Orion
Orion leaned back in his chair, basking in the smoothness of his own deflection. Masterful. A chef’s kiss of social maneuvering. He’d have to treat himself to something sweet later—maybe a donut from the cafeteria.
Or, better yet, he could test his luck and portal to some bakery in Terrask. He hadn’t explored the city yet, but a few quick pictures of nearby places should be enough to make an educated guess. Worst case scenario, he’d end up… Well. Let’s not repeat the "bank vault incident." On second thought, yeah. Cafeteria it is.
However, his moment of self-congratulation came to a screeching halt as he caught a whispering exchange between Pamela and Marcel from the corner of his eye. Pamela was looking directly at him, murmuring something in Marcel’s ear like they were plotting his untimely demise. Orion's relaxed posture subtly shifted, his body leaning forward ever so slightly, an edge of concern creeping in. What the heck were they talking about?
Slowly, it dawned on him. Marcel didn’t buy the deflection. And before Orion could course-correct, the princely young man was already turning toward him with a look of disappointing nobility and asking for a word in private.
Great.
Orion sighed inwardly but maintained a mask of polite innocence, ignoring Marcel’s final remarks about overconfidence and self-control. His first instinct? Deny the request outright. Frankly, Marcel was starting to rub him the wrong way. Tsugikuni’s calm concern was cool. Marketable, even. The dashing explorer and his wise, worldly companion who tries to keep him in check? That’s a dynamic with profit potential. Plushies, posters, you name it.
But Marcel? This guy was high up on his horse—so high that Orion couldn’t even see him from the ground. And for what? Being suspiciously noble? Overstepping into conversations that weren’t his? No thanks.
But still… Orion hesitated. Flat-out refusing might draw even more attention. While he was starting to care less and less what Marcel thought of him, he couldn’t say the same for everyone else. Sometimes you have to pick and choose the splashes you make—and at this junction, any more ripples might turn into a tsunami.
Besides, on the off chance he
did need something from Marcel later, outright stonewalling him now would just make negotiations a pain.
Instead, Orion played it carefully. He blinked in apparent confusion, looking around the class as if trying to figure out what he’d missed that warranted a private chat. Then, as though reaching a reluctant conclusion, he let out a small, good-natured chuckle.
“Well, if you’re willing to interrupt class just to get a word in, it
must be important.”
He stood up, stretching slightly before turning toward Mr. Brooke, who—judging by his continued indifference—was entirely unbothered by students having full-fledged side conversations. Orion offered the teacher a sincere-sounding apology, promising they’d be
right back.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, a portal shimmered into existence—leading right to the hallway where Tsugikuni had helped him with his, ahem,
arachnid-oriented predicament.
He gestured for Marcel to step through first, all polite smiles and open gestures. "After you," Orion said smoothly.
As Marcel disappeared into the portal, Orion turned back ever so slightly, locking eyes with Pamela. He sent her a final, fleeting glare that practically screamed:
This ain’t over.
Then, stepping through the portal, Orion clapped his hands together as it sealed shut behind them, cutting off the classroom noise entirely. The silence was instant. The world shrunk down to just the two of them.
Orion put his hands on his hips, tilting his head with an easy-going smile. "Alright, Marcel," he said, his tone casual but calculated. "What’s on your mind?"
A beat passed.
"...If this is about the pineapple on your dresser, I
promise I can explain."
Inwardly, though? Orion was already running the numbers. Resistance this early in his conquest was inconvenient—but useful. The sooner he knew who’d be allies and who’d be obstacles, the better.
Pamela had made her position crystal clear.
Now, it was time to see where Marcel stood.
Interactions: @Inkage (Pamela), @MarcelGalliard790 (Marcel)
