(2025-06-10) A Chat on the Beach

Details

Author:	Mishell
Summary:	Supply Officer Janice Mattingly interviews a Worgen naval lieutenant during a beach picnic of jerky and dried fruit at the infamous, beleaguered stronghold of Northwatch in the Barrens. Somewhat main plot adjacent/supplementary. 2233 words, no warnings.
Rating:	T for Teen

Chain: Northwatch

The towers and walls of Northwatch are still holding under a bright blue summer sky, despite the constant harrying of the Horde. The past few days have been relatively peaceful and encouraging, with the new ships in dock delivering supplies and, more importantly, fresh marines to bolster the dwindling forces at this infamous fortification.

On the shore near the docked Achillea, the Northwatch Expeditionary Unit's redheaded supply officer, Janice Mattingly, sits on a large blanket spread out on the sand under the shade of a cluster of palms that have miraculously kept most of their fronds through several bombardments.

She has a basket of food next to her, and two tin plates with basic utensils set out. It might almost be called a picnic, if not for her grave expression and her NEU uniform, as crisp as though it were newly issued. She appears to be awaiting someone for lunch, but perhaps a Business Lunch.

It is difficult to not notice the tall worgen man making his way over to the picnic. He is wearing an Alliance marine officer's uniform that is a little worse for wear given the use it's gotten, but it's been well taken care of all things considered. "Excuse me. Might you be Janice Mattingly?" The worgen asks in a low, rumbling voice, "I am Lieutenant Eulysses Reeve. I believe you wanted to speak with me."

"Yes, I remember you," Janice says, standing and dusting her hands off on her thighs before reaching out for a handshake. Her brown eyes are almost too intent, as though she's daring him to break eye contact. "Pleasure to officially meet you. I know things have been a bit of a madhouse since you arrived, but I thought we could take long enough for a proper lunch while I hear what I'm sure must be an interesting story. I've a keen interest in good stories, and most of the ones hereabouts are tragedies. Yours seems like it might be inspiring, and I could use some inspiration right now." That said, she resumes her seat and begins distributing food onto both plates. It's dried fruit, bread, and jerky, along with canteens of water, but she's apparently at least trying for an air of normality on this tiny pocket of not-currently-under-attack shoreline.

Eulysses chuckles a bit, "Inspirational you say? I'm not sure I've ever heard my life described in such a fashion." He takes a seat across from Janice, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss."

"Very polite," she notes. "May I ask about your upbringing?" She arranges her food on her plate just so, the bread providing a buffer between the fruit and the jerky. "Myself, I'm a military brat. My father is fairly well known in the Stormwind military, and he raised me by himself."

"My family were among the most prominent merchants in Gilneas. My sister was set to inherit the family business, so I joined the marines." Eulysses explains, "Something of a tradition among the younger siblings of the Reeves. So I am not unused to this sort of rustic atmosphere."

"Do you have a nickname?" she asks. "Or do you always use all three syllables? Janice is usually short enough for most, but if not, some people call me Jan."

"Just Reeve is fine. I've hardly ever gone by Eulysses. It's a common name in my family." He answers.

"All right then, Reeve," Janice says. She finishes arranging her food and looks up at him with that intent gaze. "I'm going to level with you. Under another name, I have published a few articles about military life in various newspapers back in the Eastern Kingdoms. I'd like to write something about you, and about worgen in the military in general, if that would be all right with you. I'm happy to keep your name out of it if you like, and you're free not to tell me anything that you wouldn't want to appear even anonymously. But I think it's useful for everyday people to know what goes on in the military, and I think it would be useful for everyday people to see a picture of a worgen serving with distinction. There are still people who picture the lot of you eating sheep and giving people fleas, and I've known too many good worgen to stand for that kind of ignorance."

Eulysses pauses and raises an eyebrow, "I appreciate the effort you are going through to share our narrative. I suppose I should also be honored to be held as a model example." His ears flick and his nose twitches a little, "Very well. I'll answer whatever questions you have. And there's not need for anonymity. I'm quite open about who and what I am."

"Excellent," Janice says. "So I assume you were in the military before the worgen curse? Even if so, there must have been a bit of an interruption in your career."

Eulysses nods, "That is correct. After the worgen outbreak I wandered around the wilderness in a crazed state for several years. It wasn't until the night elves offered their aid that we regained our senses."

"Do you remember anything from that time?" Though her voice has softened a bit as though in sympathy, her gaze is still direct, almost piercing. "Or is it just vague impressions? Your mind must have been very different during those years."

Eulysses growls in thought, "It's sort of a haze. Everything was clouded by rage and hunger. The beast is still inside. I'm not quite the same now as I once was, but with the help of the night elves and their druids we were able to tame it."

Janice pops a dried apple slice into her mouth, chews it thoughtfully, and washes it down with a sip from her canteen before continuing. "So once the kaldorei brought you back to yourself, did you immediately enlist in the military again? Did you retain your former rank, or did you have to start again at the bottom?"

"Oh, I suppose I should clarify before we continue. I joined the rebellion during the civil war. After we were defeated I didn't have much of anything in terms of an official rank." He explains, "And besides, most of the fleet was destroyed in the cataclysm and what survived was destroyed by the Forsaken. I think most of us have had to start from scratch."

Janice's eyes narrow with intense interest. "Fascinating," she says. "All right, give me just a moment." She pulls a small leatherbound journal out of the basket the food was in and jots a few notes into it. She also tears off a small piece of jerky to eat while she writes, her manners neat and civilized despite the roughness of the cuisine. When she's finished writing, she looks back up at Reeve. "So there you were, with all this military experience behind you, being treated as though you were a wet-eared boot. Was that difficult for you? Where did you end up reenlisting? How were you treated?"

"I must admit, being relegated to being a lieutenant after having been the marine captain of the Gilnean flagship as well as a first officer for a short time during the civil war was somewhat disheartening, but I do not feel that desicion was made out of malice." Reeve finally goes to grab a piece of food. He tries to eat it in a refined way, but instinct kicks in and he scarfs the whole thing down in one gulp. He adjusts by trying to cut his food into smaller pieces, "I happened upon an acquaintance of Admiral Fallon while I was visiting Ironforge one day. I was informed that experienced sailors were in short supply, so I wrote to the admiral. We met briefly to discuss where I might best serve and he gave me the post I have now. It may not be much, but it has been made quite clear if I continue to prove my dependability better opportunities will open themselves."

"Oh, so not starting back at the very bottom," she clarifies, scratching something out in her journal. "But still, definitely a downgrade from captain of a flagship. Light, that must have stung. Admiral Fallon… he's the Kul Tiran, right? The one recently raised to the House of Nobles. Do you think there was sympathy there for a fellow immigrant? Or was it something else that motivated him to help you along your way?"

"That perhaps was part of it." Reeve considers, "It seemed to me, though, that he was in need of skilled men and I fit the description. He himself did not seem terribly concerned with my condition, though he did, naturally, have to consider how others might respond to it."

"Did you encounter any difficulties in that regard?" she asks. "Did you have to endure any abuse, verbal or otherwise, from those who outranked you? I imagine those under you in the chain of command knew better at least, if they were trained properly. Any reservations they had, I'd imagine they kept to themselves." One ruddy brow quirks upward inquisitively, though, as though she isn't fully prepared to put a period on the end of that sentence.

"Fortunately no." Reeve gobbles up another bit of food, "I was placed into a newer outfit with lots of draenei, so I'm not the only outsider. A wise decision on the admiral's part, in my opinion."

"The draenei seem to be generally open-minded as a species," Janice remarks. "I did a little article about them when they were new to the military as well, and that was a common thread I found among them." She makes a few more notes and eats a few more tidy bites. Then she studies Reeve, tapping the non-writing end of her pen against her lower lip in thought. "I'll ask directly - do you think being a worgen affects your military service or capability in any way, and if so, how?"

Reeve lets out a low rumble and adjusts in his seat, "Now there's a complicated question. I feel inclined to say that it's made me a more effective soldier. Like this I'm stronger, faster, my senses are sharper, my instincts keener." He pauses, "But it has strengthened by baser urges as well. Even if I've grown better at sniffing out danger, I fear that my ability to plan has suffered somewhat. I don't have any real evidence to suggest that, but… it is a thought that nags at me at times…"

"I appreciate your honesty," Janice says, still studying him. After a moment she says, "Forgive my audacity but I am after information after all… I notice that you've stayed in your worgen form, even for conversation, where strength and reflexes and so on aren't really required. Are you unable to change forms at will?"

"I am, but it's tiresome to do in my opinion." Reeves sniffs absently, "It takes a certain amount of concentration to remain in human form. This feels far more natural to me now. It's who I am, so I feel no reason to hide it."

"I can appreciate that," she says. "I can't imagine what it would be like to go through such a dramatic body transformation, myself. The most I ever do is constantly change my hair." She tucks a strand of it behind her ear; it's on its way toward chin-length at the moment. "Do you have any other family or friends who also became worgen? And if so do they feel the same as you do about it, or differently?"

Reeve nods, "My older sister turned as well. Our parents… regrettably didn't make it." He pauses to give a moment of silence for them, "But I wouldn't go as far at to speak for her. She does adopt her human form most of the time, but she at least isn't put off by being a worgen."

"It makes sense that there would be a range of reactions to the change," Janice says. "I think it's important that people understand that. To see that each person who was turned is an individual person. Was, and still is. Is there anything else you wish people understood about worgen? Anything you'd particularly like me to include in my article whenever I find time to write it in between crises here?" She gives him a wry half-smile.

"I think you've already summed it up best. We each have our own feelings towards what we've become. I'm fortunate that this has made me a stronger soldier, but others might not feel the same way. Each individual has their own feelings toward it." He nods.

"I appreciate your willingness to open up to me about this," Janice says. "If there's ever anything I can do for you, either as a writer or as a supply officer, you'll let me know, won't you? In the meantime, let's just enjoy a rare moment of calm while we can. Things will get bloody here again soon enough." Having seen his apparent appetite, she adds more food to his plate, and then settles in to eat in amiable silence, her gaze drifting out to sea.

"Of course. Do not hesitate to call on myself either. I am happy to serve." Reeve inclines his head and munches on his food while he joins Janice in enjoying their view of the sea.