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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Slicket meets up with Natlee to discuss his latest problems. They form a plan to acquire cash and facilitate some redemption arcs. ~1300 words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Arc: Kalimdor Newbies
Cobalt Company's Ironforge HQ is quiet this afternoon, but not empty. A very small figure is pacing around the room, like there's just too much nervous energy packed into his tiny frame. Slicket's red mohawk bobs up and down as he steps heavily, and his hands are in his pockets. There's a sense of calculation in his eyes, focused on something distant. Probably gold.
Every so often, he glances at the stairs, each time with a flicker of hope in his expression.
Eventually, and probably much much later than he was expecting, another gnome comes tripping down the stairs, her platinum hair in two perfect pigtails and her stylish clothes in flattering shades of dusty rose and buttery yellow.
"OMT, Slick, sit down before you wear a rut in Captain Sparkwire's nice floor."
It's Ference who owns the building, but whatever, Natlee.
Slicket pauses in his tracks and turns to Natlee, his shoulders hunching a little like she caught him doing something questionable, like affixing an unauthorized seaforium booster to a rocket car engine.
"Heya Nat," Slicket says, flashing a quick smile. "I wasn't sure if — I mean, I knew you'd come, I just wasn't sure how late you'd be. Yeah, let's sit. Let's talk." He moves over towards the chairs, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "How're things? What's life like as the Cobalt Captain's stepdaughter and all that?"
Natlee sits and primps her pigtails. "It's whatever," she says, and gives a little flick of one four-fingered hand. "Let's not pretend you're not in some sort of trouble, okay? Forced small talk does not really go with your whole vibe."
"Yeah? I was trying to adapt to like — human civilization and all that," Slicket says, very seriously. "All the humans at the Raceway, they'd always derail the conversation into something about air temperature and wind speed, even when all you wanted to talk about was like, catalytic converters. But you're right, my vibe is way cooler than that, and I don't mean in terms of air temperature."
Slicket pauses to hoist himself into a chair, using the moment to cut of the babbling and try to refocus. "Right, so yeah. I'm in less trouble. That's an improvement, right?"
"Ohhh Slicket," Natlee singsongs, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. She doesn't follow it up with a lecture, though, so she must be ready to listen.
"It's not new trouble, at least," Slicket offers. "I'm still digging my way out of the last hole — turns out law moves really slowly. Anyway, I talked to some lawyers, and I got a settlement with the goblins on the whole debt thing. I don't have to pay the 'flight fee' they made up, and they capped the interest."
Slicket sits back in the chair, careful not to distubr his mohawk. "That's the good news. The bad news is I'm on the hook for the rest of it, even though the flood wasn't my fault. Either I cough up one experimental engine somehow, or I pay for it."
"Mkay, how much are we talking?" Natlee leans forward, her eyes going sharp.
Slicket names an amount. It's not an unreasonable amount for a Cobalt mercenary to make within a couple months, provided they were able to get continuous, high-risk work.
"And I have to pay it off before the end of the year," Slicket adds. "That's the terms. Not a problem, yeah? Except it's not the kind of cash I can make delivering packages for farmers in Elwynn. So… I have a plan, and that's where you come in. I hope."
"Okay, hit me with it." Natlee crosses her legs and leans back like a mob boss waiting a report on incoming "protection" money.
"Right, so I go back to the Raceway," Slicket starts immediately, and then adds a little reluctantly, "That is, we go back to the giant lake that used to be the Raceway. I heard Fizzle and Pozzik adapted, they've got some kind of racing barge now. I don't know about racing boats, but there's got to be danger and opportunity there. Besides, if my rocket car did somehow survive, maybe somebody scavenged it? Or we could scavenge it, the engine at least."
"That actually sounds like sort of… an actual plan!" Natlee says, her surprise evident in her voice. "Where there are goblins, there's money, and there's no reason we can't cut ourselves off a slice of whatever it is and look for that engine in the meantime." She pauses and twirls a pigtail around one hand, blinking wide blue eyes at him. "Um, I'll need you to be in charge of finding the engine though because I am not an engineer. I mean, like not even a little bit."
"Oh yeah, sure thing, babe," Slicket says, grinning and smoothing his gravity-defying mustache with one hand in reflection. "I'm kind of a vehicle specialist, myself — if I see that engine, I'll recognize it. No need to worry."
"I was thinking we might see if we can get more people to come along…" Slicket says, and then hurriedly adds, "Not the zookeeper, don't worry. Got that guy all tied up in Kalimdor wildlife missions."
"Good," Natlee says. "You know, I've been keeping an eye on him, and I heard he was going on some big war mission, and I thought, whew! Guy like that's gonna bite it for sure, right? But he didn't. Ugh. Anyway, so should we put up a note here or something letting people know what's up?"
"Huh, how do we make sure he doesn't answer it?" Slicket asks, tilting his head. "Maybe add a note that there's no animals involved? Wouldn't even be lying, I bet — an extreme transition like that, nature probably hasn't bounced back yet. And when it does, it'll be all salt-lake creatures."
"I'd say maybe, mention that good pay isn't guaranteed. He seems to have some money problems of his own right now. Also we don't want anyone who's gonna insist on a huge share, since the point is that we're trying to get you some money."
"Yeah, good point, yeah," Slicket nods. "So like… come do dangerous work in a flooded canyon, good pay not guaranteed." He pauses. "I am not sure how much of a draw that's gonna have. We could also personally ask some of our friends? Like Glyphe or Lhilhi or Halnar or Birdie."
"Definitely," says Natlee. "But also maybe some people who are really desperate for work. Like, doing redemption arcs or whatever." She scrunches up her face playfully. "Those types of people are usually verrrrry easy to work with. Because like, they want to prove to everyone how good they are."
"Ooh, good note, sort of like you turning over the priestess leaf," Slicket says, snapping his fingers. "So we're down to 'Come do dangerous work in a flooded, wildlifeless canyon — good pay not guaranteed, space available for the desperate and altruistic.' "
"You don't say desperate, you dingbat. Maybe I should write the notice." Natlee giggles.
Slicket considers that, and then nods. "Yeah, you're good with words, babe. I can draw a picture of a rocket boat, for added appeal. I mean, I've never seen one before, but I can extrapolate from rocket car data."
Natlee gives a little wave of her hand, rings flashing. "I'm sure no one else has seen one before either, so it's fine. I'll write the notice, and you can illustrate it when I'm done. Just don't go like overboard with it; they have to still be able to read it."
"Sure, yeah, I'll keep that in mind — enhance the text, don't obscure it," Slicket says, smiling with relief at Natlee. "I knew I could count on you, Nat. This is gonna be awesome. We get to see the new barge, make some cash, build a rep, maybe even facilitate some redemption arcs. What could possibly go wrong?"