Chapter 62: Laughter in the Wreckage

Orion knew that it would only take some time before each department head gathered with their complaints so instead of waiting, he sent a message to each of them and instructed them to gather at the communal hall.

What he didn’t expect was the loud chatter that came from inside the hall as he made his way towards it. He was expecting grumbles and curses about how Sophia had wrecked havoc and how she shouldn’t even be near any of their departments ever again but he heard a mix of laughter and animated voices spilling through the air.

He had just finished penning a letter to Silver Creek and now he had to face this. He released a smile as he pushed open the door to find a crowd gathered in the hall.

Pack members milled about, their earrings glinting in the light.

"She mistook salt for sugar!" Cook exclaimed, her round face splitting into a grin. "Poured it right into the batter before I even asked her to and when I tasted it, goddess, my tongue nearly shriveled! And mind you, before that, I asked her to wash plates and just like that, she destroyed more than half of what she was washing!"She doubled over, laughter shaking her shoulders as the others followed.

"And don’t even get me started on the chicken coop? The hens scattered fleeing for their lives. The coops half-collapsed and we’re still hunting for one bird!"

The crowd roared, some slapping the tables, others wiping tears from their eyes. Orion leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowing. He’d expected anger, demands for Sophia to be kept away, not... this.

Mary, the towering blacksmith, pushed through the crowd, her red hair cropped close, a jagged scar stark on her forearm. She no longer wore her apron seeing as she was done with work for the day.

"Don’t get me started," she said, her voice booming. "She started a fire on my side."

Gasps of shock went round and everyone was silent at first.

"I gave her daggers to polish, simple, right? But next thing I know, she knocks a coal bucket into the hearth sending sparks everywhere, and then a rag catches fire... she nearly burned the forge down, and she wasn’t even near the flames!" She shook her head.

Everyone erupted in laughter then.

"That’s why I didn’t want her near me." Paula said.

They were a small department and mainly focused on the weather. They alerted the pack if a storm was coming, they also worked with hunters and anyone leaving the pack, choosing the best time to leave. This was because the weather in Nirvana was highly unpredictable. It could be a little snow today and the next thing they could be hiding from an impending storm which could be either a rain storm or a snow storm.

Orion stepped into the hall, his presence quieting the laughter slightly. "You’re not angry?" he asked, his voice cutting through the chatter. "None of you?"

"Oh I am angry." One person said but burst into laughter making Orion frown because that wasn’t a lie.

Cook turned, wiping her hands on her apron, her grin fading to a thoughtful smile. "I was furious at first. Proper mad with steam coming out my ears. Those plates weren’t cheap, but it’s not like I bought them myself though. And that hen’s still missing. But after a while, I couldn’t stop laughing. It just doesn’t make sense, Orion. How is one girl that disastrous? It’s almost... impressive."

Mary nodded, crossing her muscled arms. "Same here."

Orion frowned as he tried to understand the absurdity of everything taking place right now. Mary was as stern as they come. If not for the parchment he had given Victor, he was sure Mary wouldn’t even let Sophia into her workplace and the fact that Sophia almost destroyed it doesn’t make her steaming mad?

"Everyone knows I’m as stern as they come, some of you call me sterny woman, which mind you that name makes no sense." She said,

"It sure does, sterny woman." Ronan called out, sending a series of laughter through the hall again.

Mary flipped him off as she continued. "As I was saying, I hate anyone messing with my forge. But it’s hard to stay mad when it’s just so freaking absurd. And you know what? She came back later, and was all apologies, head bowed like a pup caught stealing. She tried to help fix the damage, too."

A carpenter, his purple-and-white earrings glinting, piped up from a table. "Same at the shed. She dropped a hammer, nearly sliced my apprentice’s hand. But she came back at dusk, muttering sorry, trying to glue boards together to help.me but we all know she was going to wreck some havoc. Someone collapsed because she almost took a part of his body so I sent her out immediately and told her not to bother trying to help me."

The crowd laughed again, softer now, a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Orion’s lips twitched, a reluctant smile breaking through. He could picture Sophia with her head bowed as she earnestly apologised to the people shed wronged and he could also imagine her going back trying to fix the issue even if there would be absolutely no need for that.

Madam Tyler, who had been quiet, spoke up next. "Am I the only one she riddled with questions non stop?" She asked them.

Everyone was quiet and she released a sigh. "So it’s only me then. She didn’t wreck havoc in my part but she may as well as done it because the questions almost made my ears bleed."

Everyone paused as madam Tyler began a bad imitation of Sophia’s voice. "And she was like, ’what are the runes for? I’ve seen them almost everywhere, even in houses?’ ’Oh? Are those charms? Is that what they look like?’ ’What plant is that?’ ’Why are you putting it in like that?’ ’Do you have any measurements for that?’ ’Oh! You use fire like the black Smith’s too but it’s not as hot as it was in the forge.’ ’What’s that tree?’ ’Are there writings on it?’"

By the time she said the last word, everyone was in a gig of laughter, Orion included. Ronan wasn’t even trying to hide how funny he found the whole situation. Madam Tyler may have down a bad imitation of her voice but everything she said sounded like what Sophia would do. She was often too curious and Orion just wished she would be able to reign it in some time if not it was going to hurt them all.

"I sent her out after that when I stubbed my toe due to the questions. And mind you, I told her to do something but she was more focused on what the rest of us were doing." Madam Tyler huffed in mock anger but even she found the situation comical.

"You know, she came later too. She offered to take me to the medical facility to treat the toe telling me she’ll pay for it. I asked her if she had any money and she told me she would make some. But my health matters first." Madam Tyler said with a smile.

"She came to.me too." Mary said.

"Yeah me too."

Each department voiced the fact that she had gone to all of them to apologise.

"You better warn her stubborn ass not to pay for anything." Madam Tyler told Orion.

Orion stared with wide eyes. "Me? She doesn’t listen to anyone talk less, me."

Cook snorted, tossing a rag over her shoulder. "Sounds like someone else we know, doing whatever he wants."

The crowd chuckled, eyes turning to Orion who stared like a deeper in headlights. "I’m not that stubborn."

"Yeah...How’s your body reacting to that lie?" Ronan asked him with a knowing smirk.

Orion shot him a look, but the teasing continued, the hall filling with jabs about his own stubborn streak.

It wasn’t long before the crowd began to disperse, pack members drifting back to their tasks, the hall’s warmth fading as the hearth’s fire crackled low.

Orion and Ronan returned to the office, the door creaking shut behind them. Ronan dropped into a chair, kicking his boots up on the desk’s edge. "Here I thought they’d all be out for her blood, complaining about her disasters."

Orion sank into his chair, the candle’s flame dancing in his eyes. "Same. I thought we’d be drowning in grievances by now." He leaned back, the tapestry’s wolf staring down at him. "She’s got a knack for chaos, but they’re laughing. That’s... unexpected." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ronan shrugged, his grin lopsided. "She’s got spirit. Gotta give her that."

Orion nodded. They finished the work remaining for the preparation of the festival and before they knew it, it was nighttime. Ronan bid Orion goodnight as he began his walk to his home.

Orion had just finished having his bath when someone knocked on his door making him pause because he wasn’t expecting anyone.