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A blizzard roars outside as Orion sits in his room, eating dinner. The faint sounds of the rest of the house talking and eating in the living room trickles up through the floorboards. The hearth on the first floor works overtime to keep the house relatively warm. The furniture in his room creaks under the strain of the cold. Orion silently eats, letting his senses absorb his surroundings. While the wind raged, the snow dampens the sounds of New Forge and keeps its occupants inside. He lets himself relax by a hair.
The lightest footsteps creep up the stairs outside of his room. He perks up slightly, turning his head towards the door. They stop at his door and a quick set of quiet knocks rap against it. Orion secures the cloth over his nose and slides on his helmet. Standing up, he takes two strides for the door, securing the helmet as he steps. When he opens the door, pressure swings the door open wider, and Nora dashes inside. In one moment, she steps around the door and silently pushes it closed. Orion steps back, surprised.
“I–Nora?! What–” Orion says, keeping his voice low. He listens for the rest of the house. Do they know she’s here? Did she sneak in? Did she break in? The snow’s two feet high, how did she get here? “How did you get up here?”
Nora turns, flashes a smirk, and vanishes. She steps around him, and if his senses had not been enhanced he would have no idea where she is. Orion chooses to pretend to not know where she moves to with her catlike grace. Stepping behind him, Nora reappears.
When the rest of the house does not stir from their usual conversations, Orion breathes, “I forgot you could do that. How did you get up here?”
“Invisibility is the oldest trick in the book darling,” Nora chuckles as she finishes her revolution around him, “Don’t tell me you're getting slow now?”
“I thought you liked to keep things interesting, not rely on the known.”
“Can’t I appreciate the classics?”
Orion almost rebuttals, but he pauses. The cold outside is potent, putting a halt to everything in New Forge, and Nora relies on movement. Orion continues, “What do you need, Nora?”
“Company,” Nora answers, her words coated in honey, “Have you looked outside? There’s a blizzard out there, thought you’d enjoy someone warm?”
“Exactly, there’s a blizzard out there,” he echoes, “You should be hunkered down inside until the storm passes. You will freeze to death out there.”
“This is inside is it not?” Nora says as she gestures around to Orion’s room. Her hands stop at the part of the wall connected to the delicate crystals that hold the brunt of keeping the cold at bay while the hearth warms the inside. She chuckles, “And you and I both know I can’t stay down long.”
“So, you need a place to stay.”
“I have myself handled, Orion.”
Orion sighs and sits back down, placing his elbow back on the table. He sees the pale blue on the tips of her ears and the deep purples dusted on the lining of her lips. He notices she holds herself at an angle to where anyone that isn’t him could not see the shivers that danced across her skin. He pinches the section of his armor where his nose would be, “I- you can stay. Just stay subtle.”
“Thank you, Orion,” Nora replies, hiding relief in the delicate layers of her voice. She walks over to his side and rests her cheek on the side of Orion's helmet, warmed by his body heat. “You should finish your food before it gets cold. The night is ripping the heat out of everything.”
Orion looks up at her, letting her shuffle in closer. “Can’t eat through the slit in my helmet. Not soup at least.”
“I can simply not watch you eat, bundle up under your covers and warm up in the meantime.”
He pauses, closing his eyes and exhaling. After a few moments, Orion whispers, “What is everyone doing downstairs? Are they setting things on fire?”
“Well,” Nora giggles, “When I walked past them they were huddled in blankets around the hearth. There were a few board games, hot mugs, and I think your Artificer was asleep on the couch. If I were to guess– they’re too cold to cause issues. Pyero, avarla lahem Hakaran. ” (But, we are from Hakaran)
Orion considers, listening to the rise and fall of Nora’s for a couple breaths, before reaching up and taking off his helmet. Placing it on the table next to him, he sighs with a low, inaudible yet dry chuckle, “You’ve seen me before.”
Nora closes her eyes and turns for the bed, “What are you eating anyway.”
“Mythra got her hands on some beef and I try to keep root vegetables in the house since they’re a lot cheaper than buying bread or flour,” Orion replies as he grabs his spoon again, “I do not remember what she called it, but it tastes good. She prefers baking, but she’s a good cook.”
Nora spins back around. She keeps her gaze from directly at his face but close enough to reach down and extend her hand. “Can I try some?”
Orion hands her his spoon. She takes it and scoops up one of the pieces of meat and broth. After blowing on it, Nora eats it. The meat is tender and the broth full of flavor, the warmth chasing away the edge of the cold in her stomach. Her eyes widen and she exclaims quietly, “Oh, that is good! Does she cook often?” Nora turns the spoon’s handle back towards him.
Orion takes it, “She does sometimes, the house mostly fends for themselves. Ocelot got his hands on relatively fresh beef and Mythra offered.”
“Mythra is the purple tiefling and Ocelot is the…”
“Orc,” Orion answers, “Have you eaten?” He looks up at Nora’s face and sees her lips quirked at an angle. “You haven’t, have you?”
Nora looks to the side briefly. A flash of surprise and embarrassment crossing her face. “It’s not that obvious is it.”
“You chew the inside of your cheek when you're hungry.”
Nora shakes her head, some of her hair tossing from her face, “Oh hush, the blizzard has everyone inside and merchants off the street. I had breakfast.”
Orion stands up and extends a hand towards the chair. He can feel the lie in his stomach. “Then have mine.”
“Orion–” Nora says, slightly surprised– “It’s your food.”
“I’ve eaten well recently, and it’s cold out.” It is his turn to lie, “Eat, it’ll help you warm up.”
“I can’t–”
“–I ate earlier, nitiz yishov. ” (You need to eat.)
Nora looks up at Orion. She searches them for a breath and a half before letting the rest leave in a sigh, “You’re lucky I can't say no to you.”
She takes a seat and tries to pretend that she isn’t as hungry as she is. He sees her chain back eagerness as she takes the warm bowl in her hands. She lets her fingers remain against the wood for precious seconds before taking the spoon. After the first two bites, the hesitance is gone and she eats it all. Orion gives her space.
As she finishes, Orion speaks softly, “You know why I can’t have you here. It would be an entirely different story if you did not regularly associate with the people I need to keep him away from.”
“Orion–” Nora starts. She turns to face him, letting her eyes fall on his unhidden face. Her gaze traces briefly over scars before falling into those deep blue eyes. Heat coats her face and she looks down. “I– if it helps, at least for tonight, none of my little birds are in New Forge. They were chased out by the cold and I came here unseen. Only the gods know I’m here.”
Orion purses his lips, “And I do.”
Nora cracks a small smile and an odd sense of sheepishness grips her, “I don’t mind keeping it that way, at least for tonight.”
“Nora–”
“I’ll keep my hands to myself,” Nora says, looking back up at him. Promise sits firmly in her words. “I’ll be… honest.” She stands up and takes a step forward, standing mere inches from him. “Until this blizzard fades.”
Orion meets her gaze and cannot help but soften. He can see the water droplets from melted snow in her hair flicker the candlelight on his desk. Warm yellow flame dances along. A sigh whistles from his lungs as he caves.
“You’re going to get me in trouble one of these days kyaki ruvase la i . ” (My sweet flame)
Light and playful laughter spills from Nora’s lips. Relief, open and bare to the world, skips from her. Her sense of pride tries to bury it. Nora leans in and retorts, “One of these days?! It seems I need to improve my game. Becoming complacent with me are we, Ori?”
“Oh, you have caused me plenty of trouble let me assure you,” Orion chuckles, seeing the game set in front of him. He, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, shifts her up closer to his chest. “You're lucky the gods have taught me patience.”
“You are patient, pezhla, your patience is shorter than I am tall.” (Please)
“Didn’t know you’ve grown recently, could’ve fooled me.”
“I do so regularly.”
“Then, how do I keep catching you?”
“Maybe I want to be caught. If I truly didn’t want you finding me, you would never know I was there.”
“You must be an excellent actress, since your surprise and total shock each time I catch you appears very authentic.”
Nora wiggles from his arms and gives a small bow, “Well, I aim to impress.”
Orion cannot help but let a chuckle, and, like a stream into an ocean, it flows into a laugh. He covers his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to muffle himself. Nora, at the sight, bursts into laughter as well. Both quickly stifle their laughter. Both listen for the others on the floor below and both hear nothing.
“Sh- Shush,” Orion hisses, trying and failing to sound stern, “I’d rather not the entire house know you’re here.”
“Are you embarrassed of me?” Nora says as she pulls herself together. She spins, her hair flowing behind her, and gracefully lands on his bed.
Orion rolls his eyes. He walks over to his bed and sits down. Nora squirms up next to him and taps one of the straps of his armor. “When was the last time you’ve been out of this thing?”
“Yesterday, when I cleaned it,” Orion replies. He pretends to ignore Nora subtly unbuckling his rerebrace. When it comes loose Nora’s arms buckle for a moment. The metal hits his gauntlet with a clash. She freezes and blinks up at him.
“I keep forgetting how heavy these pieces are.”
Orion rolls his eyes, again. “It’s armor, it’s metal.”
“Oh shush.”
Orion reaches over his shoulder, and, in one movement, undoes his shoulder plate. Then the other, then the rest of his armor is placed quietly on the floor next to him. The moment the last piece of armor is sitting on the floor, with a laugh, Nora swings her leg over his waist and sits firmly on his thighs. Orion’s eyes briefly go somewhere they shouldn’t before he locks eyes with her. Nora places her arms on his shoulders. She smirks and Orion can’t help but feel caught.
“I- Nora, you- you have ulterior motives don’t you?” Orion says as Nora’s smirk widens.
“When do I not~?”
Orion looks at her, at the door, and then back at her. He listens again. The house is full of clinking glasses and open laughter. Those that are awake are absorbed in their merriments. Weighing his options, he sees Nora quirk her head to the side and raise an eyebrow. Orion looks again where he shouldn’t and accepts defeat.
“Ronyana syan korezi him, at least let me actually sit on my bed instead of holding you up over the side.” (Gods damn it)
Nora’s smirk turns to a victorious smile as she hops off him. He shifts back until his back is against the pillows and headboard. Grabbing the layers of blankets, he untucks the covers and invites her under. Nora wiggles up against him and Orion wraps them both in the warmth of the layers of fabric. Nora twists around and runs her hands up his chest. Right as her nails touch his neck, she crosses her arms and rests her chin on them. She looks up at him through lidded eyes and smiles like the cat that ate the canary. The light of the candle glints off those eyes.
Orion can’t help but feel his breath catch in the back of his throat.
“Yezli tsihe i imase, ane i? ” (If I stay quiet, can I?)
“Nora…”
“Your house is busy playing board games and getting drunk by the fire. Centurion is watching them,” She pulls herself forward, and presses her nose into the side of his neck. Nora coos, “Pezhla, ti faz luvka munpi. ” (Please, you're very warm)
Gods dammit.
“I… vahoz inove chanor tyanina etalose sizh kyuran nivav. ” (I… just wait until the nosy ones go to sleep)
“Tsentiz la arra, Ori.” Nora says, triumphant. (Thank you)
Orion reaches around and places his hand on the small of her back. He sighs and murmurs, “av sov. ” (You're welcome)
Nora leans off the bed and reaches for her bag. Shuffling through her belongings, she wraps her fingers around the neck of a wine bottle and places it on the table next to them. The bottle reflects and glows a warm red from the candle behind it. Nora continues fishing around and retrieves two small glasses. She smiles down at him.
Orion rests his head back into the pillow. He sighs, “Do you want me unconscious now?”
“That’s why the cups are tiny, kirasivpi . I know what I’m doing.” (Handsome)