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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Maisha and Arric meet up in the Cenarion Wildlands, where they discuss differences in culture, romance, and plans for the upcoming gala. ~3900 words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
The Cenarion Wildlands are just as lush and growing as they've been for the past months. Maisha wanders in through the foliage with her usual raptor Bael as a companion. This place is familiar to her now, after many visits, and she doesn't hesitate to make her way to the usual little pool, where she and Arric usually talk. She looks around for a familiar red-headed human and tiny red raptor.
The raptor appears first, running like lightning across the lush wildflowers to slam her head into the older raptor leg in greeting. Jogging behind her, slightly out of breath, is Arric.
"Tides," he says. "How did she smell - or hear - you from so far away? We were out hunting, and suddenly she took off like a shot. I thought there was something behind us about to eat us alive."
Bael makes a kind of chirping sound that gives an impression of amusement, and kneels over as if to headbutt the little one back.
"Raptors are keen, aren't they?" Maisha says with a grin. "Must've got the scent of a friend on the wind. How're things? Still plantin' seeds and such out here?"
"We have moved on to diplomatic overtures to the local Centaur tribes," he says. He runs a hand back through his hair and sighs. "Their diplomacy usually involves bloodshed of some kind." He takes a seat on the edge of the pool, and watches Rica as she frolics around her older friend. She is considerably larger than the last time Masha saw her.
"Centaurs," Maisha says, raising her eyebrows. "I've no' heard good things o' them, but I admit I've no' had much contact. Bloody diplomacy? Sounds a bit worse than th' Wildhammer variety. Hope ye've been keepin' safe."
"Yes, for the most part, they are no match for Cobalt Company mercenaries," he says proudly. "And it's nice to get a little bit more target practice. Planting seeds and watching wildlife flourish is satisfying, but it's not going to earn me any medals. What have you been doing since Wyrmrest? "
"Oh, I've been mostly in Stormwind," Maisha says, waving a hand. "Nothin' ta earn any medals myself. D'ye think the Alliance will be impressed with centaurs? Are ye bringin' 'em over as allies?"
"As I understand it, the plan is to get them to unite against a local demon cult." He smooths his hair down from where he rumpled it earlier and stretches his legs out, crossing one fine leather boot over the other at the ankle. "We're making progress, but we still have one tribe – I mean, clan - to speak to and try to get to cooperate."
"Oh, ye've got to speak to 'em one by one," Maisha nods knowingly. "Tha' does remind me o' what the Alliance had ta do up in the Highlands with the Wildhammers. All those clans an' they don't always get along — ye got to talk ta each one separate an' win 'em over. It'll be a skill that translates, I bet, even if no' so many other peoples are quite like centaurs."
Arric brightens at the prospect of making future use of his current assignment. He glances over at Rica, who gives him a little chirp and runs over to lean against his leg. She is very affectionate with legs today. He gently scratches the top of her head, and her bright blue eyes half close.
"Have you checked your mail lately?" Arctic says, with the air of one happily changing the subject away from work. "It seems that more or less all of Cobalt Company has been invited to a gala at the Fallon estate. "
"Oh, aye, I saw that!" Maisha says, brightening. Bael side-eyes her. "I'm no' usually one fer fancy parties, but this is ta celebrate us, right? I mean, an' the people who actually killed the dragon wi' their own hands, but we helped."
"We did indeed," Arric says. "But this matter has drawn attention to an area in which I have been unfortunately negligent. I have lived here for more than a year now, and I have made not a single one of the sort of connections that would acquire me an appropriate date to such an occasion. Every young lady I have met has either despised me at first sight, or has already attached herself to another gentleman. It seems that no one in Stormwind can abide being unattached for long. I hate to miss the ball, I know that it would be a wonderful time to catch up with my dear friend Lady Sintha, but I can't abide the thought of going alone, and asking her is entirely out of the question. She hasn't gone to a social event with a date for as long as I've known her. I believe she likes to present herself as eternally available, for whatever reason." He shrugs. "I will confess to not understanding the ways of women very well."
"Oh, d'ye think it's that sort o' ball? I've not made those sorts of connections m'self, either," Maisha says, looking at Arric with concern. "Reckon I could ask Donnall to go with me, but he's my brother. That's not exactly the sort o' connection yer talking about."
Arric laughs. "I did speak with your brother, briefly, and while I found him absolutely charming, I do suspect that his presence at an event of this nature might be… somewhat disruptive. Furthermore, I believe he might be miserable in such company." He chuckles again, good naturedly, and then his pale blue eyes light up with an idea. "I suppose we could go together," he says brightly. "We could even dress to match one another and flatter both of our complexions." This elicits another whole-hearted laugh.
Maisha raises a hand to her own red hair and chuckles. "You know, at that, we do look a pair, don't we? D'ye think they'd let us bring Bael and Rica? Probably not, aye?"
Rica chirps at the sound of her name. Arric gives her a scratch on the head. "I suppose we could make an entrance outdoors with both of them in tow, for maximum effect, but we will likely have to stable them somewhere before we go indoors. I will ask Lord Fallon himself and see what he proposes."
Maisha nods seriously. "He had stables, I recall that. Might be he wouldn't mind keepin' raptors in them. Surely people bring all sorts of creatures — rams and horses and frostsabers, wouldn't you think? Raptors would no' be so out of place." Maisha pauses, and then explains, "I've visited th' Fallons once, wi' a group of friends, and stayed fer dinner. We'd done some investigative work the Lord was interested in."
"Investigative work?" He seems suddenly intensely interested. "Is it anything you can tell me about? Or was it extremely… What is the word people use… Confidential? Classified! That's the word. Was it classified?"
"Oh, probably no' anymore," Maisha says, shaking her head. "There was two mysteries Fallon was interested in. One was up around Hillsbrad, after a cargo ship tha' went missin'. The other was here actually, down by th' coast, tryin' ta figure out why the naga were all active. Turns out they were after Neptulon an' the Plane of Water, which… ye know from the Cobalt letters how that came out."
"Oh, do remind me of the details!" He says. "I'm sure it will be much more interesting hearing it from someone who was there."
"Ah, well, we found out they were lookin' for information on how ta get inta the Plane of Water, because they wanted to kill Neptulon and I reckon take his power," Maisha says, warming to the subject. "Then we'd have naga in control o' the seas, and who knows if we'd even be able to boat anywhere ever again! But the Cobalt folk, they went all the way down to the bottom of the sea, an' they defended Neptulon from the naga an' their… uh, their kraken. The naga had a kraken, too, an' it was corrupted by an Old God, an'… I think the kraken's alright now. So aye, Neptulon's safe an' the kraken's safe an' the naga are not in charge o' the seas."
"Well, thank goodness the kraken is safe!" Arric laughs brightly. "I am required to say that, as a son of Kul Tiras, but the truth is I find the very idea of a kraken terrifying. Did you see it yourself?"
Maisha shakes her head. "I was just investigating the naga by the coast. I did get ta magically transform into a naga, though. That was cool. Those li'l tails they have, they put out a lot o' swimmin' power — don't think I've ever swam so fast before."
"Fascinating!" He says, his eyes sparkling. "Did you instinctively know how to use the tail, or was there a learning curve?"
"It felt pretty natural," Maisha says with a grin. "I don't know what it's like fer druids or other folk who change shape a lot. There was a bit of a moment like, whoa, is this what the world looks like to all the tall folk? But then the six arms an' the tail jus' sort of felt like they were my body, ye know? I am glad I didn't get stuck like that, though. I'd rather be a ginger dwarf."
"Sometimes I envy the druids," Arric admits. "Imagine if I could be a raptor, for even an hour. I could learn so much about what Rica needs, and feels…" His eyes go a bit wistful as he gazes down at his little friend. Not as far down as he used to gaze; she's growing fast. She gazes back up at him with adoring bright blue eyes, and he scritches the crown of her head the way she seems to like.
"Aye, it would be a hell of a thing," Maisha says, a faint dreaminess coming into her own expression. "An' could you imagine bein' a gryphon an' soaring through the air on yer own wings?" Then she laughs, and shakes her head. "Anyway, if ye'd like to go to the gala together, though, I think that'd be fine? Ye'd have to tell me what color yer wearin', so we can be a proper pair fer it."
"I usually go with grays and blues," he says. He leans in to get a better look at her eyes. "But it's more important that your dress flatter your coloring; I can just wear a gray suit with a few accents of whatever color brings out your eyes and so forth."
Maisha's eyes are a stormy gray as she looks up to meet his gaze. "I reckon whatever I wear, I'll look like a gryphon rider in a dress. Oh, are tattoos allowed? They're mostly under my armor, but if I'm in a dress — they're blue. So I suppose a blue would bring 'em out, or… or I could wear long sleeves if that's not done."
"Hmmmm." Arric considers. "May I see one? If you can show the color without, er, unduly exposing yourself, that is. I forget sometimes that some have other colors to consider besides hair and eyes!"
"Oh, I reckon I could, aye," Maisha says, and sets about taking off her armored top. "I'm not naked under, don't ye worry — I've a shirt on. They're mostly on my arms, light blue banding. It's no' as extensive as some o' my clan. I could probably cover 'em easily with sleeves, but… it'll be late June, so…"
Arric turns away politely even though there is no nakedness involved, erring on the side of gemblemans.
"Yes, and it can be quite difficult to find a style of sleeved gown that doesn't look like it was designed for a doddering dowager," he opines.
"There we are," Maisha says, inviting Arric to look back. She's wearing a thin, white-linen shirt, likely to improve the comfort of the mail armor. She's pulled the light sleeves up to her shoulders to show the sky-blue tribal banding that runs up her arms. She says almost apologetically, "It's no' a scandal in the Hinterlands — loads of people get them."
Arric stares a moment. "Those are… extensive!" he says. "Like a Kul Tiran sailor! Even the woman sailors get them that large sometimes. And they aren't shy about showing them off. Well it just so happens that your tattoos are nearly the color of my eyes, and so having us both look our best should be no difficulty whatsoever. Simply find a dress in the color of your tattoos, and I shall get my tie made in the same fabric."
"Alright then," Maisha says, with a pleased smile. "I was worried folk'd look at me like I was some kind o' savage, all marked up. But they really are traditional with the Wildhammers. An' with the Kul Tirans? Does that mean — have ye got tattoos yerself, too?"
Arric laughs. "First of all, I was no sailor, even in Kul Tiras. Second of all, I do not relish the idea of spending hours being stabbed with an ink-covered needle. Perhaps most importantly, I don't think it's common among Stormwind gentlemen, which is what I aim to be."
"It does hurt a bit," Maisha admits. "An' ye got to take care of it after. I didn't have all this done in one go — that would've been awful. I've not seen many Stormwind noblemen topless, which I guess is another statement on what noblemen tend ta do, but I've no' heard 'em talkin' about tattoos much, fer sure."
Arric laughs delightedly. "Do Wildhammer men run about topless a great deal?"
"Oh, aye, that for certain," Maisha says with a laugh. "Ye got ta show off yer muscles an' yer markings, aye? An' Wildhammer men do like ta show off, always lookin' fer an excuse. Ye might say, 'hey there, lad, I'm no' sure how takin' yer shirt off's gonna help ye with doin' dishes' but they'll do what they do, whate'er ye say."
"Well it certainly makes things interesting, I imagine! If you're the sort who finds male forms attractive. I know many women who do not, and for them it must be quite tedious." He does not know many lesbians. He knows one lesbian. But I guess his unilaterally appointed bestie is kind of worth many women, to him.
"I think it depends on the male form," Maisha says, considering. "But aye, it can be nice. E'en if yer not with a guy, if he's showin' off, there's no harm in enjoyin' the view. I do find male forms attractive, on the whole, if that's what yer askin'. It might be tedious fer other fellas, too, if they don't find 'em so. Though maybe they're busy comparin' muscles or some such."
Arric laughs. Then he leans in and lowers his voice. "When I was in school, I fooled around a bit with boys - it's fairly common in school really. But I didn't seem to enjoy looking or relaxing together after the way some of the other lads did. But a pretty woman with a nice figure, and I must exert my formidable willpower not to stare. So I suppose that sorts that out."
"Oh, aye, that's a good way to sort it out," Maisha nods agreeably. "At an age where everyone's figuring themselves out, jus' give things a go and see how it sets. An' even if a thing is fun it might no' be yer preference. I've been wi' girls before, m'self, but I do like the looks of a fella. I didn't realize tha's how things were in human cultures, too — sort o' thought they were a bit more uptight about things."
"Well, it's not discussed in noble society - that's gauche - but in private people do as they like. And then they decide, and in Kul Tiras virtually all nobles marry someone to have children of blood with, even if their true lover is of the same sex. It is interesting to me that in Stormwind there are so many same-sex marriages, even among nobility. With so much war I would think people would be more concerned with lost bloodlines, but all cultures are different I suppose."
Maisha considers. "Might be because o' all the war? If folks are losin' daughters an' sons, and they want to build bridges between their clans — uh, Houses, I mean — they might no' always have a boy-girl match up with th' right families. Tha' or maybe they do more love matches."
"Mm, possible," Arric says. He sighs. "I've always dreamed of a love match, but even as a second son, even with my brother and sister having children already, it is my primary - really my only responsibility, to produce more Falreveres. But given the complete lack of romantic interest in me by every woman I have met, I must either marry a friend, like Lady Kennelly perhaps, if she comes into money somehow… or throw off my responsibilities entirely and do as my passions will me."
Maisha looks at Arric curiously, listening to this glimpse of another culture. "I don't think my ma would mind at all if I didn't make any little Cloudskimmers. Our clan's right big, an' she didn't marry any of the fathers. Most of my siblings are half. I don't reckon I have any responsibility to the family, except that I want ta make 'em proud." She pauses. "So it's not enough ta have kids, they have ta be kids with a rich noblewoman?"
"Less so for a second son. But my father might frown upon someone who had anything undesirable in their bloodline. That is another concern about Lady Kennely, actually, being a worgen. I have no idea what my father might make of that. But someone of common blood who had demonstrated great character and accomplishment might also be acceptable, especially if she was young and wanted children."
"I guess it's a bit scary, havin' ta guess what yer father would like," Maisha says, nodding. "But maybe ye have a good idea? An' who knows, maybe by the time you find a suitable lady, ye'll be able to talk ta him again."
Arric looks wistful. "I do miss my family," he says, "but it has been nice to have a long break from my father's voice. Perhaps if I bring him a suitable daughter in law, his tone will change. But return to Kul Tiras is by no means a certainty. They bear quite a grudge against the Alliance."
"So did Gilneas, aye?" Maisha says in a reassuring tone. "And they came back in, no more Wall. An' e'en the Wildhammers, we weren't all for the Alliance for a while. It's rough there's naught we can do about it, but maybe Kul Tiras an' the Alliance will come around someday. An' then ye can introduce yer new lady an' yer dad will celebrate."
Arric smiles dreamily. "That sounds lovely, and new women do come of age every year, but I've gotten so old now… I suppose there are always widows, but that is a terrible thing to wish for. It is truly a conundrum."
"I'll keep an eye out for accomplished ladies at the gala," Maisha says with a conspiratorial smile. "I might not know what particular looks yer after, but I can help as a first pass."
"Well, it's embarrassing to admit and sounds vain, but I'm rather drawn to redheads. Aside from that, I have admired a wide variety of beauties, so I do not think looks should be a concern so long as they are not truly repulsive."
"Alright," Maisha says, raising a hand to push back her own red hair. "Redheads in particular, but if I meet a real spectacular brunette or blonde some such, I'll point 'er out." She pauses. "Have ye ever met Nala Webster? She's no' a redhead, but a friend o' mine. Speakin' o' introducing single ladies, I could point ye at her and Anni. Anni's from Westfall, though, an' she's got a chip on 'er shoulder about nobles."
Arric snorts lightly. "I've had more than enough of that sort," he says decisively. "So I will pass on your Anni. I've met Miss Webster, and we got along well, though I detected no signs of… interest. She's lovely, though, and I wouldn't object to knowing her better."
"She's a good sort," Maisha nods. "They both are, an' May, but she's married with a baby now. But who knows who'll turn up at the gala? I'll help ye cast a net, an' we'll catch ye a lady sooner or later!"
"I deeply appreciate your support," Arric says. "If I can ever repay you in any way, do let me know."
"Your friendship is plenty payment enough," Maisha says, smiling at him warmly. "An' takin' me to a fancy gala. I bet we'll have a grand time."
Arric grins and grabs Maisha's hand, planting an enthusiastic kiss there. "I've no doubt of it." Then he drops her hand and says, "Though I will need to spend at least some of the time monitoring my elocution pupil and helping her out of trouble, so I hope you will enjoy time with her as well. I think you will enjoy her. You do like wild animals, yes?" He laughs.
Maisha raises her eyebrows, but nods. "She keeps wild pets as well?"
"She is a wild pet," Arric says with obvious annoyance. "She was raised in alleys like a cat and now she is more comfortable in various animal forms than her native one. She is a challenge, though, which I enjoy."
"Huh, an' ye're teachin' her elocution?" Maisha's eyebrows rise higher. "I can see how ye might need ta keep an eye out, aye. I can help with that, make sure she doesn't eat any o' the houseplants."
Arric laughs. "Much appreciated. She does have quite the appetite. And very little in the way of self control. She can obey if given firm orders, but it seems to have to come from outside, and she must be motivated."
"How d'ye motivate her?" Maisha asks curiously. "There a particular treat she likes?"
"Carrots," he says decisively. "No idea why, but she's mad for them. Vegetables of any kind, which seems odd for a worgen, but especially carrots. They're like candy would be to a child. I have to lock mine away. Also, praise."
"Carrots — literal carrots for the carrot," Maisha says with a laugh. "I'll bring some cut up in pieces, so she can have little treats if she behaves. The praise I'm sure'll be easy." Maisha does seem like the sort who lavishes praise on her animal companions.
"For you, yes. I have to be sparing with it so she doesn't start giving me eyes. And suggestions. Unruly little beast."
"Ach, well, I don't expect she'll be giving me any eyes, except o' the 'why's this dwarf givin' me carrots?' variety," Maisha says with a smile. "Maybe I can do the praise, so she won't scare off any o' yer potential ladies."
"Sounds like a perfect plan!" Arric says. "I think we shall have… well… a ball!"