Sorcerer Stabber Orphen Fan Fiction ❯ It's in the Family ❯ Chapter5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: The usual, I don't own any of the characters in SSO.

This is set after Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Revenge. This is based off the Anime only and the English ADV versions at that. Warning Spoilers!

Author's note: The language will get rough from time to time as our heroes' frustration level rises and believe me, their frustration level will rise. Also, you will notice that the characters have changed and may be somewhat OOC. Please keep in mind the events that happened in It's in the Blood and remember that will have far reaching effects... that said I am doing my best to keep them in character.

Chapter 5 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following morning, after breakfast, the group followed Orphen's suggestion for another trip to the lake, this time with everyone, including Majic and Hartia. Once there, Cleo watched the play that Majic, Hartia, Leki and Alik were engaging in as she set up the picnic. Orphen, as usual, was watching leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed. It really felt like a typical day of rest that they had engaged in from time to time when they were journeying… well, except for the additions of Hartia and Alik, but they were welcome.

Alik was having a great time, once he found out Leki would chase Hartia and Majic on command. After Cleo started laughing at Hartia for nearly getting nipped on his butt, Hartia taunted her.

"It's better then being blasted."

She arched an eyebrow, "Really?" Suddenly, Hartia realized his mistake, as she said, "Leki, go!"

Alik, along with everyone else, thought that was extremely funny. Giggling, Alik asked, "I wonder if he'll do it for me?"

Glancing at Leki, Cleo heard him question, [Should I?]

Cleo nodded to both Alik and Leki, adding a thought to Leki, [Keep it light. Don't hurt anyone.]

Hartia was just standing up, dusting himself off, when he heard a different, younger voice say, "Leki, go!" Hartia was about to laugh when he noticed the pup move towards him, eyes glowing. Noticing who was standing close to him, laughing, Hartia quickly dashed behind Majic, causing him to take the blast.

Majic stood up, dusting himself off, muttering, "Gee, thanks, Shrimpy." He then exchanged a glance with Hartia. Nodding, they both ran and caught Alik, starting to tickle him so much, he couldn't order Leki to do anything.

After a few minutes, Cleo called a halt to what had degenerated into a wrestling match between Hartia and Majic. She announced that lunch was ready. Alik ate quickly because he wanted to keep playing; however, Cleo made him lie down and rest for about 30 minutes.

After lunch and a quick conversation between Hartia and Orphen, it was announced that Majic and Hartia would take Alik exploring the lakeshore. They set off, with Alik being carried on Hartia's back and Leki trailing at their heels. To Cleo's frustration, the ride out, setting up lunch and eating had worn her out.

When she yawned, Orphen appeared, almost like he'd been watching for signs of her getting tired, carrying a blanket, "Come with me."

She stood and followed him. There, in the shade of some trees, was a bench swing, hanging from a tree branch. "Orphen, it's great. When did …"

"Yesterday. Now, lie down."

"But who? How?"

"I made it for you and Alik. Now use it."

Just then Leki came up, he looked at Cleo and `pathed, [Found something, come.] He turned and started to walk off.

Cleo looked at Orphen and translated, "Come on, they found something."

They followed Leki for a ways when Alik ran up, "Cleo, Orphen, …guess what we found? There's a deck that Hartia says would be used for a tel-telescope." He grabbed Cleo's hand, ready to pull her towards the deck.

"Oh, yeah…I remember. The telescope is probably up in the attic. We used to go look at the stars all the time. Dad drew the different constellations we could see from the deck."

"Let's go get it!" Alik said as he reversed directions and started dragging Cleo back.

"Hold your horses, young man." Orphen called to Alik, stopping his headlong flight with Cleo.

Majic showed up, chasing Alik, and chimed in, "Alik, remember what Master Hartia said. We have a lot of clean up to do on the deck before we can put the telescope up. You've told them, let's get back and finish what we started."

"Cleo, you want to come see?"

"I'd like to…" she trailed off. She was tired and she knew it was a bit more of a walk.

"Jeez! You're hopeless. You want to go, don't you?" Orphen said, exasperated. "Alright." He stood in front of her and stooped slightly. "Climb on."

Leki lead the way as Orphen carried her piggy-back, followed by Majic carrying Alik, and they walked towards the telescope deck. After a few steps, she started talking quietly to Orphen.

"Thanks" she said in his ear. "I… uh… I haven't been there since… since my dad died. It was our special place. Dad built it for me and Mariabella, although Mariabella didn't come out much. There was also a tree house somewhere nearby. I used to come out here all the time when I was upset or…" She paused realizing she'd been bending his ear when he really didn't have an escape. She knew he'd always been uncomfortable when she or Majic talked about their past. "I… you probably don't want to hear about my childhood."

Knowing she couldn't see, he kept the smile on his face that had appeared while she was opening up to him. It felt good that this was a special place for her, too. He muttered, "You might as well go on. It's keeping you awake…for Alik."

"Oh… You... well, fine. Not that you'll pay attention. My favorite times were when Dad could persuade Mom and Mariabella to come out for the day and cap off the night with star-gazing. I used to be pretty good at picking out all the constellations. Now, I only remember my favorites."

They arrived at the deck to see Hartia using his hands to clear away some of the leaves and dirt. Majic and Alik moved to join him, while Orphen, still holding Cleo, stood off to the side, watching, and Leki curled up by Orphen's feet with a tired sigh.

Hartia looked up at the arrival of the group and said, "Krylancelo, this looks like it might be a duplicate of the telescope deck at the Tower."

"Why don't you wait and get brooms before you start clearing the ground?" Cleo suggested.

"This way, we get really dirty, eh Alik?" Hartia shot back.

"Yeah," He said excitedly as he tried to sweep a little of the dirt and leaves away, but only succeeding in getting himself exceptionally dirty. He was having so much fun, the adults started laughing.

Hartia had cleared a large area of the deck, resulting in a huge pile of leaves and dirt stacked up off to the side. He was standing beside it, taking a break, when Alik went up to Majic and whispered something. Majic nodded and Alik started to clear another section of the deck in his unique fashion as Majic moved to stand next to Hartia.

After a little bit, Majic whistled and Alik ran up to Hartia, surprising him off-balance, and Majic finished the job, pushing Hartia into the pile of leaves and dirt. Hartia stood and started to dust himself off, when Alik jumped feet first into the remnants of the pile, showering him in more leaves and dirt.

Cleo was feeling safe and relaxed as she watched over Orphen's shoulder. She laid her head on his shoulder and was quickly falling asleep. Cleo's last thoughts as she drifted off were, `It's good to see everyone happy. This is family, my family.'

Orphen felt her relax and go from holding on to strictly dead weight as she fell asleep. He nodded at Hartia, who was chasing Majic, promising vengeance for the crash into the dirt, while Alik sat in the pile of leaves, laughing.

Orphen walked back to the swing, with Leki following, carefully laid Cleo down and wrapped her in the blanket. Purposely waiting until Leki had jumped up next to her, Orphen then released the special feature he'd added to the swing. Reaching under the seat, he pulled out another rail and latched it onto the front of the swing, transforming it into a cradle. He started it swinging slightly and moved away.

As much as he'd enjoyed the day, he realized that everything was in place to ensure her complete recovery. He could start putting the distance back between them.

He would see to it that she was healed, regardless. That they both were. "I'm going to repair those scars on her …and Alik."

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cleo woke up from her nap to find herself wrapped in a blanket in a cradle. Well, it had been a swing when Orphen showed it to her, but there was now an extra side that had been pulled up to enclose her, Leki, and an extremely filthy Alik, who was sleeping next to her. She looked around and saw Orphen standing nearby, smiling at the sight of the three of them.

Cleo tried unsuccessfully to get out of the swing. Orphen lifted her out, leaving Leki and Alik still in the cradle.

"Thank you," she whispered and not seeing anyone else around, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek, blushing slightly. "Um..I do have two legs that do still work, so let me down, please."

"Hmm, you can count, that's good, but we'll see if your brain works that well with runes."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to start teaching you a few of the sorcerer runes."

"Y..you are?! Wait a minute, this is just a way to keep me distracted while I heal, isn't it?"

Orphen looked a little guilty but before he could answer, she continued. "Well, I'm not going to try to dissuade you as I've wanted to know a little bit about them. You know, I always get bored when you and Majic discuss them. Who knows, I might even be able to help out with...." She was stopped in her ramblings when his lips covered hers quick, light kiss.

"You talk to much sometimes." He said softly with a smile, taking the sting out of his words as he set her on her feet. "How'd you like the swing?"

"It's great, but a cradle, Orphen?"

"I didn't want any of you to fall out. You know how klutzy you are."

"Not when I'm asleep, but thanks, anyway." She looked around again and realized the rest of the group was gone, not just out of sight. "So where'd the other two go?"

"Back to the house. We're starting to work with Majic on healing and teleport magic. Hartia's better at healing magic, so he's starting Majic's lesson. I'll be taking over when we get back, but I decided to stay and watch over the invalids."

"Invalids. We're not…..oh, sometimes you're completely unbelievable. And Orphen, couldn't someone have washed him up some?" She gestured, towards Alik, who was covered head to toe in dirt.

"Come on, let's get back." Orphen said. He unhooked the railing and folded it back to the bottom of the swing. He then picked Alik up and started walking toward the wagon, which was waiting for them, followed by Cleo and Leki. Once Alik was situated in the wagon, Orphen turned to go back and get Cleo, only to find she was right behind him. He lifted her up into the wagon and Leki jumped up beside her. Orphen signaled the servant to head back to the house as he climbed in.

She snuggled up next to him, testing his resolution to push her away. `Oh, well, I can indulge myself this one last time.' He took her in his arms, wishing there was a better way. `I have to protect myself. I can't let her get any closer, or I'll end up hurt again.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few days later, Orphen had been putting his plans in effect and pushing Cleo away, very successfully.

"What time are we going to the lake this afternoon?" She asked hesitantly. These days, she never knew what to expect in the way of a response whenever she actually had a chance to talk to Orphen. He'd taken avoiding her to new levels in the last few days. She was very confused and didn't know what to make of the changes. She saw his eyes narrow and thought, `Ooops, he's about to shout. I wish I knew what I did.'

"We're not."

"What? You said this morning that we would go. I promised Alik."

"We're not going. I've got to work with Majic on the healing and teleporting spells, so we're not going."

"Yes, we are. Even if it's just Alik, the wolven and me!"

"Listen, I said we aren't going. I'm not saying it again. Besides, you still have to study the runes some more."

"I've been making very good progress, Hartia said so."

"And who's your teacher?"

"Um....you."

"And I say you still need work on the runes, so no lake till you've improved on the runes."

He stood to exit the room.

"If I need so much work, why are you leaving, Teacher?" She spat the word 'teacher' out with venom in her voice.

"You need practice, not additional instruction."

"I've been practicing. I got everything right when you tested me, even the stuff from yesterday. I'm going to the lake."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever."

"Oh....you're driving me crazy. You say one thing, then do another. Alik and I are going to the lake and then I'm going to get my mother to take me shopping!" She stood up and stormed out of the room.

She completely missed the slight smile on a certain black-haired sorcerer's face, 'That makes 35. The brat is back, but if you think you're going to the lake and shopping you're wrong. This makes keeping my distance easy.' The smile quickly faded as he added, 'Who am I kidding? I was the one looking for her, to pick a fight, just to see her, to be near her.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, Mariabella answered the door when Azalie arrived. She explained that she was there for a brief visit with Krylancelo.

"I think he just went into the study. Come with me, please."

The door was open, so they overheard the conversation taking place between Cleo and Orphen. When Orphen announced that the trip to the lake was canceled, Mariabella looked surprised. She knew Orphen had arranged the wagon and picnic basket for the trip that morning. It was a pretty day and the weather didn't look like it was going to change, she thought, `I wonder what brought that on?'

Azalie had positioned herself so she could not only hear, but see in the room. As the fight reached it climax, she watched Cleo storm out of the room and Azalie couldn't help but think, `What a brat! What does he see in her?' She grew angry when she noticed the expression on his face after Cleo'd left the room. An expression, Azalie could only describe as hurt. `Now that he seems interested in settling down, I need to find a nice girl at the Tower for him, rather than that little brat."

Once the way was clear, she entered, "Good morning, Krylancelo."

Orphen looked up in surprise at his sister's voice. "Hi, Azalie."

"I came by to check on everyone and to get an update on how the rune instruction was going. I'm guessing not well, considering the scene I just witnessed."

"She's picking it up a hell of lot faster than I expected. We're 30 pages in already." Orphen announced proudly. No matter how he felt and how he needed to keep her at arms length, he was proud of how she was doing.

"Didn't you just tell her she needed more practice?" Azalie said, pointing out the contradiction between what he just said and what she had overheard.

"I don't want her to get cocky. She doesn't need to know how well she's doing." Inwardly, Orphen winced. `Thank God it wasn't Hartia or Tistiny who witnessed that. They wouldn't accept that answer.'

"Then….what…oh….never mind, your student. I've got the student update, what about everything else? Any new information? How are Majic's translations and copies going?"

"Slower than we expected. Hartia and I have been focusing on teaching him teleporting and healing magic. We feel that when we travel again, that will be essential."

"I can understand waiting on the healing magic, but Orphen, he should have been started on teleporting a long time ago."

"As you said earlier, MY apprentice."

"You didn't teach him teleporting because you don't like it, isn't that true? That's going to cause some problems. That concentration is needed later on when he starts…"

"Is there another reason you're here, Azalie? I've given you your update." Orphen glanced out the window. "I've got to catch up with the others, who are going to the lake now. Join us if you must, but don't question her." As he started to exit the room, he added, "Don't you need to get back to the Tower? Don't you have a child to watch over? Speaking of which, how is he?"

"Thanks for the generous offer, but I do need to get back. As for Childman, he's fine. I'll tell him you asked about him and you can see for yourself in a few weeks."

Orphen snorted as he started to leave the room and thought to himself, `As if a two-year-old will care.'

"Krylancelo, wait." He paused at the doorway, knowing what was coming, "Little brother, about the other night…."

"You're forgiven. Leave it."

With a sigh of relief, Azalie muttered, "That was easier than I expected."

"I let you off easy because it was mistake." He looked back at her, "Wasn't it?"

"Of course, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"I know. That's why you're forgiven. Go back to the Tower, Azalie. I'll see you later." He left to join the others.

Azalie sat there for a moment to collect her thoughts before teleporting back to the Tower.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that afternoon at Majic's lesson, Hartia was starting in on teleporting, since he and Majic had gone over healing basics over the last few days.

"Okay, we are going to start with the basics for teleporting."

"I hope I'm ready for this." Majic muttered.

"You are. If you weren't, neither Krylancelo or I would be teaching you these spells."

"I won't disappoint either of you."

"Of course not, whose apprentice are you?" Came Orphen's voice from behind them. "Just do your best. Teleport and Heal are very challenging spells to learn initially."

"Master, when did you get here? I thought you were still at the lake with Miss Cleo and …"

"Did you really think I'd abandon my apprentice in his hour of need? So, Let's see what Hartia has taught you so far, so I can correct it."

"But shouldn't someone…."

"The Wolven and Leki are there." Orphen bit off curtly. Orphen then added in what Majic internally referred to as his teaching tone, "Now, where were you in the lesson?"