Several days passed with Orion staying at the Last Drop. He desperately wanted to heal his wounds, but with Vander and the others constantly checking in, he couldn't. Piltover banished magic users and he wasn't sure if Vander would inform Grayson, or worse, if the others would start showing him off like a party trick.
His days of misery weren't without progress, though. At night, his training alternated between stabilizing larger pools of mana and manipulating smaller amounts with speed and precision.
Once the signs of potential infection were gone, thanks in large part to Janna visiting in secret and whispering how to cleanse a wound with healing magic, he was finally able to convince Vander and the others to stop checking.
'Without Janna, I would've been laid out for a week or longer... or died.'
He healed the deeper cuts beneath his bandages but kept much of the surface bruising and scabbing to avoid suspicion.
To keep from waking the boys during his nightly training, he refrained from releasing mana in bursts and stuck to small, steady trickles that dimly lit the room like a faint candle.
What Orion failed to notice, however, was a small optic peeking out from underneath the door. Whenever he finished training and collapsed from exhaustion, the optic wiggled and retracted with a soft click, disappearing back into the shadows.
It took some time, but once he was finally able to move around without visibly wincing, Orion excused himself to "settle some business" for a few hours. In truth, he'd gone to restock on ammo in the weapons alley of the Black Lanes.
He spent one of his two remaining silvers to buy two more rounds for his gun, putting him back up to three. Now that the kids were aware he owned a firearm, he kept one round loaded and the rest secured on his person.
After returning, the gang invited Orion to hang out at their arcade hideout.
"What do yah think?" Vi smirked, gesturing around them as they stepped inside.
The arcade had a large stained-glass archway next to the entry door. Its walls near the window were lined with arcade machines while the back wall held a robotic boxing arcade and a shooting range, both maintained by Powder and Ekko.
A dusty old armchair sat beside a bulletin board on the left, while the far right wall was cluttered with stacked boxes and forgotten furniture from a storage room long untouched.
"I'm jealous! This place looks awesome!"
"That's what happens when you hang out with the cool kids," Mylo smirked. "You get to see all the awesome places!"
"Is that him?!"
A voice called out from the shooting range, followed by a small boy's head poking out. The dark-skinned kid with white hair and a bubbly grin leapt over the rails and ran toward them.
"Yeah, it's him!" Powder beamed, matching Ekko's excitement as she stepped up beside him.
"I thought he'd be... bigger?"
"I thought you'd be taller."
"Hey, I'm still growing here, alright?"
Ekko huffed at Orion's returned jab but still eyed him with curiosity. "Hey, thanks for the book! It helped me out a lot!"
Shrugging, Orion loosely gestured at Powder. "Thank her. She said you'd like it."
Powder became flustered, stammering. "Y-Yeah! You help Benzo and me out so much-"
"Thanks Powder!" Ekko fist-bumped her shoulder. "By the way, I need your help! The jaws on the big monster aren't closing properly."
"They aren't? Didn't we just fix it?"
She looked a little annoyed at being cut off by his bouncing energy, but her curiosity got the better of her. The two of them chattered back over to the shooting range while the rest of the gang immediately bombarded Orion with "Let me show you-" or "Check this out!" as they pulled him around the space.
The day was lighthearted and relaxed. Powder, Ekko, and Mylo competed on the shooting range and arcade while Orion occasionally joined in. He was no match for Powder in either game but had Mylo and Ekko beat.
Mylo would scowl and keep practicing, driven by quiet frustration, while Ekko looked visibly depressed until Orion and Powder teamed up to cheer him up again.
'All their hobbies and what they enjoy... they complement the skills they'll carry into their futures.'
Orion's gaze drifted toward Claggor tinkering on mechanical parts and Vi practicing diligently in the ring.
Now and then, Orion caught Powder watching him from the side, her eyes wide and shining with curiosity and unspoken questions. It unsettled him at times but he shrugged it off.
Vi caught it too, occasionally glancing from the ring toward Powder. Something about it softened her expression. Maybe she'd stopped seeing Orion as just a rival, or maybe just for today.
"Hey Orion, want to hop in the ring with me?"
Everyone's heads turned. Vi leaned over the ropes, grinning at him with a fire in her eyes and sparking excitement in the rest of the gang.
"Fight, fight, fight!" Ekko chanted alongside Powder's loud "Woo-hoo!"
-------------------
"Will you be alright? You're still bruised," Claggor asked sympathetically as Vi and Orion slid on 8 oz boxing gloves. The hanging training robot was shoved into the corner but still occupied about a third of the ring.
Powder was in his corner bouncing with mischievous energy. Ekko, on Vi's side with Mylo, was mimicking Vi's punching, locking eyes with Orion as he shadow boxed his defeat.
As per usual Claggor and Powder stood beside each other, their faces a mix of worry and excitement. Powder especially was starting to get into the mood, despite Orion's condition, as she threw her hands in the air and cheered enthusiastically.
"Go Vi!"
"Aren't you on my side?" Orion blinked and looked back at Powder.
She giggled mischievously, "You'll be fine."
Mylo leaned on the ring, his arms hooked inside the ropes for support, anticipation evident by his jittery movements.
"I won't hit him hard," Vi said loud enough to Mylo, but for everyone to hear. "Unless he hits hard."
Orion stood there with a deadpan expression.
He was covered in bandages and bruised against Vi who was bouncing in place, full of energy, and shadow boxing. His patched jacket hung on the ropes and his shirt was still torn in several spots.
"Yeah, this was a bad idea," he concluded far too late. "Wasn't I supposed to take it slow?"
Ding-Ding-Ding
Immediately Vi charged out, not using any stance but keeping her guard up.
Orion, surprised by the aggression, barely had time to dance and slip to the outside of her straight right. His unhealed bruises and cuts still hurt as he flicked a soft jab toward her face.
After missing her straight right, Vi adjusted into a proper boxing stance. She was in close, twisting and swinging with a wide left hook in Orion's direction. She got caught mid-swing by his flick but it barely stung, causing her to blink at most. It made her hook fall short of his chin however so she pushed off her back leg to try closing the distance again.
This exchange continued, Orion dancing on the outside, jabbing softly, while Vi pursued, growing more agitated with every jab that landed. Halfway through, Vi learned how to slow down. She tried cornering Orion up against the rope, but he slipped out between southpaw and orthodox stances to keep her guessing.
Claggor rang the bell to signal the last ten seconds and Vi's flurry of blows intensified. She was hell-bent on landing a blow. Her face was stinging and pride hurt while her expression openly reflected the anger and frustration she felt.
Orion's was anxious to get into a brawling situation because he wanted to recover but he kept his smirk up. It only fueled her temper. She gritted her teeth as the bell rang.
Ding-Ding-Ding
"You're a fucking coward!" Vi cursed angrily. She flung one of her gloves off at him and openly flipped him off.
Ekko was glaring at him too, gesturing widely. "Why didn't you fight her squarely? You kept running like a chicken!"
Chuckling, he gestured to blood leaking from scabs ripped off.
"I'm injured. She can't hit an injured guy?"
It escalated instantly as Claggor and Mylo sprang into action, grabbing and holding Vi back while Orion rested against the ropes, panting heavily.
"Fuck you!"
Her curse echoed through the arcade with its intensity.
"Yeah, yeah... We can go another round another day. When I'm not still injured." Orion said, waving dismissively.
'Adrenaline from the fight is making her aggressive. It'll wear off.'
Turning around, he noticed his jacket was no longer on the ropes but in Powder's hands. She stood there innocently, offering his medical kit with both hands, and his jacket slung over one arm.
He smiled softly and gently said, "Thank you, Powder."
She smiled lightly, not saying anything. Just big wide eyes looking up at him in return.
Her little fingers clutched the supplies tighter as if making a silent promise.
'It's gonna take a few more matches for her to learn how to fight against an outside fighter' he thought as he took the medical kit.
'At least I've got Powder as support.'
-----------------------
Dawn came, and Orion returned to his house to check up on it. There were no signs of breaking and entering but on the table, he noticed a small grey note. Alarmed, he drew his gun and swept his home with shaky tension but found no intruders.
He refused to holster his gun as he picked up the note after checking upstairs.
"Well done, little flower. Your roots are strong, nurturing your growth. Come to the Factorywood tomorrow evening. I have an opportunity for you. Signed, 'C'"
"Fuck, how does she know where I live?" Orion cursed, ripping the note to shreds.
"Must've been through the window..."
But after double checking, all of the clips securing the tarp in place were still there and undamaged. No scratch. No breeze. No gap. Just stagnant air and dust.
He was left unsettled.
Tapping his gun against his leg, Orion's thoughts spiraled anxiously around his predicament.
"What am I gonna do? Set boundaries? Hah! Put Vander's kids at risk? She already knows..."
He could feel his nerves fraying, the tapping growing faster and more erratic before he let out a frustrated sigh.
"Fuck!" Orion cursed, running a hand through his hair as he turned toward the door.
"Shit just got more complicated."