(2023-11-13) An Important Business Meeting (CCCC 1)

Details

Author:	inkie
Summary:	Ben and Lena meet for a crafting circle in Dalaran's beer garden; they're joined by Iphindra and by Nunuzac, who brings a Celebrity Guest Tailor under maybe slightly false pretenses.
Rating:	M for Mature 17+

Chain: Cobalt Company Craft Circle

Ben is sitting tailor-fashion on a bench, with an open basket on the table beside him. He is squinting dubiously at a row of balls of yarn arrayed in front of him.

[Ben]: Blue is probl'y — yeah, no. Maybe — or, wait.

Nunuzac looks around, waving at Ben as she strolls in with a familiar half elf trailing nearby. "Oh, I thought more will come here, yes? Benhazaaaan, look who I found!"

Ben glances up, blinking. He breaks into a grin at the sight of the draenei. "Nunuzac, hey, hi. An' — oh! Hey, Confessor. I did not know y'all was — uh, acquaint?"

Ben peers at Etone searchingly.

[Ben]: Satterly with you?

Maybe Etone has Vond in his pocket or something.

Nunuzac laughs lightly. "Only a little acquaint. I know of Cobalt Argent business. Oh yes, I keep up. So I invite to the important meeting." The light of one large eye shutters and appears in a wink that is not subtle.

Etone offers a perplexed knit eyebrow expression and shakes his head. "Not as such — to both really. I was just out on an errand and was – " He gestures toward Nunuzac, " – told this was an 'Important Business Meeting'."

Nunuzac stage whispers, loudly. "He looked like he could use a break."

[Ben]: The impo–ohhh. For sure, yeah, hey. C'mon sit, sir. You want a beer? Nunu, a beer?

Etone sighs loudly. "Oh is that what it were then? Haaah I suppose since I'm here, may as well."

[Ben]: I mean, I would not like to put you out by makin' you sit an' have a beer, sir, but you are here, so.

Ben grins.

[Nunuzac]: Oh please yes for both. You must. It is that kind of meeting.

[Ben]: Also I kind of need some help, if y'all ain't mind.

[Etone]: Vond's not with me today, but I'll see to it to pass on your regards, that'll crack a smile 'm sure.

Ben flags down the dwarven brewmaiden absently and makes a vague, table-encompassing gesture. She seems to take his meaning.

[Ben]: Good, yes please, sir. Been a minute.

[Nunuzac]: Now I can get learn the Azeroth stitch. From master knitter and master tailor.

[Nunuzac]: I need this for… Exodar… flag.

[Ben]: Oh, I ain't a master knitter or tailor, so you maybe best hope Lena shows up. She — Exodar flag?

Ben tilts his head at Nunu.

Etone huffs down on the bench, his annoyed expression turning confused. "What’s all this then?"

Averlena rushes in and waves to Ben and Etone and Nunuzac as she comes over to the table, carrying a yarn bag.

Nunuzac nudges Etone. "This one is tailor. You know stitch." She found this out, somehow. She begins rummaging around in a satchel. "You teach?"

[Ben]: Oh, are you?

Ben looks Etone up and down respectfully, and then flashes Lena a grin.

[Ben]: An' here is our master knitter. We are just waitin' — an' here is beers.

Ben nods gratefully as the brewmaiden returns with a tray of pints.

Nunuzac waves across at Lena, beaming. "Another for the meeting, see? Important, everyone comes."

[Averlena]: Hey, everybody! Sorry I'm a touch late. Those gryphons.

[Nunuzac]: Rowdy.

Etone smiles fondly, and waves a short finger wriggle in welcome, "Ah! Miss Lena, a pleasure as always!"

[Averlena]: But yeah, I'm a knitter. I brought yarn and such, figured I'd work on something. *She snags a pint from the tray, she can work on that too.*

[Nunuzac]: Cold… I think makes them make trouble more.

Averlena smiles at Etone. "Good to see you again, Confessor."

Ben rearranges the balls of yarn arrayed in a row before him on the table.

[Ben]: Okay but I got a question for any of y'all, now. I need some help.

Averlena nods at Nunuzac.

[Iphindra]: Hm…. Hello!

Averlena turns attentively to Ben, and then jumps at the next greeting.

[Ben]: If you — oh, hey, miss.

Iphindra jumps at Lena's jumps.

[Ben]: So if you was a baby, what would be your favorite color for shoes?

Ben looks very seriously from face to face.

Etone offers a deadpan wut expression before nodding in welcome to the newcomer.

[Averlena]: Hm. *Lena says, as if she has never considered this. The next sentence, smoothly delivered, gives the lie to that.* If I were a baby boy, I think orange. For a baby girl, pale green.

Nunuzac perks up at Ben, looking up quizzically. She also pulls a ball of greyish yarn from her stachel, a few spools of thread, a hand-sized patch of cloth. "Oh hello," she calls back to Iphindra.

[Nunuzac]: Druid from Silithus! I am Nunuzac. Good to see you.

[Ben]: I mean I was thinkin' blue, because, y'know. Cobalt Company an' all. But then I reckon, well, he might have a whole sh*tton of blue already on account of that reason, so — orange, huh?

[Averlena]: It's a good color. Bright and happy, and not the sickly connotation yellow can have. And oranges and pumpkins, right? Good color.

Ben studies the yarns in front of him. None of them is orange. He peers into his basket.

[Ben]: … okay, I ain't got orange. Second favorite? Boy baby, yeah.

Averlena turns to Iphindra. "Come join us! Give your thoughts on baby shoe colors?"

Nunuzac 'whispers' aside to Etone, "There is a new human baby. You know Sir Dane?"

[Etone]: Oh you're serious — uhh — well what *are* your choices?

[Ben]: … that is probably a good startin' point, huh? I got, uh, couple've kinds of blue, couple've kinds of gray, a red but it is maybe kind of pepperminty for a shoe color, a foresty kind of green….

Ben rummages.

Etone hums, "Oh, his then…? Go with Alliance blue."

[Iphindra]: I'm Iphindra! *She looks at Ben and Lena, completely unsure about that question. She kind of just… stand there, regardless of the invitation.* Um… May– maybe a color that goes well with blue? Because if the baby will have a lot of blue…

Ben looks from Etone to Iphindra and back again.

[Averlena]: Foresty green could work for a baby boy, if not blue. I wouldn't go red because, well… red banners.

Etone jerks a thumb toward Lena, "She gets it."

[Nunuzac]: Argent Confessor says For the Alliance. You work for us now.

Nunuzac ignores baby specific context.

Iphindra finally, slowly goes to sit at the table.

Etone stares at Nunuzac, mouth slightly agape.

Averlena gestures to the tray of beers. "Have a beer, too, if you like. I assume? I mean, I didn't pay for them."

Ben rearranges the yarn-balls, taking one out of the basket and stowing some others, so that now he is contemplating a ball of dark blue yarn and a ball of forest green yarn. He looks a little like he's preparing to interview the two yarns.

[Iphindra]: Oh! Than– thanks! *She grabs a beer, and takes the smallest little sip.*

[Ben]: What all is everyone else doin'? Nunu, you are doin' a flag?

Nunuzac helps herself to a stein and also stares at her spools of thread that she brought no needle for. "What flag?"

Ben glances up to blink at her. "You said Exodar flag? Somethin'?"

Averlena pulls out her own yarn, one ball of some kind of pale purple, one of white, and one of blue. They all seem be feeding into a small patch of knitted cloth.

Etone furls his eyebrows, what is even going on.

Averlena pauses to peer over at Nunu. "You need supplies? And anybody else? I brought some general sewing stuff, just in case."

Iphindra perks up. Oh right, they're here to do stuff! She looks at Nunuzac, grabbing a round white canvas, black paint, and a feather from her bag.

Nunuzac blinks slowly at Ben. "Yes! I must fix the flag. I learn Azeroth stitching, make it local." She darts over to inspect Lena's supplies.

Iphindra tilts her head.

[Nunuzac]: Baby shoe was a better meeting reason though I think.

Etone offers an awkward smile to the woman on the other bench. "What's that you're working on there then?"

Averlena does indeed have a bag full of basic sewing supplies — needles, thread, scissors… she offers it to Nunu and then turns to Etone.

[Averlena]: Oh, I was just thinking some kind of warm hat. Gets awful cold with the wind at sea. I thought maybe icicle themed, but also I like purple.

Ben decides, and tucks the blue yarn back into the basket. He takes out a pair of needles instead, unrolls a long tail from the ball of forest-green yarn, and begins casting on stitches. "That's right, how is the ocean been treatin' you?"

[Averlena]: Not bad. Sometimes when I get to shore it feels like the land is all wavy now. Takes a while for that to stop.

Nunuzac looks delighted. She only brought thread. She fishes out a needle and scissors and returns to Etone, arranging all the bits and bobs in front of him. She stares at him expectantly.

Etone stares vacantly at Nunuzac.

[Nunuzac]: Dem… demo… you show?

[Iphindra]: You– you travel on boats often?

Iphindra is trying to make small talk as best she can.

Iphindra thinks she's doing small talk wrong, so she begins tracing lines in black ink on her canvas, using the feather, looking away.

[Averlena]: Oh, yes, I've joined the fleet a bit, loaning out from Cobalt for a while.

[Nunuzac]: Iphindra, you make writing? Or image?

[Ben]: Miss Coit is gonna become a proper pirateer at this rate.

Averlena grins at Ben.

[Iphindra]: Traveling the sea, that's great! I liked taking the boat, the one time I did! An– and I'm making an image! A spiderweb.

[Iphindra]: You're… fixing a flag? *She asks Nunuzac, tilting her head.*

Etone offers a loud, "Haaah?" in response to Nunuzac before looking down at the raw materials. "What exactly am I supposed to be doing with this…? — nnnf — Yes, what's it you're working on there — a what? Spiderweb? Cross stitch?"

[Nunuzac]: Not now. Later. But… yeees?

Averlena sits back for a moment and watches everyone working on their projects.

Ben is counting his stitches aloud under his breath, his brow knit with concentration.

[Iphindra]: A painting! I– I like painting, but it's very difficult for me to imagine… images. So I just make things I know! *She keeps tracing the lines as she speaks, connecting them with more lines.*

[Iphindra]: And… what flag are you fixing?

Nunuzac pouts mildly at Etone. "Show…" She pantomimes stitching motions. "Best tailor stitch? Maybe a secret one?"

[Etone]: Okay so… Let me get this straight…

Etone pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, "You want me to fix it for you?"

Nunuzac blanks at Iphindra a moment. This flag is something people actually want to know about. "Eeeeh… Exodar flag, falling a little." Then she blinks at Etone.

[Nunuzac]: No no! You show… I learn…

[Iphindra]: Or…. maybe she wants you to show her how she could fix it?

Averlena looks over curiously. "An Exodar flag. Do you want it… for decoration, here in Northrend?"

[Nunuzac]: Then I am the best tailor too.

Nunuzac beams. Please teach me your trade secrets. Five minutes or less.

Etone looks down at the materials and sighs, "Do you have any pins?"

[Nunuzac]: That is too-also, not two-number. But maybe that works.

Nunuzac hops up and runs to Lena's bag again excitedly.

[Averlena]: Ought to be a pincushion in there, yeah.

Nunuzac acquires the pincushion. Perhaps it is the timeless tomato. She plops it in front of Etone, bristling with pins and needles.

[Nunuzac]: Spider web… I think they are pretty.

[Nunuzac]: Clever bug.

[Averlena]: Not much of a fan of them in my own places of living, I got to say. Clever, though, for sure.

Averlena returns to her own knitting and glances over at Ben, then Iphindra, then Nunu and Etone.

Iphindra stops herself from giggling at the whole Nunuzac-Etone stiuation. She then smiles at Nunuzac. "They are! And when it rains on a spider web, and– and you see all the drops on the threads? That's even more beautiful!"

Ben surveys his handiwork critically. "Babies all got pretty much the same size feet, right?"

Iphindra blinks at Ben.

Nunuzac suddenly looks a bit worried. "Must shoe them up very safe if there is no hoof there."

[Ben]: … oh, well, they ain't walk yet or nothin'. The shoes is just to keep their feet warm.

Averlena smiles gently. "Yeah, they got soft little feet. Reckon size isn't all that important."

Ben nods firmly. He drops his gaze to his work again, then flicks a worried look up and surveys Lena.

Etone looks the cloth over and sighs. "Right, so uhm…" He looks mildly lost as to what this pile of materials are supposed to materialize into. He pauses and hums at Ben, "Make sure the stitching is on the outside though."

[Etone]: You don't want their toes getting caught in loose strings.

[Ben]: Oh! Oh. Yeah. *Ben looks at Etone with awe. Truly, a master.*

Iphindra blinks again. Stitching sounds like a nightmare right now. So many things to think about. She shakes her head and goes back to drawing lines on a canvas.

Averlena ducks her head back to her own knitting, still smiling a little. "Yeah, wouldn't want their little toes to get hurt. These ones for the Atley kid, or your brother?"

[Ben]: Karson Elohad Atley.

Nunuzac looks positive Etone is going to make something marketable out of her tiny scrap of linen, and is focused accordingly. "Lena goes out to sea… I have not been on sea boat since first come here."

[Averlena]: Mm, well, you can ask the Vice Admiral if he's hirin' on draenei, if you're of a mind to.

Nunuzac blinks, eyes growing wide. "Vice Admiral? Sounds important! You know a human marine asks to speak to me for something? This all Alliance sea things, yes? Maybe all work on same thing with Lena."

[Nunuzac]: They want to hear things about shamanism.

Averlena blinks. "Human marine asks to speak with you? Which one?"

[Iphindra]: Oh! Shamans they– they're the friends of the wind and water, yes?

[Iphindra]: I can see why someone would want their help on a boat!

[Nunuzac]: Eeeh… Shay… Marine Shay-mus. Was there a two-name? Did Erixa tell me other name?

Nunuzac looks up and taps her chin while visibly wracking her brain for more names in the human style.

[Averlena]: Shaymus?

[Ben]: Siamus? That's the same — ain't that the Vice Admiral's name?

Averlena nods. "Probably don't call him Shay."

Averlena adds to Iphindra. "It would make sense. The Vice Admiral's big on using things in ways other folk don't think, but I can't use fel magic to control a wind or nothing."

Nunuzac looks between Lena and Ben back and forth a few times, befuddled. "I just trying to remember… Erixa calls him marine."

[Nunuzac]: This is big boat guy?

[Averlena]: Um, an Admiral is like a marine? A leader of them, anyway. Boat guy, yeah.

[Ben]: Big boat guy, yeah.

[Ben]: Kind of the boss of marines?

Etone hums and haws over the scraps and pulls the cloth into a tight square, pinning the edges he plucks up a needle and thread and starts hemming the edges while listening to the other's talk.

Nunuzac covers her mouth while digesting that she has been asked for by an extra important human as if she hadn't already let the request inflate her enough.

[Ben]: How come he wants to talk to you?

Ben looks from Nunu to Lena and back.

Averlena shrugs. "I'd reckon its a sailing thing. Can you control the water?"

Iphindra nods at Lena. "May– maybe your Fel magic can summon demons that can help on the boat? The big strong ones, they can… row!"

Nunuzac knits her brow and rubs her temples, eyeing Etone's project like it might have answers. "Now I must… I must watch again Erixa message, maybe she says and I forget? But yes shamans know water. I know air most. Nesselos maybe knows more. I ask."

[Averlena]: I don't really go in for the big strong ones, myself. But I do a lot with summoning and spying and that sort of thing. And fighting, if we come on kvaldir or pirates.

Averlena peers over at Etone's… flag?

[Iphindra]: Oh! So there's much Fel magic can do on a boat!

Averlena nods.

Averlena glances up at the dome, as if to check the position of the sun. "Reckon it's about time I head on out. Good to see you all, though. I hope maybe I'll get to see everything when it's come out?"

Iphindra finishes her spiderweb painting. The dark lines do look like spiderwebs. "Does… Would someone like to have this?"

[Averlena]: Ben, your green baby shoes. And Confessor, you and Nunuzac's flag.

Ben nods amiably.

[Averlena]: And that's right pretty, Iphindra!

Etone 's managed to hem a pair of small squares together inside out.

Nunuzac twitters a bit nervously. "Yes so much… on a boat, with fel." She clears her throat and hops up, looking to Iphindra. "You do not want to keep?"

[Iphindra]: I– I have a room in Dalaran, for now, but once we're done in Northrend, I won't. And I like to travel light! So I won't know what to do with this then…

[Iphindra]: So if you want it, you can have it!

Nunuzac points at Etone. "You can put in the Argent place. I do not have house!"

Iphindra smiles at Averlena.

Etone blinks up from his stitching and smiles.

[Nunuzac]: Eeh… maybe I go with you and see? As thanks for teach me. I help you put up image.

Nunuzac seems to have been too distracted by conversation to study Etone's process too closely. Surely she's going to study the stitching closely though. She looks like the studying sort.

Iphindra hands the painting towards Etone and Nunuzac, carefully not touching the ink.

Nunuzac is likewise cautious about the damp surface. "Aah, very good! Thank you Druid Iphindra."

[Nunuzac]: I make sure it goes somewhere to make pretty.

Nunuzac will supervise.

[Etone]: Thank you, I'll know a place we could hang it, it's lovely!

Iphindra blushes dark blue. Flowers bloom in her hair. "I– I'm happy you like it!"

Ben smiles between Iphindra and Nunu, and then at Etone.

[Averlena]: I hope we can meet up here and paint and stitch or whatever kind of regularly, war permitting.

[Nunuzac]: Important meeting.

[Ben]: I agree, it is pretty nice, sittin' like this. We ought to do it regular.

[Iphindra]: Yes, it was very nice to meet here!

Averlena smiles.

[Averlena]: And of course, Cobalt stuff permitting. Everything going alright up in Storm Peaks? *She glances at Ben and Iphindra.*

Nunuzac gathers up odds and ends of Lena's belongings regardless of the state of current use. Most of it probably makes its way back to her bag.

Averlena isn't terribly concerned, pins are replaceable.

Etone carefully plucks the pins from the square and pops them back into the pin cushion and forces them on Nunuzac to return to Lena.

[Ben]: Yeah, Storm Peaks is okay so far. Cold as sh*t. Gonna have to make scarfs, next.

[Ben]: Hopin' we see some Titan stuff soon.

[Iphindra]: Ye–yes! With my squad, we helped a lot of goblins, which was our mission!

[Averlena]: Helping goblins and finding titan stuff. Sounds exciting.

Iphindra turns to Ben. "It's… cold?"

[Ben]: It is cold as hell. We seen a waterfall frozen completely solid, just a water-cliff of ice.

[Nunuzac]: Storm Peaks! I am excited. I come to see it after I see Argent place.

[Nunuzac]: Oh! Unless I have to go on a boat forever.

[Averlena]: What, a whole waterfall? I didn't even know that was a thing that could happen.

[Ben]: Yeah, whole waterfall. It was somethin'.

[Iphindra]: Right, yes! The frozen waterfall! I just… didn't really feel cold, there.

[Averlena]: Hm, bet I would. All of Northrend's cold enough. *She raises her part-knitted cap and then tucks in in her bag.* You dress for it, though.

Ben snorts at Iphindra. "Lucky for you, then. Sound like our dwarfs, too. Me, I'm gonna bring a scarf."

[Ben]: See you, Miss Coit. Keep warm out there, yeah?

Averlena climbs to her feet. "You too. And all of you, even if you don't feel it."

Iphindra seems to realize that she hasn't been cold since she got to Northrend. She looks a little confused. "Yes, keep warm everyone!"

[Averlena]: Maybe I'll see you at the Argent Camp sometime, Confessor? I'll probably swing by sometimes.

[Etone]: Mm I'd love that, please feel welcome!

[Iphindra]: I–I should probably go too!

[Ben]: I am gonna finish this row and then I best get before Mizzy comes lookin'.

[Ben]: Nice seein' all y'all.

[Nunuzac]: Dioniss aca all friends.

[Ben]: Dayonessacaw.

Averlena smiles. "Dioniss saca to all of you too."

Iphindra puts her stuff back into her bag. "Yes, very nice! Goodbye, everyone. Maybe until next time here!"

Iphindra stands at attention and salutes.

[Nunuzac]: Now you show me the place! It is better than last one I hope.

Nunuzac nods at Etone.

Etone snorts a laugh.

Nunuzac has the spiderweb painting ready to hang. "I did not go there much."

[Ben]: You give Satterly my best, don't forget.

Etone rubs a his nose as he huffs up, "Oh I won't. He'd have words for me if I did!"

[Nunuzac]: I will say to him hello also. And when I get back. I go see human baby. Or maybe boat boss.

Ben nods to both of them, flashing a grin.

[Ben]: See y'all around, then.

Etone waves at Ben before following after Nunuzac with Vond's usual look of confusion.