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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Eulysses and his sister Robin meet up briefly in Stormwind and chat about their current situation and plans. ~2400 words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
The Stormwind Harbor is still bustling, but less bustling than certain naval officers would probably like. With the diversion of resources to the new airships, as well as the growing need to shore up defenses in Kalimdor and elsewhere, there are too few of the military variety in port today. There are, however, a number of merchant ships, among them those that would be recognizable to anyone familiar with the Reeve fleet. Well, at least familiar to those who recognize ships as well as they recognize people.
A black-furred worgen is descending the gangplank of the Reeve frigate Nightshade, sniffing the air as if trying to read the atmosphere of the city before she ventures into it. As she strolls up the pier, she pauses, and then a shimmer runs through her body as her form settles into that of a petite, brown-haired woman. She does not seem to care about the stares this casual, public transformation draws her way. Her now-human gaze searches the crowds as she moves away from the dock, looking for a particular friendly face.
Near the end of the dock is a tall, black-furred worgen man, dressed in fine clothing and wearing a top hat. He stands at attention as if waiting for someone, but his ears suddenly perk up and his nose starts sniffing until he turns to find his older sister approaching.
At that he relaxes his stance slightly and makes a few long careful strides towards her, “Del, it is good to see you.” He greets her.
Robin's eyes brighten as she sees her younger brother, and she strides forward to give him a quick embrace, unbothered and unsurprised by his wolfish appearance. "Tony, likewise. I know you can take care of yourself, but… it is a wider world again, isn't it?"
Eulysses stiffens a bit at the embrace but reluctantly places one arm around his sister to hug her back, “Aye, it is. I’m glad to be able to sail again, even if it is only patrols for now.” He lets her go and steps back, “How have you been?”
"Oh, well enough," Robin says, pulling back and tilting her head towards the city, the suggestion that Eulysses walk with her. "I'm figuring out how to walk this tangle. There are those who find us frightening, and those who seek us out to make a political point. I've found that the former don't seem to notice what I am if I look like this, and the latter do their research and know regardless. There's not so much business right now that I can snub either."
Eulysses offers an arm to her and begins walking toward the city proper, "I have noticed the same. The only difference is that there are situations in which I stand to benefit by being frightening."
Robin gives a brief laugh, and takes his arm. "The difference between business and military, I suppose. I admit, even for me, the worgen was the better form during the darker days. But now, I trust you'll be terrifying the Forsaken soon enough, the bastards."
"We can only hope. I have a lower rank in the Alliance Navy than I had before. Thus far all I have done is drills and patrolling along the South Sea. I expect that the Vice-Admiral did so as to not cause too much commotion over having a worgen officer aboard one of his ships." Eulysses explains, "Though I would not be surprised if it was also an attempt on his part to take my measure. He seems an honest sort. If I serve well I don't imagine I will have difficulty advancing my career."
Robin nods, cutting a glance up at her brother's face, possibly looking for signs of doubt. "An honest sort, you say. And not the sort to be put off by Gilneans, or worgen? Those are two separate things, though often connected, and each comes with its own baggage. In that case, I'll expect to hear of your progress in the coming year. " She says this with the air of someone unused to disappointment, at least not from her little brother Tony.
She glances up at the lion statue as they ascend the steps towards the canals. "It has been frustrating for me, I have to admit. I know, I know, father always said ships can be lost, and we carry on. But it's a lot to come back from. With only the two that can carry sizable cargo, not to mention all the freak storms and the stirrings of war… I'm in the black, but just barely. Not enough to expand, not yet."
Eulysses nods. He keeps his gaze forward so as to not see Robin’s pained expression, “That I do understand. Each ship I lost cut me deeply, especially the Wolfsbane.” Eulysses stays silent for a moment remembering the end of his time as a naval commander toward the end of the civil war, “As a mercy at least the Peregrine is still intact.”
"Yes, a mercy," Robin says with a sigh. "It's a measure of your strength of character that you dive back into the navy, after all that. They'll see it in you like I do, I'm certain. And if I've a chance to recommend you, of course, I will. As I expect you'll point me to any contacts you find? We Reeves have to stick together, come rebellion or invasion or… simply life."
"Aye. And you needn't lay honeyed words upon me any longer. I'm quite grown." Eulysses gives her a sly look, "However on the topic of contacts, I might see to introducing you to the Vice-Admiral if I can."
Robin laughs, poking his shoulder. "You know my honeyed words only ever work because they're true. I have no patience for spinning false flattery. But certainly, I would be happy to meet your Vice-Admiral, though I'm not sure what interest the navy will have in a small merchant fleet. Still, the Wall really truncated my network, and I'm only now starting to pick up the broken threads. I'm only in Stormwind for today - then we're off to Theramore. I won't always need to travel with, but I find I don't much want to let those ships out of my sight these days."
“That I can understand. The Alliance seems to want desperately for more ships, so I hope that even the small fleet we have left can be of some use for transporting supplies at least.” Eulysses says, “I suppose we will have to see how generous he is willing to be.”
"Generous? Do you think he might front our fleet funds for growth?" Robin asks, tilting her head as if calculating exactly what would be needed. "We are a good investment, one would only need to look at our history to see. For the moment, my current contract is with the civilians of Theramore - two cargo ships are enough to transport the supplies and foodstuffs they need, for now. I admit I have spent no time in the marsh over there, but I understand it is entirely inhospitable and also crawling with dangers, thus the need to import much of their goods."
"That I cannot say, but we are a good investment. That much is undeniable. The Alliance appears to be stretched rather thin as of late." Eulysses leads Robin along to the Cathedral district to show her the sights, "I would say more, but I would not make a habit of speaking on behalf of those I have no right to. All I can say for certain now is that I trust him to be fair and to recognize merit and reward it where it is due."
"That's as it should be, then," Robin says, and she looks up at the Cathedral with a touch of approval. "But enough about work. It's not quite the same, but the buildings in Stormwind do have their own touches of grandeur, wouldn't you say?"
“Indeed. Not quite to my tastes, but it is a rather impressive city.” Eulysses sniffs the air, “It’s remarkable how much the difference in smells means to me in this new form.”
"Hm… yes," Robin says, and then there is a shimmer of her form and a tall, black-furred stands at his side. She sniffs the air, an echo of his gesture. "Indeed, not quite like home. The people here feel so secure in their city, it seems, but you and I both know how quickly things can go awry. I don't intend to be a bystander if that happens again."
“True enough. I think we’ve both learned not to trust things to ever go quite as planned.” Eulysses sniffs again, “Perhaps there is something to be said for their optimism. The people here seem content. However I wonder how they might react to a real tragedy.”
"The elders have had their chance to already," Robin says, considering. "This city is little more than twenty years old, rebuilt since the orcs came through. And then, you can still see the scars on the buildings and the towers, where the dragon scratched. Still, they endure. If this is to be our home now, I hope they always will."
“True. And since this is our new place in this world we may add our strength to theirs. I wouldn’t see this city fall easily, despite the orcs plans on Tol Barad.” Eulysses adds.
"I fully expect to be making supply runs there soon enough, but…" Robin's lupine eyes narrow. "There's pirates to worry about, and I heard some of the ships were sunken by a kraken? My contacts say the kraken is not a concern anymore, but they noticeably didn't say the creature was slain. I'm a little hesitant to take on that route. But yes, it's a stepping stone, and we can't allow for it to fall. Do you think you'll be fighting there?"
Eulysses nods, “Hopefully soon. The crew has had ample time to become familiar with the ship and its procedures and regulations. We can only be kept away from battle for so long. And more than that I am eager to prove myself. I do not intend to remain a mere marine lieutenant for long.”
"Tol Barad will be an excellent field to show your worth," Robin nods. "But, Tony, do keep an eye out for krakens. It's bad enough having the sea take our ships, without her taking our siblings." She pauses in thought, looking up at the Cathedral. "I've considered hiring on a shaman of some sort, or someone with elemental leanings at least. I admit that in these extraordinary times, I'm beginning to think of what extraordinary protections I might secure. Does your crew boast one? A draenei, perhaps, or a dwarf?"
“I like to think I’m prepared to take on sea monsters, but I’ll take it under advisement.” Eulysses replies with a little glint in his eye. This is about as close as he comes to making a joke. “The Achillea does have a shaman. A draenei. They’re quite capable and their skills are worth their weight in gold. I would certainly recommend hiring some of you are able.”
Robin nods thoughtfully. "I'll see what I can do. They aren't exactly a common resource, but if I can track someone down… I'll try." She turns from the Cathedral back to Eulysses, and says, "In any case, I'll need to circle around to Oldtown, that's where I'm to meet my contact here. Speaking of contacts, have you had much to do with the worgen outreach initiatives yet?"
Eulysses nods and begins leading down towards Old Town, “I’ve spoken with a few members, but my duties in the navy have kept me somewhat busy. A problem I hope to continue having so I can increase my rank and prove our kind through my service. Besides, I wasn’t exactly the most personable sort even before this change.” He looks down at Robin, “However, I wager you might win some influence there, Del.”
Robin shimmers again and resumes small human woman form. "I thought I might. The one I was looking at assists in job placement - not that I need a job, but I might be hiring as I expand. And the networking opportunities… I won't limit myself to Gilneans, naturally - there's your navy contacts - but I also don't want to overlook what connections still remain with our people."
“That sounds like a fine plan. I know many of our countrymen want for work in the wake of our newfound condition.” Eulysses says. He quirks an eyebrow, “Do you already have plans to build more ships then? If you’re talking of expansion.”
"Plans, yes - funds, not yet, as we discussed," Robin nods. "I would like to build us back to where we were before everything started going wrong. We're in a precarious moment, and I will not let the family business fail on my watch."
"Aye. That would be a good thing. I know the loss of the Wolfsbane during the war cut me deeply. Losing the Jupiter was tragic, but it's different when you have command. You bear more of the weight of the responsibility. As a mercy, you carry that responsibility with grace as always." Eulysses offers, "I know with you at the helm we will not fail."
"Now who's offering honeyed words," Robin says with a wry smile, though she doesn't seem displeased by the praise. "I intend to prove them true as well. Still… the Wolfsbane was lost for a purpose. We may not have succeeded in that purpose, but at least it was not just… nature. When I couldn't even be there to help." She shakes her head. "I will be there, now."
"I wouldn't go that far. After all, in the end Greymane finally gave in and rejoined the Alliance. The war wasn't fought for nothing." Eulysses puffs his chest a bit, "As far as I'm concerned we won in the end."
"If you think of it that way," Robin concedes. "And all of us are pardoned. At the time, though, it was quite disheartening."
"Much of life is disheartening. All the same we must press on." Eulysses says confidently.
"Indeed," Robin says with a nod, as they pass over the canal of Stormwind. "We must press on."