I have been waiting SO long to introduce Jazax! At last! Muahaha!
"This is the place!" Syrise smiled, gesturing towards a rundown shanty house on Booty Bay's lowest level.
An unconscious gnome was sticking out of a broken second-story window, and a dwarven pirate was sitting in the gutter right outside, drinking away his troubles with reckless abandon.
"This?" Mythene furrowed her brow, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely positive!" Syrise grinned as she knocked on the driftwood door, which fell down right off its hinges.
"Whaddya want?" A scantily-clad female goblin grumbled as she walked overtop of the collapsed door, "We don't have any more rooms."
"Here to see Brother Jazax. We're old friends of his!" Syrise said as she nudged Zami, who was staring listlessly at the unconscious gnome.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Zami shrugged.
"You're his friends, huh?" The female goblin put her hands on her hips, "Then you won't mind paying his bills."
She retrieved a long sheet of paper and shoved it into their hands.
"How in Elune's light did he manage to spend 250 gold on bubble bath?" Mythene blinked in sheer confusion.
"Oh sweet summer child," Syrise patted her cheek, "You have so much to learn about Booty Bay."
Syrise then looked back at Zami, nudging him with her elbow. He perked an eyebrow at her, and she leaned over to him.
"I happen to know that Grechin here has a thing for trolls," She whispered in his ear, "You put the moves on her and she might let us in for free."
Zami looked at her flatly, going to immediately reject that terrible idea, but Syrise just shoved him forward before he could. He glared back at her and she just gave him a thumbs up. Groaning, Zami looked down at the little goblin woman. She barely came up to his knee, and that's only if you counted the height from her massive poof of purple hair. Zami looked at her little green face, with her beady eyes leering at him and a bone going through her nose, and he could physically feel the dread weighing upon his soul.
"Uh, hi," He waved at her awkwardly.
"Hi yourself," Grechin smiled, "How you doin' this morning, hot stuff?"
Zami cringed, barely managing to pretend it was a smile.
"Uh, good, good..." Zami mumbled, clearing his throat.
He glanced back at the elves, in state of sheer pain. Syrise gave him a double thumbs up while Mythene just looked on in confusion.
"What's a beefcake like you doin' wasting your time with a couple of elves?" Grechin asked, putting a tiny hand on her equally tiny hip.
"Looking for Jazax," Zami shrugged, "Could ya, uh, let us in?"
He furrowed his brow, somehow physically feeling Syrise still giving him a thumbs up from behind his back.
"Um...please?" Zami grimaced, "...Cutie?"
Grechin laughed, wiping away a tear, making Zami blush in embarrassment.
"Okay, big guy, don't hurt yourself now," Grenchin chuckled, "Since you asked so nice, go right on ahead. Smooth talker."
Zami cleared his throat uncomfortably, giving a subtle nod in thanks, and quickly entered the shanty house with Syrise and Mythene.
"Great job, Z!" Syrise winked, "Glad you still got it!"
"What just happened?" Mythene frowned, "I'm so confused."
"Booty Bay," Syrise laughed as she led them up the stairs, "Best not to think too hard about it!"
Syrise brought them to a room with an upside down 2 nailed to the door. She rapped on the door, in a rather vain gesture, before pulling a hairpin from her collar and jamming it into the lock without skipping a beat. The door popped open after a moment and Syrise made her way inside, with Zami and Mythene in tow.
"Oh Jazzy boy!" Syrise called out loud, "You've got guests!"
"Go away, Syrise!" A voice called from the other room, "I'm busy!"
"Not too busy for some old friends...and an elf!" Syrise called back.
Some loud profanity later, a little green goblin emerged in the doorway. He had a large hooked nose and a single black ponytail atop his otherwise bald head. The moment his beady purple eyes set on Zami, he scrambled backwards and picked up a nearby spatula, holding it defensively.
"Don't come any closer!" The goblin waggled the spatula over his shoulder, "Don't make me use this!"
"Relax, Jaz," Syrise waved a hand at the goblin dismissively, "If Z was here to kill you, you wouldn't know about it. You'd just be dead."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" The goblin howled, gripping the hilt of the spatula tighter.
"What you even gonna do with dat thing?" Zami gestured to the spatula, "Ya can't reach nothin' above me knees."
In response, Jazax stepped up on top of a tall book.
"Ooh, scuse me," Zami held up his hands, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I meant me hip."
"Got you pretty good in the stomach last time," Jazax squinted, "And I didn't even need no book back then!"
"Guess you gettin' shorter wit age. Careful now, you might disappear if you get any smaller, mon."
"I'm not small!" Jazax grumbled, lowering the spatula, "I'm fun-sized."
Jazax hung his head and stepped down from the book, going over to Zami and hugging his leg. Zami perked an eyebrow, oddly reminded of Zeni, who was still hanging out in Mythene's vest pocket.
"We thought you were dead," Jazax blubbered as he wiped his nose against Zami's pantleg, "Okay, well, maybe just me. I mean, Syrise was pretty sure you were still alive, but I definitely thought you died."
Jazax paused to blow his nose on Zami's pantleg then looked up at him.
"What I mean is, glad you ain't dead, buddy."
"Yeah…" Zami glanced down at his wet pantleg, nudging Jazax away, "Uh, thanks."
"What about me?" Syrise gestured to herself, "Don't I get any little "glad you aren't dead" speech?"
"Nah," Jazax waved a hand at her, "Then I'd be lyin' and I ain't supposed to do that anymore."
"Yeah, I heard you a real priest now," Zami perked an eyebrow, wiping his pantleg off.
"Yup, followin' the Light and all that," Jazax nodded, before glancing over at Mythene, "Oh, well, well, well. Who's this lovely lady?"
"Oh that's Zami's kaldorei," Syrise shrugged, "She's his teacher."
"Mythene Moonshadow," Mythene extended her hand towards Jazax, "Pleased to meet you."
"Pleasure's all mine," Jazax shook her hand with a cheesy grin, "Funny, you don't look like a teacher."
"And you don't look like priest," Mythene responded flatly, mechanically rescinding her hand.
"New at it," Jazax shrugged, turning to Zami, "So what're you teaching him? If you're teaching him how to take a bath, sorry to say you ain't doing too good, lady. This guy smells like an orc's behind. And, no offense, but you do too, sweetcheeks."
"Well, Jaz, we did just spend a week packed in crowds and surrounded by sweaty sailors, rotting fish, and stale beer," Syrise said as she flopped down on the sofa, "I think we could all use a bath."
"Oh, in that case, you guys should try out my bubble bath. That stuff's the best!"
"Yeah?" Syrise looked over, "Well, for 250 gold, it had better be!"