A/N: This is set during Legion. Slightly AUish in that Lor'themar Theron has a night elf consort, because I was inspired by the story Night and Day by Chasidah ( s/8584005/1/Night-and-Day).

Warden Mina Clearwater looked at her business partner with sympathy. To her, the magnificent forests of Val'Sharah were a comforting reminder of home, but Syeris, being a demon hunter, stuck out like a sore thumb, and clearly felt it. She kept fidgeting, unlacing and relacing one of her leather bracers. She exhaled roughly and said, "He's late."

Mina shrugged. "He's the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas. It's probably not so easy for him to sneak away from his handlers for a rendezvous with two shady types such as ourselves."

Syeris snorted. "Being a Warden isn't shady."

"No, but being a night elf is. Though I hear he's not feeling so unfriendly towards our kind these days."

Syeris nodded shortly. She'd also heard the rumors that Lord Lor'themar Theron had recently taken a night elf as a consort. Mina actually did not know if her associate and friend had any opinions on the subject. If she hadn't said anything, and she hadn't, she was either indifferent or trying to spare Mina's feelings by declining to malign a kaldorei in her presence. Which meant she was likely indifferent. Mina smiled to herself. Syeris being tactful? That'll really be the day.

Syeris tensed suddenly. "Magic. His Lordship is arriving, I think."

She was proven half-right as two cones of bright blue light flashed into existence before them in the clearing they'd chosen for a meeting-place. One of the cones faded to reveal His Lordship Lor'themar Theron, and the other, to Mina's slight surprise, revealed a beautiful kaldorei woman with long violet hair, who muttered "Excuse me" and promptly stumbled into the bushes. Mina and Syeris winced, hearing her retch.

The Regent Lord looked at the two mercenaries with a touch of embarrassment. "Apologies, Warden, teleportation really does not agree with her."

Mina nodded and reached into her pack, retrieving a small glass potion bottle and offering it to the blood elf lord, her movements brisk and professional. "Take her this. It'll help with the nausea. We are happy to wait until the lady has righted herself before we discuss business."

The Regent Lord appraised the bottle suspiciously. "What is it?"

Mina waved a hand dismissively. "Just some water with some anti-emetic herbs mixed in."

Lord Theron looked hard into her face for another few seconds before nodding shortly and taking the bottle from her hands. He followed the woman into the bushes. Mina and Syeris exchanged glances, trying to ignore the whispered conversation the other two elves were having.

Or at least Mina was. Syeris, shameless as usual, stalked a little closer to the bushes, trying to eavesdrop. Mina rolled her eyes and muttered, "Syeris, really, do you mind acting even slightly professional in the presence of the leader of your people?"

Syeris turned back to face her and snorted, flicking a strand of bright blond hair out of her face. "Not. My people are the Illidari. Pretty sure most of my 'fellow' sin'dorei would kill me on sight, including that one." She smirked with nasty confidence. "Or try to, anyway."

Mina sighed. "Well, anyway, some respect is in order, don't you think? He is a client, after all," she begged.

Syeris shrugged and grinned. "Hey, well, that's what I keep you around for, Meen. Your business acumen." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowed. Lowering her voice, she added, "Anyway, I'm curious. That night elf isn't all she seems."

Mina raised her eyebrows. "I would expect not. Did you see something?"

Syeris nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could answer Lord Theron stepped back out of the bushes, leading the kaldorei woman by the hand with a surprising gentleness. In fact, he almost seemed to be clucking over her, leaning over her with one hand twined in hers, the other resting firmly and protectively on her hip. Mina caught Syeris's gaze, and the latter raised a brow at her. So I guess the rumors are true. In fact, looking over the woman, she was dressed rather expensively—and impractically—in a sleeveless blue gown cinched around the middle to reveal significant portions of her midriff and silver ornaments that suited her violet hair and pale pink complexion surprisingly well. Silver earrings dangled all along the tips of her long ears and silver bangles graced her wrists. But this woman was not just a pretty plaything, if Mina was any judge. Her bare arms were muscled and battle-scarred, and she could make out a few scars along her waist and stomach as well.

The woman leaned on Lord Theron and stood a little straighter, meeting Mina's curious gaze with an imperious one of her own. "My apologies, again. As my lord said, teleportation severely disagrees with me. Thank you for your remedy."

Lord Theron stood straighter as well, turning his gaze to Mina and Syeris. "Well, in any case, let's talk business, shall we?" He smiled humorlessly. "I, as you know, am Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron of Quel'Thalas, and this is my consort, Sentinel Sinala Greenleaf." No one but a Warden could have caught the slight look of uneasiness that flashed across his features as he said the word "consort." Sentinel Greenleaf's displeasure at the term was slightly more apparent, as she gave a wince of distaste as he said it. Interesting.

Mina cleared her throat and bowed from the waist. "I am honored, Regent Lord, Sentinel Greenleaf, to make your acquaintance. I, of course, am Warden Mina Clearwater, and this is my business partner, Illidari Syeris Verdana." Syeris copied her motion and bowed from the waist. "How may we serve?"

Lord Theron's face settled into a mask of regal indifference. "First, you must understand that absolute discretion is necessary here. No one can know of this… task I am setting you. It is a delicate matter and we are living in precarious times."

Mina bowed her head slightly and replied, "Of course, Lord Theron. We are professionals. You need not be concerned." She ignored the wry look Syeris sent her way at the word "professionals."

"Yep. Only thing we're concerned about is whether the check clears, my lord," Syeris added, grinning. Mina shot her a warning look. If only they were sitting at a table so she could kick her partner without being seen.

"Well, you needn't be concerned on that front. I assure you, you will be rewarded handsomely," said Theron briskly. He reached into his dark crimson vest and pulled out a sack heavy with coin. "The first installment of your payment," he announced, handing the bag to Mina, who inclined her head with a murmured "thank you, my lord." He looked at Sinala and an unspoken conversation passed between them.

"So now, to business," Sinala said in lightly accented Thalassian. She turned around so that her back was facing them and lifted the curtain of wavy violet hair to expose the back of her neck. A fearsome black tattoo spiderwebbed its way across her skin. Mina shuddered to look at it. You didn't need Syeris's magically augmented sight to sense that its purpose was to bind powerful fel magic into the body of its bearer. And besides, it looked as though the ink was somehow digging into her flesh.

"A dreadlord's mark," said Syeris, nodding as though some suspicion of hers had just been confirmed. "I haven't seen one of those in a good long while. Who'd you piss off, night elf?"

Lord Theron looked scandalized and opened his mouth to retort, but Mina cut in smoothly, "Please forgive my colleague's crassness, Lord Theron," bowing low. "She is… not quite house-trained, but very efficient and good at what she does, I assure you."

Syeris snorted, but she'd known Mina too long to truly take offense, and she clearly didn't want to lose this job either.

Lord Theron shook off his anger. "Well, in any case, about that." He sighed. "When the Legion first invaded, a dreadlord called Lordamus killed a very dear friend of mine, on the very soil of my kingdom. It was a provocation. Lordamus and I have a… history, going all the way back to the Third War." His one green eye burned briefly, but he continued, "In any case, his murder of my friend sparked an insatiable desire for vengeance in me, and I decided to hunt him. After all, if Sylvanas can wander off on her own business in Stormheim when there's a war on, I decided I could take some time for my own… personal project." He smirked wryly. "Around that time, Sinala and I first made our acquaintance."

Sinala crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "He means that his men took me as a prisoner of war after I saved his life."

Humor and affection lit his eye as he darted a glance at his consort. "That's right. In any case, by the time I was ready to set out on the hunt, Sinala and I had gotten to know one another fairly well, so I told her of my plans. She insisted rather firmly on accompanying me."

"Yes. Because I was falling desperately in love with him," Sinala added in a sarcastic tone belied by her fond smile as she gazed at Lord Theron.

Lord Theron returned her glance just as fondly, continuing, "Indeed she was. And in addition to my own… not indifferent feelings towards her, I thought she might be safer by my side than at court in Silvermoon without my protection. So we set out. After some weeks, we found the dreadlord." His expression grew grave. "Unfortunately, the confrontation did not go as planned. As I was about to plunge my blade into his loathsome chest, he smiled at me and said, 'Ah, Lor'themar, ever the fool rushing in. You may not care for your own life, but what of hers?'"

Sinala grimaced. "And he cursed me."

Lord Theron nearly growled, pulling Sinala close to his side. "And then disappeared into the Nether, cackling."

Sinala put a calming hand on his arm and finished, "I've been slowly dying ever since. Painfully. And with his mark on me, the dreadlord can see into my mind. He knows all of my secrets, so he knows all of Lor'themar's. So he's now on a need-to-know basis with the Warchief, so that he doesn't reveal anything to me and therefore to the dreadlord, and that is dangerous for its own reasons."

Lord Theron closed his eyes. "And my people do not know. Cannot know. They are unhappy enough as it is with Sinala's… role in my life. If they find out that I am compromised because of her, they will cry out for her blood." He took a breath, clenching his consort's hand in his. "And I cannot let that happen."

"I'm kind of surprised you didn't just kill her," commented Syeris. On receiving searing glares from the other three elves and realizing that she was on the point of dying either to Lord Theron's sword or to Mina's, she coughed and added, "Saving your presence, your… ladyship, but that's probably the easiest way to get rid of a sodding dreadlord curse. For him and for you."

Sinala's face was tight. "Believe me, I tried to convince him," she bit out. "But he insisted we try this first."

That floored even Syeris. "Oh," was all she said in response.

"So you want the dreadlord dead," Mina said.

"Yes. But… that's not all," replied Sinala, looking at Lord Theron. He obliged and finished for her, saying, "You are also to guard my wife." Mina and Syeris carefully did not react to his use of the word. Nonetheless, Lord Theron felt their discomfort and added with an edge to his voice, "Her title was a political necessity, but that is what she is to me. So you can understand what I am trusting you with. Ludicrous as it is, she is likely safer in your company than anywhere else on Azeroth. She will travel with you. Guard her life. Ease her pain. I will check on the three of you as often as I can. And in exchange, you will receive whatever boons the crown and coffers of Quel'Thalas can provide." He said the last sentence with his gaze on Sinala's face, words underlaid with a current of fierceness and desperation that shocked the two mercenaries before him. He turned back to them, mask firmly in place. "So. Will you do it?"

Mina glanced at Syeris, whose expression was for once unreadable. She took a deep breath and said, "Might I confer with my colleague in private for a moment? I assure you, you will have your answer within ten minutes, Regent Lord. We will not waste your time." Lord Theron nodded, and Syeris followed Mina into the trees. When they were out of earshot, Mina leaned against a tree and regarded her associate. "So?"

Syeris's expression was so eager and hungry that Mina thought she could see a gleam in her eyes even through the blindfold and the fel flames she knew roiled beneath it. "Oh, hell yes."

Mina snorted sarcastically. "Don't hold back or anything." She tugged a strand of white hair that had come free of her usually severe braid. "Seriously though. It's risky. Really, really risky. We might stick out in a crowd, Syeris, but really we're two nobodies, and if she comes to harm on our watch, nobody will notice if Theron disappears us."

Syeris responded with a snort of her own and said, "Oh come on, Mina, that's not even close to being the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is that we all end up the dreadlord's playthings until we succumb to his tender mercies. And dreadlords are good at making sure you don't succumb for a long, long time."

Mina shuddered. Syeris didn't. Mina said, "Or we could start a war. If she dies, the Alliance will blame him for it, and his own people might well disown him."

"So we'll just have to make sure a vaunted warrior of the Sentinels doesn't die, then. Shouldn't be too hard." Mina's eyes bugged at her, but Syeris brushed her off, continuing, "Besides, think of the rewards! The Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas owing us a favor… a few big favors, even…" She smirked, her fangs gleaming in her grin.

Mina rolled her eyes. Demons were obsessed with favors and bargains and especially with having something on one another, and demon hunters, dealing as intimately with them as they did, tended to learn to think in those terms after a while. "I really doubt the Regent Lord would take kindly to blackmail, Syeris. And he almost hunted down a dreadlord, almost singlehandedly by the sound of it. Plus, he's a—" she shuddered—"politician. A damn sight cannier even than you."

The demon hunter put up her hands in a gesture of protest. "Hey, hey, I'm not suggesting blackmail! I'm just saying it can't hurt to have such a powerful man beholden to us."

"Syeris, you're—"

"No better than a demon, I know."

Mina sighed. "I was going to say crazy."

They were silent for a moment. Then Syeris asked, "And you? What do you think of all this?"

Mina rubbed her thighs thoughtfully. "Well. It's a good opportunity. And I know of Sinala Greenleaf. Knew of her before she became infamous for her choice of bedmate. She was revered even among the Sentinels. She is a brave warrior and a true credit to the Sentinel order."

Syeris rubbed her nose absently, lost in a brown study. Then she finally said, "Uh… Meen… not to be rude or anything, but is being famous for boinking a leader of the opposing faction really being a credit to the order?"

Mina was quiet for a moment, half stunned at Syeris's words and half shocked that the other woman could still surprise her after everything they'd been through. Finally, she shook her head and said, "…Friend, I really wish I could tell you, but A, I'm not a Sentinel, and B, the yardstick I was using to measure who's navigating this ridiculous mess we call a world successfully broke a long time ago."

Syeris threw back her head and laughed. After a moment's hesitation, Mina joined her. When they'd caught her breath, she was surprised to find herself fixed with a penetrating gaze from the demon hunter. "So, Warden?" Syeris asked seriously. "We doing this?"

Mina smirked back at her. "Damn straight, Illidari."