(2021-11-17) The Bros of Bruuk's Corner - Mysteries and Hobbies

Details

Author:	inkie
Summary:	Ben and Sil are joined by Mr Cambrin Cooper. The mysteries of ancient Dwarven ruins, vanished colleagues, and women are contemplated. Further discussion touches on the subjects of warlocks, draenei, and Gnomish ingenuity, as well as hobbies such as embroidery and poisons.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: The Bros of Bruuk's Corner

[Silvestre]: Hi, Ben! Enjoying the view?

[Bennarin]: Hey, Sil. Just waitin' on people, thinkin'. How you doin'?

Bennarin leans to rest his elbows on the railing, peering at the plaza below.

[Silvestre]: Doin' alright. Uldaman was pretty amazing.

[Bennarin]: Yeah?

Bennarin straightens, interested.

[Bennarin]: Mizzy ain't say much about it, though I asked. She kept … uh, changin' the subject. So I wondered.

[Silvestre]: The night elf lady was really into the murals.

[Silvestre]: But I dunno, I thought the giant talking statue people were kinda more interesting.

Bennarin blinks at Sil. “What kind of statue people? Talking?”

[Silvestre]: Kinda? I mean, they didn't hold a conversation exactly. But they did say stuff at us.

Bennarin whistles and leans sideways against the railing now, propped on one elbow.

[Silvestre]: Like "don't come in this chamber" or somethin'. I don't remember exactly.

[Bennarin]: Damn. And they was giants? In a dwarf city?

[Silvestre]: Yeah! Bigger than me!

[Bennarin]: The dwarfs made 'em, you think?

[Silvestre]: I think they were before the dwarves? There were these tablets at the end, all talkin; about the origins of the dwarves. I think the squads found all that shi… stuff before.

[Bennarin]: Ohhhhh yeah.

Bennarin rubs the back of his neck.

[Bennarin]: Aunt Nir mention. She said Miz Oranna was real upset for a while.

[Silvestre]: Oh yeah? I wondered why she's not been around much. Used to see her, time to time.

[Bennarin]: I mean, I dunno if that's why? But it was — yeah. She was upset.

[Bennarin]: What about the murals? The elf was — what elf was it?

[Silvestre]: Not Sidhanei.

Silvestre laughs.

Bennarin grins. "I wasn't real worried about that. Dunno that Cap'n Jo would send her."

[Silvestre]: The Kalimdor liaison, I bet she's trustworthy. Larawen Rivenbark.

[Bennarin]: Oh, the purple-hair girl?

[Silvestre]: She called me scout the whole time.

Silvestre grins, leaning on the balcony.

[Silvestre]: Yeah, purple-haired woman. I think Nish was havin' a fit not flirtin' at her.

Bennarin laughs. "Oh, Miz Nish was there? How was that?"

[Silvestre]: Oh yeah! She was all dressed up like … well, you know Nish, right?

Bennarin grins in a way that says he knows Nish.

[Silvestre]: She's really funny.

[Bennarin]: Pretty funny, yeah.

[Silvestre]: And Gwenivene, I only met her once before and I think she didn't remember me much.

[Silvestre]: Pretty girl, bit younger'n us.

Bennarin knits his brows.

[Bennarin]: Don't think I know a … Gwenivene. Not Ginivieve?

[Silvestre]: No, no. Gwenivene. Jo's apprentice?

[Silvestre]: First time I met her she was lookin' for Jo.

[Bennarin]: Huh. Maybe I ain't met her.

[Silvestre]: She was kinda … cute about things? Like she didn't want to kill anything, but wanted to fight.

[Silvestre]: Larawen was all like, "I do not know how to use a hammer non-lethally."

Silvestre laughs.

Bennarin raises his eyebrows. "She … didn't want to kill anythin'?"

[Silvestre]: Yeah, she said unconscious was good enough.

[Silvestre]: I mean, I guess? But they could wake up.

Bennarin tips his head. "She's … Cap'n Jo's apprentice?"

Silvestre nods at Ben.

[Bennarin]: The Captain know she ain't like to kill anything?

[Silvestre]: I think so? Gwen seemed like she thought Jo would've told us. Maybe Jo thought she'd get over it.

[Bennarin]: … weird. Okay.

Cambrin waves.

[Cambrin]: Good evening, gents.

[Silvestre]: Oh, hi!

Bennarin grins and eyes Cambrin up and down.

[Bennarin]: Hey, Cam. How's it goin'?

[Cambrin]: Not bad. Not wealthy, not weeping.

Bennarin snorts. "Buy you a beer?"

Bennarin straightens from the rail.

[Cambrin]: I won't say no to a beer.

[Silvestre]: Oh you all know each other?

Cambrin nods at Silvestre.

[Bennarin]: Sil, you? And yeah, from Militia days.

[Cambrin]: Yes, we bashed some Defias heads together when I was a rookie.

[Silvestre]: Yeah, I'll take a beer.

Bennarin grins at Edris. "Yeah, three. For now."

[Silvestre]: I've bashed some… well, stabbed some Defias, too. But not with the militia.

Edris Barleybeard dimples back at Ben and heads downstairs to the bar.

[Bennarin]: Let's sit, yeah?

[Cambrin]: Sounds good.

[Bennarin]: Balcony gets crowded if we're all gonna stand out.

[Silvestre]: Yeah, and with beer and falls …

Bennarin laughs.

[Cambrin]: I thought you sneaky types always landed on your feet.

[Silvestre]: “Oh, yeah, I would, but I wouldn't want you all to get hurt,” Sil says nobly.

[Bennarin]: Cam, how you likin' the Company?

[Cambrin]: Yeah, so far, so good. The Green Squad folks all seem pretty solid.

[Bennarin]: Good.

Bennarin nods firmly.

[Silvestre]: Good to hear it. Future of the company an' all that.

Silvestre looks over at Ben. "I met him last week, here at Bruuk's."

[Bennarin]: Oh, yeah? Nice. I was — yeah, that was Nethergarde.

Bennarin makes a face.

Edris Barleybeard reappears wielding a tray, and bustles around the table to set pints in front of each of them.

[Silvestre]: Right, lookin' for Hex.

Bennarin nods curtly. He gives Edris an absent half-smile.

[Cambrin]: I wondered what was up last week.

[Bennarin]: Aw, we lost … we lost someone. I went to find out what happen.

Bennarin shrugs.

Cambrin looks startled.

[Cambrin]: Casualty? Missing, or down?

[Silvestre]: Missing, the newsletter said?

[Bennarin]: Nobody knows. 'S why I went to find out.

Bennarin nods at Sil.

Cambrin nods grimly.

[Bennarin]: She was doin' some kind of … mage research or some sh*t, at the old Portal ruin? And … somethin' happened.

[Cambrin]: Oh, out there in the Blasted Lands?

[Bennarin]: Yeah.

[Silvestre]: If anyone can find her, we can, I bet.

Cambrin nods.

[Bennarin]: I dunno, Sil. We'll see, I guess. I know Cap'n Jo ain't gonna let it lie, but they got Kirin Tor and all swarmin' all over it, and none of 'em knows what the hell.

[Cambrin]: Dangerous place, I hear.

[Bennarin]: Hell of a place, yeah. Ain't call it Blasted for nothin'.

[Cambrin]: Only heard stories myself. Is it true there's big-ass demons walking around?

Bennarin nods at Cam.

[Bennarin]: Big ones, little ones … cultists. Boars on fire? Weird sh*t.

[Silvestre]: Boars on fire?

[Bennarin]: Yeah.

[Silvestre]: Huh.

[Cambrin]: Well, that's something.

[Bennarin]: And a sky full of lightning, but no rain or nothin'. Just … red desert, and lightnin'.

[Silvestre]: Doesn't sound all that nice.

[Bennarin]: Hard to believe it used to be swamp. Medivh must've done it as hard as he done for Duskwood.

Cambrin snorts. "Magicians."

Bennarin cants his head at Cam and raises his beer to him.

[Silvestre]: Seems like people ain't supposed to be that powerful.

Silvestre takes a sip of his beer.

[Bennarin]: Yeah.

[Cambrin]: Don't get me wrong, a good mage at your back is priceless.

[Cambrin]: But something about the ones that go deep in…

[Cambrin]: I think it does something to them.

[Bennarin]: Oh yeah, Cap'n Jo is gold. But — who was we talkin' about that with, Sil? Oh, it was Tim, wasn't it?

Bennarin glances at Cam. "There's a gnome warlock fellow comes by here sometimes, friend of the Captain's. Funny duck. He's got some … ideas about power."

[Silvestre]: Yeah, he's an odd one.

Cambrin 's face looks sour at the mention of warlocks.

[Bennarin]: Gave Mizzy a hell of a turn at Hallow's End. Ain't think she'll be back here on account.

Cambrin looks like he's sucking on the world's sourest lemon.

Bennarin glances at Cam. He gives a faint, wry smile and drinks some beer.

[Bennarin]: I got one in my squad.

[Bennarin]: Warlock, I mean.

[Cambrin]: Huh.

[Silvestre]: Had problems with warlocks? Tim don't seem so bad a person.

[Cambrin]: Got problems with demons.

Cambrin tilts his head towards the north.

[Bennarin]: I do not blame you.

[Cambrin]: Seems like most of our troubles these last years are because of demons one way or another.

[Bennarin]: Reckon yeah.

[Cambrin]: If the Company vouches for a warlock, well. I trust you all.

[Cambrin]: Doesn't mean I won't keep my eyes peeled for trouble.

[Bennarin]: There's some warlocks I figure are tryin' to kind of … figure out how to handle all that sh*t? Like, get a hold over it. But some of 'em … I dunno.

[Silvestre]: We don't have all that many, right Ben?

[Silvestre]: The one in your squad… um… there's a gnome I think? And that new girl.

[Silvestre]: Oh, and the accountant, of course.

[Bennarin]: We got … Sandy, and Miss Coit, yeah. A gnome one? Oh, the pink one, yeah?

[Silvestre]: Yeah, I never really met her, but saw the name around.

[Bennarin]: And there was Hex.

[Silvestre]: Is.

Bennarin shrugs. "Is, sure."

[Cambrin]: Hex is your missing friend?

[Silvestre]: Yeah, I didn't know her all that well, but I met her before.

[Bennarin]: She seem like a nice girl, but I ain't know her much either. She did a lot of … independent researchin' kind of thing?

[Bennarin]: Bookish sort of girl.

Cambrin nods.

[Silvestre]: Yeah, kinda kept to herself a lot of the time.

[Bennarin]: Ivri said they was friends. I dunno if that's true or Ivri just likes havin' her nose in.

Cambrin blushes a little at the mention of Ivri's name.

Silvestre raises an eyebrow at Cambrin.

Cambrin takes a pull off his beer.

Bennarin eyes Cambrin with faint amusement.

[Silvestre]: Anyway, Sandy's kind of innocent. Like a kid. And then Miss Coit, you said? I haven't really talked to her yet.

[Bennarin]: She is kind of … the opposite of Sandy. Seems real steady, kind of like Cal. I got the impression she come from … not a great background.

[Bennarin]: Actually, Cam, think she's from up Silverpine way.

Cambrin nods slowly.

[Cambrin]: Lots of us came south.

[Bennarin]: She ain't. Didn't then, I mean. She … went with the army. Kept with 'em, to Theramore an' all.

Cambrin 's eyes widen.

[Bennarin]: Dunno how old she is exactly. Good-lookin' girl.

[Cambrin]: And pretty tough, too.

[Silvestre]: Good-lookin? Maybe I oughta meet her.

Cambrin chuckles at Silvestre.

Bennarin tips his head back and forth ambivalently and gives Sil a faint smile. "I mean, I like her. Seems friendly enough. She was — I dunno. She knew Mr Atley from before. Gave Ivri a turn when she showed up."

[Silvestre]: Ivri? Huh, I wouldn't take her to startle easy from a warlock.

[Cambrin]: Ivri seemed pretty, um… confident, when I met her a couple weeks back.

[Bennarin]: Wasn't cos she's a warlock. Was cos she an' Mr Atley, y'know …

Bennarin glances at Cam. "Ivri seems pretty confident, yeah. She's … younger'n all that. Has a good front."

[Silvestre]: Ohh.

Silvestre nods. “Ivri's pretty flirty too, but I know she don't mean anything by it. Like Nish.”

[Bennarin]: Ivri come off boy-crazy, but she's Mr Atley's girl. She does like to flirt, though, yeah.

[Silvestre]: Yeah, I wouldn't go after Mr. Atley's girl.

Cambrin nods enthusiastically at Sil.

[Cambrin]: Doesn't seem like someone you want to cross.

[Bennarin]: He's a solid fellow.

[Silvestre]: A good person to have on our side, though.

Silvestre grins, and takes another drink.

Cambrin shakes his head. "Girls — women — they're confusing."

Bennarin glances at Cam. His mouth twitches faintly and he has another swig of beer.

[Cambrin]: That kind of reminds me. I'm the only man — er, guy? in Green Squad.

[Bennarin]: Nice.

Bennarin grins at him.

Cambrin flushes.

[Cambrin]: Er…

[Silvestre]: Oh yeah?

Silvestre laughs. “Maybe women are about to be a lot less confusin' then. Or more?”

Cambrin tries to cover his embarrassment by drinking more of his beer.

[Bennarin]: Aw, women's just people. Most've 'em better'n most've the fellows I known.

[Bennarin]: Anyway, Miz Glynara's Green Squad, yeah?

Cambrin nods at Ben.

[Silvestre]: She's pretty great, Glynara. She knows what she's about.

[Cambrin]: And makes sure you know it.

Cambrin grins.

Bennarin laughs.

Silvestre chuckles, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, that too."

[Cambrin]: She wanted to have us all kiss her pig!

[Bennarin]: You know, she never did teach me manners like how she said she was gon—

Bennarin blinks at Cam.

[Bennarin]: She what, now?

[Silvestre]: Her pig?

[Cambrin]: Said she had to be sure Damsel liked us all.

[Silvestre]: Well … don't draw out the suspense.

[Bennarin]: Uh.

[Cambrin]: Remember Sil, when Rissa mentioned that last week, and Atley got kinda hot n' bothered about it?

[Silvestre]: Ohhh yeah.

[Silvestre]: I mean, did the pig like you?

Cambrin lets out a hearty chuckle.

[Cambrin]: I fed it, it seemed to like that well enough.

[Silvestre]: I bet a pig'd like that more than kissin'.

[Cambrin]: That's what I thought.

[Cambrin]: But I'm a city and town boy.

[Bennarin]: I mean, I am a born hog farmer and I ain't kissin' a pig. Damsel is a pretty good hog, but still …

[Bennarin]: Rissa is a Green Squad someone?

[Cambrin]: Oh yeah, Rissa. Short for, um, Elrissadel I think

[Silvestre]: Yeah, she was here last week too.

[Silvestre]: She's a druid.

[Cambrin]: Also have one of the Dranei, a mage named Taelei.

[Bennarin]: Oh, Taelei I think I met, yeah?

[Silvestre]: She came one week, yeah?

[Bennarin]: Think so.

[Cambrin]: I think she was leaving as I came in, my first night.

[Bennarin]: Oh right, she was the one about the leper gnomes.

[Silvestre]: Confusin' goblins and gnomes, right?

[Bennarin]: I can't remember if I mention her to Mizzy. I know she was interested in embroiderin'. I said I'd get Mizzy to help her out. And yeah, yeah that was it.

[Silvestre]: I guess way they came in here all recently, must be hard to keep all the different types of people in mind.

Cambrin nods.

[Cambrin]: Big changes for all the Draenei. Even bigger than what we've seen, sounds like.

[Bennarin]: You met Erica? That one vindicator girl? She still call me Tour Guide Ben cos I was there that time we went on Miz Oranna's tour of the city with a few of 'em.

Cambrin shakes his head.

[Silvestre]: Hah, I guess you latch on a thing when everything's all different.

[Bennarin]: She's a sweet girl, though.

[Silvestre]: I guess we got a fair number of their people now, in the team.

[Cambrin]: Sounds like a lot of folks fo rme to meet in the company, and with the hangers-on too.

[Silvestre]: Hangers-on?

Bennarin raises an eyebrow.

[Cambrin]: Like, folks who aren't part of the company, but still work with it?

Cambrin looks embarrassed.

[Silvestre]: Oh, like Mr. Foxglove?

[Bennarin]: Oh, like contractor types, yeah?

[Bennarin]: Mr. Foxglove, the Black Company people, that Mr … Finch? Fitch?

[Silvestre]: The warlock? Yeah.

[Bennarin]: To be honest, I don't know many of 'em that well myself and I probably ought.

[Cambrin]: I guess. Not sure I've met any of them but heard about a few.

[Bennarin]: Yeah? Which ones?

[Cambrin]: Come to think of it, the ones you mentioned. And maybe someone Atley mentioned last week?

Cambrin shrugs. Who knows?

[Cambrin]: Hard for a new guy to keep track.

[Silvestre]: I bet you'll meet a lotta people as you go, though.

[Cambrin]: Feel like there should be a big board in the HQ with names on it, like those big charts the Army types use.

[Silvestre]: We oughta make somethin' like that.

Bennarin laughs. "That ain't a bad idea. I should mention it to the Captain, yeah. Or Mizz."

[Silvestre]: Maybe Mizz? She'd do it up real neat I bet.

[Bennarin]: Though maybe no one could read it if Mizzy did it. And it would have an embroider border or somethin'.

Bennarin grins at Sil.

[Silvestre]: Hah, might be right.

[Cambrin]: Hah, like the samplers they had us make in the orphange.

[Bennarin]: I'm kiddin'. She is neat as hell. I will suggest it to the Captain and suggest she puts Mizzy on it.

[Silvestre]: Ohhh are you good at needlepoint?

Bennarin glances at Cam again and knits his brow.

Cambrin shakes his head.

[Cambrin]: Not beyond mending my own pants when I rip 'em.

[Silvestre]: That's already somethin'

[Bennarin]: Why they have you make samplers at the orphanage?

[Cambrin]: The sisters said we all needed to learn how to sew, and that was part of the lessons.

[Silvestre]: Guess they were goin' for useful life skills, then.

[Bennarin]: Huh.

[Silvestre]: I did not learn how to sew as a kid, so you got me beat,.

[Bennarin]: Nor me. Dad would've said was girl-work.

Bennarin makes a dour face.

[Cambrin]: I'm not much good at it. Mending tears and such.

[Bennarin]: Mendin's a good skill to have.

[Cambrin]: Oh, they made the girls learn to use tools! At leasts basic ones. Hammers and such.

[Cambrin]: Nothing like the gnomes get up to.

[Silvestre]: Hah, yeah, you should see some of the clockwork things our Captain makes. I think gnomes get really into it, though.

[Bennarin]: Well, that's good too. Yeah, Cap'n Jo makes —

Bennarin pauses.

Bennarin has a drink.

Silvestre looks to Ben, waiting for him to continue.

[Bennarin]: Gonna order another round. Yeah?

Cambrin eyes Ben with curiousity.

Bennarin gets up to go speak to Edris again.

Silvestre looks after Ben, confused.

[Silvestre]: “That was a bit weird, yeah?” Sil says quietly to Cambrin.

Cambrin turns to Sil. "Does she make bombs? I heard some of them make bombs."

[Silvestre]: I was gonna say, she made me up little clockwork soldiers for a history book lesson demonstration. But yeah, that and bombs.

[Silvestre]: The gnomes, I think they just carry 'em around. Bombs.

[Cambrin]: Some people sure do like a good explosion.

[Silvestre]: Yeah, I'm not above using some dynamite from time to time, but you know.. I'm not trained in it.

[Cambrin]: I tend to leave it to the experts. I like having all my fingers.

Silvestre nods at Cambrin vehemently.

[Cambrin]: Thought I saw one of the vendors in the Tinker's District selling fireworks.

[Silvestre]: Ooh, fireworks? Those are fun. They’re not like bombs though, right? Way safer.

[Silvestre]: I guess maybe some people'd think I'm weird for bringin' poison around with me, so I can't judge.

[Silvestre]: I am careful with the poison, though. Ben made me agree to not leave it around in the kitchen.

Cambrin lets out a hearty chuckle.

[Cambrin]: Don't know much about poison but that seems like a good rule!

Bennarin returns, carrying three pints carefully himself. He distributes these before dropping back into his seat.

Cambrin thanks Ben and takes a sip.

Silvestre nods at Ben, and takes a gulp of his.

[Cambrin]: One of the sisters left some kind of concotion in the kitchen one night, and Brother Cinhil, he minded us boys, drank it by accident. Spent the whole next day on the privy.

[Silvestre]: Ooh, that might not've been poison but not far off.

[Bennarin]: … wait, what's poison? Sil, you ain't been — ?

[Cambrin]: Yes, we all got to learn the word "purgative."

[Silvestre]: Oh no, we were just talkin' about dangerous stuff people carry around with em. Like gnomes and bombs. And me and poisons.

[Bennarin]: Ohhh, okay.

Cambrin looks at Ben curiously. "So what is it the Captain makes that's so nifty?"

[Cambrin]: I saw her goggles, they seemed pretty fancy.

[Bennarin]: Oh, uh.

Bennarin has a sip of his own beer.

[Bennarin]: Lot've things.

[Silvestre]: They glow.

Silvestre nods.

[Bennarin]: She's got a … shrink ray? Sometimes makes the things we're fightin' — smaller? And weaker.

[Bennarin]: Backfires sometimes, though.

[Silvestre]: Oh, that sounds handy. Uh … maybe not the backfire.

Cambrin agrees with Silvestre.

[Bennarin]: Also got somethin' called a death ray, I guess, but I ain't let her use that one in squad. Because I do not want a thing called 'death ray' f*cken backfirin' on us.

Silvestre laughs.

[Silvestre]: Can't argue with that.

Cambrin nods. "Sound reasoning."

[Silvestre]: And a little dragon. It's cute.

[Cambrin]: Oh, like a clockwork dragon?

[Bennarin]: She does more, like, gadgets and sh*t, yeah, little clockworks an' stuff. More'n explosives.

Silvestre nods.

[Cambrin]: That's nifty.

[Bennarin]: She's smart as hell, Cap'n Jo.

[Cambrin]: Well, of course, she hired all of us, right?

Cambrin lets out a hearty chuckle.

Silvestre takes a long drink of his beer, finishing it off. "I hate to say it, but I gotta head out. Cam, let me know if I know anybody you want me to introduce you to, alright?"

[Cambrin]: Thanks Sil, I'd be grateful. We'll see after Saturday, when Green Squad has it's first mission.

[Silvestre]: Alright, just let me know!

[Silvestre]: And Ben… see you later on at the townhouse, right?

Bennarin nods at Sil.

Silvestre looks to Cambrin. "We're roommates."

Cambrin nods in understanding.

Silvestre waves goodbye to everyone. Farewell!

[Bennarin]: Sil moved in with me when my aunt moved out. Was her place, technically, but she give it to me when she married Mr Ference.

Cambrin nods.

[Bennarin]: You stayin' at HQ, or where?

[Cambrin]: I've got a room I rent in Stormwind. Don't need much space, and seems pretty central to where I've been working lately.

Bennarin nods at him.

[Bennarin]: Well, if you decide to move on up here sometime, lemme know. I might … know about a room or so comin' open.

Cambrin nods.

[Cambrin]: Sure will! I travel pretty light, though.

Bennarin grins at him.

[Cambrin]: Well, as light as someone whose jobs all involve hunks of steel.

Bennarin laughs.

[Bennarin]: You want to get in nice with Mr Atley, you ask him about smithin'.

Cambrin nods.

[Cambrin]: Touched on that with him last week.

[Bennarin]: He's good as hell, taught me twice as much in a year as my uncle did in twelve.

[Cambrin]: I'll do that.

[Cambrin]: I should get going myself. Need to catch the tram back home so I can square away my kit.

Cambrin drains his beer and wipes his mouth.

Bennarin nods and tips back the last of his second beer. "Yeah, me too. Goin' to stop by Mizz on my way home. You know how to reach me f' you need anything, yeah?"

Cambrin nods.

[Cambrin]: I'm good for the moment but I'll shout if I need a hand.

[Bennarin]: Okay, then. You get back safe, have a good night.

Cambrin waves goodbye to Ben.

[Bennarin]: See you round.