By afternoon Jaina had gone from being at best a curiosity to being tentatively welcomed by the blues of Aszuna.
Jaina's chosen crystals were carefully removed by the dragonkin keepers. Senegos had poured over her spellwork designs and had requested to see the spells from Ateish. He'd become quite spry as he discussed the subject, speaking animatedly and using his cane more as a prop for gesturing and pointing than any sort of support device. He looked over her plans and gave several suggestions. Jaina was going to ruminate over before committing to them.
There were still dragons who looked at her askance, but they didn't look on her with hatred. That would suffice. Kalec had had to deal with worse in Dalaran before their grudging acceptance had begun to blossom into true friendships. Jaina hoped she would be able to do the same here.
Coragosa returned a couple hours after lunch. She, in addition to being a master enchanter and alchemist, was one of the last blues who still practiced their methods of adorning empowered tattoo work. Most others had sided with Malygos and had died in the Nexus war, and the few others who remained had dispersed on the winds. A few of the 'Kin maintained the practice as nearly every member of the 'vassal' race as the Elder dragon referred to them, had a set.
"Ah," Senegos said, his eyes tightening as she appeared on the horizon. "Took her long enough. Stormheim isn't that far."
"Was she doing research?" Jaina asked.
"Is that what you younglings call it these days?" Senegos asked, barking a laugh at his own joke. "No, she was there for more personal reasons."
"I thought that experiment failed," Kalec mused.
"Oh, it did," Senegos said, sobering. "It did."
"I believe I am missing something," Jaina spoke up.
"There are..." Kalec trained off. "There are beings who are related to us, in Stormheim."
"The appropriately named 'Storm drakes'," Senegos added. "The Thorignir. They are not our 'Kin nor are they true dragons, blessed by the Titans."
"You recall the story I shared with you when I was under the influence of Tyr's artifact?" Kalec asked.
Jaina nodded. Tyr's artifact had caused Kalec to relive Malygos's life as a protodrake and to see first hand the events which had led to the creation of the Aspects. The Keepers had channelled the power of the Titans into the Aspects and had created the dragon flights out of the existing protodrakes.
"Highkeeper Odyn was opposed to us," Kalec said, his voice pitched low. "But the other Keepers were adamant in their agreement with Tyr. The Titans created the Aspects. Afterwards, Odyn decided to make his own dragons."
"His own?"
"Oh, they're decent enough. Bit boisterous. They get it from their creator, you know." Senegos said. "But the salient point here is that they can still bear nests."
"They can? Isn't that good?"
Senegos grunted. "For them. Hasn't done a bit of good for us."
Jaina looked back at Kalec. "This dragon has tried to breed with them I'm guessing."
Kalec nodded. "They have a gender imbalance we do not, with females making up perhaps a tenth of their population. It is something which concerns their matriarchs. Cora came to me and one of their matriarchs with a proposal. She and one of their proven males would attempt to have a nest. Hopefully they would be compatible and eggs would result. A success might mean we would be able to get around the infertility problem. Their matriarch hoped that our bloodlines would resolve their gender imbalance issue."
"If it was successful, eventually there still wouldn't be true dragons anymore," Jaina pointed out softly.
"What else did we have to lose?" Kalec said.
"This wasn't tried before?" she asked.
Both dragons looked somewhat uncomfortable.
"I take it the answer is 'no' then."
"They're... different than we are. Shorter lifespans, less powerful, smaller. They cannot shapeshift. On the whole they are more primal and given to their baser natures. There are significant cultural differences." Senegos said. "When we thought ourselves the masters of the world, it all seemed quite reasonable. And look at where our hubris has gotten us." He shook his head.
"There has been a very strong taboo against the different flights mingling bloodlines," Kalec told her. "Alexstrasza asking for volunteers to try to breed across flight lines was exceptionally controversial."
"And unsuccessful."
"And unsuccessful. I was surprised by Cora's suggestion. Mating with a Thorignir was going even further than mixing with the other Flights. Some have judged her harshly for it."
"Do they judge you?" Jaina asked, pitching her voice for Kalec only. "I'm not even as impressive as one of these drakes."
"Probably but that isn't my problem. It's theirs," he said, eyes flashing hard. "But given the way some dragons reacted, you'd have thought she'd volunteered to be mounted by some beast." Kalec shook his head. Louder he said "I met with the Matriarch she'd been dealing with. I found Thrymjaris to be quite respectable. Again, I believe our pride was in our way," he said, directing the last at Senegos.
"And while I agree that perhaps in some ways we judged them harshly, I do question their allegiances. But that is another discussion." To Jaina he said, "Coragosa has taken her chosen Thorignir as a consort. She still tries for a nest with him. Our healers are quite cross with her, actually. It isn't healthy to force a season off the natural cycle as often as she has been doing, but she won't listen."
"Your opinion of him?" Kalec asked. "Is he treating her properly?"
"I believe so. Aside from letting her cast those ineffective fertility spells every third moon." The old dragon huffed. "Cora has always been one of the most obstinate of my brood, so perhaps I judge him harshly for failing to halt an unstoppable force. I've only met him a few times but he seems to be as besotted with her as she with him. He's a bit loud. Likes to fight and hunt. Strong storm magics. Cares less for intellectual pursuits than I personally would have chosen." Senegos pursed his lips. "Good taste in beer. Could out drink most of the dragons here."
Kalec snorted, smirking.
Senegos waved his cane at Kalec. "Oh, you snort now my young Lord, but you have not met this storm drake of hers."
"Perhaps I shall have to make a point of it if she's named him as consort. Seems like he might be a drake worth getting to know and having more allies here would surely be of benefit."
"Hmm, possible," Senegos said. "Well I shall leave you to it. These old bones are going to soak for a bit."
They bid the elder farewell. Shortly thereafter Coragosa arrived in the glade. She was a large dragon in stature, and was all muscle. She had a more trim figure than the curvy profile of most female dragons. Her horns curled like Tarecgosa's. The most eye catching feature however was the extensive tattoo work on her forelimbs. From wrist to shoulder was covered in intricate scrolling runes and knotwork that reminded Jaina of the Vrykul of Northrend.
Coragosa landed with a thump on the earth. She looked around, spied Kalecgos, and then shifted shape. Jaina had never seen a dragon become a vrykul shieldmaiden before.
"Kalecgos!" She threw her arms wide open in greeting then gave the other dragon a bear hug.
"Hello, Cora. Sorry to pull you away from your mate but Jaina wanted to consult with you about a spell she is doing," he said, wheezing slightly as she managed to lift him off the ground.
"You brought her!" Cora released Kalec only to crush Jaina in a bear hug, nearly smothering her in her surprisingly ample bosom.
Jaina staggered a step as she was released and set back on her feet again, only to have the dragon twirl her around.
"Oh, she's lovely! Strong aura! And- Healing magic?" She paused her manhandling and looked over Jaina's head at Kalecgos.
"An incident with the withered. Jaina protected Mazarin and Astergos while I hunted down the others. Some injuries but none of ours were lost."
Cora looked at her for a long moment, her expression one of surprise before she grinned and hugged Jaina again.
Jaina managed a squeak as her air was cut off.
"Ah, Cora," Kalec gently pried them apart. "I'd rather not have to call the healers over again."
"Oh! Right! My apologies, Lady Spellweaver," Cora said, still cheerfully grinning. "So! How may I help?" She clapped her hands together and looked from one to the other.
Kalec took Jaina's elbow and gestured for Cora to follow. He found a shaded spot and took a seat, gently pulling Jaina down with him. Still dazed from the enthusiastic greeting, she let him lead. She ended up in his lap, her back against his broad chest while Coragosa plopped down across from them. Jaina took another moment to put her thoughts in order and then explained about the spell she wished to attempt and why.
Coragosa's eyes lit up as Jaina explained. Her hands tapped on her thighs as she leaned forward. When Jaina was finished she grinned then looked at Kalec.
"Could this sort of thing work on my consort?"
"I- I don't know. Possibly?"
Cora clapped her hands together. "I'll help you regardless but this would be wonderful! Korthir has often remarked how terribly convenient it would be to walk among the younger races as we do. Something like this would be marvelous! But why me? Because of Kor?"
"Actually, Kalec told me you were skilled in crafting inks and applying empowered tattoo work," Jaina told her. "I was considering the feasibility of one in conjunction with an artifact. Specifically a necklace, and having the two magical circuits meet and interact."
"Brilliant!" Cora said, fingers wiggling in excitement. The wavering fingers became a gesture and a small kit popped into the air, pulled from some storage dimension. Setting the case down, she opened it and began sketching with a graphite stylus. "You came for leywater and leycrystal. Have you given thought to using them as ink components?"
"Actually," Jaina said, smiling back at Kalec who was now grinning as well, "That's why I wanted to speak with you."
"Do you have notes?" Coragosa asked.
"I do," Jaina said, pulling them from her own storage space-time.
"Let's take a look shall we?"
Coragosa was a bit excitable but she had a deep knowledge of alchemy that Jaina was certain Karlain would find fascinating. Surprisingly, Cora had done tattoo work on many races, including humans, and was learning further from masters among the Thorignir.
She gave Jaina a design framework she believed would be powerful enough and instructions to work out some of the fine details of the spellwork. Cora also approved of the idea of using a back-piece with connecting components near the base of Jaina's neck. The exchange was in some ways even more wonderful than discussing the spell with Senegos. Coragosa was passionate about her areas of craftsmanship and that excitement was contagious. Their discussion lasted until Cora's stomach rumbled audibly and Kalec shooed her off to find something to eat. She only left when Jaina backed him up.
Jaina leaned back against Kalec's chest. He was quite pleased with this part of the day given the soft rumble. Under the shade of the trees in the circle of his arms, having had not one but two incredibly productive conversations, Jaina felt like purring herself. The incident with the withered Suramar exiles had shaken her, but she'd won. The lessons she'd learned from Modera had served her well and in the end, everyone she cared for had lived.
But surviving was not the same as being okay. Today had been frightening.
"Astergos will be okay, won't he? The other whelps?"
"They will be," Kalec said. His kissed the side of her head. "They're frightened but they are with their families and will recover. Mazarin will be a bit longer in recovery but he will. I've increased the security around the area and the others here will continue to be on alert.
"Good," Jaina said. "Kalec?"
"Hmm?" He nuzzled the side of her head.
"Astergos is very small for a whelp. He also seemed very young."
Kalec's rumble turned pensive. "He is both." He subtly pointed. "Do you see his mother?" Kalec asked.
Jaina glanced over, trying not to be obvious. "The petit dragon with the curling horns like Tarecgosa?"
"Yes. His father is that dragon in the barding across the way," Kalec said, nudging her in the correct direction with his chin.
Jaina glanced over and saw a small male with dark scales. He was easily half the size of the dragon he was speaking with. "They're smaller than the other adults."
"They're barely adults," Kalec said. "We become able to bear- " he broke off, lips thinning . He recovered and began again. "My people were physically mature enough to bear nests around their first century, give or take a decade. But we didn't start having nests then. As I understand it, it is similar with humans? You are able to have children before it is considered acceptable to do so?"
"Yes. A woman's cycle can start as early as eleven or twelve but it's a crime most places for someone so young to be put in a situation where she's having children," Jaina said.
"Farigos and Astragosa haven't seen their second century yet. It's like if two of the fifteen or sixteen year old humans I teach got married and started a family. Most dragons wait until they're closer to their first millennia."
"I take it their parents didn't approve?" Jaina asked. The young male in barding dismissed his armor in a flash of magic and trotted across to his mate and child. He hadn't yet grown into his paws Jaina noted, but he didn't stumble like a puppy at least. Without his armor he was lanky and lacked the muscle mass that the other adults had. His mate was the same way, her snout still finishing filling out into an adult width out of the narrowness of a drake's head. They greeted one another gently, then Farigos curled up with his mate and began to nuzzle his whelp.
"Their parents didn't know. No one knew. They used the spell to bring her into season and mated because Farigos was going to join the defenses around Wrymrest temple in the final fight with Deathwing. Astra was assigned to guard the whelplands here." Kalec sighed sadly.
"They wanted her to have his children in case he died."
"Yes. They're First to one another. Technically they are adults and technically it was their choice to do so, but there were consequences. The very good reason we don't have children that early is it can hurt the mother to be gravid that young. It is exceptionally demanding and even if she was physically able to carry eggs, they drew on reserves she didn't have yet."
"That's why it's bad for humans as well," Jaina mused, watching the young couple with their offspring out of the corner of her eye.
"Very young fathers don't make the best eggs either. Astergos was the only survivor of a clutch of six. Six is enormous for a dragon as young Astragosa. She was very long in recovery and Farigos thought he might have killed her. She may never grow to be as large as she might have been otherwise. The other five eggs died. Their child is the only one that survived to hatch."
"But they have their son," Jaina said. "Surely that is good?"
"Aster is the youngest dragon in the world," Kalec said with mournful certainty.
Jaina's brows lifted as she turned to watch the little one with his parents. Both were small enough they could easily fit under the lowest branches in their natural forms still. The little family appeared to be happy together but... alone.
"What else is going on?" Jaina asked. "They're sort of... aside from everyone else."
"Many things," Kalec said, sighing. He leaned into Jaina. "Their youth is part of it. It was dangerous and defiant of them to have a nest at all. Older dragons who never had one won't have one now."
"Jealousy. They didn't wait like they were supposed to and they have one of the last children."
Kalec nodded. "And he's not like the others whelps. He doesn't know as much as they do. He's had to be taught things the others know already, right out of the egg. His was kept with all the others but he doesn't have the same knowledge."
"Because his parents were so young?"
"I wondered about that at first but no. It's actually my fault."
"Your fault?" Jaina asked, looking at him.
"Yes." Kalec was watching the young family openly now. "When we discovered we couldn't have nests we went over every part of our lives with critical eyes. The whelps who were born before the Hour of Twilight are typical. Whelps that hatched afterwards are not. The further away from the Hour of Twilight, the younger they are, the less they know, and the more they need to mature and be taught. We think it is related to the loss of our Mantles. Without them, our children aren't born as advanced. It's the same in all the flights."
"Aster seemed like a bright young child to me. Should he be like Wrathion?"
Kalec growled pensively before he answered. "Wrathion has the opposite problem. He knows far too much for his age, even beyond what a dragon whelp should know." Kalec shook his head again. "Eventually Aster will be fine, children can be taught and he is bright, but the other adults don't know how to deal with a whelp who has less inherent knowledge and understanding than they expect. All the whelps hatched after the Hour have that issue to some extent or another. They can learn and they do but it's... their teachers don't know how to teach. Some don't see the point either," Kalec said, voice falling into angry growling.
Jaina turned in his lap and cuddled in closer to him. It was clear the young family was a bit isolated from the other dragons, now. They didn't engage with peers; just one another and their whelp. The two seemed like good parents at least and it was very clear they cared for one another and their child. The adults cuddled together with his wing over her back while the whelp tumbled about their paws chasing leaves and stomping around. Jaina was glad he wasn't cowering in fear given the terrifying events of the day. The little family unit was subtly apart from the other dragons lounging around, the parents on the defensive.
"Seems unfair they're ostracised," Jaina said. "And that the youngest whelps are seen as lesser."
"It is unfair. I come to help teach when I can. Senegos is a big support as our Warden here. He loves teaching as much as my father did. These are our very youngest, Jaina. The last of the last. It's important they know how to be blue dragons."
Because they would very likely be the last blue dragons.
Jaina poked her head out of her office when she heard Modera and Spellsong in the hall.
"Don't look so glum, Modera," Spellsong said, smirking at the other mage. "We'll set things up just in time for you to come in for the first operation."
Modera rolled her eyes and made a shooing motion with one hand. "Go on. Break the news to Turanil that you'll be spending Winter Veil in the past in an alternate reality."
"Ha! He'll be annoyed he can't bring half his lab but it gets us both out of visiting his parents so I think he'll be fine. See you at the meeting later," Spellsong retorted. She nodded at Jaina, hefted the scroll cases with the various build orders, and took her leave.
Modera snorted quiet laugh as she stopped in the hall and watched her go. "Thinking I might send the apprentice across when she's done with class and the building is done. She's shaping up well." Modera turned a speculative eye at Jaina.
Jaina returned her look levelly. "I think I have had quite enough practical training in Draenor. Other considerations aside."
"Fair, I suppose," Modera allowed. "Welcome back. Did you need something?"
"Two things. The first was to thank you."
"Well I certainly won't say no thanks and high praise, but what caused this?" Modera asked, crossing her arms. Her eyes narrowed. "What were you up to yesterday?"
Jaina gestured to her office. "Perhaps out of the hall?"
"Oh, well this is interesting," Modera said leading the way. She took a seat in the little sitting area and slouched back, legs crossed. "What trouble did you two get into?"
Jaina laughed as she closed the door behind them and took the seat across from Modera. "My personal project."
"Do tell."
"Kalec and I decided to consult with some of his people."
"Met the family, then?"
Jaina paused to laugh. "Yes, I suppose I did. He was showing me the area and we heard someone being attacked nearby." Jaina watched as Modera's amused expression sobered and she sat forward in her chair. "One of the keepers was out with some of the whelps. They were attacked. He was badly injured. A few of the children were taken."
Modera cursed. "Children? I take it everything was resolved since you are here."
"We fought off the creature attacking them. Kalec went after the whelp who were taken and I got one of the whelps and a very injured keeper to a safe location." She smirked. "The keeper was about the size of that boulder you've been having me lift. And I did have to fight off more of them." She folded her hands together. "I killed the creatures very efficiently."
"Wanna talk about it?"
Jaina huffed a small laugh. "That wasn't my intent but maybe it's not a bad idea." She shivered. "Modera they were eating the whelp's magic."
"What manner of creature eats magic? Where were you?"
Jaina licked her lips, glanced at the two large crates on the far side of her office then back at Modera. "I actually don't know how many details Kalec wants me to share. But I, uh, would appreciate your discretion."
"You have it."
"I know what happened to the elves of Suramar. Or at least I know what happens to their exiles," Jaina said, looking up at Modera and meeting her eyes. "They're addicted to magic in a way that far exceeds anything I've seen before. When they can no longer access their source, they wither and become... feral creatures."
"And they hunt the dragons for their magic."
"Sometimes, yes. There was a very large pack. It overwhelmed the guardian. I had to kill a few of them, some came at us from ambush."
"Well done."
"Thank you. The practice at being quick helped. Even carrying heavy things helped." She smirked a little.
Modera grinned back. "Good. You realize that getting into trouble every time you leave the city isn't going to get you out of class."
Jaina laughed quietly.
"There's more to learn after I'm done with the basics."
"You're not going to force me into that too?" She'd intended it to be light but a little bit of bitterness and disappointment crept into her voice. Jaina only partially regretted saying anything.
Modera's eyebrow shot up. "No. And I am sorry for any resentment this current set of classes might have caused but I will not apologize for doing my duty. I will, however, apologize for not doing it sooner."
Jaina held up a hand. "I'm not looking for a fight." She frowned and tried to find the words. She looked back at Modera and took a page from her book; bluntness. "I don't like being ordered to do things right now, as childish as that is." She paused, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Or as good as it might be for me."
Modera leaned forward, her arms on her knees. "Do you need me to back off? For your own head-space? I've pushed because I felt I needed to and because I thought you could take it. But I've been speaking with the Shado-pan trainers and watching them and I don't want to cross a line because of my own enthusiasm." She smiled a little. "I've been taking some lessons too."
"No you don't need to back off. I appreciate all you've done for me. I really do. The training has been good. I like knowing I have the option to tell you to back off, though."
Modera accepted that with a nod.
"And I am grateful I was better equipped for what happened at Karabor and yesterday. And how to deal with it afterwards." She took a breath and let it out, trying to put the images behind her. It had all worked out. She could move past it.
"Bad fight?"
"No," Jaina said. "Well, the concussion wasn't great- and before you say anything it was healed. It wasn't like Karabor. It was... almost easy. Killing those things. They were animals. They just kept coming."
"You did what you needed to do. And you aren't bad at this. But you could be spectacular."
Jaina winced. "I don't- I don't know I like the idea of being spectacular at violence, Modera. I do not like the person I became when I used it as a tool. I don't want it to be easy."
"Good."
Jaina looked up.
"I mean it. It's good you're aware of it and it's good you're not an old warhawk like me. But you can do it if you need to. You saved those dragons. You saved lives at Karabor. You even saved Varian at the temple. Light I'd even wager you saved lives setting us against the Horde on Thunder Isle. Imagine what horrors Garrosh could have acquired had he not been opposed."
Jaina let out a breath and nodded. She wasn't as comfortable as she might have been months ago, but part of her acknowledged the wisdom of Modera's words. She rolled her shoulders, trying to release the tension. "Changing the topic, there was something else I wanted to bring up with you before we have the meeting about Everbloom later."
"Does it have to do with the man-sized crates that have appeared on your office floor?" Modera asked.
"It does, indeed. Take a look," Jaina said, rising.
Arching a brow, Modera joined her. With a quick levitation spell, Jaina flipped the lid off one of the boxes.
"Norgannon's balls!" Modera took a step back. Reaching out with her own magic she flipped the lid on the second crate. "Two? Jaina, how in the world? These are leycrystals, aren't they?"
"They are," Jaina confirmed. "After everyone was safe, the blues told me I could take whatever I needed. I took a smaller one for the spell focus I'm building, and I thought these might be useful for the Everbloom outpost project. One for an Eastern Kingdoms terminus and one for Kalimdor," she said, nodding to each in turn.
Modera crouched down between the two crates to examine the crystals more closely. "Light. Jaina. Where did you get these? What did you have to do for them?" She looked back and up at her.
Jaina smiled, but there was a melancholy grip on her heart. "I saved a three year old and his minder from being eaten by some monsters. Got a bump for my troubles. The blue dragons were very thankful."
Modera whistled low as she stood up again. "And you're just giving them to the draenor expedition?"
"That was the intent unless you think it wouldn't help."
"They'll help immeasurably. But Jaina these are worth... I can't even imagine what they're worth. I'm not trying to dissuade you but, Light, girl."
"As I said, I took what I needed for my projects. A smaller stone for my working and then these. I might even be able to acquire another pair if we get that Ashran site working."
"Another pair?" Modera laughed.
"I know," Jaina said, ducking her head. "It's an embarrassment of riches, but I'm not going to abuse my relationship with the dragons for little things. Getting our base on Draenor up and running is important to the other goals I want to achieve. I felt It was worth it and Senegos seemed to approve of the reasons for my request."
"Light. Illsudira and Khadgar are going to have a pair of heart attacks. I might have had one already." She looked from the crystals to Jaina. "The dragons are just sitting on these?"
Jaina held up a placating hand. "They're resources owned by a foreign nation. I don't want anyone going in hunting for more. We can trade and negotiate but I don't want to set off a land-rush. That area is where they have their last small children, Modera. I will not take that from them."
"Fair, fair," Modera said. "Damn." She shook her head grinning. "Don't do anything by halves, do you." Her smile grew wider. " Ilsudira and Khadgar are going to have kittens when they see these."
"Her trip to the Everbloom site went well I take it?" Jaina asked. "I overheard you mention she'd be there over the Winter Veil holiday."
Modera glanced at the time. "Meeting is in another hour. I'd hate to steal her thunder." She levitated the crate lids back into place. "And this way I get to see their reaction to this little Winter Veil gift, too."
Jaina rolled her eyes and snorted a laugh. "Fine then. How about an update on the Shado Pan?"
Khadgar wasn't able to attend the meeting but Illsudira Spellsong nearly did have kittens when she saw the leycrystals Jaina had acquired. Karlain and Anirem weren't too far behind her, but they wouldn't be the ones setting up camp.
Spellsong and a group of architects and volunteers would be venturing across the portal in a matter of days. They expected to have the basic structure up quickly and Archmage Spellsong was looking forward to a 'holiday abroad' on account of unreasonable relatives. once they had the basics up, much of her party would return home for the holiday or migrate to the Lunarfall garrison before returning.
Half the council would remain in Dalaran with Khadgar, Spellsong and Jaina being away. Of the three, Jaina would be the easiest to reach. There were concerns that someone might try something over the holidays but the level of vandalism and disruption hadn't escalated.
Jaina hoped that trend would continue. Maybe once the holiday lull was done, those who were disgruntled will find their annoyance not worth acting on. That'd be an excellent Winter Veil gift.
Kalec was fidgeting. It had taken her a moment to notice because she'd been engrossed with refining her solution to the question of mass differential in her spell. He'd possibly been fidgeting for a while. His workbench, usually sparse and orderly, was a haphazard mess of books he'd apparently picked up then set down again. The stylus he'd been twirling fell from his fingers and bounced on the table once before he caught it.
"What?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
Jaina set her work down and stretched her arms over her head, her back cracking. "You're fidgeting."
"I'm sorry-"
"Nothing to be sorry about," she said, rising. She brought her stool over and sat across from him, holding out her hands. "What're you thinking?"
Kalec frowned then set his hands in hers. He was silent for a moment before he asked, "You'll stop me from ruining Winterveil, won't you?"
"Ruin-? Why? What do you mean?"
"There appears to be a great deal of importance placed on this holiday by many Humans. There are also a great many stories about someone ruining the holiday somehow. I've never really celebrated it before."
"Oh," she said, hopping off her chair and coming around to hold him.
"Who has been giving you dramas to read? Was it Modera? Khadgar?" she asked. She'd slap them. "You'll be fine. There are no expectations. It's just quiet time without work, time to relax and spend leisure time together."
"I won't ruin it by not knowing the customs?"
"No," she said. "It's not some highly ritual holiday-"
"But there are common things in all the stories I have read and in the research material-"
Jaina silenced him with a kiss. "Kalec," she said, holding his face in her hands, "There are no formal expectations. Well, Varian and Anduin might have some because the Crown hosts a lavish party before everyone goes home to their families. Informally Varian might want an excuse to get out of having to deal with the Nobles, but for you and I? We're on holiday. You could possibly ruin it by, I don't know, summoning an Old God in the middle of opening presents."
He chuckled. "Noted. No invoking old gods during presents, but Varian might like one at the party if it meant he got to fight it rather than hold court."
Jaina grinned. "Precisely! He'd think it was a marvelous gift! But let's hold off."
"Okay," he said. "I just don't want to do something which would cause you hurt or sadness. This is an important Human holiday and I don't want to mess it up."
Jaina laughed gently and wrapped her arms around him. "It's important because of who you spend it with. At least for me that is where the importance lies. How long have you been worrying about this?"
"Not terribly long. It just... Today the students were all talking about it. I realized that for all I know, I'd not done it before personally and academic knowledge doesn't always work out well. I didn't want to see you sad and you've been so happy and looking forward to this."
Jaina tugged his hands. "Let's sit by the heat in the library and sip hot cider and I will answer all your questions."
Kalec settled onto the couch and Jaina slipped off her shoes then curled up beside him, tucking her legs under her.
"For all everyone gets excited to celebrate Winterveil it is a fairly casual holiday. .When you're younger it means presents under the tree, delivered by Greatfather Winter. When you're older it's about putting those gifts there for loved ones to open."
"He stops putting gifts under the tree for you when you reach the age of maturity?"
Jaina blinked. "No. He never put the gifts there."
"But you just said he did when you were a child? And how does he cover every tree and every child on Azeroth? Is he an Ancient? Does he work with the Bronze flight?"
Jaina giggled. "No! No, okay," she set her mug down. "Greatfather winter isn't real, or if he was, he isn't anymore. He's more... the personification of the season. When you're young part of the magic is asking for presents and having them appear under the tree. It's actually your parents getting them for you."
Kalec frowned. "Why does getting presents from a mythical being make it a more magical experience than receiving them from your parents?"
"I-" Jaina paused then laughed. "I've never really considered it before. I grew up with the tradition so it was just... there." She pursed her lips and gave critical thought to it. "When I was younger it- Most children believe in him. If you're good, you'll get good presents."
"So it is a tactic to ensure proper behavior of young ones during the holiday?"
"Eh," Jaina tilted her hand side to side in a so-so gesture. "Perhaps a bit. I believed when I was young. I felt for certain I had even witnessed him one night. I don't know if it was a dream or if I just spotted my father," Jaina said, thinking back to her childhood. "I was convinced. Why would my parents lie to me?"
"It seems awfully disingenuous," Kalec said. "I assumed there was an actual being involved. Why would there be a collective parental conspiracy otherwise?"
Jaina laughed. "It does seem like that looking at it from the outside, I suppose." She settled in against his side. "I cried when I learned the truth."
"See? That seems wrong. Unless it is perhaps a lesson in how reality is not always kind? Or what it seems? That people lie?"
"No, nothing like that, Kalec." She sighed, a sad smile tugging her lips. "I laid a trap you see. I set thread where I expected him to come in, by the windows and the doors. I didn't tell anyone and thought myself so clever. I hung little bells and positioned some books so they would fall and make noise. Not one noticed."
"It didn't go off?"
"The trap went off, just when my father was walking out of the greatroom, not into it. I came running and found my father clearing up the mess I'd made, bells still jingling around his boots. The thread on the windows was still there, unbroken. And there were presents under the tree. And in that moment I knew it had all been a lie, that my parents had purposefully lied to me and it wasn't real. That magic wasn't real."
Kalec growled. "That seems cruel."
"It was to me," Jaina said. "I cried and woke mother. Father put the pieces together and they sat down with me before the fire until I stopped sobbing and might listen. And mother told me what my grandmother and grandfather had told her. That the spirit of Greatfather Winter was in all of us, that it was about giving gifts without expectation of anything in return and doing good for the sake of doing good. As good as it was to get those presents, it was even better to give them out generously and watch them being opened. Now that I knew the true meaning of Greatfather Winter, it was time for me to take part, too." She smiled at the memory.
"I still got gifts but I knew they were from my parents and it became a sort of shared secret. It was nice being on the other side for my younger cousins and the younger children in the Keep. Derek and I got to pick out things for the local orphanage and be greatfather winter to dozens of kids our age or younger and it was just as lovely as my mother told me. I remembered how magical it felt to be on the receiving end, it was fun helping my parents keep what was a clearly a very important secret tradition, and because it was genuinely nice to make people happy."
"It seems more complicated than it needs to be."
Jaina laughed again. "It is."
"Does Anduin know?"
"Oh, Light, I would hope so! Most kids figure it out between seven and nine. I would say that if any young child comes up and talks about it, don't tell them otherwise."
"I should lie?"
"Play pretend. Don't dragons play pretend when they are young?"
"We do," Kalec said after a long moment. "We did." His melancholy turned into a chuckle then into a full belly laugh.
"Good memory?"
"Mm," he said, kissing her temple. "When I was very young, perhaps I was Anduin's age, so still very small and still very young, my agemates and I would romp around in the snow. Malygos was not very present. He was mostly a semi-comatose presence, but we all knew the stories of before the War when the black flight turned." Kalec cleared his throat. "One of the popular games was Aspect. Someone would claim to be the Aspect and order everyone around with very important sounding jobs and we would fight imaginary black dragons and demons and all manner of monsters. Often our older siblings or minders would play with us and allow themselves to be ordered around."
Jaina laughed with him, picturing a very tiny Kalecgos ordering much bigger dragons around.
"Kyri was very kind and took my orders very seriously," Kalec said with mock gravity. "So when Tarecgosa decided she was Aspect and everyone had to listen to her, I bowed and scraped like the rest." He sighed, long. "And then I became Aspect in truth. I haven't thought about those days in quite some time."
"That's part of the holiday. Remembering the good times you had together with friends and family." She ran her finger around the rim of her mug. "That's why last year was so awful. Anduin and Varian tried valiantly but I was not in a mindset to be helped."
"This year you are."
"This year I am," she agreed. She smiled up at him. "And I think it'll be fun to show you all the strange human traditions."
"I don't know I'll understand all of them but I promise to at least try. And I solemnly swear to leave no baked good unsampled."
Jaina laughed.
It was huge.
Jaina sat back on her heels and looked at the oversized parchment on the floor. She'd stripped down and then used magic to draw an outline on the paper to get a sense of how much space she had to work with. She'd put a tunic back on and then had gone to work drawing out how the circles and runes and glyphs would fit together in their final configuration based on her notes.
When she'd been resolving the parts of the spell she'd realized it was becoming... large. Working small on a tattoo was hard she'd been told, so Jaina had had to change her idea of having the linework done on a micro scale. Drawing it out on paper was something she needed to do anyway, but seeing it, finally complete, was something else. Even written on paper with graphite she could feel the buzz of potential power.
The powerhouse of the spellwork was a circle at the base of her neck and extending down her spine between her shoulder blades. The runes were draconic mixed with the ones the younger races used - fitting for the purpose of the spell. Powerlines would be drawn down her back, along her spine, with additional circles and runes placed at regular intervals, their lines and sigils radiating out to her sides. The final rune would rest at the base of her spine. She had to admit she was pleased with how the structure on her shoulders looked. With the flowing powerlines and where the circles and their associated runes needed to be placed there was the suggestion of wings. It was intentional, the design drafted by her draconic collaborators, Kalec and Cora. They were the winged creatures here and it somehow felt right to give this part over to them. The lines themselves had voids which would make their own patterns and within the runes were smaller details done in patterns which would direct the flows of energy further. The details inside the runes was another reason the size had to be larger that she'd originally anticipated.
The metal of the necklace would rest on the glyphs and circles as well as on the bands of ink that would wind around her neck. From the front she would look like she had a line of blue ink the width of her little finger curl around her neck on either side then run straight down for two inches rather than meeting in the front. When she wore the intended jewelry the metal would interface and cover the design. Without it, the lines would show up boldly against her skin. And whenever anyone saw her bare back, the ink would stand out in lines of varying weight and shape, each component part of the spell in its very structure and presentation.
From far away, it would look as if she'd had a abstract depiction of a dragon painted there. She kinda liked the idea.
It was... done. Barring unforeseen edits, the design was done. Cora had compiled the formula for the associated ink and Jaina had sent one of the Leycrystals to be cut to her precise specifications. The artisan commissioned to create the metal of her necklace had work underway. She would be checking the forging just before Winter Veil and the crystal would be finished then as well. Which just left completing this part.
Jaina was still committed to this course of action but the reality of coming to the end felt weighty. She'd honestly expected the process to take longer but it hadn't. Certainly parts had been tricky and gathering the materials could have delayed her for months if not a year or more. She'd been so focused on achieving this goal, suddenly finding herself at the abrupt end had her heart racing.
Once the tattoo was laid down, it would be there forever in stark, bold contrast to her pale skin. Once it was used she'd be changed on the inside as well. And she'd learn more, but it wasn't something she'd have contemplated a year ago, or even six months ago when life was far more lonely and bleak.
Her relationships would probably change again. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but with so much change Jaina was a bit leery of more as she stood at the edge of another big one. She looked forward to understanding Kalec better and hopefully finding more friends among his people. But would others change their views of her because she had changed? Kalec was worth it and she had to believe they were worth it together. But as much as he'd been a safe, steady place for her when so much else was changing, this was a large disruption. Jaina was looking forward to discovering more but it was a bit daunting.
And physically it was going to hurt. Coragosa had told her it would probably take a several hours to apply. Due to the nature of the ink, she had to make it all and apply it in one session. After that Jaina couldn't touch it with magic for at least a week - and that included any form of healing. Herbal poultices and salves she could use, but no magic.
She heard Kalec's soft steps at the doorway. "It's bigger than I expected it would be," she said.
"Too big?" He took a seat on the ground beside her. He smelled of the dinner he was cooking. Jaina's stomach rumbled and she realized she'd not eaten in some time, instead becoming engrossed in her work.
"No," she answered. "Not for this. Not for us. I was just thinking it is going to hurt and be a bit of an annoyance while it heals. No magic."
"What are you thinking?"
"I am thinking that maybe I should do the final check and get this part done over Winter Veil. Or at least the bulk of it. Varian and Anduin won't mind if I laze about and read books."
"If you do it just before the holiday you'll have that week to heal up and then the rest of the holiday to maybe do the spell?" Kalec offered.
He sounded excited. She was too but there was that little undercurrent of fear.
"I could, couldn't I?" she asked, mostly to herself. Trying the spell out over the end of her holiday would mean she'd have free time to devote to it. She nudged him with her shoulder. "Mind asking Cora if she has some time free?"
"I've been doing research!" Coragosa enthused after giving Jaina a bone-crushing hug. Kalec was her next target.
Jaina decided to take a seat before she fell down. "On?" Jaina asked and she looked around.
The cave Cora had taken would have been slightly snug for Kalec, but for the relatively smaller Coragosa it was roomy enough. Part of the ceiling had broken at some point and a cascade of vines hung into the space. A shielding spell would easily take care of rain or inclement weather and it provided some natural light. Charged crystals illuminated the area in appropriate locations where daylight was weak. There was an alcove in the back. It contained Coragosa's workshop and was filled with human-sized storage units, alchemical stills and burners. There was a workbench sized for high elf, which had been put on risers to accommodate her, apparently new, preference to run around as a vrykul. Something was boiling in a pot.
"Humans! I wanted to make sure what I was planning wouldn't accidentally poison you, Jaina."
Kalec made a strangled noise.
Cora elbowed him in the gut. "Not too worry, I asked a red I'm friends with just to check for certain. He agreed the plan was sound and non-toxic."
"You had doubts?" Kalec asked.
"No, but it never hurts to double check with an independant source," Cora said as she went to check on the bubbling substances in her little lab. "This is just about ready. Fortunately I don't have to take your scales off to do this; we can get right to the pigment. There is the matter of the final ingredients." Coragosa stepped to the side and transformed into her natural shape.
"You don't mind giving up your scales?" Jaina asked.
"Not at all," Cora said as she sat on her haunches. The tips of her claws glowed softly as she manipulated a scale on her flank. "They'll grow back soon enough and Kalec isn't suitable as a volunteer due to his unfortunate condition."
"Huh?" Kalec frowned.
"You're male, dear," Jaina said, patting his shoulder.
Kalec rolled his eyes at them both then leaned in close to Jaina's ear. "You like my maleness. You were rather vocally enjoying it just last night in fact." He wagged his eyebrows at her.
Jaina swatted him, but she was laughing. "Behave."
"You like it when I don't." He continued to grin.
"How much hair do you need?" Jaina asked Coragosa, though she was still looking at Kalec. Her cheeks were unfortunately heating. Her lover grinned more broadly when he saw her blush which only made her blush harder - and maybe kiss away the smirk.
"Oh, I'll need only a little bit but you'll need to pull it from the root, remember."
Jaina winced. "Yes." She sighed and began pulling out hair as instructed, a few at a time, from the back of her neck. A more sober Kalecgos followed Jaina as she walked to Cora's lab area. Coragosa resumed her vrykul shape and brought her scales over. There were three in the stone dish and like Jaina's hair, freshly plucked. One was the size of Jaina's palm but the other two were smaller.
Cora eyed her bubbling brew critically then took the hair from Jaina and added it to the mixture. The cloying scent turned to that of burnt hair for an unfortunate minute before the smell passed. The mixture was no longer a bubbling pink but had gone pale pink. Cora then added in some additional pre-measured ingredients and the mixture became a matte black color.
"There's a table over there," Cora said pointing. "Strip down and make yourself comfy. Conjure any padding you want, doesn't matter to me. You'll be here for a few hours, though. I need to break and crush my scales and that will take a moment."
As she spoke she lifted the first scale with magic. It was suspended in a bubble. There were a series of muted bangs and some flashes inside the bubble. When Cora's spell was done, the scale had been reduced to fragments. She repeated the spell and the scale was reduced even more finely.
Jaina watched in fascination. She started when Kalec gently touched her waist. "I can teach you that spell later."
"I'm surprised dragons have such a thing."
"Actually that's a standard spell used for grinding things. I use it for spices."
Jaina chuckled as she found the table Cora had indicated. It was in a well lit part of the cave. It was sturdy wood construction naturally sized for a vrykul. It also looked hard and unyielding. She conjured a few blankets and some pillows then set them on top.
Jaina put up her hair into a high tail then stripped off her top, holding the bundle in front of her to preserve some sense of modesty for herself if no one else, and to keep a bit of the chill in the cave warded off. The table was tall which proved to be an unexpected obstacle until Kalec gently turned her then lifted her up.
Jaina leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you."
"Need anything from me?" he asked, voice low.
"Stay and watch it's going well? Keep me from being bored?"
He laughed as she passed the bundle of clothing to him and settled on her front.
"It's a bit cold in here."
Kalec found one of the little heating crystals the blues used and activated it. He conjured a tall chair and took a seat near her head. He leaned down. "You know, this table is a rather intriguing height."
Jaina barked out a loud laugh at the comment then stifled her giggles with a hand. "Kalec!" she protested, scandalised.
"What? I'm distracting you," he said. He leaned closer again. "But I'm not wrong. We do need a dining room table, don't we?"
Jaina giggled. She grabbed his hand and tucked it under her cheek. "This would not be a good dining room table. Besides, the bed is more comfy."
"Right!" Cora said as she came over. "I've given my attack plan a great deal of thought. I'll set the pattern guidelines, do your back and then have you sit up so I can do the work around your neck. We'll probably take a break for some food at some point of if you feel sick or lightheaded. Or if my back starts hurting or something. You brought the healer-approved non-magical salve?"
"Kalec has it."
"We had to make a quick trip to Stormwind to find enough that was entirely herbal and which didn't have latent magic," Kalec added.
Coragosa slathered Jaina's back in a magically inert salve then used a specially prepared transfer paper to apply a copy of the lines to Jaina's body. Jaina had to sit up for that part and the air of the cave hit the moist salve on her back, making her shiver. Kalec took the opportunity to shamelessly look at her bare chest. He wagged his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh too hard and mess up Cora's work.
Once the lines were down, Kalec and Cora checked them for errors. They didn't find any but Jaina was grateful they looked. She was back on her stomach again.
Cora brought out her needles and Jaina felt the familiar sensation of a cleansing spell pass over them. Instead of a machine, Cora slipped a bracelet with dangling chains over her right hand. The chains were connected to a set of rings with gems on them. Cora slipped the rings over her fingers. At the end of the chains were caps which fit over the ends of her fingers but which left the pads exposed. Smaller gems were inset into these caps as well. The gemstones blazed to life and she picked up one of the needles with magic alone, holding it near her hand.
"Time to test this out quickly. Ankle still okay?"
"Ankle?" Kalec asked.
"Yes it is. Just keep it small whatever you do," Jaina told Cora. She turned her head to look at Kalec on the other side of the table. "She needs a test spot for her machine as well as the ink."
"You're getting a circle. Maybe you can use it for something," Cora said. "And you also get to see if you can stand the feeling."
The needle in her magic began to vibrate in the field. She dipped it into the ink pot then moved it to Jaina's skin. Jaina gritted her teeth and tried not to jump, expecting the pain. It hurt when it came but she could endure it as Cora made a small circle on Jaina's ankle. The buzzing needle stopped vibrating as she wiped away the excess blood and ink and inspected her work.
"Not too bad?"
"No."
"No reaction so I think we can proceed."
Jaina nodded. "Okay."
Cora gently tilted Jaina's head so she was more or less facedown and her neck was straight, and then dove into the work.
It was at once better than she expected it to be and also worse. Cora started on her upper back, right on her neck over the spine. The needle, and it was a bit of a misnomer as the metal had multiple prongs, hit areas with little in the way of padding under. Her father had told her it felt like a bee sting when she'd asked as a child. It didn't feel like that to Jaina. It felt like a very rough, sharp instrument was being dragged across her skin; which was exactly what was going on. When Core went over the lines again it actually felt better than when she was going over new skin.
"Try not to think about the pain," Cora suggested. "Focus on something else."
Jaina grunted in reply and tried to focus on the cave, or the sounds that weren't the buzzing needle moving so quickly it made a sound. The spell Coragosa was using was fascinating. Jaina focused in on that. The 'glove' was a focusing apparatus. The dragon used it to help her manipulate the terribly small needle and regulate the flow of power so that it was very consistent without her needing to pay much attention to it. Jaina supposed that allowed her to focus on other things, like where she was actually drawing the marks rather than the up and down motion.
Focusing on the magic helped.
"The spell is interesting," Jaina said. "Humans use little machines."
"I've seen 'em. Used a few actually. They're a fairly recent development."
"Recent?"
"Mm, well, relatively speaking. They learned it from the quel'dorei, who continued to use arcane magics back from when they were the kaldorei. Modern kaldorei use manual tapping. Takes a while but when you're an immortal, I suppose you have the time." Coragosa chuckled to herself.
"I see," Jaina said, unsure what else to say.
"The Vrykul use the tapping methods, though they have enough arcane mages they could run a motor if they wanted. Their inks are effective if primitive. Surprisingly few empowered runes on them. Mostly they wear them to commemorate battles won."
"That was why father got his," Jaina said.
"Oh?"
Jaina sighed, heart aching for lost family. "I'm Kul Tiran. Have you been there? Heard of it?"
"Beyond being aware it was one of the human kingdoms, not really."
"We're a nation of sailors. I think I learned to swim before I learned to walk. Once I could walk I could sail. My father-" she trailed off, swallowing back the ache. "My father was Lord Admiral, but he was a sailor and it's traditional for them to mark themselves like that. Mother's name was over his heart on his chest. Derek and my names were on his shoulder. He'd won several naval battles. They were on his skin as well." She sighed. "He thought they'd bring him luck."
"So he might approve of this then?" Cora asked, cheerfully.
Jaina laughed ruefully and squeezed Kalec's fingers. He squeezed back. "That is debateable. He would not approve of Kalec at all."
"Didn't like dragons?"
"My older brother died fighting dragonmaw orcs, so no."
"Well the reds were slaves!"
"That wasn't well understood and I don't know my father would have cared for that detail." Jaina winced as the needles went over her spine again. "I don't mean to be rude but could we change the topic? I'm curious about how you met your current consort?"
Coragosa happily chatted about her thorignir consort until they decided to take a break for lunch. By then Jaina was hardly feeling the initial pain of the needles. It still hurt but there was also an odd rush offsetting the pain. Cora had to continue reminding her to relax and the tension Jaina was putting herself under was exhausting.
The process was done by early evening. Cora and Kalec checked over the work and pronounced it complete. Jaina felt ragged and wretched but also oddly euphoric now that the process was done. She could feel the latent buzz of power in the design on her back, stronger than it had been just on paper. It wanted to hold energy but she couldn't do that until it was a bit more healed.
Cora wrapped her back and gave her instructions not to touch it for at least six hours or at most a day. Then she showed Kalec how he was to apply the salve without rubbing and disturbing the healing wounds. Jaina put a loose top over the bandages, wincing as her back flexed and skin pulled.
"Sleep on your front. It will need air to heal. No magic into it for a week."
"I remember," Jaina said, sagging against Kalec's side. The rush and euphoria was quickly fading away.
"Contact me if you start to have any sort of reaction. Not, wait, go see a healer and then send Kalec for me and we;ll sort it out. But we've been doing this for hours now and that little circle looks fine. I've been keeping an eye on it. No swimming. No baths; showers only. Don't pick it apart or you could lift the ink out."
Jaina nodded.
Cora chuckled and poked Kalec's shoulder. "Take her home, get her fed. She'll probably want to sleep."
"I think she's half asleep now," Kalec said.
"Here's the rest of the ink I used." Cora handed him a stoppered jar. "It will keep for a long time. If I need to do any touch ups bring it with you."
"Thank you," Jaina said.
"Thank you! This is fascinating experiment and if it works on you then my mate might get to do the reverse."
"We'll let you know how it goes," Kalec said, helping Jaina down from her perch on the table.
Jaina didn't quite remember the trip back to Dalaran. One moment she was in the cave and the next she was in their library. Kalec helped her to lie down on the wide, backless divan they'd bought. Kalec left her with a kiss and a book and went to make dinner. She found a relatively comfy spot and dozed by the healing element rather than read.
The smell of food woke Jaina up a bit some time later. She sat up and the pain was better than it had been before, but her body ached from being tense.
"Feeling okay? Itching yet?"
"Itching?"
Kalec kissed her forehead. "Itching."
Jaina groaned. "That smells good. What is it?"
"Something that always makes me feel better when I'm feeling out of it?" he held out a bit of meat on a fork. Jaina recognized the bacon and suspected the other meat might be chicken.
Jaina eyed him but ate the bite. It was good but tasted almost fishy. "What is that."
"Mushroom stuffed, bacon wrapped penguin."
Jaina blinked at him. "Penguin. Huh. Kinda fishy."
"You don't have to eat it if you don't like it."
"It's different," she said indicating he should give her more. She ate another bite. "Think I like it, though."
Kalec smiled. "I also got dessert."
"Cupcakes?" Jaian asked, arching an eyebrow.
Kalec snorted a laugh and kissed her nose. "Close. I convinced Aimee to make a small spiced chocolate cake."
"Gonna feed that to me too?"
"There's an idea," Kalec mused, picking up on the suggestive undertones. "I didn't think you'd be feeling up for anything athletic tonight."
"Mmm truthfully no, nothing athletic. But it would be nice to be close."
"Therapeutic cuddling?"
"Yes, please," she said sighing as she relaxed further into her pillows.
Kalec laughed quietly. He put a light blanket over her shoulders then went to get dessert. Jaina was asleep before he returned.