"I tell you, I'm fine."

A'sooka looked from Belariss to the healer. "She's not fine."

Minuial sighed, shaking her head. "Physically, she's in perfect health. The battle on Nazjatar left her unscathed."

"See?" Belariss stood up from the chair, and A'sooka had to fight the urge to push her back down.

"You didn't see her babbling Old God-ese and trying to kill me." A'sooka gestured to a scar on her chin. "She almost succeeded!"

"There's no darkness there, Rangari." The Sin'dorei's voice was clipped as she put one hand on each of their shoulders and started to guide them towards the door. "And even if there was, my light would have burned away the void. Her light would on its own."

A'sooka found herself standing outside before she realized what was happening.

"Now," Minuial said. "If you'll excuse me, I have more work to do."

"I'm sorry to have bothered you," Belariss said, folding her arms and shooting A'sooka a look.

"It's all right." She gave them smile that barely reached her eyes. "I needed the distraction."

Nodding, A'sooka watched her as she turned to walk back inside. Her eyes fell on a sundered shield, leaning against the far wall, and she understood. Her arm slid around Bela, maybe a little too tightly, but the paladin didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry." A'sooka turned her head, glancing down at the Sin'dorei. "I guess I'm being a little paranoid."

"It's been months. You can stop worrying."

"Only if you stop apologizing."

Bela reached up, touching the scar on A'sooka's chin. "All right. Fine. You have a deal."

"Well." Still keeping her arm wrapped around her Blood Elf, A'sooka started to walk. "Now that that's settled, I wanted to tell you I've been thinking about that question you asked me a few weeks ago."

Bela's ears straightened, and she looked up at her. "Have you?"

A'sooka nodded. "Taking command of the new garrison in Howling Fjord. It's a good idea. It's really pretty up there. Just exciting enough to not be bored and boring enough to be relaxing."

"That's...what you got from that conversation?" Bela asked, incredulous, expression falling.

"Uh. Yeah?"

"You beautiful blue idiot." Belariss came to a stop, peering up at A'sooka before cupping her face between both of her hands. "Did you completely miss the part about building a house up there, together?"

"Build the what now?" A'sooka flashed her a grin, and when one of Bela's eyes started to twitch she laughed. "I already picked out a spot."

Perking up again, Bela leaned on her toes and kissed A'sooka. "You can be such a jerk." She pulled away. "I need to…" Bela gestured in a direction. "Tell…"

"Go ahead, I'll meet you for dinner."

Looking pleased, Bela nodded, turning in her heel and walking away. A'sooka watched her leave, eyes alight. She'd gotten to admire Bela more openly since the end of the war, though despite her promise she still worried. But the paladin was not so distracting that she didn't hear the person behind her.

Casually, hand resting on the hilt of her blade, she turned. "Can I help you?"

A Worgen stepped out of the shadows, moving on silent feet, her leather armor worn but well cared for. She tilted her head, waiting, back to the wall and alert for any changes in their surroundings.

A'sooka frowned at the woman. Talet, she remembered. "Now?"

Talet nodded her head, once.

Reaching into a pouch, A'sooka pulled out a silver coin. She flipped it between her fingers, eyes still locked onto the Worgen. "I'll be stationed in Northrend for awhile. It won't be easy to get away."

"No need." Talet's voice was rough, as though she didn't speak often.

"They want eyes up there, or they'll send someone?"

"Yes."

Rolling her eyes, A'sooka flipped the coin, it spun, sunlight gleaming off of the scratched out crown on one side before Talet snatched it out of the air in a fluid, seamless movement.

"Tell Sanguinar I'm in."

It was a day. Not a long one, or a short one, but just a day. Jaina had been elbow deep in economic reports when an unexpected figure had stepped out of the elevator and into the Consort's Office. She'd gladly set aside her work to greet Go'el; they hadn't really had a chance to reconnect since she'd nearly died that one time, and she'd been intending to reach out anyway.

He'd sat with her on the round couch and they drank tea and caught up and Jaina felt a tightness in her chest ease, as though at last she'd found a piece of herself that had been missing.

It was late by the time Go'el excused himself, but Jaina had scarcely gotten back to work when the elevator opened again. She looked up, eyebrows raised. "I'm popular today, who is it?"

"Just one of your in-laws," Vereesa said, striding towards Jaina. Jaina thought she looked particularly radiant today, explained by her bright smile and casual wear.

"Just the one?" Jaina smiled, getting up from behind her desk for the second time that night.

"The twins are…" Vereesa grimaced. "Spending time with their aunt."

"I don't know how you managed that," Jaina said. "Sylvanas tries to avoid spending as much time around them as possible."

"You're definitely their favorite aunt."

"They just say that because they liked their birthday presents." Jaina moved to the bar to pour Vereesa a drink. "How are you doing? The last time I saw them they were, well. Being teenagers."

Vereesa laughed, walking up beside Jaina. "It won't be long and they'll be adults. I'm not sure how I'm handling that, actually. They both look so much like Rhonin now."

"If I recall, Galadin had a great deal of magic potential," Jaina prompted, offering her the glass.

"He's been training with the Kirin Tor." Vereesa took the glass. "Giramar is proving to be very skilled with a bow."

Jaina smiled. So they took after both their parents; her heart ached to think of Rhonin, but the anger that had once simmered in that same place had long ago turned to mist. "So how did you talk Sylvanas into this?"

"I… actually left it up to Giramar and Galadin to reach out to her," Vereesa admitted. "And they wanted to and I guess my sister was receptive to that."

"She does tend to like it when people volunteer for something."

"Speaking of volunteering," Vereesa said, one finger stroking the rim of her glass. "What would you say if I volunteered you for something?"

Amusement edged Jaina's voice. "You volunteered me for something? This ought to be good."

"I need help." Vereesa lifted her eyes to Jaina's. "With a wedding. My wedding, actually."

It took a full three seconds for Vereesa's words to sink in, and when they did Jaina had to fight the urge to throw her arms around her. "Congratulations!"

Jaina understood just how big a deal this was for Vereesa. It meant moving on from Rhonin, it meant accepting someone new into her life on a permanent basis. Someone knew who was every bit as mortal as Rhonin had been.

"Thank you." Vereesa went in for the hug, and Jaina gladly provided. "You know, it was so easy to say yes? I never thought it would be again, with anyone. And yet with Cene, it was just… it felt right."

"Good. I'm glad. And as we've learned both the Horde and Alliance have come to like a good party."

Vereesa grinned, a wicked expression. "I fully intend to play the sister-card with Sylvanas in this."

"She might actually play along," Jaina mused. "With the right encouragement. What are you planning?"

"I want her to be my maid of honor."

Jaina choked on air, coughing. She beat her chest then held out her hand, palm towards Vereesa, "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope." Vereesa's grin only widened. "Also I've been meaning to ask you about your dress. How did you manage to get that much support?"

"Magic," Jaina replied. "Same with some of Enda's riskier pieces, when I want to make Sylvanas drool in public."

Vereesa's eyebrows rose. "Who needs brassiers when you have magic, right?"

"Exactly. I'll teach you the spell. It's very comfortable, too." Jaina looked down at her chest then at Vereesa's. "Though I may need to make the spell less powerful for you."

"I knew there was a reason you're my best friend."

Jaina laughed, putting her arm around Vereesa. "I knew you were just using my for my magic."

"You're not wrong."

"Now." Jaina leaned in. "Tell me exactly how she proposed."

To her own surprise, Sylvanas had agreed to her sister's request. Even now, days later, she puzzled over her response, trying to understand why she'd agreed so readily.

Jaina, to her credit, had only teased her a little. Sylvanas reasoned she was just pleased to see her making an effort for her sister and unwilling to piss Sylvanas off enough to back out.

She was considering backing out even now, except that would mean she'd lose face, and Sylvanas refused to lose face. No, she would have to suffer through it and somehow turn it to her advantage in the end. Appearing the gracious sister and bridesmaid could go a long way to confusing certain people. Perhaps it would give Greymane a stroke.

That would certainly make the whole debacle worth it.

Worse, maybe, was the fact she couldn't even mock Vereesa for her choice in mate, not without mocking herself. 'Oh look, you're marrying a meek human' carried a lot less weight when one's own consort was a human and also when said chosen mate had once quite literally deadlifted Baine Bloodhoof. Cenengel was strong; Sylvanas could respect that, if nothing else.

So lost in her own thoughts, it took Jaina's subtle nudge to return her to the present. That was right. She peered across the table to where her guests sat.

Technically, they were Jaina's guests, as this whole thing had been Jaina's idea. So imagine her surprise when Jaina had told her that she, Sylvanas Windrunner, had arranged a dinner with Thalyssra and Tyrande Whisperwind.

She'd made Jaina pay for that, though Jaina had enjoyed the punishment almost more than Sylvanas had. Sylvanas glanced at her, and Jaina, as if reminded of their dalliance earlier in the evening, blushed.

Good. Feeling suddenly much better, Sylvanas leaned back in her chair, hooking her arms around the back of it. "Really. My spies have been useless and I must know when all this started."

She gestured at the two elves with her free hand to encompass 'all this.'

Sylvanas fully expected one or both women to object to the line of questioning. Perhaps she might even provoke Tyrande into throwing something. A food fight would at least provide entertainment; Sylvanas could really use something interesting before she died (again) of boredom.

"Is this actually small talk, Warchief?" Tyrande asked, not taking the bait. She leaned forward, eyes focused on Sylvanas. "I never saw you as one for small talk."

"I'm fishing for information, High Priestess." Sylvanas waved her hand dismissively. "Small talk is beneath us both."

"Though I myself am curious about it," Jaina said. "I was delighted to see the Kaldorei and Shal'dorei mending fences but I never expected there to be a personal aspect to it."

"Personal connections have gone a long way in erasing the divide between Horde and Alliance," Thalyssra pointed out. It was a low blow, and Sylvanas could feel Nathanos actually tense up from where he stood nearby.

She ignored that, because it was right and she did not want to give the First Arcanist the satisfaction of being acknowledged as right. Even if both of the women were easily forty times her age. "Have they now."

Jaina's foot connected with Sylvanas's shin under the table, and she nudged her back. Her wife shifted just slightly, and her foot poked Sylvanas back, before rubbing at her ankle.

Dinner suddenly became a lot more entertaining. Sylvanas patiently blinked at Tyrande and Thalyssra as her foot battled Jaina's for dominance under the table. Her question still had not been answered, and she had several more of varying levels of inappropriate. She had incredible difficulty trying to envision either woman submitting in the bedroom, for example, as pleasant an image as that was.

Now that would be a battle for the ages.

"They have," Tyrande said, finally. She leaned back in her own seat, a much more elegant motion than Sylvanas, dark eyes focused on the Warchief. Something flickered there, briefly. Some kind of amusement that was reflected in Thalyssra's that made Sylvanas intensely curious.

But Jaina stopped playing footsie and remarked, "Well this is awkward. I should have realized three of the most close-lipped people in the world in one room would lead to less than stimulating conversation."

"Mocking us, Lady Proudmoore?" Thalyssra asked, lips spreading into a smile.

"Simply pointing out that we aren't enemies and can actually talk like adults here. You know, if anyone was interested in such things." Jaina put her hand over Sylvanas's. "So perhaps stand down from a war footing, dear, and actually enjoy the company of people who are more like us than you'd like."

Sylvanas noted the flicker of anger in Tyrande's ears and yet didn't feel as satisfied by that as she should have.

"Next time, we should do this in Suramar," Thalyssra suggested. "There are… contests there."

Incredulously, Sylvanas asked, "Are you suggesting a game night?" She had vague recollections of what a Suramar 'game night' entailed and wondered how true those rumors were.

"Yes, I am."

Before Sylvanas could think on that, or reject the idea Jaina leapt in. "I think we'd love that!"

Keeping her expression neutral, Sylvanas snapped her heel down onto Jaina's toes.

Jaina's half-bitten down yelp was lost as alarm horns began to sound throughout Orgrimmar. Sylvanas was on her feet in an instant and halfway to the door when a messenger burst in. "Warchief! There's a fleet offshore, within cannon range of Orgrimmar!"

There weren't too many fleets with guns capable of hitting Orgrimmar from the sea. Before Sylvanas could inquire further, she felt herself ripped away and through a tear in the world. When her senses reasserted themselves, she was standing on the docks, alongside Jaina, Nathanos and their two guests.

Jaina's gasp was the first thing Sylvanas heard, as she spied green sails stretched far, far past the horizon.

One hundred ships, at least.

Sylvanas stared for a long moment, before casually asking, "Tell me, Nathanos. How did we not notice Kul Tiras building a fleet that large?"