(2022-03-31) The New Azeroth Girl Friday of Cobalt Company

Details

Author:	Athena
Summary:	Oranna and Jo chat about moving Oranna into HQ officially for assistant duties, do a little catching up, and get pre-banned from ever being in charge of childproofing anything.
Rating:	T for Teen

03/31/2022

Jocoza walks down the stairs to HQ, looking over the place with a nostalgic smile. Jo waves at Oranna and walks over and takes a chair, smiling at Oranna.

Oranna is working on some paperwork on what looks to be like a tiny, custom built travel desk, with all sorts of things to help with ease of use, like a built-in ink well divot, tiny ridged sides so things don't fall off, etc.

“Wow, you do look busy.” Jo looks over all the supplies. “Ismene wasn't kidding.”

Oranna looks up at the entrance. "Hul — " she starts to say automatically, and then as it hits her that it's Jo, she tries to stand up, and gets tangled in the desk a little. "Jo!" Oranna manages to get free of the desk without destroying everything, to come over to give Jo a hug. She doesn't have to bend down a ton, at least.

Jocoza does stand up, since she is not hindered by any mini-desk. She returns the hug with a gentle squeeze. “I'd say it's been too long, but, well, you were at the wedding?” Jo giggles
“Anyway, we didn't really get a chance to talk there.”

Oranna backs up with a Beaming Smile On High. "Oh, lass, it's so good ta see ye, an' no' dead or anythin'!" Oranna nods at the question. "Oh, aye, I was there. Righ' lovely, it was." Oranna sits in another chair closer to Jo, plopping into it with a casual ease.

“Very much alive.” Jo returns to her seat. “No thanks to lots of naga and demons and orcs, but, you know, all in a day's work. How' ve you been managing, back here in Azeroth? Ismene said you've more or less taken on this side of the Cobalt operation, right?”

Oranna looks uneasy at the mention of the danger, but tries for an encouraging smile. She looks over at the little desk, and nods. "I…I hope it was all righ'? It was jus', when the lass took off…Well, it was wha' I used ta do, on a much smaller scale, fer my family when I couldn't…wasna able ta….field. Is she alrigh', th' lass? I asked if she could jus' double check my work, be sure I hadna missed or messed with th' paperwork outside her system, an' I thought she'd faint dead away righ' there.”

“Oh, no, it's fine.” Jo smiles. “Better than fine, really. I would've hate to have everything fall to pieces because Ismene ran off after her husband.”

Oranna sighs in visible relief.

“As far as I know, she's doing well in Outland. She's been doing some work in the infirmary at Honor Hold, not sure what beyond that.”

Oranna nods. "It didna seem like much had changed when I came in th' other day. Well, tidier, perhaps, but no' by much. An' no note, so I hoped tha' was a good sign. I tried ta jus' keep things goin' as it was. Bargrimm helped, an' so did that lass Alaisa. Is she…she is comin' back, isn't she? Ismene?”

“A group effort, then.” Jo looks over Oranna's desk again, which seems to have an awful lot of work on it. “I've actually spoken with her, about the admin situation, which is why… well, one reason why… I wanted to talk to you.”

Oranna looks a little surprised, but nods, looking at the paperwork. She looks slightly worried, but not a lot. "Of course."

“I'm sure she'll come back to Azeroth…” Jo pauses “… eventually. But right now, Ben's going into danger and well, I'm sure you know what that feels like. And she made a good point — we do have operations on both sides of the portal now. So… maybe it makes sense to have an assistant on either side.”

Oranna nods seriously. "Bargrimm…was ready ta go through. An' I couldna, no' with e'erythin'…aye. I know tha' feelin'. Wouldna be able to bear tha' myself." Oranna is nodding along. "Oh, aye, tha' makes sense. I can make sure I've got e'erythin' set up fer whoe'er yer gettin' in. I've tried ta keep notes, fer Ismene."

“Well, sure, but… you've been doing such a good job…”

Oranna looks over with visible surprise. "Me? But, I'm no'…I was…there's probably a half dozen better. I jus' wasna sure who or if they'd be up ta it, an' I didna want it ta wait, but I…I'm sure there's someone better." Oranna is turning very red.

Jocoza blinks at Oranna. This was not the reaction she was expecting, clearly. "Is it a hassle? All the assistanting things? Do you want to pass it off to somebody?"

Oranna mumbles something about being a Matron to herself, as she stares at the floor, and blows out a breath. "I can do it. I can. If…if ye think it's….if ye dinna have anyone else in mind. I…I do enjoy it, ta be honest. I like bein' a good use, without without…havin' ta kill anyone ta….help." Oranna's eyes go sad and distant. “It's wha'…I needed a break from. After Zul'farrak. Th'…killin'. An' this…this is nice. It's been good bein' back in th' city and gettin' ta meet all the new people comin' in ta th' Company and talkin'.”

Jocoza bites her lip, and nods. "I expect Ismene liked that aspect of it, too. She doesn't strike me as particularly into that side of things. So you're enjoying it? You would say?” Jo looks at her hopefully. “Like, maybe… you want to keep doing it, officially?”

Oranna clears her throat, still a little red. "I would, aye. I…th' system in place is a good one, an' I do understand it fair well. Th' parts I didna, like th' gear allotment, Bargrimm knows like th' back o' his hand."

Jocoza nods, relieved. "Well, then. That's settled. Cobalt's Azeroth Assistant, Oranna Stormbreaker."

Oranna smiles shyly, her cheeks going very pink. "I'll…ha' ta write ta Bargrimm. He'll be pleased. An' it's been good ta be closer ta Niris, an' Elo. I hadna really…thought how fast th' time would go by. It…it was jus' a few months. Ye know.”

Jocoza 's eyes widen. "I know what you mean! Humans do things way too fast. There's going to be a baby around here before we know it."

Oranna looks over in what she probably thinks is the direction of Niris. She's definitely not looking the right way. "Oh, aye! Strange, tha'."

Jocoza glances at the weapon rack. "On that thought, maybe you could do some childproofing in here, as a part of your new work?"

Oranna looks around at the HQ. Sharp edges, weapons, food, beer, close to the ground files, potions on accessible shelves. "Is….is tha'…different from wha' it looks like now?" Oranna looks like she's sure a baby would be fine in here. Oranna has zero experience with children.

Jocoza gauges the height of the various hazards. "Might be okay for a gnome baby? I don't recall how tall the human babies are." Jocoza also has virtually zero experience with babies. Gnome babies included.

Oranna looks horrified. "They're….oh, aye. They'd be different sizes, aye. How…how much bigger do they…come out? I've seen th' children o' Stormwind runnin' about, but….are those babies? H-how much bigger is…Niris gonna need ta get??”

“I mean… they age so fast…” Jo looks confused for a moment. “How long does it take them to get as big as the ones in Stormwind? A year or two?”

Oranna puts her hands on both sides of her face in Classic Horror Face. "Oh, tha's…tha's a terrible thought. I'll…oh, where is Ivri when ye need her." She looks up at the rafters, just in case.

Jocoza considers. "It can't get that much bigger, or how would it even be born?"

“I'll…I'll talk ta Elo, an' Niris. Find out…about tha'.” She nods to herself. “I really hope it's…no' much bigger.”

Jocoza thinks back, staring off to the side for a moment. "I think… human babies aren't so much bigger. Back with Elly and Crispin, we used to send them little toys and clothes… " Jocoza shrugs. "Tula might've oversized things, or undersized. I don't know. Elo never complained."

Oranna looks over with a soft, warm smile at Jo. "Oh, aye. Well, tha's good then. An' I'm sure Elo would ha' said. Gentle like, ye know, an' no' ungrateful, but he wouldna want someone ta jus'…no' know, when he could help. Elo always knows wha' ta say, an' help folk.”

Jocoza nods. "He's good at that, and I always seem to stumble. Like today. I can't guess how people are going to react, half the time."

“Oh, wha' happened today?” Oranna looks over at Jo's face, and then immediately blushes a dark pink. “Oh, me.”

“I mean how have you been? I know you and Bargrimm went off up north, and you weren't… really doing great back then?”

“I…it's jus'…it's been an' adjustment. I…” She stutters out a little and looks at the floor before taking a deep breath. “It was hard, fer me. Harder than I thought…it was fine, when we were jus'…helpin'. Th' little things. I know some things canna be fixed except by killin'. I do. But.”

“It kind of… started some kind of chain reaction?” Jo nods. “The things we were expected to do were bigger and bigger…”

“Tha' day, we had ta kill…so many o' those trolls. In their own…home. An' I went somewhere in my head I hadna gone since th' Second War. A…a bad place for me. It's…it's where I broke, back then. In tha' place. An' then after…with Uldaman…I felt like I was holdin' on by a thread, jus' gettin' through every day. An' Bargrimm…reminded me I didna ha' ta do tha' anymore. It isna a war, and it's no' a Siege. Tha' I could….rest. And let it heal up, instead of patchin' it day by day.”

“I knew you were having a hard time, with the discs, and then the way you looked, after the stairwell…” Jo trails off. “But it's just a job. We try to do good things, but you can step back, when you need to.”

“An' so, I've been doin' tha. Healin' up. Doin' things tha' are helpin' without killin'. Workin' on mending th' ties 'tween Bargrimm and his kin. Settin' up our future clan. An' jus'…lettin' tha' be enough.” Oranna nods and smiles warmly at Jo. Oranna looks pretty settled in, with only a touch of distress on her face. "Aye. An' it's a good job. I do like it. But, sometimes, I'll need ta let other folk take up tha' shift on th' 'Wall' an' rest up."

“That's already a lot to be getting on with, isn't it?” Jo says gently. “And yes, it doesn't have to be always on you to hold the line.”

Oranna smiles, a bright warm smile. "Tha's jus' as Bargrimm said, aye. Been doin' my best ta believe it. But…when I heard…when I got yer letter, 'bout the portal…I came ta help, however I could.”

“If you want to come through, we'd be happy to have you. But you don't need to. There's stuff to be done still here, on Azeroth.”

Oranna shakes her head back and forth quickly. "I…I heard about wha' it's like there. Tha's…tha's a war. An'…I'm no' ready fer tha', Jo. I jus'…I cannae do tha'. Yet. Here, I can help, an' it willna hurt me ta do it.” She forces a little smile. “Well, aside from th' occasional papercut, aye?”

“I think you'll survive those.” Jo giggles, reaching over to pat Oranna on the arm. “But if you ever want to see it… you did hear Gwen figured out the portals, right? Not a warzone, but a city of a bunch of different people. You could visit sometime, with me, and I could see you back here safely. If you ever decide you want to.”

Oranna nods. "Oh, aye. Tha'…was. I'm so glad o' it. I was…picturin' th' worst. 'Worryin' up a storm' as Bargrimm said. But…no. Seein' it, an' knowin' I'd be leavin' it ta sort itself out…I think tha'd be worse. I'm jus' glad e'eryone is alive, an' doin' well there, best as they can.”

Jocoza nods. "If you ever change your mind, you just have to let me know."

Oranna gives Jo a Bright Beam Smile. "I will. Or ye'll come here, take one look a' me an' know anyhow." She laughs a little.

Jocoza laughs. Jocoza looks around the old, familiar HQ. "Have there been many new people? Ben sent me a note that there was a backlog of applicants."

“Oh, aye.” Oranna groans and points with a thumb back to her desk. “It's been gatherin' dust. No'…no' literally, I would ne'er actually, I mean. I do dust the paperwork, well, move it. 'round. It's no' just…” She clears her throat. “Aye, there's some. Wasna sure wha' ta do with them. I thought maybe Elo…but, I think he saw it as…well. He meant it, givin' ye th' control o'ver th' Company.”

Jocoza raises her eyebrows. This is tidier than she would've been. “And then I ran off to another world, and took all the lieutenants with me… I see. Do you think you could distill it down to the most promising, and maybe I could get some of the officers here to hold an afternoon of interviews?”

Oranna winces a little, but waves her hands in the air. "It's no' yer fault! Tha' was…I mean, they're all a' th' front. 'Course ye had ta. It's jus…" She trails off and nods at Jo. "I can, aye. Well…I mean, I can because I…ha' done so." Oranna blushes a little red. "I wanted ta get another opinion though, 'sides my own. But…there's some tha' looked righ' ta me."

“That's perfect!” Jo beams at her. “I bet you saved us a ton of time right from the start, picking out the best of the lot.”

Oranna goes a deeper red and mumbles something about Matroning. "I…I'd feel a lot better if someone else could look them o'er, too, but there are some with skills an' experience we definitely want. An'…ahhh…a few…repeats? Someone keeps sending applications with a suggestion 'in case we've lost th' others!' An…I'm no' sure…wha' ta do with those, so I filed them separately.”

“We can do the usual process, interview them and everything. Don't worry, I won't just mass hire them.” Jo's still grinning, but reaches out to pat Oranna's arm again. “Well, that's insistent. I guess I'll have to take a look.”

Oranna laughs. "Aye. Well. Then, aye, I'll send on the list o' them tha' look well, an' if ye wanted ta look o'er th' others, I ha' them filed in…" She looks over to the filing cabinet. "Row two, seventh file back, label 'TBD APP'. There….there's also been…I'm no' sure it wasna anythin'. Jus'…sometimes I think someone's been around. I get tha' feelin'. Doesna seem threatin', though. I thought, maybe Finnegan J Sharpgear or Ivri…? But…it didna feel quite like tha'.” Oranna looks around with a little frown. "I think addin' in traps though…tha's…tha's probably th' opposite of child proofin'? Or…or is tha' child proofin'? Do we need more traps?"

“Some new shadowy organization?” Jo frowns thoughtfully. “Or Tadget? She's on leave now, though last I saw her was in Outland.”

Oranna shakes her head. "Didna feel malicious. Jus'…proddy-like. Like someone comin' in ta…check. An' leavin'. But…aye. I'm no' sure o' it. No one but me has felt it though."

Jocoza looks at the stairs thoughtfully. "Maybe non-lethal traps, to keep babies from going on stairs or out the door? That could be a kind of proofing."

Oranna looks at the stairs with a bright expression. "Oh! I'll let Bargrimm know ta work on it. Jus' a simple trap. Once I know fer sure th' size o' babies."

Jocoza nods. That sounds like a reasonable plan. She looks up at the door thoughtfully. "Maybe somebody shy, then. Trying to get up their nerve to apply."

Oranna nods. "Or lookin' fer someone who isna around, aye. Lots o' folks missin' here gone through."

“That's true, could have been anyone. Well, I'll see who I can convince to come back here, and we can get the next group of promising recruits."

Oranna looks at her paperwork and nods. "Aye." She grins as she looks back at Jo. "Oh, lass, how I missed ye. I'm real glad yer doin' well, Jo."

“I missed you too.” Jo smiles softly, sitting back. “It is good to be around people who know me as Jo, not as Captain. If that makes sense.”

Oranna's smile goes extra warm. "Oh, aye. It's no'…I do know yer….I mean, I respect th'…it's jus' tha'..yer still 'Jo' ta me. Always will be. An' captain, too, 'course. An' when ye need ta be jus' 'Jo' fer awhile, I'm always here, aye?”

Jocoza looks over at Oranna gratefully. "I appreciate that. And I bet I'll take you up on it, sometimes."

Oranna nods, and then looks over at her desk again, with a sigh. She hesitates, and fidgets a little. "An'…I do…tha' is..ah…I'm no' shooin', but I should…there's a couple o' contract payments I need ta get out 'fore end o' day, or some o' our folk in Kalimdor won't get paid. I should see ta it. Ye could stay, o' course. If ye jus'…wanted ta be here fer a bit.”

“Maybe I could stay? I won't distract you, I could just read… I finally got a hold of Steelbloom's latest. But just, you know, hang out…”

Oranna looks relieved and happy at that. "Aye. I'd….really like tha'." She gets up to maneuver back behind her little desk, and picks up her pen. She glances over at Jo, with a mock point of seriousness with her pen.

Jocoza settles back in her chair and smiles at Oranna, pulling out her book.

“An' I havena finished tha' one yet, so no spoilers!”

Jocoza giggles. "You can borrow my copy next, if you like."

Oranna laughs and dives back into her paperwork.