(2025-01-23) Gossip Session

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Author:	Saaron
Summary:	Before this season, Azizia and Sil cross paths and start sharing some gossip about others they know.
Rating:	T for Teen

Azizia stands in the Cobalt Company HQ, dropping a few bags of clothes onto the floor. She rolls her shoulders, letting out a deep breath.

Sil appears at the portal entrance, pausing when he sees Azizia. "Hey," he calls casually, raising a hand in greeting. He eyes the bags. "Moving in?"

"Ah, hello Mr. Sil!" Azizia says. "No, I did shopping to prepare for job of mine back on Blue Squad. I needed to rest a little, so I came here." She sighs, resting her hands on her hips. "Always Blue Squad. Is it on purpose? Is it because of color of Draenei I am always in Blue Squad, do you think?"

"I dunno, only time I was with you on squad before was White Squad, yeah?" Sil says with a shrug, walking over to where Azizia stands with her bags. "Up in Zul'drak, I mean."

Azizia pauses. A little bit of tension forms in her arms' muscles. "Sometimes brain likes to remember negative thoughts better than good ones." She looks up. "So it is not done on purpose… Good."

"Far's I've been with you, we're half blue and half white," Sil says with a crooked grin. "What've you been buying to prepare? I'm not really sure what we're gonna need on a caravan."

"New shirts," from the bags, she pulls out a few outfits that look way too formal to be taken to such a place. "Pants, skirts," she says, showing more clothes. "I also bought gown, and very beautiful nightgowns for when it is time to sleep," those she doesn't show, they're too personal. "Oh and earrings. And a necklace here. And many bracelets." None of this sounds caravan-ready.

"Uh," Sil says, nodding gamely. "You'll be the best-dressed caravaner for sure. I've stocked up on poisons, got a good new whetstone, that sort of thing. I'm not sure what we'll find in this place, but we better be ready. And fashionable, I guess. Maybe I ought to bring some formal wear."

Azizia laughs. "No, no, no. It is not for for traveling," she says. "It is for here, in Dalaran. Very not practical to take all this on caravan."Azizia rubs her eyes with her fingers. "I feel better when I do shopping, when emotions of mine are negative. I feel very… stressed to go back to adventure again. I fear to see new Wrathgate." She shrugs, tilting her head, showcasing a brand new diamond earring. "And new jewelry help me forget."

"Ah…" Sil sobers, the smile slipping off his face. "If I can live a whole lifetime with no new Wrathgate, I'll count myself lucky. But.. they said we're trying to get there ahead of the Horde. Maybe we won't even see them there, yeah? Maybe this'll be a happier adventure."

"I hope so," Azizia says, shaking her head, staring at the ground. "But happy adventures are not Cobalt Squad main missions."

"Finding artifacts and forging alliances, they said, yeah?" Sil still looks hopeful. "That doesn't sound very dire. It's not like Uldum is going to crash into Tanaris and explode the world, right?"

Azizia pauses, staring at him. It's not like it's going to do that right? Right ?
"It uh, it shouldn't," Sil says, picking up Azizia's sudden concern. "Far's I know it's been there for ages, only just opened up. I think it is a part of our world, naturally."

"That is what I like to hear," she nods. "So, how are you doing ? Ready for expedition?"

"I think so. It'll be good to be out in the field with everyone, and Cres…" Sil breaks off, looks at Azizia. "Did you hear we're courting? It's not, like, a secret, so maybe that's a thing I ought to bring up to a teammate before we're in a strange new land."

"Courting? Like sport court? You exercise together? It is good to keep mages in shape, they sometimes rely too much on mana." Azizia asks a little bit absentmindedly, looking into one of her bags. "Wait, I have to show new gown, it is wonderful!"

"Sport? Uh, no, it means we might get married," Sil says casually, looking over at Azizia. "A new dress? Awesome, I'd love to see it."

Azizia drops the bag she's looking into. "Forget about ridiculous dress! Married? You and Miss Cress?" She stares at Sil her eyes wide. "For love or political reason? I know humans like marriages for politic."

"Oh, I don't have any politics," Sil shakes his head, and then reconsiders. "I mean, I do have politics I guess, everyone does, but I'm not like, human nobility or anything. If we do, it'll be for love. Do draenei marry for political reasons?"

Azizia shakes her head. "Some maybe do, but most do not." She raises her shoulder. "I never imagined you and Miss Cress. But romance is not something I think about, so maybe it is why,… It is odd news to learn for me." She takes a moment to process the information, staring straight forward.

"It's not just you, a lot of people have been surprised," Sil says with a reassuring smile. "She's very self-contained, Cressidha. And I'm not really? But I do like her, quite a lot, and she's very pretty. I mean, you've got to appreciate her fashion sense too, right?"

"Absolutely. She is great friend, and makes wonderful clothes!" Azizia smiles back. "You are lucky to…" She frowns a little, looking up at the ceiling, trying to remember the word used previously. "Court her."

"I am," Sil agrees with a smile. "Sir Atley knows - he actually gave me some good advice about presents and things, back when I was staying at his place after the cataclysm. And Colson knows, of course. So I just thought you should."

"Of course, it is type of things we should share, as team," Azizia nods. "If I do not know, I may be taken surprise by some word you might say." She points at the bag on the floor. "Like so!"

Sil nods. "I hope there's wasn't anything breakable in there?"

"I hope there was, so I have excuse to buy new things again," Azizia shrugs. "Any other news like this I should know about?"

"Oh, um. Let me think who you know. Did you hear about the rise of the Defias and the whole murder thing?" Sil asks, as if recounting some common everyday occurrences.

"The red scarf people?" Azizia asks.

"Yeah, and one of ours, Roz, got mixed up in a murder case - she was innocent though," Sil hastens to add. "Seems like it was just… collateral violence from the red scarf people. She's left Cobalt now, to handle her family farm."

"Wait," Azizia shakes her head. "She was punished but is innocent? Why? because of same red scarf people who poisoned landsouth of Stormwind?"

"Punished? No, no not punished, I think I said that wrong," Sil says waving his hands to dispel the image. "We helped her out through the case, and in the end it didn't even go to trial. It was just… her parents were the ones murdered. So she's got an inheritance to sort out, and she'll probably be doing that for a while. And in other news… oh, yeah, have you seen Atley's new kid yet?"

Azizia visibly relaxes. "Ah, I'm sorry to hear such thing. Losing parents is very difficult to… make peace with. I cannot imagine when it is from murder." She tilts her head at the mention of the kid. "Yes, kid he had in Northrend, yes?"

"You mean Karson?" Sil asks. "This one's new - a little girl named Lila, not long ago."

"Humans make so many babies, so fast," Azizia says, rubbing her eyes. "Karson is not even adult yet! They are not done raising him at all."

Sil blinks. "Uh… if a human waited for the first kid to be an adult, they'd already be past the years when they could have babies. Usually, we just have them all at once and then raise them together."

Azizia slowly nods. "This explains it all. It is also why you make so many, so you are sure you do not want more when you cannot."

"Yeah, see? That would be a tragedy, if you find out you wanted another but it's too late," Sil nods. "Humans have like, maybe thirty years to have all the kids they want, and it's a little bit iffy at the beginning and the end of that span, too. Do draenei just… have kids whenever in a span of like, tens of thousands of years?"

"Yes I understand better, now," Azizia says. "We have kids but usually very few and when we want, once we have maturity, physical and mental." Azizia rolls her eyes. "Sometimes mental maturity is not there, though. I know one Draenei called Kehda, both parents became evil in different ways after childhood of hers. They were not mature ever, clearly."

Sil looks a little puzzled. "Going evil is a sign of immaturity? But that must've been tough for her - not a kid's fault when that sort of thing happens."

"Do you know many mature people who decide they are tired of running from Burning Legion and leave to join them?" Azizia raises an eyebrow. "Or abandon child to become evil, waker of spirits death priest?" She picks up all her bags and sits down on one of the chairs. "And I do not blame Kehda either. But I just know it is very likely she eventually does like them."

"That's… I don't think that's fair," Sil says, stepping over to sit in a nearby chair. "You can't judge somebody by what their parents do. I'm not anything like my parents, though I admit they didn't become death priests or join the Burning Legion. They were still pretty crappy parents. There were three of us kids, and I'm the only one left - and I disowned them. Might be that Kehda's takeaway from all that is to be nothing like them, not at all."

"Well, of course we are not like parents of ours," Azizia shrugs. "But there seems to be something about evilness in family of hers. Like curse. But not all families are like hers." Azizia shrugs. "I'm sure many do not become like parents of theirs."

"If she's cursed, we've got some excellent decursers in Cobalt," Sil says earnestly. "Maybe I should hook her up with somebody. Like Cressidha, she could probably unravel anything."

Azizia chuckles. "If you want to give it try, feel free."

"Maybe I'll contact her," Sil nods. "See if she'd like somebody to have a look for curses. It's better than being doomed, isn't it?"

"This is true, see if maybe Kehda can be saved," Azizia nods. "So… Is there other things I should know before mission start?"

Sil considers, and then shakes his head. "I think those are the main things. Oh, and Deepholm, if you go there, wear your Cobalt tabard." Sil smiles apologetically. "I know you don't like it, but… if you don't, Therazane might squish you."

"That is… Maybe best moment to wear tabard," Azizia says. "If stone giant threatened me everywhere, I would wear tabard all the time."

Sil's smile turns into a grin, and he says, "The reputation is helpful. I hope it'll prove so down in Uldum as well."

Azizia shrugs. "I'm hoping we will get warm welcome there, but who knows."