo leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
"You've been talking to Silco, kid," Benzo said slowly, the accusation sharp and abrupt.
Vander's eyes snapped up, his expression unreadable as his sharp gaze rested on Orion. "We want to know why. And why you never told us."
Orion stiffened up, his posture and gaze freezing as Benzo piled on. "We know what you've been up to, kid- running topside gigs, pulling in favors- but why Silco? Why the bloody hell him?"
Vander raised his hand, silencing Benzo with a simple gesture, his gaze never leaving Orion.
"It was never intentional," Orion admitted with a heavy sigh. Their sharp, fixed gazes refused to leave him as he continued, "After I met Vi, a lady calling herself C offered me a gig topside at Count Mei's Menagerie."
"I took it. Some Ionians crashed the place and caused trouble, but I made connections with the Kirammans- connections that may be shattered now..."
"This morning, that was you?" Vander's voice cut through the room, his posture straightening as his hands rested on his knees. His eyes glinted dangerously.
Benzo's eyes widened at Vander's words, his glare snapping back to Orion.
"No!" Orion exclaimed, shaking his head and waving his hands furiously. "That lady- C- she kidnapped the Kirammans! She was trying to backstab Silco and break my connections topside to force me onto her side."
Groaning, Orion leaned back, his gaze shifting toward the ceiling as if searching for clarity. "Thanks to her, my relationship with the Kirammans may be ruined. And as for Silco..." He paused, lowering his gaze back to Vander and Benzo, who were locked in a tense stare. "I didn't even know C- or should I say Corina Veraza- was working under him until weeks in."
"Wow..." Benzo glanced back wide-eyed at Vander, his expression incredulous as he commented toward Orion. "You landed yourself in every dangerous and shitty pile there is."
"Aye," Vander muttered, nodding in agreement, though his expression darkened as his brows knitted together. "But why?"
Orion flinched slightly under Vander's sharper tone.
"Why did you continue working for Silco after finding out?" Vander pressed, leaning forward as his voice took on a hard edge. "And why the hell didn't you tell me? You put Vi and Powder in danger by staying quiet- you know how dangerous Silco is."
Orion's jaw tightened slightly, frustration creeping into his voice as he spoke in low tones. "Do you think I wanted to stay involved? People like Silco and C don't just let you walk away. They won't let you."
Running a hand through his hair, Orion's voice wavered, then broke. "Maybe I screwed up. But what was I supposed to do? Tell you? If you found out, what would you have done? Run in swinging? Expose Vi and Powder in the process? I kept it contained!" His voice rose, his composure breaking as tears formed in his eyes.
Vander stood up, his gaze hardening despite tears prickling the edges too as he stepped toward.
Orion continued to shout emotionally, his voice growing louder and more desperate. "I've killed to protect them! I killed Corina to stop it all!" Orion's glare burned with fury, but his vision was blurred and his mind cloudy with emotion. "You should understand! After all, you tried to drown Silco!"
Whack.
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