(2023-07-03) To Temporarily Die

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Author:	Athena
Summary:	Anareline seeks Colson out to ask him for a favor for the future, and to learn about what happened in the past. 2600-ish words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Anareline waits by the gryphon master of Amberpine Lodge, wearing her usual plate armor with shield on her back and sword sheathed at her side. She at least wears no helm, and her blue hair falls loose and impractical down her back. Her silver gaze is fixed on the woods. She might seem rather peaceful, except for a vague hint that she's waiting for something, betrayed by her occasional glances toward each arriving gryphon.

Colson arrives at the exact time he said he would, almost to an uncanny degree, dressed in his usual blue and gold plate armor, without a helm. He dismounts off the gryphon, and his calm gaze lands on Anareline. He inclines his head politely as he approaches. "Anareline, good afternoon."

"Colson Aspenwood, it's good to see you again," Anareline nods a greeting as she turns to face him. "I hope your husband is well?"

"He is, thank you." Colson's voice is notably more expressive, as is his face, at the mention of Mordecai, a faintly visible sense of a smile there. "You seem well." A glance around them, before his eyes return to hers with that classic Aspenwood calm neutrality. "Is there some way that I may be of assistance?"

"I wanted to speak with you about… experiences your squad has had," Anareline says slowly. "And may have, in the future."

Colson nods seriously, and looks for a place to sit. There are benches, he knows at least, inside the lodge. "Would you prefer to sit?" He offers, gesturing gracefully towards the interior. "There are seats inside, if you would like."

"Do you prefer to sit?" Anareline asks, her expression mirroring his in seriousness. Then she seems to make some decision, and nods her head. "Let's head inside. I would not ask you to remain standing."

Colson inclines his head, as he leads the way to one of the simple benches at the side of the lodge in a quiet corner, sitting gracefully for a man in full plate.

Anareline sits next to him. She starts again without preamble. "I am given to understand that you all agreed to temporarily die, at the request of an orc."

"Yes. He was a former shaman who had determined the cause of what had been causing a dangerous corruption of a troll temple. We were there on behalf of the Alliance forces here looking for ways forward through the area, and others had noticed that there was a disturbing spiritual corruption of the dead. The method the former shaman determined would allow us to uproot the cause required speaking to and acquiring a specific element that were only available in the spirit world, and thus, we were instructed on how to do so, with the understanding that the guide we would meet with would return us to our bodies," Colson reports, that sense of a soldier giving it to a superior officer in his tone.

Anareline watches Colson carefully during this explanation, and then nods once. "Thank you. All he could recall was that it was for an orc, and that there must have been a good reason. And because he trusted Dane Atley enough to die at his command." There's a question in her eyes. Do you?

Colson inclines his head, although he might not catch the question in her eyes. His own expression is calm and somewhat inscrutable. "Dane had never died before, and was aware that every death carries the risk of permanence. It was a decision he made to see it through, regardless. He does not hold orcs in high esteem or respect, but the path forward was clear: someone would need to risk their lives in accomplishing this task, and Dane is not one to put such off on another if there is any feasible way we may do what we can to serve. We discussed ahead of time who would be doing so. Lode Fire-Eyes, who is not an official member of Blue Squad but there on temporary assignment, was given the task of remaining behind to perform a resurrection if necessary. The rest of us agreed to follow Dane."

"Do you feel, now, afterward, that it was worth the risk?" Anareline asks.

"Yes. We were able to successfully uproot the source of the corruption that had caught countless spirits in its gravity. In Northrend, in particular, that sort of deep corruption of the dead is exceptionally dangerous. It was likely part of why none of our souls fled after death — like the others of the temple there, we were trapped, temporarily. All those who died within range of the spirit there would have likely been similarly caught. The guide we met claimed that there was a prophecy that heroes would come to free them from a great evil. And the spirit that had caught them there was, indeed, evil, and growing in power. Now, it has been banished, and the dead rest."

"That is… much more information, and it does help to know. I am glad you were able to do such good, and that you were all able to return." Anareline pauses, taking a breath. That was a lot of words, and there's more to come. "You and I spoke once about finding our paths. In many ways, Caspis is mine. I do not need to be with him every moment, but… if I were to lose him entirely after it took so long to find him… I would say the universe could not be so cruel, except that I know it is. So, there was something I wanted to ask of you."

"I understand something of that," Colson says gently. "Please, ask."

"If Caspis is killed," Anareline takes a breath, a tightening of her expression in pain at the thought. "If Caspis is killed in the course of his work, I think that you will try to resurrect him. Is there a way for you to remind him, when you reach for his soul, that he has promised not to leave me?"

Colson nods slowly. "It is believed that one of the factors of a successful resurrection is that the soul itself lingers in place. Many believe that by speaking aloud, or to the individual, that they will hear it, and it will influence their ability to remain while they are called." He pauses. "When I died, another time, it was Mordecai who called me back to life, and I remember that I heard him calling for me. If it is a promise that he has made, he may very well hear it, somewhere in his soul." Another thoughtful pause. "If you would be willing to be a little patient with the instruction, it may help if it is in Darnassian, and I would be honored to learn to say it, to be able to speak it, should the worst occur. It may reach him more easily to not use such a newly acquired language to reach his soul."

"If that would help, then I would like to teach you," Anareline nods, breathing out a low sigh. "Just one sentence maybe, so it won't be forgotten?"

Colson inclines his head. "I will not forget it. Caspis' life is precious, as all things are in the Light, and if there is anything I may do to preserve it, I will do so."

Anareline nods, and says slowly in Darnassian, with careful enunciation, "[Caspis, remember your shalan Anareline, and your promise to return to her. She is waiting for you.]". Anareline frowns, and adds in Common, "That was two sentences, but the second one is short."

Colson frowns faintly in concentration. "If you will be willing to repeat it multiple times, much slower, and per word, and I believe I can memorize the phrases. One moment, please." He removes his gauntlets, setting them aside, and takes out a notebook with a large cake on the cover, and a pencil. He opens the notebook to an empty page. "Alright. [Caspis,]" he prompts.

Anareline repeats the words again, very slowly.

Colson writes them, in what appears to be a familiarity with Darnassian sounds, into a phonetic transliteration. "[Caspis. Remem. Ber. Your. Shalan. Anareline.]" He speaks almost unbearably slowly, but the accent is incredibly accurate. "It will take me some time to be able to speak it," he says gently. "May I ask what it means in Common, should I not yet know it, and the worst occurs?"

"It is a relatively simple phrasing, I am simply trusting that the meaning will help," Anareline speaks the sentences for him in Common.

Colson nods again. "Please tell me if I have the sounds accurately in Darnassian." He reads back the phonetic attempt he's made — it's pretty accurate. His accent fails as soon as he gets further into it, with unfamiliarity with several words, but he would be understood by a native speaker. This is clearly not the first time he's done something like this.

"It's close," Anareline nods, and repeats it again. "He will hear it, if he's not beyond hearing. And thank you, truly. If a time comes when your husband needs safeguarding, and you are not present, I will do my utmost to keep him from harm."

Colson smiles gently at Anareline, inclining his head. "I would have not doubted that you would do so. He feels safe around you, which is important." He moves his forefinger along his thumb absently. "My instincts in the field are to prioritize the healer. That is Caspis, and thus he will always have some level of my attention in the field, to place him in protection if we are attacked as a group, or heal him if he has been harmed before Dane can interpose himself. If only one of us survives, it will very likely be him."

Anareline bows her head. "Thank you again, then. And… would you say he often needs protection? How do you see him, as a healer? I am not there, so I cannot know."

"It is common for all healers to become a target. I spent seven years as a healer in the army of the Alliance, and I was doubly targeted as I was the commander of such units for five of those years. Caspis is an intelligent man, who understands formation well. He maintains his distance appropriately, and does not draw attention to himself unnecessarily in ways that would cause provocation of any hostilities.

"I see him as a healer who is competent in all ways. I have worked with several druids in the past, including a young druid by the name of Nilunelle, in Cobalt Company. Their methods are similar. I cannot feel the druidic healing the same way I can feel those who heal with the Light, but I am aware of the sense of wounds closing, and Caspis sees to the squad admirably. I trust him to care for one of the most precious people in all the world to me, and he does so."

Anareline watches him as he speaks, as if memorizing the words. "Your sister is the precious one you speak of?"

"Yes," Colson says, and there's another gentle smile at the mention of her. He looks down at his hands for a moment. "One of the reasons why I am with her is that I joined Cobalt Company to be with her. I had lost my path a long time ago, when we separated, and in finding her again I found purpose once more that I had wished to accomplish in service to others. But more than that, being at her side is what feels right, when I know that should the worst occur, that I was there, doing everything I possibly could." He looks up at Anareline and there is a gentleness in his eyes. "It is a difficult thing to not be with someone you love and have them walk into danger without you, and I confess that I am not always equal to that task myself, and so I have requested specifically to be assigned with her. And I entrust her safety to Caspis as a healer."

"That is good to know," Anareline hesitates, then adds,"I do not think my path will lead me to join a group, mercenary or otherwise. Imrolane and I have been assisting in Northrend, as we can. Sometimes it seems too little, but I do not have the same capacity to trust as my shalan. I respect Dane Atley, but I cannot say if I would have trusted him with my death."

Colson nods. He doesn't seem to be judging her for it. "There is no such thing as too little." His voice is gentle, a Paladin's Voice of understanding. "Each one of us plays a part, and we are all of the whole of the force of creation and life. We all have the things that guide us, and it is not wrong to follow our own paths rather than forcing ourselves onto those that others follow with their own certainty. That is what I learned well when I left the Alliance army. I could not serve more than one true path in full. My obedience to my vows as a paladin to the Light I serve must come before my obedience to any mortal leader. I trust in Dane, but more so, I trust in the Light. I believe that I was exactly where I was meant to be, doing as I was meant to do, and that the Light's guidance would see me through it."

"While I do respect the Light, I would have said I have faith in myself," Ana says, slowly. "But I am not certain that is true any longer. I think… I will try to trust in my willingness to hear others, and to truly consider their words. Maybe that is enough."

"I believe that to be a great virtue. In the Light, 'respect' is one of the three virtues, and to respect another enough to truly consider their words is part of that. It is something Dane has tried to foster in his leadership; we are not the army. He willingly will hear our opinions and our concerns, even if he knows that he must ultimately make the decision and shoulder the consequences of it."

Anareline nods. "And any decision I make for myself, I will naturally shoulder the consequences of it." She pauses, glancing at the entrance to the lodge. "Thank you for your time, and for your help, and… I hope there will be no call for resurrection, in the future."

"Of course." Colson inclines his head politely. "It is something that as a healer, we must always bear in mind, that no resurrection is ever sure, no matter how many times they have been successfully brought back in the past. All must be done to avoid death as though each one will be final." There's a pause as Colson looks once more at his hands. "It is my hope that he knows that in the cases when I do cast to prioritize his safety that it is out of respect. A healer must be protected. It is not because he is fragile or weak, but an important member of our squad, and his position is crucial for all of us."

"I hope that he knows that as well," Anareline frowns thoughtfully. "If he does not, I may point it out sometime."

Colson raises his eyes to Anareline, and it is more difficult to see perhaps, but he seems like he might be smiling. Possibly. "If there is anything else I may do to be of service, you have but to ask." He rises from the bench as gracefully as he sat. "I should be returning to Wintergarde."

"Of course," Anareline says, rising as well. "I think my efforts are best here, for now, keeping an eye on the worgen threat. But perhaps I will see you in the Dragonblight one day."