Lena pulled up on her talbuk, Pryt, as they reached the crest of one of the smaller hills of Stonetalon. Looking behind her, she squinted at the figure trailing them and patted Pryt’s neck, murmuring, “Good boy. A little rest did do you some good. Arloth doesn’t know what he’s talking about. His poor talbuk must get so tired of hauling around all that plate. And that enormous head of his.” The beast snorted in reply and shook his head, pawing at the rocky ground and prancing in a tight circle as the figure finally approached. Lena’s eyes gleamed and she smiled again as she studied Krastos drawing near. Her hood had fallen back and bounced along her shoulders as she rode, and she self consciously tugged at the mess of her hair, girlishly hoping it looked alright.
She’d needed to get out for a little while. Her duties as Caretaker pulled her in many directions at once, often forcing her from her shell. She’d been working especially hard with new recruits, training alongside them, getting them to talk together about maneuvers and armor. It was taxing, but worth it. They were a good group, if a little green. But it was indeed tiring. After centuries of being alone, the recent influx of social activity was a little overwhelming.
Krastos, on his own talbuk, finally joined her on top of the hill, watching her out of the side of his eye. She took a deep breath of the clear air in this part of Stonetalon, relaxing a bit with the scent of pine and the sea, before looking at him. She was surprised when Krastos responded to her without her so much as attempting to reach out to his mind. Clearly, the frustration of the evening had come across telepathically. Most of the time, she got the arcane right. But her own communications sometimes left much to be desired.
“What is it, little Lena?” He asked gently, reaching out a weathered hand to stroke her cheek, running his thumb along her jaw in the way that always made her relax instantly. She smiled at him, her racing thoughts finally quieted a bit as she shifted in her saddle. ”Nothing. I’ve just missed you.”
He chuckled softly and nodded, “And I have missed my little Lena.” He peered off into the distance, toward the scorched and still burning parts of Stonetalon, then looked back to her. ”I’ve noticed that you seem a little tense lately. Would it help if we went out and played like we used to?” He smiled and his features softened, “I hope you haven’t forgotten what I’ve been teaching you.”
She nodded and took a deep breath, letting her mind clear. After many long weeks of training and the incident at Northwatch Hold, tonight, she had come up against Arloth, the order’s Field Marshal and military leader. He was a tough old paladin, stubborn and frequently rude. But she took her role as Caretaker very seriously. Not only did she have to keep up with the new recruits’ progress, she had to deal with a few inflated egos here and there. Namely Arloth. She cringed a bit as she remembered calling him an old goat to his face, keeping him from instigating anything with Amboro, and ordering the older draenei to bed, like a child, and wondered what would be in store for her during tomorrow’s weekly drilling.
Krastos, though often just as blunt and stubborn, at least was a bit more forgiving. Granted, he often had interests other than military on his mind when they were together, but surely not all the men in her life were so pigheaded? Where Arloth just expected her to improve on her own, Kras was willing to teach her, and he had been working with her to improve her communication with the element of fire through nature. Being a shaman, he didn’t understand the arcane as she did, but his teaching often helped stabilize her when the magical elements got the best of her. They both had a slightly sadistic streak, sometimes a little too quick to fire, which might have gotten them in trouble, had they been of the same order. She ran an appreciative eye along Kras’s armor, and when she caught his eye, she grinned, gathering up Pryt’s reins and nudging him forward, letting him eagerly shoot off in the direction of the scorched earth. As the wind whipped through her hair, she was already murmuring the words to summon the fire she loved so much.
That was all work, she thought. This is my time. To play.
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