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| Details |
| Author: | Disknight |
| Summary: | Rozalin meets with Crim in Booty Bay to pick up more things for the baby. They talk about her recent encounter with Dane, and Nack has some ideas for a new line of work for Roz. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Rozalin worked over a bubbling pot of stew in the small kitchen of the room she was renting for the next day or two in Booty Bay. She had been feeling a lot better recently. She wasn’t so tired, wasn’t getting nauseous anymore, and her breasts had stopped feeling so tender for the past couple of weeks now. Rozalin intended to make the most of it and try to do something nice for Crim before he showed up to meet her. He had a much longer journey coming all the way from Kalimdor than she had just flying down from Westfall.
Rozalin took a spoon from her apron and scooped up a bit of the broth of her stew. She blew on it a few times to cool it before sticking it in her mouth to taste it. She glanced upward while she thought about what she might need to add to keep the flavors balanced. This time the answer seemed to just be some lemon juice and a little bit more salt. After adding them in and giving the pot a stir she heard a knock on the door, “Door’s open!” She called out.
The door opened and Crim squeezed his way through, “Rozalin. It’s good to see you.” His eyes lit up as soon as he saw her.
“Hi big guy.” Roz smiled back at him, “Made you some dinner. Hope you’re hungry.”
Crim grunted and made his way up behind Roz, “You have no idea. You should see what they charge for food on a goblin ship.” He put a hand on the nape of Rozalin’s neck and gave it a good rub.
Rozalin closed her eyes and hummed, feeling quite pleased with the little impromptu massage, “Damn, you’re really hoping to get lucky tonight, ain’t ya?” She teased.
“You can’t blame me for trying.” Crim joked back and gave her a kiss on top of her head.
Rozalin snickered, “Alright. Now shut up and try this.” She dipped her spoon back into the pot and then turned around to offer it to Crim.
Crim bent down so that Rozalin could reach his mouth and he slurped up the spoonful of stew. His eyes went wide and he smacked his lips, “That’s good.” The words came out more on reflex than out of any conscious thought. It really was very good.
“Yeah, I think it’s ok. Harder to do anything real nice with such a tiny kitchen, ya know?” Rozalin conceded.
Crim chuckled, “If this is you with a handicap then I think I’m a very lucky man.”
Rozalin smirked at the compliment, “Damn straight. We’ll have to see about the other thing, though. Not been feelin crappy for a while now, but I ain’t makin any promises.” Crim blinked. He thought that was a joke. Another pleasant surprise, “Now why dontcha go sit down an make yourself comfortable. This’ll be ready in a second.”
“Let me say hello to our baby first.” Crim placed a hand on Rozalin’s belly and rubbed it gently. Rozalin blushed and relaxed back into him, “Your belly’s starting to get big.”
Rozalin laughed and hugged Crim’s arm, “Yeah, no kidding. I’m getting a little worried it won’t fit before nine months is up.”
Crim snorted in amusement, “You’re a strong woman. I know you can handle it.” Crim wrapped her up in a tight embrace, “And I’ll be there by your side to help you through it. I swear.”
Rozalin’s face was bright red. She wasn’t any good at handling this sort of treatment. Normally she was the one doing the helping. It was slow going, but step by step she was getting more comfortable with accepting help from others. It was starting to feel really nice, being cared for like this. It was like this warm feeling in her stomach and her heart started racing, making her feel all warm and cozy. Roz hoped that this was how other people felt when she took care of them, “Ok, ok. That’s enough. Now go sit down already.”
Crim did as he was asked and took his weapons to lean up against the wall and took off some pieces of armor. Rozalin let the stew simmer just a little longer and scooped it up to fill two bowls, sprinkling some herbs on top as a garnish. “Alright big guy. Eat up.” Rozalin set both bowls on the table.
The two bowls were the same size, Crim noted, “Hungry today?” He commented.
“Blame your kid.” Rozalin snickered back and dug into her meal, “Stop yappin and eat up. Food’s just getting cold.”
Crim grunted and complied, eagerly wolfing down the flavorful stew, “How have things been on the farm?” Crim tried to make some conversation to catch up while they ate.
“It’s ok. Gettin to the end of the list of things I need to fix up before planting season, so I finally have a bit of a chance to relax. Light knows I need that now.” Rozalin shoveled food into her face.
“That’s good to hear. And Jenzelle?” Crim asks, looking at Rozalin.
Roz nods and swallows a mouthful of stew, “She’s doin well. I for sure wouldn't be in the shape I’m in now with all the chores without her.”
Crim smiled and nodded, “I’m glad you have her with you. I’ll have to find a way to thank her more properly sometime. Anything else exciting? I know you aren’t one to keep out of trouble, baby or no.” Crim said with a wry grin.
“Nah…” Rozalin’s chipper demeanor quickly drained away, “I been tryin not to go into town too much lately. Folk are startin to really get persistent with the questions. I told em at first that I just met some guy in the city but we ain’t that serious yet. It was just an accident, but we’re rollin with it.” Roz sighed, “But with me really startin to show now, they’re wonderin when they're gonna meet him.”
“I see…” Crim said soberly. He slowed his pace and set down his spoon.
Rozalin sighed and tried to shake it off, “Things ain’t been bad. Farm is goin ok and I been plenty healthy, eatin well. I’m just feelin a little lonely. Having Jenzelle’s been great, but I just feel so cramped being cooped up at home all the time. I tried tellin some close friends bout what’s goin on, but for the most part they ain’t seem to take it too well…”
“Rozalin…” Crim’s deep voice rumbled as he spoke softly, trying to comfort her.
“It’s ok. I mean I get it I guess. This ain’t exactly something I expected to get cheered on about, but folk could at least be happy for me.” Rozalin gripped her spoon in a tight fist and mashed the contents of her bowl in an effort to vent her frustration, “Every time I tell someone new they jump to conclusions thinkin I must have been taken advantage of by you. Fuckin pisses me off!”
Crim clenched his jaw. It wasn’t an unreasonable assumption given the history between the Alliance and the Horde, but still, it was hard not to feel at least a little offended, “They’re probably just looking out for you, making sure it really was your choice.”
“Well it was, so they can all grow the fuck up. I’m a grownup and I can make my own decisions! Ain’t nothin wrong with havin a kid with the best guy I know.” Rozalin pouted. Her fists started trembling and her eyes started tearing up.
“Rozalin…” Crim said again, “You don’t have to argue with anyone here. Let’s take this time to enjoy eachother’s company. I’ve missed you.”
Rozalin sniffled and pursed her lips, “I missed you too big guy…”
“Now eat up.” Crim resumed devouring his bowl of stew. He quickly polished it off and filled it again, “We need to meet with Nack early tomorrow to pick up the crib before he has to go down to the docks to handle orders for the day.”
“Right.” Rozalin took a deep breath to steady herself and she slowly started eating again.
“How has your Orcish been coming along?” Crim asked, changing the subject.
Rozalin snorted, “Not good. Word hard understand. No sense.” She responded in broken, heavily accented Orcish.
Crim grinned and shook his head, “I can send you more letters. I’m sure you don’t get much chance to practice outside of that.”
“What?” Rozalin swapped back to Common, “Say that again. That was too fast.”
“I was just saying that I can write to you more so you have more chances to practice.” Crim followed suit.
Rozalin furrowed her brow and sideyed Crim, “You’re makin fun of me…”
“No, I’m happy that you’re making an effort to learn my language. These things take lots of time and practice.” Crim reached a hand across the table, palm upturned. Rozalin placed her hand on top of his and held onto as many fingers as hers could wrap around, “When you’re ready I’ll find a time for you to meet my mother.”
“Is your ma gonna like me, do you think?” Rozalin asked, “I’m not sure I wanna if this is just gonna be a repeat of me tellin my pals.”
Crim grunted, “She may not fully understand my reasons, but I’ve been interested in human culture for years. I told her that you have no interest in fighting for the Alliance and about your record in the ring and she seemed satisfied.”
“If you say so.” Rozalin said, still unconvinced.
Crim studied her for a moment, “Did something happen since last time we met? You seem very preoccupied. And it’s not like you to be so pessimistic about this sort of thing.”
“It’s nothing.” Rozalin averted her gaze and stuffed her mouth with stew.
“Well now I know it’s not.” Crim raised an eyebrow, “What happened?” He said softly, “I don’t want to see you sulking like this.”
Rozalin poked at her stew for a while and sighed. There wasn’t much use hiding now. Crim could always tell when there was something bothering her. It was nice having someone who understood her, but it was also really infuriating sometimes, “I was in Stormwind the other day and bumped into someone.”
“Oh?” Crim cocked his head, “Who was it?”
“Atley.” Rozalin said bluntly, “He put the pieces together. Also he says hi.”
Crim tensed up and his eyes got serious, “Did he give you any trouble.”
“Not really.” Rozalin took her hand out from Crim’s and pushed her bowl away from herself, “Just talked a lot of smack bout me makin friends with the enemy and all that crap. Kept sayin stuff bout how me and the baby ‘won’t never be safe’ as long as we stick around.”
Crim’s eyes flashed. For a second it almost looked like they started to glow.
“He swore it wasn’t a threat, but it sure as fel sounded like one.” Rozalin grumbled
Crim made a rumbling noise in the back of his throat, “Sir Atley doesn’t strike me as the type to raise his hand against a mother and her child regardless of who they might be.”
“I guess. But I doubt he’d be too broken up about it if somethin happened.” Rozalin crossed her arms and scowled off in the distance, “I’m not sure who all I can even count on anymore. I gotta know someone who I know would back me up if things got that ugly…” Rozalin’s scowl gradually contorted into a frown.
“If it comes to that, I’m sure there are plenty of mercenaries here who would do it for a price.” The air started to get charged with static. Crim’s tone was calm but he was clearly holding himself back right now.
At that Rozalin’s expression shifted back to being tense and guilty, “Big guy, you don’t gotta go so far out of the way for me… I’ll handle it, I promise.”
“This isn’t just about you.” Crim raised his voice slightly. It wasn’t much, but with how composed he usually was even a small shift spoke volumes, “And even if it was, I will not allow others to mistreat you!”
Rozalin hung her head. There it was. Her breath grew shaky, like she was holding back tears.
“Rozalin…” Crim caught on right away, “What’s wrong? I want to protect you. To protect our family.”
“That’s what he said too…” Roz mumbled.
“Who?”
Rozalin looked back up, her eyes shimmering now, “Atley. Said this ain’t just about me. I wanted to stay in Westfall to be closer to my folks and my home and all that, but…” Her lip quivered.
“And I don’t fault you for it. Of course I wish I could be closer, but you have a home. A real home. That’s something that so many of my people can only dream of. I would never even think of taking that from you.” Crim sat up straighter and furrowed his brow as he tried to comfort her.
Rozalin huffed, “But I have you now! I’m just being selfish by staying…”
“Don’t say that.” Crim reached across the table and took her hands.
“But it’s true! You’re so good to me, and I’m not even letting you get to be a part of my life.” Rozalin was really struggling to keep it together now, “I should just get rid of it all, pack up, and go to Kalimdor already. No one even has my back anyway!”
Crim gave Rozalin a stern look, “You and I both know that’s not true. And no one said you needed to leave forever. The Alliance and Horde are going to have to work together to defeat Deathwing. We won’t stay at war forever.”
“If I’m not using my farm, then what good is it? There’s people starving out in Westfall. Are you saying I’m supposed to just let it waste away? Perfectly good farmland?” Rozalin hounded him.
“Then rent it out. You can come back when you’re ready.” Crim suggested.
Rozalin growled, “Then why not just give it away at that point? Chargin people money just to use land they ain’t even get to call their own? What kind of deal is that?”
“Rozalin.” Crim tried to ease her, “We’ll be seeing Nack tomorrow. We can talk to him and see if he has any ideas. For now let’s just calm down and enjoy this time while we can.”
Rozalin sighed, “Fine. You’re right…” She sniffled and rubbed her eyes with her hands, “Can we go outside and take a walk? I need some fresh air, and I’m tired of being inside all the time.”
Crim grunted in amusement. Rozalin wanted to talk a leisurely stroll through a goblin city crawling with pirates in the middle of the night, not to mention the winter chill. “We can. Let me get my things ready. And make sure you bring a coat too.”
“Ok, mom.” Rozalin snickered. She put away the things from dinner while Crim gathered up his armor and weapons.
Once they were both finished Crim helped Rozalin into her coat and the two headed out the door. Rozalin clung to Crim’s arm, making their relationship very clear to anyone who might pass by.
Crim smiled at her as they began to make their way down the narrow walkways together.
“What?” Roz jabbed, quite literally, with her elbow, “What are you lookin at?”
“Nothing.” He fixed his gaze forward now, but his smile only got wider. Rozalin had so much spirit. Crim was a little surprised he hadn’t fallen for her earlier, “I’m just glad I get to see you.”
Rozalin went red immediately, “Shut upppp!” She shoved Crim fruitlessly, “I just wanna go for a walk. Why are you turnin on the charm for?” Rozalin whined, but the way she started holding tighter onto Crim’s arm betrayed how she really felt.
Early the next morning the couple found themselves in Nack’s office. After they exchanged a quick greeting, Nack retreated into the storage room in the back.
“Alright, here’s the goods.” Nack came back out wheeling a wood and leather crib on a low cart, “The tuskarr have been working hard to recover economically from the war in Northrend, so I’ve been getting some good deals up there. Passing the savings on to you guys.”
Rozalin scoffed, “Could have fooled me. Crim told me how much you were chargin for it.” She snickered, clearly joking.
“Hey, you’re lucky I’m still taking care of you after you go and get knocked up like this.” Nack fired right back, “Between the fights and having a connection in Cobalt Company I was making moves for real.”
Crim adjusted to sit further out on his seat, “We appreciate your generosity.” He tried to smooth things over and stay on track.
“Nothing generous about it. I’m turning a decent profit on all your business.” Nack patted the frame of the crib, “Well, why don’t you check it out?”
Rozalin got up and took a look, feeling the sturdiness of the construction, “Looks perfect.” She flashed a quick wink to Crim, “After all, who knows how big this kid is gonna get.”
Crim grunted, “That doesn’t look like it will travel well on a gryphon. Do you have any shipping options ready to take it to Westfall?”
“What are you talking about? It folds up.” Nack fiddled with a few ties and pegs quickly and the whole thing folded into a neat, flat piece.
Rozalin’s jaw dropped, “Hey, look at that. This is great!” She smiled at Nack and gave him an affectionate slap on the back, “You’re the best, Nack.”
“Hands to yourself toots.” He sideyed Roz and readjusted his jacket, “Anything else I can do for you?” He whipped out a comb and started fixing his hair.
“Nah, I think that’s all.” Rozalin said, “I gotta figure out better how I’m settin up the nursery before we get anything else. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Nack clapped his hands together, “Works for me. Pleasure doing business with you.”
“Hold on.” Crim stood, “Rozalin had one last thing to ask you about.” He looked over to her and raised an eyebrow.
“Crim…” Rozalin whined.
Nack’s eyes darted between the two, “What the heck is this about? I don’t got all day ya know.”
“We were talking yesterday about the logistics of renting out Rozalin’s fields in case she wanted to take some time away from Westfall.” Crim explained.
Nack’s eyes flitted to Rozalin. It was her land after all.
“Well… It was just a thought. I feel like it’s selfish and wasteful to just hoard the land if I ain’t using it.” Rozalin clarified.
“Well what’s the idea behind this all anyway? What’s your goal?” Nack pulled out a notebook and a pen.
“I mean I want to stay at home, but with… ya know.” She gestured at Crim, “People ain’t exactly gonna be too welcomin and understandin I don’t think.” Her voice got a little shaky but she kept herself together, “This is my parents’ old farm and I wanna be there and I wanna keep it, but I just don’t know if I can. I can’t be so far away from Crim all the time. Can you help me?” Her eyes got big.
Nack, unbothered by the puppy dog eyes, scribbled a few things down and then looked back up at the couple, “Help you with what? It sounds like Ragefang here’s got the right idea. Just rent out the land if you don’t got time to use it. It isn't a waste if it’s producing. Doesn’t matter much by who if that’s your concern.”
“B-but I mean if I’m not usin it, then why even hang onto it? I don’t wanna just hoard things. It’s hard enough out there as it is.” Rozalin pouted.
Nack snickered, “You know there are some days I sorta envy people like you. Things really aren’t as simple as you’re making it sound. Owning land is a lot of work. I’m sure you know that already.”
“Well yeah…” Rozalin crossed her arms, getting a touch defensive, “What about it?”
“Well if you don’t get a good harvest, what do you gotta do? You still have all that land to maintain.” Nack questioned her.
Rozalin winced at the thought, “I don’t even want to think about that… I wouldn’t be able to afford tools or repairs. Fel, I might even need new seed if it was really bad…”
“There’s your answer. You think some folk down on their luck are gonna want to gamble on something like that? Westfall doesn’t exactly have a stellar record for crops after the Defias, and with the Cataclysm ongoing, who do you think wants to take that kind of risk on an investment?”
Rozalin wanted to retort, but she wasn’t sure how. She looked back at Crim who simply nodded in Nack’s direction. “W-well what are you sayin then?”
“I’m saying that it’s a good deal. If you rent it out then you turn a little profit no matter what and the renters get a chance to get back on their feet for just a bit of gold on the front end.” Nack explained, “Unless they really botch the job they should at least break even by the end.”
“Really?” Rozalin said doubtfully.
Nack nodded and shuffled through his drawer for a calculator, “You better believe it.” He looked up at Crim quickly, “That mean you’re interested in that property out in Ratchet now? Renting or buying?”
Crim raised a hand, “We can talk about it later. Rozalin needs to decide first.”
“Suit yourself.” Nack shrugged and set his calculating device down on the desk, “So that sound like a plan to you? I can give you some numbers quick on the house for being such a good business partner.”
“O-ok… wait how much are we talking?” Rozalin scooted closer to Nack and looked over his shoulder.
“How many acres of farmland do you got?” Nack asked. Rozalin answered and Nack punched a long series of numbers into his calculator in a flash. He jotted down a few things in his notebook and showed them to Roz, “Well this is a more competitive price. This is about what I’d charge assuming I trusted the tennents. But since I know you get a bit charity case about Westfall these days, this is the absolute minimum I’d charge so you don’t lose anything on the deal. Of course factoring in any animals you got plus some other variables that’s gonna change, but a quote like that is gonna cost you.”
Rozalin blinked, “Oh, really? I mean that’s not bad, but… that for sure ain’t enough to support me for a whole year. And fighting is out of the question until the baby has a year or two on em…”
Crim grunted in thought, “Wait… a charity. That’s it. Rozalin, you could run a charity.”
Nack raised an eyebrow, “Not a bad idea.”
“A charity?” Rozalin coughed, feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing, “I mean… What would I even do?”
“You could make clothes for people in Westfall who can’t afford their own perhaps.” Crim suggested, “You’re a great tailor. I’ve seen some of the things you’ve made.”
Rozalin stumbled back into her seat. This was all a lot to take in, “But… I don’t know the first thing about running something like this… Where do I get the money for supplies? How do I support myself with this?”
“You get the money from donors. You got friends with some real deep pockets, so I’m hoping that won’t be a big issue.” Nack said, closing his notebook and putting his calculator away, “And a charity isn’t all free. You still gotta make a living, people understand that. You’ll get paid, you just put all the profit back into whatever your cause is.” He walked over to the coat rack and threw on his jacket, “Basically you’re just not ever getting rich off of it, you’ll be able to take care of yourself no problem, though.”
“I…” Rozalin was still a bit stunned by the suddenness of it all, “I’m not sure what to think…”
Nack put on a simple cap and stood near the door, “You can think about it later. I got an appointment at the docks and you’re gonna make me late. If you decide you like the idea we can talk more later. I already got the trade connections, so I can handle the bookkeeping end for a small fee if that’s what you need.”
“Nack, I…” Rozalin was at a loss for words. Crim placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a little rub, “Thank you…”
“Thank me later, now scram.” Nack whipped open the door and ushered the couple out. Without another word he was off to the docks. Rozalin just stood there in a daze for a moment. It wasn’t until Crim broke the silence that she moved again.
“It’s something to think about. I don’t think you should make this sort of choice lightly, but if you truly feel you can afford some distance from your home then this is a way to do it.” Crim kept massaging her shoulder.
Rozalin looked up at him, misty eyed, “Crim…”
“We don’t need to dwell on it any longer today. It’s your choice and I’ll support you no matter what path you take.” Crim leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, “For now let’s go and get some lunch.”
Rozalin closed her eyes and let the moment sink in for a while. She wrapped her arms around Crim’s neck and held on tight. After a minute or two she finally drew back and nodded, “Yeah. There’s another good place I need to show you yet.” Rozalin sniffled, trying to shake all the emotions she was feeling. Upending her whole life, even if only temporarily, wasn’t something to take lightly. “Come on. Let’s go.” Rozalin grabbed Crim’s giant hand in both of hers and started dragging him down to the market.