The Best Laid Evil Plans
((Site Write 18. Featuring Zhaara, Shashi’s evil Eredar mother, featured in several of Shashi’s other stories, and ones by @thegoddamnhawkman too. I always did kind of wonder how the whole ‘b-t-dubs having a baby’ conversation went when she got back from her undercover infiltration mission...This story also features what Shashi sounds like when she speaks Draenic, as opposed to muddling through in Common. Is different-like, yes?))
Zhaara was a force to be reckoned with. The powerful Man'ari Eredar sorceress specialized in illusions, and yet she was lean and muscular as well, toned curves tempered by fel, her own power, and the strength that she'd gained when she was a Vindicator.
While she now had her head bowed and her fists clenched, she still did not kneel. Despite being terrified out of her mind...not for herself. But for--
"What have you DONE?!" Mazrethok bellowed. Despite the energy that had made her as tall as the other corrupted Eredar, the Pit Lord was larger by far. She wondered, in idle moments, what sort of people the Annihilans had been on their homeworld. If they had always been so massive and violent, or if somewhere there was a smaller refugee version of the race that looked like it was made of hodgepodge parts stuck together that enjoyed crochet and writing poetry...
"Felweaver ZHAARA." The creature shouted, sensing that it didn't have her attention, and she leveled a neutral glare up at it.
"I am with child," she declared, her chin drew up and her shoulders squared, prepared for battle...
There was a long silence, one that spread over the area as hushed whispers spread from where she stood in waves. The silence took on almost a tangible quality as the Pit Lord's massive face came down to bring his eyes level with the Eredar's...
His laugh was booming, hearty, it nearly knocked her over with the sudden force of it. "With CHILD? What did you DO? Do your people have no idea how to prevent such things? I assume that the father is the idiot that you were sent to corrupt--"
It was a different idiot, she mused to herself, her fingers curled on her belly, but she remained silent.
"--will be useful enough, I suppose. We could submerge it in a pool of fel to see if it becomes something interesting when it is born."
Zhaara's fingers tightened again, her body still but inside her mind was spinning, reeling...
"I have a different plan," she declared, defiant. "One that is none of your concern. If you take issue with the fact, I feel that I must warn you that my power is in no way affected by my condition..." Red misty tendrils rose around her, roiling and reaching, and the milling, curious imps and succubi close by took a step or two back.
Mazrethok scoffed, but it was with a wide, malevolent smirk. "We are all looking forward to seeing the result of your little 'plan', Zhaara. I hope, for your sake, that it is an impressive one..."
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"And then we hit the lever, and FWOOMP! The tailfin-sail deployed! The whole ship started SPINNING! I thought we were going to DIE!" Shashi enthused, her hands spread wide as she laid her head in her mother's lap. She didn't bother coming to her in disguise anymore, or in her dreams. Her visits were rather straightforward, albeit typically in the dead of night, under the cover of illusion as she came and went.
Zhaara couldn't help but chuckle. "It sounds like quite an adventure..."
"My life is full of adventure now that I'm a pirate. It's the best," Shashi sighed, smiling widely up at her. "Dad helped me with the changes to the ship. I mean...I kind of let him help. I knew what I was doing, but I like to give him an excuse to get off the Talbuk farm once in a while."
Zhaara's features drew into a small frown. "...how is your father?"
"Peaceful, mostly. Just kind of, you know. Doing his thing," Shashi nodded firmly. "Now that things have settled down from all the craziness with the other timeline and the other Orcs and the other me, hopefully they'll stay that way for a while!"
Zhaara's glowing green eyes wandered up to the sky and the stars, searching and hesitant. "Shashibala..."
Shashi stopped, nearly on the verge of another story, and craned her neck to look up at her. "Hmm?"
There was a silence so long that Shashi almost thought that maybe she hadn't heard her..."Tell your father that he's going to need to find someone to watch the talbuks for a while."
