"Orynn," She said suddenly, startling him as he closed the door to their room, and she suppressed a smile at the little trill of surprise that he made as he turned to her, "I'm sorry that I'm on edge. I don't think a situation like this is easy for any of us, but I want you to know that I really appreciate what you've done for me while I've been under your care. I can't imagine it was easy having someone dumped on you, and twice now you've taken care of me when I couldn't for myself."
She sighed impatiently as she wrestled with the words she was trying to say. Her mind didn't seem to be connecting in the way that it should, with lots of blank spaces where there shouldn't have been.
"What I'm trying to say is, let me sit with you and try to heal the bruising you must have internally. I don't know much about…dragon hybrids, but the premise of healing itself is very simple so I should be able to soothe the worst of your soreness at least."
Orynn cocked his head at her thoughtfully. He wasn't really sure that he wanted her poking around inside of him but the hopeful look on her face made it hard to resist.
He could understand wanting to feel useful, especially after the shock she had suffered. Perhaps it was to help take her mind off the memories that had resurfaced for her.
After a few moments thought, he nodded and stepped towards her hesitantly as her face lit up.
"Excellent! Now, where shall we sit? I don't want you to hurt yourself more if you get woozy, some people have greatly differing reactions to the healing and I'm not quite sure how you'll react," She rambled excitedly as her eyes scanned the room.
She turned to him cautiously and smiled apologetically.
"Having you sit on the edge of the bed wouldn't be inappropriate would it?" She asked with a slight grimace, as he shrugged nonchalantly and strode over to the bed, sitting on the edge and looking at her expectantly.
"If you could move back a little, please. I don't want you to fall forward if you pass out. At least if you're sitting in the middle somewhere, chances are you'll fall back or forward onto the mattress."
Orynn did as he was asked without complaint as she clambered up on the bed and sat next to him on her knees.
"Now, if this is at all uncomfortable for you, let me know, and I can stop, okay?"
Orynn huffed and trilled back at her confidently. If he could endure both Narcissa's cruel experiments and her brothers, then this should be a walk in the park for him.
"Ok, I'll start then." She smiled as she placed her hands on Orynn's arm.
She started slowly, cautiously sending her magic out into his body but, only seconds in, her magic flared, picking up speed as it rushed deeper, traveling through the intricate pathways of his body as if it knew every part of him intricately.
She could feel the sweat bead on her forehead as she tried to reign it in but she was at a complete loss. Her magick had never been disobedient like this before, it was acting as though it were a wild, almost feral beast.
And then, all of a sudden she knew why.
The terrifying rush of her magick ceased and stilled as she was flooded with warmth, her magick content and happy that it had found another that shared its roots.
A bloodline that Aoife had believed was extinguished with the knowledge of the death of her family.
"Orynn…" She breathed as her magick wrapped itself around Orynn's, almost as though it was greeting an old friend, "I had no idea…how?"
She lifted her gaze and felt something between their magick click into place as they both jolted sharply.
"Oh fuck...what in Hecate's name was that." Aoife breathed as Orynn's shocked expression mirrored her own.
'I have no idea…'
Aoife gasped and fought the urge to cover her mouth in shock,
"Did you just talk to me?!" She squeaked as Orynn frowned in confusion.
'What? No..how could I even talk to her? I don't have a voice anymore. Fuck. I wish there was an easier way."
"You did talk!" She shrieked again as his voice appeared inside her head loud and clear, "I heard you! You said you don't have a voice anymore and you wished there was an easier way!"
Orynn's blue tinged skin seemed to get even paler as they held each other's gaze.
"No...that's…that's impossible…" his voice stammered in disbelief.
"No it's not impossible Orynn! I can hear you!" Aoife laughed in excitement, "But..how are you doing this?! I know shifter's have the benefit of mind links but they don't really tend to use them as much as they used to because it's considered rude, but…wow…"
"Can you really hear me?" He asked timidly, a faint flicker of hope had sparked in his chest as it suddenly occurred to him that this stranger, this little witch, would be the first person to hear his voice ever other than his mother, Bella.
Aoife's face split into a wide grin that seemed to light the room up as she nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes Orynn! I can hear you!" She breathed.
He felt his eyes prick as an unfamiliar emotion seemed to swell within him, something that pulled and tugged at his heart painfully and before he knew what was happening, there was water leaking from his eyes.
Sensing his panic through this strange magickal link they shared, Aoife hushed him soothingly and tugged at her magick, directing it to send a wave of tranquility through his soul.
"It's okay, Orynn. It's perfectly normal to cry." She said gently, "I can't imagine how lonely you must have been all this time."
He made a strangled sort of noise as he wrestled with his emotions, even the link between them silent for now as her own magick embraced his flailing core, both of them unfamiliar with this particular emotion and wanting to strike out at whatever was causing this discomfort.
Aoife could tell that he had received next to no guidance on how to handle his abilities and in situations where emotions were running wild, it could be immensely dangerous. In that moment she decided that no matter what happened, she would teach him a little of what she knew while she was here.