Chapter 3, Page 16: The Last of the Wine
The cave looked bare. At least, it did to me. After all the trouble I’d gone through to make the place livable, homelike, packing it up now seemed sad. But it wasn’t a home, and I wasn’t going to live there much longer. Best to be prepared when the time came, not to be too attached to it.
Everything that I didn’t need immediately was in a pack or bound in leather for easy carrying. The baking supplies, spices, cooking oil and rendered fat all lined up inside a large leather satchel; my clothing was in another; my tools and armor were in another. The practice weapons and my swords were still out, as was the sleeping pallet and cooking setup over the fire, but I supposed I could pack them fairly quickly when the time came.
I looked over at the water jar. Almost empty. I sighed, picked it up with one hand and the windserpent with the other, then headed for the river to refill it. Temper loved going out of the cave – I supposed he’d be happier when we were living somewhere more open. And there seemed to be something oddly synchronistic about moving to a place called Sun Rock.
I filled the jar and then walked back to the cave with it balanced on my hip. I started when Temper gave a piercing screech and jumped off of my shoulder, and almost dropped the jar. I clutched it with both hands, slopping water down one sleeve as the little serpent flapped across the room, whistling happily and heading for…
“Hakka… hello,” I said, blinking in surprise.
She was sitting on one of the log-seats behind the fire, and only glanced up at me before grinning at Temper, lifing her arms from her lap to give him a place to climb up. Then she looked expectantly up… past me, to the hide flap. She wait, then looked disappointed. “… Er… guess Uzil’s away then. You two… going somewhere?”
Temper happily clambered up into Hakkajin’s lap and then stood on his tail, fluffing his feathers and looking up at her with demanding expectancy. Her hand slipped into one of the bags around her waist and tossed a little piece of jerky up in the air which the serpent snapped up before it hit the ground.
“Yes, Uzil out… talking to people, not know who. Say some Sin’dorei living in Horde now, some cities. Seeing if safe for me to come live in Horde. Want to move to place called Sun Rock? Other elf there, he say.” I carefully set down the jar of water and covered it. “Glad you come, have Winter Veil present, and say thank-you for vest,” I said, smiling and plucking a long strip of hardened leather off of the back shelf.
“Sorry… not can wrap, no paper,” I added apologetically, handing Hakkajin a leather sword-sheath, with her name set into it with polished river stones. “Uzil tell me how to spell name in Troll.”
Hakka quickly scowled at me as I turned to retrieve the present. “Yeah. Fucking elves are all over the place.” Her scowl transformed into a seething glare. “There’s even a fucking elf in the damn war quarter! The hall of legends! I’m leaving the Horde if they let them in. I’m not sharing a city with damn elves!” It was… odd, discomforting, that she would rant that way to me about elves. Did she forget that I was one? The angry look suddenly sagged in confusion as I held the sheathe out to her. She looked at it with what seemed to be genuine pleasure and admiration. “Ohh… thanks. It’s very pretty. But I don’t think I’d want to use this for actual swords… it may damage it.”
I forced my smile to stay put, remembering Uzil telling me how unstable Hakkajin was. Well, I should have known that. “It… meant to use. My people make decorations on all things, not just for use but also to enjoy. I… Hakkajin, you think all Horde think that way? Not be in Horde with elves?”
“Maybe when I get a real nice sword I’ll use it.” She gave me a confused look. “Huh? Well yeah, there’s a lot, but there’s also the idiots who think that it’s a great idea.” She suddenly blinked at me, her eyes clearing of confusion and instead holding… regret? Embarassment? Had she honestly somehow forgotten she was talking to an elf with such venom? “Er… right… well… I say let some go first as test subjects, see what happens. But I still don’t want to be in the Horde with them.”
“Some elves already move in,” I pointed out. “Wonder if they are scouts, or have papers, or ambassador… not know. Uzil finding out. You know Sun Rock? Nice place?” I put another log gently on the fire, hoping the change of subject would lead to something less painful.
Hakkajin relaxed slightly. “Well. Its pretty I guess… But… The alliance enjoy running that place through rather often. Its an out of the way place and an easy target. There’s also a nest of Night elves at the top of the mountain. I can’t really say it’s a peaceful place, unless you want to find a hidden cliff somewhere to stay.”
I chewed my lip. “Uzil say pretty… and already High Elf living there, but she crazy. Hmm… Moonwell where Night Elves live?”
“They should, knowing them… Why? Does it matter?”
“Moonwell always good to have around,” I shrugged. “Magical energy. Kaldorei not like we have it, but, not hurt them. But, when choice between starving and living…” I shrugged slightly. “Good to know Moonwell close by.”
“So… you’re going to steal the energies from the moonwell? I though stealing was bad. Go get a job to get your moonwell mana. I guess killing the elves to get it counts as a job, ” Hakka taunted with a grin.
“I not kill for it,” I corrected quietly. “I not kill anyone for energy, not ever. Not like them,” I added, almost whispering. “Not even Kaldorei, not for that.”
Hakka frowned, “If you keep those thoughts you won’t last long in the Horde. They ask you to kill things, like those elves up there. You wouldn’t have to kill them, but if you’d want money and stuff. Stop being so noble, damnit.”
“I suppose Horde pay well for killing us in the Lodge, too,” I said quietly, trying not to grit my teeth. “Will kill for defense, for good reasons. But you say, addiction my people’s own fault. Not going to make anyone else suffer for it.”
“I wouldn’t know. I never knew where the lodge was at, although I would have if I had known.” She gave a shrug. “You honestly are going to suffer if you keep those ideals. You’re here helpless being taken care of by some trolls. Is your ideal really worth that? If you refuse to kill things then you’ll have to stay how you are. If you’re happy like that… well… fine… but you’re never going to get far. How do you plan on getting your mana potions anyway? “
I rolled my eyes. “Not pacifist, Hakka. Was in military for twenty years. Killed many, But, not kill for no reason, or only for selfish reason,” I clarified, my smile falling away. “Understand? Death not to amuse me. Kill to defend self, others, friends, family. When at lodge, bought mana potions. Now, Uzil bring. When I out, will probably buy again.” I shrugged. I didn’t mention that I hadn’t really had a pressing need for a mana potion for a while now.
Hakkajin folded her arms firmly over her chest and gave me a rather sulky look. “Well you made it sound like you were some pushover! ‘Ooohhh, I won’t attack the Night elves, waahhh.’” The Troll gave a snort. “I’m bored now…. got food?” She grinned at me hopefully.
I snorted quietly. “You just like Uzil. Always hungry. Growing Trolls, I suppose.” I lifted the lid of my cast-iron oven, which was cold, the coals beneath it long-dead. “Um. Like meat-pie and cold venison? Have lots left, Zugtug come to visit and hardly eat anything, and no pie! You like pie?”
“Yeah. I need a lot of food! See, I’m about to hit my growth spurt and then I’m going to be HUGE!” She grinned hugely, baring her smallish fangs. “I like meat. Most of what I eat is cold anyway. And I like some pie, but I’ll have to taste it first.”
I cut a slice of pie and healed some slices of cold roast venison onto a plate and handed it over. “If want more pie, can have. Just not want to put on too much at once.” It was sort of odd, I reflected, to be sitting here feeding the former girlfriend of the man I was currently sleeping beside, a girlfriend who had once beaten me within an inch of my life. And serving her pie, no less!
Hakka smiled and took the plate. “Thank you. You must really like to cook.” She went for the pie first out of curiosity and lifted it to her mouth to take a nibble. She blinked in surprise at the flavor. “Uh… what’s that other stuff in there?” she asked in between licking the filling out.
“Fruit, honey, fat, berries, um, crust is mostly flour and fat,” I said, shrugging and tossing a scrap of fatty gristle to Temper, who took it and began delightedly ‘killing’ it over and over. “And yes, like to cook… good thing too. Uzil always hungry, especially after fight. All Troll this way?”
She licking out the filling, leaving the empty crust behind. Well, Hakka was even more of a carnivore than Uzil had claimed Zugtug as. She wouldn’t even eat piecrust! Then she mauled into the cold venison, wolfing it down with much more vigor than the pie. She paused halfway through the meat, her mouth full and her eyes oddly sad. “Ey du nu,” she gulped, then swallowed. “I never fed any. We do like our food though.”
“You do. Want more? Want something to wash down? Zugtug bring red wine, still have open bottle. Or, can make tea… err. Maybe you not like it, Tauren tea. Uzil bring it… not have anything else but water though.”
Hakkajin grinned widely “Anything that Zug brings is good stuff! Yeah, I’d love some.”
I poured Hakkajin half a mug of wine and then handed it over, pouring another for myself. “Like Zugtug very much. So polite, very nice man. All orcs have nice manners like him?”
Hakka happily took the mug and started sipping. It was clearly to her liking. “He’s polite when he wants to be. As for other orcs? I guess if they really want to… usually they just spit in your face or whatever.”
I winced. I wondered how to balance the things I was being told… Uzil made everything sound wonderful, but he wanted me in the Horde. Hakkajin made everything sound terrible, and she didn’t. Somewhere in the middle, there was a truth I wasn’t getting told.
“Ah, how long is Uzil going to be gone?”
I shrugged. “Probably until nighttime. Come home, eat, talk, go to bed,” I said, taking another sip of wine and then picking a few scraps of meat off the roast and popping them into my mouth. “Sometimes, stay up a little. Turns into dog now, you see that?”
Hakka nodded her head a little reluctantly, “Yeah, it was neat. Wish I could do that.” She downed another swallow of wine with a comment, “damn I love Zug’s booze. He‘s a great drinking buddy too.”
I nodded, sipping again. “Gentleman. Know to bring red wine with meat. Very polite. Uzil start talking like him,” I added with a giggle. “Start drawing out sounds, very funny.”
“You’re supposed to bring red wine with meat?” Hakkajin blinked. “Oh! How‘d Uzil react to my gift by the way?” She smirked.
“Seem amuse? Or a little…. Not sure how to say. Roll eye. Spider is joke between you two?”
Hakkajin laughed shortly. “Yeah. He’s scared of bugs. I have a large pet spider I used to toss on him. It was hilarious! Tell him I said its for him to sleep with,” she snickered.
I arched a brow. “For him to sleep with?” I didn’t really feel the need to point out to the Troll girl that Uzil hardly needed a stuffed animal to keep him company in bed. “Isn’t that… for children?” I took another drink of wine, my head warm and buzzing pleasantly.
Hakka frowned at me as if I’d voiced my opinion on Uzil’s bed. “Well…yeah, that’s why its funny, plus just picturing him sleeping with a big nasty spider,” she shrugged.
I shrugged back. “Was kind of cute toy. Don’t think he was scared of it. You… used to throw spider he was afraid of on him, when you two were… together?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t hoping for him to be afraid of it. Yeah. His reaction was very funny.” She laughed loudly?
“I thought… you liked him?” I said, shaking my head and taking another drink. “Why you want to upset him? Not want to… be nice?” Maybe it was the wine, but I was more than a little confused.
Hakka frowned at me again. “I do like him… and I wasn’t doing it to- well… I guess it was funny how he got upset over it. I’ve seen him attack the rotting undead like they were nothing, only to see him shriek like a little girl when an itsy bug was tossed on him? You can’t see the humor in that? Besides, I figured it was one of those things you could look back at and laugh. A type of joke, I guess.”
“Do once, then say sorry and tease about later,” I said, nodding slowly. “I understand that, had brother. Used to trick me sometimes. Was sorry after, but thought it was sooo funny at time.” I grinned.
Hakka grinned back at me. “Yeah, exactly like that! I just like to tease people. I don’t do it to be mean. Uzil didn’t like it much, but I know several others found it pretty damn funny too. What did your brother used to do to you?”
I took a larger gulp of wine. “Hid a bee in flower once. Smoked, to stun, then tied little thread to it, hid in roses ‘Rima sent me. He standing near, I bend down to sniff, he cut thread. Bee fly in my face, very angry! Sting me on side of neck. Oromet stop laughing then, help me with bee-sting, but later, he still laugh sometimes.”
A wide grin spread across Hakkajin’s face as I told the story, and then she barked out laughter. “That is one of the best pranks I’ve ever heard of. Well.. I’d say having the bee sting you was a bit harsh, though. I’ve never hurt Uzil when playing around… at least nothing more than a slight bop on the nose or whatever.” She lifted her mug, then lowered it with a dismayed look; it was empty. “Where is he now? Your brother, I mean.”
I grimaced, emptied my mug in a single gulp, refilled it and then offered the bottle to Hakkajin. “Dead. Like rest of family. Scourge destroy city.”
Hakkajin refilled her mug, looking at me with widened eyes. “Ah… sorry. So you really have no one then? Had any friends you left behind… from uh… wherever you came from?”
I shook my head. “None of my unit escape. I only one. Very small family. Go with other remaining Rangers, and some others, to Quel’danil. After I let Troll go, kicked out. No one talk to me, I exile. Traitor. What would Trolls say, someone betray them like that? Not be nice and understanding, I think.”
“Shay? The trolls wouldn’t say anything.. Just… kinda… want to kill you.” Hakka gave a mild shrug. “I think. Mine did anyway. No idea about the Darkspear.”
I blinked at Hakka, taking another sip of wine. “You not Darkspear?”
“Uh? Me? No. Was…. Atal’ai. But now I’m not. You know, because they want to kill me.” The troll gave a tiny hiccup.
“Why? What you do? Let loose elf in cage?” I snickered into my cup at the absurdity.
Hakkajin grinned in amusement. “Surprisingly there were very few elves who attacked us. No, instead I planted bombs all over the place and stabbed our leader a few times.” The girl was still grinning.
I boggled over the rim of my cup. “You… why?”
“Well.. .everyone uh… wanted me to? Supposedly they were evil? Uzil wanted me to… and… I had to choose between them or my ‘friends’, who apparently aren’t who I thought them to be.”
“Uzil… told you to kill your leader? And you did? For Uzil?”
“He didn’t ‘tell’ me to… he jusht said I should leave them. And I wash already engaged, so I knew they would never allow me and him to be together. And, I liked him, sho…” Another sip of wine was taken.
I coughed, my eyes felt like they were staring right out of my head. “You were engaged? Left other man for him, blew up home, killed leader, all for Uzil? Is like story! But… why you fight him then?”
Razz wash never around much anyway… I hadn’t seen him for a really long time.” She blinked her eyes. “Well, it wash more complicated than jusht Uzil, but yeah, he was a major reason. Why I fight what? Uzil?” She sagged, shoulders hunching and face growing sad. “Just… I don’t know… he shaid mean things sometimes. I got mad. He never gave me a chance? Never gave me time? I don’t know. It jusht… wasn’t what we expected, I guess.”
“So, you think, all his fault it go bad? Usually… two sides. But, Uzil thoughtless, too,” I nodded and hiccupped slightly. “Overreact. Put words in mouth. Sorry after, but… hard to change his mind.”
Hakka swayed slightly, staring into her mug. “I don’t know. I think they all wanted to blame it on me. I wasn’t considerate enough? I didn’t share my feelings? Something like that. And then he goesh and kisses Tabi. After fucking a night elf. So yeah, I wanted shome time… and oh look, another elf! I don’t shee what I could have done so bad for that.” She swirled the wine around in her mug.
I jerked slightly, boggling again. “Wait… you still… with him when he find me? Still with him?” I was horrified. That was… that was just wrong!
Hakka squirmed for a moment, eyes darting around the cave, before sighing. “No. I said I wanted some time after what had happened. It hurt. He was sad and told me not to expect him back. Then I… I think I found him and Tabi fishing, so I went to sit near them. He said something about an elf shinging a death song and sleeping with her, so I get mad, he actsh really mean to me… I go and try to kill you,” she shrugged taking another huge drink.
I sighed slightly. Uzil wasn’t a complete bastard. He hadn’t gone behind Hakkajin’s back, just moved… well, awfully quickly. “He is… hasty,” I murmured, draining the last of my wine. “Emotional. Decides things quickly. I mean, very strange man. Gets attached. Afraid of being left. But.. yes, hasty.” I blinked slightly. I was really, really starting to ramble. I reconsidered refilling my mug.
Hakka nodded in full agreement. “Yeah, I thought it was odd that he had got attached to me so quickly… if even at all.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I guessh he got tired of me or something. I dunno.” Her eyed blinked once again and she tilted her head, staring at me. “Weren’t you singing some… death shong… or something when he found you? You were sad, right? When he found me I had been crying… Well… was crying.”
I nodded, though I disliked the question. “Calling my death to me. Uzil come instead. And then he take care of me instead of kill me. He say, sucker for sad girls.” I frowned, looked around, and picked up the unopened bottle of wine. “You still thirsty?” It bothered me, more than a little, to think that this was all about pity on Uzil’s fault. The loneliness was one thing… but not just because I was crying, please.
“I’d agree with that shtatement..maybe jusht girls in general. Drunk onesh, at least,” Hakka muttered with glaring into the mug, then bobbed her head and held her mug out. “Yesh please.” Anyway, why do you elvesh have stupid songs? Can’t you jusht jump off a cliff? I’m not closhe to the ‘spirits,’ in fact I don’t even believe in them. Shamansh just get high off shapta and hallucinate seeing the shpirits!”
I cocked a brow, filling Hakka’s mug and then my own without much thought. “Then where wolf come from? And totem? Also, Uzil say have Bethekk in him, other night when we hunt, and I not see him take anything.” I shivered slightly and took a drink. “Was little scary.”
“Bethekk? Ishn’t that the panther”? She frowned. “What did he do that wash scary?”
“And he, kinda… come on hunt, walk like… shadow. Then, I shoot deer, he pounce on, cut throat, so fast. When we come back here, he pounce on me, like same. But, then back off when I scared. He so much bigger,” I said, wincing slightly and looking into her mug. “Very big. And I not ready to fight him anymore. Had me before could move, afraid he might… you know. Do bad thing to me. But, then he just Uzil again… and then he spirit-dog.”
Hakkajin looked unhappy. “Wish he’d play with me like that. And… Uzil..? No. I don’t think he’d do that… but I didn’t think he’d try to kill me either”. She sighed sadly.
“Not like playing,” I said slowly. “Played like that once, I tease him, say not very good hunter and he pounce me then, it funny, we laughing. But panther thing different. Put black paint on face, give off… different energy, different smell. Maybe Uzil not playing with you because you angry with him so much. Maybe both react too… quick, like bombs, going off at little sparks? He still care for you, want to be friends, but think he hurt you too bad, too much bad between you, not ever forgive.” I sighed and hiccupped. “And, not fair to say he try to kill you. You know he not try, could have done it. You almost kill me, he try to make you leave me alone, you know that.”
“He ‘hurt’ me? Wrong! He shtill ish hurting me! And you weren’t there sho you don’t know! He had every intention of killing me but jusht chickened out at the end because he’sh Uzil and can’t kill girlsh! He’sh Uzil! He’sh a stupid fuck! He can’t pretend like that!”
I glared at her, feeling a coldness settling over me. “Not talk about Uzil like that. This what I talking about. You say sad, you say miss him, but all you are, angry, screaming, look at you, like child. He spare your life, and still all you do spit. And you say this to me, after what you did to me, and still I try to be nice, still you spit and call me stupid and come here and insult him. You wonder why he not play with you anymore? This why. Who would want to play with you, act like this?”
Hakka roared, “HE DESERVESh IT! I missh him because he’sh always with YOU! What else am I supposed to do! Cling to his feet and beg for his attention!? OR! Even better! I might ash well just offer my body to him! THAT’Sh ALL HE EVER CARED ABOUT ANWAY! He never spared my life. He replaced it. After all we had, he found your life more important in the end. WE WERE BEST FUCKING FRIENDSh!! And now I’m what?” Suddenly, he anger evaporated. She dropped the mug and looked past me, eyes glazed before turning completely away to hunker over. Her shoulders were heaving a little.
I shook my head, sighing. “Hakka, look. Listen. See what you doing? When he come to see you, you yell at him. If you want punish him, think he deserve being yelled at, then do that, but don’t yell and then expect him to be with. Want to punish him, or be friends? Must do one or other. He not just want body, Hakka. He miss you. He feel bad, he know he hurt you, he know he do wrong. But you must choose. Forgive him and be friends, or keep punish him and walk away. Choice not his anymore. Just yours.”
Hakka’s words were distorted with both sobs and slurring, “I-I jusht want him to be with me again… not you. I can’t trusht him. I-I can’t be friendsh. I-” Whatever it was that she was about to say got cut off mid-sentence as the Troll suddenly leaping to her feet and sprinted, stumbling, out the flap. The sounds of vomiting followed.
I winced at the sounds, which caused my own gorge to rise. I clapped my hands over my ears and then re-corked the last bottle of wine. No one needed any more of that. I grabbed up a waterskin and wove my own unsteady way to the mouth of the cave, hoping Hakka hadn’t vomited on my firewood.
Hakka was bent over in the grass, her belly against one of the big grey rocks, spewing out wine-reddened chunks of chewed venison.
I grimaced and handed over the waterskin.
Finally, she stopped, took the waterskin and sprayed it into her mouth, swishing the water around, spitting, and then taking another mouthful. “…I think we drunk to much… ugh,” she groaned while sluggishly moving back into the cave, offering the skin back. “I could never hold my alcohol… shorry.”
I nodded. “Should have said, wouldn’t have given so much wine,” I said, as we went back in. “You going to be okay? Keep skin, keep drinking, slow. Will help not have head-pain, sick, tomorrow.”
Hakka stopped near the logs where they had been earlier and peered at me curiously, “So, if I keep drinking water I won’t have a hangover? Is it okay for me to stay a little while and… lay down maybe?”
I reached over and snagged Uzil’s runecloth sleeping mat from where it was rolled against the wall. “Yes, drinking stop that – hangover, that the word? Mostly from drying out, from drinking and then, um, reverse-drinking.” I gestured toward the entrance. “And yes, lie down if need to. I make sure Uzil be quiet when he come home, if you asleep.”
Hakka smiled faintly. “Yes, hangover.” She began prying her armor off with clumsy fingers. “The word is throwing up. Reverse-drinking sounds stupid.” She was wearing hardly anything under her armor, which she kicked carelessly into a pile.
“Um, you cold? Want blanket?” I reached over for one of our folded blankets. “Throwing up? Thank you… not words Uzil teach me yet. Must do best I can to describe word, then I learn, yes?” I felt slightly nettled.
Hakkajin looked down at her top and frowned. “Yeah..a blanket would be good.” She caught the blanket I tossed her and held it up in front of her to shield her lower half as she struggled to remove her pants with half a hand. “Orcish isn’t hard. All you have to do is cough and grunt a lot while pretending to say something.”
I giggled. “That just what I tell Uzil! Still, should know Orcish, language of Horde. Thrall not speak Troll?”
Hakkajin was still captured under the blanket and rolling around. It looked like she was fighting something under there. “Huh? No. Orcs don’t speak Troll because they assume that they’re too good for it I guess. Since they take NO effort in learning our language, I took minimal in theirs. All you really need is to learn to convey ideas, past that I doubt it’d be important unless you want to work with the UoK or something.”
“Who Yewovkay?” I asked.
“Uok? It’s a bunch of orcs and trolls who think they’re better than everyone else. Give classes, write in hugass words… smartasses, basically, who have to have perfection in everything.”
I perked up. “School? Uzil say Horde not have school!”
“He did? Well, we have that.. Mainly just history lessons.” The girl wrapped herself in the blanket, keeping her body from the chin and down covered.
I couldn’t help grinning. “Good! How much for go to school? Anyone go in, or only right class, right connections? When have? Where? Which city it in? More than one? Teach only history, nothing else?”
Hakka’s eyes widened. “Gah..don’t tell me you’re once of those smartasses too,” she replied dryly. “Its free and anyone can go. Once every three weeks is the norm, and its generally on random subjects. They go all over the damn place. Just went to the Caverns of Time with them last week. I was hoping they’d get ate by dragons… but… fucking pansy dragons.”
“Think they let elf go? Elf new to Horde? Who I got to ask? Thrall?” I felt slightly daunted by that, but soon brightened again. “Uzil know?”
“Err… Thrall has nothing to do with it. It’s some troll witch named Saffiy, you’d have to ask her. Some of the ‘professors’ are HIGHLY against the alliance, though. Just stay away from this warlock guy named Teng, he don’t like elves. I think the witch is neutral, however. Uzil may know… he never really seemed interested in that type of stuff though.”
“Saffee?” Il said the name slowly, imprinting it in her memory. “I ask Uzil, maybe write letter. School best way to learn, I not know much about Horde. Not want to be ignorant, need to learn so not make mistakes, see?”
Hakka frowned. “Well… I guess it makes sense. That’s what I did anyway… Just..make sure your first trip isn’t to Tanaris. It’s very unpleasant”. She grunted and shifted to get more comfortable, relaxing her body entirely. The blanket settled below her shoulders.
“Never been anywhere,” I admitted wryly. “Not even know, where Tanaris is. Born in Quel’thalas, never leave until city fall, then come here, stay here, six years. Uzil take me on picnic down to river, Troll ruins… where he say…” I squinted, thinking. “Hillbrad? Other than that, nowhere yet.”
Hakka rubbed her forehead. “That’s.. Well, I was the same way. Lived in some ruins my whole life, but… It’s a little sad that you never got to go somewhere else. At least we had reason to stay locked up. Well, Tanaris is south of all the major Orcish cities on Kalimdor. It’s a big fucking desert.” The Troll nodded slowly. “Hillsbrad? Yeah… not too pleasant a place. You should see Arathi Highlands though, its not to far away form there. Very beautiful.”
I nodded. “Will see all, soon. Never have reason to leave Quel’thalas, before. Everything could want, right there. Beautiful, everything right for us. Why you have reason be locked up? You in cage?”
“Caged? Oh no, I didn’t have reason to be… just as whole… a whole lot of people wanted us dead, she we shut ourselves up to defend ourselves, and I blame my intolerance of alcohol on never having any imported to us.”
I couldn’t help chuckling. “Ahh. You sort of like us, then. We try close ourselves away after war, everyone want to kill us. Still, they come in, break in and try anyway. What you do to be so un-liked?”
“Sounds like us,” she agreed, her groggily. “Us? Well.. We were trying to revive Hakkar back into our world. A lot of tribes and other races didn’t like that idea.”
“You have family still there, or not?”
“No. Mother had been sacrificed, and I have no idea who my father was. I had friends though…”
I felt my eyes widen again. “Sacrificed to… Hakkar? How old you were?”
“… uh… yeah. It was right after I was born. They said she had been a prisoner; some troll who had been part of a tribe who attacked the temple.” She shrugged a little. “Supposedly I have a brother, half brother, or something named Gumby… and that doesn’t really match up, but I take what I can get I guess.”
“Well… not know, not know much about how Troll family work,” I said quietly. “You ever want revenge? For mother?”
Hakka blinked her eyes. “What? No. She never raised me… so she wasn’t really my ‘mother’.”
I blinked back. “But if they not kill her, she would be.”
Hakka squinted her eyes, looking as though she was having some difficulty focusing. “Didn’t the wine make you tired?”
I gave a sudden grin. “You just like Uzil! He always tired, say ‘Nen, come to bed now? Sleep now?’ when I not sleepy at all! You nap, it ok. I wait up for Uzil. Not know *what* he think been happening, he come home and both of us here sleeping!”
Hakka sulkily eyed the fire. “Oh, he’d doubtlessly get happy over the idea for some bizarre reason. The wine didn’t effect you?”
I nodded. “Make dizzy, a little silly, a little sleepy. But I used to wine, drink for long time. Not have any for while, of course, but still know how to drink. Trolls eat, then want to sleep, like puppies,” I said, chuckling fondly. “Uzil a lot like big puppy, lot of time.”
“..sleeping after eating is what a lot of things do.”
“Ghost dog perfect for him,” I said, smiling, then turned to fish my Winter’s Veil project out of the bag behind me. “Go ahead and nap, have thing to get done, anyway.”
“Hey, serpent thing want to lay with me?” Hakka asked, perking up a little.
I looked over to where Temper had finished gorging himself on the meat scraps and was currently “sunning” himself on one of the firepit stones, feathers spread and jaw sagging happily. I set down my embroidery. “Temper, want to go sleep with Hakka?” I asked, then picked him up and tossed him gently at Hakka’s blankets.
Temper squawked indignantly, fluttering his wings. He grumped around upon landing and then burrowed against the blankets, clearly annoyed with the loss of warmth from the firepit.
Hakka’s sour and sulky look disappeared when Temper landed on her. She made some soft clicking noises with her mouth and carefully reached out to lift the serpent and slide him under the blanket with her where it was warm.
Temper settled against her, still chirping in annoyance and clacking his fangs smartly. I just smiled and went back to sewing, hunching close to the fabric to see it and humming quietly under my breath.
The Troll peered up at me, still caressing and soothing the windserpent. “What are you working on?”
“Shirt for Uzil,” I said. “Winter’s Veil. Trying to stitch on pretty flower he give me… not think it quite right, but not make stitching-pictures in long time.” I tugged the yellow thread through, frowned, and then made another few stitches.
“Ah… An actual flower? Or a fake flower?”
“Well, he bring bunch of flowers when he ask if okay Zugtug come dinner….” I lifted my head to nod at the little shelf at the back of the cave, which now bore only the epic off-hand bouquet in its shining yet somehow delicate thorium vase. “But before that, bring little bunch of yellow and red flowers, with pointy petals… mostly dried now, trying to keep nice until finish picture.” I gently reached down to the dark, cool place near my bag of cooking supplies and lifted a sadly wilted and withered bunch of firebloom. “Not ever see flowers like this, still need look at,” I explained, touching the petals gently.
Hakka’s expression was pretty neutral until I lifted the drying bouquet, and a look up upset scrawled across her face before she turned it sharply away. “Firebloom. Found only in hostile environments such as the Blasted Lands and Tanaris,” she said in a mechanical tone.
I set the flowers carefully back down. “Flowers… upsetting?” I looked warily over at Hakkajin. It could be jealousy… or the flowers could have some sort of symbolism I wasn’t aware of, to Trolls. ‘Rima had been able to say a thousand things to me by giving me a bouquet, and I didn’t have the slightest idea what these ‘firebloom’ represented. Maybe passion? That sounded fire-like.
Hakka stiffened and gave a hesitant and unenlightening, “Yes.”
I considered. “If… other Troll see them, be upset? Or… is personal upset?” I probed carefully. If it was a personal matter for Hakkajin, it was probably jealousy and therefore, something to just let lie. If it was more of a taboo… that was something I’d need to make Uzil explain. He was always springing things on me.
The troll chewed on the inside of her mouth before replying grudgingly, “Personal upset.”
I nodded silently and went back to her stitching. No sense in upsetting the girl any further. It bothered me more than a little, the girl’s obvious pain, the fact that Uzil and I were such a mismatched couple, Uzil’s obvious ambivalence when it came to Hakkajin. Part of me felt like I should leave to let the two of them work it out… and part of me felt that decision was in no way mine to make, and trying to force them together through loneliness would be a mistake. Compassion, I tried to remember, doesn’t mean forcing what I thought was best on other people. Either way, it was awkward and painful. I picked at a thread and sighed. Hakkajin echoed the sound.
“Maybe when Uzil come back, you and he should talk,” I said quietly. “Maybe I go take a walk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she snapped.
I shrugged. “If there wasn’t, you not keep coming here, I think,” I said softly.
There was another long, awkward silence. “Maybe I just want to see him and not talk to him,” was her retort.
“Maybe you should decide what you want,” I said, shrugging again. “Hard to know if he can say yes or no, if you not decide.”
“I know what I want. And it isn’t talking to him.” She hunched her shoulders and hid her head underneath the blankets.
I went back to my embroidery.
