(2025-01-08) Air and Water

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Nesselos takes his pal Therald to visit the wondrous region of Vashj'ir, and the two talk a little about the elements. ~1500 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Nesselos waves at Therald, his hand moving slowly in the water.

Therald waves back. He looks around at the sea environment with wariness.

[Nesselos]: How are you doing with the underwater breathing? Used to it yet?

[Therald]: No.
[Therald]: How about you?

[Nesselos]: Oh, I've done this before. *Ness smiles, bubbles emerging from the corners of his mouth*
[Nesselos]: Don't worry, it's just a matter of collaborating with air and water! It's all natural things.

Therald sighs. "Two of the elements that have been causing problems in these past few months?"

[Nesselos]: Oh, water is fine. We are best friends with Neptulon, yes? He did not kill our people, at least. So anyway, we will need to find some creature to ride down here.
Nesselos conspicuously does not claim air is fine.
[Nesselos]: I do not know about you, but I am not so fast a swimmer.

[Therald]: Right…. Right.
[Therald]: Me neither. Plate's inconvenient here, though.

[Nesselos]: Oh yes, I will need to help you oil it, when we get to the cave.
[Nesselos]: Hm… maybe a turtle?

[Therald]: A turtle? Really? You think we can ride turtle? *He seems to lighten up.*

[Nesselos]: Maybe? Let's try.

The two of them try to corral a turtle, luring it with meat. It is promptly attacked by a shark.

[Nesselos]: Oh no, a shark, aa!!

Therald screams in shock as the turtle gets eaten.
[Therald]: No!

[Nesselos]: Hmm… nature can be brutal sometimes. Perhaps we find something faster than a shark.

[Therald]: It's my fault.
[Therald]: The meat attracted that shark…

Nesselos reaches over to pat Therald on the shoulder in comfort. "I am sorry about the turtle. I did not realize the predators here were so aggressive."

Therald sighs. "I think I'll leave turtles alone, now."

[Nesselos]: I have heard there are seahorses that race through this crevasse. Perhaps we can catch one?

[Therald]: … yeah. Let's try that

They lure in a seahorse and both catch one. Both seahorses take off down the canyon, with the draenei and human aboard.

Nesselos rides wildly through the underwater canyon, holding tight to the seahorse. Eventually it calms, and he is able to lead it back to where they were before.

Therald doesn't seem to struggle as much with his seahorse. Although it may be because he's looking impassible as the seahorse dashes through the sea. He stays silent a little bit, on top of the seahorse.

Nesselos looks over to spot Therald on his own seahorse. "Much better, yes?"

Therald says, after a little while. "… yes."

[Nesselos]: This place is wondrous, isn't it?

[Therald]: It is beautiful. Weird to be here, but… it's beautiful.

[Nesselos]: I hope we keep a foothold here forever!

We travel into a nearby cave, full of air.

[Therald]: Caves are good. They're okay.

[Nesselos]: This is the first one our people came to.
Nesselos looks around at the few people. "It is smaller than the later ones. More just a stopping place."

[Therald]: I see.
[Therald]: Did uh… have the Draenei ever spoken about living underwater, like this?
[Therald]: Or is it new for all of you too.
[Therald]: Because you seem to be taking it surprisingly well…

[Nesselos]: Oh! I do not know. I will have to ask Paluuva, or one of the other old ones.
[Nesselos]: I never lived underwater in Draenor, but… I suppose I see it as a pleasant new thing? I like pleasant new things.

[Therald]: I… see.
Therald whispers. "Pleasant new thing." as he gets back on his seahorse.

[Nesselos]: I suppose… I am also a water shaman, primarily. I do not know if I have told you this before. *Ness swims over to his seahorse.* Let's see the neighborhood!

They start swimming around, looking at the sights of the surrounding waters.

[Therald]: I do remember this, yeah.

[Nesselos]: I feel… closer… to the spirits of water. They speak to me most clearly, and with the most kindness.
[Nesselos]: Oh, did I tell you about Kae's water totem project?

[Therald]: You haven't!

[Nesselos]: It was something she came up with when we were working in Westfall. We were drawing salt out of the earth, and she realized… perhaps we could do the same for water?
[Nesselos]: It would be wonderful for sailors, yes?

[Therald]: Oh! So they always have something to drink?

[Therald]: That's a smart idea.

[Nesselos]: Yes! And even if they have no water, simply take the ocean water and put it in the barrel with the purifying totem.

Therald nods at you.
[Therald]: That's brilliant.

[Nesselos]: I do not know if she has worked it out fully yet, but she is very clever.

[Therald]: I… do have a question about being a… water shaman.

[Nesselos]: Yes?

[Therald]: You said water spirits speak to you. Do you… hear water speak in your glass, before you drink it?

[Nesselos]: Ah… perhaps I might, if I listened closely? But… it is not like animals. Drinking water does not kill it.

[Therald]: Yes, yes, of course. I'd just… Imagine your glass saying "Hey. You. Don't drink me. Please."
[Therald]: I had to know if that happened

[Nesselos]: Well… not all drops of water have a voice. An elemental that can speak clearly is not terribly common. As now, I can sense the sea, but I do not hear a multitude of voices screaming. That would be… terrifying.

[Therald]: … right.

[Nesselos]: I do not think a glass of elemental water would oppose me drinking it, though. It would merely become a part of me, for a brief time, before continuing on its way.

[Therald]: Yeah. Same for me.

[Nesselos]: Yes, you would not harm water by drinking it.

[Therald]: .. Which is weird, now that I think about it. We're all so similar in how we function, even though we weren't all born in the same world.

[Nesselos]: We are, aren't we? We take in energy and send out waste in similar ways.

Therald nods at you.
[Therald]: Nice way to put it.

[Nesselos]: Sometimes, though. *Nesselos hesitates* Sometimes elementals can get angry. I saw that also in Westfall.

Therald shrugs a little. "I can imagine why. I'd probably be to, after what happened there."

[Nesselos]: I think… some of it, they may have caused. It is the air that is angry. We did what we could to soothe it.

[Therald]: Oh? How so?

[Nesselos]: I think the Lord of Air was trying to reach through somehow, in Westfall. And he angered the air there.

[Therald]: Couldn't he tell his… air subjects to calm down?

[Nesselos]: Well, see, I think it was his anger they were reacting to. He was not calm himself.
[Nesselos]: I fear what he will do. I do not think he will be as reasonable as Neptulon or Therazane.

[Therald]: Hmm. Like an angry king will rile up his subjects.

Nesselos nods.

[Therald]: I hope he won't get… too angry. We need air.

[Nesselos]: Yes, it would not be a nice world if air itself turned against us.

[Therald]: Water we could… *He hesitates, looking around, hoping the lord of water won't hear it.* Take. We could take it by force. Air might be… harder to grasp.

Nesselos nods quietly. "We wouldn't, though. I work with the water. Forcing… enslaving the elements… that is a thing no shaman should do."

[Therald]: Sure. I meant to survive. If water decided to fully go against us.
[Therald]: We still need it to survive.

[Nesselos]: That way lies… like Deathwing, warping and ripping the earth, instead of warding it.

[Therald]: I see…

[Nesselos]: I think, even if water turned against us… *Ness bites his lip* We would find some way to mediate. There is always a way, eventually, right?

[Therald]: … Sure. Like we'll find with the air guy.

[Nesselos]: I hope so. Mansia, Kaerix and I were able to block him a little, calm his minions.
[Nesselos]: Mansia showed us how to turn a cyclone into a gentle breeze.

Therald nods at you.
[Therald]: That's reassuring.

[Nesselos]: I hope we may one day find a way to reach the Lord of Air with words.

[Therald]: I have faith in the earthen ring!

[Nesselos]: As do I, my friend!
[Nesselos]: Speaking of our respective teams, how is the Argent Crusade these days?

Therald shrugs. "Same old. Fighting the undead in Northrend and in the Plaguelands, mostly. Druids are doing a great job restoring them. We win some battles, lose others."

Nesselos nods seriously. "Maybe it is good you have this break, to see the undersea world. It must get tiring, fighting the undead each day."

[Therald]: Not… really.

[Nesselos]: Well, even if not, I am glad to be away from Northrend. It does have its share of beauty but… it is not a terribly happy place.

[Therald]: That's for sure. *He smiles sadly.*
[Therald]: A little less suffocating than the literal ocean, though.

Nesselos chuckles heartily. "As long as air and water work with us, friend, we will not suffocate!"

Therald smiles at you.