My denial has reached new-levels. Garrison campaigns be damned*!
Un-beat'ed.
- o - o -
In Which Baros Lives
The commander glared at Baros over the cooling corpses of the two Burning Blade assassins and tapped their foot on the ground as the architect hemmed and hawed over putting on the chainmail vest. Assassins had gotten into the garrison, and Baros thought he could get away with counting on a pissed-off Worgen to protect him. Brilliant. Of all the stupid followers….
"Baros. Put. The. Fucking. Vest. On," the commander growled, tone rivaling Lieutenant Thorn's for sheer amount of gravel it could hold. They shook the vest at the man again, glaring at him until he acquiesced with a mumble about not needing it but humoring the commander was best in these situations. The commander smiled at him and slipped the architect the rose he'd asked for, hidden in the folds of the chainmail.
Baros grinned at the commander over Thorn's back and slipped the vest on over his head, securing the rose out of sight with a small smile. Something made him pause and the commander was about to snarl about how Baros would find himself without a table or drafting paper in two seconds if he didn't keep the mail on when the man grabbed his coat off the peg next to his drafting table.
"Well, the vest won't do me much good if everyone sees it, right?" he asked.
Thorn and the commander shared a look as Baros pulled his coat on that said 'he's an idiot, but at least he follows directions well'. The commander sighed and shook their head, heading out to go kill the last of the Burning Blade infiltrators in the garrison. Three morons trying to burn down the garrison. Baros was going to either be ecstatic or crying by the time this was over.
As the last of the Burning Blade went down, the commander heard a vicious, animalistic howl from the town hall. That was Thorn. A very, very pissed off Thorn, by the sounds of it. No time like the present to run. The commander took off at a spring, bodyguard trailing behind them silently, as though knowing the sense of urgency in that howl.
Baros was on the ground, head pillowed in Thorn's lap, and the commander almost tripped over a dead orc when they skidded to a halt in the doorway. Baros looked…
"Is he dead?" the commander asked, ignoring tact for the sake of information. Thorn looked up, tears leaking down over her muzzle. When she shook her head, the commander let out a breath they didn't know they'd been holding.
"Stunned. Broken ribs. Head injury." Thorn was precise as always, but her voice was thick with choked-back tears instead of growling and full of gravel. "But he's alive. Got between me and the assassin. Stupid man."
The commander saw the rose in her hand and raised an eyebrow.
"…Baros had it in his coat. Um…said it was mine."
The commander grinned and nodded. Thorn smiled back, face lighting up a little.
"Take a vacation, Thorn. You and Baros. Go to Karabor or something." The commander kicked the dead assassin lightly. "Keep Baros from killing himself. I have to go kill a Rylak and get my box back."
- o - o -
So, what did you think? Good? Bad? In denial about that entire little mini-quest series like I am? Drop a line and let me know!
(*No, seriously, whoever thought that questline up be damned.)