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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Thalstan writes back to Oranna, with some observations about stories and Pandaria, as well as news from Outland. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Chain: Orastan
Oranna,
I’m always happy to hear news from you, middling or good, but the bad makes me wish I knew how to use that Dream place to meet a person. I’m not sure what exactly that would help, except I could give you a hug and assure you out loud that things once broken can be mended. Even statues, I’d wager. And then we could set off some fireworks, there in the Emerald Dream, for joy and not for rescue. But I’m no druid, so paper and ink will have to do the trick for now.
It’s great news that you’ve found Ian! Even if he did then run off like a stray cat who smells milk elsewhere, now you know he’s well and not in any trouble he didn’t choose himself. I don’t know how humans manage their important people. Brann certainly does disappear regularly, but that’s the Explorer’s League way, and he’s an adult after all. I hear little Dag II toddles around Ironforge, but he’s got a minder, of course. For 5-17 years old, I suppose Ian’s somewhere between the two. If only you could get a minder on him, you could rest easier, but aye, I don’t think you can chase him.
The statue sounds amazing, maybe even more grand than Madoran and Khardros! And you met the serpent herself! Whatever else came after, that is such a story – a mysterious pandaren child transforming into a magnificent creature after she finds you worthy. Just like a fairytale, it teaches you that all the grunting and the lowly work is worth it, because it shows what you’re made of. And your team seems to be made of the good stuff.
The rest of it is a tragedy, aye, but not one of your making and not the end of the story. It’s a shame they held the battle next to the statue, though it makes me wonder if it may have been the sha’s doing. I’ve not encountered the sha yet, so I’m still a bit shaky on the causes and effects. Whether the rise in emotion for battle drew it or it drew the rise in emotion for battle. But if the sha was already there, lurking, maybe it was the one who chose the place and our people just played to its tune.
I can just imagine you and your folk fighting your way through the sha, recovering the wounded. Sir Atley the Red leading the way with his thunderous sword, Vindicator Erixa cutting a swath through at his side, Bran everywhere at once with his bonking staff, Befound and Shine darting to and fro with quick claws and knives, and you there behind, breathing slow and making each shot count. I know it probably felt more dire and less heroic, but I expect those whose lives you saved saw the heroism.
As for the soju, it was a thought, but I can see it would mean a very different thing to you than it might to your average pandaren. If you’d like to tell me the story of what it means sometime, I’ll be here for it – but if not, it can stay unsaid. Maybe your cat knew what was best, or maybe she was just being a cat. Either way, maybe the bottle itself served a purpose as a distraction, and that’s enough.
Speaking of Befound, do you think she wants kittens? I admit I’ve not kept an animal companion before, but I know some folk do look forward to a time with kittens and others don’t. I don’t know whether or not it's the same for large cats. It’d be a shame to lose her in the field for a while, but my ma always said waiting for the perfect time was another word for ‘never’.
The Blade’s mission is going well. We’ve been working at the Tempest Keep, where a bunch of elves have grabbed some space again to get a world-exploding engine running with the ley lines or some such. Don’t worry about it, though, we’ve been making steady progress in stopping them. Art’s a proper genius when it comes to arcane machines, so we’ve got exactly the right person to dismantle the things they’ve mantled.
As for the rest of the team… I worry a bit that Ves might get a crush on their leader fellow, but I don’t think she’d be swayed by their rhetoric even so. She thought the san’layn was hot, but she still helped kill him. Zaara seems maybe a little less haunted, now that we’re not fighting orcs direct, but I can tell she still feels deeply for Outland. Tadget, of course, remains our knife-wielder extraordinaire, much like your Shine. Maybe a little different in personality, sounds like, but skilled and efficient all the same, cutting our path through to victory.
I think our idea for the 7th Legion is to try to stick together, for those of us who want to make the transition. Tadget knows the ropes, so she could help us figure things out as we get started. I reckon we’d have new team members, too, since an expeditionary unit is seven, but we’ll see. We’ve been together so long, I’d hate to lose anyone. But still, I think we’ve built ties that will last, so we’ll keep in touch one way or another. In any case, this is all speculation for the future, after we’ve successfully wrapped up this Outland mission.
Maybe after that happens, I can take a little time to come to Pandaria before whatever comes next. The place sounds a wonder, even with the horrors. By then, maybe it’ll be time for some happier fireworks. And if not, there’ll be room for more helpers.
-Thalstan
P.S. You’ll be getting a package from the Thirsty Dragon. I’ll warn you in advance, it’s pear bread. I expect there’ll be more dwarven food coming, but my ma wanted to test out the supply lines first.
P.P.S. She did say some pandaren came into the pub, and that they had a lot of appreciation for the food and ambiance. If you like, I’m sure she could send more to share with your pandaren friends. I don’t know if jinyu like fruit desserts, but maybe them too.