(2023-02-01) Bruuk's Brothers: Magic and Mercenaries

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Author:	Alli
Summary:	Thalstan turns up at Bruuk's to hold up the Cobalt tradition, and speaks with Parabolus Bonkladle and a new friend, Kehda the draenei mage. They discuss Kehda's history as well as serious topics such as whether gnomish has an equivalent word for 'booty'.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: The Bros of Bruuk's Corner

There is a human mage AFK at the usual Cobalt table. Newcomer draenei Kehda is seated at the smaller table nearby.
Parabolus looks around.
Thalstan looks baffled that the usual table is occupied, and the other table is too. He finally decides to approach the draenei.
Kehda is reading her picture book, sitting at the other table, drinking tea. She seems focused.
A gnome comes up the stairs!
Parabolus spots Thalstan's tabard. "Oh, hello. You're with Cobalt Company?"
Thalstan: Yes, Cobalt, tha’s me! *Thalstan turns to smile at the gnome* Thalstan Stouthammer at yer service.
Parabolus: I suppose Lt. Hazan won't be back at Bruuk's for a while. I'm Parabolus Bonkladle. What do you do for the Company? *He politely extends a four-fingered hand.*
Thalstan eagerly reaches forward to take his hand and shake it. "I'm sort of a heroic leader of a team. Cobalt Blade?" He seems to believe that Bonk has probably heard of them.
Parabolus: Ahhhh, so they did go ahead with the initiative. I'm glad my backing out didn't dissuade them.
Thalstan: Oh! Were you gonna be one of my teammates? Tha' must mean yer heroic yerself! Such a pleasure ta meet ya Parabolus Bonkladle!
Kehda slams her book shut and turns around. "Oooh! Cobalt Blade! Aren't you the guys who killed that giant volcano monster?"
Parabolus 's ears turn a little pink. "I am occasionally mistaken for a hero, yes," he says a bit wryly. "Tell me about the team that finally assembled! I'm very curious."
Parabolus turns to Kehda then.
Thalstan blinks and then says, "I see our reputation precedes us! An' we have for sure killed… some… monsters…"
Parabolus: Perhaps you mean Cobalt Company in general? Or has Cobalt Blade indeed slain a giant volcano monster?
Parabolus peers at Thalstan searchingly.
Thalstan looks between Kehda and Parabolus. "May we join you miss? An' I can regale you with tales of bravery."
Thalstan: Uh, volcano monster, no' exactly… but monsters, sure!
Kehda: Uh. I must be thinking of someone else, then.
Kehda: But yes! Please do, I love stories! I've got a few of my own, too!
Thalstan: Oh I love hearin' people's stories!
The gnome and dwarf sit at the draenei woman’s table.
Parabolus: I'm fairly certain that Cobalt Company did in fact slay a volcano monster, on Outland.
Thalstan: Well, there ya have it. *Thalstan nods, as if this resolves the issue*
Parabolus peers at Thalstan searchingly.
Thalstan: So, stories. Let's start with you two? Miss, what's yer story?
Kehda: Well, my name is Kehda! What kind of story are you expecting? I've got plenty.
Parabolus turns to Kehda then.
Parabolus: Did you come to Azeroth on the Exodar? Or through the Portal?
Thalstan peers up at Kehda with bright, curious eyes.
Kehda: Through a portal! I was in Shattrath until now. *She shakes her head.* Well, that's not true, I was in Shattrath, then that human girl figured out how to make portals to Azeroth from Outland.
Thalstan: aHA! *Thalstan grins* I hear she's a Cobalt lass herself. The portal girl.
Kehda: Then I tried it and ended up back on that world ruled by sentient trees. And then I tried the portal again, and now I'm here!
Thalstan blinks. "On the what now?"
Parabolus blinks at Kehda.
Kehda chuckles. It's a slow, loud chuckle. "Yes! A few worlds before Draenor, we ended up on a world of sentient trees. And I accidentally got back there for a little bit!"
Thalstan: Well now that's quite a thing! I'd like ta visit such a place. Were the trees nice?
Parabolus watches Kehda carefully, looking like he's fairly certain it was not a nice place.
Kehda shrugs again. "Well, now that's a weird question! They were just like any other sentient species. Some were nice, some weren't." She chuckles again. "Those that weren't nice really weren't nice. Really rude."
Thalstan: Heh, I can imagine. Glad ya ended up here, then, Miss Kehda.
Thalstan: Then Mister Parabolus Bonkladle, what's yer story?
Kehda: Me too! Anyway, what about y— *She laughs again.* You asked faster than me!
Parabolus shifts in his chair. "I'm a mage apprentice," he says.
Kehda: Really? Me too!
Parabolus brightens. "With whom do you study?"
Thalstan: Oh excellent, a table of mages an' me. *Thalstan grins. He's genuinely pleased.*
Kehda: Bati, do you know her? She teaches magic in the Exodar!
Thalstan: I ha' not met many in tha Exodar. Ha' you, Bonkladle?
Parabolus: Juli Stormkettle, here in Ironforge. I'm very curious about mage training in the Exodar. What sort of things are you working on with Bati?
Parabolus peers at Kehda searchingly.
Kehda: Ooh! Plenty of things. I'm really good at fire spells already, I practice those a bunch, so she's been telling me about all of this conjuration and frost stuff. Sometimes she calls her colleagues for reinforcement, like for portals.
Kehda: You know, the basics.
Parabolus nods. "How long have you been studying?"
Kehda: Just a few years, no big deal. My mother is an eredar, so people were a bit wary about teaching me for a little while.
Parabolus blinks.
Kehda: You know what they say! Like demon worshipping mother, like daughter.
Thalstan 's eyes widen.
Parabolus: You… you don't worship demons though… do you?
Kehda: Oh, no! Not at all.
Parabolus looks relieved.
Parabolus: Not everyone turns out like their mothers, I suppose!
Kehda: In fact, I have a pretty negative relationship with demons. *She chuckles.*
Parabolus: That seems… justified, yes.
Thalstan: I would say so.
Parabolus: So how did you come to be raised among the draenei then?
Kehda: Oh! Well, so, my mother joined the eredar a bit later than everyone else. She got tired of of running from one world to the other, and decided to join their cause. I was still really small at the time. I was raised by my dad, who is a priest!
Parabolus: Oh! I see! That must have been very difficult for you, if you were small.
Parabolus looks at her sympathetically.
Thalstan: Well, well, tha' sounds like a difficult partnership. I hope yer da's a stand-up fella?
Kehda laughs. "Well… my father is one of those death priests who turned evil in Auchindoun."
Parabolus: …Oh…
Kehda smiles. "We don't have a great track record in the family!"
Parabolus 's sympathetic expression intensifies.
Parabolus: There is no reason you must follow in your parents' footsteps though, hm? You are your own person.
Thalstan looks a bit stricken, but nods. "Here you are, bein' a good mage and readin' books."
Parabolus nods emphatically.
Parabolus: Let me get us some food. I'll be right back.
Parabolus has an extensive and detailed conversation with Edris about how he wants the meals prepared that leaves her scowling in annoyance.
Parabolus: "I suppose venison will do if you haven't any talbuk. You do have venison, yes? You'll just have to insert detailed cooking instructions here and then it should do just as well."
Kehda nods, smiling. "Yes, I don't plan on being anything like them! They were both a little too serious for me to follow in their footsteps anyway."
Thalstan: A little too serious, heh. *Thal chuckles* We got a mage in the Cobalt Blade too, name of Arthur. Maybe you ought to meet him sometime. Real stand-up fellow, likes explosives.
Parabolus: And then just two plates of regular blood sausage.
Edris exhales in relief.
Thalstan raises bushy eyebrows, overhearing that last. "Not too many who aren't dwarves appreciate a good blood sausage."
Parabolus just smiles a little bashfully.
Kehda beams at the mention of another mage. "Oh, yes! What do you think is stronger? His explosives, or a tresher?"
Parabolus listens with great interest.
Parabolus: A thresher, I believe she means. Our "th" sound is a bit difficult for many draenei.
Thal nods at Parabolus.
Thalstan: Ah, a thresher, hmm. Well, threshers don't commonly cause explosions, so maybe the explosives.
Parabolus: I have seen a thresher explode once, but that was a very unusual circumstance.
Thalstan: But I could suggest he try it out. *Thalstan strokes his beard thoughtfully.* Arthur's not all that serious either, so I think you two would like him. His code name's Trouble.
You chuckle at Thalstan.
Parabolus raises a bushy green brow.
Thalstan: Maybe I shouldnae have told you that, seein' code names are… code.
Parabolus: Yes, that would seem to defeat the purpose.
Parabolus: I will not ask yours, though now I am extremely curious.
Kehda: Yes, please ask for Trouble! I've been wondering if a tresher could survive an explosion ever since I've seen one!
Parabolus: I assume all the members of the Blade have them?
Parabolus: I can confirm that a thresher cannot survive ingesting live explosives. As for throwing explosives at them, they might be tough enough to survive it.
Thalstan gives a deep chuckle. "I'm sure it will come out sooner or later. Yeh, we all came up with code names, last mission. Helluva time. No threshers yet, though. Maybe next time, we're headed down to a bay."
Parabolus: Where to?
Thalstan: Booty Bay, as named fer our healer. *Thal says with a straight face but a twinkle in his eye*
Parabolus: Your healer is named… Booty? Is she a gnome? Are there gnome healers??
Kehda: Is booty a common gnome name? Is booty a common healer name?
Parabolus: Booty is rather a ridiculous name, and only our people would embrace the ridiculous so eagerly, I would think.
Thalstan laughs again. "Call it a code name. She certainly has an… impressive tail." Thal nods at Kehda, also the owner of a tail. "But named fer tha pirate sense. Treasure."
Thalstan: She's one o' yer folk, Kehda. Delightful lady.
Parabolus: Ahhhhhhhhhhh. *Bonk seems to be realizing something, but does not say it aloud.*
Kehda: I don't know! I pretty sure I've met an Arakkoa named like that, Booty. But it was in their language, so it was more like… *She makes a loud bird noise.*
Parabolus blinks.
Kehda: Oh really? She's a Draenei too? Or did you mean some other folk I might be part of?
Thalstan: An Arakkoa! Tha's a Draenor thing, yeh? I never yet been there.
Parabolus: You speak Arakkoa?
Thalstan: Oh, no, she's a draenei, got it the first time.
Kehda: Oh! Who is it? So I can call her by her code name!
Thalstan: Shaman by name of Zaara?
Kehda: And yes, I speak it a little bit. I took a few lessons. There are a lot of Arakkoa - bird people - in Shattrath.
Thalstan: I guess code names are secret, but mebbe they can also be fun nicknames, yeh know, like in plays an' novels.
Kehda: I'll be sure to call Zaara Booty next time I see her, thank you!
Parabolus: I find that very impressive! I have even forgotten much of the Gnomish I once knew, after twenty years speaking largely Common. How people can speak more than two languages, I will never understand.
Kehda: How do you say the name Booty in gnomish?
Parabolus: It… depends… I assume you mean treasure?
Kehda: Do I mean treasure? *She says, looking at Thalstan.
Kehda: *
Thalstan: Is there a word in Gnomish that means both treasure and uh… posterior?
Parabolus: If there is, I have forgotten such nuances.
Kehda: Oh. *Kehda looks disappointed.*
Thalstan: Oh, I could mention we got a gnome in the Blade too. One Tadget Sharpgear, should ya ever want ta refresh the ole gnomish.
Parabolus: But a common word for treasure is 'gizgos.'
Thalstan: Gizgos. Tha's a nice, gnomey word. Gizgos.
You nod at Thalstan.
Parabolus: I'm aware of Tadget.
Parabolus: I hadn't realized she was with Cobalt Company now.
Kehda: So, Zaara is Gizgos. *She whispers to herself.*
Thalstan: She's an excellent scout! Bit uh, exuberant about tha violence, but excellent.
Kehda: What is a Cobalt Company?
Thalstan: It's tha mercenary company I'm a part of! The team what killed a volcano monster.
Parabolus nods.
Parabolus: A very famous group of heroes. They will hire nearly anyone who is willing, however.
Parabolus: The heroes are the most well known, but there are plenty of members who take on smaller tasks.
Thalstan: I do think they're a bit selective, Mr. Bonkladle. Surely your excellent qualities were what put you over the line.
Kehda: Oh, right! *She looks at Thalstan and the tabard.* People saved me from the Hellfire Ramparts, once. They were wearing tabards like yours. Was it them?
Thalstan: Ah, probly so! Before ma time, I'm afeared, but probly so!
Parabolus: Move your beard, show her the symbol!
You laugh at Parabolus.
Thalstan puts his arms under his beard to lift it. It doesn't quite go far enough. He bundles up the luxurious beard a little better and lifts higher. Underneath, there's the Cobalt blue tabard with white wings.
Parabolus: Is that the symbol you saw?
Kehda: Yes, it was! And there were two humans, a night elf and two gnomes! No dwarves, so I could see the tabards really really well, since they didn't have long beards.
Parabolus: I am not surprised that Cobalt Company rescued you!
Parabolus: I am afraid that the ninth bell has rung, and I must hurry to my evening lesson. It was a pleasure meeting you both.
Thalstan: I probably should head out meself, got ta get all the way to Booty Bay.
Parabolus: Perhaps I'll see you here another Wednesday night.
Parabolus bows down graciously.
Parabolus waves goodbye to everyone. Farewell!
Thalstan nods. "Pleasure ta meet ya both!"
Kehda: Ah, I should get going as well! I saw the mannequins outside, it is so much fun to throw fireballs at them! I'm going to go do that again!
You wave goodbye to everyone. Farewell!
Thalstan waves goodbye to everyone. Farewell!