Chapter Five
Larraine awoke to the sound of quiet humming near her bed and rubbed her eyes as she sat up slightly, causing Fang to stir next to her. Turning her head, she found the same female pandaren from the inn the day before moving about in the small kitchen of the house she, Bixby, and Gardenia had been permitted to rest in for the night.
"Oh!" the pandaren exclaimed when she realized she was being watched. "I am sorry. Did I wake you?"
"It's fine," Larraine assured her with a small smile, stretching her legs out on the bed. Fang jumped down and wandered over to the innkeeper, who gave him a friendly pat on the head and then handed him a fish to eat.
"Are you hungry?" she asked Larraine, picking up another fish from the basket full of ingredients she had next to the stove and placing it into the wide cooking vessel she was using. "I was just preparing breakfast."
"Yeah, food would be great," Larraine muttered, looking about the room for her companions. "Where are the two women I came here with?"
"Ah, the little ones," the pandaren said with a small laugh. "They woke up some time ago and spoke to the tall, purple-haired elf before going to see one of the town elders."
"They talked to Rell without me?" Larraine wondered, jumping to her feet and hastily pulling on her boots before heading for the door of the small home.
"Here," the pandaren said, holding out a steaming bowl of rice and fish to her. Larraine turned on her heel and took it from her with a slight bow and thanked her even as she continued on her way out the door, Fang eagerly following on her heels.
She stopped the first group of pandaren she came to in the town and described the pair she was looking for, and they directed her to the distillery near the central fountain of the town. Sure enough, as she drew nearer to her destination she heard a familiar, loud giggling. Bixby and Gardenia were seated next to one another on the grass next to a large water-powered building which she assumed to be the distillery. Three pandaren – one male and two females – were with them, and the younger of the two females was pouring some sort of drink from a large earthen pot into the small cups in the gnomes' hands.
"Larraine!" Bixby called out to her when she saw her, waving her hand up above her head to get her attention. "Over here! We're having cider and telling stories!"
Larraine sighed and went over to them, offering a polite greeting to the three pandaren as she took a seat on the grass between Bixby and Gardenia.
"This is Teng Applebloom and his daughters, Cui and Ju," Gardenia introduced them.
"And this is Larraine!" Bixby exclaimed loudly. "Doesn't she have such pretty hair?"
She started giggling again and reached up with one hand to stroke Larraine's hair, and Larraine turned her head and looked at her more closely. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed and though she was sitting she still seemed to be a bit wobbly.
"I think you've had enough cider, Bix," Gardenia told her, reaching over to attempt to take the cup from her hand, but Bixby snatched it out of her reach and whined.
"No, I'm fine. I promise! Just let me finish this cup, and I won't drink any more."
"How late did I sleep?" Larraine wondered aloud, figuring that, surely, if Bixby was already drunk it had to be at least early afternoon.
"It's ten in the morning," Gardenia informed her, making another futile attempt to get the drink out of her sister's hand. Larraine, however, was closer and easily plucked the cup from the giggling rogue and handed it to her.
"I agree with your sister, Bixby," she said in response to the over-exaggerated pout on the younger gnome's face as she struggled to reach past her and retrieve the cup of cider from her sister. "You're drinking water for the rest of the day."
Teng chuckled and poured some water from a second earthen container, then handed it to Bixby, who reluctantly took it and settled down next to Larraine.
"I heard you two already spoke to Rell," Larraine said, thanking Teng when he handed her a cup of water to drink with the breakfast she still had carefully balancing in one hand.
"He went with Sully up to that old keep nearby," Gardenia informed her, and Bixby let out a small huff.
"He wouldn't take me with him," she complained. "I wanted to go fight stinky orcs, but he said I had to stay here and babysit!"
"What?" Larraine asked, confused, and she looked back to Gardenia to see her giving her sister a dirty look.
"Gardenia, what is she talking about?" she asked, causing her to let out a sigh.
"Apparently, our role on this mission is to make sure you get home safely," she said simply after a moment, her eyes not quite meeting Larraine's questioning gaze.
"I see," Larraine said. "So Mathias really never intended for me to do anything to help find Anduin, he just... humored me by letting me come along with Rell and the others, and they were to be the ones actually searching for him."
"He's just looking out for your well-being," Gardenia attempted to calm her, placing a hand on her knee. "You're young. You don't have as much experience in the field as Rell and the others."
"And none of them know Anduin as well as I do," Larraine pointed out, the pitch of her voice rising in anger. "None of them has a personal stake in this like I do. And, sure, you can side with Rell if you want to and say that is why I shouldn't be out here, but I have far more riding on this than they do. I'm not just looking for a lost prince – I'm searching for my best friend. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand that?"
"Speaking of searching for things," Teng spoke up, attempting to break the tension which was building among the three women. "Have you yet heard about the mythical treasures of Pandaria?"
"Treasures?" Bixby perked up, scooting closer to him. "What kind of treasures?"
Teng chuckled. "Oh, I am not talking of gold or jewels, little one, but of ancient items which are said to be scattered across the whole of Pandaria, buried deep beneath the earth. To most, they would seem items of little consequence – a stone tablet, an old teapot, items of that nature – but mark my words they are still quite valuable."
Larraine quietly ate as she listened to Teng tell stories about some of the lost treasures of his people, informing them of the supposed origins and last known locations of several of them. Bixby moved closer and closer to him in rapturous attention as he spoke, and Larraine swore she could see her practically salivating at the prospect of finding one or more of these lost items to add to her personal collection of treasures back home in Stormwind. Gardenia also seemed interested, though she mostly asked questions concerning the history of each of the items Teng told them about.
"I take it she's not the only one with a secret stash of pilfered items?" she asked Gardenia, nodding toward Bixby.
"Oh, no... I'm not a thieving little hoarder like her," Gardenia replied, waving her hands about in front of her. "I am, however, an archaeologist."
"So your interest is purely academic," Larraine sad, he voice full of doubt.
"Maybe not purely," Gardenia admitted with a shrug, "but largely, yes. This is a new land, after all. Think of all the things we might be able to learn about it from these treasures!"
"You sounded a bit like your sister there," Larraine teased at the way her voice had squeaked in excitement, and Gardenia slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Good morning, ladies," Sky Admiral Rogers greeted as she approached. Larraine and Gardenia immediately jumped to their feet and saluted her, but Bixby was a bit slower and took a few seconds to pull herself up to a standing position, and her salute was noticeably sloppier than that of the others. Rogers saluted them all back, her mouth still set in a firm frown.
"At ease," she told them, and they all sat back down. "Have any of you seen Nightwind about?"
"He's not here," Gardenia informed her. "He and Sully are scouting a nearby keep that has been occupied by Horde forces."
"Horde?" Rogers echoed, her eyes widening and her hands tightening into fists at her sides. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"I'm sure he'll let you know as soon as they verify that the Horde have actually occupied the keep," Larraine told her. "For now, however, it's just speculation that they're there based on what some of the villagers have told us."
"That is unacceptable," Rogers insisted. "Whether they are there or we merely think they're there, it is my duty as a member of the Alliance military forces to lead the attack against them."
"From the air," Gardenia added, causing Rogers to turn her angry gaze upon her. "But we're on land right now, Admiral. With all due respect, this is Rell's call."
"Actually, it would be Taylor's call, but he's not here," Rogers corrected. "As it were, that's the reason I've come looking for Nightwind."
"You found where Taylor and the others are?" Larraine asked, slowly rising to her feet.
"No. However, we spotted part of a wrecked vessel on the shore to the south of this village which may be the remnants of Taylor's flagship."
"And what about Anduin? Is there anything to suggest where he might have gone?" Larraine demanded, stepping closer to the woman until she was nearly standing toe-to-toe with her.
"Calm down, McAlister," Rogers ordered, staring her down with cold, dark eyes. "The White Pawn was not spotted near the ship, but Nightwind said that Taylor's message revealed he was safe. Surely, wherever he is we will find him."
Larraine bit her tongue to hold back a few choice words she had for the woman and turned on her heel to storm off in the direction of the home where she and the sisters had spent the previous night. She was thoroughly tired of the way people were brushing off her concerns for Anduin. After all, the point of their mission was to locate his whereabouts and bring him home safely. That had seemed to become much less of a priority for Rogers as soon as she caught sight of the Horde, though.
Then there was the matter of everyone wanting to 'protect' her. Yes, she was still young – but she was barely younger than Anduin. They were both skilled archers, yet he was far and above her in every other way. He'd traveled the world, and this trip was the first time she'd left Stormwind since her father went off to fight in Northrend. Even before that, the farthest she had been was Three Corners. He had been studying the Light for over a year and, while some might argue she had far superior skills to his when it came to actual combat, he was already a skilled and talented healer. All of that, he had managed with an overly protective father. Larraine didn't even have her father any more, and she was still being held back by those around her.
"Larraine?"
She stopped short upon hearing Gardenia call her name, and sighed as she turned to face her. The two of them silently stared at one another for a long moment before the gnome finally stepped forward and took her hand then, without saying a word, led her the rest of the way into the house.
"I'm sorry," she apologized once they were inside, continuing to lead her over to the small table by the stove to sit.
"It's not you I'm angry with," Larraine replied, feeling horrible that she'd made her feel responsible for her frustration.
"I know," Gardenia said, nodding. "But I'm still sorry for what you're going through. I know how hard it can be when no one seems to believe in you."
Larraine said nothing. She simply looked her over, and for the first time since they had met only a couple of days prior she saw the confidence drained completely from her.
"After we left Gnomeregan, it was just me and Bixby," she explained, pulling her goggles off completely and setting them on the table before her. "I wasn't much older than you, actually, and I had to raise my sister on my own."
She got up and went to the stove, then began fiddling about with a teapot as she continued to speak.
"We ended up in Ironforge, with the rest of the initial evacuees. I took any menial job I could to keep us fed, but being young and having no real experience I ended up turned away more often than not. Eventually, I found steady work as an engineer's apprentice. Then I started studying magic – but the darker side of it. I was only curious, at first, but I found I had a natural affinity for the fel arts and a strong aptitude for resisting the corruption it brings about in most who study it. That didn't matter, though. The friends I'd made pulled away from me, I lost my job... I was afraid Bixby would leave me, too, but she didn't. She was the only one who stood by my side and believed in me."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Larraine wondered, hoping she didn't sound too rude in asking.
"The point is," Gardenia said, pouring two cups of tea and handing one to Larraine as she took her seat once more, "things can get better if you choose to make them better. I'm a fully-fledged warlock now, and a decent engineer. I have friends. Mekgineer Thermaplugg even named me an ambassador – though that was partly because no one else wanted the position. Still, I got to where I am today by not letting others get me down. When they didn't believe in me, I tried harder. I did the things they said I couldn't do, and I made myself into the person I am today. I guess... Over the years, I forgot what it's like to not have anyone believe in you."
She offered Larraine a smile and leaned over the table to place her hand on top of hers in a motherly fashion, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"If you want to, we'll go after Anduin ourselves," she said. "You're right to be worried about him. He's the reason we came here and he should take precedence over going after the Horde."
"We should probably wait a bit before we head out, though," Larraine suggested. "I don't think Bixby's going to be much use to us in her current state."
Gardenia laughed. "Believe it or not, that was only her second cup of cider she was drinking."
"Really?" Larraine asked, laughing a little in disbelief.
"Yep," Gardenia confirmed with a nod. "She's always been a lightweight. Ask her about when she tried to out-drink Sully."
"Was that the time she streaked through the cathedral district singing at the top of her lungs?"
"So you already know about that," Gardenia said with a smirk.
"I do." Larraine nodded. "I also remember the hangover she had the next morning. I thought she might suffocate herself, with the way she kept hiding her head under a pillow to block out the light."
The two of them shared a good laugh at the expense of the absent member of their party, and after a moment Larraine reigned in her laughter and gave Gardenia a respectful nod.
"Thank you for sharing your story with me," she said.
"You're welcome," Gardenia replied. "So, what's the plan?"
"You're asking me?" Larraine asked, blinking in surprise.
"You're the one who's closest to the prince," Gardenia reminded her. "I figured you might have an idea what we should do."
"We need to go see what we can find at that wreckage Rogers told us about," Larraine decided almost immediately.
"Why don't we give Bixby a few hours to sober up, first, then we'll head that way on our own if Rell hasn't come back by then," Gardenia suggested.
"And if he has come back?"
"Then we go with him, no matter how much he argues we should just stay here," Gardenia told her with a smile and, for the first time since she had heard about Anduin's predicament, Larraine felt like things might actually turn out all right.
"Sounds like a plan to me."