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Guild fic: The Problem with Drinking to Forget
So I'm not sure who to blame for this. Probably my own deranged imagination, to be honest. So! Once upon a time, there was guild fic, called Diplomacy. Then ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mel_redcap went and wrote a sequel: Melevil and Caleanon Play With Allies.
I kinda had to follow that up, you see. And thus we have
The Problem with Drinking to Forget
It was a quiet day in the Drag, with bustle outside down to a low roar. Eshun sat tinkering in Krael's shop of leather goods, his back to the doorway as was his wont, given he was much more comfortable placing his finished goods for sale at the auction house, rather than taking commissions.
One only needs a few disasters to learn that particular lesson, and Eshun Brightstrike had never considered himself a slow learner.
He heard the light footsteps of someone (several someones?) entering, but he had a particularly difficult bit of gearing to place, and if he didn't manage to wedge it in juuust right then it would be -
"You!" a rich tenor snarled, the Thalassian accent stunning in the heart of Orgrimmar. It didn't even pause as Eshun sprang to his feet, the Light rippling into a shield 'round him. He turned to the faint "pamf!" of Krael disappearing into the shadows -
not that it seemed to matter to either the rather furious looking hunter or his vaguely amused death knight companion. The reddish crab sitting idly by, clacking its claws in a rather dispirited fashion, at least didn't seem to care one way or another. "Are you the paladin known as Eshun?"
Sweet. Light. Eshun swallowed, fighting to maintain the calm that Krael had insisted was necessary when he – oh! Yes! They were expecting -! He took another deep breath, reinforced the shield, and gave the gravest, solemnest bow of a nod he could summon. "I am, though if you are here about questions regarding mechanical squirrels, you should know that I've absolutely no idea how to craft such trinkets." Sweet Light, please let them believe this! he chanted in his mind, praying that the blush crossing his face wasn't too visible.
"I – What? Why would- What on Azeroth could - "
"What I think my friend is trying to say," the death knight jumped in, "is that if you are the Eshun we're looking for, we have a delivery to make."
"A... delivery?" That didn't seem horrid, and if they had ill will, then surely they wouldn't be going about it this way? He let the shield surrounding him fade away, taking the opportunity to compose himself. "Of what?"
The hunter snorted, stomping about the shop with a jangle of mail. Eshun was used to Krael's sneaky ways, and he suspected he was the only one to see her barely a pace behind the strangely furious blond. She did not have her weapons drawn, and he suspected that if she thought they were a threat, the hunter would already be dead.
"Of dwarven dark ale."
… what? "Excuse me, m'lady?" he asked blankly, and it was strangely not reassuring that she had a small smile on her face.
The death knight shifted from foot to foot, crossing her arms loosely while.... grinning. It was a remarkably Krael-like grin. "Were you in Booty Bay several months ago?"
Sweet Light, Krael had stepped out of the shadows to drape an elbow on the hunter's shoulder, making the poor man jump and curse. Her tusks were bared in the same uncanny grin. "Yeeees," she purred, sidling right along with her arm-rest so they both ended up several paces to the left. He, however – and quite understandably – was giving her an expression of slowly dawning horror.
It usually took her at least half a mark to get that reaction from most Sin'dorei.
It was quite unsettling that the death knight's grin, while smaller, was... really rather similar. "Did you happen to make the acquaintance of a human warrior named Amelorune?"
"What?" he asked again, valiantly trying to ignore Krael's cackling. A human, of all things? Booty Bay was crawling with – well, all sorts of riff-raff, and one random -
Oh dear, why did this sound ominously familiar? He tried to stifle the sense of doom that was starting to make his magical senses tingle, the shield practically begging to spring back into being.
"Amelorune, perhaps just 'Mel'. About this tall, dark auburn ponytail and blue eyes?"
"That... sounds uncomfortably familiar...." But why could he not place it, where had he -
"And a fondness for braids!" Krael finally sniggered, letting go of the hunter to double over and slap her knee in hilarity.
Oh. Oh. "Oh, sweet Light!" he groaned, plonking his face down into his hands. That, he remembered. He'd certainly tried to drink away the recollection after the horrendous fact, but -
The Braid Madwoman, he did in fact recall. Soon after his... unfortunate venture into the crafting of mechanical squirrels, with a nicely heavy purse and totally soiled spirit, given what had happened, Krael had dragged him from his despondence to Booty Bay.
And to think that Krael alone molested his hair – what she and That Woman had done with a few drinks in them!
It had taken weeks to get the curl out of his hair. Not to mention the beer and peanuts out of his armor, but that was more easily remedied.
Wait. "What? Why would That Woman have – oh Light, is she here?!" He looked around – not frantically, no, more like cautiously, since if any mad humans were liable to enter into the heart of Ogrimmar itself, it would be just his luck that it'd be that one!
The death knight chuckled and shook her head. "No. We had the privilege to party with her and several friends of hers last week -"
"And the only way to get rid of her was to promise to bring you this!" The hunter snorted and tossed a large wineskin onto Eshun's table – thankfully missing the assorted parts of his latest project! "There. Enjoy your dwarven dark, and excuse me, I have to go now." The hunter gave his death knight companion a long suffering look. "Mel, I'll be back at the inn -"
"Oh, no no no!" Krael was cackling again. It was something about the look to her eyes, that the blood elf was far too familiar with.
Oh no.
"You're going to sit down, and tell us all about it!" The orc had a huge grin on her face as she tried to maneuver the hunter over towards Eshun's bench – the hunter, at least, was wise enough to dig in his heels and look over -
Oh dear. The death knight was looking on in amusement and settling herself quite comfortably on the spare bench.
"And then after you tell us about this, maybe we can go out for some drinks and – Hey!"
It was an abuse of the Light, it really was, but desperate times did indeed call for desperate measures. He'd brought a shield up around Krael and given the bubble a firm shove towards the far wall, sending it skidding a few precious feet away.
"Humph! You'd think proposing a mad Orgimmar orgy wasn't something everyone would like!"
In the fraction of a second it took the hunter to stare at Krael, Eshun had backed away almost to the door. "Run," he declared softly, his eyes never leaving the leering orc whose far too mischivious eyes were dancing back and forth between the male sindorei.
The hunter, of course, took it entirely the wrong way. He glared over at Eshun, making the fateful mistake of looking away from a rogue. "What? Are you threatening - "
"I shall be running left," Eshun broke in, "if you head right, she can only chase one of us, though I must advise that you are new and thus possibly more attractive." The hunter gaped at him, but his head snapped back at the "pamph" of Krael disappearing and the bubble popping.
It's really not fair, Eshun sighed in his head even as he was turning and heading as close to full speed towards the door as one clad partially in mail gear could, what magic is it that allows rogues to be dancing on a card table and then pull shadows to them to hide in? He'd seen it, too. It had to be magic. Whatever the answer, he knew it was only a matter of time before Krael pounced, and probably did something involving braids or something lewder, and while he had no reason to wish the hunter ill he really would rather it be someone else to fall to Krael's wiles than he!
The hunter hesitated a single moment longer than he, then made two small gestures. The first stunned Eshun by bringing a vivid red arrow into being, bobbing gently over empty air – that started cursing with Krael's voice in some language the paladin didn't quite recognize.
Eshun was already at the doorway – only a step ahead of the rapidly accelerating hunter – as the second gesture had the crab lunging forward to snag – yes, that was Krael crashing to the ground, informing the crab that while she liked them grabby, not like that -
And by this point Eshun was out of the building and racing left, building up as much speed as he could. If he was lucky, he could make it to the stables where his mount was, and then... perhaps a long vacation? He'd heard Thunder Bluff was lovely this time of year – well, any time of year, really, but -
The fact that he could hear the death knight laughing and good natured flirty sounds from Krael even over the thunder of his boots did not reassure him in the least.
He and the hunter were probably doomed. He sighed and poured on the speed. If they were lucky, maybe they could escape to Booty Bay and get very, very, safely drunk before Krael and her new friend caught up – no, wait, why did that sound like something Krael would like?
~end
mel_redcap went and wrote a sequel: Melevil and Caleanon Play With Allies. I kinda had to follow that up, you see. And thus we have
The Problem with Drinking to Forget
It was a quiet day in the Drag, with bustle outside down to a low roar. Eshun sat tinkering in Krael's shop of leather goods, his back to the doorway as was his wont, given he was much more comfortable placing his finished goods for sale at the auction house, rather than taking commissions.
One only needs a few disasters to learn that particular lesson, and Eshun Brightstrike had never considered himself a slow learner.
He heard the light footsteps of someone (several someones?) entering, but he had a particularly difficult bit of gearing to place, and if he didn't manage to wedge it in juuust right then it would be -
"You!" a rich tenor snarled, the Thalassian accent stunning in the heart of Orgrimmar. It didn't even pause as Eshun sprang to his feet, the Light rippling into a shield 'round him. He turned to the faint "pamf!" of Krael disappearing into the shadows -
not that it seemed to matter to either the rather furious looking hunter or his vaguely amused death knight companion. The reddish crab sitting idly by, clacking its claws in a rather dispirited fashion, at least didn't seem to care one way or another. "Are you the paladin known as Eshun?"
Sweet. Light. Eshun swallowed, fighting to maintain the calm that Krael had insisted was necessary when he – oh! Yes! They were expecting -! He took another deep breath, reinforced the shield, and gave the gravest, solemnest bow of a nod he could summon. "I am, though if you are here about questions regarding mechanical squirrels, you should know that I've absolutely no idea how to craft such trinkets." Sweet Light, please let them believe this! he chanted in his mind, praying that the blush crossing his face wasn't too visible.
"I – What? Why would- What on Azeroth could - "
"What I think my friend is trying to say," the death knight jumped in, "is that if you are the Eshun we're looking for, we have a delivery to make."
"A... delivery?" That didn't seem horrid, and if they had ill will, then surely they wouldn't be going about it this way? He let the shield surrounding him fade away, taking the opportunity to compose himself. "Of what?"
The hunter snorted, stomping about the shop with a jangle of mail. Eshun was used to Krael's sneaky ways, and he suspected he was the only one to see her barely a pace behind the strangely furious blond. She did not have her weapons drawn, and he suspected that if she thought they were a threat, the hunter would already be dead.
"Of dwarven dark ale."
… what? "Excuse me, m'lady?" he asked blankly, and it was strangely not reassuring that she had a small smile on her face.
The death knight shifted from foot to foot, crossing her arms loosely while.... grinning. It was a remarkably Krael-like grin. "Were you in Booty Bay several months ago?"
Sweet Light, Krael had stepped out of the shadows to drape an elbow on the hunter's shoulder, making the poor man jump and curse. Her tusks were bared in the same uncanny grin. "Yeeees," she purred, sidling right along with her arm-rest so they both ended up several paces to the left. He, however – and quite understandably – was giving her an expression of slowly dawning horror.
It usually took her at least half a mark to get that reaction from most Sin'dorei.
It was quite unsettling that the death knight's grin, while smaller, was... really rather similar. "Did you happen to make the acquaintance of a human warrior named Amelorune?"
"What?" he asked again, valiantly trying to ignore Krael's cackling. A human, of all things? Booty Bay was crawling with – well, all sorts of riff-raff, and one random -
Oh dear, why did this sound ominously familiar? He tried to stifle the sense of doom that was starting to make his magical senses tingle, the shield practically begging to spring back into being.
"Amelorune, perhaps just 'Mel'. About this tall, dark auburn ponytail and blue eyes?"
"That... sounds uncomfortably familiar...." But why could he not place it, where had he -
"And a fondness for braids!" Krael finally sniggered, letting go of the hunter to double over and slap her knee in hilarity.
Oh. Oh. "Oh, sweet Light!" he groaned, plonking his face down into his hands. That, he remembered. He'd certainly tried to drink away the recollection after the horrendous fact, but -
The Braid Madwoman, he did in fact recall. Soon after his... unfortunate venture into the crafting of mechanical squirrels, with a nicely heavy purse and totally soiled spirit, given what had happened, Krael had dragged him from his despondence to Booty Bay.
And to think that Krael alone molested his hair – what she and That Woman had done with a few drinks in them!
It had taken weeks to get the curl out of his hair. Not to mention the beer and peanuts out of his armor, but that was more easily remedied.
Wait. "What? Why would That Woman have – oh Light, is she here?!" He looked around – not frantically, no, more like cautiously, since if any mad humans were liable to enter into the heart of Ogrimmar itself, it would be just his luck that it'd be that one!
The death knight chuckled and shook her head. "No. We had the privilege to party with her and several friends of hers last week -"
"And the only way to get rid of her was to promise to bring you this!" The hunter snorted and tossed a large wineskin onto Eshun's table – thankfully missing the assorted parts of his latest project! "There. Enjoy your dwarven dark, and excuse me, I have to go now." The hunter gave his death knight companion a long suffering look. "Mel, I'll be back at the inn -"
"Oh, no no no!" Krael was cackling again. It was something about the look to her eyes, that the blood elf was far too familiar with.
Oh no.
"You're going to sit down, and tell us all about it!" The orc had a huge grin on her face as she tried to maneuver the hunter over towards Eshun's bench – the hunter, at least, was wise enough to dig in his heels and look over -
Oh dear. The death knight was looking on in amusement and settling herself quite comfortably on the spare bench.
"And then after you tell us about this, maybe we can go out for some drinks and – Hey!"
It was an abuse of the Light, it really was, but desperate times did indeed call for desperate measures. He'd brought a shield up around Krael and given the bubble a firm shove towards the far wall, sending it skidding a few precious feet away.
"Humph! You'd think proposing a mad Orgimmar orgy wasn't something everyone would like!"
In the fraction of a second it took the hunter to stare at Krael, Eshun had backed away almost to the door. "Run," he declared softly, his eyes never leaving the leering orc whose far too mischivious eyes were dancing back and forth between the male sindorei.
The hunter, of course, took it entirely the wrong way. He glared over at Eshun, making the fateful mistake of looking away from a rogue. "What? Are you threatening - "
"I shall be running left," Eshun broke in, "if you head right, she can only chase one of us, though I must advise that you are new and thus possibly more attractive." The hunter gaped at him, but his head snapped back at the "pamph" of Krael disappearing and the bubble popping.
It's really not fair, Eshun sighed in his head even as he was turning and heading as close to full speed towards the door as one clad partially in mail gear could, what magic is it that allows rogues to be dancing on a card table and then pull shadows to them to hide in? He'd seen it, too. It had to be magic. Whatever the answer, he knew it was only a matter of time before Krael pounced, and probably did something involving braids or something lewder, and while he had no reason to wish the hunter ill he really would rather it be someone else to fall to Krael's wiles than he!
The hunter hesitated a single moment longer than he, then made two small gestures. The first stunned Eshun by bringing a vivid red arrow into being, bobbing gently over empty air – that started cursing with Krael's voice in some language the paladin didn't quite recognize.
Eshun was already at the doorway – only a step ahead of the rapidly accelerating hunter – as the second gesture had the crab lunging forward to snag – yes, that was Krael crashing to the ground, informing the crab that while she liked them grabby, not like that -
And by this point Eshun was out of the building and racing left, building up as much speed as he could. If he was lucky, he could make it to the stables where his mount was, and then... perhaps a long vacation? He'd heard Thunder Bluff was lovely this time of year – well, any time of year, really, but -
The fact that he could hear the death knight laughing and good natured flirty sounds from Krael even over the thunder of his boots did not reassure him in the least.
He and the hunter were probably doomed. He sighed and poured on the speed. If they were lucky, maybe they could escape to Booty Bay and get very, very, safely drunk before Krael and her new friend caught up – no, wait, why did that sound like something Krael would like?
~end