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| Details |
| Author: | Aly |
| Summary: | Reniya makes ready to leave for Dalaran in pursuit of a wayward mage, but not before a final drink with his friends. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Reniya Hartrim was late. He was also drenched. Still in his blue and gold leather armor, he strolled through the early November downpour, listening to it clatter off rooftops and tap through plants, feeling it gliding down his hair and soaking into his skin, sharp, and wet, and invigorating. He could tell them he’d spent an extra hour wandering the streets, listening for something he could almost hear, but as he splashed along the soggy streets of the Mage Quarter, he knew he wouldn’t say it.
The Blue Recluse was crowded with academics as usual, he noted as he stepped inside. For their benefit more than anything, he shook off in the doorway, but it didn’t matter; he was still dripping. As he made his way towards the bar, a small lass stepped into his path, a disapproving scowl on her face.
“Are you serious?” she asked, rhetorically. Her hair was chestnut brown, her eyes bright and blue, and the rest of her assets were unfortunately hidden beneath her robes. A mage, then. “People come here to study, you know. We don’t need some soggy man dripping all over our books. Hold still.”
She held a hand out dangerously near to his chest, and heat began to radiate through him, drying his hair, his clothes. Reniya felt a smile tug at his lips. All it would take was one step to bring him up against the little mage’s hand, and something told him her reaction would be priceless.
He took the step.
The mage shrieked when she found her hand pressed into his chest, jerking backwards and turning a bright red. Unfortunately, her face wasn’t the only thing experiencing a sudden combustion. Fire erupted through the tavern in the form of flaming sparks from her fingertips, catching books, curtains, and even the rafters ablaze. The tavern became a flurry of spells as other students of magic scrambled to put out the fires, more with annoyance than any sort of panic.
“Alliza,” one of them snapped, a well-dressed young man with brown hair. “Control your magic. Can’t you go a single day without catching something on fire?”
As the small angry mage, ‘Alliza,’ turned to present a scathing retort to her fellow, Reniya felt a hand on his arm, dragging him away.
“Oi. Are ye jus’ naturally drawn to fire starters?” grumbled a familiar voice.
Checking his arm, he found his favorite moody paladin, his black hair mussed from the rain, his expression relaxed, though his light brown eyes held Reniya in an accusing stare.
“Aw, c’mon, mate, y’know that’s where the fun is at,” Reniya said, nudging Lathrik playfully. “You’re seein’ a fire starter of your own, that Swallowtail.”
The paladin, still dressed in his own set of Stormwind plate armor, prodded him back, a hard poke into his ribs, before leading him to the bar where a similarly dressed man, his dark hair pulled into a tail, awaited them.
Though it was dulled by his armor, Reniya took a moment to appreciate the pain and the pleasure that blossomed along with it, giving Lathrik such a smile that the man rolled his eyes in response.
“Come off it,” Lathrik muttered, choosing a stool to sit down on.
Reniya chose his own seat, directly between Lathrik and Joelle, greeting the taller man with a shoulder bump. “Elle,” he said.
“You’re late,” said Joelle, ever the timekeeper. “I was worried.”
“I’m always late.” Reniya smiled.
“Later than usual,” Joelle objected.
“Aye, what’d ye call us here for, Ren?” Lathrik asked, flagging down the barkeeper and ordering their drinks; Badlands bourbon, rum, and cherry grog respectively.
“Right. That.” Reniya gave them his best casual shrug, leaning forward and lacing his hands on the bar. “It’ll be my last night in the city for a bit’s all.”
As expected, Lathrik frowned, though he cleared the look as quickly as he could muster, raising his eyebrows instead. “What, ye find some lover outside the city to traipse about with?”
Joelle patiently awaited the answer, though his eyes were near filled with questions of his own, and his hand moved, maybe unconsciously, closer to Reniya’s.
“Naw, nothin’ so interesting as that. It’s for work. Or… other work, anyhow. I’m using my time off.”
“You’ve already spoken with Pennings?” Joelle asked.
“I have, aye. And ol’ Tabby Cat, who’s given the all-clear, such as it was.”
The barkeeper set down their drinks, and Reniya took his in hand, staring into the amber liquid as if it might start talking to him next. It didn’t.
Lathrik was the first to drink, long and slow, setting down the bourbon with a ruminating expression. It’s possible the man just wanted to feel the burn of it, more for punishment than any enjoyment.
“Where?” he finally asked, his gaze settling on Reniya.
“Dalaran, if you can believe it,” Reniya said. “I never thought I’d be to Dalaran back when it was still in the Eastern Kingdoms, let alone now that it’s some sort of… sky city over Northrend.”
“That’s far.” Joelle’s expression didn’t change, but Reniya could see in those deep chocolate eyes, the words and the sadness that lie beyond. If you go there, I can’t help you.
“Aw, it ain’t so bad, Elle. I won’t be alone. Tabby Cat insisted I bring a healer, aye? So I enlisted one Adrin Moores.” Reniya paused for a drink, letting that sink in.
“Adrin Moores?” Lathrik repeated. “You’re bringin’ Baby Face?”
Reniya set his rum back down, grinning at the moniker. “The same. I’ll have to coach ‘im, of course, but as my star pupil, you can attest to my skill on that front, eh Junior?”
Lathrik swirled his drink in the glass, then took another sip. “Aye,” he said. “It’s dangerous, then?”
“Might be,” Reniya admitted. “It’s to do with a piece on the dragon’s board. I had words with the Fallon ward and our street rat t’get a fuller picture of the dragon ‘erself, just in case.”
“And?”
“The plays don’t all make sense. It’s like we’re still missin’ things even after the end. But that’s part of what I’m pokin’ around for.”
Lathrik let out a sigh of frustration. “We couldn’t’ve met at my place?” He had more questions. Questions Reniya couldn’t answer in a location as public as this one.
“Sorry, mate,” Reniya said, his smile fading. “I dunno if I can make your Swallowtail understand, without… hurtin’ ‘er again. But tell ‘er I’m counting on her to look after you both, and… that I’m sorry for leaving without a proper goodbye.”
Lathrik lifted his drink again, this time draining it before setting it back down. “Bastard.”
“You’re leaving tonight?” Joelle asked.
“Yeah.” Reniya finished his own drink, glancing over at Joelle’s glass. It was empty, and had been for some time. The big guy was subtle.
The three men lapsed into silence as around them, noises of the bar filled the gap in conversation. It was white noise, discussions on magical theory mostly, but Reniya couldn’t help but notice his little mage, Alliza, still engaged in a heated exchange of insults with her peer. Her vocabulary was rather impressive.
“Oi, Ren.” Lathrik pulled him from his thoughts, fixing him with a serious gaze. “Don’t die.”
“What, are y’havin’ dreams again?” Reniya asked with a smile.
Lathrik twitched at the question, and he turned back to the counter. “Aye.”
Reniya smacked a hand down firmly on Lathrik’s shoulder. “C’mon mate, you know those’re just dreams by now. I’m fine! Tell ‘im, Elle.”
Rather than respond, Joelle slid to his feet, and Reniya felt himself pulled backwards into a crushing hug.
“Oi, oi, Elle, mate, I’m…” Reniya fought to take a breath, pushing aside the pain and pleasure that wound through him like a poison bloom. “…a lot less fine now.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Joelle loosened his grip, but did not let go.
“Fallon put ye up to it?” Lathrik asked, gaze still on the counter.
“He did.” Reniya resigned himself to Joelle’s arms around him.
“Then ye’d better do a good job.”
“Aye,” said Reniya with a smile. “I’ll show ‘em what Pennings saw in me.”