Hey guys! Please, please! Leave a comment if you can or cannot see Chapter 107 (the next chapter). I've been having some issues with it and re-uploaded it several times now. Please leave a comment telling me whether or not you can access the next chapter. If it isn't working, you can still read the story under the same title and username on Archive Of Our Own!
Zami and Jazax sat in the kitchen at the little table. It looked like they'd both gone inside of a funhouse. Zami was much too big for the table, and Jazax was much too small. They sat in awkward silence, looking about and trying not to listen in. It was very hard not to, considering how loud the voices were carrying from the other room.
"Father, you're being completely unreasonable here," Mythene sighed, speaking in Darnassian, "I assure you-"
"Unreasonable?! You are the one who brought this Horde scum to my home, and you call me the unreasonable one?!"
"Father, don't be-"
"You are a traitor to the Alliance! Cavorting around with members of the Horde, like some kind of-"
"But, I told you! Zami is a member of the Cenarion Circle, inducted by Keeper Remulos himself! And I am his teacher! Not to mention Malfurion and Tyrande have granted-"
"Since when are you a teacher, Mythene?!"
"Since I-"
"You insult the memory of your brother's death with this little charade! Or do you intend to kill this student as well?!"
Mythene didn't respond immediately, giving Jazax time to clear his throat.
"Boy, am I glad my Darnassian is too rusty to understand most of this," He chuckled awkwardly in Orcish, turning to Zami, "How 'bout you? You look like you just heard something dodgy."
"Yeah," Zami nodded uncomfortably, "I did."
He didn't really feel like elaborating exactly what he'd heard. That comment was definitely a step too far. He was kind of getting annoyed, to tell the truth. Just what kind of father was this guy? He knew from what she'd said prior that her father wasn't the nicest guy, but at least Jumi pretended to be.
After a moment, Mythene's father sighed loudly, the sound grating Zami's last nerve.
"I see you still haven't grown up, Mythene," He scolded, "You're such a child, especially compared to your sisters. Even little Syrene is the leader of something, traitor or otherwise."
At this point, Zami's patience was at its end and he stood up, fully intent to give this guy a piece of his mind. But Jazax grabbed his arm and shook his head quickly.
"This ain't really any of our business, buddy," Jazax frowned.
"Yeah, but…" Zami furrowed his brow, looking in the direction of the hallway.
Before he could even parse together the right words to properly convey what he was feeling, Mythene's father spoke up again.
"Oh, don't start crying now. You're only proving my point."
At this, Zami and Jazax exchanged glances. Jazax quickly released his grip on Zami's arm and held up his hands defensively.
"Alright, alright, go ahead," He nodded, "Do what you gotta do."
Zami entered the hall and beelined for the room he had heard the voices come from. Just before he reached the door, it opened. Mythene's father stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, and then turned to face Zami. The night elf looked at him flatly, seeming almost unimpressed, before he turned away and began to head for another room. Zami scowled at him, fists clenching, and went to say something. But he froze upon hearing Mythene's soft crying coming from the other side of the door.
In that instant, he had to make a choice. Go and speak to Mythene, or give her father a piece of his mind, as he'd intended to. After hesitating for a moment, Zami cursed under his breath and let the man go, instead approaching the door and knocking softly.
"Uhh, Mi'ten?" He called to her in Orcish, hearing her instantly go quiet from within, "You okay?"
After a moment, she finally responded with a slightly trembling voice, clearly trying to hide her crying.
"Go away, Zami."
"Mi'ten…" He sighed, already familiar enough with her enough to know exactly what she was doing.
He figured it was a pointless gesture but tried the doorknob anyway. As expected, it was locked.
"Go away," Mythene repeated, "I would like to be alone."
"Too bad," He chuckled quietly, leaning his back against the closed door, "I ain't goin' nowhere."
He heard her give a frustrated sigh and he chuckled again. Mythene remained silent, prompting Zami to speak after a moment. He wasn't really sure what he was saying, it just sort of came out of his mouth before he could think much about it.
"When I was a little kid," He began, "My fa'da told me somethin' really stupid. Guess I was kinda stupid too, cause I believed him for a long time."
Zami heard Mythene shift, leaning her body against the door on the other side. But she still didn't speak, so he continued on.
"He told me ain't nobody in da whole world ever gonna do nothin' for me. And, y'know? He was kinda right. Nobody really cared much what I did. Not my tribe, or my so-called friends, and 'specially not my family."
Zami frowned, looking down as he reflected on his lifetime of loneliness. After a moment, Mythene finally spoke up.
"...And how did you come to decide he was wrong?" She asked quietly, voice still wavering lightly.
"Well," He paused to stroke his chin, "I guess… I met you?"
At this, Mythene scoffed.
"Oh, please. I know my presence was not any sort of comfort when we met," She sighed, "I was… unbearable."
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Zami agreed, unable to resist a grin.
"...Right, and how exactly did that help you in any way?"
"You changed," He said with a shrug, the words coming easily, "And then I guess that's when I realized it. That it's kinda more important to care 'bout other people than worry if they care 'bout you. Y'know?"
Mythene hesitated before responding.
"But why should you bother?" She asked, sounding more than a little bitter, "Why should you care about them if they won't even give you the time of day?"
Zami shrugged again, despite knowing she couldn't see the gesture.
"Well, 'cause they can change."
