(2023-03-23) Three Mondragons

Details

Author:	Luridel
Summary:	Yveris goes looking for the person whose name is in the newsletter: Mordecai Aspenwood. She tells him about an incident she witnessed and expresses her concerns. ~1400 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: Rae and the Mysterious Mondragons

Mordecai is, in theory, waiting on line for the outhouses, except in reality he's staring off into space and the person waiting behind him has already cut ahead of him.

Yveris wanders around the training yard, showing what appears to be the Company newsletter to the soldiers there. "Mordecai?" she asks a random footman, pointing to the paper.

The footman looks at her blankly. "No, miss, name's Jeff." Jeff pauses and looks at what she's actually showing him.

Mordecai goes, "Hm?" and leaves the line.

Yveris bows before Jeff and starts to wander off.

Jeff shrugs and goes back to watching his buddies sparring.

Yveris walks up to another random footman. "Mordecai?" she asks, pointing again to the newsletter.

The man waves her off dismissively. "Don't drop your shield, private!" he scolds one of the two sparring footmen he's supervising.

Mordecai clears his throat. "Um. I'm. Mordecai."

Yveris turns around, brightening when she sees him. She approaches and points to his name written in the newsletter. "Mordecai?"

Mordecai looks at the newsletter in her hand, then smiles faintly at her. "Yes, that's me. I'm Mordecai. How can I help you?"

Yveris doesn't respond immediately. She seems to be looking him over. Then she smiles. "From Sunwell."

"Oh!" Mordecai bows his head. "Elune adore. I don't know your name."

She points to herself. "Yveris."

"Yveris, it's nice to meet you. Do you want to sit…?" It's a little noisy out here, but Mordecai gestures to one of the sets of bleachers regardless.

Yveris hops up onto one of the benches and takes a seat. She waits for him to do the same.

Mordecai settles down next to her. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Mondragon," Yveris replies, holding up three fingers. She watches him closely.

Mordecai tilts his head. "Is this about Alysson? I remember seeing him on the boat over…"

"Alysson…" Yveris nods. "Two more."

Mordecai frowns faintly. He looks like he's searching for names and not coming up with them. "Which ones? What happened?"

Yveris appears to be searching for names herself. "A Watcher, one was." She studies him again. "Close kin."

There's no look of recognition. "What did they look like? The other two?" Mordecai asks, hopefully.

Yveris nods. "The Watcher. Female. Hair of fire." She points to his own hair.

"Red haired, like Alysson. His mother or his sister, maybe?" Mordecai guesses.

"Close kin." Yveris nods again. "The other. Death creature. Hair of frost. Kaela. Aunt?"

Mordecai seems faintly alarmed at this. "Kaela Mondragon. I see. What happened? Is Alysson all right?"

Yveris seems a bit unsure of this. "Death creature…with Lich King? Many living dead around."

"Where did you see them?"

She stands on the bench and points to the southwest. "Out…in wilds."

Mordecai also stands up. "Far from here? Or close?"

"Close." She stares out into the hills. "Death creature came close. Could see Keep."

"Could you take me there?" Mordecai asks, impulsively. "Show me where?"

Yveris examines him. "Mordecai…can fight? Sneaking…is not easy."

Mordecai descends the bleachers. "I can."

She points to herself. "Only sneak. Only heal."

As they walk, Mordecai takes out a candle. "Light, grant us Fortitude and endurance."

Mordecai looks around thoughtfully. "If it isn't far… we should be fine."

Yveris glances back at him. "Two others. Different kin. Watched. Saw me."

Outside the keep, the lines of riflemen await the next wave of incoming scourge, but Mordecai and Yveris pass through without incident.

Mordecai looks around even more attentively. Maybe they're being watched right now. Who knows.

"Here." She stops.

Mordecai stops immediately and looks for footprints or any sign of a trail. A wooly rhino calf approaches him because apparently he's just like that.

Mordecai holds very still until the rhinos move on.

There may be a trail, but with the herd of rhinos stomping around, it is hard to tell. Yveris watches him, then offers, "Horses. East."

Mordecai reorients himself using the Keep as a guideline and points east. "Along the road? And the coast? Or north?"

"East," she repeats, pointing down the coast.

Mordecai nods. "I see. Alysson went with them? Kaela and the red-haired one?"

Yveris nods. "They said…do not tell Cobalt?"

Mordecai frowns and nods. "He went willingly? There was no fight?"

"No fight. Kin." Yveris seems to think this is important. "Alysson would tell when he came back. But…he has not."

"I see. Did you hear anything else that they spoke of?" Mordecai continues to look around, alert for people who might be watching them right now.

"Secret mission?" Yveris shakes her head. "Mission…unknown. Dark lady was concerned."

"Thank you for warning me, Yveris. I'll let the Captain know, and Alysson's former squad members." Mordecai's expression is gravely serious, now.

"Mordecai…" Yveris tilts her head, a concerned frown on her face. "Alysson…in trouble?"

"I'm uncertain if he's in trouble himself or if he is going to be used as bait to lure someone else. But I have a bad feeling about the situation, regardless."

"In trouble…with Cobalt?" She fidgets with one of her sleeves. "I waited…so he could come back. He didn't. Newsletter said…tell Mordecai."

Mordecai shakes his head, lowering his voice a little, even though they're out in the middle of nowhere. "Alysson won't be in trouble with Cobalt. The Death Knight you saw, Kaela, is hunting a different one of Cobalt's members."

Yveris looks a bit surprised. "Death creature…hunts Cobalt? For Lich King?"

Mordecai nods. "I don't know whether or not she still serves the Lich King, but it's likely to be the case. The person she is hunting is stationed with White Squad, on the other side of the continent. In the Howling Fjord."

"East…" Yveris frowns. "But fire hair? She was living. Also Lich King?"

"I have no idea who the red-haired woman was," Mordecai admits. "Colson might know… Hm."

"Two dark ladies…let me leave. To tell Cobalt. But I waited. I should not have?"

"If Alysson went willingly, he's probably not in immediate danger," Mordecai says thoughtfully. "Regardless, whatever they're planning, it will likely take them time to set up."

"Kin," Yveris says, nodding. Then, "If help is needed…I will help. If more questions. Or tracking. Or healing."

Mordecai nods and beckons. "We should return to the Keep, where it's safer."

Yveris follows along behind him. "Tell Mordecai. In newsletter. Smart." She smiles a little.

"Hm? What is?" Mordecai looks behind at her.

"Did not know who to tell. Newsletter said."

"Ah, I see." Mordecai smiles faintly at her. "I'm a Chaplain, a priest of the Light. A healer. It's my job to listen, if something troubles you, or any other member of the company."

Yveris nods eagerly. "I did not want trouble. For Alysson. He seems…good."

Mordecai nods. "I understand. I don't think Alysson will be in trouble. It doesn't seem like he's done anything wrong, simply wandered off with some dangerous people."

"Cobalt will help." She sounds confident. "Dark lady said too."

Mordecai nods. "You said there were two of them. The dark ladies. What did they look like?"

"Cloak of shadow, one," Yveris replies. "The other…hair of night. Shadowed one called her 'mother.' Kin?"

"I see." Mordecai doesn't look like he recognizes either description. "I don't know who they are, but Colson might…"

Yveris nods along. She seems to trust him. "Colson might know," she says agreeably. It is unclear if she knows who Colson is.

"If they went east towards the coast…" Mordecai frowns. "They might have crossed over the ocean to try and lose their trail."

"Dark ladies followed, maybe. Not over ocean? Might know something." Yveris turns to scan the hills again. "Have not seen, since."

Mordecai bites his lip, glancing back at the keep.

Yveris picks up a shell and places it on the stone wall beside them. "Mordecai. To contact me, place shell here. I will find you, then."

Mordecai notes the shell placement and nods. "Any kind of shell?"

"Any shell." Yveris nods.

Mordecai seems to think this is a very reasonable method of communication. "All right. Thank you, Yveris."

She smiles, and offers him a graceful bow. "I will keep watch. Maybe clues."

Mordecai bows in return. "Del nah'dris," he says very carefully. His accent isn't bad.

She beams at him, then her form melts into a more feline form, and she slips away into the shadows.

Mordecai returns quietly to go wait in line all over again.