Endless Bantering [Orion]

[Estelle Knight]

Estelle let out a sigh as she walked into the staff lounge. First stop: coffee maker. It was one of those days. Not a particularly bad day, but just a long one. Young metas could be exhausting at times. The redhead poured herself a generous cup of coffee with cream and took a seat at one of the various tables. She was the only person there at the moment; otherwise she would have asked to join another person or group. Lifting the cup to her lips, she enjoyed the aroma for a few seconds before taking her first sip. The smell of coffee was just as pleasant, if not more so, than the actual taste of the drink, so she always made sure to enjoy the smell of her coffee.

She pulled out a notepad, without a pen, and started writing with her index finger, which produced black ink as she wrote out plans for upcoming classes. Even while on break, there was still work to be done. Estelle continued to do so until she heard the staff lounge door open. Curious as to who entered, she looked up and over.

“Oh. It’s you.”

[Orion Urswick]

Orion was striding down the hall, his lanky frame dodging between students as he made his way to the staff lounge, bobbing his head to some strange music only he could hear. Unlike Estelle, he was having a rather good day; the voices were being quiet for the most part, his students had paid attention and hadn't been overly noisy in class, and overall it was just nice to have a day where his atmosphere had just been somewhat quiet.

Sliding around a couple of gossiping girls (and snatching a second of what they were talking about - Wow, that boy DID get around a lot, didn't he?), he grasped hold of the knob to the staff room and entered with a flourish of fluttering leather. To his amusement, there was only one other person in the room - Estelle Knight. He couldn't help sometimes but think about how much she was like Sophie - red hair, British accent, and a sharp tongue. They got along about as well as he and Sophie had first met, too.

".....He's a dork, but he is handsome, I'll give him that much...." Orion glanced around as he heard the whisper, recognizing the voice instantly. It was just a snippet, but it was enough to make a wicked grin cross his face. "Good afternoon to you too, love," he greeted her, overly cheery. After grabbing a mug and pouring himself his own drink, he sat across from her at the table, propping his feet against the top of it as he leaned back and took a drink. "Thanks for the coffee. So tell me, who do you think is a handsome dork?" He wasn't quite sure how far back the voice had come from, but it was no more than a day or two. Certainly she would realize what he was talking about, it just might take her a second to grasp it.

[Estelle Knight]

“It was a good day.” Estelle watched Orion carefully as he poured himself a cup of coffee before she returned back to her paperwork, although she wasn’t really focusing on it at that point. “I didn’t make it for you.” She replied, unable to even take a thank you from the man without giving him some hell. She couldn’t help it; Orion brought out the worst (or best?) in her, but her comeback was quickly cut off by a question. She raised an eyebrow and looked back up at him, obviously recognizing what he was talking about. Of all things he had to hear, it had to be that? Seriously?

She had been talking to Addie only yesterday about Orion. It was true that Estelle thought he was handsome, but she would never let him know that. He’d hold it against her for the rest of her life, she was sure. She should have known better than to mention it in a place where Orion happens to be in quite often. “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?” Estelle took another sip of her coffee, buying herself a few seconds to think over how to properly reply. Normally, she was quick with comebacks, but now this was a situation she had to be careful in. For all she knew, Orion heard enough to know that she had been talking about him, and just wanted her to admit it to his big goofy face. “I thought you’d leave the gossiping to the ladies, Orion.”

[Orion Urswick]

"It was a good day, and now it's a great one?" Orion responded, giving her his biggest, most cheesy grin. "Well, I'm glad I bring so much joy into your life, darling!" He could never help but add on any sarcastically affectionate names to the ends of his sentences with her. He continued to sip at his coffee, raising his eyebrows and nodding approvingly. "It's okay dear, you make excellent coffee, there's no need to go all keeping it to yourself for my sake." His grin never left his face.

"...I've known him since before he came to Hammel, you know..." Another snippet of a conversation, this time he recognized Addie's voice. It might have been the same day, different time, same time, he wasn't quite sure. He was pretty sure she had been talking about him, though. Could they be connected? He wasn't certain. The voices were being fickle today. "I WOULD love to know," he replied, setting down his mug and resting his hands behind his head. He snorted at her comment, shaking his head and giving a laugh. "Oh, please. How else would I have friends if I didn't put my abilities to good use? I wouldn't be able to tell you that Mr. Guthrie has the hots for you, for one thing." Was he lying? Or telling the truth? One would never know. "So come ooon, darling, spill it!"

[Estelle Knight]

“Only if there is something else besides coffee in my cup.” Estelle said flatly. She would never, ever drink at work, but that wasn’t the point. “If joy were a disease, you would be it.” She watched his grin, which never faltered. How could one grin so much? At times, she wondered if he was some strange alien, with that ridiculous grin of his.

Estelle set her mug down, raising her eyebrows at Orion. “You’re like a teenage girl. Maybe worse,” she replied, “I don’t know – maybe your ‘fantastic’ personality wins them over.” She made sure to mimic him while saying ‘fantastic’, wobbling her head slightly and speaking in a lower tone. At the mention of Terrowin, Estelle let out a laugh. “You’re bluffing.” Or was he? She wasn’t quite sure. Not that she didn't like Terrowin, he just wasn't her type. “And why would you want to know who I think is handsome? Can’t have you getting jealous, now can we?”

[Orion Urswick]

"At least that would be the most fantastic disease ever!" he cheerily replied. "Bringing joy to everyone - kind of like Ol' Saint Nick! I could be Santa Claus!" He loved grinning, it hid his real emotions, unless he really was happy - right now, he wasn't actually quite sure how he was feeling. Amused, above anything else. Estelle really did make his life interesting. She rubbed the back of his head rapidly, before sitting up in his chair like a normal person and taking another sip of coffee. He really shouldn't drink coffee - he was hyperactive enough already.

"Am I really?" he asked, raising his voice to a girlish squeak. "I suppose you're right - gossiping is generally frowned upon by adults. But I. Don't. Care." He laughed, leaning back in his chair and studying her with heavy-lidded eyes. "You're right, that definitely helps make friends, no?" He giggled at her imitation of him. "Good, good, you're learning how to use that word properly! Fantastic!" He tugged at the sleeves of his leather jacket, finding it quite impossible to sit still. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Why don't you ask him yourself? He does have a thing for redheads, we all know that." Kat and Terrowin's flings were not secret in the least.

Taking a big gulp of coffee and letting out a huge sigh, he grinned once more at her questions. "I would give whoever you think is handsome a piece of my mind. I can't have you go cheating on me, now, can I, love? We have so much chemistry!"

[Estelle Knight]

“If you were Santa Claus, you’d have to put on a few pounds. You’re just a long streak of… nothing. If someone hugged you, they’d get a paper cut.” It certainly wouldn’t harm him to eat a couple dozen hamburgers and gain a few pounds, that was fore sure. Estelle shuffled her papers before putting them back in her bag; she knew she wouldn’t be getting any more work done with this buffoon around.

When Orion raised his voice to a girlish level, Estelle pursed her lips together, hiding the smile that was tugging at her lips. It was funny, though. Oh, that man. How he was just a huge rainbow of obnoxiousness. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to slap him or hug him for that. As he continued to suggest that Terrowin was attracted to her, she was leaning further towards the slapping option. “A man likes one redhead and then he apparently likes them all.” She replied, “I heard Sophie was a redhead, so where does that put you?” Estelle had never brought up Sophie before with Orion, but there was a first for everything.

[Orion Urswick]

"Oh come on now, you love the fact that I'm slim! And a little bit foxy!" He shimmied a little in his chair, snapping his fingers around his head before grinning once more and settling back down. "I mean, who can resist that?" Obviously a lot of people, but he did still consider himself somewhat of a looker, even if he wasn't particularly fond of his nose. He watched as she put her papers away, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry, am I being distracting, love? It's a habit, I must confess. I just get so caught up in your charm I can't tear myself away." He sipped from his mug, gazing at her over the rim.

Was that a hint of a smile she was trying to hold back? Orion smirked, but didn't say anything. He was trying to read the emotions in her eyes, but it was impossible to tell if she was amused or annoyed. He tried to tell himself he didn't care which, but he really did want to make her laugh.

At that moment, a whisper hit his ears. It wasn't much. "Orion's writing a book, did you know? I'm so proud of him..." It was her voice, of course. Sophie. He closed his eyes and lingered on the words, almost missing what Estelle said. Her name, though, Sophie's name, made him snap back to the present. His grin was gone, replace by a very, very sad look as he slumped in his chair. "She had the most beautiful auburn hair you've ever seen," he murmured. "Even when she was dying, it was still lovely. It was a lot like yours, actually," he added, glancing up at Estelle. He had just given her a compliment without meaning to, but it was true - one of the reasons he bickered with her so much was because she was so much like his Sophie.

[Estelle Knight]

Estelle frowned as Orion slumped in his chair. His grin was gone. That stupid grin that he always had was gone. This was bad. He even complimented Estelle, to which she raised her eyebrows at him for, unsure how to react. Yes, Estelle absolutely loved to bicker with Orion, but to genuinely hurt him? Never. She wasn’t that sort of person.

She let out a sigh and stood, grabbing both of their coffee cups and walking over to the coffee maker, topping both cups off. “You look old when you don’t smile.” She commented, walking back to the table and setting his cup in front of him. “Ancient, really. No wonder you wear that stupid grin all the time. A handsome man like you shouldn’t frown.” She murmured the last sentence to make it barely audible, but loud enough for Orion to hear. She was sure she’d regret it later, but she honestly felt bad. It looked like he took the mentioning of Sophie pretty bad, and now that she thought more on it, bringing up one’s dead wife wasn’t the best conversation piece, even if they were bickering.

[Orion Urswick]

Orion's mind was far-off for a while, as could be seen by the vacant look in his eyes. He hardly looked up as Estelle too both their coffee mugs and filled them up, struggling to regain his composure. It was easier when she talked - she was brilliant, really. She brought out the life in him. Pushing aside his sadness like a curtain, he beamed once more. If Orion was good at anything, it was masking his pain.

"I am old," he retorted, furrowing his brow and pointing to the wrinkles. He was smiling, though. Growing old was part of life, right? Her handsome comment stunned him, and a flash of surprise managed to get across his face before he grinned once more. "Well now! So it was me you were talking about!" Just because she had said it now didn't necessarily mean she had been talking about him in the whisper, but he liked to believe it was so. He took a sip of coffee, nodding once more in approval. All signs of his distraught were gone. But he still was thinking about why he had compared Estelle to Sophie...

"Have any plans for the rest of the day?" he asked, crossing his legs and leaning back again. "Other than classes, of course."

[Estelle Knight]

Estelle gave a short laugh at the comment about his age. “You’re right, you are ancient. Thank you for correcting me; I should start calling you ‘crypt keeper’.” It didn’t take long for her to go back to being sassy with him, but she was truly happy he was smiling again. Deep down, she didn’t believe it was a real smile though, and that certainly bugged her – nobody could go from sad to grinning in that short of time, but she couldn’t very well go and approach the subject, now could she?

“Now don’t you get any ideas, sunshine.” Estelle scoffed, crossing her arms and also leaning back in her chair. “Don’t let it get into your head. You still have big, weird ears. No wonder you can hear everything.” She brought her coffee cup to her lips and watched Orion; he always seemed to surprise her one way or another with every conversation they had. He was an interesting character, that was for sure.

“No plans, just heading back to my place for dinner.” …And now they seemed to be having a somewhat normal conversation. It was a strange day. “And you?”

[Orion Urswick]

"Call me that, and I will start calling you Ginger," he retorted snarkily, smirking like mad. "Just because we are something doesn't mean we should be labeled that way, dear Estelle." He knew she was kidding around, and really, he was too. He still was aching from the brief moment of sadness that had passed over him, but arguing with the fiery redhead always somehow cheered him up. He found himself able to get his mind off of Sophie the more Estelle spoke. It was funny, how her similarities to his late wife made him happy rather than depressed. He would never tell her that, though.

"Aww, you know how sensitive I am about my ears!" he pretended to whine, reaching up to pinch one of the offensive organs. "But you're right! I have super sensitive cat-like hearing. So don't diss them, love, they're a great asset, really." He paused. "And, you know, if I grew my hair out, you wouldn't be able to see them much anyway. What do you think? Should I go for that ridiculous bowl cut that every teenage boy seems to think is 'attractive' these days?" Snorting, he swirled around his mug a bit. Their conversation, though strange, was one of the most normal he had had with her in a long time.

"Eh, not much," he sighed in response to her question. "Big-eared ol' doofus like me, no one wants to do anything outside of work. So I'll probably go home, or maybe I'll go stargazing. Who knows? The possibilities are endless!" Why did he feel the strange sudden urge to invite her along? That was very, very peculiar, and he brushed aside the notion quite quickly.

[Estelle Knight]

“Ginger, eh? That’s original.” Estelle replied flatly, “I’ve been called ‘Ginger’ half my life. It wouldn’t be anything new.” Although, she was sure if Orion were to call her that, it’d drive her nuts simply because it came out of his mouth. Something about him drove her crazy, but she also couldn’t deny that she enjoyed exchanging witty comments with him. He was a fun person to be around.

Estelle gave a grin as Orion whined, even if he was just pretending. “Yes, your cat-like hearing reflects your kitten-like personality.” She finished off her coffee, placed the cup back on the table, and leaned back in her chair. The image of Orion with the popular bowl cut made Estelle bring her palm to her forehead as she shook her head back and forth. “That is just… ridiculous.” She laughed lightly through her sigh and brought her gaze back to Orion.

She wouldn’t admit it, but did not mind the idea of hanging out with Orion outside of work. “Would you like to come over for dinner?” She asked suddenly. The poor man was so pathetic though; she would be doing her good deed of the year to invite him over for dinner. Yeah. That was why she asked. “I have some salmon that needs to be cooked up, and I don’t think I would be able to finish it myself.” She added on, figuring that was another good reason to invite him.

[Orion Urswick]

Orion huffed, slumping and pretending to be upset. "Damn. I'll just have to come up with something more creative, then!" He was such. a. child. "I'll let you know when I come up with something." He was determined now to come up with a better nickname, and would certainly think of something soon. Much as he disliked to admit it, he enjoyed their little talks - they were some of the best moments of his day. And naming her something was almost intimate, which he liked. Weeeeeeird. He needed to stop comparing her to Sophie. They were so alike, it made his spine shiver.

"Oh, I'm a kitten now!" he exclaimed, grinning. "I can live with that." At least she hadn't called him Dumbo, or something. He knew he had large ears - maybe it was one of the reasons why he had the ability he did? He barked out a laugh as Estelle literally face-palmed; he had to admit, the idea of him with longer hair was... Very amusing, even if he had rocked it in his younger years. For some reason, wrinkles and long hair just didn't seem to get along. He caught her gaze and continued smiling. "You know it would look great," he retorted, obviously disbelieving it himself.

Her question, however, threw him completely off guard. Never before had anyone really asked him to do something outside of work. He was too quirky, too unpredictable for most people's tastes. The fact that Estelle put up with him and actually offered dinner was.... Astounding, really. Her actually gazed at her in slack-mouthed awe for a few seconds before clearing his throat and straightening his face again. "I love salmon," he managed, offering a slightly calmer smile. "I haven't had any in.... Ages." He had never been the best of cooks, and he had always replied on Sophie to make most of their meals. He didn't like to admit it, but he got by on a rather limited diet these days. "I would love to come over, dear Estelle," he told her, crossing his arms behind his head and grinning wider. "As long as you think you can handle all of this outside of Hammel," he added, motioning to himself. Oh yeah, he had to add in at least a little snide remark.

[Estelle Knight]

Orion really was such a child. She often wondered how he managed to be a teacher when he behaved like a student at times. Then again, he was a good teacher – and was very passionate about both physics and astronomy. It was cute in his own awkward way, and although he was a bit childish, he could also be very mature when the situation needed it. This gave Estelle a bit of respect for the lanky man, though she would never let him know it.

She rolled her eyes, not sure if he was actually excited to be called a kitten or not. Either way, the nickname was going to stick at least for a bit. Juuust long enough to make him wonder what he had gotten himself into. The idea of Orion with long hair was just absurd. The short hair fit his style, and if he were to grow it out, she’d probably force him down and cut it herself, and nobody wanted that to happen. “You’re already such a ladie’s man, the long hair would just overdo it.” She replied flatly, making sure her sarcasm was clear in her statement.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Estelle’s lips; she knew she had caught him off guard and his stunned face was simply amusing. She was happy to hear he accepted the offer, though, and her smirk turned into a warm smile. Oddly enough, hearing him say yes made her a bit excited, almost like a high schooler being asked to a school dance. Wait? What? No. Never. She shook her head, annoyed with her own thoughts. “It doesn’t surprise me.” She replied, “It looks like you haven’t eaten anything in years. Let me guess, microwave dinners are your specialty.” Estelle let out a sigh as Orion motioned to himself. What. a. dork. “Don’t worry. I think if I can handle my last class, I can handle you.” Famous last words. Ah well.