She was currently perched in a low, curved branch of a tree, snuggled up to the trunk, a heavy book in her lap, legs curled beneath her. They'd been on this planet for several months, and the draenei had finally started exploring beyond their landing site, overly-cautious as always. Lena had made the excursion to a nearby city, hiding her horns and blue skin under her hood and gloves. The draenei preferred to keep a low profile until they'd made contact and determined what people could be trusted and whom they could call allies. She was part of a team that were understated and diplomatic, tasked with seeking out allies and researching the planets on which their ship landed, learning the language, figuring out how to communicate with the beings that lived there.
In the settlement they first explored, they found little, but were pointed in the direction of a city - or at least a larger settlement. Her quarters were filled with books, yes, but also trinkets and smaller treasures from nearly every planet they visited. Sometimes, she carried these pieces with her when trying to communicate with new beings, offering them as currency for information.
Now they had been here for enough time for Lena to start learning the language, analyzing their society. She currently held a book of myths and legends of the area, reading it with a faint smile. She thought it quaint sometimes, learning about the traditions of another people. It often made her think critically about her own belief system, broken as it was. She remembered Argus, but only barely. She'd been fairly young, and still traumatized from events that transpired. But she remembered the peace they'd lived in. They'd been on the run so long, many of them felt broken. Everything they'd ever known was shattered when their leaders rebelled in a power-thirsty move.
Velen, to his credit, attempted to keep the traditions and Argussian peace alive, even as they fled. He was a wonderful teacher, and Lena was grateful for the rare opportunity to speak with him.
Lena leaned her head back against the trunk of the tree, listening to the wildlife around her. Members of the research teams were sent in all directions, to catalogue the plant and animal life, to talk with the people native to the planet and make sense of the world they inhabited. The draenei were not fearful - rather, they were quite curious, often more inclined to listen and learn first and act later.
She closed the book in her lap, letting her eyes slip shut, when she heard a commotion nearby. She herself was sometimes jumpy and anxious, and not being a fighter, she often forgot to bring on her wanderings more than the precursory dagger attached to her waist. She peered through the brush, wrinkling her nose. A grack. Her hand reached for her dagger, but clumsy as she was, she dropped it on the ground. She muttered a soft curse, still watching the grack, which seemed to have some poor creature treed nearby. She sighed, hating to see anything being viciously attacked. She lifted her hands, whispering a soft incantation and sending a wave of arcane energy toward the grack, transforming it into a harmless sheep and dazing it, ensuring the smaller creature a quick escape and seeming to wipe the last few moments of memory from the grack's brain.
As the wandering grack-sheep bleated helplessly, Lena looked up at the tree, fumbling for her glasses as she peered and found herself looking right at a bewildered draenei male who had climbed up the trunk. He was staring down at the sheep in confusion. He was handsome, Lena found herself thinking, and felt herself blush. She reached for her book again, flipping to find her page. She wasn't sure how she felt about being attracted to someone. Other than her fellow researchers, she hadn't gotten to know many people, but she had seen him around the ship. She was usually too busy reading to interact.
Once more lost in the book, she jumped when a gruff voice addressed her from the base of the tree she was in. "Lena?"
The man smiled tentatively up at her. He stood with purpose, almost cockily, his thick arms crossed over his stocky chest, all leather-and-mail covered. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He broke out in a grin when he made eye contact, and Lena grew warm under his gaze, biting her lip nervously as she blinked down at him, trying to pull herself away from the world inside the book.
"Y-yes?"
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