#dh!ava

[jasleh]

Ava and Imlerith, BFFs

(these are totally captioned if you click on them)

(... Ava needs a snapchat...)

[jasleh]

well, at least she’s got red-ish glaves now...

[jasleh]

the thing I wrote today... in case anyone’s interested in a conversation between Jas and her alternate-timeline mom... not much really happens, but it’s more intended to set off other things /shrug

Once again, Avaraelina made her way through the confusing maze of streets that made up Bilgewater Harbor, trying to find her way to the “kava place” that was written down on a scrap of paper. She wasn’t entirely certain what “kava” was - must be something new since she’d been locked up - but that was where Jasdralinda wanted to meet her. Ava suspected this was because Jas wasn’t ready to introduce her to her husband yet. Well, that was fair. Ava wasn’t certain she was ready to meet him yet. She hadn’t really had the time in the past month or so to get used to the idea of a goblin son-in-law.

Like the first time she had gone to see her daughter, Ava had left Imlerith behind. Although at least this time, she’d told him where she was going. She knew he wanted to visit Jas too, but as she’d explained to him, they hadn’t really talked much on her first visit. And also she hadn’t mentioned that he existed. Considering what they now knew about the timeline mix-up, she figured it was best not to spring that sort of thing on Jas without any warning.

Ava huffed in annoyance. You would really think that a brand new city could be laid out better. She couldn’t imagine why Jas would want to live here. She was pretty sure she was in the right general area, but she just couldn’t find the place. Giving up, she made the mental shift that changed her spectral sight from “make it look as normal as possible” to “see through everything” and tried to find her daughter’s spectral signature. Knowing Jas, she’d probably already been at “Kava Klutch” for at least half an hour. Aaaaaand… there. Ok, now that she had a direction, she just needed to find a way there that didn’t involve walking through walls.

A few turns later, and Ava finally found herself in the right place. Kava Klutch turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant place for Bilgewater Harbor, with low tables, comfortable (if mostly undersized) chairs, and a scent that Ava had to admit was enticing. Jas was sitting at one of the tables, nursing a cup of what was presumably kava, with a lynx tucked politely under the table. She smiled somewhat nervously and waved at the demon hunter as she came through the door.  

“Hi mom. You should probably order something so they’ll let us keep sitting here. I’d advise something with plenty of milk and sugar in it.” She raised her cup, indicating that she had followed her own advice, then took a sip.

“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary.” Ava scoffed. “This kava stuff smells lovely, if that’s what the smell here is.”

“Suit yourself.” Jas smirked slightly and took another sip while Ava went to order.

Ava returned to the table a few minutes later with a cup of dark, steaming liquid that did indeed smell lovely. Jas watched expectantly as Ava took a sip. She immediately spit it out and gasped “oh, it’s bitter!”

Jas laughed. “I tried to warn you. The milk and sugar make it taste as good as it smells.”

“Hrm.” Ava took a second, more careful sip. Now prepared for the bitterness, it didn’t seem quite as bad, but she still grimaced. Jas pushed a bowl of sugar towards her, and she caved and put a small amount in. She had to admit - to herself at least - that the sugar did make it taste a good deal better, but she thought that with time she could learn to drink it without. Assuming it was worth the effort to develop a taste for it, that was.

“Why do people drink this…?”

“Well, I like the taste… once it’s suitably altered.” Jas raised her cup again, indicating the milk and sugar. “But also it gives you energy and keeps you awake. Very popular with goblins and pandaren.”

“Pandaren?”

“Well, kava is from Pandaria so they had it first.”

“Oh”

They sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating their cups. Ava thought this was going well, so far. They hadn’t gotten past the small talk, but Jas seemed much more relaxed this time. Finally, Jas took a deep breath and broke the silence.

“So… you said you talked to… uh… yourself?”

“Yes. We didn’t talk very much, but it was enough to convince me. She is… definitely me. Which… I suppose means I don’t really belong here.”

Jas made a noncommittal sound at this. “Perhaps, but you are here so does it matter?”

“I guess not.” Ava smiled. “You seem to be taking this all in stride.”

“Well, I have had time to get used to it. Also this… presents me with a certain opportunity.” Jas put down her kava cup with a deliberate motion and looked directly at Ava’s blindfold with a serious expression. Ava cocked her head questioningly, and Jas looked back down and continued.

“I could never find a way to ask this when you - the other you - were still alive, or at least, not a way that you wouldn’t just brush off. When you died, and again when you came back but with most of your memory gone, I figured I had lost my chance forever. But now you are here. And I will not let this chance escape me again.” She looked back up into where Ava’s eyes used to be and asked her question. “Who is my father?”

Ava started slightly in surprise. “What? Why?”

“I realize this isn’t important to you, mom. Maybe because you never had to wonder. But it is important to most people. I want to know. This is important to me.”

“Oh.” Ava sat back in the low chair and thought. It had honestly never occurred to her before that this was a particularly important bit of information. Jas had had Ava, and her grandparents. Why would she need someone else? But for Jas, she thought.

“Well… it was a very long time ago, you understand?”

Jas groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten.”

“Well, no. I mean, I do have a short list of possibilities… I just never looked into it closer.”

“A list.” Jas said flatly.

“Aaaand… some of the people on it are dead now… or at least, they were in my timeline.”

“Of course,” Jas sighed. “Well, tell me the list then.”

“Ok, well” Ava pulled up her hands to start counting on her fingers and tilted her head back to think. “The most likely candidate is probably Imlerith.”

“Uncle Imlerith?” Jas interrupted incredulously.

“You know he’s not… actually your uncle, right?”

“Yes mom, I think I’d know if you had siblings.” Jas said, rolling her eyes. “And now that I think about it, I’m honestly not sure why that surprises me. Other than not wanting to think to hard about my mother’s sex life.” Jas sat back in contemplation, bringing her kava cup with her. “That… would actually be pretty nice,” she said. “Ok, who else?”

Ava went back to thinking and counting on her fingers.

“Well, Zaeris Emberlight is also pretty likely. He was in my unit at the time, but died before I even realized I was pregnant. Amani incursion. Then there was… uh… Norren? I think that was his name… Norren Sunheart. I think he died a few decades ago in some skirmish or other. Then… Belaen Dawnshade. He was killed in Outland by demons… that would have been before the me from this timeline died, but I’m honestly not sure where the timelines split exactly. So he might still be alive, I suppose. Finally, there’s Elerance Felo'Dinoriel . He was my superior officer at the time, and it was a one-night-stand, so he’s probably the least likely… then again, we were both pretty drunk at the time so maybe that makes him the most likely. Last I knew, he was still alive.”

“Your superior officer? Really?”

“Well, he was very attractive. And so was I, if I do say so myself.” Ava answered somewhat defensively. “He still is, if what he looked like ten years ago is anything to go by. … Pity he was never interested in repeating the experience, he was pretty good in bed.”

“MOM”

“Sorry. Anyway, I think he tried to forget it ever happened. Anyway, that’s the list. It’s possible there were one or two one-night-stands in the relevant time period who I never bothered to learn the names of, but I don’t think there were.”

“Great.” Jas sighed. “So that’s it then? That’s as close as I’ll ever get to knowing?”

“Well… maybe. Or maybe not. If it’s one of the dead ones, then yes, I’m afraid so… but there are spells that can tell these things. We’d just need hair from all of the involved or possibly involved parties and a mage who knows the right spell. At the least, it would rule out some people.”

“Huh.” Jas sat back, considering this information. Ava continued, starting to get into the idea.

“I’d get a lock of hair from you to start. Then I’d need to track down myself again in case the timeline mixup would affect it. I’ve already found her once, so I should be able to do it again. Especially with the way the Death Knights have mobilized to fight the Legion. Tracking down the men could be a bit more difficult… I suppose I should start by trying to get the records to find out exactly who is still alive. Even if my memories are accurate in this timeline up until the Northrend campaign, I’ve been out of the loop for quite a while. I don’t suppose you know where Imlerith is in this timeline?”

“No… he disappeared before you died. Deserted, I think.”

“Deserted?” Ava was agast. “That doesn’t seem like him at all!”

“Do you mean he didn’t in your timeline?”

“No! He… well, he became a Demon Hunter. With me. He’s… well, he got caught up in the same anomaly or whatever that I did. We were in neighboring cells in the Warden’s vault. We’ve been sticking together, since we’re the only ones that remember each other as we are.” Ava looked down into her kava. “He really wants to see you, but I told him it was probably best if I at least told you he existed first. Considering.”

“Probably best, yes.” Jas was looking rather stunned by this new bit of information. She shook her head to clear it and returned to the original topic. “Do you think this will work?”

“Well, it will if your father is still alive. Here, just a sec.” Ava dug in her bags and pulled out a piece of cloth. “Cut off a bit of hair and put it in here. I’ll be right back.” She got up and went to the counter.

“Do you have a bit of paper I could have?”

The goblin barista looked her over. “Sure, lady. 3 copper.”

“For a piece of paper.”

“Yup.”

“Fine.” Ava pulled out three copper and handed it over. Goblins. The barista pulled out a blank receipt and handed it to her, then went back to making kava. Ava went back to the table.

“Ok,” she said, and wrote down names on the paper. Jas’s, hers, and the five men’s. Then she tore off the bit with Jas’s name and added it to the hair in the cloth, carefully wrapping them up together and putting the resulting lump in her bags. “That’s one down.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Of course.” Ava looked down at her hands. “I’m… sorry I never realized this was so important to you. I don’t know if I can fix it, but I will try.” She looked back up. “There is… one thing that I have been meaning to ask you, as well.”

“Yes?”

“Are you… doing ok? The last time I was here I heard that… you might be struggling.”

Jas raised an eyebrow at the roundabout way Ava asked the question, but answered anyway.

“Money is… tight. But we’re getting by. Mostly.”

“But surely I must have left you something… and you should have gotten a fair sum from Silvermoon when I … died. Have you gone through all of that?”

“You did… and they did. And no, I lived pretty frugally so a decent chunk of that gold still exists. I just can’t get to it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s held in the bank at Silvermoon.” Bitterness was clear in Jas’s tone. “But they refuse to transfer it to Orgrimmar or Bilgewater Harbor unless I request it in person. And I can’t go back there.”

“That doesn’t seem right.” Ava furrowed her brow behind the blindfold.

“It’s not. A goblin lawyer could tear them to pieces, but we can’t afford to hire one.”

“Well, perhaps I could hire one for you then… but why can’t you go back to Silvermoon? I understand it’s a long way, but mage portals could get you there easily…”

Jas gave her a “do you really need to ask that?” look.

“I met Chazz in Silvermoon. I can’t go back because we left shortly ahead of being driven out. Or worse.”

“... oh.” Ava supposed that Silvermoon wouldn’t have taken too well to a goblin/blood elf romance, at that. Though she hadn’t thought it would be that bad. “Would they transfer it if I asked?”

“Probably not. You’re dead, remember? The account’s just in my name now.”

“So… where would I go to hire one of those lawyers then?”

“I’m not sure… best not to just ask around probably. Chazz might know someone who’d be good to go to, I’ll ask him.”

“You do that. Let me know if you get a name. In the meantime, I’ll get started on the hair project.” She patted her bag.

“Sounds good.” Jas smiled. “It was good to talk to you, mom. Thanks for meeting me.”

“Of course! … though why here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well… we, uh… we don’t exactly have much furniture right now.”

“What? Why?”

“I adopted a couple of bear cubs over a year ago… I’ve been meaning to release them, but I couldn’t exactly do that while there were demons raining from the skies. We sort of… sold most of our furniture when they started crowding the main room. There wasn’t room for both and we need the money anyway.”

“Hm. Well, hopefully I can get at least the money thing sorted out. Preferably the demons too, but that will probably take longer. Stay in touch, alright?”

“I will. Take care, mom.”

“You too.”

[jasleh]

yessssssss

[jasleh]

hell yeah

[jasleh]

there we go!

braid was available when I did “re-customize”

[jasleh]

ok so, she still needs her braid

but I think I’m liking this design...

her tattoos were GOING TO BE RED BUT BLIZZ MADE THEM PINK

WHY

WHY BLIZZ

[jasleh]

I wrote a thing set about a few weeks after demon hunters start integrating into the horde and alliance, whenever that’s gonna be... introducing my future demon hunter

Jas was sweeping up animal hair the evening the knock came on her door. Chazz was out late, as he often was these days, helping heal the injured from the on-going demon invasion. She answered the door, expecting to see a goblin - perhaps their landlord. What she found was a demon hunter.

In a flare of panic, Jas almost slammed the door shut in her face, but the odd, tentative way she was standing, as if she was afraid, stayed her hand.

"Hello Jas." The woman spoke in a quiet tone, as if addressing a frightened deer that might bolt at any moment. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. It was really hard to track you down."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The question came out rude, but Jas found she didn't really care. The woman took on a hurt expression. Interesting that I can read her so clearly despite the blindfold, Jas thought absently.

"Oh honey, I know I've changed a lot, but surely you recognize your own mother?"

"My mother is dead." It came out flatly, though even as she spoke, she could see certain similarities in the distorted and partially obscured features. The woman's face softened.

"I can see how you'd assume that, when I didn't come home from Outland. But I'm not dead, I've just been locked up. And it was so hard to find you! What are you doing living in a goblin city of all places? Why did you move out of Silvermoon?"

"No, that's not what I mean. And don't change the subject." That was NOT a bridge Jas wanted to cross just yet. Especially if this really was somehow her mother, though surely that wasn't possible. "My mother did come home from Outland, and then she followed Kael'thas to Northrend. Where she died. I... I got a letter from her some years later, after the death knights were freed from the Lich King's control. I haven't seen her in person, but we've been corresponding irregularly ever since."

Confusion painted the demon hunter's face.

"But... surely someone is lying to you then! I joined the Illidari in Outland. It was a very hard decision, but with all the demons I saw there... the devastation..."

"I saw her after she got home, before she died." Jas said it gently. The woman's confusion was beginning to convince her that, as unlikely as it seemed, she was telling the truth as she knew it. "I got the official notice of death from the army. And even if I haven't seen her since, I have heard about her. She's been involved in a lot of things since coming back. She goes by Avaraelina Darkstar now."

"But..." The woman was pleading now. "But... I am your mother! I am Avaraelina Brightstar!"

"Maybe you are. There's been a lot of strange things happening since the Dragon Aspects lost most of their power." A new confusion crossed her maybe-mom's face. Clearly she hadn't had time to catch up on what had happened since she was locked up. "And if you are, well... I guess it's nice that there's still one person going by 'Brightstar' still in the world. Who isn't a distant relative, I mean."

"One? Don't you mean two?" Oops. Well, she'd brought them to the bridge herself this time, so she'd better put a foot on it. Jas lifted her chin, and aimed for a tone of serenity in the hopes that she would at least hit "calm"

"Actually, I'm Jasdralinda Bronzebolt now. I'm married."

"Married?" Ava sounded both surprised and delighted, further supporting her claimed identity. Ava always had been worried about her daughter's seemingly complete lack of interest in anything resembling sex or relationships. But then the other shoe dropped. "Wait... 'Bronzebolt'?"

Jas remembered when she'd sent a letter to her mom (... her death knight mom. This was going to get confusing. Dead-mom and demon-mom?) about her marriage. She'd agonized for hours over that letter. The one she'd gotten in return had been surprisingly accepting, if somewhat unenthusiastic, and she'd always been glad she hadn't been there while Ava was getting used to the idea. She knew from other correspondence that undeath had given Ava a certain... appreciation for certain aspects of goblin culture that had perhaps made it easier to accept. Demon-mom likely had no such experiences, and she had to do this one face-to-face. Jas pictured Chazz in her mind and drew strength from the image. She was rather glad that he wasn't home for this though. Or worse, home while she was out.

"That's right. I married a goblin named Chazzwik Bronzebolt."

"A goblin?!" Nothing but shock and disgust now. Jas kept her chin up, staring defiantly at the blindfold covering Ava's eyes. "But... why?"

"Because I love him. Because he is a good man. Because, unlike all the people I grew up with, he has never treated me with anything but kindness and respect. I realize this seems strange to you, but I hope that you can accept it and respect my decision." That last seemed to act like a bucket of cold water. Ava always had, after all, striven to be a good mother who respected her daughter's choices even when she couldn't understand them.

"Well... well, of course I will. It's just..." She stopped, obviously changing what she'd been about to say. "It's just... this is a lot to take in."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is. A lot has happened in the years the demon hunters were locked away. I really think you should go find mom... I mean, yourself, and talk to her. She should be a lot easier to find than I was. You never have stayed back from a fight, have you?"

"I... you're probably right. And no, I don't suppose I ever have. I'll find her. And I'll think about some things. And then maybe, after that, I can come back and we could talk?" The pleading tone was back. Ava was no longer certain she had a place in her daughter's life and it frightened her.

"Yeah, mom. When you come back, we can talk. I think that would be nice."

Ava smiled widely and nodded eagerly.

"Right! Well, I guess I'd better go then. It... was very good to see you again. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, mom." A few tears gathered in her eyes. 

Ava nodded again, and turned to walk off. Jas closed the door gently behind her. Then she dropped the broom that she'd nearly forgotten was in her hand and collapsed onto a sleeping bear like he was a couch. (Ha, like they had room for a couch! No, since the cubs had reached their full growth, everything was Bear.) She contemplated a world in which her mother now somehow existed twice. A near hysterical giggle escaped from her lips.

"I guess I finally have two parents!"