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| Details |
| Author: | Athena |
| Summary: | Jo pops down to Stormwind to see Nish, and talk about friendships-without-so-many-benefits, parties with or without coconuts or cakes, and the odds of getting King Varian into hugging. You know. *Hugging.* Oh, also, Nish is baking something else besides cakes. 4100-ish words. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Nish has quite clearly been only passing through places for a while. It's been over a year since she had anything even resembling a stationary, stable address, not since she and Gerhold called it quits (amicably, all around, a mutual kiss-kiss and handshake). After she was fined for her illegal testing use of a flying personal glider in the Alliance airspace of the Eastern Kingdoms, she spent time working Cobalt's odd jobs for more funds. But, it's been months since then, and she's been — for Nish — unusually quiet on the party scene, not seen at her usual haunts of the bars and dance clubs.
A requested meeting might have veered into the dramatic, as per the gnomes usual flair, but there must be some sense of the why this particular request, because what Nish has secured is a regular inn room at the Gilded Rose (okay, that itself might be almost a dramatic flair, because it's not her style at all, and therefore we've managed to circle back to spontaneous unpredictability), completely ordinary, an interior room with only a little window facing out towards the canals.
Nish is dressed in her usual way — that is to say that the colors are bright, the clothing is tight, and the overall effect is dynamite.
There's just one little oddity, something not yet entirely obvious, covered by the way Nish sits bent over at the edge of the bed, kicking her feet, staring at something on the inside of her bright pink engineering goggles.
The door to the room is partly ajar, an open welcome to anyone passing by, but in this case, also very specifically for her sweetie.
The sweetie in question notices the partly open door. Jo's hair is tied up in her usual buns, but her dark green eyes are clearly visible - no goggles for this visit, though the faintly paler skin around her eyes makes their absence clear. She's dressed like a mage mercenary captain, in a dark frostweave robe in a dull blue, all business unless one notices the incongruous red boots that poke out from beneath.
Jo nudges the door open with one red toe, poking her head into the room. In a quiet, high-pitched voice, she asks, "Nish?"
Nish, already perky, brightens up even more at the sight of Jo. "Sweetie," she squeals happily. There's a faint sound of movement, as Nish blinks across the room to open the door wider, smiling at Jo, her own goggles vanished into some pocket. "Oh, just look at you, gorgeous. Missed your cute little face." Nish is already reaching out with both hands ready to smooch either side of Jo's face.
Up close, standing, it might be more obvious that Nish has…uh…how can we put this. Gained some very particular weight in her midsection, enough that her belly sticks out slightly, as if she's successfully completed one of those "If You Can Finish This In 5 Minutes Your Meal Is Free" types of deals.
Jo's face blooms into a relieved smile. She accepts the cheek kisses and then offers her own in return.
"It's been too long, Nish," Jo says, glancing down at her unexpected belly and then back up to her face. "I've just been, you know, so busy with Cobalt in Northrend and… oh, you don't want to hear about that, but it's not all bummer. You should see the mountain peaks in the north, Nish! I went slow falling there with Bran, and it would be so fun with your glider and…" Jo stops babbling with a faint blush and says, "How've you been?"
"I've been super! There's been, like, so much demand for finding new ways to construct mechanical explosives with titansteel — like, what even, right? — and the beaches down in Booty Bay haven't been as crowded since there was some sort of, I don't know, pirate clear out or round up? Whatever." Nish flips her hair over her shoulder. "There's some guy down there trying to figure out how like, surf the waves coming off that whole like, super waves in the ocean, and I've been picking his brain for how to get that kind of glide with a motor on the water, like, can you even imagine?"
Nish pulls on Jo's hands to come more into the room.
And then, like an afterthought: "Oh, and I've been a little bit, like, spawning." Yikes face, as she lets go of one of Jo's hands to stir the air by her belly. "And oh my gosh, Bran — do I know a Bran? That sounds like, super familiar."
"Oh, probably, he's a dwarf guy in Cobalt? Into so many things. And a mechanical water glider? Oh, that sounds fun, but imagine the damage saltwater would do to the…" Jo trails off as one of the other details hits. She looks down again at the belly, and her face lights up. "Wait, what? Oh, Nish, you could've written! Congratulations! I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"
Nish waves a four-fingered hand vaguely over her belly, with the yikes face. "Oh, ugh, no, like. This is sooooo not my…thing. I mean, like, obviously, it's my like, thing, but this is just the whatever project. You know, the whole like, save our species from genetic extinction thing. You should see their algorithm for picking pairs like, wow, someone who loved genealogy and math had a good week I guess. Anyway. It's not gonna be something I have to worry about in like, three months. I have it scheduled, because I'm not missing my Start of Summer Party." Flip goes the hair. "Speaking of which — dwarf guy into so many things, like, oh wait, oh my gosh, does he have like, red hair, like a lot of red hair, I mean just like matted carpet hair?"
"Oh, yes! It's really a remarkable collection of red hair," Jo giggles. "So you do know him, and… what happens to the baby after?"
"Oh my gosh, Ginger Bear! I haven't seen him in like, ages. He was fun," Nish enthuses. In a markedly less enthusiastic voice, she does the little wiggle at her belly. "Oh, this? I don't know. I just show up, do the whole like, expulsion thing, and they'll take it, probably give it to someone or someones or some sort of crèche thing, or whatever?" Nish shrugs. "Obviously they'll take care of it because like, that's the whole point?"
"I… I suppose that is the point," Jo says, tilting her head in mild confusion. "That's really good of you to offer like that. I probably should, but, you know, there's Cobalt and the war and everything, and anyway Tadget had triplets." So that balances out, maybe? Is that what Jo means?
"Well, yeah, but like…you know, those triplets can't do anything with each other, so like, if not enough others have their own whole, like, spawn for her spawn, we're gonna end up with like, 'Gnomer Strange,' or whatever," Nish says with enough vocal fry on the final word to at least soft fry an egg.
"So, you know. I'm here making sure they've got a banging spawn buddy for later." She slaps her belly like she's a car salesperson demonstrating how many babies this bad boy can hold. At the moment, that's just one. "It's just one though, because I'm not, like, Taddy Bear crazy. Someone's gonna have to get the other two probably because like, so far, big ick on the whole spawning thing. Like, so gross." Which is at least only a level 1 Big Ick, below the Bummer Scale.
"Really? It all just seems like, rather magical to me?" Jo peers at the belly. Is it icky? It looks like a belly. "I mean, the plan was always for Tula, because I do so much work with electricity and soldering. But it could've been me. I mean, I suppose it still can be, I'm not that old yet."
Nish goes to pat at Jo's hair, making a little pouting face. "I don't know, like, maybe bandaid it if you want to, sweetie. Just don't expect the like, glossy glowy stuff, okay? It's awful. There's like, vomiting and bloating and a thing constantly moving around in your body and not in a good way." That's an image, Nish. "Like, trust me — I know magic, and there's no magic in this. It's like becoming a meat sack with a parasite that wants you to eat like, seven potatoes and then throw them back up again." Ah, the miracle of childbearing. "And none of your clothes fit anymore, and as soon as you get them to fit again, boom, you're even fatter, and it's suuuuuuuuch a pain."
"I suppose that doesn't sound very magical," Jo says, her voice a little uncertain. "How much longer are you in for? Is it coming soon?"
"May 13th's when it's scheduled to be popped out," Nish says, and from her tone of voice, you'd think she just said May 13th of Year 29. Forever. "It'll give me a month to get ready for the Start of Summer Party." Which is, by the sound of her voice, much more important than the birth of her spawn. "You will come to it, right? You could bring Ginger Bear and like, whoever. You still seeing that one guy — oh my gosh what was his name? Kerjo? You know, the little sweetie with the pretty purple eyes."
Jo giggles. "Kerjo. I like that. It's like both of us, together. But it's Kerlo, and he is a darling, and I will absolutely bring him to the Start of Summer Party." She hesitates, looking at Nish. "That's sort of… a thing I wanted to bring up on my side. I'm not sure just yet, how Kerlo feels about, you know. It seems sort of silly to bring up when we're seeing each other for the first time in ages, but…"
"Whaaat? No, oh my gosh, come here," Nish says, blinking over to the edge of the bed, and patting on the cover next to herself, kicking her feet back and forth, with an excited curl up of a smile. "Tell me everything about you and your sweetie darling Kerlo, and all the things he might feel about you know." There's a world of suggestive innuendo in the phrase now, as she wiggles her shoulders in time with her feet.
Jo laughs out loud and rushes over to plop down at Nish's side. "He was terribly hesitant romance at all, given his history and my history. And then there was the war and everything, of course. But then, step by step, before you know it, I'm his lady." Jo's eyes might as well be glowy hearts. There's that glowy magic. "At the worst of times, I… I told him I loved him. It just sort of slipped out, but it was true. And then… we went to visit the Emerald Dragonshrine together, and it was so lovely…"
"Oh my gosh, you make it sound like it's a Forbidden Romance, all spontaneous blurting declarations and ladies," Nish says and giggles, kicking her feet a little faster for a moment. "You two don't have history like, rival legal non-compete or no-poach agreements on family trade secrets or patents or something, do you? Because that would be seriously soooo tragic and goblin-y. I've seen it. It doesn't end well."
"Oh, no, nothing like that. He does airplanes and explosives, and I do clockworks and explosives," Jo shakes her head. "Totally different niches. Unless it's a Forbidden Romance between a dashing 7th Legion siege engineer and an enigmatic mercenary captain. Am I enigmatic? If not, maybe I should try harder. It seems like such a dramatic thing to be."
Nish giggles, and pats at Jo's bun again. "Oh, sweetie. There's so many more interesting things to be than enigmatic. An enigma's only interesting when you don't know it. Like if all the excitement is just in the unwrapping of something, because then once you do, it's done, and now you're bored with what's left. You want to be like, you, like…"
Nish pauses, pouting, before she nods. "Like the cute little clockworks you do. You're interesting the more someone does know you, and gets to know all your parts," this is said a little too lasciviously to land as just about Jo's personality, "and then even when they do know you, it's still interesting to watch it all go around. That's better than like, just dramatic, and if Kerjo — lo? — or someone else wants an enigma and drama, then boo on him."
"Then a dashing siege engineer and a clockwork-like mercenary captain," Jo says, with a little shy smile. "I don't think he's eager for drama, no. But we're still early on, when we are learning each others… parts… and um…" Jo blushes. "…preferences. So I figured maybe it'd be alright if our friendship didn't include, you know, sex? Unless it turns out he doesn't mind, of course."
"Oh, sweetie, of course." There's no down turning of her expression at all, as happily animated as ever. "You know I love having you in bed, but like, I just love Jo, too, right?"
Jo lets out a breath. "Oh, good. I'm glad. I don't like disappointing people, and well… you know you're important to me, right?"
Nish does a little wiggle closer, bumping their shoulders. "For sure!" She doesn't get serious — because seriousness is for Real Bummers, and this is not Bummer — but she does look more alert. "Anything I shouldn't do for a bit? What I call you or like, touchy stuff?"
"Um, oh… I'm not sure?" Jo considers. "I should probably discuss with Kerlo, rather than just assuming things. But I think friend affection is fine? I'm generally a huggy person, and I don't see that changing anytime soon."
"Oh yeah, and if he was human, I'd be like, maybe a little cautious, because you know how some of them get, like, you gotta stay a meter away and like, beds at least 100 meters away or whatever," Nish says, exaggerating out an arc of her hand in the air. "Two hugs a year for close friends, one every five years for others, like gosh."
"Whoa, really? But I know humans who give great hugs. Am I being scandalous?" Jo looks startled. "I know Dane's not a big hugger, but… you know, maybe someday."
Nish giggles. "Oh my gosh, male humans are the worst about it, like, hugs from anyone is like, if you're not dating them or related to them, they get so weird about it. But, you keep trying, sweetie. Better to train them up while they're still young. Wait, Dane…do I know Dane? Oh! Is he the growly one? Hunky Boy who doesn't like cookies?"
"Yes, growly! Did you hear he has a baby now? He and Ivri?" Jo brightens. "He's got a place in Eastvale, I helped with some of the construction. You know, the more technological parts."
"Oh my gosh! Tell me everything!" Nish squeals. "About the construction, and the parts of it I mean, not like, eugh, babies, gross."
Jo laughs. "I helped them get a standalone plumbing system set up! It's easier for Ivri to cook, and, of course, hot showers and all that. It might not be high tech by Gnomeregan standards, but I bet it's the nicest cabin in Eastvale."
"Sometimes that's even more impressive though, like, when you can't just link up the system to an established one, and have to do the whole thing on like, super basic human ones like, oh my gosh, the whole outhouse thing?? Like, yiiiiiiikes." That gets enough vocal fry to fry a steak to at least medium-rare. "What'd you use for the piping? I don't know Eastvale's situation like, at all. Do they even do irrigation out there?"
"Farming, gosh, I don't even know," Jo shakes her head. "I used copper, anyway. It'll age well, keep their water quality up. I worked alongside the installers to make sure everything went to spec. Humans are not goblins, with the cutting corners, but I wanted it to be the very best."
Nish bobs her head. Copper, good, good. "Aww, human tech is always so cute though. They're almost kaldorei about it like, 'let's live off the land without air conditioners and use smokey fires for heating!'" Nish laughs in gnome. Ha ha, humans. Adorable. "It's sweet that you helped them get used to better stuff. Maybe they'll pass it on to the babything to be more normal, and take an interest in better stuff. Like, someday someone's really gonna need to fix this whole open water canal system in Stormwind like, oh my gosh. Like, super charming, but wow."
"It's so picturesque, isn't it?" Jo says with a smile. "But then… the smell in summer, ugh."
"Right?? Like, put that in a pipe, gosh." Nish flips her hair with a flick of her hand. "Maybe Mekkatorque will convince them eventually. Ooh! And train up that Hunky Hottie king guy in being a hugger! He looks like he'd be into really, really rough hugs." There goes the suggestive shoulder wiggle. You know. Rough hugs.
"King Varian?" Jo's eyebrows do something incredulous. "King Varian is a hunky hottie? He… um… I guess I just don't see humans that way? I've never tried to hug him though. I get the impression human kings are just way to 'dignified' or whatever for that. I bet Prince Anduin gives great hugs. They lose it sometimes, when they grow up."
Nish is into a lot of things, but kids ain't one of them. "Ugh, yeah, but he's like, a baby human. He's probably sticky. Or you know, gonna cry or something. But, I dunno, you give them a cookie and stop that at least but like, it doesn't solve the whole sticky thing for hugs. I bet King Varying or whatever would be into hugs behind a closed door. And then you could get him sticky but for like, the right reasons." A dreamy sigh at that thought. She looks over at Jo, fake lashes fluttering. "Do you know him well enough to get a girl an introduction to King Variable or whatever?"
"Oh, well, I suppose we were instrumental in uncovering that a black dragon had infiltrated his court?" Jo offers casually. "Cobalt Company did, anyway. I bet I could get an introduction, but we'd have to make sure he's impressed or I might not be able to do it again."
Nish nods, and looks down at her belly with a pout. "Then, probably better to wait until I'm done with this whole like, thing." She brightens up, leaning forward. "But, that just gives me time to plan something impressive. Do you think he's into cakes and people being bendy? He seems like the kind of guy who'd be into bendy things."
Jo smiles in fond amusement at Nish. "I honestly haven't really thought about it. Maybe there's some clue in his mysterious disappearance? Now that's enigmatic, for sure. One thing for certain, he's not a fan of the Horde. If he had his way, the Alliance would've tried to conquer Lordaeron City in a surprise attack."
"Oh, like the whole war thing? Ugh. That was such a bummer thing to do. But like, they say mysterious disappearance but, I dunno, the guy looks really tanned. I'd be betting like, sabbatical and beaches." Or maybe that's just what Nish would do. "Maybe something with coconuts and being bendy."
"Maybe that's why he doesn't talk about it. A little embarrassed that he ran off to lounge on the beach," Jo says, and then winces. "I shouldn't be so flippant, it probably was something serious. He wouldn't have left a child in charge of the kingdom otherwise."
Nish shrugs. "Maybe he's not into kids? I've heard that's how humans do nobility though, like forced birth because of that whole super weird inheritocracy or whatever they've got. Like, maybe he was just tired of doing the whole Bummerlandia ruling with a kid." Or maybe that's just how Nish would feel. "Everyone needs a break and to have some fun."
"Maybe," Jo does not sound really convinced on this one. "So… what are you planning on doing up till the Start of Summer Party? I don't have a lot of time, what with the Lich King and all, but if you were interested to get to know Kerlo better - not like that - then maybe we could meet up sometime? Do something fun?"
"Sure! We could do something with coconuts maybe, trial run." Nish flutters her lashes. "Buuuuut, also, you could ask him if he'd like to get to know anyone better, if you wanted to. It's okay if he says no, but like, no harm in asking, right?" Flutter, flutter.
Jo giggles. "I doubt it, but I can ask him sometime. Coconuts sound fun. Coconuts can make nice cakes." Jo does not seem to be aware she's echoing earlier statements from Nish. "Maybe I'll see if we can find a thing to celebrate sometime, I can see if somebody will do a party for it? There's so much happening, we're bound to get a victory soon."
"Sweetie," Nish says with a giggle, reaching out an arm to scoop Jo for an impromptu hug. "You don't need a victory or a thing to celebrate to have a party! That's like, how you get into bummer cycles because you're bummed out if nothing's been going well enough for a party, and then you realize you're bummed out because you've put off everything fun to some arbitrary time." She smiles sweetly at Jo, her expression animated.
"Drink the good stuff! Burn through the good fireworks! Light the best, fancy candles! Throw the party, because you're still here, and alive, and like, you might as well be partying!" Nish gestures expansively with the other hand, pink sparkles of the arcane drifting off her fingertips like trailing glitter in the air — the sparkles fade almost immediately, but for a moment, they're brilliantly bright and shiny and beautiful.
Jo hugs her back and then sits back thoughtfully, watching the sparkles. "You know, maybe you're right. I'd want to do a party somewhere in Northrend, show people some of the beauty in the place, even with everything else that's happened. But… Booty Bay could be fun, too? You can't beat the beach, and I've got a lot of good memories there."
Nish pats Jo's hair again. "Oooor you could do both," she suggests with a little flirtatious tilt to it. "Have your cake in two places and eat them both." She probably just means the literal party cakes. "Maybe introduce the cakes together and get a cake pile going." Or does she mean the cakes? This might be innuendo now.
Jo laughs out loud. "I bet I could conjure a pretty amazing cake." She means literal cake. Doesn't she? "Whatever parties I throw, I'll send you an invitation, alright? And you'll send me, too, for the one you're planning?"
"Absolutely! And I'll make sure it's got the plus option, so you know you can bring whoever." Plus one? Or just…plus. That might be just Plus. "I'll just be glad to have you there. Every party's a better party with a sweetie like you."
"Mine too, a plus option," Jo says, nodding eagerly. "The last party Kerlo and I went to was the charity gala, and we weren't, well, we weren't as together then as we are now. That was fun, but it was also a certain kind of party - a human noble party. I bet we'd have fun, coming to a wild coconut beach cake party together."
Oooh yeah you lost her somewhere around charity gala. Yikes. Charity. "Yeah. Oh, maybe you can see if someone of those noble humans will try out a wild coconut beach party? It's always so cute when someone's all stuffy in the corner all grave and disapproving until you get them some tropical super punch and get them to take their stuffy shirt off." Nish waggles her eyebrows suggestively.
"Now I'm imagining inviting the whole House of Nobles to a coconut beach party. Do you think that would result in world peace? Or maybe just all new wars?" Jo giggles. She is probably not serious about this one. "It would be interesting, though." As if it's connected in some way, she smoothly continues to, "I've missed you, Nish. You always make things around you feel brighter, somehow."
Nish giggles happily. "That's the whole point of things, isn't it? Where's there's brightness, there's life."
Jo pauses, giving that one real consideration before she answers. "I don't know, I see a lot of points in a lot of things, but… I think that's got to be one of them."