Happy New Year everyone! Can you believe it's 2020 already? That means it's been 8 years since Cataclysm came out back in 2012!

Yeah, I made a typo before. Shush.

Zami didn't like taking baths. He didn't mind letting the girls go do whatever they needed to, of course. Elves were like that. But he personally found that just rinsing off with some seawater was more than enough for a troll like him.

So while Syrise and Mythene were off doing their bubble bath nonsense, Zami went out to the docks. He crouched down near the water's edge and scooped up a few handfuls of the saltwater, splashing some over his face. The cold, harsh water felt good under the blazing heat of the midday sun.

Zami didn't mind the wet heat of the jungle. It felt natural. He supposed that was why he was called a jungle troll. Even so, he always found it much easier to get used to the heat than the cold. Moonglade was a bit too chilly for his preference, especially when the eastern winds blew from Winterspring. Even Durotar had the problem of being a bit too dry once you left the coastline. But Stranglethorn, in a lot of ways, was just right.

As Zami finished rinsing his face, he moved to unbuckle his cuirass. Holding it on his lap, he moved to splashing his bare chest. As he did so, he heard the sound of laughter. Perking an eyebrow, he looked up to see a gaggle of dirty street kids watching him from a nearby shaded nook of the docks. Some of them were girls, those the ones giggling at the sight of the troll washing himself, while the boys just stood back and languished in the shade. Zami perked an eyebrow and turned away, ignoring the kids, as a little goblin approached.

"Hey, you brats, find somewhere else to squat!" Jazax growled, throwing an empty beer bottle at the children.

As the bottled shattered near them, they scattered, disappearing off into the shadows.

"I swear, those kids are just like my crazy ex," Jazax sniffed, "No matter how many weapons I use or things I throw, they keep on comin' back!"

Zami perked an eyebrow, continuing to rub saltwater across his chest, as Jazax took a seat on the docks next to him.

"Yeah, so, the broads kicked me outta the room, said they gotta get dressed and all that," Jazax explained, "Probably stealin' all my stuff up there, knowin' Syrise."

"Nah," Zami shook his head, "Mi'ten wouldn't do dat."

"I dunno, it's the pretty ones you gotta watch out for," Jazax shrugged, "They'll bleed you dry then hit the road once they get all they want."

"She ain't a goblin," Zami chuckled, reaching up and running his damp hands over his dreads, since getting them truly wet would take hours to dry, "Elves be different."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, buddy. They're always different."

Zami perked an eyebrow and Jazax just shrugged, changing the subject.

"Y'know, none of you ever told me. What's the elf teachin' you anyway?"

"Druid stuff," Zami said as he moved his hands back into the water below, "She teachin' me to be a druid."

"No kiddin'?"

Zami nodded, returning to wiping his body down with the ocean water.

"That's all?" Jazax quirked an eyebrow suggestively, "Nothin' else, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, she also be teachin' me to speak elf-err, Darnassian. Ain't da same thing Syrise speaks. Dat's, uh...what were it called...Thalassian, I think? Mi'ten says dey be really different but I dunno, dey sound pretty much da same to me."

"Yeesh," Jazax leaned back on his hands, "That bad, huh?"

Zami paused, cocking his head to the side.

"Huh? Bad?"

"You," Jazax clicked his tongue, "You got it bad, buddy."

"Got what?" Zami blinked.

"Y'know..." Jazax waved a hand, shrugging a bit as though it should be obvious.

Zami just stared at him blankly.

"Jeez you're stupid," Jazax grumbled under his breath, before quickly adding, "Look, all I'm sayin' is, don't name your freaky half-breed baby after me, alright? I don't need that kinda legacy."

"Bab-what? Wait, ya don't think-what? No, no, we ain't-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, spare me," Jazax waved a hand dismissively, "I don't want the details, alright?"

Zami sighed and shook his head, wiping his face once more before flicking the saltwater from his hands.

"Wait, is that even possible?" Jazax tapped his chin, "The baby thing. Can you two actually-"

"Don't know, don't wanna know," Zami shrugged, cutting him off, "By da way, da kids are back."

Zami nodded his head towards the shaded nook, where the street kids had gathered yet again.

"Really? Already?" Jazax groaned in the direction of the children, "Yeesh, I had roaches that were easier to get rid of...and probably half as dirty!"

Zami perked an eyebrow at Jazax.

"Ain't you s'posta be a priest, mon?"

"Yeah?" Jazax shrugged, "So?

"I think helpin' dem be part of da job."

"Whaddya want me to do? Adopt 'em?" Jazax snorted, "Look, I'll pray to the Light for them, alright? But if you think I'm givin' those brats any money, you can forget about it!"

Zami looked flatly at the goblin.

"Nah, wouldn't dream of it," He said sardonically, wiping his wet hands on his pants before he stood up.

Slipping his leather cuirass back on, he looked over towards the street kids. Something about their ugly little faces made him think of his brothers. Sighing to himself, Zami walked over to the kids, who shrunk back into the shadows a bit. Skittish. Probably not a lot of friendly adults in their lives, he figured.

"Hey, you kids wanna make a few quick silver?" Zami crouched down, looking into their little shadowy nook.

The kids hesitated in their retreat, glancing up at him in suspicious curiosity.

"I'll give you…" Zami paused, pulling a few coins out of his pocket.

He didn't have much money left, thanks to Zalu, but he still had a handful of silver. There was probably only around 10 silver in total, with a few coppers for good measure.

"...uhh, y'know what? I'll give you kids all of dis, if you kids just find somewhere else to hang out. It be makin' my friend over there real upset to...uhh, to see you kids wit nowhere to go."

"But it's too hot to go anywhere," A little orc boy, apparently the eldest of the bunch, spoke up.

"Well, it do be hot," Zami paused to think, "...But you kids wanna know a secret?"

The kids blinked up at him.

"You already know it be real cool under da docks, but I know a place even better dan dis. Y'all know where da ships come in? Well, there be a nice little space under da planks dere, a little island wit plenty of room. It don't flood when da tide comes in, and I heard dat a long time ago, a...pirate hid some treasure down dere."

The faces of the kids drew dramatically more invested upon hearing the word treasure.

"Who knows," Zami shrugged, "Might find somethin' good down dere. And, ya know, even if not…"

He held the handful of silver out to them.

"...What do ya got to lose, huh?"

The kids looked to the orc boy, clearly their leader, who nodded. The kids quickly scrambled forward, taking the silver from Zami's hand, and then the group disappeared off into the shadows. Zami shook his head in amusement and stood up, as Jazax approached.

"What was all that, huh?" Jazax poked him, "You gettin' soft on me, big nose?"

"Ah, I just told em bout my old stash," Zami shrugged, "Put a lot of da stuff we stole dere for safekeepin' when it were too hot for any fence."

"What!" Jazax huffed, "Why would you give that way? That stuff must be worth a couple hundred gold in total!

Zami shrugged.

"Forgot bout it, ya know? Don't need it me self. Better dem who could use it."

"I could use it!" Jazax whined.

Zami just looked back at him flatly.

"Yeesh, Zami, you're hopeless," Jazax sighed, hanging his head and turning away.

Zami just shrugged again, glancing back at the empty nook with a faint smile.