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Both Sides Now	By : Firefall_Varuna Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 4996 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, races, characters, settings, or themes presented within. I do not make money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Authors Note: Sorry for the delay. I just moved into my first apartment and finally got my internet hooked up. ^_^
A huge Thank You to Baroark, KooriRoninHeart, and Rooietroll for the wonderful reviews! They're much appreciated! Your reviews really made my day!
Thanks once again to KooriRoninHeart for beta reading this for me.
Chapter 6 – Bend

The Razorfen was as quiet as a grave. The sun struggled to filter through the dense canes overhead, leaving the canyons dark and cavernous. The paths were dusty and colorless; everything in sight blending together into shades of gray and black.
In a few tunnels bats roosted on nearly every available surface overhead and the ground was thick with guano. Even in the paths without bats, the air was heavy with the stench of ammonia from their leavings. They were careful to avoid the worst paths where the ammonia could possibly reach dangerous levels.
While the undead could likely tolerate the toxic effects of the ammonia, the living could not. Their lungs, eyes, and mucous membranes would be irreparably burnt from breathing it in. Although they all agreed it would be a brilliant strategy if the Cult of the Damned had brought gas masks and hid in these tunnels, they wouldn't likely camp there.
Nothing living and only a handful of weak, mindless undead opposed them. The tunnels were otherwise devoid of life and movement. The structures built by the former Quillboar residents were abandoned and dark.
Una stuck close to Anaru and Hakander, gazing around curiously. She had heard of the Razorfen and read about it, but she had never thought she would see it. If this horrible place had been the Scourge's stronghold in Kalimdor, what was Northrend like? She shuddered at the thought.
A few men and elves muttered alarm as they passed under a large, dead cane hanging by a few woody fibers above their heads. It swayed and creaked ominously in the scant breath of air that made it this deep.
The men were uncharacteristically quiet, obdiently following Anaru and Hakander's orders without even their usual banter. The sting of their recent losses still weighed heavily on all their minds.
The Blood Knights were professional, but aloof. Aside from Esmea, who chatted readily with nearly everyone, very little conversation was made. They were here for a reason and once it was completed, they would go their separate ways. While they were kind enough to her, there was a palpable tension between the elves and humans.
"Here!" One of her troop mates exclaimed and stepped into a tunnel to their left. Una startled at the sound of his voice. Up until now the brown-haired human male had been even more silent than Tallak had been. She'd gotten the impression he was one of the handful of experienced men Anaru had mentioned, but it was easy to forget he was present. She'd never even learned his name.
Una followed as the men entered the tunnel with weapons drawn. The young elf was barely inside when the smell of death greeted her.
Within the dead-end passageway rested the bodies of several Cult of the Damned members. They lay on their bedrolls, blankets pulled up to their throats as if to stay warm while they slept. Una's stomach lurched unhappily as she passed a wooden bucket containing putrid, congealed diarrhea.
Esmea's medic was performing a cursory examination of a female human. The dead woman was curled on her side, her stiffened arms wrapped around herself and her knees drawn up. Dried vomit was crusted around her mouth and upon the scant pillow under her head.
"Initiates, from the garb." Esmea stated tersely, gesturing to the woman's tattered black and purple robe. Blankets were lifted from the other bodies; all were clad in similar robes.
The medic was muttering his findings to himself in Thalassian as he went, his gloved hands never lingering in one place for too long. His emerald eyes were narrowed and his evident dismay was twisting the scars that marred his otherwise handsome face.
"Septic shock?" Una asked when he stood. It was a wild guess, but the cultists certainly looked like they had been gravely ill before they died.
The blond-haired knight nodded, stripped off his filthy surgical gloves, and discarded them in disgust, "Given their current state of decay and without performing a proper autopsy, I can't say for sure. However, septic shock would be my guess as well. Dehydration from the vomiting and diarrhea would be my second guess." He gave an expressive shrug and glanced dispassionately down at the other corpses.
"Makes sense. Even without the Plague of Undeath, Scourge harbor all manner of infections." Hakander said quietly from the entrance. The tunnel was too low to accommodate the towering, bald Draenei.
"Did anyone pick up Ludger's incendiaries?" Anaru asked, looking down once more at the rotting corpses before he turned his gaze to each of them in turn.
"I have them." The Vindicator said, stepping backwards to permit them to leave the tunnel.
"Good." Esmea and Anaru stated simultaneously. They paused to grin at each other before they set about giving orders.
At Esmea's direction, the Blood Knights continued onward up the tunnel. They returned only a short time later, reporting that they had found the main camp but it had been deserted for some time. There were no other corpses, just the foul contamination they tended to leave in their wake.
Anaru raised his voice to address the assembled troops, "Collect anything that burns! Let's not leave the Scourge anything to reanimate later."
Una joined the Knights' medic as he collected dried canes from a refuse pile leftover from the Quillboar. She was always eager to talk with other healers and learn from them. As she drew near, she noted the already pale elf seemed even more pallid.
The young woman laid her hand on his shoulder and muttered a cleansing spell. He startled as the magic rippled through him and then grinned halfheartedly. "Thanks."
"It was nothing..." She said, taking the canes from him so he could check himself. He turned his hands over and pulled his bracers back from his wrists, inspecting them for even the smallest nick where an infection could gain a foothold. "Perhaps it could be airborne too."
"I agree. Perhaps we should cleanse our men as well." He said, casting another cautious glance up at the dead cane above their heads. "Only who knows what we've been exposed to."
"Couldn't hurt." She said in agreement. "I'm Private Una Whitebrook, by the way."
"Bal'a dash, malanore. Sergeant Soren Dawnwalker, at your service." He said smoothly and bowed to her.
Una smiled shyly at him before turning to add the canes into the growing pyre.
Esmea caught her arm as she passed, her expression distinctly wicked. "He likes you." She whispered in a sing-song tone as Una cast a quick cleansing spell on her.
"I only just met him, Emmie!" Una hissed, casting a glance at Sergeant Dawnwalker as he methodically cleansed his fellow Blood Knights first.
"So?" Esmea said, observing as Hakander casually took aim at the hanging cane that had worried Sergeant Dawnwalker moments ago. The men stared at him, giving the branch and the Draenei a wide berth.
The Vindicator threw his shield, light streaking from it like a comet's tail. It struck with a ringing noise she'd never noticed in his previous throws. The heavy cane plummeted to the floor and sent up a cloud of dust.
"Wow!" Una exclaimed as the taller paladin made a noise of approval in her throat. She sneezed several times in succession and hoped there wasn't poison, plague, or other contaminants in the disturbed filth like she'd initially thought.
When the dust cleared, the red haired woman whispered conspiratorially, "Ask him out for drinks later!" Her elegant, scarlet lips pulled into an evil-looking smile, "Who knows! He might be feeling a little… frisky."
"Emmie, I don't make a point of sleeping with strange men." Una hissed and then hurried off to do her share of the cleansing.
She didn't have much to do, Soren was extremely efficient and had most of the men cleansed by the time she made her rounds. She returned to Esmea's side, but thankfully she made no further suggestions or comments. It was bad enough when Soren shot her a playful, suggestive wink as he passed.
The men pushed the heavy cane in front of the tunnel to block it and continued to throw wood, canes, and anything else they could find inside. Una stayed back with Esmea, not quite clear on what her cousin had planned.
"Men." Esmea said sarcastically to Una and put her hands on her hips. "Always over-complicating things." She raised her voice, "We're burning a few corpses, not a military depot!"
"Well, I wouldn't imagine anyone would mind if I burned this place to the ground!" Anaru declared, though he did appear satisfied at the mound of brush and refuse.
"The druids said the green canes won't burn, Beloved." The Blood Knight Master said; her voice had taken on her "off-duty" tone. "The sap will put out the fires."
Her words were disregarded as the men stepped back while Hakander fiddled with the first incendiary. It finally sputtered and the bald paladin gave it a light toss inside. Another couple followed it in. Soon roaring flames were erupting from the tunnel.
Una wrinkled her nose at the stench. Granted there were corpses inside, but the burning waste and brush stunk horribly.
They briskly made their way out as the flames rapidly spread. She had no doubt once it reached its peak the inferno could be seen all the way in Orgrimmar.
They recovered their horses and picked their way to the Gold Road. Anaru had slipped into a dark, pensive mood as they rode back to Ratchet. Esmea had been right: by the time they reached the Crossroads only thin, lazy smoke could be seen on the horizon. That only served to darken her cousin's disposition further.
Thrall's agents were waiting for them when they arrived at noon the following day.
After the debriefing, Anaru had came to her room and asked her to change into something appropriate for practicing. In companionable silence, they walked along the shore until they came upon a small stretch of sandy beach. Given goblin propensity to alter their surroundings and the fact that the shoreline had been rocky until this point, she guessed the sand was brought here.
Once there, Anaru began teaching her stretches and exercises to make her better at dodging opponents.
At first, he reminisced about their grandfather. She could tell he was screwing up his courage to tell her something unpleasant. Then, hesitantly at first, he began to recount his meeting her father while he had been in Stormwind.
"He punched you?" Una exclaimed when he finished, bringing her right leg back under her body to steady herself. While she was used to stretching before sparring or practicing, the stretches Anaru had taught her were unfamiliar. The particular one she was trying was an odd balancing stretch.
"Well, to be fair I probably did bait him somewhat." Anaru grunted as he pressed his groin stretch just slightly deeper. He shrugged his braided hair out of his way and added sardonically, "Seems he doesn't like being called an "asshole." Fancy that."
"No, he doesn't." Una gave a halfhearted titter and played with the sand under her toes. "I once told mother to "Calm the fuck down" – she was tearing into Will over something ridiculously trivial. By the Light, you should have heard her!" She took a deep breath and attempted to emulate her mother's voice, "'The very idea that my beautiful, intelligent daughter would use such… filth is a slap to the face!'"
Her cousin laughed in turn as he pulled his legs under himself to sit cross-legged. "I don't imagine she calmed herself."
"Not one bit!" Una grinned. "Though she did stop yelling at Will."
He laughed and shot her a feeble smile, "I suppose we shouldn't be taking such enjoyment in tormenting your parents. I can't quite imagine saying that to my father."
Una shrugged and mumbled, "Probably not." She had to admit she tended to push her parents as much as they pushed her. She mentally shook herself and attempted the stretch once more. She quickly lost her balance and sat back down, "I'm too much of a klutz."
"It'll come eventually. Just keep trying." Anaru leaned backwards to retrieve their canteens. "It isn't essential; we elves are already difficult for other races to hit." Sitting up, he tossed her canteen to her and uncorked his own.
Una decided she might as well bring up a question she'd had on her mind. "Anaru, I've been meaning to ask you… are you… umm… Horde now?"
"I'm Argent Dawn." He said, suddenly fascinated in the sand at his feet as he toyed with the cork. She understood it meant he was thinking very carefully about what he was going to say next. "Emmie assures me that I still retain my rank in the Blood Knights and I'm grateful for that. I just… I'm not comfortable with some the Sun Prince's choices."
He paused to take a drink of water. "I supported changing our name to Sin'dorei even though I don't consider myself one now. After talking with father and understanding the politics better, I support joining the Horde. But others… not so much."
"The Naaru." Una whispered.
"Yes, M'uru's capture included." He confirmed. "I toured Silvermoon perhaps eight months before they joined the Horde. I saw a great deal of improvement… and I saw a great many horrible choices. Their usage of Fel energy, for example. Look at the mutations demonic blood and energy caused in Orcs and Draenei. There's others; but, in a nutshell I don't feel comfortable in Silvermoon anymore."
"So why not swear fealty to the Alliance then?" She asked curiously.
"I don't feel entirely confident in the Alliance either – again politics." He made an apologetic gesture, "I'll try not to get on my soapbox and keep this brief: Garithos set a tone that I really don't care for. I also don't really care for the fact that history has been rewritten so no one mentions how horribly he treated non-human races – in some books he's left out entirely. For many Alliance citizens, Silvermoon City joined the Horde for no reason." He paused to give an exaggerated sigh of relief, "That's as far as I'm going; unless you want a three hour dissertation."
Una giggled and shook her head.
He rose, motioning for her to join him as he retrieved their wooden practice swords and dropped his canteen out of the way. The elder paladin handed her practice sword to her pommel first and then shook his muscles out.
Una felt a thrill of fear and excitement ripple through her. She had never sparred with Anaru before. She downed the last of her water and tossed the empty canteen out of the way.
"Additionally, ever since the Third War, Silvermoon City has been under Martial Law." He said as they took their positions. "Free speech has been suppressed; dissenters are severely punished. As the eldest son of an influential Magister, I'm especially expected to behave."
They saluted each other and began to circle. Una kept her eyes on the base of his throat, where her peripheral vision could pick up most of his possible movements.
Anaru lunged in and Una immediately brought her practice sword up. He lightly stepped out of range once more. His emerald eyes studied her intently as though he were evaluating her every breath.
He feigned a couple more times before he lashed downwards in a cleave. Una dodged it and counter-attacked, going for his exposed side.
"Good." He said in a predatory growl as he parried and riposted the attack in a forward lunge.
Una managed to counter-parry, her arm stinging with the force of his blow. She was a heartbeat too slow and he used a penetrating step to close distance.
She ducked and rolled out of his way. She came out moving, keeping some distance between them. Going hilt to hilt was bad news with her cousin.
Anaru was bigger, stronger, and had a greater reach than she did. He also had the benefit of learning from Knights under Lord Uther and whatever Grandfather had decided to teach him on a whim.
She knew wrestling was one of those whims, which she was terrible at and Anaru excelled. Attempting to disarm him wouldn't gain her much ground.
He moved in once more, his blade slashing in a quick, horizontal slice. Una stepped backwards and pivoted to move in a different direction. She realized belatedly that the pivot had left her back open to attack for a moment.
"Nice footwork, but that's the second opening you've left me." He said, lunging forward in a series of aggressive attacks.
"I told you I'm a better healer…" Una rasped, using her agility to dodge his attacks rather than parry. She could hear the wooden blade whistling as it sliced through the air. Blocking those without a shield would hurt.
Anaru suddenly closed distance, she squeaked in alarm as his practice sword was suddenly at the bridge of her nose.
""Just because you don't wield a sword doesn't mean you can't die to one."" The elder paladin quoted. He was finally panting as he lowered his weapon and jerked her in for a brief embrace. "We need to work on closing those gaps. That was three total…"
"Yeah…" Una said breathlessly, but refrained from adding her thoughts: That's why I'm in a team.
"I'll have you use a shield next time." He declared as he caught his breath. "You kept raising your shield arm like you wanted to block. Good way to break it."
The young woman felt herself blush as he spoke. She hadn't noticed.
"You did well," Her cousin said once more and brushed a bead of sweat from his temple. "I can't stress that enough. I have a bit of an edge… but so will our enemies."
"Speaking of… where do you think the Cult of the Damned went?" Una asked, eager to change the subject.
Anaru didn't answer right away as he mopped his face off with his simple, linen shirt. With a healer's eye, she noted there were fresh bruises on his abdomen leading down under the waistband of his pants.
"Probably back to the Plaguelands." He said as he gathered his things. "They've never been successful at getting much of a foothold in Kalimdor."
They made their way back to the inn to freshen up.
By the time she had cleaned herself up, Una was running late. She quickly splashed some water on her already sweating face and changed into her last set of clean fatigues. She'd sent her other fatigues out to be cleaned and hoped they'd be back by the time they left.
Emmie and Anaru were already waiting for her at the restaurant when she arrived. It was noisy and crowded, but she found them with relative ease. Like most goblin businesses, this establishment was a tasteless hodgepodge of décor all crammed into a domed, stucco building. Each wall had different wallpaper applied to it; the wall behind the bar even had several different wallpapers pasted haphazardly together. She guessed from lively atmosphere that this was one of the better places to eat and socialize.
Emmie rose as she approached and tightly embraced her. Una felt a little envious of her green and gold silk dress. The young woman had brought nothing truly feminine with her aside from her undergarments.
Not long after she arrived, two waiters stepped up to the table with drinks and a large platter of assorted appetizers. The male waiter asked, "Yo! You ordered Appetizer Platter Number One, the Bloody Scary, another Thunderbrew Forty-Five, and the Screaming Orgasm?"
"Oh yes! Thank you!" Emmie said cheerfully. The goblins slid the glasses and platter onto the table and the Blood Knight tossed them a few coins.
Una examined Emmie's wine flute, curious about the black and red drink. She then turned her attention to the cocktail glass that had been placed in front of her and scrutinized the creamy concoction. The waiter had called it a Screaming Orgasm. She took a careful sip and was delighted when the flavors of rich cream, mageroyal, decadent dark chocolate, and coffee met her palate.
"Go easy!" The lady knight warned as Una took another eager sip, "That has vodka in it. It will sneak up on you fast." She took a sip of her own drink and looked impressed, "Ooh! That is very nice."
"What's in yours?" Una asked and then took a bite from one of the appetizers. With the lush flavors of her drink still on her tongue, it took her a moment to register the rich paté on the cracker was salmon.
"I think a dark rum and orange juice..." Emmie said thoughtfully and then added, "Not sure what else I'm tasting. Perhaps a licorice vodka… Anaru – don't do that!"
"What?" He chuckled, flicked the salt shaker away from him, and took a long swig from his ale mug.
"He put salt in his ale, didn't he?" Una grinned. "Grandfather used to do that all the time."
"I imagine that's a faux pas in Ironforge…" Her cousin's girlfriend made a face and scooped up a chocolate covered strawberry. "Perhaps even cause for a bar fight."
"Probably." The brown haired man said, helping himself to a Springpaw appetizer. "At the very least a few dirty looks."
"How long have you been going out again?" Una asked curiously after taking another sip of her drink.
"Three years," Anaru stated, studying the tray of appetizers closely. "But we've only been overtly courting each other in the last year." He helped himself to a small chunk of roasted meat on a skewer and then to a small, tender chunk of grilled pork on an equally small slice of bread.
"He's been introducing me slowly." Emmie said, taking a delicate bite from a cracker topped with a bit of odd, white cheese. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes as she savored the flavor before continuing, "His father is an absolutely wonderful man but Great Aunt Nariel made me start contemplating my decisions…"
Una eyed her cousin in surprise, "You introduced her to Auntie Nariel? You're a brave man."
"She had a right to know the insanity she'll be marrying into." Anaru said after swallowing his mouthful of pork and bread. He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and placed it back in his lap, "Though I was pleasantly surprised: At least she didn't ask if Emmie was pregnant or when the baby was due."
The young paladin cackled as Emmie stuck her tongue out at Anaru. He winked at her and then drained his tankard. A barmaid passing by deftly swapped his empty mug for a full one and continued her rounds.
"Oh, try that one!" Anaru said in excitement as he finished putting salt in his ale, pointing to the tray.
Emmie put her wine flute down quickly and admonished, "Anaru, be nice to her."
"This one?" Una selected a cracker with an odd swirl of white cheese on it and her cousin nodded. She studied the appetizer thoughtfully. It was the same variety she'd seen Emmie eat just a moment ago. The cracker seemed very primitive and rough, browned unevenly around the edges like it had been baked over an open flame. The cheese was oddly grainy, yet creamy. It smelled delicious. "So what is it?"
Her cousin's eyes sparkled impishly as he said "Troll cheese" at the same time Emmie said "Best not to ask."
The red haired knight glared at Anaru as he leaned in and whispered deviously, "There's maggots in it!"
"No, there aren't, Una." Emmie said firmly in her Blood Knight tone of voice. "He's pulling your leg."
Una glanced between them, suddenly unsure. Anaru was treating her to his biggest and best grin. He used to be infamous for claiming a new food was something revolting. He'd once claimed cream style corn was monkey vomit and Brewfest sausages were pig feces. She eyed him once again, wondering how much ale he'd consumed before she arrived to be this drunk and immature already. While she'd just eaten an appetizer just like the one she held, Emmie was a complete unknown to her.
Just then, she noted movement in the cheese. There was something minuscule moving in the pale swirl. As her eyes struggled to focus, realization sunk in. With a shriek, the appetizer went sailing across the room.
Anaru guffawed. Emmie pressed a hand to her face.
"By the Light! There really were maggots in that?" Una exclaimed shrilly as she jumped to her feet. She cast her gaze from the table to the direction she had thrown the cracker.
Emmie nodded, not taking her hand from her face. Anaru was still chortling, squeaking as he laughed more than he breathed. Una covered her face with her hands and blushed as she realized the restaurant had fallen silent and she was being stared at. Without a second look, a waiter swept the appetizer into a dustbin.
"You should have seen your face!" He finally managed to sputter in a high pitched voice, patting her on the back after she'd sank back down to her chair, mortified.
Emmie put her hand down and took a deep sip of her drink. "Anaru, I prefer my friends remain ignorant until I know they can get over the idea of eating maggots. It really is quite good and completely harmless."
The restaurant had returned to full volume, the incident forgotten just as quickly as it had happened. Now that she was calming down, she found the situation was somewhat funny. However, she decided it would be best not to encourage Anaru. He was still laughing, even minutes after the fact.
"If you weren't phenomenal in bed when you're this drunk, I'd say it would be just you and your hand tonight." The Blood Knight said hotly. "Una, he's had more than enough ale for one night, if you'd please."
Una tugged his ale mug over to her and was about to wave for the waiter to take it away when their dinner emerged from the kitchen. The young woman stared with slack jaw as the waiter sat a plate of moist pulled pork with a velvety sauce and grilled vegetables before her.
"Orcish barbeque: If you ever get a chance, order some in Orgrimmar. They serve the meat raw and provide seasonings and vegetables. Then you cook it yourself." Emmie said cheerfully as she sliced into a perfectly cooked steak. "Sounds primitive by our standards, but it is so good."
Una delicately sliced a strip of her pulled pork and took a bite. It was moist, flavorful, and utterly delicious. The sauce had a bite to it, but she couldn't identify what would give it the flavor.
Anaru had chosen a pork shank with grilled corn. With difficulty, he was attempting to use the provided knife to slice off a serving. He was shredding more than he was cutting. She noted Emmie staring at him apprehensively and was glad she wasn't the only one doubting his coordination right now. The Blood Knight finally took it from him and sliced off two portions. Noticeably, the knife was laid across the red-head's plate and away from her cousin.
"They must have expected an army." Una noted, glancing over the portion sizes. While she would admit to being ravenous, she wasn't sure she could finish.
"Orc physiology requires more meat in their diet than humans or elves." Emmie remarked, "Take any leftovers back to the inn… I'm sure the men will make short work of it."
She hadn't realized Anaru had reclaimed his tankard until he sat the empty mug down upon the table with a contented belch. Or perhaps she was just that tipsy on her own drink. She couldn't be sure. Instead, she decided to ignore him and enjoy her grilled vegetables.
Emmie and Anaru eventually excused themselves and made their way back to his room. If the bruises she'd spotted on Anaru's torso were any indication, there wouldn't be much sleeping tonight. The young woman wasn't all that eager to listen to them through the thin walls of the inn.
Una sat and enjoyed the last of her drink, in no real hurry to go back to her room. She sensed someone watching her and eventually spotted Soren Dawnwalker staring intently at her.
She waved him over; feeling eager for company. At the very least, it would be a fun way to spend the remainder of the evening.
Soren and the other Blood Knights were gone by the time she woke up in Soren's room that morning, but he'd left a rose and the keys to the room on the bedside table for her. A simple, light painkiller took care of her very mild hangover.
Anticipating that her cousin would have an epic hangover, she made her way through the pre-dawn Ratchet streets in search of an apothecary. She found one near the pier, a troll woman who knew what she wanted after a brief description. Apparently, Hiram's hangover recipe wasn't that unique.
For a few silver, the female had jotted down a simple recipe for her, which she took back to the inn and quickly put together.
Una had just finished when Anaru eased himself down the stairs, holding his head. Despite hearing him violently gag up in his room once already, he looked like he might throw up again.
Seeing him with a hangover this awful didn't sit right with her, even though she knew he'd done it to himself. Una gazed down at the sickening, bronze-colored concoction in the shot glass between her hands and hoped she'd made it correctly.
"Good morning, Cousin!" She called to him sweetly.
Anaru pinned her with a dirty look, his eyes clearly bloodshot even from a distance. She ignored the glare and waved the glass at him. "I have just what you need!"
"Thank the Light…" He said hoarsely, looking relieved as he eagerly accepted the glass.
"You might want to hold your nose –!" She yelped as he bolted it down. He started to ferociously cough and dry heaves soon followed. "Bucket! Quick!" She yelled to the innkeep. A grimy, bronze spittoon was kicked her way and she brought it up just in time for her cousin to retch into.
"Nice catch." The innkeeper commented drolly, wrinkling his nose as he followed the maid upstairs. Anaru took the vessel from her, gagged, and spat into it gloomily.
"Bet your room smells nice." Una commented as she kicked a chair out from the table she was sitting at. Anaru flinched and paled from the noise but collapsed into it gratefully, "Eau de Brewfest. With aromas of sex, partially-digested ale, and vomit."
Anaru groaned, "You can shush now, smartass…" The muscular elf leaned forward to put his head between his knees and coughed a couple times. "By the Light, this is why I don't drink…" He said softly, more to himself than to her.
"I can make more, if you'd like." She was glad this wasn't a side of her cousin she would likely see often. "It really does help."
"No, thank you. I think I'll suffer." He moaned, not rising from his hunched position. "It'll serve to remind me."
Una bit her lip, gazing down at him. She felt awful for bringing it up when he felt this terrible, but soon enough they'd have an audience if she didn't. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Finally, she pressed forward, "…Anaru, are you sure you're doing the right thing with Emmie?"
His back rose and fell as he heaved a sigh. She knew he was reading between her words and probably coming up with the awkward thing she really wanted to ask. He sighed once more, this time in disappointment.
She squirmed in her chair. Damn Anaru for being so calm. She could take his anger; if he bellowed and screamed in the same tone and volume Captain Backbreaker used until Ratchet trembled. That sigh hit her like a punch to the stomach.
"You don't know her like I do, Una." He finally said so softly she could barely hear him. Then he sat upright. His face was fixed in the same unyielding, no-nonsense look his father used to give when he wanted someone to stop whatever they were doing right now. His voice was gentle and even as he continued, "I love her."
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