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| Details |
| Author: | Athena |
| Summary: | After Blue Squad finds out that the locals are worgen, Colson returns back to Dalaran to tell Mordecai the strange news, and what other trouble is brewing. 4440 words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Chain: Morson
Mordecai paces restlessly around the Dalaran bedroom. One of the table's two chairs has been wedged under the handle of the balcony door to help keep it shut and locked, and Mordecai has walked into it more than once so far in his pacing. He is fully dressed in one of the nicer short-sleeved shirts he owns, a pair of dark blue pants suitable for going outdoors, and boots that his pants have been rather messily tucked into. He looks like he's ready to walk right out the door, but instead, he's pacing, avoiding the carpets.
Downstairs there's that sudden pop where between one blink and the next, Colson's [Devotion Aura] is suddenly there.
Mordecai exhales slowly and moves to the door, unlocking it and peeking out into the hallway.
Colson appears there not that long after, smiling when he sees Mordecai just a little earlier than expected. His gauntlets are already off, stowed away. "Hi."
Mordecai smiles back. "Hi." He steps deeper into the room, holding the door open for Colson.
Colson steps in, but he's oddly not moving as close to Mordecai as he ordinarily would. "Did Cressidha explain what happened today?" he asks as he steps into the room.
Mordecai shuts and locks the door behind him. "She said you should wash your hands, that everyone was alive, and that she was very tired," he reports.
"Wolfsbane," Colson says in explanation, as he makes his way to the bathroom without pausing. "Most of it was on only my gauntlets, and washed already, but I would like to clean off the rest before I touch you, on the slim off chance some of the residue remains."
Mordecai kicks off his boots - he no longer seems to be about to leave the room - and trails after Colson, stopping in the open doorway of the bathroom. "Why would you touch wolfsbane?"
"We were asked to remove some of the growths that had appeared outside of one of the local people's villages," Colson says calmly, as he washes his hands carefully, and then his face thoroughly.
Mordecai frowns. "Oh, I see." He shifts his weight from foot to foot, fidgeting with his fingers as he waits for Colson to wash up.
Colson finishes, and moves again carefully to head to where the armor stand is in the room. "Unfortunately, that was likely an error on our part. The locals are worgen," he says in that same even toned voice the Aspenwoods do so well.
Mordecai clenches his hands tighter and steps aside for Colson to pass by him without touching. "What?"
"We discovered through a series of unfortunate events that the locals are worgen," Colson says as he begins to remove the armor very carefully. "It was after we aided them, as part of the efforts to ensure the diplomatic relations continued."
"Were they hostile?" Mordecai asks, biting his lip. He steps out of the doorway, one step closer, still keeping his distance.
"Yes," Colson says. "Not when they thought we were cooperating with them — they appeared as ordinary people, attempting to garner support. However, we discovered that they have been using the willingness of the Alliance to cooperate to entrap them. They appear to be able to spread their curse to others with a bite, and have infected one of the envoys sent by the Alliance already. We rescued another, and they attacked. None of us were bitten," Colson adds gently.
"Oh." Mordecai's frown increases. He goes to remove the chair that he's got blocking the balcony door and return it to its position by the table.
Colson removes his armor carefully, strips off his under armor to place it into the laundry bag, and makes his way back to the bathroom. "I will be only a few minutes," he says softly.
Mordecai nods. "Of course." He starts to reach out for Colson as he passes, catches himself, and instead makes a little heart-shape in the air with his thumbs and pointer fingers, flashing Colson a shy little smile. "I'll be here." He sits down at the little table.
Colson smiles back, and makes the same little gesture. He raises his fingers up to next to his lips — without touching them to his mouth — to blow Mordecai a little kiss. He doesn't bother closing the door to the bathroom, leaving it open and also not touching the handle. The water turns on.
Mordecai pretends to catch the kiss out of the air, clasping his hands to his chest. "Right is cold," he says warningly, and waits. He can wait a few minutes. It's fine.
Colson's showers don't last long as a rule. This one is no exception, for as thorough as Colson is with it. Three minutes later the water turns off, and Colson collects a towel, there in the bathroom. Still drying off, but visible and clean from any possible residue of the wolfsbane.
Colson left the door open, which means Mordecai is allowed to stare. The rules permit this. "So what happened? You had to fight off… how much of a village?"
"I'm not certain how many, but we did not fight them directly. They began pursuit as we attempted to secure their captive back to the Amberpine Lodge. There was at least twenty, perhaps more. We escorted the man, unbitten, back to Amberpine Lodge, where the worgen ceased pursuit," Colson reports in that military voice. The way he's watching Mordecai though, as he dries off, has absolutely none of the military in his gaze though. That is an invitation in those soft blue eyes.
Mordecai nods, standing up without looking away from Colson. "Light. You were chased by a pack of worgen? Is that why Cressidha was tired? Blizzards on the move?" He pushes his chair in at the wrong angle, because he isn't looking at it.
"Yes," Colson answers, tucking the towel around his waist, throwing another over his shoulders as his hair drips onto it, and moving toward Mordecai in a way with clear intent. "And she received a brief claw wound while covering the back of the line to do so. Caspis healed it fully, on the field. No lingering effects."
Mordecai steps towards Colson and walks right into the table.
That [Holy Shock] hits as Colson's expression grows softer, moving a little faster to close the distance between them. "Are you alright?" It's a bump at low speed, Colson, gosh.
Mordecai clears his throat, blushing faintly. "Yes. Thank you. I'm fine." He steps a little bit more carefully around the table this time, reaching out to wrap Colson up in a tight hug.
Colson pulls Mordecai very close, a hand going up to thread through the curls, settling himself around his priest with a soft sigh of a sound, some tension in his shoulders finally relaxing. Colson seems a little more tired than he did a moment before.
Mordecai presses his cheek against Colson's and sighs. "Better now, love?"
Colson leans into it. "You always make it better," he says in that soft voice, inhaling deeply.
"I can tell," Mordecai says, the smile obvious in his voice. "You actually relax. Around me."
Colson smiles gently, the movement palpable from where's pressed up against Mordecai. "You make it easy to relax."
Mordecai makes a content little humming noise. "Good. I'm glad."
Colson leans back just enough to be able to readjust, moving in for his Welcome Home Kiss.
Mordecai kisses him first, says "Welcome home," second, and then steals another welcome home kiss.
Colson seems very willing to accept this theft as an odd reward for the delay, sinking a little more into it, and extending it out as he lets some of the stress of the day fall away.
Mordecai reaches up to touch Colson's wet hair and asks quietly, "Would you like me to help dry this?"
"Yes, please."
Mordecai leads Colson over to the bed, pushing the canopy curtain all the way open, guiding Colson to sit down with his hands as he speaks. "What did the worgen want your help with?"
Colson sits gracefully. "They wanted us to reduce the Horde numbers around their village," Colson says. "To remove the wolfsbane that was there — it is not impossible that the Horde had deliberately planted it, if they are aware of the nature of the worgen. And then they sent us to eliminate a Horde leader, with the specification that they wished for us to skin him," he relates calmly, and then adds in a softer voice. "We did not skin him, of course."
Mordecai remains standing. He takes the towel from around Colson's shoulders and uses it to very carefully squeeze moisture out of Colson's hair. He is in no rush whatsoever to do this, meaning that he does a very thorough job but also that it's going to take forever. "Wolfsbane is dangerous to everyone. It's potentially incredibly lethal. Mordred– "
Colson's eyes go briefly cold, as he raises a hand up reflexively to cover Mordecai's. "I see." He lets that hang in the air for a second, before he nods slightly. "I was aware of the danger, and made certain that the others were apprised of it as well."
Mordecai nods. "Good. Thank you." He leans down to kiss Colson's forehead and resumes his task of drying Colson's hair. "I'm glad you're all right."
Colson smiles faintly at the kiss. "The others are as well, and the mounts. The caution with my armor is with an overabundance, simply given that particularly in small doses it can be difficult to detect."
Mordecai nods. "Tell me if you feel any numbness in your fingers," he says, in the Infirmary Voice, before catching himself and laughing. "You know that, of course. I forgot, for a second."
Colson's smile grows into a brief grin, as he nods. "Yes. And the others are aware of the dangers, but those that were in contact with it are at the least risk as well." Like Colson or Caspis who can remove poison easily.
Mordecai clears his throat, blushing a little. "Good." He finishes drying Colson's hair and folds the towel before setting it aside over the back of one of the chairs. "I'm always going to worry, at least a little, with poisonous plants like that."
Colson moves out a hand for Mordecai's face to tip it gently to him. "I know. I understand. I, too, was worried. I know I can cleanse the poison off, but I would not want to need to realize it after the fact. The nerve damage can be permanent. It is a very dangerous thing, and caution serves us both very well."
Mordecai sits down next to Colson, leaning in for a brief kiss. "Do you think they wanted to… convert you all? Into worgen?"
"Yes, I would expect so. We met a woman with the Horde leader we were sent to…skin, who warned us not to do as they asked. They seem to have some sort of…recruitment process, a corrupting, and then an intentional bite to pass on the curse of it," Colson says with a faint frown of thought.
"That's disturbing. I didn't realize they would be… living in a community like that." Mordecai runs his fingers through Colson's hair, combing it out.
"It will complicate the situation there significantly," Colson says quietly. "We had assumed that there may have been some…possibly beneficial reason the Scourge has not made significant strides there, some positive remnant of the tree, perhaps. But, it would seem, there is another explanation more likely, and although they may have prevented the corruption of the Scourge, they are their own form of it, and we cannot ally with them."
"Do you think it's just that village?" Mordecai asks, frowning.
Colson shakes his head. "No. I would not assume as much, but we will not know until we investigate more."
Mordecai leans closer, his eyes soft with concern. "Please be careful if you do." As if Colson isn't always careful.
"I will," Colson promises seriously.
Mordecai nods. He looks over at the armor stand, then back at Colson. "Were you afraid? Being chased?"
Colson's brows rise slightly. "No," he says honestly. "We had the advantage of our mounts, and although there were more of their numbers, they were at disadvantage with our particular abilities. Cressidha's powers alone put us at significant tactical advantage, and we had enough of a lead on the bulk of their forces, with a clear goal of where to escape to, that made victory more certain."
Mordecai nods. "You're very brave," he says sincerely. "Even with all of those advantages, I think I would have been afraid, honestly."
"Experience in this case, I think, more than bravery," Colson says gently. "I have been through my fair share of…chaotic extractions," he says diplomatically.
Mordecai looks down at his lap. "I don't think being chased has ever gone well for me."
Colson reaches over to cover Mordecai's hand on his hair. "It is not the same, exactly, when one is leading a squad of highly trained individuals, or something personal. This was an extraction of an operation, not being chased as a person."
"I suppose I wasn't the one in charge," Mordecai says thoughtfully. He takes Colson's hand in both of his and holds it closer to his heart. "Regardless."
Colson looks at Mordecai's hand. "I have been afraid at other times. The first few times, especially because I was in charge, and if I ordered wrong, people would die. If I failed as a healer, people would die." He looks calmly at Mordecai. "But, eventually, I did learn what to do, and the tactics of it. And I learned how to do the math for what would look like possibly not survivable odds."
"While you were out today, ah…" Mordecai hesitates, looking at Colson. "He came back."
Colson's face goes rigid in a sudden snap of neutrality. A breath. A hold. A breath. "I see."
"I'm all right," Mordecai says, his eyes on Colson's face. "I didn't let him in the room this time."
Colson nods slowly, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, the Knight-Captain is there, and he's not pleased with a certain death knight. "That is the second time he came here when you were alone. That seems deliberate. It would not be difficult to time it for next week at the same time, as we are consistent in our schedule." There's that snap of command to his voice, the sense of a man who is going to plan for a counter-measure.
Mordecai sits up straighter, his mouth parting as if he's going to say something, but he doesn't. He looks at Colson with a familiar expression that is still not fear.
"We will need to ensure that you are not alone next week," the Knight-Captain says decisively. "And we will place more pressure on the goblin for legal action."
Mordecai nods very slowly. He may have forgotten to close his mouth. He's still staring.
"We will need to decide who you will feel best with having here. If it is Ivrianna, she may be able to track that death knight back to where he is staying, and we would have information on where to address the problem more directly. The risk will be attempting to ensure we do not cause a diplomatic incident with the Ebon Blade." Colson frowns in thought a little. "And I will make inquiries to Roper and Syarra specifically, if they know him."
Mordecai sets a hand on Colson's left shoulder. "So I should come back here again next week…?"
"If we want to attempt to address this more directly," the Knight-Captain says. "Otherwise, it may be best to reconsider where you return to wait. Cressidha could portal you to Stormwind, and then me there later. If she is unable to do so, for whatever reason, I can remain hearthed in Dalaran here, and obtain a portal home."
"I don't know. I don't want Ivrianna to start, um, making threats?" Mordecai has definitely not forgotten the offer to kill his brother at his wedding.
"Ivrianna will make them," Colson agrees. "She may be willing to restrain herself, but we would be relying on her self-restraint to do so, if she becomes involved."
"I don't want to cause any trouble," Mordecai says, a little apologetically.
There's a dip in the Knight-Captain, a little more of Colson in his face as he reaches out to Mordecai's face to touch his cheek. "There is no amount of trouble that would not be worth the cost of it, for you. And it is not you who is causing this trouble; the fault lies solely at the feet of another. We are simply responding to the trouble that they have chosen to cause us."
"What do you think I should do? Address it directly or be elsewhere?" Very unhelpfully, immediately after asking that question, Mordecai begins tracing the letters of Colson's tattoo with one fingertip.
Colson inhales a little, and there's that pause as he absorbs the touch for a second or two, before the Knight-Captain continues, "Both. I think that it should be addressed in a way that makes it clear that we have resources to keep you safe, and then after that point is made, we remove you from where there is easier access to you for the potential of a threat."
"I trust your judgment," Mordecai says, carefully tracing letters. "I didn't open the door this time, and he did go away. If he comes back next week or the week after that while I have a friend over, should I open the door?"
"Possibly. It may be more than one friend. And it may be them that answers the door, to ensure that the message is coming across correctly," Colson says, his eyes going a little darker even as he continues to speak in that clipped, military precise tone.
Mordecai nods. "All right. Who? It has to be someone who… isn't on one of the squads."
"Yes. People you can trust, and perhaps those that can create a certain impression," Colson says diplomatically. Loomers. He's looking for some loomers.
Mordecai hums. Maybe he's thinking about who he can ask. Maybe he's focusing on the tattoo. It might be the latter.
Colson is too patient to not just sit there, letting Mordecai trace the entire tattoo, waiting, while he breathes slowly, in a towel.
Mordecai traces the final Y in 'TENACITY' down by Colson's wrist and says, "Anareline."
There's that faint 'hm?' as Colson comes back online from where he was, and then he nods in that sharp, military single nod. "Excellent choice," the Knight-Captain says.
"I think she could definitely scare someone off. Although I… suppose I don't know her well enough to really predict… what she would do," Mordecai says, reconsidering. He takes Colson's hand in his, running his thumb along Colson's knuckles.
"You could speak to her, and determine what you think is best," Colson says, turning his hand a little in Mordecai's to better feel the touch along his skin.
"I don't know. I'll have to think about my options." Mordecai shakes his head. "Are you tired, love?"
"A little. Physically, and a little philosophically," Colson says with a faint smile. Some of the Knight-Captain fades back a little at the words.
Mordecai squeezes Colson's hand gently, once. "Would you like to lie down with me and rest for a little while? I know your armor needs to be cleaned, but… that can wait, right?"
"It can wait, yes. It will need to be cleaned carefully," Colson agrees, squeezing back once. "I would like to hold you for awhile."
Mordecai smiles. "Me too." He pats Colson's hand once before he moves away to turn the lights off. He crawls into bed on his side, still dressed for going outside again rather than sleep.
Colson, on the other hand, simply goes to hang up the towels in the bathroom to dry, and slides back into bed as he is, arm opening for the Mordecai Spot to hold onto his priest.
Mordecai scoots backwards into his spot, facing away for the time being. "You smell like home," he says without thinking, and promptly blushes.
Colson turns more onto his side to better curl up around Mordecai, moving to press a kiss to his shoulder. "Welcome home," he says in a soft, low voice with just the barest suggestion of a man who has not fully, completely dedicated himself to a rest just yet.
Mordecai pulls Colson's right arm around him. "What was the difficulty, um. You said you were philosophically tired?"
"Ah, attempting to untangle the philosophy behind why it is not acceptable to me to skin an orc, or any person, as Caspis was not entirely clear on the reasoning why we felt we must reject that particular aspect of the job at hand," Colson's voice is that same even-tone of his, as though he's discussing how he had a particularly thorny point of arguing if those were cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds on the horizon of the weather earlier.
"Oh, I see." Mordecai hums thoughtfully. "Caspis is a leatherworker. I wonder if the kaldorei don't… think about it the way we do."
"His main concern was only that the skin did not make viable leather. As he feels respect towards the creatures he skins, it was a…difficult point of philosophy to convey why we did not feel quite the same way, and he wished to understand our reasoning."
"Oh." Mordecai thinks about that for a little bit. "Well, even if they hadn't been worgen all along, I don't think that was a reasonable request for them to make."
"It was not, no. We understood the necessity of potentially removing a leader from the situation, to better reduce the intensity of their offensive strikes against the village, but it was a very unsettling request, and one that Dane handled remarkably well as a leader, to hear out and understand our reservations, even as he accepted the job without committing to the specifications. It was a very delicate situation, and he showed exceptional leadership skills today in allowing for the discussion, and working with his team to come to an accord and understanding." The pride in his friend's judgment and actions is audible in Colson's calm voice.
The smile is audible in Mordecai's voice. "Smart of him. That's good. I'm glad."
"It was the work of a knight, and I was quite proud of him," Colson says, a little unnecessarily for the way he sounds, but he says it out loud anyway. "In the end, it was decided that we would eliminate the leader, and if necessary, remove a part to prove the death, and burn the rest of the body in accordance with the orc's death rites. Caspis at least understands how we regard the situation, if not entirely still the underlying philosophy making sense to him on an emotional level."
"Mmm." Mordecai closes his eyes. "What's going to happen to the village? Do you think the Alliance will take action?"
"I don't know yet. I expect they will need to. It is not the same as the Scourge, but there is a real potential to lose soldiers from their side to the worgen's, and sharing the territory may not be possible as they attempt to convert others to their side for their own goals. We cannot allow that to happen, and at the moment, there must be a response at the least for what has already occurred. They took at least one Alliance envoy into their curse, and attempted to do so to another. They have opened hostile action," Colson says in that military voice.
Mordecai frowns a little. "What happened to the envoy? The one they cursed?"
"I don't know. He was in the village. He may have been one of the worgen chasing us." Colson pauses. "We took his horse." He doesn't sound particularly guilty about it.
"I hope he's all right," Mordecai says quietly.
Colson holds onto Mordecai a little tighter, pressing another kiss to his hair. "We will do what we can." And that's really, at the end of the day, all they can really do.
"They seemed like regular people at first, right? I mean, there was no… physical give-away until they changed forms?"
"None that I could tell, but I was not looking for anything in particular. And," Colson adds thoughtfully. "I have no ability to sense a curse of any sort. They seemed like people, if a little…odd in their manners sometimes."
"They could have let it be," Mordecai says sadly. "They didn't have to try and spread their curse. They could have just… lived their lives. Couldn't they? Or does it change the way you think as well, the curse?"
"I cannot say," Colson says. "I do not know how it works. I could not speculate as to the nature of their reasoning."
Mordecai sighs. "I wish we knew a bit more."
Colson presses another kiss to Mordecai's shoulder. "We can always make inquiries. It is possible someone knows more, and if not, I suppose we will be the ones who gather the information to be inquired about."
"I wouldn't really… know who to ask."
"We could start at the library," Colson says optimistically. It is also, very possibly, his usual first place to ask.
"Oh. Yes." Mordecai clears his throat. "We could. Of course. That makes sense."
"Additionally, I could send word to some people in Darkshire. I spent some time there a year or so ago. There is worgen there, but…they are never people as far as I have ever heard. However, perhaps someone knows something more, or where there may be additional expertise," the Knight-Captain says. Oh, look, he's back.
Mordecai rolls over in Colson's arms to face him. "I want to know. Even if nothing ever comes of it, I'd like to know."
Colson stares back, serious and grave, and he nods. "Very well. I will ask."
"Thank you." Mordecai sighs. "I'm glad you're all right."
Colson smiles faintly, and it softens the look of the Knight-Captain again, fading it back as he moves his hand up to brush at Mordecai's hair. "As am I."
Mordecai reaches out and traces the Fear Ward over Colson's heart, a spark of Light following his fingertip.
Colson makes a low sound, eyes closing as he relaxes in a deeper way, his heart rate slowing a little more.
"Rest, love," Mordecai says gently. "I'll be right here."
Colson, obedient as ever to his priest, rests.