Chapter 79: A New Day

Beams of sunlight sliced through the blinds, casting slanted rays across the room as the sun climbed toward high noon, finally peering over the fissure's gray cliffs.

The room was small but clean. Rare in the Undercity, courtesy of Silco. While it didn't feel quite like home, lacking the memories of the past, it did give a sense of comfort.

A simple bed, a compact kitchen- essentially a studio apartment in Zaun. Gray walls, a metal door, a single light dangling from the ceiling. A plain mattress with an equally drab, brown blanket. Nothing fancy, but after six years in Stillwater, it was heaven.

Orion groaned, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He wasn't used to it anymore. It kind of hurt.

More surprising, however, was the silent figure sitting beside him. Isha, watching him like a pet waiting for its owner to wake up.

They locked eyes before Orion mumbled, "It's only been a day… Don't you have work? In the mines?"

"Nn nn." She shook her head.

Without a word, she stood up and tossed a book onto his stomach.

"Oof! What-?" Orion grunted and picked it up. Zaun Sign Language.

Blinking, he peered at her with an arched brow. "You want me to learn sign language?"

Isha nodded and, before he could protest, snatched the book back, flipping to the first page and jabbing her finger at an illustration. The 'Hello' hand sign. She demonstrated it in front of him, her expression determined.

"Look," Orion sighed, sitting up. "I'll learn it-"

"Nn!" She made a happy sound, bouncing slightly but it quickly vanished when Orion said, "But you need to go to work. No skipping, even if I'm here."

Her face scrunched, brows furrowing in frustration.

"Silco won't take care of you. And frankly, outside of barely recognizing you, I don't know you." Orion's tone was blunt, watching her twitch at his words. "Do you sleep on the streets?"

When she nodded, Orion responded uncaringly. "You can sleep here, then. I'll get you a mat or something- or bring whatever you were sleeping on before."

It really was like watching a dog or cat.

Her head tilted and expression shifted. Eyes widened, then turned thoughtful. Finally, she looked back at him, as if processing his words, before abruptly standing.

With growing amusement, Orion watched as she turned the pages to a new phrase.

'Thank you,' she said with hand signs.

Orion looked at the response below and attempted to sign it back.

Isha giggled, shaking her head before demonstrating the proper way. 'You're welcome.'

"Psh- It was basically there!"

Isha rolled her eyes, still giggling, before grabbing her miner's hat. Orion shot her an irritated look as she paused at the door, smiling as she waved.

Then she was gone.

Orion slumped back against the wall, flipping through the book.

"I did it right…" he muttered, staring at the page.

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Without incident, Isha returned to work, though her absence hadn't gone unnoticed. Her boss was mad, scolding her intensely, but took pity on her and let her off with just a warning.

Back to the fissures. Mining. Hauling raw Chemtech materials. Just another day.

Meanwhile on Orion's first day helping with some idle work. Sevika stood by as an Enforcer attempted to pry his way into a carriage transporting a small Shimmer shipment.

With a flash of indigo light, the Enforcer collapsed. Orion grabbed the unconscious body and unceremoniously tossed it into a nearby trash pile.

Sevika- Silco's top enforcer, sporting a cybernetic arm from the warehouse incident, her body lined with hidden vials of Shimmer for power-ups- exhaled through her nose, unimpressed.

"Took you long enough to ditch those brats," she remarked dryly, signaling to the other thugs to continue loading the carriage.

Orion didn't respond right away.

Instead, he grabbed a trash bag and casually tossed it over the unconscious Enforcer's head. "Didn't ditch them."

Sevika's eyes narrowed, skeptical. Orion continued.

"Silco and I made a deal. I help, but I won't target them."

Sevika scoffed, rolling her eyes as she readjusted her cloak over her augmented arm. "Wow, how noble." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "Too bad they won't feel the same once they find out."

"Yeah," Orion admitted, shrugging. "But they'll learn there's a new line not to cross if they want to keep the peace... Vander's peace."

Sevika snorted. "Vander's delusions, you mean."

The exchange ended there. The carriage departed, and Orion and Sevika moved on to the next job site together.

After a moment of silence, Sevika glanced at him. "How many of these tagalongs do you need before you can handle yourself?"

Orion's eyes wandered the bustling streets, observing the life that thrived in Zaun now. "Just a few. Need to refamiliarize myself with how things work."

"Hmph." Sevika folded her arms. "Not much has changed."

Orion arched a brow, his disagreement evident. "Really? Everything looks more lively. More smiles, more open exchanges of coin. I didn't see that too often before I got locked up."

Sevika sighed, her gaze shifting to a group conducting business exactly as Orion described. She hesitated before muttering, "The surface has changed. Not what lies beneath. Not yet, anyway. It's still the Chembarons and Silco running everything. Vander just made it look pretty."

Like a movie scene, they passed a darker alley with someone being beaten, pleading for mercy.

Both of their eyes followed the crime, but they kept moving.

Orion's mind drifted to his own circumstances; a problem hidden from sight for six years.

"I can't argue with you there." Orion admitted, and they kept walking.

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Vi and Ekko hovered over Powder, watching as she painted with intense focus. The canvas before her wasn't just any piece—it was a new portrait of Orion.

Ekko scowled, arms crossed, while Vi's expression twisted in disbelief.

"So… you don't want to do anything?" Ekko asked, incredulous.

"Nope." Powder's response was light, almost carefree. "Just want to keep talking, like old times!"

Vi threw up her hands. "He's with Silco! Do you really think that's okay?!"

Powder didn't even flinch, dipping her brush into a new shade. "Silco never harmed him. He saved him—twice." She glanced at them, smirking slightly. "Besides, I think we can bring him back once he realizes how much harm Shimmer's causing. He was always a softy."

Ekko's frown deepened. "You're betting on that? That he hasn't changed? Six years in Stillwater. He got caught because he left. No one's fault but his."

Powder shrugged. "He got caught saving us. Saving the Undercity. That's all I need to know."

Vi huffed, running a hand through her hair. "I'd say let's kick some sense into him, but he's got that crazy magic now."

Powder grinned knowingly, finally looking up from her painting.

"Exactly why my way is right."