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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Aszera meets up again with Ralaea, after completing the task she agreed to last time they spoke. Mourn watches nearby. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Aszera Sunstrike waits in the open this time, leaning casually against a bone-lantern post in her usual dark leather armor and blindfold, with her blades sheathed at her side. Still, she looks for all the world as if she's watching for someone. None of the Tuskarr seem to mind her presence, or even to particularly take note of it.
Mourn lurks nearby, his hood shadowing his face, but he himself remains hidden behind a tent, leaving Aszera to do the watching.
Ralaea arrives by gryphon, fully armed, armored, but missing goggles. It could be that she's not ready to catch sight of Mourn, even by accident. Her blue eyes scan the area until she sees Aszera, then with a slight hesitation, she starts towards her.
Aze tugs her leather bracer down toward her wrist in a gesture that might read as nervous, and then raises a hand in greeting. "Ralaea. I wasn't sure if you'd come."
"You have information that I want," Ralaea says. "And…I was the one who asked for the favor, so." She tries to keep from glancing in the direction of Mourn's tent. "I see you weren't kidding about him being here."
Mourn closes his eyes upon hearing her voice. It may be that he hasn't heard it in some time.
"Yeah, I told them to leave you alone, but…" Aze shrugs uncomfortably. "Anyway, last time, that really wasn't how I meant for things to go. I've just been really angry lately, and then I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get to you without causing some kind of…" she gestures vaguely with one hand, "…incident. It was frustrating. Though I guess it also means you're taking security seriously."
"You would too, if everyone you knew was trying to kill you and raise you again," Ralaea mumbles. "Anyway, I…have a lot more people counting on me than I thought, so I can't afford to be weak like that again either." She hesitates again, then looks into Aszera's blindfold. "So Mevlin…is it done?"
Aze nods, though whether she's making what passes for her as eye contact or not is unclear. "He's gone, and he's not coming back. I did it just like you wanted. Or well, I guess he heard the discussion, so it didn't come entirely as a surprise. Still, I picked a moment when he wouldn't see it coming, and none of the death knights messed with him beforehand. As far as I'm concerned, Jenzelle can keep thinking he stayed dead from the beginning."
"Thank you. It's for the best. I wish I'd been able to do it myself, but…" She shakes her head. "I wasn't in the right place for that. I'll get the rest of them, if I can. Might have to race your sister's crew." Ralaea slips Mevlin's insignia out of her bag. "We'll be able to put him to rest properly, now, at least."
"Yeah, they'll be going after the rest of the pack too, I'm pretty sure," Aze says, tilting her head toward the tent hiding Mourn. "But as for the rest… I don't know that it's something to aspire to. Being able to kill people you loved. You don't have to."
"I should at least be there," Ralaea says. "Sometimes it helps, having people you love there, when you… And besides, I made the choice to kill them, so it's only right that I do it. If I can't do that much, how can I say it was the right choice?" She seems calmer, at least, and the goggles and anger aren't there to hide her sincerity.
"Be there, fine, but you don't have to hurt yourself to prove you're right. Back in the war," Aze pauses and then gives a brief exhale of a laugh, "I need to start calling it the Third War, since I guess we're on a different one now. It just feels like I've been at war since… never mind. What I meant to say is, some people couldn't handle fighting familiar faces turned enemy. And if a person could handle it, that tells them something about themselves, too. Maybe not something they wanted to know. Anyway, it was the right choice to kill them, back then, whether a person could do it or not. And you're not wrong about it now."
Ralaea's expression is a sympathetic one. "I know the feeling. Maybe not quite the same feeling, since you're…older than me? Probably? Anyway, I haven't stopped fighting since the Lich King came around, though we were in Outland for a few months. And I also know things are different, when you're in the thick of it. It's why I couldn't face Mevlin and do what needed to be done. Because I'd never felt so alone before, even though I could have reached out to my squad. But I've been reminded, recently, just how many people will go out of their way for me, if only to show their support. Whether I can do it, or I can't…I know that when it's over, I have people who will be there."
"Yeah, older, but not by that much. My people are not the kaldorei - I'm not going to start talking about the good old days before the Sundering." There's a faint smile of amusement on Aze's face that fades as she continues. "Outland was a surreal fucking fever dream on top of all the rest, and not one I think I’ll ever fully wake up from. But… it's good you've got people. Whatever happens, keep them close. Keep them safe."
Ralaea's expression is blank as she mentions the Sundering. She probably hasn't talked to many kaldorei at length. "You've been through a lot yourself, and…at least some of that I can relate to," she says. "I know you've got some people from Cobalt you can call friends, yeah?" She fidgets with her gauntlet and avoids eye contact. "What I'm trying to say is, if you ever need a break from the dead people… uh, that is, if you think another living ally would help, I'm… you know. Just, send a note?"
Mourn smiles beneath his hood. A soft, genuine smile.
"Really?" Aze straightens up slightly from her lean against the post. She doesn't try to avoid eye contact, but then again with the blindfold she doesn't have to. "Same for you, then. I usually check a mailbox in Unu'pe. And I guess paper plane works pretty well in the other direction." She hesitates, crossing her arms in front of her, and then adds casually, "Speaking of needing a break from the dead people… I had something else to bring up. About Jenzelle."
"What about Jenzelle?" Ralaea asks. "Nothing bad I hope?"
Aze considers that one for an uncomfortable moment. "Nothing bad about her. I don't actually know her, so I wouldn't know anything bad to tell. But… is she aware that there's a death knight squad after her?"
"Well…" It's clear from her expression what the answer is, but Ralaea continues, "She's a healer, so she doesn't go around on her own. And it's Northrend, so I'm sure she knows what the risks are…"
"Huh. And would you say your safety plan has changed at all, knowing they're after you?" Aze raises one eyebrow.
"She already knows about Kaela," Ralaea insists. "And, my plan has only changed because I need a break from death knights in general. If I tell her about the squad, then…" She shakes her head. "I'll just get to them first."
Aze takes a breath, and her expression closes off a little as she says, "Well, that's the thing. I won't tell her anything. I give you my word on that. But… they think they need to do whatever the fuck they can to make sure she's safe."
"So, what, are we going to have a group of death knights marching over to tell her everything? That'll go well." Anger flashes in Ralaea's eyes. "I told them from the beginning, this is none of their business."
"Sometimes the dead aren't great at listening," Aze shakes her head. "To you, or me. I don't know what the right move is here, but if you do nothing… yeah, probably a handful of helpful death knights turn up."
"I'm not going to let them threaten or bait me into telling her first," Ralaea says. "That would make it too easy for them. No…they can try to track her down themselves. And…I'll try to keep that from happening I guess. Somehow." She shoots a glare towards Mourn's tent.
Mourn is completely still, like a statue, his expression hidden again, but he seems to be absorbing her words.
"I'm pretty sure they planned to do it without telling you, but…" Aze glances over towards Mourn's tent and smiles, "…they don't get to tell me what to fucking do. It's for sure the others are after her, though. He said she'd told them they had to collect you and Jenzelle before she'd raise the last one."
"That part bothers me," she says, her glare turning into a thoughtful frown. "I don't know why she won't raise Jothran. I'm…missing something. The smart thing would be to have them all raised, right? And attack all at once? But we caught Mevlin on his own, and the others seem set up for the same thing."
"Maybe she has them on different tasks," Aze says, frowning. "Did she do that before? Have you all on different missions to support the whole."
Ralaea shakes her head. "Too risky. Apart from patrolling and scouting, we stayed together. Taya was our most skilled when it came to scouting. Alver was usually on patrol duty with me, but we were close enough that Jothran could keep an eye on us, and Mevlin never left the group. He was…not very good at combat, so he supported by making bombs and doing long-distance scouting when we were in open areas or on high ground. Jenzelle always stayed with the group as well, being our only priestess."
"Then that's… odd. My sister is not that different than she was before, tactically speaking," Aze shifts one hand behind her to tap the post thoughtfully. "She shouldn't be, either. Maybe it's the loss of… care. Using them to distract us, divide us, while she does… what?"
Ralaea shakes her head. "I have no idea. She's a lot smarter than me. Whatever she's got planned can't be a good thing. The Scourge seem really active in Dragonblight, maybe she's setting up something there."
"Where's Jenzelle, then? Is she in Dragonblight?" Aze raps the post again. "Never mind, don't answer that, he's probably listening. We just need to figure out how to stop her from getting what she wants."
"I'll write a report to the Captain, then. Smarter folk than me can take a guess at her plans, and maybe I'll see if someone can keep an eye on Jenzelle. Make it harder for death knights to pay a visit. Is there anything else I should know?" Ralaea looks absolutely thrilled at the idea of writing a report, as shown by her grudging expression, but she seems resigned to it.
"Hmm," Aze says, her expression as intent as if she were studying Rae. "Maybe. If you want to know it. Shit Mevlin said, before I killed him. And the tombstone."
"Tombstone?" Ralaea's eyebrows lift in surprise. "What tombstone?"
"Mevlin's, I guess?" Aze's brows draw down in uncertainty. "A ghoul brought it, just after he died. Maybe a distraction to recover the body? But they didn't."
"She knew?" Ralaea glances around in alarm. "I suppose that's what Mourn is doing here? If we're being watched somehow…"
"Yeah, she knows we killed him," Aze nods. "So, the heightened security. Also, Mevlin gave it as a threat - 'If you don't take care of Jenzelle and Rae, she will.'"
"Take care of, huh?" Ralaea chews her lip. "Yeah. I'll put that in the report. I haven't been real good about letting the Company know what's going on."
"Probably a good idea. They seem reliable, Cobalt. I could help with the writing, but my penmanship's not what it once was." She frowns, and adds, "You could trust me to, though, if you ever wanted. Whatever side I end up on, I'm not an enemy of Cobalt."
"Thanks, but…I need the practice." She raises her voice a little. "The guy who was teaching me decided to skip out on it, so I'm stuck learning the rest on my own."
Mourn withdraws further into his hood, what can be seen of his expression twisting in pain, as his eyes lose some of their glow.
"Anyway, I trusted you with something as important as Mevlin's death, so as far as I'm concerned, I owe you," Ralaea says. "If you need anything, get in touch."
"You don't have to owe me, I offered," Aze says, pushing off from the post. "But I will. And let me know if there's anything else you need to know, that I forgot to say."
"I'll send a note if I think of anything," Ralaea says, glancing again towards Mourn's tent. "Good luck with…them."
"Yeah, thanks," Aze says, turning toward the dock. Then she pauses, turning back toward Rae to add, "I've been spending too much time around them lately, I need to fix that. But… she's still my sister. I can't just…" Aze shakes her head, and raises one hand in farewell. "You too. Good luck dealing with… everything."