"Hit it harder!" Nogg growled. "It won't bend if you tap it."

The Goblin threw back a drink of water and wiped his mouth with his wrist. "Stop missing! Arg! It's right there! No, now it's cold. No, stop. Put it back in the coke and pump the bellows."

Kaja did what she was told, but she was panting hard. "It's so hot!"

"You don't say?" the little green creature sneered. "Wait until you try this at the end of summer! Are you certain you want to be an engineer?"

Kaja nodded with resolve. "I just wish I didn't have so much fur." She wiped her face and a large handful of hair drifted with it.

"Gah!" Nogg groaned. "You're shedding all over my shop! It's... it's on everything." He spit some fur out of his mouth. "I told you Tauren can't be engineers."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I can't help it."

"You're sweeping the shop again before you leave! The entire shop!" His beady little eyes darted everywhere at the drifting fur.

Kaja nodded and loosened her apron.

"Never take off your apron!" Nogg snapped.

Kaja hung her head and backed away from the forge. She looked around the shop, but they were alone. Although normally a busy place, no one hung around when the forge was fired, not unless they needed to use it.

Kaja reached behind her back and untied her skirt. With a careful tug, she pulled it out from underneath the apron and set it on a table. Standing there without a skirt felt stupid, but at least it was cooler. The apron was a bit like a dress anyhow, she told herself.

"Better?" Nogg growled.

"A little." She bit her lip as she fussed with her blouse. "Don't look, okay?"

"No one tells me what to do in my own shop!" he shouted.

"Okay, okay," she murmured. Kaja turned around and quickly stripped the blouse away before covering herself back up with the apron.

"Now... for the love of everything metal..." Nogg rolled his eyes, "Can we please finish this?"

She hesitated a little longer, then with a deep breath, fiddled again behind her apron and squatted down. Carefully hiding them from view, she balled up her small clothes and buried them underneath her skirt, out of sight. That was definitely better.

Nogg didn't say a word, but he was grinning wide.

Kaja made a fist and a fearsome face. "Put that smile back in it's box right now... or so help me, I'll break out every last tooth I see."

Ever so slowly, the Goblin pursed his lips into a thin line. "Are you ready now, your highness?"

Kaja returned to the bellows and worked them hard.

Nogg was unusually quiet. Despite the ringing in her ears from all the hammerfalls, she distinctly heard some muttering about having to "wear stilts, anyhow".

# # #

Kaja sat on a low stair rail in the Drag, surrounded by friends. Speaking all at once, they reassured her that her new, short hair looked great. She was clearly unconvinced.

Standing an entire head taller than any of her friends, she felt conspicuously obvious all the time. The hair that hung down her back had been the one constant in her life, the one link to a life before Orgrimmar. She told herself that it had to go, but now that it was gone, she felt more naked than she ever had before.

"It shows off your shoulders," Hargu said, "and you have great shoulders."

Everyone agreed.

Kaja groaned and tried to ignore the lanky Tauren boy that loomed over her friends, but it was impossible. Gom was yet another head taller than Kaja. Skinny as a reed, his head hung over Kaja's friends like a chandelier, waiting to be acknowledged.

He smelled strong, like he did not bathe often enough. Her friends didn't seem to notice, but Kaja sure did. She always knew he was around, even before she saw him.

When the boy could take being ignored no longer, he blurted out, "Hi, Kaja!"

Kaja hung her head. She did not want to be associated with him. "Hi," she muttered.

"What are you doing, Gom?" Hargu said.

He turned to face her and nearly knocked her over with his arm. Several friends moved to avoid being stepped on by his giant hooves.

Kaja sank lower into herself.

The Tauren stared at the Orc girl with an unequaled intensity. "I'm hauling stuff for Dran Droffers. He needs all kinds of stuff brought to his shop and delivered too." He took a moment to swallow, and then turned back to Kaja. "It turns out almost everyone needs something done. If you just ask them, you can help out everyone!"

Kaja rolled her eyes. He was just so... ugh. This had to be the most embarrassing day in her entire life. "That's great, Gom." Sarcasm dripped.

The Tauren stood up straight. "It's Grom'tuk now. That's what everyone calls me down at..." He stopped short of saying "the orphanage". "That's just what everyone calls me now."

Suddenly self-conscious, he gathered up his bags and hurried off.

"Oh, don't..." Hargu sighed.

All of the friends (beside Kaja) broke into laughter. "You like him, don't you!" they teased. "Hargu likes Gom!"

"What?" the Orc girl groaned and blushed, "I think he's nice. You should spend more time with him, Kaja."

Kaja's jaw hung open. After a long pause, she managed, "Ew!"

"What?" Hargu looked at all of her friends. "He's a nice guy. And it's not like there's a lot of Tauren in Orgrimmar..."

Kaja looked horrified. "I think I would rather bludgeon myself with a sledgehammer..."

Hargu started to say something else but Kaja cut her off by waving both hands.

"Just... ew..."