Sorcerer Stabber Orphen Fan Fiction ❯ Satin Blaze ❯ Petty Reasons ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Illianaka 
Bagup thinks about his deceased wife, and Orphen finds out something he didn't want to know.
Anime/Manga: Sorcerer Stabber Orphen Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.08.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 331 | Status: Work In Progress
Bagup thinks about his deceased wife, and Orphen finds out something he didn't want to know.
Anime/Manga: Sorcerer Stabber Orphen Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.08.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 331 | Status: Work In Progress
:: Satin Blaze ::
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Sequel to Velvet Flames
Disclaimer: I don't own Sorcerous Stabber Orphen or any of the characters mentioned.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Orphen+Azari, Hartia+Krylancelo, Rai+Hartia, eventual Orphen/Majic
Warnings: AU, possible shounen ai, dark issues, angst, drama
Notes: Um... it's a little short. ^^;; I'm sorry! But at least I got it done, ne? ^^;; Um... Not much to say this time. This chapter's basically just background story stuff, so it might be boring. I'm sorry!!
Sunlight streamed through the dusty windows, giving the classic dining room a warm, homey look and feel. The wooden furniture didn't gleam, for polish was hard to come by in this town, but it was clean and did look nice. Every single chair and table in this room, he had carved it all from scratch. Over the years he had made and remade it all... And now it was, to him, perfection.
With both customers and his son gone, it seemed all too quiet to Bagup. Quiet... Just as quiet as it had been for those five years his son had been gone, studying at the Tower of Fangs.
Quiet, just as it had been after his wife had died.
Bagup stopped pumping water into the basin; it was deep enough to wash dishes in now. Carefully, so as not to break the plates his wife had made herself, he piled the dirty dishes and utensils into the basin before rolling up his sleeves, grabbing a cloth and some soap, and he began his work.
Clink. Clink. Clatter. Clink.
The aging man closed his eyes briefly, thoughts meandering to his deceased wife. She had certainly been a character! It had been hard to tell she was a sorceress; anyone that just met her wouldn't be able to tell the difference. She had manners, not perfect of course, but she knew where the lines were drawn. She had cared deeply for children, none more so than their own son. But because of her love for children she had been exposed.
She used to babysit for the local mothers. One day she had been watching over a set of twins and had taken them out to the nearby molasses shop to buy them some candy before their mother came home. She and Bagup had only just been married for two months and she was expecting a child of her own soon.
The twins were a rambunctious pair. Twice they ignored her warnings not to play in the street whilst she bought the molasses and small mint-flavoured candies. Once they ran straight into an oncoming carriage, and had she not used her teleporting spell to grab them and take them out of harm's way they might have been injured, possibly dead.
Of course, none of the villagers saw it that way. To them, she had purposely let them play in the street, hoping to save them and look like a hero. Her pleads of innocence had gone ignored, but since most of the villagers were against killing another human being, sorcerer or no, they had killed the next best thing-- Her child.
Bagup had feared his wife wouldn't recover, but not three months later she was pregnant again. This time she delivered a healthy baby boy, whom she named Majic. It seemed she was determined to prove that even though she was a sorceress, she was still a good person.
It worked, and yet it didn't. No one detested Majic; he was an unbelievably well mannered, sweet and an adorable child. He showed no signs of being able to use magic and was smart for his age so that he was ready to begin the first grade when he turned four. He'd been accepted... But Marissa had not.
One night when out on a stroll she got caught in the rain. Naturally, she'd gotten a cold the next day, but had refused to rest. There were things to be done; the tavern was in the middle of indoor reconstruction and to her, rest was not an option. Even a day or two of it could set them behind. It would have, but she had worked through it all.
The illness hadn't taken leave, though, even after she seemed to get better. Instead, if infested and grew, getting worse, eating her from the inside out. The morning they had gotten news of Majic being accepted into the local elementary school she had collapsed. At first it had just seemed like happiness, for she had been working so hard to have her son be accepted into society even if she could not be, but she had been burning with fever.
Doctors refused to help the sorceress. If she was sick, then she could heal herself, right?
She was too weak to use her powers. It had gotten to the point where she would cough up blood. Bagup had stayed with her as often as he could, Majic even more so. The little boy had obviously been worried for his mother. He would stay at her side all day. The first time she had coughed up blood Majic had screamed, but when his parents explained everything to him he had eventually come to accept it all quietly.
Of course, he had cried first. He had said it was impossible; his mother couldn't die; she was too perfect for it. Even the angels couldn't touch her... But eventually it had sunk in that she was not, in fact, immortal... And that she would die soon.
The memory of the day she died was crisp and clear in Bagup's mind. It had been cloudy out, without rain, and the air cool and damp, making it easy for Marissa to breathe her last breath. She had given Majic her wedding band for a momento, not wanting him to forget her. Her last breath, though, had been for her husband. A simple, "I love you" and then she was gone.
Whilst the two Lyn males mourned, the villagers rejoiced. The local sorceress was gone. They could sleep peacefully now.
Such words had and still did disgust Bagup. She hadn't done a thing to them, not a single thing. They were so fearful of her that they had ignored all the other horrible non-sorcerers... Killers, thieves, illegal drug dealers, they all paled in comparison to the sorceress that had never caused any harm.
She had been banned from one town and the next, simply because she practiced black magic. Then she'd come to Totokanta, where nobody knew her face or reputation, and had been accepted for being such a wonderful person. She had gotten married, and then only Bagup knew of her secret. Once everyone else found out, they had not only wanted to kill her child, they wanted to kick her out.
But her husband refused to abandon her, even in death. He had stood up for her. That was the only reason she had been able to stay; Bagup was a successful inn owner. Losing him would mean losing a big part of the tourism, because passers-by needed a place to sleep and Bagup's was the only in the town.
His status had proved himself useful once. Should he ever need to use it again, he would... Especially if it was in the case of a sorcerer.
Orphen had enough respect for the dead to not say anything as Majic pushed open the iron gates. Hinges squeaked as though they hadn't been oiled in years. The blonde boy crept into the graveyard with utter caution, to the extent it was nearly ridiculous. Honestly, the boy acted as though the dead were ready to awaken and attack him should he say anything!
The older sorcerer followed, though he kept a respectable distance as the teenager came to a stop, kneeling carefully in front of a headstone. Then, to Orphen's surprise, he spoke.
"Hi, Mama," he said softly. "Sorry I couldn't come last month. It's been awfully busy at the tavern lately."
He spoke to his mother, even when she was dead? Orphen wasn't sure if this was odd, disturbing or touching. While he was trying to sort out his own opinion on it, Majic kept on talking as though Orphen weren't there.
"Father says he'll come later tonight. Ah..." He looked embarrassed, staring down at his hands. They were folded neatly in his lap. "I'm sorry I didn't bring any flowers. I... Kind of got sidetracked. My mistake."
Sienna-coloured eyes focused on him keenly. Sidetracked? A flower stand was easy to find in Totokanta; Orphen had run into an obscene amount of them just yesterday. Was he distracting the boy THAT much? This had to mean something... He just wasn't sure what. Maybe it just confirmed that Majic was a little on the crazy side.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mama." Azure-coloured eyes flickered toward Orphen. "This is Orphen-sama." There was no mistaking the high honorary, when just before Majic had tried to refer to him as an equal person. Strange child. "Ah... He's the really... Really good sorcerer I told you about." His face coloured when Orphen raised an eyebrow and he quickly turned to face the headstone. "And... Don't worry about the ring, Mama. It's in a safe place. I checked last night. It's perfectly safe."
Now Orphen was lost. At the mention of a ring, however, his hand absently went to the thin chain beneath the thicker links holding the Tower of Fangs' pendant. He still had no idea who had given THAT to him, but he was still determined to give it to Azari... After he saved her.
A pale hand went to the headstone. "I'll come back soon, Mama," he whispered. "I promise." Then he stood and turned away from Orphen, bringing his arm to his face... Was he crying?
Orphen moved closer to the headstone, kneeling down to read the name. "Marissa Anne Lyn" was engraved there. What shocked Orphen were the words below it. "May angels watch over her in hell."
"Majic," he said in an oddly tight voice. "Why is THIS on there?"
The blonde boy turned, his eyes oddly shiny but he didn't seem to be crying anymore. He looked to where Orphen was pointing, having to lean closer to him to read where he was pointing. Then he looked uncomfortable. "Oh... That." He sighed. "Um... The villagers don't take to sorcerers well. Mama wasn't very popular with them... Father will probably have a similar wish on his tombstone when he dies."
"For being associated with a sorceress?" the older man asked, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.
"For being married to one." Majic smiled slightly. "They don't hate me as much... They don't think I have any magical talent. So I'm all right, to them. I'm accepted. It's Father and Mama who were scorned. No one blames me; they say I'm just a child of a horrible mistake and that I shouldn't be treated badly for something I couldn't help. It wasn't my fault I was born from a woman like THAT, they say."
Orphen was silent for a long moment. Then he stood and said, "Come on." Majic looked startled and he said in what he hoped was a controlled voice, "This isn't the place to discuss academics."
Wincing, Majic stood. "Goodbye, Mama," he said one more time before following Orphen out.
"Now, you can explain to me why people think you don't have any magical talent," the brunette said calmly once Majic closed the gates behind them. "And why your father doesn't know you were expelled... AND why you were expelled in the first place," he added. Hartia had simply told him Majic had been expelled. Too furious and disoriented at the time, Orphen had left the Tower before finding out WHY the blonde boy had been expelled. He'd been left in the dark.
Orphen HATED being left in the dark.
"I never practiced magic before," the blonde teen said softly, leaning against the gate and kicking at the dirt path. "I didn't even think I could do it until a passing sorcerer spent the night at the inn and said he could sense it. So... Father allowed me to go to the Tower."
Orphen glanced at the slowly setting sun. Part of him was hoping this wouldn't take long; he wanted to get to the mansion today, after all. Another part of him was curious of Majic. And yet another part just wanted to stop and think over everything, because there was a big piece of the puzzle missing.
"No one knew I went to the Tower to learn magic. They just think I went to study abroad and that I finally came back to work with Father." Majic heaved a depressed sigh, making Orphen think he was depressed over being stuck in this town. He was partially right, but...
"All right, so what does your father think about your coming back?"
Majic winced. "I... I told him that the Tower was attacked and a lot of the rooms were destroyed... So some students were sent home," he said reluctantly. Orphen narrowed his eyes, glaring at him until he turned his head to stare at the ground, looking ashamed. He'd used Azari as an excuse... That infuriated Orphen more than anything.
"Majic," he said coldly, "Using Azari like that... I can't ever forgive you for it."
The boy winced as though he'd been slapped, head bowing lower to the ground until his bangs fell in his eyes. At the moment, angry as he was, Orphen couldn't help but feel disgusted. He turned, facing the Everlasting mansion. "Go home, Majic. It's pointless to talk to you further."
Not a sound was heard for the longest of moments, but then he heard a soft, "I'm sorry," and the scuffle of sprinting feet. He was vaguely startled; he hadn't expected him to run.
A soft voice made him start. "Ah... Are you lost? may I help you?"
He looked up, right into the eyes of the blonde woman he had encountered only the day before. Remembering Vulcan's words, he asked calmly, "Are you of the Everlasting family?"
She flushed prettily, pink tinting her rosy cheeks. She was lovely for her age, though she couldn't be much older than him. "Why, yes, I am." Her speech was similar to that of the weird woman that had hit on him back in Shaltanou, but her mannerisms differed greatly.
"Great. I need to speak with the head of your family. I'm looking for something called the Sword of Baltanders..."
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Sequel to Velvet Flames
Disclaimer: I don't own Sorcerous Stabber Orphen or any of the characters mentioned.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Orphen+Azari, Hartia+Krylancelo, Rai+Hartia, eventual Orphen/Majic
Warnings: AU, possible shounen ai, dark issues, angst, drama
Notes: Um... it's a little short. ^^;; I'm sorry! But at least I got it done, ne? ^^;; Um... Not much to say this time. This chapter's basically just background story stuff, so it might be boring. I'm sorry!!
Sunlight streamed through the dusty windows, giving the classic dining room a warm, homey look and feel. The wooden furniture didn't gleam, for polish was hard to come by in this town, but it was clean and did look nice. Every single chair and table in this room, he had carved it all from scratch. Over the years he had made and remade it all... And now it was, to him, perfection.
With both customers and his son gone, it seemed all too quiet to Bagup. Quiet... Just as quiet as it had been for those five years his son had been gone, studying at the Tower of Fangs.
Quiet, just as it had been after his wife had died.
Bagup stopped pumping water into the basin; it was deep enough to wash dishes in now. Carefully, so as not to break the plates his wife had made herself, he piled the dirty dishes and utensils into the basin before rolling up his sleeves, grabbing a cloth and some soap, and he began his work.
Clink. Clink. Clatter. Clink.
The aging man closed his eyes briefly, thoughts meandering to his deceased wife. She had certainly been a character! It had been hard to tell she was a sorceress; anyone that just met her wouldn't be able to tell the difference. She had manners, not perfect of course, but she knew where the lines were drawn. She had cared deeply for children, none more so than their own son. But because of her love for children she had been exposed.
She used to babysit for the local mothers. One day she had been watching over a set of twins and had taken them out to the nearby molasses shop to buy them some candy before their mother came home. She and Bagup had only just been married for two months and she was expecting a child of her own soon.
The twins were a rambunctious pair. Twice they ignored her warnings not to play in the street whilst she bought the molasses and small mint-flavoured candies. Once they ran straight into an oncoming carriage, and had she not used her teleporting spell to grab them and take them out of harm's way they might have been injured, possibly dead.
Of course, none of the villagers saw it that way. To them, she had purposely let them play in the street, hoping to save them and look like a hero. Her pleads of innocence had gone ignored, but since most of the villagers were against killing another human being, sorcerer or no, they had killed the next best thing-- Her child.
Bagup had feared his wife wouldn't recover, but not three months later she was pregnant again. This time she delivered a healthy baby boy, whom she named Majic. It seemed she was determined to prove that even though she was a sorceress, she was still a good person.
It worked, and yet it didn't. No one detested Majic; he was an unbelievably well mannered, sweet and an adorable child. He showed no signs of being able to use magic and was smart for his age so that he was ready to begin the first grade when he turned four. He'd been accepted... But Marissa had not.
One night when out on a stroll she got caught in the rain. Naturally, she'd gotten a cold the next day, but had refused to rest. There were things to be done; the tavern was in the middle of indoor reconstruction and to her, rest was not an option. Even a day or two of it could set them behind. It would have, but she had worked through it all.
The illness hadn't taken leave, though, even after she seemed to get better. Instead, if infested and grew, getting worse, eating her from the inside out. The morning they had gotten news of Majic being accepted into the local elementary school she had collapsed. At first it had just seemed like happiness, for she had been working so hard to have her son be accepted into society even if she could not be, but she had been burning with fever.
Doctors refused to help the sorceress. If she was sick, then she could heal herself, right?
She was too weak to use her powers. It had gotten to the point where she would cough up blood. Bagup had stayed with her as often as he could, Majic even more so. The little boy had obviously been worried for his mother. He would stay at her side all day. The first time she had coughed up blood Majic had screamed, but when his parents explained everything to him he had eventually come to accept it all quietly.
Of course, he had cried first. He had said it was impossible; his mother couldn't die; she was too perfect for it. Even the angels couldn't touch her... But eventually it had sunk in that she was not, in fact, immortal... And that she would die soon.
The memory of the day she died was crisp and clear in Bagup's mind. It had been cloudy out, without rain, and the air cool and damp, making it easy for Marissa to breathe her last breath. She had given Majic her wedding band for a momento, not wanting him to forget her. Her last breath, though, had been for her husband. A simple, "I love you" and then she was gone.
Whilst the two Lyn males mourned, the villagers rejoiced. The local sorceress was gone. They could sleep peacefully now.
Such words had and still did disgust Bagup. She hadn't done a thing to them, not a single thing. They were so fearful of her that they had ignored all the other horrible non-sorcerers... Killers, thieves, illegal drug dealers, they all paled in comparison to the sorceress that had never caused any harm.
She had been banned from one town and the next, simply because she practiced black magic. Then she'd come to Totokanta, where nobody knew her face or reputation, and had been accepted for being such a wonderful person. She had gotten married, and then only Bagup knew of her secret. Once everyone else found out, they had not only wanted to kill her child, they wanted to kick her out.
But her husband refused to abandon her, even in death. He had stood up for her. That was the only reason she had been able to stay; Bagup was a successful inn owner. Losing him would mean losing a big part of the tourism, because passers-by needed a place to sleep and Bagup's was the only in the town.
His status had proved himself useful once. Should he ever need to use it again, he would... Especially if it was in the case of a sorcerer.
Orphen had enough respect for the dead to not say anything as Majic pushed open the iron gates. Hinges squeaked as though they hadn't been oiled in years. The blonde boy crept into the graveyard with utter caution, to the extent it was nearly ridiculous. Honestly, the boy acted as though the dead were ready to awaken and attack him should he say anything!
The older sorcerer followed, though he kept a respectable distance as the teenager came to a stop, kneeling carefully in front of a headstone. Then, to Orphen's surprise, he spoke.
"Hi, Mama," he said softly. "Sorry I couldn't come last month. It's been awfully busy at the tavern lately."
He spoke to his mother, even when she was dead? Orphen wasn't sure if this was odd, disturbing or touching. While he was trying to sort out his own opinion on it, Majic kept on talking as though Orphen weren't there.
"Father says he'll come later tonight. Ah..." He looked embarrassed, staring down at his hands. They were folded neatly in his lap. "I'm sorry I didn't bring any flowers. I... Kind of got sidetracked. My mistake."
Sienna-coloured eyes focused on him keenly. Sidetracked? A flower stand was easy to find in Totokanta; Orphen had run into an obscene amount of them just yesterday. Was he distracting the boy THAT much? This had to mean something... He just wasn't sure what. Maybe it just confirmed that Majic was a little on the crazy side.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mama." Azure-coloured eyes flickered toward Orphen. "This is Orphen-sama." There was no mistaking the high honorary, when just before Majic had tried to refer to him as an equal person. Strange child. "Ah... He's the really... Really good sorcerer I told you about." His face coloured when Orphen raised an eyebrow and he quickly turned to face the headstone. "And... Don't worry about the ring, Mama. It's in a safe place. I checked last night. It's perfectly safe."
Now Orphen was lost. At the mention of a ring, however, his hand absently went to the thin chain beneath the thicker links holding the Tower of Fangs' pendant. He still had no idea who had given THAT to him, but he was still determined to give it to Azari... After he saved her.
A pale hand went to the headstone. "I'll come back soon, Mama," he whispered. "I promise." Then he stood and turned away from Orphen, bringing his arm to his face... Was he crying?
Orphen moved closer to the headstone, kneeling down to read the name. "Marissa Anne Lyn" was engraved there. What shocked Orphen were the words below it. "May angels watch over her in hell."
"Majic," he said in an oddly tight voice. "Why is THIS on there?"
The blonde boy turned, his eyes oddly shiny but he didn't seem to be crying anymore. He looked to where Orphen was pointing, having to lean closer to him to read where he was pointing. Then he looked uncomfortable. "Oh... That." He sighed. "Um... The villagers don't take to sorcerers well. Mama wasn't very popular with them... Father will probably have a similar wish on his tombstone when he dies."
"For being associated with a sorceress?" the older man asked, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.
"For being married to one." Majic smiled slightly. "They don't hate me as much... They don't think I have any magical talent. So I'm all right, to them. I'm accepted. It's Father and Mama who were scorned. No one blames me; they say I'm just a child of a horrible mistake and that I shouldn't be treated badly for something I couldn't help. It wasn't my fault I was born from a woman like THAT, they say."
Orphen was silent for a long moment. Then he stood and said, "Come on." Majic looked startled and he said in what he hoped was a controlled voice, "This isn't the place to discuss academics."
Wincing, Majic stood. "Goodbye, Mama," he said one more time before following Orphen out.
"Now, you can explain to me why people think you don't have any magical talent," the brunette said calmly once Majic closed the gates behind them. "And why your father doesn't know you were expelled... AND why you were expelled in the first place," he added. Hartia had simply told him Majic had been expelled. Too furious and disoriented at the time, Orphen had left the Tower before finding out WHY the blonde boy had been expelled. He'd been left in the dark.
Orphen HATED being left in the dark.
"I never practiced magic before," the blonde teen said softly, leaning against the gate and kicking at the dirt path. "I didn't even think I could do it until a passing sorcerer spent the night at the inn and said he could sense it. So... Father allowed me to go to the Tower."
Orphen glanced at the slowly setting sun. Part of him was hoping this wouldn't take long; he wanted to get to the mansion today, after all. Another part of him was curious of Majic. And yet another part just wanted to stop and think over everything, because there was a big piece of the puzzle missing.
"No one knew I went to the Tower to learn magic. They just think I went to study abroad and that I finally came back to work with Father." Majic heaved a depressed sigh, making Orphen think he was depressed over being stuck in this town. He was partially right, but...
"All right, so what does your father think about your coming back?"
Majic winced. "I... I told him that the Tower was attacked and a lot of the rooms were destroyed... So some students were sent home," he said reluctantly. Orphen narrowed his eyes, glaring at him until he turned his head to stare at the ground, looking ashamed. He'd used Azari as an excuse... That infuriated Orphen more than anything.
"Majic," he said coldly, "Using Azari like that... I can't ever forgive you for it."
The boy winced as though he'd been slapped, head bowing lower to the ground until his bangs fell in his eyes. At the moment, angry as he was, Orphen couldn't help but feel disgusted. He turned, facing the Everlasting mansion. "Go home, Majic. It's pointless to talk to you further."
Not a sound was heard for the longest of moments, but then he heard a soft, "I'm sorry," and the scuffle of sprinting feet. He was vaguely startled; he hadn't expected him to run.
A soft voice made him start. "Ah... Are you lost? may I help you?"
He looked up, right into the eyes of the blonde woman he had encountered only the day before. Remembering Vulcan's words, he asked calmly, "Are you of the Everlasting family?"
She flushed prettily, pink tinting her rosy cheeks. She was lovely for her age, though she couldn't be much older than him. "Why, yes, I am." Her speech was similar to that of the weird woman that had hit on him back in Shaltanou, but her mannerisms differed greatly.
"Great. I need to speak with the head of your family. I'm looking for something called the Sword of Baltanders..."