Chapter Text
Dairon squinted as they stepped outside of their lodging in Nicodranas, briefly bringing their hand up to shield their eyes from the overwhelming sunshine that seemed to illuminate them as soon as they were in sight. They might be an elf blessed by the sun but that did not mean that she wanted it to glare down into her face. But luckily, they had sunglasses to shield their eyes from the worst of it and she readily put them on, a little sigh of relief following as she could finally see. Today was already meant to be a long day, no need to be blind on top of it all.
A small babbling from their chest reminded them that they did have a reason other than leaving for the markets today and purchase something for dinner. Their charge, a small child named Beauregard that had been taken in by the Reserve and then thrust into their care when Dairon was the only one the child didn’t scream around, was due for a checkup by one of the local physicians in town. “At least you aren’t facing the sun.” Dairon mused with a chuckle that was far too fond for their liking and got a tiny gurgle from Beauregard who was safely swaddled in a sling, pressed against their chest and happily laid her ear over where Dairon’s heart was beating.
Really, why the Reserve trusted them with a child was beyond any realm of reason but, it wasn’t so bad thus far. Beauregard liked attention and she was an active baby, making it easy for Dairon to stay active by helping her move around and exercise. She was even, just the tiniest bits, adorable that it made them feel a pang of affection for the curious baby. They shook their head, reminding themselves this was a temporary situation but nevertheless, resettled Beauregard more snugly then headed out into the heart of Nicodranas
“This is the market. It operates at this time every morning, the people here catch their own fish or grow their own crops to sell.” Dairon told Beauregard when she opened her eyes and glanced around them at the bustling market. There were people yelling and they were all pedaling their wares, encouraging passers by to come look at their goods. Distant sounds of haggling were familiar to Dairon after years of wandering around Zadash's Pentamarket. After taking it all in, Beauregard looked up at them like she trusted them with her entire being.
Not a thing they were used to, not in the slightest.
A little noise answered her. “Yes, it is a good business area. The economy is what it is, I'm certain you will get the hang of it as you get older.” They talked to Beauregard as if she were an adult who had opinions. She’d read enough after being trusted with her young charge that it helped a child’s developmental skills. Never mind that there had been a few young Scholars that had giggled at the sight of a respected Expositor hunched over child rearing books with a baby on her lap.
Another babble. “I agree.” Then a squeal. “The apple vendor is not to be trusted.” She was loosely interpreting what each noise meant, yet given that Beauregard had been squinting at the rather shady vendor, they drew a conclusion of what she was trying to convey.
On her way to the physician's office, she did stop by a baker selling pastries and purchased a bran muffin for herself, stopping long enough to let the vendor coo over their “child.” Dairon didn’t even argue but they knew, in their heart, that this was still only a temporary solution. Beauregard was not meant to stay with them. As soon as the Cobalt Soul found a suitable living arrangement for her, then Dairon would pass her over and focus all of their energy on setting up the new branch of the monastery that was in the early stages on the edges of Nicodranas.
No, Beauregard was never meant to be theirs and they had to ignore the small pang that tugged at the inside of their chest and continue forth to the office. Dairon was simply performing the role of a guardian, nothing more, nothing less.
The child managed to sleep a little while longer while Dairon checked in with the receptionist. It wasn't meant to be a long process, just a few simple vaccinations but from their readings, they knew that there was a likelihood for tears later on. She managed to enjoy the peace while it lasted, aware that when Beauregard was awake that she’d want to examine everything within her vicinity. That was an upside to this situation, at least, the child wasn’t hard to entertain and she was more than willing to learn what things were which couldn’t be said of most of the people Dairon had mentored in their years as an expositor.
Her ears caught Beauregard’s name being called and they followed the physician away from prying eyes, getting caught up on what the baby needed to grow up healthy and her chart from Kamordah was horrifyingly slim, meaning they needed to give her most of her booster shots just in case. Dairon still didn't know the specifics of her charge's case, Yudala Fon having told her that she would understand in due time, but listening to the case file was hard enough.
Dairon refrained from snarling at the thought of those abusers that had been taken into custody the same night that Beauregard had been surrendered to the monks posted in her home town. She wished that she could throttle the two of them herself, who on Exandria thought that a baby deserved to be treated like a burden? At least Beauregard was safe without having to worry about those people hurting her or ruining her childhood due to negligence. Still, they couldn’t help but worry about Beauregard’s lot in life after everything settled and she had a proper home, even after her time with them.
None of that now. All of those thoughts were for later, right now they had to do something to give Beauregard a better chance for her adult life. Compared to what she’s already been through, a few standard vaccines shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
Dairon thought their initiation into the Cobalt Soul had been painful. Years upon years of honing their body to the standards of the High Curators and the Expositors who guided her throughout her life. Capture by enemy forces that had tried to break them, been near death enough times that they were feared by many of their fellow monks within the organization and had become somewhat of a legend. They hadn’t wanted any of the attention or the legacy but accepted that people couldn’t always be controlled and her reputation could even be useful in certain situations.
They hadn’t expected how painful it would be to hear their young charge wailing after getting a few immunizations. Beauregard was nigh inconsolable after being given her shots and was hiding in Dairon’s arms, her tiny fists balled up and clenching to their shirt as the physician apologized with an understanding smile before leaving to give them a moment to calm the baby down.
The first thing that came to mind was rubbing her little back, getting Beauregard to focus on her instead of the lingering pain from the pricking of the needles. The second thing they could do was whisper softly to her, try to bring her volume down so she wouldn't scream herself hoarse after the short pain. Dairon had no fucking clue what she was doing, stumbling blind through their own insecurities to try and ease whatever Beauregard was feeling right now. If she knew that she was there for her then maybe it would help...?
It worked like a charm. Wide, tear filled blue eyes focused on their face, small hiccoughs escaping her body as Beauregard reached upwards and grabbed at the sides of their face. Dairon allowed themself a moment of weakness and gently pressed their forehead against Beauregard’s, “You are alright. It was painful, but you will feel that it made you stronger. I promise.” They attempted to soothe her with words, somehow, someway it worked as Beauregard’s eyes closed and she snuggled into their neck, still a little weepy but a lot calmer than she had been a few moments ago.
Pride swelled in Dairon’s chest, an unfamiliar feeling but one they found that they could get accustomed to given time.
After Beauregard cheered up and the sun had risen further in the sky, now hidden by the clouds that rolled on by, they headed back towards the market, stopping occasionally to satiate the child’s need to touch things. At one point, there had been a dog that ran up to them, something Beauregard took absolute delight in when Dairon knelt down to let her pet the wandering black labrador with a silly grin on his face. He had a collar on so presumably he was someone’s pet and the owner wasn’t far behind, but Dairon couldn't help it and allowed this for a moment then gently pulled away. She hushed Beauregard when she complained. “Do not worry, I’m sure you will see more animals before the day is over.” Dairon soothed, feeling a lot more confident after earlier's debacle.
That settled her and they moved on.
At one point, Dairon bartered for some soft bread from one of the local bakeries, getting a lower price than what was stated due to Beauregard apparently charming the baker with her babbling and drooling. They shrugged, if it worked, then who was she to judge? All she could do was tear up a little of the bread for Beauregard to chew on. A disgusting act to watch even if they tenderly cleaned up the baby’s face after she was happily digesting her treat.
“Ah, yes. Utterly charming. Baby drool.” Dairon chuckled to themself, wondering if they’d finally lost it after who knows how long of being calm and collected. However, no matter the drool, it could have all been worse and besides, having Beauregard around hadn't been so bad after all.