(2025-04-29) Open Office Hours: Missing Persons

Details

Author:	Luridel
Summary:	Raschal and Alaisa handle Open Office Hours at Cobalt Company's HQ. Today's guests are Taeavon, Shun, and Hana. Shun has questions. Hana fills out an application. Taeavon accepts a new job. Raschal is on his best behavior. Alaisa has probably not been to the moon, but if she had, would she tell you?
Rating:	T for Teen

Shun cautiously makes his way into the building, looking around.

Alaisa sits at her desk in the back of the room, writing something.

[Raschal]: Hi! Welcome to Cobalt Company Headquarters! I'm Raschal. How can I help you? *This is clearly rehearsed, and there's a twinkle in his eye.*

Raschal's left ear turns back toward Shun.

[Shun]: Something about an open house?

[Raschal]: That's right! Welcome! If you have any questions, we would be happy to answer them!

Raschal winks slyly at Shun.

Shun grunts, "Sure. Suppose I should not be surprised to see you here."

Raschal reaches onto the barrel next to the one he's sitting on (why? There are like eight empty chairs) and carefully picks up a brochure, which he passes to Shun.

Shun takes it to start looking over.

[Raschal]: You should always be surprised to see me anywhere. I'm very good at not being seen!

The brochure is mostly a marketing thing - honor, glory, help the Alliance, get paid, etc etc. No real details.

[Shun]: Are you trying to be hidden right now?

[Raschal]: If you can see me to ask that, then I am not.

Raschal smiles at Shun.

[Shun]: Hmph. Fair enough.

Raschal laughs at Shun.

Alaisa says, "No," from across the room.

Shun turns his attention towards the voice.

[Raschal]: That's Ally.

[Alaisa]: I'm not trying to be hidden.

[Raschal]: She's busy. And very serious. But not hiding.

[Shun]: Duly noted.

Alaisa does not object to this description of her.

Shun flips the brochure over, furrowing his brow, "This is a bit light on details."

[Raschal]: Yeah. They told me to hand them out, though. Things go better when I do what they tell me and don't get too creative.

Shun shrugs. Who knows?

Raschal shrugs at Shun. Who knows?

[Raschal]: But I know more interesting details, of course. Just depends on what you're interested in.

[Shun]: Uniforms are not required are they…

[Raschal]: Some missions require you to wear a tabard. Not all, though.

Shun grunts.

[Raschal]: Also, if you're going to just approach random people and say "Hey, I'm with Cobalt Company, you need help?" then you're encouraged to wear a tabard. But mostly the pay structure keeps people from pretending to be us.

Shun sighs. "I see."

[Raschal]: I think you'd look very dashing in a blue tabard.

[Shun]: I beg to differ.

Raschal laughs at Shun.

[Raschal]: Wow, that's almost… unpatriotic of you.

[Raschal]: We wouldn't want anyone saying that you don't like wearing Alliance blue!

Raschal winks slyly at Shun.

[Shun]: Hmph.

Raschal chuckles at Shun.

[Raschal]: But yeah, some missions you don't have to wear it. They don't make me wear it usually.

[Raschal]: Usually though I'm just a courier for them.

[Shun]: I suppose that is… something.

Hana takes a few cautious steps down the stairs and peers into the room. "Am I interrupting anything?"

[Raschal]: And you know, there are some missions where maybe they don't exactly want — Oh hello there miss!

Shun flicks his gaze up as he catches movement coming down.

[Raschal]: Welcome to Cobalt Company Headquarters! I'm Raschal. How can I help you?

[Shun]: Not really interrupting anything, no. I am just interrogating Raschal.

Raschal's ears are turned back toward Hana even as he continues to face Shun.

Raschal laughs at Shun.

[Hana]: I'm interested in joining, actually. Is that something I can do here? Oh, sorry, can I come in?

[Raschal]: Yes, come in! I'll give you a brochure!

[Shun]: The brochure is useless.

[Alaisa]: I can provide you with an application.

[Hana]: Is it?

Raschal picks up a brochure and hands it out. It's just marketing fluff, zero useful information. But very pretty!

[Raschal]: I was told to hand them out to interested parties. You are an interested party. I have learned a great deal about things such as the letter and spirit of rules, since joining Cobalt Company.

Alaisa rolls her eyes.

[Hana]: It looks rather nice, but maybe if you add some bullet points here explaining more about the Company…

[Raschal]: I will pass along that information to my superiors! And with minimal added commentary!

Shun raises a brow.

[Raschal]: My commentary often goes unappreciated.

[Shun]: … Anyway. What sort of jobs will the Company take and not take?

[Raschal]: Cobalt Company is delighted to accept contracts of any job that aids the citizens of the Alliance!

Hana moves over to Ally. "You have an application?" She continues to half-listen to the other conversation.

[Raschal]: As you can imagine, this represents a wide variety of jobs.

[Alaisa]: I do, yes.

[Shun]: That is. Rather vague yes.

[Raschal]: Sometimes people need healing, sometimes people need… the opposite of that.

[Shun]: I am no healer.

Alaisa selects a blank one from a pile. "What's your name, miss?"

Hana holds out her hand to the other woman. "I'm Hana. You are?"

[Raschal]: Sometimes people need a missing person found, and sometimes that person is inside a silithid pod, being slowly digested over a matter of days.

[Shun]: …..

[Raschal]: People such as that are very delighted and grateful to have Cobalt Company show up.

[Shun]: I. See.

Alaisa reaches over the desk to shake Hana's hand. "Ally Lysander. I'm Cobalt Company's translator."

Raschal points a thumb toward himself.

[Raschal]: And said people might feel indebted enough to Cobalt Company to hand out useless brochures.

Shun just sort of stares for a moment or so before slowly nodding.

[Hana]: Oh, a translator! That's impressive! How many languages do you know?

Alaisa passes over the form and then a pencil from a can of pencils. "If you'd like to fill that out here, you're welcome to. Ah… quite a few."

[Raschal]: Captain Jocoza Sparkwire, savior of pre-digested elves, is a courageous, principled, and yet surprisingly flexible leader. I don't mean physically, though gnomes generally are.

Hana takes the form and a pencil. "Is it alright if I sit?"

Shun glances over his shoulder briefly before making a few subtle gestures at Raschal. [Friends-of-Manor? Or to watch]

[Raschal]: Please do!

[Alaisa]: Please, go right ahead.

[Alaisa]: If you have any questions, just ask.

Hana slides into a chair to work on her paperwork.

Raschal glances at Hana and signs [no] and then toward Ally and signs, somehow in all caps, [NO IDEA]

Alaisa glances over at Shun and Raschal and smiles mysteriously.

Raschal smiles back at her. Unmysteriously. Just like, happy!

[Hana]: Cobalt Blade is in Outland now, isn't it?

[Raschal]: That's right! Have you read the exciting illustrated novels by Elanor Steelbloom?

Shun eyes Ally for a moment with some level of scrutiny, then turns back to Raschal and adds [What about Blue-Group]

[Shun]: I… cannot say I have.

[Raschal]: We have a few copies of the first one lying about if you want to give it a try!

Raschal gestures toward a crate in the corner. It is indeed full of books.

Shun furrows his brow, "Do they give any further insight on the Company?"

Taeavon makes his way casually down the stairs.

[Hana]: I've been trying to keep up on those when I have time. I have a particular interest in Outland myself, so I'm glad to see Cobalt is still active out there.

Shun sharply glances up again as another enters.

Raschal much more subtly signs [grand master funds - founder knows]

Taeavon's gaze flits between the unfamiliar faces and he sort of freezes and continues down slowly.

Raschal turns his ears back toward Taeaveon. "Welcome to Cobalt Company Headquarters!" he says. "I'm Raschal. How can I help you?"

[Shun]: ….

[Shun]: I think he is one of you.

[Taeavon]: Oh, uh, hey. I'm Taeavon. I was just stopping in to check on new jobs and stuff.

Raschal's hands keep moving, and to Shun they can be read [lieutenants in dark, captain maybe]

[Taeavon]: Nice to meet you. *he blurts out after realizing he forgot to greet him properly.*

[Raschal]: New jobs! Let me find the list…

Hana smiles at Raschal. "That's some great customer service you have," she says.

Shun just nods.

Shun folds his arms over his chest as he thinks.

[Raschal]: It looks like there are some people headed out to Desolace soon to help the Cenarion Circle with something… also some work against the Horde in the Barrens…

[Taeavon]: Oh! The Cenarion Circle! That sounds promising.

[Raschal]: But here's the great thing about Cobalt Company! While you can always come here to check for jobs, they also reward initiative! Once you're a member, you can seek out work, using our name, and be paid promptly by the Company!

[Hana]: Oh, really?

[Shun]: That sounds promising.

[Raschal]: *Sounding vaguely memorized* Cobalt Company understands that their eyes cannot be everywhere, and that not everyone in need would think to come ask us for help. So we trust our people to keep our eyes out for trouble anywhere and everywhere in Alliance lands and volunteer to help!

Shun sighs, "But you need to wear the tabard to do so, hm?"

[Raschal]: That is preferred, yes. But our pay structure prevents fraud, and so it's not one hundred percent necessary.

[Hana]: Does that not extend to Outland then?

[Raschal]: You may find though if you go about wearing the tabard, people will approach you!

[Shun]: I usually do not want people approaching me.

[Raschal]: Alliance outposts in Outland are considered Alliance territory for the purposes of work.

Taeavon glances between Shun and Raschal.

[Raschal]: If anyone in our Alliance outposts on any world needs help, we're there to provide!

Hana makes a note in a notebook.

[Raschal]: Payment will come from Cobalt Company HQ directly, however, which is why impostors can't just claim to be us to get paid. *This sounds a bit less memorized.*

Shun lightly taps his fingers against his arm.

[Hana]: That must have happened a lot when the Company started to really get famous.

[Raschal]: Apparently the pay structure was in place from the beginning - the founders were weirdly prescient about their eventual notoriety.

Hana grins. "Confident? I like that."

[Raschal]: So in plain talk - you say "I'm with Cobalt Company, I'll help." You help them. They pay HQ. HQ pays you.

[Raschal]: I am obliged to say that Cobalt Company does take a percentage of the fee to cover marketing, supplies, health care for members, and so on.

[Taeavon]: Yeah, it's all pretty smooth working. Not much hassle to deal with on our end. *Taeavon clears his throat, hoping he wasn't speaking out of turn.*

Raschal beams at Taeavon.

Hana smiles encouragingly at Taeavon.

[Raschal]: See, and he's not even being paid to say that!

[Shun]: Or is he?

[Raschal]: How's the application going, miss? Don't be alarmed by the "next of kin" bit.

[Raschal]: Only one person that I know of has died while working for Cobalt Company. Permanently died, I mean.

[Raschal]: And that's in four years in some of the most dangerous places on Azeroth!

[Raschal]: And beyond! Because Outland.

Hana nods, her smile turning down a notch. "That is the risk of being a mercenary," she says. "My mother was one. Or is, I guess I don't know if she's dead."

Shun tilts his head, "Just one? That is… rather impressive if true."

Raschal's ears perk up. "Oh, she's missing? Maybe Cobalt Company could help!"

[Raschal]: They're very good at finding missing people, no matter how extremely difficult it may be to locate and extract them.

Raschal nods enthusiastically at Shun. "Yeah, only one that I know of, though I don't read every newsletter."

[Taeavon]: My dad used to be an adventurer. He's one of the big reasons I wanted to join.

[Raschal]: Wow, that's great! So you have an example to follow.

[Shun]: That so? He with the Company as well or…

[Hana]: That's what I was hoping! Or, at least, hoping for help with. She went missing in Outland, you see, so I've been trying to fund an expedition out there myself to see what happened to her.

[Raschal]: Oh, hold on, Miss, let me write this down to pass it on. What was your name again?

[Taeavon]: Yeah! *Tae beams* He was before Cobalt's time though. He sort of retired after I came along.

[Hana]: Hana Levesworth, sir!

Raschal hops up to go sit by the young lady.

Shun slowly nods.

Raschal grabs some paper and a pen. "Spell that out for me, I always get human names wrong."

Hana spells out her name for him.

[Shun]: How long have you been with them, then?

[Raschal]: See, I definitely would have put an a in your last name that did not belong. Very elfy of me.

[Hana]: It makes sense, I'm not sure why it doesn't have one.

[Taeavon]: Oh, like… A year I think? Maybe two? It's hard to keep track with everything going on. *he chuckles nervously*

[Raschal]: Hana Levesworth… mother… missing in Outland… expedition requested. *he writes as he talks*

Raschal chuckles at Tae's comment. "Every year in Azeroth feels like five these days, am I right?"

Hana blinks. "Oh, is it different in Outland? Wait, have you been there yourself?"

[Taeavon]: It really does doesn't it.

[Shun]: Hm. Yes. The past year has been rather… chaotic.

[Raschal]: I haven't been to Outland. Not sure about everyone else here. Pretty sure Ally has. Pretty sure Ally has been to the moon.

Hana turns in her seat to look at Ally. "Have you?"

[Shun]: … I hear the Outland is terrible to be in.

[Raschal]: It's all broken to pieces, right? I mean… worse than Azeroth?

[Alaisa]: Outland yes, moons, no.

[Raschal]: So she says. *Raschal gives an exaggerated wink.*

Hana giggles.

Raschal smiles at Levesworth.

[Raschal]: I like your giggle. You should put on your application that you have a high quality giggle.

[Hana]: I kind of feel like that wouldn't work in my favor the way you might think.

[Raschal]: Look, you never know when that sort of thing can be useful. For distraction, disarming, and so on, while other people do other things.

[Shun]: Alright. Another question then, if you do not mind.

Raschal turns his ears toward Shun.

[Taeavon]: O-oh, sure. Go right ahead.

Raschal turns one of his ears toward Taeavon.

[Shun]: Since you are, as Raschal says, not one paid to shill for the company. What are some of your frustrations with it? I have heard many positive things thus far. But no organization is infallible.

[Hana]: Ooh, good question!

[Taeavon]: O-oh, uh… I mean I haven't really had any complaints with the company per say… *Tae fidgets* I mean some people get a little weird about me being an elf and all, but the company has been good.

[Raschal]: Yeah, because he looks like a blood elf. Awkward!

[Raschal]: Fun fact: the founder really doesn't like blood elves.

[Shun]: But he does not have blood elf eyes.

[Hana]: That must be difficult. I'm sorry to hear it.

[Raschal]: But the Captain is friends with one!

[Taeavon]: Y-yeah…

[Alaisa]: Taeavon, would you be interested in looking for a missing person? We've an outstanding contract that none of our members have been able to complete.

[Raschal]: Wait what??

Raschal suddenly is full attention on Ally.

Hana peers at Ally again.

[Taeavon]: I have a sister who's a Blood Elf, but we don't really keep in touch much these days.

Raschal literally jumps over the back of his chair to go run over to Ally and sit near her.

[Alaisa]: Naiya Stardancer, last seen after the Third War. It's quite a long shot, due to the timeline and the lack of information we were provided.

[Raschal]: Quel'dorei?

Shun tilts his head.

[Taeavon]: Missing person? I could look into it I think.

[Alaisa]: Possibly Kal'dorei.

[Raschal]: Possibly? You don't know?

Shun looks to Ally, "What of you? Your gripes with the organization?"

[Raschal]: She's paid by them too, you know.

[Alaisa]: The woman who hired us gave us relatively little information, and I have not personally been on that assignment.

[Taeavon]: Y-yes. I can do it. *Tae says a bit more confidently.*

[Alaisa]: I'll get you the file.

[Raschal]: Oh that's great, Taeavon!

[Raschal]: I could hug you! Missing persons cases are so sad.

[Alaisa]: It would be terribly unprofessional of me to discuss my 'gripes with Cobalt Company'.

[Raschal]: … Can I hug you?

[Shun]: Hmph. Fair enough.

[Taeavon]: U-uhhh… No, that's alright. *He backs away from Raschal.*

Raschal laughs at Taeavon.

[Raschal]: I mean, that's why I asked.

Alaisa fetches a file from a filing cabinet to bring to Taeavon. There is alarmingly little information in it.

[Raschal]: Not gonna just go hugging some random person who doesn't like it.

[Raschal]: But my point stands that accepting this case is at least hug-worthy.

[Raschal]: If there is anything I can do to help, just let me know!

[Taeavon]: Oh yeah… There really isn't much to go on here… *He skims through the file.*

Raschal turns one of the smaller chairs around backwards and straddles it, his gaze darting between all the others in the room.

[Taeavon]: Takes me back to some of the things the Kirin Tor would have me do. Some of those guys were real good at covering their tracks.

[Raschal]: I bet!

Alaisa returns to her spot at the desk after locking the filing cabinet.

[Shun]: Alright. Perhaps this question would be more adequate. What are things a prospective initiate should know? Good or bad.

[Raschal]: Captain Sparkwire will always assume the best of you. Always.

[Shun]: … Is that… sarcasm?

[Alaisa]: It is not.

[Alaisa]: She will.

[Raschal]: Literally always.

Shun furrows his brow as if he isn't sure how to take this information.

[Raschal]: If she walks in and you are covered in blood and there are six dead bodies at your feet and you say "I didn't kill them," she will say, "Of course you didn't! Let's find out who did!"

[Shun]: …

[Raschal]: Unfortunately though she will find out, if it was you.

[Shun]: Right.

[Raschal]: And then she will be so sad, and you do not want to see her sad. It's the saddest.

[Alaisa]: Be honest during the interview when you're asked if there's any types of people you would refuse to work with. This isn't an outright disqualification, but it might affect who you get matched up with for jobs that require more than one person.

[Raschal]: Yeah sometimes they will make sure not to put warlocks with kaldorei who have demon trauma. And stuff.

[Shun]: Hm. Noted.

[Raschal]: Lt. Paluuva is a diplomat, which means it's impossible to tell if she actually likes you.

[Raschal]: Lt. Hazan makes amazing sandwiches. And he's smarter than he sounds.

[Alaisa]: And there are resources available - gear enhancements, potions, enchantments, inscriptions, cut gems - available to members.

[Raschal]: Lt. Ference was the founder and he sometimes still seems to forget he doesn't run the place. Also as I mentioned he really hates blood elves.

Taeavon Taeavon winces a bit.

[Hana]: Oh, I've heard of Lt. Hazan. Ralaea talks about him sometimes.

[Shun]: That one I did meet I believe.

[Raschal]: Decent guy. Not very huggable. But more huggable than his mom. Or aunt. Or whatever.

[Hana]: And Lt. Ference is on the House of Nobles right?

[Raschal]: Yeah, that's right! Pretty recent thing.

[Alaisa]: Correct.

Shun tilts his head.

[Raschal]: So he's not around in HQ as often as he used to be. He still comes by at least once a week though and goes through all the reports.

[Raschal]: Lt. Paluuva is also away often doing Diplomatic Things. Lt. Hazan or the captain herself are your best bet if you want to talk to leadership quick.

[Raschal]: Hopefully not to give unfavorable reviews of any customer service you may have received during an open house.

[Shun]: Is that an issue you have had?

[Raschal]: Not yet.

Raschal beams!

[Shun]: …Yet.

[Raschal]: The night's young.

[Alaisa]: He's saying 'don't complain about me'.

[Raschal]: I would never!

Raschal affects a wide eyed innocence.

[Hana]: Well I don't have anything to complain about so far.

[Alaisa]: And you've been doing very well today, Raschal.

[Raschal]: And don't listen to anything Ally says about me! It's all li– uh, except that, you can listen to that.

Raschal smiles.

[Raschal]: Miss Levesworth, when you're done with your application, I could run that straight to the Captain, and I could tell her while I'm there that Taeavon is interested in the missing person job.

[Raschal]: If that's okay.

[Raschal]: And I can also tell her about your missing person job, Miss Levesworth.

[Hana]: Oh, that would be great, thank you.

Hana stands up to hand off the application.

[Raschal]: Do you have any more specific info about where your mother was last seen there?

Raschal peers at Hana searchingly.

[Hana]: No, I don't. She went through the Dark Portal shortly after Cobalt Company did, when there still wasn't portal access to Outland.

[Raschal]: That makes it harder, but it's still worth trying. I have a missing person and I have been a missing person, so I'm very interested in these cases.

[Hana]: Oh, no you do? I'm sorry to hear it.

[Raschal]: My dad is only a missing person in the very strictest sense of the word. He lived in Auberdine and has uh, been "missing" since it… you know, sank into the sea. So.

[Shun]: …

[Raschal]: Probably not "missing".

[Alaisa]: Have you spoken to the Cobalt Aegis about him?

[Shun]: Cobalt Aegis?

[Raschal]: Nah. I mean… he couldn't even swim.

[Raschal]: It's pretty obvious what happened.

[Hana]: Well. I hope you find out for sure one way or another.

[Raschal]: That's really nice of you. You're a nice lady.

Raschal smiles at Hana.

[Alaisa]: We have a team of five working out of Kalimdor that was active in Auberdine. They're not the ones getting all the publicity.

Hana smiles back.

[Raschal]: And I'm sure Cobalt Company will do their absolute best to find your mom. Hey, I know one of the Cobalt Blade people, and they're out there right now! I'll send word.

[Shun]: I see.

[Hana]: Okay. Do you need anything else from me?

[Taeavon]: Well I think I'm gonna take a closer look at this and see what leads I can find. Maybe there's something out there I can trace. I think my old divination professor still remembers me.

[Raschal]: Hmmmm. Maybe write down your mom's name and appearance and stuff and I'll include that in my note.

[Raschal]: Oooh divination!

Raschal smiles at Taeavon.

[Raschal]: They used some of that finding me!

[Raschal]: Good idea.

[Taeavon]: See you guys later!

Raschal waves at Taeavon.

Shun grunts.

Hana scribbles something down in her notebook, then tears out the page. "Will this work?"

[Raschal]: Yeah, that works, thanks!

[Alaisa]: Do you have any more questions?

[Shun]: To my understanding, the company has grown quite a bit over the years. How do you ensure people stay in line? That there are no weak links ready to break?

Raschal arranges the papers he's preparing to take to people. He's surprisingly neat about it.

[Raschal]: They pretty much kick the weak links out.

[Alaisa]: Would you like a copy of the Code of Conduct?

[Raschal]: Oh you definitely need one of those, yeah.

[Shun]: If that is something that can be freely given.

[Alaisa]: Yes, it's a legal document.

[Raschal]: They'd paint it on the front of Stormwind Keep in letters a foot high if they could.

Alaisa fetches him one.

[Raschal]: If you break any of that, they will put you on probation, and then if you don't seem to straighten up, then, you're out.

Shun takes it and starts to read it over.

[Raschal]: At least, that's what I've seen.

[Hana]: I don't think I'll have any problems with the rules myself. I'm usually the one helping to enforce them.

[Raschal]: Good to know!

Raschal beams at Hana.

[Raschal]: They'll love you, I think.

[Shun]: I have no further questions.

[Shun]: Thank you for your time.

[Raschal]: Make the right choice, mister interested party!

[Raschal]: You won't regret it!

Raschal winks slyly at Shun.

[Hana]: Yes, thank you very much!

[Alaisa]: Would you like a copy of the application as well?

[Raschal]: Oh yeah, you definitely need one of those. You can drop it off here whenever you're done.

[Shun]: Hm. I suppose I can take one to go.

Raschal smiles at Shun.

Alaisa gives Shun a copy of the application to go.

[Raschal]: I'm going to dash off with my renowned courier speed to deliver these messages!

Shun takes it with a grunt. Once he's out the door, he just vanishes.