"What's the matter?" The quiet little healer looks up from the file she's been reading through, for the passed twenty minutes, into the eyes of her concerned guardian. He smiles down at her, cradling her cheeks in his hands, rubbing his thumbs gently over her cheek bones. "What's wrong?"
She shakes her head, averting her eyes, if she's not looking into his eye's she won't feel guilty about lying straight to his face. "Nothing's wrong."
"Right," he nods softly. "And, I don't know you like I know the back of my hand." He tilts her head back just a bit more so that their eyes meet again. "Please don't lie to me, I don't like it and I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong, so let's try again?"
"I'm sorry." She blinks softly. "I know you don't like it."
"It's okay, I forgive you, now, tell me what's the matter so I can make it better."
Her face heats up with shame and she pulls her head from his hands. "I can't read all the words."
"You can't read all the words?"
She passes the file over to him, pressing it to his chest, and he reaches up to take it from her at her silent request. Orion shakes her head, looking down at her hands in shame, reaching up gently to rub away a tear as it escapes in her silent shame. She just couldn't remember them, remember how, it was lost to her. She could remember even the smallest of obscure facts but she couldn't remember how to read some words, no matter how hard she tried to sound it out in her head, it was a struggle beyond all struggles.
"I don't know them."
"Well," he reaches out to rub her cheek softly. "That's nothing to worry over. We'll work on it."
She takes his hand tightly, and he raises it to press his lips to the back of her hand. "Please don't tell anyone. Please. It's so embarrassing."
"I take confidentiality very seriously." He smiles down at her gently. "Your secret is safe with me."
His quiet little healer surges forward to hug him, and he huffs at the sudden impact, chuckling softly as he hugs her in return.
…
Inca elbows her in the side softly, having finished reading through her files, preparing to tell her what they said and what needs to be done, when he spots the Virtues enter the Archangel's office and crack the door behind them. Orion turns at his request, rubbing the spot his elbow had made impact, and takes her files back, holding them and the pitcher of water with a practiced sort of ease.
"What did they say?"
He shakes his head, pointing out the Archangel's office, looking up at her with curious eyes. 'What are they saying?'
"I don't know." She shrugs, though her interest is peaked now. "We're too far away."
'We shouldn't listen in, anyway.'
"Right." She turns to stare at the door though, it's like it's calling her name, she has to know what's being discussed in there. "But if they don't know we are, it can't hurt, can it?"
Inca shrugs. 'I wouldn't think so.'
She smiles over at him, nodding in agreement, and they both silently cross the threshold of the Infirmary floor. They both hold a finger up to their lips as they lean close to the door to listen in on the conversation, its that time of the month where the Virtues get together with their Archangel to discuss the patients under their care and the charges under their teaching, and it's a particularly private conversation that they have too.
If they were caught eavesdropping it would mean much trouble for them.
"Araton is working hard. She's coming along greatly. We've managed at least thirty pages in her new journal. With a few mishaps of course."
"Of course, she is much like you were when you were younger, how much longer is she grounded?"
"Two more days. Honestly, it's been more of a punishment for me, she's going stir crazy."
"That's Zed."
Inca nods in acknowledgement.
"Inca is coming along splendidly, his vocal cords were severed but they've healed, though they've healed incorrectly. We're managing small words, some sounds, you should hear him giggle."
Orion elbows her friend in the side, he's blushing a deep amber in embarrassment, elbowing her back.
"Gzel coming alone. She's been using her words more then ever. Nisroc has her coming to work with him every Tuesday and Thursday."
"And Orion?"
"Well, we're still working on a few things."
She tightens her grip on the pitcher, leaning closer to the crack in the doorway, trying to catch every word he says about her.
"She has trouble reading the files, she doesn't understand how to read some of the words, the knowledge has been taken from her by my evil sister. We're working on learning the words again-"
She drops the pitcher, her hands go limp, Inca jumps back from the wave of water splashing over the floor, the ceramic pitcher shattering on impact. His friend turns, before he can stop her, and runs down the hall. He doesn't take the time to think on the conversation stopping silent at the loud crack of the pitcher hitting the stone floor underfoot, as he jumps around, watching his best friend run up the stairs at the end of the hall.
"Inca?" A hand curls over his shoulder and he's turned to face his guardian. Oren looks displeased, his eyebrows scrunched together, his fingers curled firmly around his shoulder. "Were you listening in?"
He bows his head in shame, nodding silently. 'Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have.'
"No, you shouldn't." Oren squeezes his shoulder firmly. "We'll talk about this later."
Ephraim kneels, picking up the broken pieces of the pitcher from the puddle on the floor. "Inca, who was with you?"
'Orion.' He looks down the hall to the empty stairs. 'She was real upset.'
Akriel takes his other shoulder. "Orion was here?" He frowns when the boy nods, squeezing his shoulder, he steps around him and jogs down the hall for the stairs that lead up to the loft above. Constantine watches him go from his position leaning against the doorframe. "Something tells me brother told us something he wasn't supposed to."
…
He jogs up the stairs two at a time, following the damp foot prints on the stone through their lounge and to the back hall that leads to their bedrooms, she has no where to retreat but there, and he knows exactly where he'll find her.
She's stuffing things in a satchel when he turns the corner into their room.
"Rio," his eyebrows scrunch in confusion when he sees what she's doing. "Rio, what are you doing?"
"I'm moving back to the dorms."
"Rio, no, this is your home."
"This was my home." She turns when he comes closer, shoving him harshly in the chest, and he catches her hands. "What happened to 'I take confidentiality very seriously' huh?" She yanks on her hands, trying to pull them from his grasp. "How many other secrets have you told, huh, do you blabber everything to them?"
The specialist tightens his grip on her hands. "Rio, I was just trying to help."
"Let go! You're not stopping me!" She yanks on her hands again. "I don't want your help!"
"Rio, Rio, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told." He tugs on her hands this time. "Please don't go."
"You know, at least I know I can't trust them." This time, when Orion yanks on her hands, his grip releases and she stumbles back. "But you, you, I thought I could."
"And you can, Rio, you can. I made a mistake! I was wrong!"
"You betrayed me!" She turns away from him. "I trusted you!"
The quiet little healer, feeling betrayed and angry, grabs her satchel and curls the strap over her shoulder.
He blocks her path. "Rio, Rio, please. Give me another chance. I was just trying to help you."
"I—I don't know." She wipes a tear away angrily. "You really hurt me."
"I know." He reaches forward to rub her arm and she steps away from him. "I know I did. And I'm so sorry." This time he doesn't try. "Please don't go. Please. If not for me, then for Gzel, you're her best friend. It would destroy her to see you were gone."
She sniffles softly, and he resists the urge to pull her into his arms, she'd only step away again. "I don't want to hurt her feelings."
"Then stay, for her, she needs you."
He felt bad, guilting her into staying with him by using her friendship with her sister, but he was sure she wouldn't have stayed for him alone. Not now. Not until he could fix what he broke.
She drops her satchel. "I'll stay for her." Turning to put her things away again. "But, not for you."
