#shansii

[lorellaishc]

Hearts and Minds

((DWC November 2023, Day 1, Party/Chills, CW: none, @daily-writing-challenge ))

"Alright miss Vyranoth, that's all the supplies for your Claws that you asked for!" Lorellai smiled as she unloaded the final barrel from its place on Stroganoff's back.

"Your performance has been adequate, Lorellai." Vyranoth said, her back turned to Lorellai as she examined a wound on Buri's wing membrane. There was a silent moment, finally broken by the Incarnate of Frost. "Thank you."

"Happy to help, get better soon Buri!" Lorellai waved goodbye, heading back up the path to the main camp beneath Amirdrassil's roots, where her friends were waiting. Ghorren and Edmund seemed to be making a competition of moving supply crates, while Shansii had taken over clipboard duty, tracking each part of the shipments coming in via the Dragonscale expedition.

Ghorren paused as Lorellai walked up, a barrel on each shoulder. "I do not understand how you can be so friendly with that dragon. She's less welcoming than Shadra on a bad day."

Lorellai shrugged. "Just trying to be a good neighbor. Mom and dad always said it's better to make friends where you can, you'll have enough enemies as an adventurer anyway."

"Not th' worst advice I've heard." Edmund declared, coming back for another crate. "Still, credit where it's due, I don't know if I could be anything other than worried as hell if I had to talk to her up close."

"Aw, she's not so bad. Cold, of course, but she cares about others, that's why she switched sides! Even now she's tending personally to her follower's wounds, if she wasn't a nice person, she wouldn't be doing that now would she?" Lorellai said, hopping up on the rock that Shansii was sitting on and peering at the clipboard.

The two men returned to their work with the crates. Once they were out of the girls' earshot, Ghorren turned to Edmund. "That girl has no idea how inspirational she is, does she?"

Edmund smiled. "Not a lick. Hopefully she never does, I hear her father's quite the pompous ass about his heroics." Ghorren barked out a laugh as they continued their work in preparing the tree for the big day.

[lorellaishc]

The Two R's

(( DWC February 2024 Day 6, Vanity/Feelings, CW: none, @daily-writing-challenge ))

All was in readiness. Tulcor eyed the implements before him, each sharpened, cleaned, and oiled, ready for use. The chemicals were mixed and ready, the fumes stinging slightly at his eyes. His subjects were fully still on their tables. The black-scaled Dracthyr flexed his wings and shook out the excitement, he was going to need a steady hand. As he wheeled the tray of implements over to the first, he looked over his subjects. A young dwarf, a zandalari troll, a kul tiran human, a draenei, and a gnome, all helpless before him. He drew forth the first implement, the metal glinting in the light that shone form above, and approached the troll.

The satisfied grunt from the troll pleased Tulcor's hearing as he put the file to the calluses on the troll's feet, scraping away at the hardened skin as the other attendants circled around, providing the full service of Valdrakken's newest and finest day spa. Expert hands and claws clipped nails, softened calluses, massaged muscles, and applied treatments to skin for the delight and comfort of their guests. Far more rewarding than the soldier's life he'd been created for, if Tulcor was any judge. The smiles of his subjects filled his heart with a glee he'd never known fighting for dragonkind. He'd also learned so much of the peoples of Azeroth with this occupation, how each valued different results based on their physiology, something he kept in mind as he worked on the troll's feet, careful not to go too far in the treatment as the troll was typical in his disdain of boots.

Hours later, Lorellai, Pinapple, Edmund, Ghorren, and Shansii sat in fluffy robes, enjoying fruity drinks and listening to the soft music from the nearby speakers. "Shansii," Lorellai said, feeling more relaxed than she had in over a year, "we gotta thank your mom for tellin' us about this place."

"Three cheers for Henii, and her impeccable spa-finding skills," Ghorren said sleepily, slowly lowering a bundle of grapes into his mouth.

"And three cheers to the spa for having a 'Champions of the Dragonflights' discount!" Pin declared, raising her drink.

From the doorway, Tulcor looked at his subjects and nodded. A much better feeling indeed than who and what he was before the great sleep.

[lorellaishc]

The Next Generation

(( DWC November 2023, Day 6, Expectation/Selfish, CW: none; @daily-writing-challenge ))

The dust of battle had cleared, and for the moment, the forces of Azeroth had taken the field, but the enemy was yet unbeaten. Fyrakk had broken his way into the temple with his own powers, and he and his followers had retreated within.

Lorellai could hear the aspects making plans to pursue, talking about taking a team of their most able champions to aid the pursuit, while the rest remained without to handle any further attempts by the remaining flame druids, primalists, or djaradin to interfere. She saw her parents, as well as her many aunts and uncles, Henii, Dolraan, and Hlin among them, engaging in the conversation as well. That made sense. She and the rest of the team had handled the primalists in the vault, and down in Aberrus, but those had been fairly localized trouble, and happened fast enough to preclude calling for backup. But now Fyrakk and the Firelands were threatening the world tree and the emerald dream, and that surely meant bringing in the big guns, and well, what bigger guns were there than the heroes who'd saved the world time and time again?

She'd already started preparing herself to be okay with that when Drogar broke off from the group, followed by Darlain and Dolraan, heading her way. They looked every bit the legendary dwarven heroes they were. Her father in his mechanized armor suit, her mother in her angelic war-priest vestments, and though uncle Dolraan would argue that he was a poor dwarf indeed, a fine figure nonetheless in his shining silver and gold armor and argent tabard. Before they could say a word, she smiled and greeted them. "I guess we should wish you all luck in there! I'm sure Fyrakk and his cronies won't know what hit them." Lorellai was pleased with herself, she'd managed to tamp down her own disappointment, and show them the love and support they'd always showed her. But the way they looked at each other and smiled seemed odd.

"Er, lass, that's what we were coming over t' say to yeh. Th' Aspects are calling on your team to join them inside, we'll be holdin' th' line out here." Drogar said, clapping his daughter on the shoulder.

Lorellai gawped as Dolraan followed up. "You've got far more experience with these particular villains than we do, having just arrived. And you've all proven yourselves to Alexstrasza and her fellow aspects time and time again. This is your mission."

"Make sure you teach them a lesson about messing with th' peace of Azeroth, my little sparkler!" Darlain said, pulling Lorellai into a hug. "Make sure they know why every other villain fears going up against th' Meddlers!"

Out the corner of her eye, Lorellai caught Shansii hugging her mom as well, and a few others receiving well wishes from the older heroes. Hlin in particular seemed to be giving some last minute punching advice to Edmund, who was listening thoughtfully. "Are… are you sure?"

Drogar beamed back at her. "Oh hell no, but I trust you, and I believe in you, and I know that Alexstrasza wouldn't be askin' for yeh if yeh didn't have what it takes. But I won't be sendin' yeh empty handed! I cannae help but notice that spear of yers 'as seen better days. Maybe a bit more of a distant approach will suit yeh better in there, and I've got just th' thing, designed and built based on those lovely elemental ore samples yeh sent home." Drogar whistled, and Balinore lumbered over, dragging a long crate. Unlocking it, Drogar pried it open, and removed a beautiful looking rifle from the hay within, handing it reverently to his daughter. "I call it th' Firefighter, on account of it usin' elemental fire to enhance th' shots with which you might fight then fight fire with fire!" Drogar declared, inordinately pleased with his wordplay.

Lorellai gingerly took the weapon from her father's hands, running her fingers along the barrel. "It's.. it's beautiful."

"Wield it with pride lass, and give that' fire dragon a shot to th' eye he'll ne'er forget."

Lorellai pulled her dad into a hug, but already she could hear Rokishan calling her name, as everyone got ready to head inside with the Kaldorei and the Aspects. Loading a magazine, she nodded at her father, and turned to face the temple. It was time to meddle.

[lorellaishc]

Rest

(( DWC November 2023, Day 4, Attention/Grief, CW: none; @daily-writing-challenge ))

It was a quiet night in the Dream, beneath Amirdrassil's boughs. The team had been relieved, and set up camp near the central encampment to rest up for the conflicts of the day to come. It was Ghorren's turn to cook, so the steam given off by the stewpot was filled with the scent of strong spices he'd brought from Zandalar. It was mouthwatering, and Lorellai was both anticipating and dreading the burn her mouth was soon to feel. Just on the edge of the campfire's light, Edmund snored gently, taking a pre-dinner nap, while Shansii called on the healing waters she carried to soothe his wounds. Pin was writing another letter home, and Lorellai was left just poking at the fire with a stick while Stroganoff burbled softly behind her.

"You're staring, girl." Ghorren said, breaking the silence as he stirred the pot, sprinkling in yet more spice after taking an experimental sip of the broth.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry Ghorren. It's just... your left hand, the far finger. It's a different color, and I've never understood why. Was it injured?"

"Oh? Yes, but not by the enemy. I lost it to grief for my Yizbei, when she fell to the blood trolls. Old zandalari tradition, when you lose a spouse or loved one, you sacrifice the finger to the loa. Then, you grieve until it grows back. Once it's regenerated, then it is the sign from the loa that you should move on. If it doesn't grow back, then your time will soon come," he answered, stirring more before banging the spoon clean on the rim, and grabbing bowl from the mess kit.

"That's really romantic. You must have loved Yizbei very much." Lorellai said, accepting a bowl of the pungent, spicy stew.

"Oh yes, we had many wonderful years together, and two beautiful daughters to show for it. I wanted to show how much it meant to me. She'd probably call me a fool for it," Ghorren replied, smiling and shaking his head. "But, she is at rest, Bwonsamdi tends to her as he does all our dead, and I have plenty of life left to live. After all, I need to see my daughters grow, and with any luck, give me grandchildren to spoil."

The pair were joined at the fire by the rest of the team, roused by the delicious smelling meal. Jokes were shared and encouragement given before everyone retired for the night. Ghorren carefully snuffed the cooking flames with soil, and took in the team as they settled into their bedrolls and fell into much needed sleep. "Lend me your fury, my love. Once I get them through this, then I'll seek love again, as you would want me to."

Prayer complete, Ghorren settled in to sleep, all of them safe beneath Amidrassil's boughs for another night.

[lorellaishc]

Growth

((Daily writing challenge august 2023 day 7, Growth/Ruin, @daily-writing-challenge, CW: None))

The time-lost death knight held her runeblade high, feeling her king's command push her forward. Any pockets of life found must be extinguished, and the portal she had fallen afoul of was no different. She would end the life in this realm and deliver it to her King as tribute, and nothing would-

She staggered back as something hit her in the chest with a thunk sound. Looking down, she saw a spiky orb, latched on to her with some kind of adhesive. Ah, this realm had defenders. Pathetic. All she had to do was remove the explosive before it detonated. She grasped and pulled, but the adhesive refused to give. As she summoned the death frost, intent on shattering the glue, she heard another sound, looking up to see two wretched living creatures... one of which was wreathed with lightning.

"Now, zap it Shansii!" Lorellai hooted, as her friend expertly hurled a lightning bolt at the bomb, detonating it and sending the death knight back through the time portal in sandy pieces. "Och that was brilliant! Haha!"

Shansii wiped her brow, little arcs of electricity flowing across her mail. "That's the last of them, right?"

"Aye, Soridormi said there was three, and that was th' third. Not picking up any other disturbances. What say we go give the good news?" Lorellai said, picking her spear back up and stowing it on her back.

"Sounds good to me. Glad to see that my glue is being put to better use." Shansii chided, reaching down to poke her friend's shoulder. It was fun being the much taller friend usually, but it did make certain gestures trickier. "Did you finally give up on the glue bomb?"

"To be fair, it always did what I wanted, just never when I wanted it to." Lorellai chuckled. "But using it to make sticky bombs has proven much more effective, aye."

"Shame. I might almost miss spending three hours glued to a ceiling next to you."

"I mean, if you really want, I can put together a new prototype, I've got great ideas for a new triggering mechanism and-" Lorellai giggled as Shansii's tail gently slapped the back of her head. "I'm just saying. If I'm gonna be stuck to a roof with someone, you're the one I'd want that someone to be."

"Same with you, 'Lai. But we can also hang out without being glued to a ceiling, so let's stick to that."

The girls shared a laugh as they walked back to the overlook. "You know. We could use the glue bomb for a prank. We do -owe- mister Sturmtide for that pasta prank," Shansii declared, grinning down at Lorellai, who returned the gesture with mischief in her eyes. Tonight would be entertaining.

[lorellaishc]

Fireside

((Daily writing challenge august 2023 day 6, Truth/Permanent, @daily-writing-challenge, CW: None))

"Truth.... or dare?" Rinny Screwtorque asked, pushing her glasses up, letting the firelight glint off of them.

"Och, yeh know it's dare! Dare all night long!" Lorellai replied, ready for anything.

"I dare you.... to kiss Taatoo on the mandibles!" Rinny declared, before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

"Ha, is that all?" Lorellai replied, standing up and striking a pose. "I'm nae scared of any big bug, especially not that big softie!" With her head held high, Lorellai strode over to the spot near the fire where the critters were relaxing, and locked her eyes on Shillan's ravager companion. As it often did at rest, it was sitting perfectly still, just taking in everything around it. Lorellai knelt down, ignoring the dramatic gasps from her friends, grasped the ravager's head, and planted a big wet kiss on the face of the bug.

Taatoo was largely unmoved by this gesture, aside from a slight fluttering of his tiny wings that either betrayed a secret passion, or more likely, irritation.

Triumphantly, Lorellai returned to the fire, soaking in the whoops and hollars of the other girls. The summer camping trip of the Elwynn Young Ladies chapter of the Explorer's League had been wonderful so far, but this was the night she'd been waiting for. The ritual game of Truth or Dare, where she'd strategically positioned herself to make sure that she'd be the one on the attack. As she sat, she thought back to the year before, where Shansii had been the one to ask -her-, and she'd ended up having to swim across the cold lake in the middle of the night. This year, she'd have her revenge.

"Dare done! Now it's my turn! Shansii!" Lorellai grinned at her best friend, who looked back at her innocently. "Truth, or Dare"

Shansii smiled back, that winning smile that was starting to set Lorellai on edge. What was she planning?

"Truth." Shansii replied. Lorellai was devastated. She'd spent weeks coming up with the perfect dare, and Shansii had just ruined everything! But of course she knew, she always knew! Curse her for being such a good friend that she could read Lorellai like a book!

"Uh, Lorellai, she said truth, ask her a question." Rinny said, making a let's go motion. "We don't have all night."

Lorellai narrowed her eyes at her sweetly smiling friend, and asked the best question she could think of at the time. "Which of your parents is your favorite?" she asked, regaining her confidence. Surely this question would set her on the back hoof, and make her relent to the dare! Oh yes, the dare! She'd never admit to favoring one of her moms over the other!

"My dad Shillan. I love them all but he's the best dad in the world."

Lorellai's world shattered along with her plan. She'd underestimated her friend, and now it was all ruined. She barely registered Shansii winking as she turned to ask Greta and continue the game.

Lorellai had really wanted to see Shansii try to steal Balinore's chewball.

[lorellaishc]

Birthday

((Daily writing challenge august 2023 day 3, ominous/possibility, @daily-writing-challenge CW: none))

(Age: 9)

Four eyes, two bright blue, the other two glowing behind glass lenses, gazed at the box, wrapped in colourful paper and tied with a bright ribbon.

"What do you think it is, 'Lai?" Shansii asked, her gaze fixed on the box.

"It's so big, there could be anything in it!" Lorellai replied, her voice full of wonder.

"Maybe it's a new holo viewer!"

"Oh! Maybe it's a big stuffed bear!"

"I bet it's a set of roller skates!"

"Nah, your skates are still good. Maybe it's a telescope set!"

Behind the girls, looking on with joy, their parents watched the girls discuss the possibilities of Shansii's birthday present.

"I'm almost worried they might work themself up enough to ruin th' gift."

"Let them imagine for a minute more. It'll be well worth it when she finally opens it up."

[lorellaishc]

Wagers

((Daily Writing Challenge May 2023 day 3: Overcome/Blind. @daily-writing-challenge CW: None))

"So, what's all this then?" Edmund asked, having come upon Shansii and Lorellai in a quiet garden in Valdrakken. It was a mandatory rest day, and he'd been enjoying the variety of food on offer throughout the city.

"Lorellai's losing a bet," the draenei girl replied, grinning as she snacked on some candies, eyeing the scene. Lorellai stood in the garden, bow in hand, blindfold covering her eye, arrow knocked, and aimed at Stroganoff, who sat placidly some thirty yards away, as unmoving as the relatively small apple sitting atop the hornswog's head.

"I won't if yeh shut up and let me focus!" the dwarven girl shot back, adjusting her footing.

Edmund shrugged, and sat next to Shansii. "What's the wager, if I might ask?"

"If she makes the shot, I take her shift in the stables tomorrow. If she doesn't, she takes -my- shift in the library the day after."

"High stakes indeed! Mind if I watch?" Edmund smiled as the girl scooted aside, giving him room to lower his large frame on the bench. "Careful there Lorellai, don't want to hurt your big baby boy!" he heckled, eliciting a laugh from beside him.

Lorellai sighed, and tried to focus, like her aunt had taught her. She knew where Stroganoff was, she knew how big he was, she knew where she put the apple, so she just had to shoot... there! She loosed her arrow, and then heard a bark of laughter from Edmund, and a gasp from Shansii. "What? I hit it, right?"

Edmund guffawed, slapping at his knee. "We'll never know, girl! He snapped it right out of the air and swallowed it! Ha!"

Lorellai pulled off the blindfold, and looked at her big blackscaled boy. He as sitting placidly, apple still on his head, and the arrow was just gone. Shansii offered a wan smile, and a shrug. "Guess we just have to do our own jobs." Lorellai could only sigh as she encouraged the hornswog to open his mouth so she could fish the arrow out before it got lodged somewhere. And through it all, Stroganoff was unbothered.