Wide eyed, Anathil just stared at the unintentionally annoying secretary and his two gnomish attendants as she and Tan'jin both frowned. It felt like a real punch in the stomach, after they'd been so close.
"Reginald has numerous connections among the patrons of the VIP lounge, so he was able to call a small favor on behalf of mister Valmar. That way, all of you and your mounts won't have to fly anywhere. Isn't that fantastic?"
Pressure mounting, Anathil forced a smile, knowing that the young man believed he was delivering wonderful news. "We thank you for your efforts, and Reginald as well," she managed to say while pulling her hand out of Tan'jin's, lest the receptionist or either attendant make any comments in front of others.
"Alright, well, we came down to tell you because it's time - the mage casting the portal is already at the flight point, and Valmar had your baggage transported there," the young orc said. "Come now, let's go!"
Since there were no outward signs that a stampede or a giant battle had taken place, neither Anathil nor Tan'jin mentioned anything. To do so would only have caused undue stress on the staff just before their grand opening, and since the threat had been handled, they didn't see any reason to bring it up.
The walk to the rope and pulley powered lift was a silent one, as was the ride up. The two youths excused themselves by claiming they felt tired, and thankfully the receptionist bought it and seemed content to just watch the sea as they traveled to the top of the cliff. Once at the top, the party of five walked out into the settlements between the cliffside and the touristy area, taking their time as they moved around the morning foot traffic consisting of foreign laborers and locals wandering around with little else to do.
Anathil felt Tan'jin shift to look at her, and the sense of melancholy had returned to his deep voice. "Hey, why so blue? We found out that we make a great team, didn't we?" he asked quietly in Zandali.
She kicked a rock as the continued walking, hugging herself and trying not to frown so much. "We make the perfect team," she whispered in frustration.
"Come on, Thanil, please don't be sad. There will be other opportunities, right?"
Shaking her head, she couldn't prevent her disappointment from showing. "We don't know the future; this might be the only chance we get for a while, and I feel like other people always screwed it up for us."
Unable to find a proper retort, he just tried to find another solution. "Maybe we can just...tell our parents when we get back. Our families were friends before you were even born, and the business will always keep everybody together. What more could they want in an ideal match?"
"You know what both of our parents are like," she replied. "Especially yours. They'll just say, oh, you guys are still kids by our standards, wait until you're fifty years old before thinking about relationships. Why rush?" She intentionally made her voice deeper as she spoke, which didn't really match any of the four parents in question, but she was just too upset to focus on anything else at that point. "I'm tired of waiting. Even if we didn't see each other for a while, I..." She paused, feeling a sense of sudden surprise at how close she was to simply stating feelings she'd held inside for a long time.
Checking on the receptionist and attendants ahead of them to be sure that they couldn't understand the conversation, Tan'jin slowed down a bit and very subtly allowed a pained expression to work its way into his features. "Uh, sir, we'll catch up with you three inside of the compound, alright?" he said in Common. "We just need a minute."
"You probably have about five, but not more than that, I'd reckon," the young orc replied over his shoulder as he continued walking toward the security gate at the compound's wall.
Outside in the dusty, disorganized streets, there were a few rickety shops that greatly contrasted with the splendor of the resort, and Tan'jin took Anathil's little hand in hers and led her to a small side street where there were only a few cats roaming about. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gave her a very solemn, worried but caring look, and was clearly experiencing a mix of emotions himself.
"Thanil...for so long, I've held inside what I felt. Sometimes, I even thought that maybe my training would take my mind away from you but it didn't. Every time I had to practice rending a dummy target I remembered the time we tore up your sister Issa's pillow as a joke. Every time I practiced growing marigolds in my regrowth class, I remembered the first time I plucked a flower from your own garden and gave it to you as if it were a surprise gift."
"It was," she said while smiling and pouting at the same time.
"No matter how long I spent in Moonglade, I never, ever forgot about you for one moment; I just never said anything because I was so afraid that you didn't feel the same, and that maybe you forgot about me in Ratchet."
"Never!"
"And never for me, right? So what I'm saying is...we will be together one day, by hook or by crook. I don't know how soon, and I don't know how much caution our parents will encourage us to exercise, but no matter what, we will make this happen."
"But our parents are going to make us wait so long. I can already guess what they'll say."
"What's the alternative, Thanil? We can't keep this a secret; I've only just now returned from training and already they keep us monitored. Either way, they're going to know, and either way, we're going to be together one day; so why not just tell them?"
Pouting a little bit longer, Anathil tried to be optimistic, but her fear of being burned was too great. "What if your mom tells you to actually wait until you're, like, fifty? What do we do then?"
"Will you wait for me?"
There was such a seriousness in his eyes - without any sadness added - that she almost couldn't believe how easily he'd asked the question. Even though they were elves - half elf, in his case - they were both so young. They might live to be half a millennia old, but half a century was more than twice Anathil's lifespan; it seemed so far off, and the prospect of being denied for that long because of their parents' caution stung her.
But it didn't scare her.
"Yes," she sighed, feeling her ears droop as she did so. "I'd wait even longer than that...I only hope that you'd wait for me as well."
He reared his head back, almost looking offended at the insinuation. "Anathil...from the time we were small kids, I felt like you were the one for me. I don't know how to label kid feelings, but I was never interested in anybody else. And these past few days have been the greatest I've ever lived - even the murloc ambush. There's nobody else I could imagine myself being with - not in any time or place." He pulled her close, wrapping his big arms around her like a sort of shield against the world. "I love you, Anathil Hearthglen."
Reflexively, she buried her head in his chest, breathing him in and trying to cling as closely to him as possible. She could hear his heart beating as quickly as hers, and time almost stood still again like at Orendil's Retreat where she'd gotten a good look at him for the first time in a few years.
Like a burden being lifted from her shoulders, so much felt like it could be out in the open. The crush she'd kept to herself for fear of her family telling her she was too young to know what those words meant could be spoken of for what it was. Even if they had to wait, at least they knew they were both willing. And as much as the thought of having to wait so long hurt her, she could breathe a little easier knowing that they wouldn't wait forever.
She lifted her head up to look at him, and the world around them disappeared. "I love you too, Tan'jin Bowleaf."
Silver met amber and two hearts pumped in unison as they leaned close. That nervous energy she'd seen in him began to infect her as well, and she could feel her fingertips shake against his chest. She stood up on her tippy toes, moving in to meet him halfway as he leaned his head down...
"Come on, you two! It's time to go!"
The voice of the receptionist grated against her ears, and she bore her fangs and shut her eyes tight. Fortunately, she was facing away from the annoying orc, and Tan'jin chuckled softly at her reaction.
"Alright, we're coming," he sighed as the guy waved them over toward the gate to the resort hurriedly. Taking Anathil's hand in his again, he reluctantly led her through the security check, and they could already see a portal open next to Valmar and Reginald, who didn't even notice them coming. "It was still a fun trip, right?" he asked with a smile.
Exhaling heavily through her nose, she bowed her head forward onto him and whined softly. "Yes...it was still fun," she huffed. "But it should have been more fun. I just want to take you away to a place with no people."
He put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the flight point, where their relatively pampered mounts were waiting. "We're going to make that happen, don't worry."
Her home town awaited them on the other side of the portal, its image wavy and tinted blue. Maybe their parents would tell them to keep on waiting; maybe they wouldn't. Or maybe they could at least be granted a bit of privacy, which was so difficult to come by in a household with her five siblings and aunt. Anxiety built up inside her, but no matter what, she and Tan'jin were committed; she just wished things would be easier than she expected. Taking a deep breath, she put on her happy face as she joined Valmar for last minute preparations.