Rain dripped from the sky, the drops screaming as they sharply hit the land. I laid upon my cot, gazing up at the sheer fabric above me, the drops hitting a shimmery layer an inch above the material and rolling gracefully to the ground. The noise was so peaceful, or would be, should the few other females in the force learn to listen instead of yap their jaws. Why the need to talk is so common amongst the civilized humanoids, I'll never know; I've learned that words, in general, are mostly useless. Thankfully, I trained my ears long ago to block out annoying sounds- such as the buzz of conversation flying around my head. The rain was more important, couldn't they see that? Rain means there will be blind spots on our next mission. The ground here is hot; hot land mixed with cool rain means fog or mist. The Alliance already sent out one team to try and capture our valuables- if they were smart, they'd send a small team of stealthy engineers. We might have been able to fend off a large group in broad daylight, but would we be able to if-
A tap on my head pulled me from my thoughts, making me shift my eyes back to see a female orc point outside.
"Elf here, Songheart."
Wow, really? I couldn't have figured there was someone here for me by you tapping on my shoulder and then pointing to the door. Thank you for the update. I rolled onto my side and sat up, gazing at the door and checking the figure through the thin sheet of our tent. The elf with a near love of hearing himself talk was the one who stood outside in the rain. Arching a brow, I got up, wrapped myself in a robe, and opened the flap- not moving out into the rain, nor asking him in. I waited to hear what the elf had to say.
And waited. His deep green eyes gazed at me, the flame of anger being guttered furiously with confusion. Even for a male elf, he was very… the only word I could honestly describe him as would be pretty. Dainty, even. But obviously aggressive and controlling. He twitched a little to gain his composure and finally spoke.
"Our commander gave us praise for earlier today. You did… well."
I did what I was trained to do, nothing more. He stood there, rain dropping down on him, causing invisible weights to weigh down the curls of his hair, making them merely soft waves. Dark streaks were beginning to run down to his cheekbones, a sign that he painted around his eyes to make the emerald green show more. In all, he looked ridiculous as he tried to keep a tight grip on his vanity while still trying to prove his superiority to me. I stood, waiting for him to finish and taking nothing from his small compliment. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the words of acceptance which would never come. Eventually, he got the point and continued on.
"We have reports that the force we met with today was after what we are protecting because it is the second half of a puzzle. Once this report was received, it was understood that we should get their 'piece' before they try again to gain ours. We are to report to the general for more information, but come lightly packed and prepared to move out." He paused for a moment and licked his lips, the tips curling into a smirk. "It will just be you and I."
If he expected me to give him some type of understanding, it wasn't his to receive. I promptly closed the flap, turned, and moved to my cot. Small mission: which means we will be moving stealthily, yet quickly. Boots are first on the list to pack, lightweight, but durable. I'll have to see if I can get any. If not, lightweight is more important than anything- softer the boots are, the more silently you can move. Robes will be out of the question. A vest would be easier to move in, as well as tight cut pants. I sat there, going through my trunk as I sifted through clothing, trying to pick out the most practical cloth I could. Around me, the females had stopped their chatter and stared at me- a few with their mouth agape. Perhaps they expected me to fling myself into the arms of the vain little peacock who I would be working with? They were in for a surprise, if that's what they expected.
I was ready within a half hour, my bag light, but full of things I could need though this trip. As I jogged towards the General's tent, I forced my body to calm down- there was no need to think too far ahead, for I didn't know the full assignment. My body picked up its speed, relaxing and shaking out any beginnings of knots in my back and stomach- I loved to run. There is something freeing, empowering, when a body runs. The way your muscles flex and work together as they were always meant to work makes the body unwind, go into autopilot. Colors blur, if you can get to the right speed, and your eyes play tricks on your mind, bringing you to this comfortable happy place in the pit of your soul. I wished I could go there again soon.
Slowing as I neared the tent, the male elf had seemed to have dried and braided his hair with beads to keep it out of his face. His paint was cleaned up and reapplied around his eyes. I sighed at his long robes- they'd only slow us down. The General was grunting to a Forsaken, the bony humanoid clutching a pen with his hand and hastily writing out what looked like a map.
"You took long enough, Songheart." The elf drawled out in a derogatory tone, a smirk curling his lips as he looked my way. Ignoring him, I locked my eyes on the table, slowly scanning the maps being sketched out. I did not know the territory of which the map was of; at least, there were no landmarks I could place to my internal map. Watching the Forsaken closely, I tried to memorize the strokes of his hand, wishing to have less of a need to consult the map later.
The General looked up and waved me over before handing me a sealed scroll case and turning back to watch the progression of the maps final additions. I had grown fond of the orc warrior, enjoying his understanding of how words really were obsolete. Breaking the seal, I scanned through my official orders to escort Relnor Len'thas into Alliance territory with my various expertises: explosives, usage of military weaponry, stealth, tracking, blah blah, blah blah- I skipped the list and moved to the next informative section of the orders. I was to protect my escort, help him gather items of importance which he knows the whereabouts of, then escort him back. Failure, death, would lead to my rank being stripped and my titl-
I nodded and tucked the scroll back into its case, ringing it into its new permanent spot in my belt. Turning to watch the male elf, Relnor, I noted him reading his own set or orders and smirking. He was more than likely re-reading his list of accomplishments and skills.
A hand bony hand grabbed my wrist and put a rolled up map in my hand, the Forsaken gazing into my face as he pulled me close. Leaning in, he whispered one word, his voice laced with ice and giving off a mild smell: "Go."