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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Brendol, Jenzelle, Lena and Shine travel to visit Priscilla, Bertrand and Cressidha by horse, picking Sil up unexpectedly along the way. RP of a peaceful, pleasant day. ~10k words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
The July morning is hot and humid, but the mutable coastal weather softens it somewhat; periodically a shift in the wind from the sea blows a fine, scattered rainshower overhead. Most of them are too light to be called "rain," properly, and they pass by in the time it takes a single cloud to move through, leaving blue skies and faded rainbows in their wakes.
Costentyn Shine is waiting outside the stables. He is dressed casually for riding, in work trousers, boots, and suspenders; his concession to the weather is that his linen shirt is lighter than usual, and he has the collar open and the sleeves rolled. Both tattooed forearms are on display.
He is holding the reins of an ink-black Tirasian mare whose coat has a subtle dappling that is visible when she shifts in the summer sunlight. He's speaking quietly to her, and she has her head turned to regard him from one dark eye.
Lena Coit walks out towards him, leading her own brown mare, who may look distinctly Elwynn next to the Tiraisian creature. For her part, Penelope does not seem to be intimidated. She's used to all these foreign horses by now.
Lena herself is wearing boots and trousers, with a sleeveless light blue linen shirt. She raises a hand to greet Shine.
Brendol, wearing his brown hooded jacket despite the heat, and brown pants, emerges leading his dappled grey mare Auriga, and just behind him follows Jenzelle with Vesper. Perhaps smartly, Jenzelle is not wearing a dress. Instead, she wears a green long-sleeved blouse and brown pants, as if she has come to work.
Which she has. She is working. Her eyes remain focused ahead of her in a determined fashion, until she realizes she is staring at Bren’s back, and the following blush and glance away causes her to stumble a bit.
Bren turns to look back at her. “Are you…?”
“I-I’m fine! Fine. Really.” Deep breaths.
Shine had turned his head to smile at Lena, and now his gaze moves past her to Brendol and Jenzelle. He watches equably and remains patiently by his horse. Do not spook a skittish creature. (By which I mean Brendol or Jenzelle.) "Good morning," he greets the group at large.
Lena glances over to the other two with a friendly smile. "Everybody comfortable with horses? I don't suppose I asked, just assumed."
“Yes! I can do horses. I-I mean ride. I can ride them.” Jenzelle smiles. She is inspiring a lot of confidence.
“I rode for the Argent Crusade, so, I’m fine,” Bren says, peering back at Jenzelle again. Surely this won’t be as bad as it seems.
"Vesper is a sweet girl," Shine says reassuringly. He might be reassuring Jenzelle, he might be reassuring Brendol, he might be reassuring them both. "She'll be glad to stretch her legs a bit, I expect, as Her Grace hasn't been able to ride in some time."
He glances up at the sky and then down the gentle southern slope that leads from the stables past the eastern end of the house, down toward the road. "Will we ride east into Elwynn, then? Toward the Aspenwoods' place? I expect it's pleasanter in the shade."
"That sounds lovely," Lena says, resting a hand on her mare's neck. "I think Penny might still be confused when we're not chased by undead or worse, so it'll be good for her to see a little peaceful countryside."
Shine laughs softly. He looks to Brendol and Jenzelle again. "Do you need a leg up, Miss Halveris?"
It is a courteous suggestion, but he does not step away from Khamsin to offer it himself. That might be your cue, Brendol.
“Oh, um…” Jenzelle looks at Bren. “No, I’m okay. I can surely manage this much. Surely…” She looks Vesper over and seems to run through a number of scenarios in her head. They are, in increasing severity, Jenzelle fails to mount the horse and nothing happens. Jenzelle tries to mount the horse and falls. Jenzelle tries to mount the horse and falls, and then Vesper is startled and runs off. Jenzelle tries to mount the horse and hurts the horse… It stops there, and she looks a bit sheepish.
“Well, maybe… It might be for the best,” she says timidly.
Bren looks to Shine, who had done the offering… and then realizes the other man has no intention of moving. “Oh, uh. Sure. I’ll… I can help. Yeah.” He steps away from Auriga, moving to Jenzelle’s side to offer his hands for her to step into.
Jenzelle stares at his hands, then at her feet. “Should I… take my shoes off?”
“Um… no?” Bren looks away, redness starting to creep over his own cheeks. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
Very slowly, and with extreme awkwardness, the pair of them somehow manage to get Jenzelle safely into the saddle. Bren breathes a sigh of relief as he returns to his mare.
Shine does not breathe a sigh of relief, but he looks like he might have thought about it. He glances at Lena and raises a slightly conspiratorial eyebrow, then turns away to swing up into the saddle himself. Khamsin immediately dances three restive steps to the side, arching her neck, but Shine doesn't seem perturbed. He gathers the rein and murmurs to her under his breath, and she settles again.
Lena grins back at Shine with a hint of playfulness, and then turns to Penny. She rests her hands on front and back of the saddle, slides her left foot into the stirrup and swings up to settle onto the horse's back. She adjusts the reins and finds the second stirrup with her right foot.
"We're not in any rush," Lena says to everyone in general. Or possibly Jenzelle. "We can take our time walking for a bit, so we can talk more easy."
“Oh, yes, of course,” Jenzelle says, giving the reins a light squeeze. “As long as Vesper will get some proper exercise. That’s what I’m here for. Helping with that.” That’s definitely the only reason she’s trapped here.
Bren swings easily into the saddle. “Who leads, Shine? I don’t know where I’m going, so…”
"Aye," says Shine, "I'll go ahead, then. Though I expect Miss C- Lena knows her way well enough by now, if she'd prefer."
Lena shrugs. "We can lead together, go two by two?"
She tenses her knees slightly and Penny obediently walking-trots up to Shine and his horse's side.
Bren takes a breath, looking between Shine and Lena. Is this a date? his expression asks. He doesn’t say it, but it’s obvious anyway.
Whether Shine can translate Brendol's expression, he does not react to it. He checks to be sure Brendol and Jenzelle are ready, and then nudges Khamsin forward into an easy walk. The black mare side-eyes Penny briefly but doesn't make trouble.
The slope alongside the house is still in some disarray from the tidal wave; the sheltered eastern end of the house and the grounds past it were not directly affected, but building materials, worktables, wheelbarrows, and tools are arrayed here for the ongoing reconstruction of the hothouses and gardens. The horses amble past, two by two, and then across the lawn to the narrow hill-road leading east, that will broaden into the Elwynn road on the other side of the pass.
Another light, scattered sun-shower drifts through overhead as they approach the tree-shaded road.
Lena sits easily on her own mare, and lets a few minutes go by in companionable - or possibly awkward - silence. Then she says over her shoulder, "I hope you've been keeping well, Jenzelle? Not had much a chance to talk with you since, well, that time in Redridge."
That time in Redridge. Oh no. That time in Redridge. Jenzelle tightens her rip on the reins ever so slightly. “Yes, that sure was a time. That was had. I-in Redridge. With uh.” She stops talking for a moment. “I-I was helping some in Westfall? At the request of…” She stops again. “I’m okay. Yeah.”
Brendol eyes her dubiously.
Shine raises his eyebrow again, but he keeps his face turned forward so that no one can see. "I've not been to Redridge yet," he says mildly. Is it a terribly awkward place? "The Fallons have some friends out there."
"Oh, Jenzelle was helping a mutual friend," Lena says smoothly. "She's kind like that. And Westfall, I bet they could use the help."
"Aye," Shine agrees. "Bad mess down there. What sort of help, Miss Halveris?"
Jenzelle looks a bit relieved at the smooth transition. “Lots of hungry people ended up there, and it seems like the Kingdom can’t take care of them all. There’s a team from Cobalt there too. I was helping some with food, but mostly healing. People get sick easier without basic sanitation, and there are fights regularly.”
Something near guilt passes over Bren’s expression.
"That was the team Lord Bertrand was on?" Lena asks. "Maybe he can update us on how things are going, when we get there."
Jenzelle nods, then realizes they are in front of her and not necessarily able to look. “I do hope so. I’ll probably go back after my work for the duchess is done.” Yes. Her work. For the duchess.
"I beg pardon that I missed your first arrival, Miss Halveris," Shine says. "I'm out of the house more than in it these days. What work is it ye do for Lady Fallon?"
Jenzelle points at Vesper. Oh yeah. They’re still not looking. “Uh, this,” she says. “She asked me to help with the horses. Exercising.” And look, she’s doing it! Ta-da!
There is a courteous silence as Shine contemplates the fact that the young lady who can do horses but also requires a leg up but also isn't sure how to get a leg up is here for the apparent purpose of exercising the Fallons' prized Tirasians.
"Well," he says at last. "I'm sure she's glad for the help."
Lena glances back at her, and says, as if this is perfectly reasonable, "Oh, I didn't realize. I'd be happy to go riding more often, if you like. Penny would appreciate it, I'm sure, and I could use the exercise."
“Oh! Yes, I…” Wait. Jenzelle pauses to think over the wording. “I-I don’t anticipate being here for, um, an extended…stay. Just a…little while.” Hopefully.
Shine slants a faint, sidelong smile at Lena; the expression from Siamus would have been sardonic, amused, but from Shine it's only warm.
"The stays do tend to spread, here," he tells Jenzelle equably over his shoulder. "It's a fine and comfortable house full of fine people, and it pleases the Fallons to be generous. It can be… difficult to decline." This is not the Understatement of the Year but it was runner-up in the regional trials. "They mean very well, and ye may as well enjoy yourself, if ye are." He twists in the saddle so that he can see Jenzelle with his good eye. "Are you? Enjoying yourself?" The question does not sound like either casual lip service or fishing for a 'correct' response. His tone and manner make plain that he is asking seriously, and wants to know Jenzelle's answer.
Lena flashes a quick smile at Shine, fond amusement in her glance in his direction. He likely remembers when Lena arrived - for a little while, to give her time to look for a place in Stormwind. She stays quiet for now, waiting for Jenzelle's answer.
“It is a lovely house, and a lovely family, but I…” Jenzelle hesitates. “I don’t think it’s…right? For me to stay long? What I mean is, I have the power to help people, and there are lots of people who need it. Rest is important, of course, but sometimes the truest way to understand someone’s hardship is to be there with them. Not everyone will take a hand offered to them from above, so in that case, I’d like to offer them aid from beside them.”
Bren’s guilty expression only seems to worsen, and he nods to himself. There is something in his eyes, some new resolve.
Shine smiles at Jenzelle. "It's well-said, Miss Halveris. But it can be good, also, when ye have the privilege to rest at a place like this, with people like Her Grace and the Vice Admiral, to speak with them on the hardships ye see from where ye stand among the people. They aren't able to stand among, very often, but the help is important to them both, I think, and to what they mean to do for the kingdom. Ye must have insights it would help them to hear, and they'd be glad for it."
He looks to Lena. "Would ye say it's so? Does Fallon confer with ye?"
"On matters of… Westfall?" Lena asks, raising one brow. "I'm afraid I don't know all that much of the place these days. I did live in Stormwind City for a time, but I usually felt more standing apart from than standing beside. Not that I don't want to help folk, but… I can speak to warlock hardships, maybe."
"Aye, no, I don't mean Westfall in particular, but on your own expertise and experiences."
"Oh, that, certainly," Lena nods, her face brightening with a smile. "When there's a problem needs a warlock solution, or even if there's one might benefit from a warlock." Does she have other experiences and expertise that might be relevant? Who knows! "Anyway, I do think they're concerned on how folk are doing after the war, so Jenzelle's voice likely would reach farther here."
“Oh goodness, I don’t think I could suggest… I-if I was asked, I suppose I could…” Jenzelle tries to distract herself by looking around at the trees. Look at the nice trees there are, wow. “But, perhaps Lord Bertrand would be better to…? He’s been working there too, and with Cobalt.”
"Lord Bertrand, yes," Lena says with a nod. "But his perspective isn't yours. Don't sell yourself short."
"Aye," Shine agrees. "Lord Bertrand's not a healer, and bless the man, but he doesn't come from a background like most of us. It's useful for those like the Fallons — who don't either, but will be making some of the decisions — to hear from the people close to a situation in more than one way." He glances back again. "Am I correct that ye come from the north yourself, Miss Halveris, or am I assuming incorrectly because of your acquaintance with the Westwinds?"
“I lived in Tirisfal, in the farmlands. I suppose if it would help, I could… i-it’s just that there seem to be a lot of anti-crown sentiments going around, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to people, I mean it’s not a surprise they’d be feeling that way considering their situation…” Jenzelle glances a bit nervously at Shine.
“I heard a rumor that the last time something bad happened in Westfall, it was a dragon that caused it,” Bren says. “Maybe this is all just…dragon part two?”
"A dragon last time?" Shine puzzles. "I hadn't heard — oh, ye mean… Lady Prestor? Onyxia? I suppose she could be said to have struck that match last time." He rides in ruminative silence for a few paces. "I daresay some of the trouble there now is still her doing, a wound never properly healed. Westfall's grievances were hardly addressed before the Dark Portal opened, and then the Scourgewar…. Whatever the unrest is now, there's no denying that Westfall's reckoning has been a long time coming. Ye can't help but feel for the people, aye?"
Lena makes a faint sound of agreement, and then adds, "The folk there now, I'd guess majority aren't Westfallers proper anymore. There's them as came back from the Scourgewar and couldn't soldier anymore, and found there was nothin' else for them either. And Stormwind with all the damage, there's just not much room - there's the orphanages and Count Tyrrell's place for the children, but not so much for the adults. Lot of folk found they didn't have any place to fit and wandered over to Westfall." Lena pauses, adjusting her hands on the reins. "And I did hear tell some of them from Westfall went up to the Plaguelands, too, when that started looking arable."
“Oh, goodness, things will grow there now, in the Plaguelands? I haven’t been up there in…a while,” Jenzelle says.
“Rae has,” Bren says, focusing on the road ahead of them. “But she’s been…weird about it.”
"Weird about it?" Lena frowns, glancing back at him. "I only know the basic news. I'd heard there were farms up there now, but that we lost a lot of land to the Forsaken, too."
“She goes out there a lot,” Bren says. “And whenever she comes back, she spends a day locked in her room being mad. I heard we lost Andorhal, but I dunno… I think there’s more to it.”
Jenzelle frowns thoughtfully.
"Do you think it might be…" Lena's face goes very carefully neutral, and she says in a carefully casual tone, "Is she going up there with her fiance?"
“Lord Harvey?” Bren looks surprised. “I… suppose it’s possible, but I don’t know why she’d be mad about that. I mean he’s… they don’t always get along, but who does, with Rae?”
“Oh, is he back?” Jenzelle asks. “I haven’t seen him since… Well… since the fight with Kaela.”
Shine listens quietly, sharp-eyed and attentive, but does not interrupt with questions of his own.
"I don't know," Lena admits. "I haven't seen him at all around Fallon House, but they must meet up somewhere? And if she's going up to the Plaguelands, isn't that… where their kind mostly are?"
“Is it?” Jenzelle glances at Bren, who looks just as clueless. “I thought some of them might have stayed in Northrend. I try to avoid them, when I can.”
“Maybe I should go visit,” Bren says. “The Lich King is dead, and the Ebons have always been pretty safe. Moody, sometimes, but safe.”
Jenzelle looks a little concerned, but doesn’t speak up.
"Have they?" asks Shine mildly. "I confess Miss Westwind's fiance is the only one I've met in person. I know Fallon had some dealings with a few, but I never met those. I'm acquainted with the public perception, naturally. Which does not seem to hold them merely moody. But ye likely know better than me, having been to the north and among the Argents. Has that been your experience of them?"
“They’re good people,” Bren insists. “It’s just that they have the Hunger to deal with, and that’s… it’s a curse, more than a choice. And with everyone going around treating them like monsters, it’s no wonder they’re a bit reclusive and moody.”
"We fought with them, up in Northrend," Lena says, turning more to Shine than the two behind. "I know a few of them, though I've not spent much time around Rae's. Dangerous, but reliable, I'd say. At least, the ones I know. I wouldn't make a general assessment, same way I wouldn't say anything about the trustworthiness of humans."
"'Dangerous but reliable,'" Shine repeats thoughtfully. "Well, aye, I suppose that's as much as can be said for some people. You're acquainted with the ones Fallon's dealt with, then? Besides Morningdew?"
"Yes, a few of them," Lena considers. "Whole group of Ebons was at Icecrown, but Fallon and I fought with some called Roper and Syarra against the Scarlets and the kvaldir. Roper I knew, before he was dead, so." Lena shrugs a little, looking to her horse.
“I like Syarra,” Bren chimes in.
"Ah," says Shine, watching Lena with his head canted to keep his good eye focused on her. "Was that hard, then? I'm sorry for it." He glances to Brendol. "Ye know Syarra as well?"
Lena glances back at Bren, startled. "You know her? From the Argent camps, maybe?"
“Uh, well…” Bren says. “Roper, Syarra, Harvey and I went to rescue Rae when she was captured by Kaela Mondragon. That was… right after the Battle for Light’s Hope.”
"Right when they'd first been freed," Lena says, her brow creasing. "Was that… awkward?"
“Awkward? Oh. Well I suppose it was, in that Harvey didn’t really… remember much of who he was before, at the time? He was calling himself Mourn, the Lord of Blood, and… Don’t tell him I said this, but it’s a little…” Bren clears his throat. “Um. Dramatic?”
Shine clears his throat. Twice. That was definitely not a laugh.
Lena chuckles. It was definitely a chuckle. "I suppose I can't blame them trending to the dramatic, but I'm glad I've not got to call Rae the Lady of Blood. I don't think the other two put on airs quite like that."
Jenzelle, seeming uncomfortable with the topic of death knights, scrambles to change the subject. “Is there anything I should know, about the Aspenwoods? Before we get there? I’ve met Colson and Cressidha…well, briefly, but, nobles are all different. Well, that is, everyone is all different, even if they’re not nobles, I didn’t mean to suggest it was only a noble thing, it’s just, nobles tend to be more particular about things, just in general, and… I’m sorry, this isn’t sounding right.”
"Lord Bertrand and Lady Priscilla are both very easygoing sorts," Shine assures Jenzelle. "I expect ye'll find them warm, less guarded than some. They lived at Fallon House for some months, and were pleasant and amiable people. The other Aspenwoods… keep to a certain dignity, for the most part. They're good people, but it can seem awkward to us. The way nobles come off… seeming particular? In general, it's because so much particular is expected of them, less of one of us. They're conscious of things like… certain manners, titles, statuses, because they've been trained they must be. It's the invisible uniform they wear, that marks what they are.
"Some of them will be starchier about it than others, because they feel they can't behave as they were taught to if ye don't yourself; it's like… you're both in a play together, and ye've forgotten your lines, so they can't go on with theirs. Ye've inconvenienced them. But a great many of them know better and will carry on with their manners themselves no matter how we do. With real manners, not rote noble ones. That's how ye know the good ones."
Lena nods. "I've not had much chance to talk to Lady Priscilla and Lord Bertrand beyond passing words, but they both seem like the good ones. I don't think they'll aim to set you wrong-footed or anything like that. Lord Bertrand's been military, as well, so he's not likely to get overly shocked by a lapse of manners."
Bren nods along at expectations and invisible uniforms. “I… forget my lines sometimes,” he admits. “But I try not to! I don’t want anyone to lose sleep over wrong titles or bows. So I… when I’m wrong, I keep trying. For their sake.”
“That doesn’t make it worse?” Jenzelle asks. “If you’re wrong more than once?”
Bren blushes. “I-I don’t know, does it?”
An awkward pause passes between them.
“I-I lived with them, I’m sure it’ll be…fine,” Bren says. He might be more self-conscious now.
"It doesn't make it worse, in their cases," Shine says kindly. "They're both well fond of you." He pauses, and then offers carefully, "If there's ever a thing ye think ye ought to know, ye can ask me."
After a moment he adds thoughtfully, "And as to what Miss Co- Lena says regarding Lord Bertrand and the military: it's my experience too that men who've worn actual uniforms put less importance on the invisible uniform of their nobility. Lord Bertrand, Captain Tyrrell, Fallon himself — Lord Bertrand and Fallon are fairly easygoing men, and Fallon would prefer to be addressed by his earned rank than his title. Captain Tyrrell's the same regarding his rank above his title, though no one would describe him as… an easygoing man. That's more to do with his nature than his nobility, though."
Lena makes a sound that might be a brief laugh at that last statement, and says, "Yes, anyway, I doubt they'd have asked you to stay if it wasn't fine."
“Well, they didn’t so much ask, as they sort of…told?” Bren says, pausing to think. Is that how that went?
Shine's lips twitch. He does not comment on whether or not his erstwhile employers are in the habit of just sort of telling.
"Well, if they told rather than asked, then at least you know you're appreciated," Lena says with a wry smile of her own. "I've no idea where I'll go next yet, myself. Mount Hyjal's a bit far from the sea and the route to Tol Barad is, I suppose, beset with krakens. But we'll see."
“I… I’ve been thinking of…leaving,” Bren says. “To go help people in need. Maybe not to Hyjal just yet, but people everywhere are struggling, aren’t they?”
Now it’s Jenzelle’s turn to look guilty. “I-I didn’t mean to make it sound like it’s wrong to live here, I just…”
Bren shakes his head. “I’ve more than recovered, so…it’s time.”
"But anyway, like we've said, leaving isn't forever," Lena says, turning back to Shine with a warm smile. "And the way folk think of you isn't dependent on you being in that house every second. I just don't want to go too far myself, because I reckon the navy will need me sooner rather than later."
Shine nods gravely, but he slants a faint smile back at Lena. To the two behind them, he says over his shoulder. "No, aye, you can leave of course. And no hard feelings. They'll welcome ye back if ever ye care to come. And it's not as though the pair of them would disapprove your wanting to help. It's what drives them on as well."
The terrain begins to rise, as the little team of horses moves into the pass on the way to the Aspenwood lands. Penny turns a little, nudging her nose towards Khamsin, but Lena gently corrects her back to look back forward.
"It is nice, though, havin' so many people going back and forth in the house," Lena says with a distracted smile. "It's a bit like having a family, isn't it?"
"It is," agrees Shine, his gaze on the road. He's smiling a little again. "I expect that's the reason for it. For taking in people to the household, I mean. It matters to the both of them. And it's not a bad thing, to find family in a foreign land."
He looks over his shoulder at Brendol. "I could tell you that your sister takes after the Vice Admiral in more ways than one." There's a warm undercurrent of laughter in his tone.
“I have…mixed feelings about that,” Bren says, a little uncomfortably. “They are similar to our parents, and I’m glad Ralaea is… close with them. But… our parents are dead. We both saw. Sometimes it feels like she’s trying to replace them, with the Fallons.”
Shine nods thoughtfully and gazes ahead again. "I have two brothers," he says at last. "Over the years Fallon's been like a brother to me. It doesn't mean he is one, nor that he replaces either of my own, whether I ever see them again or no. People do find kinship outside of blood, and it's no stain on any other kin they had or might have. The familiar is a comfort to most people, especially when they loved the original so well. I don't believe is a finite thing, and can only be directed this way or that, withdrawn from one to be put on another. You can hold all kind of people and memories dear."
Lena shrugs, looking down as if to adjust her reins. "A bit like having a family's not a bad thing. Nobody replaces anybody, and I'd not look for them to. I know where my family is, mostly." Lena looks up again and over at Shine, and there's still warmth in her smile but there's something just the slightest bit off compared to before. "Anyhow, I'd not push it further than 'a bit like', either. Fallon's my employer, first and foremost, and it's good not to confuse things in your own head."
Shine raises his eyebrows. After a moment he nods courteously, equably, and directs his attention at the road ahead again, in silence.
As they come down on the other side of the pass, the group spies another horse trotting down the road ahead of them. It's a proud black stallion, and all they can see of the guy in the saddle is his tousled light brown hair.
Shine's interest is caught not by the indistinct rider but by the horse. "Handsome animal," he observes to no one in particular.
"Is that…" Lena shades her eyes with one hand. "That's Sil, isn't it?" She looks at the others. Do they know him?
Shine tips his chin up and peers, turning his head unconsciously to get a better angle with his good eye. "Silentstep?" he asks. "… I believe it may be, aye."
"Let's catch up to him?" Lena suggests. "I think he's going our way."
“Oh! Sil helped rescue us from Voldrune,” Jenzelle says. “Um, that is, when a… someone abducted us. It was a vrykul village in Northrend. You might not remember him, Bren, but he helped carry you to safety.”
“I…” Bren looks a bit embarrassed. “That sure was a time. That happened. You’re right, I don’t remember.”
"When…" Lena looks at them in confusion. "I think I heard about that, in Cobalt. Don't think I ever heard a why, but… let's catch up?"
Lena urges her horse forward, pulling ahead of the others, and soon Sil looks back at the noise. He slows and turns, raising a cheerful hand in greeting at the group. The stallion hoofs the ground impatiently, but stays still as they approach.
Shine directs Khamsin forward at a brisk trot to catch up; Khamsin, not to be outdone by mainlander horses getting ahead of her, breaks into a canter until he reins her back again. She looks disgruntled, and puts her ears back at Sil's horse when they arrive. Shine halts her a cautious few paces away.
"Silentstep," he greets Sil. "Small forest, eh?"
"Yeah, small forest," Sil smiles at Shine. "Good to see you."
The black horse snorts, jerking its head. Sil pats his neck, murmuring, "Easy there, Speedygos."
Then Sil turns back to the group. "You all headed my way? I was thinking to stop by the Aspenwood Vineyards, since I was in the neighborhood." Or, you know, he explicitly rode over to the neighborhood, but whatever. He nods at Lena and then glances past the two of them at Jenzelle and Brendol. He brightens further, and adds, "Oh, hey! Haven't seen you two in a while! Are you doing okay? Recovered and everything? Brendol, I'm glad we got to you before they tried out that cannon."
“I think it’s actually a big forest?” Bren says awkwardly when they catch up. “Or at least, bigger than it seems.”
Jenzelle smiles at Sil. “It’s good to see you again,” she says. “Thank you for your part in the rescue at Voldrune. I think… I think it went the right way, in the end.” She does not elaborate on what she means by that.
Bren ducks his head, peering at Sil a bit bashfully. “Um… it feels weird. I know you’ve seen me before, but I don’t really…remember. So. I’m Bren. Rae’s brother.”
Shine gazes up blandly at the tree canopy and is definitely not visibly thinking about how trouble with figures of speech seems to run in the Westwind family.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," Sil says, smiling at Brendol. "I'm Sil Silentstep, but you've probably figured that out by now. Pleased to meet you officially, Bren. Rae and I go back a ways, but only so far as she was in Cobalt. Haven't seen her around so much, since the Northrend campaign, but I guess we just got out of the habit of hangin' around at Bruuk's."
“Well, she’s always pretty serious when it comes to Scourge, and for good reason. Hard to get her to take breaks,” Bren says. “But at least that seems to be mostly over now, what with the Lich King dead. She’s still choosing to hang around the Plaguelands, though.”
“You know the Aspenwoods too, Sil?” Jenzelle asks. “All of them?”
Sil looks a little concerned at Bren's last comment, but is promptly distracted by Jenzelle. "I don't know that I'd say all of them, though I reckon I did see them all at the weddings. Cressidha's been in Cobalt as long as I have, and Colson and Mordecai I met in Cobalt a little later. Bertrand I met in the 7th Legion. Never had much of a chance to talk to Amadeus, sad to say. Gardenia seems like a lovely woman, though. Oh, and I guess I haven't much talked to their parents." Sil suddenly looks a touch nervous, and adds, "I was thinking I'd swing by the Vineyards and leave Cress a present. She's probably not there, but… I figured I could leave it for her."
Time Passes
The Aspenwood Vineyards rest tucked up against an expansive Elwynn valley to the east of the rolling hills that mark the edge of the forest to the coast. Precise rows of grapevines take up the bulk of the land, orderly lines with chaotic greenery wrapping around them, well-established and impeccably maintained. There are workers in the fields, all outfitted properly with sunhats and quality clothing and gloves, and more than a few look up with curiosity at the incoming visitors. Guests outside of set, structured events are not especially common enough to go unremarked.
At the farthest end of the vineyards is where the estate manor lies nestled up against an edge of aspen trees standing tall and proud to frame the multistory house, a building of refined taste and simply stated elegance, the quality of the structure more in practical decisions than ostentatious flaunting of old wealth. The drive leading up to the front entrance is well packed, and minimally dusty, and standing by the right side are two grooms, dressed in Aspenwood livery, waiting patiently for expected visitors in the shade of a well tended tree.
As they arrive, Speedygos eyes the grooms warily and snorts, but Sil murmurs something calming as he dismounts.
He grins at the two grooms in apology, and says,"I'm sure he remembers this place, he's just high-spirited - kind of overdramatic. He'll calm."
Penelope, for her part, is utterly unworried and doesn't resist as Lena hands over the reins.
Shine swings down lightly from Khamsin's saddle. His expression is mild and he doesn't crane his neck or stare at anything, but he's clearly taking the place in, a discreet and interested survey. He hasn't been here before.
He offers Khamsin's reins to a groom also — the one collecting Penny, not Speedygos, let's not ask for trouble — and smiles at the man. "Obliged," he says. "See that she's well-secured, if ye don't mind. She knows how to let herself in and out. Mostly out."
The grooms, one bulky and muscular bearded man and one whip-thin person wearing a brown cap that doesn't match their livery, accept the horses.
Both of them seem familiar with Speedygos, and the thin one, Eilin, winks at Sil from under her cap. "Back to see Lady Cress again, eh? You're in luck, she's 'ome."
"Clever girl," says the bearded man to Shine, admiring Khamsin. "What's her name?"
"Khamsin," Shine tells him with a smile, and lays an affectionate hand on the black mare's neck.
Khamsin lifts her head to roll a suspicious eye at the groom.
Sil brightens at the news, flashing a smile at Eilin. "I'd hoped she might - but I know she's awful busy."
Lena moves back from Penny and steps over to Shine's side. She says quietly, "I don't think I've ever been here before as a regular visitor. Just the wedding."
Shine turns his head as if to scan the vineyards, to conceal that he murmurs to her under his breath, "I can't say I ever expected to be a place like it as a regular visitor. Does being Cobalt mean ye get used to it?"
Lena leans slightly towards him and murmurs, "I haven't yet, but I sure hope so."
Then she straightens and says, "I think we're expected? By Lady Priscilla and Lord Bertrand at least, though I'll be happy to see Lady Cressidha again. I've not spoken with her in some time."
"I've seen the lady, though I can't say I know her," Shine says, and turns to study the front of the house. "Lady Priscilla and Lord Bertrand I do, of course." He glances over at Sil. "Shall we?"
Sil smiles and reaches up to tidy his hair. The wind has already made that kind of a lost cause. "Yes, let's."
Sil moves toward the front door, taking in a breath and shifting into a somewhat more formal, dignified stride.
Lena glances at Shine and makes a brief movement with her hand, like maybe she thinks she should take his arm. But then she just moves forward instead, her expression settling into a polite smile.
Shine stands for a blank moment longer than the rest, and then he takes two long strides to catch up. When he's reached Lena, he offers his arm courteously, without comment.
There's only the slightest hesitation before she tucks her hand into the crook of his arm, shifting her pace to match his.
A few paces ahead, Sil knocks at the door.
The footman who answers the door gets halfway through a polite greeting before Bertrand appears in the foyer. "Sil?" he goes, seeing him first, and then, "Oh! Miss Coit, Shine. Hey, everybody, come on in."
"Are they here?" calls Priscilla's voice from a room to the right.
Bren and Jenzelle dismount, offering their own horses to the grooms, and joining the others. Jenzelle is hovering noticeably closer to Brendol, but also directly in front of him, disrupting his normal stride. They are one quick stop from disaster, but Bren does not look like he’s going to say anything.
"Hey," Sil says, his formal manner dissolving into a genuine smile at the friendly welcome. "We've got Brendol and Jenzelle back there too."
Sil moves to follow Bertrand's invitation. Lena waits, following Shine's lead.
Shine smiles. "Lord Bertrand," he greets, and then glances back to make sure Brendol and Jenzelle are, indeed, still with them. Having ascertained that, he glances down at Lena, and rather than simply escort her on, tilts his head to indicate the direction of Priscilla's voice with a questioning look — Shall we?
Lena inclines her head with a faint smile, a clear statement of we shall.
Shine smiles back and then looks up, leading her after Sil and farther into the house.
Jenzelle has a sudden moment of realization, watching them. Oh no, she’s doing it wrong! As Brendol prepares to step forward into the house, she suddenly turns around, preparing to — what, ask for his arm? Take it? — she doesn’t know, but the result is her face colliding with Bren’s chest, and Bren nearly falling over her, stuck catching himself on the doorframe.
“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry,” Jenzelle says, taking a few steps back, into the house.
“It, uh, it’s fine,” Bren says. “You okay?”
She nods. They are both a bit redder, but okay. They hurry to catch up with the others.
"How's life been?" Sil asks Bertrand as they move towards the room where Priscilla waits. "The wedding was beautiful, but I know it's also got to be a big change, from the 7th Legion and everything. For me too, honestly, since the Scourge war's been over, but it's been good being back in Elwynn."
Bertrand waves them all in to the sitting room where the couches, armchairs, and tables have been arranged in a way to welcome quite a few people. The coffee tables have been set with refreshments. There are sandwiches, cookies, crackers (with dips), and some pastries. There are pitchers of water, lemonade, milk, and various fruit juices, all with ice.
"It's been a lot," Bertrand says. "Westfall - It's really been a lot. Brendol I remember, hey, but I think I've yet to meet miss Jenzelle…?"
Seated on a couch in a nice summery dress is Priscilla. There is a cat laying on the shelf formed by her breasts with its head on her shoulder, and Priscilla is petting it, which might explain why she hasn't gotten up to greet anyone. She is all smiles. "Welcome, welcome, come in! Make yourselves at home!"
Lena glances curiously at the cat shelf, and raises her free hand briefly to just below her own… shelf? Still, she smiles, and gently tugs Shine towards one of the open couches. "It's good to see you, Lady Priscilla. Is that your cat?"
Sil moves over to sit in an armchair, still smiling, and provides, "Jenzelle's a priestess in Cobalt."
If Shine has thoughts on boob shelves, they do not show; he smiles at Priscilla and the cat, and allows Lena to steer their course to a couch.
"Oh, no, he's not mine. He lives here." Priscilla smiles. "Hello, Jenzelle! I'm Scilla, this is Birdie, it's lovely to have you."
"Oswald is Cress's cat," Bertrand says. "She should be… Grace, would you let her know her guests are here?"
Suddenly, there is a woman standing in the hallway, squinting at the group with an unfriendly expression. Was she there all along? Did she just appear? "At once, sir," says Grace Auden, and starts for the stairs.
Shine silently admires Grace's materialization skills, on a professional level. "It's a beautiful estate," he observes. "And I believe I owe the pair of ye congratulations, as I've not yet had the chance to offer them in person." He waits, like a gentleman, for Lena to sit.
Lena takes a seat, smoothing her skirt with one hand.
Jenzelle, still flushed from earlier, startles at both the sudden introduction, and the stealthy appearance of Grace. Her voice comes out a note higher usual, and much, much faster. “Yes! Cobalt Company. Jenzelle. From Lordaeron. Wait — I take that back. I don’t know why I said that. I-I mean I am from Lordaeron, but I’m not looking for sympathy, not that you don’t have any, I’m sure you’re lovely people and —”
Bren, in a moment of second-hand panic, covers her mouth. “N-nice to see you again,” he says into the awkwardness that follows.
Jenzelle herself looks relieved. Thank goodness, someone stopped her.
"Lot of people from places they can't go back to," Lena says gently to Jenzelle. "No harm in mentioning it."
"Thank you," Bertrand says to Shine. He sits down next to Priscilla on the couch, nudging her shoulder.
"I spent my childhood in Lordaeron," Priscilla says a little wistfully. "It was a beautiful place. I hope you've been well! Don't be nervous, help yourselves! Birdie, I can't move him, could you…?" She is trapped by a cat.
Bertrand picks up a sugar cookie and holds it in front of his wife's mouth. Priscilla eats the whole thing in one generous and unladylike bite and chews with her mouth shut, her eyes crinkled into a smile.
Brendol stares at them. You can do that? Just, feed each other? In public?
Now it’s Jenzelle’s turn to save him. She tugs a little on his jacket and he gives a small start, finally remembering to pull his hand away from her mouth.
“I think we’re supposed to sit,” she whispers.
“R-right,” he whispers back, gesturing her to a couch. She takes the first seat, as was demonstrated by their seniors in Manners, and Bren sits beside her. They did it. They sat without issue. They are also not looking at each other.
Cressidha steps into the archway, looking at the guests. "Lena, Jenzelle, good afternoon," she says first, with a faint smile. They seem to be the two she's most familiar with. "Bren, Mr. Shine, welcome to…"
All her expected guests… and one unexpected one. "Silvestre?" She looks genuinely surprised to see him. "Goodness, I didn't know you'd be coming by as well."
Lena nods in answer to the greeting.
Sil smiles, and then looks a touch uncertain. "Yeah, I was riding in the area, and we just met up by chance, and…" the story sounds unlikely to Sil's ears, even though it is mostly true. He quickly amends to, "I had a gift for you, Lady Cressidha, and I would have written ahead, only I thought maybe I'd just drop it off… but you're here, which is a pleasant surprise. As long as it's fine that I'm here, too."
Shine, who had just sat down with but at a polite distance from Lena, shifts at Cressidha's entrance as if to rise again courteously; when neither Bertrand nor Sil seems inclined to, he does not. He smiles at Cressidha instead and inclines his head in wordless greeting, then sits back and turns his bland attention to Sil. Yes, riding accidentally in the neighborhood with a gift, that is perfectly normal and cool, Shine is on board with this story, buddy. Don't worry about it, you're doing fine.
He glances again at Cressidha to make sure Sil is doing fine. Does anyone here need a wingman? It's Shine's forte.
Anyone besides Brendol, that is. There may not be hope for Brendol.
"Oh?" Cressidha smiles faintly. "Of course. I'm glad you didn't go all the way to Dalaran to find that I wasn't there today. Lady Priscilla, please allow me to introduce Silvestre Silentstep." She takes a seat next to Lena.
Priscilla beams at him. "Oh, Birdie told me about you! The scout he trained for the 7th Legion."
Sil beams back at her. "It's a real pleasure to meet you officially, though of course I saw you at the wedding. You both looked so happy - I'd wager no length of time is too much to wait for that kind of joy." He pauses, then adds, "And yeah, Lord Bertrand was a tremendous help, when I was getting settled into the 7th. They're a real particular sort of outfit, and I came in at an odd angle while the portals were down."
“You’ve died, Sil?” Bren asks, surprised.
Jenzelle looks a bit startled. “Died? How do you know?”
"Yeah, it's… I don't know how well-known? But the 7th likes to have people who've shown their souls will come back when called. And mercenary work is dangerous, even with Cobalt," Sil says, looking at Cressidha instead of Bren for some reason. "It was in Auchindoun, in Outland. We were in this place where ethereals were harvesting energy or something, and things went wrong. It was alright, though. Mizzy called for us and we all came back."
Shine's whole focus has sharpened, and he is listening intently, watching Sil.
"Ah. Yes." Cressidha nods. "My first two deaths were on that day as well," she says very casually.
Priscilla says, "My goodness."
Shine looks at Priscilla and makes a round-eyed expression fluent of wordless agreement. His goodness.
Lena glances at Sil and then Cressidha, startled, and repeats, "You all came back. Both you and Cressidha?"
"And Ben, yeah," Sil nods casually. "It was rough at the time, but we carried on. Finished the mission."
Lena stares at him. "I'm sure everyone here is pleased that Ismene was able to call you all back. As for me, I suppose I still might not know if I'm resurrectable in a general sense. In Icecrown, it was King Terenas bringing us back, so it was hardly the usual situation."
Shine turns his round-eyed look on Lena. After a moment he mutters, Tides ha'mercy under his breath, and leans forward for a cookie. Sometimes a man needs a cookie.
"I've never died," Priscilla says. Look, someone normal. "What a great relief that you all returned."
Oswald abandons her to jump down and wander about sniffing at legs.
Priscilla sighs and finally pours herself a glass of lemonade. "What would everyone like to drink?" she asks, looking around.
Bertrand seems to already have a glass of water associated with him. Cressidha considers her options.
"Lemonade would be lovely," Lena says, smiling at Priscilla.
Shine bends to offer his fingers to Oswald, and then attempts to skritch the cat's chin. "A glass of water, if you please, ma'am," he says. He appears to be addressing Oswald, who is neither a ma'am nor has the power to dispense glasses of water.
Priscilla pours lemonade for Lena and water for Shine, putting them on the coffee table within their reach.
Oswald sniffs at Shine, decides he is tolerable, and allows the scritches, although he doesn't jump up anywhere. He does the thing where he rubs his side up against Shine's leg, walks a little, and moves back for pets.
Shine glances up to smile at Priscilla. "Thank you," he says, and then turns the smile down at Oswald and bends again to pet him. He seems cool with being merely tolerated; he understands cats.
"Water is fine for me as well," Sil says with a smile. Then he pulls a small box out of his pack and holds it in his hands, hesitating now that 'drop this off for Cressidha' has suddenly turned into 'hand this directly to Cressidha in front of a rather large audience'.
Shine glances up again at the gesture, catches the momentary awkwardness, and immediately diverts his attention to his glass of water, taking it from the table. Hey look, water. Super interesting. He picks up a plate of pastries and offers it to Lena for her perusal. See? Everyone is giving ladies stuff now. You're fine, Sil.
Lena murmurs thanks and smiles at Shine, taking a small pastry from the plate.
Sil looks over to Cressidha.
Priscilla pours some water for Sil as well.
The water in that pitcher, as it happens, is conjured mage water, probably poured out of the bottles it usually comes in. It tastes like the purest idea of what water should taste like.
Cressidha rises from her seat by Lena and comes to stand by Sil. "Thank you, Silvestre," she says with a faint smile. "Should I open this now, or later?"
"Oh, as you prefer," Sil says, rising to offer the small box to her. "It's just something little I made for you. I hoped it'd make you lau- " he flashes a smile, trying to cover nervousness, "I hope it's not disappointing."
Cressidha takes the box, considering. Her eyes sweep around the room at her guests. Maybe it would be rude to open a present in front of a bunch of people who aren't getting presents. It isn't a special occasion, as far as she knows.
"Open it," says Birdie, and looks around at the others for support.
"Oh, do open it," Priscilla says, clearly curious.
Shine smiles at Cressidha and tilts his head. It's the politer equivalent of a friendly shrug.
"No reason not to, and with that lead-up I'm curious," Lena says, and takes another bite of pastry.
Sil gives a half-shrug himself, apparently forgetting the politer equivalence under the circumstances. "I hope you like it."
"Well, if you all don't mind," Cressidha says politely, and opens the box. She is dignified about it, but the curiosity shows in her eyes.
Shine sets the pastry plate back down quietly and settles back to sip his water, watching Cressidha. His eyebrow twitches at his first sip of the water, and for a moment he really is more interested in it than in what's happening present-wise between Cress and Sil.
Inside the box is a small murloc colored in patches of pale blue and yellow. The arms and legs are floppy, but the torso has some weight to it, like it may be filled with sawdust (it is). His happily smiling face, which is painted on, might establish him as the friendliest murloc on Azeroth. The purpose of the little creature is made evident by his back, where he would ordinarily have spines. Instead, a few pins are stuck in for demonstration. It is a pincushion.
Cressidha looks inside the box. She doesn't laugh, but she grins - not a noblewoman's polite smile, but a full grin. "Oh, look at him," she says, and pulls the murloc pincushion out of the box to display to everyone. She sets the box down on an end table so she can hold the murloc up by his little cloth hands. "He's so cute!"
Sil's nervousness melts away at Cressidha's enthusiasm, and his own smile widens in relief. "I haven't given him a name yet, but I figured maybe you'd have some ideas."
Shine grins at Sil and tips his head to the side again in that gesture of approval. "Very clever," he says.
"Aww, look at his little face!" Priscilla gushes. She makes what is actually a pretty good 'rlglglgl' murloc noise.
This is what makes Cressidha laugh.
"Friendliest murloc I've ever seen," Bertrand says. "You sew, Sil?"
Brendol and Jenzelle both blush at the murloc noise. They are still not looking at each other. It seems kind of intentional by now.
"A little bit, now," Sil says with a grin. "It uh, took some practice, or I'd have had him ready sooner. But you know, it's pretty fun to learn new stuff sometimes."
Shine gives a soft, startled laugh at Priscilla's murloc noise, and smiles at her. He looks to Sil and nods. "Aye, it is. How long have ye been practicing?"
"Oh, a couple months," Sil says, still grinning. "Since I got the idea - I thought, you know, the little guy should be one of a kind."
He glances at Cressidha then, and there's something noticeably softer in his gaze for just a moment before he says, "Priscilla, I didn't think about it, but if I ever make Mr. Murloc a friend I might ask if you'll give her a voice."
"Of course!" Priscilla says breezily. She snags another cookie and leans back to eat it.
Cressidha studies the murloc. "I shall have to consider a name further," she says. "Thank you, Silvestre. He shall have many more spines soon."
"He ought to have a friend," Shine observes dryly. "You know how murlocs are."
Sil beams at Cressidha, while Lena giggles at Shine.
"Careful," Lena says in amusement, "Go with realism and Lady Cressidha might end up with a whole little village."
Shine grins back at Lena.
Cressidha returns to her seat next to Lena, resting the little pincushion murloc in her lap for now.
"How is everyone at Fallon House?" Bertrand asks.
"Lady Ery rules with an iron fist," Shine says. "Fallon is ready to toss the whole of the Admiralty into the harbor, Her Grace is trying singlehanded to right the global economy, and I believe Miss Isla misses Lady Priscilla a fair bit." He has a sip of his water. "So much the same as usual. Repairs are coming along apace at both house and harbor."
He looks to Lena and Brenzelle for anything he might have left out.
Lena takes another sip of her lemonade, and then adds, "I'm certain you'd be welcome to visit - the house does seem a bit quieter now."
Priscilla beams. "That's right, Birdie, you're coming along next time." She still does her share of visiting herself.
Bertrand bows his head. "Of course," he says, with a smile that seems a little tired. He's been hard at work at Westfall lately.
"I don't think I've ever actually been to Fallon House," Sil says, returning to his seat. "Though I've met most of those people by now. Not sure I've ever met Miss Isla."
"Were ye not at the Gala last year?" Shine asks, surprised. "I know you'd be more than welcome, and no need to stand on ceremony. They'll be glad to see ye whenever ye turn up. They're always pleased with company." As most of the people in this room can testify. "Miss Isla is a sunny little girl, very charming, makes an adventure of anything. Also possibly the only person I've ever seen hug Fallon."
He looks to Birdie. "And I'm sure Fallon would be glad to see you again, if ye can find the time. It sounds as though your Cobalt team's… been kept busy?"
Birdie nods. "Very. Sentinel Hill's only just barely back under control. The king had to send in the military. So now we're doing disaster relief until we're cleared for another offensive."
"Oh, that's right," Sil says, snapping his fingers. "That was a long time ago, but yeah, the party." He turns to Birdie. "I ran into Kenelly at Moonbrook - not long before it all went down, I guess. I was just bringing some cookies for folk from the Atleys, had no idea what was about to happen. She doing alright, too? I hope none of you all were injured."
Jenzelle blinks. "Sentinel Hill…back under control? What do you mean? What happened? I was helping there myself until recently. Was it…gnolls?"
Bertrand shakes his head. "A few days ago, the remains of the Defias Brotherhood made their move and attacked. Led by Vanessa VanCleef. I think they were aiming for disruption rather than take-over."
"I hadn't heard about the disaster," Lena says, frowning in concern. "Were the… the people who were helping out with food and such at Sentinel Hill targeted? I wouldn't think they would be, but the old Defias murdered farmers 'for Westfall'."
"No," Bertrand says. "But Vanessa was one of them. Hope Saldean, they'd been calling her. And she had the Furlbrows killed because they recognized her."
"Hope was?" Lena looks genuinely startled. "How could she see so clearly what the Defias had done to Westfall and think, yes, let's have more of that?"
Shine starts to speak, stops, shakes his head grimly. "Tides," is all he says, and although in these parts it is a perfectly innocuous word, the grim way he bites it off makes clear that in some contexts it can also be A Bad Word.
"Did they…kill anyone?" Jenzelle asks, paling. "Is there still a need for healers? Should I…?" She glances in the direction of the door. Should she what? Ride Lady Fallon's horse all the way to Westfall?
Bertrand sighs. "There's always a need for healers," he says to Jenzelle. "It's been days, but there are always those who need care."
"At least the army's down there now?" Sil says, with a touch of uncertainty. "It sounds like the militia will need the help."
"I haven't been to Westfall for some time," Cressidha says, folding her hands together.
"The army might not…" Jenzelle begins, but she quickly quiets again.
"I've not been down since during the Icecrown campaign," Lena says. "Things were already going poorly then, but I suppose I didn't see much of the region. I was just there visiting somebody I knew."
"I confess I'm more ignorant than I ought to be on much of the inland mainland," admits Shine. "I knew the coast of Westfall, years back — before the war, there was a little port there in the south. I can't say I know the land at all. I've heard stories of the place, all the talk of the Defias. And lately I've heard Lescovar's name said often enough in such a tone ye'd think the wallpaper should scorch." Shine looks to Cressidha. "It was Cobalt's doing, wasn't it? The father, the last time? Van Cleef, I mean. Ye cleared his lot out."
Cressidha nods. "We did, yes. I was among the group that went into their hideout directly." She presses her lips together in a thin line for a moment. "We fought those who opposed us and would not surrender. Some fled, and we did not give chase. We were there to clear a path to their leader, not to end each and every one of them. Edwin Van Cleef was our primary target."
"And that's a good thing," Lena says firmly, looking at Cressidha. "Even by then, there might've been some who hadn't seen the worst of it, who believed in the whole rhetoric of righting a wrong done to them by Stormwind. It's what they did after that matters, where they chose to go when the illusions were shattered." Lena frowns. "Anyway, the daughter couldn't have been more than what… twelve? Hope is still younger now than I was when Lordaeron fell. Even if you were chasing down the ones who ran, I bet you would've let a kid go."
Sil nods, they probably would've.
"Of course," Cressidha agrees. She would have let a kid go.
The group settles in for more lemonade, water and snacks, as the conversation turns to lighter and more pleasant topics. The world of Azeroth may be full of danger and chaos, but at least in this small corner of it, for this day, it is also full of good company.