The characters and settings created by Blizzard Entertainment Inc in this story are owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not receiving monetary profit from this story and no copyright infringement is intended.

Note: It's been a crazy year, but these stories always bring a smile to my face so... look forward to some more updates!

Chapter 17: Two Ring Circus

Sunthraze shocked Pyorin by asking him over to his place for supper.

"You're not about to make a joke about us dating again, are you? I only did that back at the Sunspire to mess with your head, Sunthraze!"

Sunthraze turned around in the saddle as he escorted Pyorin back to the edge of his land. He gave Pyorin a mischevious look, complete with a waggle of his dark red eyebrows.

"I only put my arm around you, Sunthraze, because I wanted you to quit it!"

Sunthraze's tone went sultry, "What do you want me to do to you, again dear?"

Sunthraze cut it out when they got to the road. And possibly within earshot of his neighbors. "Hey, it's no big thing Pyro. It's just dinner at my family's place. I'm a free man, I can do whatever I please…"

"Like ask your mom to cook dinner for us? Cause you sure aren't taking me out someplace if you can't even pay for a date with Tempest."

Embarassing that Pyorin somehow knew about that. And also, it depressed Sunthraze that he was going to have a dinner with Pyorin, Tempest's boyfriend, before he was able to do so with the lady herself. It was essential to have Pyorin over, though. And they needed quiet too, so that they could make their plans together with total privacy…

And that even sounded bad! Sunthraze was beginning to take Pyorin's point.

Sunthraze recovered from his annoying mental argument by insulting Pyorin, "Well, us free civilians can come and go as we please. If you have to ask your mommy Britecleff first whether you even have permission to eat at my house, I completely understand."

"I'll confirm with Britecleff that I have leave. But I'm sure you can expect me there."

"…And if you generously want to bring your hot girlfriend along to entertain me as well, I surely wouldn't mind. I'd just ask you to wait out on the porch and keep Ma company while Temptress and I get down to things-"

Through clenched teeth, "Don't push it."

"The funny thing is, if you tell her I said all that, she'll like me even more."

"Alright, bird-brain. See you tonight!" Pyorin turned and kicked his Hawkstrider into motion. Sunthraze lingered, waiting to make certain that Pyorin went. An old rancher habit, making sure the wolves and lions were far, far away from his flock.

That night, when she answered the door, Sunthraze's mother made all kinds of cheery noises and sort of detained Pyorin in their front parlor asking him about every little thing on his uniform. The effect Pyorin had on a room, and most women, when he walked in was extremely annoying. It was as if Sunthraze's mother had completely forgotten Pyorin was with the squad that had come to their home not so long ago and frightened her, while Britecleff dragged her beloved son Sunthraze out of the bed by the leg. And, before that, Pyorin was the apeish moron who had unfairly arrested him in the first place!

And now she was winking and rolling one shoulder like a royal courtesan, "…Ah, interesting about the Amani Trolls. About how tall are you, sweetheart?"

Sunthraze had been waiting patiently at the dinner table. Now he came and stood between his mother and Pyorin. "Dinner's ready. And you do know, my mother is trying to flirt with you."

Pyorin paused. Good. Sunthraze figured embarrassing them both should put a stop to it.

"Well, it's an honor. I really don't mind. Lady Sunthraze," he insisted on calling her, when Pyorin was the main one complaining Sunthraze had been stripped of his title at the start of all this! "I think I was six-five, last time I checked." And Pyorin extended his elbow gentilely for Renelia Sunthraze to take and be escorted through her own house.

"Why thank you. My annoying son was being rude, as usual." Renelia crossed her arms, and followed both of the men back into the dining room. It wasn't really a dining room. It was more a 'main room' around which most of their furniture was arranged. They managed to fit a couch and a chair and a small table near the front door, and the dining table fit okay on the other side. Pyorin hadn't spent much time inside of the house before. He looked around politely enough, but Sunthraze could tell that Pyorin was making plenty of mental notes for later, to make fun of him. And a lot of it was probably going to be re-enacted in front of Tempest, to make Sunthraze seem the biggest jackass possible.

Well, anyway, this was worth the risk.

"Please, sit."

Pyorin sat down at the head of the table, after helping to seat Sunthraze's mother. Renelia had a pretty floral dress on, which she rarely did, and then flounced her hair a bit after she had her seat. She pulled her chair in a few times to be closer to Pyorin, then patted his leg once they were in cozy together.

"Oh, son! I'm glad he's here in our area, protecting us."

"Him and about a hundred other Farstriders, Ma."

Pyorin touched the edge of his yellowed cloth napkin. "Eight hundred, actually. But we're just the ones currently assigned to this part of Eversong. "You'd know that if you paid attention during your meetings with Britecleff."

Sunthraze was in the kitchen, piling mashed potatoes on a plate for Pyorin. He then angrily piled on another huge, messy heap. "Hope you like your carbs, fat-ass…" Sunthraze muttered to himself.

Dinner was also baked chicken and greens. Sunthraze had tried to put gravy over everything on Pyorin's plate, but the burly fool said he 'liked it that way.' Showoff.

Renelia had a way of using a knife and fork to neatly eat chicken drumsticks. Sunthraze never could pick it up. He supposed if he'd come up fully as an aristocrat, he might have managed it. Sunthraze got strange pleasure out of watching Pyorin have to rough it with greasy hands, like other mortals.

"This is delicious ah, Mrs. Sunthraze. It really is…"

"Oh, you silly thing—call me 'lady' one more time, and I might just have to turn you over my knee…"

"And she'd enjoy it, too." Sunthraze tore the last bit of chicken from the bone.

"Simply call me Renelia. And thank you. On special nights, I only let Sunthraze in the kitchen to wash the dishes. Oh, and play footman, I suppose. Hehe—I can make him polish your boots, if you want!" Renelia made sure to pat Pyorin's leg once more.

"Oh really…?" Pyorin finished eating. He folded his napkin and set it aside.

Sunthraze didn't realize how much he would hate this. He felt ready to chew through his drinking glass. At last, he finished swallowing water through the awkward moment. Sunthraze set his glass down and folded hands on the table.

"Ma."

"Yes, son?"

"I've run through every possible scenario that I could think of, for myself or the Farstriders to make Kael'thas come home. He's just not safe in Dalaran anymore, that's what Pyorin and I think."

"Oh? Well! I didn't realize you two were working together on some secret mission." Renelia feigned, and patted a kindly hand on Pyorin's thigh again.

Sunthraze looked elsewhere while they giggled together, "Watch out for my mother, Pyorin. She's sharp."

Then came the rattle of Pyorin's chair, when he sat up abruptly. Sunthraze was afraid to look. But that had been the point. Renelia had chosen her moment to grope or else grab Pyorin in some unsettling way, very carefully.

Pyorin couldn't look distressed for long. He actually just covered his face and started laughing harder. It took him a while to recover. And he wasn't laughing at Renelia, really. Pyorin was laughing at himself. For walking right into that. It's what he claimed.

Sunthraze let loose a chuckle, too. He couldn't help it. Why wouldn't Pyorin just stay like that sometimes? Humbled, fun. And also hand his awesome girlfriend directly over to him while he was at it?

Pyorin let out a relieved breath. His hosts had taken the slightly horrific foible so well.

Having lost that one intrigue, Renelia leaned elbows on the table looking a bit more serious and ready for the next one. "Alright, I got what I was after. I'll tell you two what I think will help."

"Yeah, Ma? After playing dumb all day after I told you I was going to invite Pyorin over?"

"Do you want my help or not? I should charge you, Sunthraze. I know how much Britecleff is paying you off. Really, I should have a bigger share because the deal would not have gone off at all without me."

"You?! I was the one who got thrown in jail and everything. And it was his fault!"

Pyorin pretended to pout, "I thought you forgave me, after everything we've been through together."

Sunthraze snapped, "And you wonder why that dating joke won't die?"

Renelia pointed at Sunthraze, "And I was the one who birthed you to begin with!"

Sunthraze sank back into his chair, defeated.

His mother went on, "So then… a way to make Prince Kael'thas come home that hasn't got to do with the Farstriders or our farm? So then, you want dirt on the royal family."

Pyorin raised his eyebrows. Sunthraze leaned back on two chairlegs.

"I know Queen Celestia, and well. And I know a good amount about King Anasterian." Renelia waved a hand, bored with that line of thought already, "No. Prince Kael'thas is a grown man. They can't make him do anything. It has to be something he wants. Or, something he's going to get out of any way that we might… maneuver him into. This has to be about Kael'thas. Nothing I could pull out of the annals of time from when I was a courtier will really make a difference to Kael."

"Please, mom. Please think hard. We really do believe Kael'thas is in danger."

Pyorin crossed his arms, not truly comfortable with this.

"Oh, don't look like that." Sunthraze smirked, "Isn't it your job to pander to Celestia from time to time? Make sure that she gets what she needs? This is the same thing, only going in a different direction. I figured you and Ma could put your two heads together."

Pyorin's privileged position with Celestia was supposed to be their secret. Pyorin looked concernced.

"You sleeping with her?"

Pyorin startled to hear that coming from Renelia Sunthraze.

"The queen? Um… no, ma'am."

"I see. But you've thought about it. Only natural, a lot of men have. Don't, though. That woman is a widow spider, mark my words. She'll suck the life out of you once she's done."

Pyorin sat up, "King Anasterian seems perfectly pleased with her to me. And he's in one piece."

"You're already defending her, look at you. The only queen I ever knew or respected from the Sunstrider line was Queen Anthene'alas. Now, she was lovely. She was a beautiful, pitiful sweet creature. Her only flaw was that she loved her men, too much."

"Anthene'alas cheated on King Anasterian?" Sunthraze wondered. "Could we somehow use that…"

Sunthraze's mother sucked her teeth, then stood up and used her whole arm to reach over and smack her son's shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Don't you dare insult the nicest, most magnificent, loving queen we have ever had in Quel'thalas! No!"

"But you just said—"

"Her men! Kael'thas, and Anasterian! Her baby and her husband, of course."

Pyorin's big shoulders now sagged with new laughter.

"Isn't he pretty when he does that…" Renelia marveled.

At long last, that stopped Pyorin. Sunthraze had been wondering where the line was. Something about his mother's cougar-esque energy probably grated too close to some of the worst court ladies Pyorin had to put up with.

"And Anasterian loved Anthene so much, too. It was such a tragedy. He… it may sound unnatural to some, but I do understand it. I wasn't at court at the time, but I was around. I hadn't been introduced to your father, yet Sunthraze. I was a little on the young side, but I do remember. There was talk going around that the ring Anasterian had made after Queen Anthene died was actually going to be a relic. An um… sliver, of the great queen, was placed inside the stone."

Sunthraze looked disturbed. Pyorin leaned in. "Sliver?"

"Of her heart."

"Wait…"

"Well, Anasterian objected to having her… you know, investigated after her death. It was a suicide. You boys know that right, about our history? Anasterian had so much trouble with it, and then he did go through with the autopsy because he convinced himself that science would prove otherwise, that he she hadn't… done herself in. But in the end…" Renelia trailed off.

"So even Anasterian thought…" Sunthraze came back down properly on four chair legs. He folded his hands on the table, "The king said to himself at the time, 'I might as well?' Something like that? Because they had already gone in, as they had."

Without hesitation, "Yes. That ring is a holy object."

Pyorin shook his head. "And that ring is on Lady Jaina's Proudmoore's finger now. She doesn't even want it. So selfish."

Sunthraze didn't know much about this part. It must have been the part that Britecleff was holding back.

Pyorin knew it too, him and Sunthraze were on the same wavelength. "Well. It's not classified, Sunthraze."

Sunthraze's mother intervened, "I heard Britecleff say Sunthraze is on a need-to-know basis. I won't have him getting into any more trouble than necessary."

"Ma, it's my own risk to take. And this part seems harmless."

"Not if Jaina Proudmoore's stolen royal property, it's not!"

"Will you settle down? We sort of already know it now, don't we?"

Pyorin opened hands for them to hold on a moment. "Don't tell Britecleff that I told you."

Pyorin had not seemed to think through that there really wasn't anyone else pushing Kael'thas' letters around and working so closely with Queen Celestia and others in the palace that Britecleff would suspect, except for him but… Okay?

Pyorin conceded more information, "Renelia, it's because Kael'thas proposed marriage to Lady Jaina. That's how serious this thing is between them."

Sunthraze began to smile, proud. Renelia looked unphazed, however.

Pyorin then winced, "At least, how serious it is on Kael'thas' side."

Sunthraze's eyebrow arched, "…Oh. Damn. Well then, if that's been depressing him, I can understand it."

Renelia sipped her cheap wine, "You don't understand a thing about women. Not real ones, anyway."

"Ma! Come on, I'm trying to listen to Pyorin's story."

"If I embarrass you, my boy, then maybe you'll clean up your act…"

Pyorin waited for mother and son to stop squabbling, "The harder part is, the most secret part in fact… Kael'thas didn't just give Jaina the family relic… ring… thing. He enchanted it. He enchanted it so that it can't come off until Jaina…"

Sunthraze scowled, "…Sleeps with him?"

"No! They've done that already. Plenty of times."

At last, Renelia seemed interested.

Pyorin realized he'd said far too much. He flushed, "Well, he wants her to say yes and marry him. Of course, Lady Proudmoore is furious about it. Of course, something like this getting out would anger Prince Arthas, all the Humans, in fact… it'd be a mess."

Renelia rolled her painted eyes, "And there are plenty of Highborne who would be furious that things progressed this far without anyone being told. Hell! Warned."

Sunthraze still tried to help, "But if they're in love…"

Renelia wasn't having it. "Love? Pah! Kael'thas could rule for thousands of years after his father dies. We're supposed to put up with some Human witch who doesn't even care about us for the first seminal hundred? And she's going to give him these half-Elf… half-breeds who are going to carry on the line? That's unreal. That's completely unthinkable. At the very least, someone in power should make some formal attempt to protest it. Even if the Sunstrider heir thinks he knows his own mind, he needs to be shown to… consider the people, how it will affect our government."

"Ma, that sounds so horrible coming out of your mouth. I'm disappointed."

Renelia ignored her son, "For one, our kings would be far more short-lived. We'll deal with a hundred of them, just like the Humans do, rather than one good, well, predictable sovereign like Anasterian. Or, Dath'remar, if you need another example. This whole kingdom could go to pieces just because Kael'thas wants to get his leg permanently over some silly Human bint. I, for one, won't have it."

Sunthraze and Pyorin were silenced by it. Renelia heatedly excused herself, though not permanently, which was good. They needed her still, to help them find anything that might even barely help Kael'thas.

Sunthraze called into the next room, wherever his mother was going, she said, 'to get her bearings.' "If he comes back home, we might be able to at least slow this down, Ma."

"I like your mother." Pyorin said as soon as he had a chance.

"Wow. Now I have to worry about you stealing my mom as well."

"Look, I'm not going go dignify another fight over who should be my girlfriend, clearly, in a house where I'm supposed to be a guest."

"I meant my freedom, then. Because you did take that too."

Pyorin got up, and poured himself some more water. He did consider the wine briefly, but then he did smell it to see if the bouquet was as paltry as he presumed, made a face, and skipped it. Then Pyorin intelligently left another cup of water at Renelia's spot. Then, he pushed a third filled serving of water over to Sunthraze.

"Thanks."

"We all need to cool off. No problem." Pyorin lingered nearby, then decided to sit in a different chair, alongside Sunthraze.

Sunthraze laid a hand on his glass, barely looked at it, "I think I was trying to clear the air. I think it's good when the older generation has their opinions. There's not enough respect for what they contributed to our kingdom." Sunthraze then leaned an elbow on the table.

"I'm not offended." Pyorin clarified.

"I'm embarassed. But, anyway… it looks like we don't have a way to bring Kael'thas back on our own. I could write him another letter, but… maybe we do need to bring in someone higher up. Maybe Sylvanas? Though just mentioning her name freaks me out."

"I agree with you. But Sylvanas is also a good middleground between Britecleff and Anasterian. Gods, that's dangerous, though, going over my superior's head. However, she would be totally focused on what is good for the country, not selling out Kael'thas to the Humans, nor pleasing Anasterian or the Rangers, since that's not her style. It sounds strange to say, but we can trust Sylvanas to take care of this and not roast us alive for bringing it to her. We won't get that with Britecleff."

"And certainly not Kael'thas' father."

"Well." Pyorin toyed with turning his sweating glass of water in circles, then finished what he had and got to his feet. "Thanks for dinner. Guess it's decided then. I'd better go find Sylvanas tonight, while I have leave and I won't arouse suspicion from Britelceff. Get it over with quickly."

Renelia re-entered the room, then. She motioned for Pyorin to sit back down. In her hand, she had a box, which she unlocked as they watched. She pulled a few crinkled papers out, a few shining trinkets. And then, she pulled open a journal. Renelia flipped through a few pages.

"It'll be a miracle if I still have it… but I'm sure it would be here, if anywhere." Renelia licked her finger and went still further into the journal.

"Mom, you should put on your glasses."

"I'm fine," she frowned. Then, near to the back of the book, "Ah. Here it is. Now, be careful. This is very delicate. It proves what I thought I remembered. An old, old scandal that doesn't matter anymore. Well, not until I heard what you said about the enchanted engagement ring."

Pyorin scrutinized the little paper. Sunthraze shook his head that he couldn't understand the faded lettering at all.

"It's from Winston's. That's an old, old jewler's. It's not still in business, is it? I thought the royal house might still be shoring it up in some semblance or other. You hear about it at court? Maybe working out of their old estate? The delicate genious of this man… he had peacocks for his peacocks the last time Celestia and I took tea there. Or, at the least, each pretty bird had a diamond tenis bracelet for a collar."

Sunthraze blinked, "Ma? Really?"

Renelia rolled eyes at her son.

Pyorin took a step closer to where she held the page in candle light, "Nope. Went under."

Renelia smiled fondly, "Shame. They made exceptional rings, though, exceptional. And tiaras. Really, they didn't lose any customers or stock. They got absorbed by Flenn's and Sons, or something, I believe. Old Harod Winston drank his fortune away, is all. People lost confidence in him, but not his jewelers. They were happy to change storefronts. However, this paper is a gift to me from Celestia. I so loved that ring. I wanted to know more about the design, so I asked her if I could see the gift tag. It confirmed some minor specifications. She'd wanted it custom made, practically a twin of the original."

Sunthraze shook his head, "Can you really twin rings, though? Duplicate them down to… everything?"

"Well, Celestia didn't want a piece of Anasterian's ex-wife in her version of the ring, you dummy."

"Wait, Celestia has… practically a copy of the [Heartblood of Anthene]?"

"Well, in a way, jewelry can't be exactly copied if it's real. Real, good jewelry is planned out based on the particular stone. It might have to be cut a certain way if it's a big one, and that rock is a big one, trust me. They sort of plan the entire piece around what's been given to them, in that case. But, Celestia is a queen. And she was furious and Anasterian was sufficiently motivated to never let her have the actual ring. She settled on a duplicate that was newer and just as pretty. More importantly, it was all hers." Renelia softened, sad, "Do you think… there being an extra ring might mean anything to Kael'thas?"

"You mean, like a virgin ring that hasn't been enchanted, yet? That a certain mage might be able to experiment on in order to get the original off her own finger?"

Pyorin rested a chin on his fist, "Damn. That'd throw everything Kael'thas ever did, completely in the gutter. He'd be heartbroken if Jaina ever got her hands on it."

Sunthraze stood as well, "I know that no one agrees with me, but I think Kael'thas should choose who he loves," then, to objections rising up—"But of course that's beside the point. We want to lure Kael here, to Silvermoon. He'll come if he thinks there's a chance his careful plan might be at risk."

"I wonder that Kael's not worried about it already? He probably already found a way to um… neutralize the threat."

Sunthraze and his mother both smiled at Pyorin's effort to keep up. Using military terminology to refer to a delicate lady's ring. Well, the Sunthrazes had aristocratic roots, after all, whether or not they were currently cooped up in a farm house.

"Ma? Can you fill us in? You must have thought of it."

"Indeed, I have." Renelia smiled evilly, "You see, Celestia was always such a vain nag. She wanted a close copy of the old queen's ring so that no one at court would know Anasterian hadn't wanted to give her the royal jewels. They were hers by right, but Anasterian wouldn't budge and she couldn't exactly just walk out on him over it."

"Right. She wouldn't be queen, then." Pyorin stated the obvious.

Sunthraze made the choice not to say anything. The joke would have been too easy.

Renelia patted Pyoin's hand. It was much less flirtatious, this time. In fact, Sunthraze could tell that, after the last comment, his mother had lost real any real interest in Pyorin. She liked a man with a little more upstairs, someone as devious as her. Or else, she got bored. How many 'uncles' over the years had he lived through to be forced to learn that about his mother?

"Boys, I can tell you that Celestia asked for this piece of paper back when she realized her mistake. But I forgot, and then after she ruined our family? I decided to remember it. I had little hope of it ever horrifying her, until today. Thank you for that small… delight."

The effect, if it did tempt Kael'thas home to Silvermoon and result in a theft of the copy-ring, would be hideous, though. Celestia would lose her mind, possibly, looking for it and then mourning that loss, and she could never tell anyone why. Especially not Anasterian, who went through an amazing effort to have the dupiclate ring created in the first place. And the news could tempt lusty thieves from beyond the Eastern Kingdoms, possibly. If the information about a second [Heartblood of Anthene] got into the wrong hands… It would be an impossibly expensive ring that no one would ever report missing.

"Damn, that's just too bad for Kael'thas." Pyorin tutted.

Sunthraze folded up the paper and handed it back to his mother. "Is it? I don't think the ring really needs to be in any danger."

"No, you keep that." Renelia wouldn't take it. She began to put the other things back in her keepsake box. "A mere rumor won't get our prince, or Jaina as far as Silvermoon."

Pyorin leaned on the table and gave Sunthraze a look, then his mother. "What are you two planning? How do we get Kael'thas here, but not expose the ring itself? How do we make him think that Jaina knows about it and is determined to snatch it first if he does nothing?"

Sunthraze looked at his mother as he fit the paper into a breast pocket. She pretended not to notice.

"Well, Pyorin, it's going to be ugly. No one is going to get hurt, however."

"What do you mean?"

Sunthraze looked very focused, red brows knit. "Both Jaina and Kael'thas need to find out around the same time, won't they? And if we tell them directly, then they'll probably think it's revenge coming from the Sunthraze family. Anyway, Kael'thas might suspect that much. Jaina will think it's spy work, because we'd be nobodies contacting her, and she'd be right. There's only one way I know of for lots of people to find out the same thing around the same time." He shrugged.

"How?"

"Uh… hate to tell you this, lover boy. But my mother knows a guy about your build, your height, but he's much younger and feistier than you are." Sunthraze gave a tight smile, "He's also a newspaper man. We know him from when I got arrested and he got an exclusive from next door, in the Gazette."

Renelia clapped her hands together, excited, "Let's invite Ganneth Solaron over to dinner next! He said he didn't want to see me ever again unless pigs flew or I had a good story. Guess he'll have to come here and sit in the hot-seat now, whether he wants it or not! And dear Ganneth almost got fired after Sarah Pilliar nextdoor misquoted little ol'e me, whoopsie! What an awful, awkward spot I put him in after he wouldn't come the last time. So now he's desperate for a good one."

Sunthraze flashed Pyorin a proud look, "A cougar is a powerful weapon, when used in the hands of the wise. Sorry I had to put you through it."

Pyorin looked very annoyed, "I'll definitely remember that in future."

Sunthraze walked with Pyorin outside back to the stable, since it was dark now and Pyorin didn't really know how to walk through their property to find where his Hawkstrider was tied up in the back.

Sunthraze carried a lantern for them both.

"You're not pissed, are you?"

"About what?"

"Well, I didn't traumatize you, I hope. My mother was a wildcat way back when, at least that's how she tells it. She likes to re-live her glory days. It's hard not to use that to my advantage, sometimes. She doesn't always help me, otherwise."

Pyorin had been smiling. Sunthraze wondered if Pyorin was ready with another man-crush jibe.

Once again, Pyorin was on the same thread, "By the way, I'm not joking around, at all. Just so we're clear I'm not attempting to insult your mother."

Sunthraze already felt ready to hit Pyorin.

"…But she's an attractive woman."

"Oh." He sighed relief. And then, Sunthraze wondered why the hell he did that!

"Why did your mother Renelia never get re-married? There are women at court who aren't as fun, as useful or as good-looking as her." Then, Pyorin tried to cover for the awkward mention of it, with that handsome smile of his, "I'm trying ot say that your mother is… well, she's charming."

"I think she loved my father… that much." Sunthraze slowed his pace.

Pyorin did too. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. Now I feel like an ass. I never did squeeze that secret out of Britecleff. The reason why he thought I might have a grudge against King Anasterian himself."

"Well, you don't. You're a decent person. That's all that matters."

Pyorin had, again, missed a major point. It clearly meant Anasterian had done something to Sunthraze's family. Sunthraze, at the moment, assumed Anasterian was mixed up in why they lost their fortune. It was the only thing he could presume about it. But that also seemed extreme and it was a lot to carry around. It was so exhausting, Sunthraze decided to let it lie after he first thought it, and to definitely not reveal all of what he thought to his mother. However, this couldn't just keep coming up, forever, with no certainty about it. Just what in the fel had the Sunstriders done to the Sunthrazes?

Pyorin's characteristic deep voice penetrated his darker thoughts, "It's a compliment, you weirdo."

Sunthraze bobbed his head up, "Was it?"

"I was trying to say you were a good person, so you shouldn't worry about things like that so much. And you have a nice home, a loving family. That's all anyone really needs in this life."

"Stop! Stop being so… noble!" Sunthraze almost whined at the end, "Pyorin!"

"Whaaat?" Pyorin whined back, smiling.

"I'm busy trying to hate you!"

"Eh, I've met Amani Trolls meaner'n you." Then, Pyorin reached over and tussled Sunthraze's red-orange hair. It had a funny color in the night.

"You, sir, were fixing to sleep with my mother." Here, Pyorin made a sarcastic face, but Sunthraze insisted, "And! You're already… well, that other thing we don't need to go on about."

Pyorin shrugged, "Hey, ranching is a hard life, I understand. You all don't have much money, I don't judge." He shrugged, "And I am a pretty noble, generous guy. So if you're ever short on cash and she's feeling frisky…" he paused a long time while Sunthraze hung on, half-interested and half-horrified at what Pyorin seemed he would suggest. " I might be able to wangle something up for your Ma."

Pyorin said that because he was within reach of his mount and could get up in the saddle quickly. It took Sunthraze a little while to figure out what he meant. Because it was so terrible. Because he'd just gone out of his way to call Pyorin 'noble' and hadn't expected it in the least. The basest of insults about his own once-courtesan mother.

Sunthraze shouted into the darkness, "Fat-ass! I hope those mashed potatoes go straight to your thunder thighs!"

"You eat them every night!" Pyorin called back.

"Damn him!" Sunthraze made a fist. He almost smiled, though.