Quest Name: Quiet Reflection
Details: Help tend some of the graves at the base of the plateau in Reliquaer. Whether you spend the time contemplating the universe or goofing off with a friend, you'll be compensated for the effort.
Word Count: 1400 Words
Modding: Request what you'd prefer when you post the quest. Mod summon if needed.
Reward: 50 Florence

It had been ten years since Orion had first come to the World Tree, and for Orion, it was honestly hard to believe. He had been fourteen when he had been taken away to the Vindice prison and fifteen when he had obtained the Flame of the Night. It had been ten years since he had effectively ended the life in his home world to come here. It had been ten years since he had stopped being a Flame user. Orion wondered, distantly, if maybe it had been ten years since he had been pronounced dead back home. Ten years was a long time.

Sometimes, he wondered what his parents thought happened. Did the Vindice admit what had happened? Did they lie and say he had died while in prison? Did it matter? Perhaps it didn’t. Perhaps, for all he knew, they didn’t tell his parents anything.

Maybe his mother never even questioned it. Maybe his father thought on it sometimes but accepted whatever answer the Vindice were willing to give. Maybe they went on with their lives knowing none the wiser and being happier for it.

Maybe they didn’t. Maybe they had broken into the prison to learn the dirty truth. Maybe they had been relieved. He was no longer a burden in their lives at all. For all intents and purposes, he was dead to them now, so they could move on.

Maybe they were hurt. Maybe his mother had even cried. Maybe his father had tried to rationalize it as he did so, and maybe he got a punch to the face for it. Maybe they both had cried. It was a possibility.

Orion could only speculate. He had no proof, no evidence, no assurance. He was effectively spinning his wheels for no other reason than to feel bad, apparently.

Maybe that was just the mood of the hour as he made his way out to the graves at the base of the Reliquaer plateau. It was a simple job: wash a couple graves, make some extra chunk change, and go to dinner somewhere nice after. It wasn’t like he was a stranger to such things. It still seemed kind of strange to be asked by Klaus of all people. He had been in a weird mood too, though. Orion wasn’t entirely sure why either. Not that he cared at the end of the day, though.

Orion sighed softly as he knelt in front of the first grave. Setting the bag that he had been carrying down on the ground next to him, he fished out a brush and started to sweep down the top of the gravestone. Mihael Faustus… It was not a name that Orion knew in the slightest. Yellow eyes scanned over the small set of words below the grave:

Until we meet again.

Orion’s lips curled, and his face contorted some as he considered that. When I die, my spirit will rest in this world… Orion’s lips quirked up into a vaguely saccharine grin. I’ll never see any of them again… not mom, dad, grandpa ….auntie … uncle … His jaw hurt. Orion grimaced on finding how tightly he had been clenching his teeth. Reaching up to rub the side of his face, he took in a slow breath. “Man I’m really a fuckup…” he muttered softly under breath.

A hand reached forward and took a wash rag. Another pulled out a bottle of water and dabbed it. Washing off the gravestone, Orion allowed his thoughts to continue on. I couldn’t do anything… The Vindice weren’t going to let me out any time soon… And whose fault was that? Who had attracted their attention in the first place? If I hadn’t stolen Mom’s work, the overworld wouldn’t have been threatened… But that wasn’t his fault was it? She had specifically told him not to, so of course he had to. I was just a kid, Mom….

A weird, shaky breath drew in and out of Orion. “Why didn’t you stop them… Mom?” Orion muttered softly under his breath. “Why didn’t you protect me from them??” Orion realized he’d clenched his eyes shut at some point. Forcing them open, he blinked a couple of times dazed. “It’s my fault. It’s always my fault.” A shaky breath drew in and out of Orion. “Whatever.”

He finished with that grave and went on to the next one. This one had another name he didn’t recognize and another sentimental verse below it from someone who clearly cared. Orion actually had to be careful with cleaning this one considering there were numerous little items here and there left by others for this person. Someday, my pack’ll do this for me, at least… A weird breath drew in and out of Orion. That was assurance that he didn’t want nor need. Or maybe not… His pack was made of misfits drawn together by seemingly one person: Klaus. What held them together were transient fibers that were hard to see the ends of. If he were to go, who knew what would happen? And who knew if they would have generations after this one anyways. Who knew what the future held anyways?

Orion’s stomach flipped over. His wolf ears perked up on his head and then set themselves back comfortably there. At least if I was buried here, someone would get paid to tend to me… He moved on to another grave. Though who knows how long that’ll be. He didn’t dare ask how old Klaus was. The man looked young, but his knowledge and personality marked him as so much older. Considering the lycan strain they both carried aged them so slowly, he could only imagine how long it had taken if he wasn’t bitten as an adult. Was he even bitten? Orion never knew, never asked. Most if not all of the specifics of his life were vague and awkward for the both of them to even start to address. Ugh…

“Really should’ve brought someone with me….” Orion muttered to himself. Being left to my thoughts is torture… A small snort escaped from Orion as he stood and went down to another grave only to freeze on reading the surname. Oh…. This family name. He knew this family name?? “Klaus’s family….” Jeeze why didn’t he tell me? Or maybe this was his way of telling him? Orion grit his teeth again as he bent down and started to wash this grave carefully. “You really suck at talking about things, Klaus…” Not that Orion was any better at the end of the day. He was just different.

A few more graves were tended to before Orion’s ears caught the sounds of footsteps behind him. Turning around, Orion stared at Klaus who was standing there now smoking a cigarette from the corner of his mouth. “Hey…”

“Hey….”

“You ok?”

Klaus shook his head. Orion frowned and looked forward again. “Do you want to talk about it or not?” came the slightly sharper response. There was no immediate answer, but sure enough, the sounds of someone coming forward and sitting down had Orion glancing sideways. Klaus was staring at a specific grave now. As his gaze flickered sideways and caught Orion’s, the latter held it for a few seconds before looking forward again. “You could have just come with me, you know…”

“Yeah…..”

“Yeah.” A weird side drew in and out of both of them in unison. Orion frowned and shook his head. “Look… I don’t need to know, and you don’t need to know. We’re just…. just pack mates.”

Klaus fished the cigarette out of his mouth and nodded a bit slowly. “Fair.”

Orion smirked a bit shrugging his shoulders. “So don’t get too sentimental on me, alright?”

Klaus snorted and shrugged his shoulders back. “I just figured it was about time you started learning your werewolf heritage, dumbass.”

Orion’s eyes widened. Color flushed his features, and suddenly he was glancing forward and staring at the graves anew. “Your old pack?”

“Yeah.”

Slowly, Orion smirked leaning over his knees now. “Well damn, I’m glad you didn’t keep up the tradition of everyone having the same surname…” Orion snorted.

Klaus snorted. “What unites a pack is a similar world view, and nothing else. That’s what I’ve learned over the years.”

Orion rolled his eyes softly. “Fair.” He guessed.

“Ready to go home?”

“Yeah.”