Syrise sighed and flopped back against the bench, staring up in boredom. She knew that, on the other side of the courtyard, the night elves were staring at her suspiciously. Ever since she'd arrived, the whispers never stopped. Her arrival in itself had been the talk of the town. A sin'dorei in Moonglade? One calling herself a druid? It was practically heresy in their eyes. Madness! Syrise scoffed, taking off her leather gloves and setting them onto her stomach.

At least the tauren had treated her kindly since her arrival, although the trolls were rather wary of her. Understandable, she thought, considering the ancient bad blood between their peoples. Well, not technically their peoples. More between her people and the forest trolls. But trolls were trolls, she supposed.

She stared up at the dusky purple sky, watching the leaves of the trees sway as wisps danced to and fro. It somewhat, vaguely, reminded her of being back home. The tall trees of Quel'Thalas were a much more vibrant shade of green, and the sky was a much deeper blue, but it was similar. Somewhat. If you squinted.

"Excuse me," A deep male voice rumbled in Orcish, as a great shadow came to block her view.

Syrise glanced up, towards a tauren with little wooden trinkets braided into his thick black hair, which was also streaked with a little bit of grey. He appeared to be one of the druids, though she didn't recognize him as anyone she had met thus far.

"Yes?" Syrise perked an eyebrow, "Did you need something?"

"Forgive me if I am disturbing you," The tauren began, "But I have heard much of you since you got here, though I do not yet know you. I had hoped to remedy this."

"Ah, okay," Syrise nodded, sitting up and extending an ungloved hand, "Syrise Duskstrider. Former Farstrider of Quel'Thalas, former employee of the Steamwheedle Cartle, and current druidic disciple of Mythene Moonshadow."

"Mythene Moonshadow?" The tauren raised a thick black eyebrow, "She takes yet another student? And a blood elf, no less? How interesting…"

"You know Mythene? Are you two friends or something?" Syrise asked, to which the tauren gave a hearty laugh.

"To call us friends would greatly overstate our relationship," He said with a chuckle, "Perhaps coworkers would be a more appropriate assessment."

The tauren then took Syrise's hand with his, shaking it firmly.

"I am Khail Mountainwalker," The tauren introduced himself, "Might I have a seat with you? I'm not quite as young as I used to be."

"Hm? Oh, sure, sure," Syrise said quickly, scooting over to one side of the bench.

The tauren sat down beside her, rubbing at his knees.

"So, if you do not mind me asking, how did Mythene Moonshadow come to take you as her student?" He asked curiously, "As far as I am aware, she is not very becoming towards races aside from her own."

"Oh, really? Well, I originally met her and Z on a ship heading to Booty Bay," Syrise recalled, tapping her chin, "She was actually pretty nice. She didn't seem as stuck up as most kaldorei."

Syrise paused, glancing over her shoulder towards the group of night elves who were watching her suspiciously, before realizing they probably wouldn't have understood her words in the first place. There's no way it was common for kaldorei to learn Orcish, after all. She then turned back to face Khail.

"Hmm, I have the feeling I know who this 'Z' person you speak of is," Khail said with a knowing glint in his eye, "You speak of the troll called Zami, don't you?"

"Huh?" Syrise blinked in surprise, widening her green eyes, "Don't tell me you know Z too!"

Khail chuckled, nodding his large head.

"Yes, we've certainly met," He smiled, "It was I who first brought him into the Cenarion Circle."

"Small world," Syrise grinned, "If you know Jazzy too, I'm gonna lose it."

"Err, who?" Khail perked an eyebrow.

"Jazax Boombottle? The goblin?"

"Hmm, I know no one by the name Jazax, I'm afraid," Khail said as he shook his head.

"Ah, yeah that would be a little bit too much of a coincidence," Syrise shrugged, still grinning.

"Though, come to think of it, I do know a goblin by the name Boombottle."

Syrise's smile immediately fell upon hearing this.

"You what?" She asked, her voice low, "What are you talking about?"

"There is indeed a goblin by the name of Auctioneer Boombottle in Winterspring, to the east," Khail elaborated, "She and a group of other goblins from Everlook make regular seasonal trips here through Timbermaw Hold."

Syrise quickly shoved her hands back into her black leather gloves and leapt to her feet. Khail looked up at her in surprise.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as a few of the night elves looked warily in Syrise's direction.

"I have to go to Winterspring," Syrise said firmly, fists clenching at her sides, "I need to pay a visit to a certain goblin. Do you know me the way? Can you show me?"

"Hm, yes, I can," Khail nodded, "But the furbolg do not take kindly to strangers entering their home uninvited. They will surely be hostile towards you."

"Not if they can't see me," Syrise nodded briskly, "Now, can you show me the way to this Timbermaw Hold?"

Khail led Syrise towards the edges of the lake outside of Nighthaven. She was pretty sure she had heard the night elves call it Lake Elune or something. Of course that's what it was called. Boy, were those kaldorei obsessed with their little moon goddess. Syrise squinted towards the other side of the lake, where she could see the furbolg guarding near the entrance of a tunnel on the other side of the lake.

"Follow the tunnel south until you come to a fork in the main path," Khail explained, "To reach Winterspring, you must take the path on the left."

"Keep straight until a fork then take the path on the left, got it," Syrise nodded, eyeing the furbolg in the distance.

"How do you plan to get past them?" Khail asked curiously.

"Simple," Syrise said with a grin, "Like this."

And then she took a deep breath and disappeared right before his eyes.