Colin was sitting against the outer railing of the ship, hunched over to shade his sketchpad below as his eyelids fell closer, trying carefully to draw something so delicate- perhaps just the slightest bit of detail that was so small, it could have gotten lost somewhere in the back of his mind were he to forget it. His enchanted quill drew carefully across the page, his hand pulling back at the sign of even the slightest tremble.
Whenever he stopped, his head tilted upward, ever so slightly, his eyes gazing over the pages of his sketchpad, over toward the other end of the ship, where Kyra and Vylira were talking. Although he'd included the elder of the two back on Teldrassil, this picture included only one figure.
Kyra had taken a step or to back away from the side walls, bending over with her arms supporting her on that railing, staring off into the distance as she spoke to her sister. Colin couldn't help but stare at how her back curved downward in such an elegant show of how athletically lithe her body was. This was the being who, when brought into this world, was so close to death? He had watched her for a while before actually deciding to draw her, only when the idea of Kyra being so close to death became so prominent within his mind- he often didn't think about it.
So, to take his mind off, he simply began to draw her as she was, now. Her purple hair flowing in the wind, showing off that neck where his lips had made their home on many occasions by now. Her shoulders, while slim, moved so freely whenever she moved her arms, probably in some combative show of being larger than she was. Though, it was there where Colin found his first dissatisfying marker.
Her shoulders were carrying her light set of armor; her feathered chest plate resting upon them before working its way down most of her torso. Colin's face had sunk when he'd first noticed it, here, after being so accustomed to seeing her in clothing of comfort back home. When not pilfering one of his button-up shirts to trounce around the house in, she often wore her own clothes which would often wrap above her chest, leaving her shoulders exposed, saying she could feel the sunlight on her shoulders and ears the most.
Colin had stopped drawing as he was thinking. She didn't belong here; this was his burden to bear- why wasn't she safe, back home, or with her family? Why was he dragging her out on another mission, to a most dreadfully dangerous of places?
He just caught a glimpse of Kyra's face turned around toward him, her face a distant sadness as she noticed his unsure scowl. She spoke something to her sister as she spun around, walking back toward Colin, who remained still, as if unaware that she was approaching him. She slowly sat beside him, examining his drawing with a smile.
"I've seen something like this before," she noted, softly, "Back at your hovel, before we had a home together. You couldn't stop drawing that experience at Splintertree; at least, I guess until you…"
She trailed off, expecting him to finish the thought as her hand reached over, slowly running down the beautiful picture he'd drawn of her; a side of herself she'd never seen before, "What, had something else to draw?"
Colin sighed, closing his sketchpad, "If something happens to you, there is no "something else" after that."
"Oh, and you think I've got something else?" Kyra retorted, though with a light hearted air, "We're in this together."
Vylira, having grown curious by Kyra's departure, had been watching the two with a skeptical, rough expression, obviously upset that she'd been left out. Kyra grinned as she turned away from her, back to Colin, knowing that her sister could very well hear them from that distance.
"Besides, we have Vylira with us," she muttered, amusedly.
"Damn right!" Vylira shouted from across the ship, getting Colin to chuckle lightly.
Kyra gently knocked her shoulder against his, "So I don't want to hear any more about this. Elune will watch over us, and Vylira will as well. She's never let me down."
The elder sister as freely turned back toward the ocean, happily leaning over the railing as her younger sister's words stoked her ego. Kyra grinned, holding Colin's hand with her own as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Besides, I like the cold," she noted, quietly, "It'll be fun running around with you in this weather."
Colin shrugged lightly, not wanting to disturb her, "I don't know; my last two adventures have done a great job leading me into rather incendiary adventures."
A deckhand walk across the bow of the ship, wrapping up a rode around his hand and elbow, shouting at the passengers, "Valgarde in about a half hour!"
Kyra nudged Colin, "Come on; Vylira and I were watching Northrend over there. Let's go check it out."
Colin nodded with a smile, the two rising to their feet, "Well, I suppose I'm just expecting the worst. It's just a few days trip up to the Blight, I suppose."
"Exactly," Kyra smirked, "Now, if you would, please instruct my sister on the finer points of safety?"
Vylira had been so far over the railing, her eyes trying to follow a sea creature as it swan beneath the ship, that her legs were waving in the air, keeping her balance, though her voice was strained, "I'm fine!"
Kyra's eyes rolled as she yanked her sister back onto the ship, the elder of the two frowning unhappily as she crossed her arms. Her upset was short lived, however, and the two sisters quickly returned to staring over the side of the ship at the encroaching landmass.
Colin stood behind them, finding himself watching them more than the large, rocky land that looked before them. He'd been without a family for so long that, even in her most rambunctious moments, Vylira's good-natured spirit always lightened his heart. Despite his words to the contrary, he enjoyed having her around, if only because she and Kyra were so close- truly lending him a glimpse into a sort of sibling life.
His mind wandered back to Darnassus, fondly, reminiscing on how fun it had been to live life amongst family. Amongst people so close that he could disarm himself. Amongst people that could disarm themselves in front if him, for that matter. Even with Kyra's siblings he had spent so little time with, Colin received a similar treatment, as if just being her mate offered him a sort of 'pass' into fellowship.
Of course, within just the hour, he would figure out that not all of her siblings were cut from the same cloth.
Part of the deal in getting here was that the Shadowmoon's and Colin were to help transport goods from the ship to the docks, which they did so, diligently. Vylira was eager to demonstrate her inability to heave to heavier crates, attempting to pawn the job off onto Colin, who immediately noted that she was strong enough to fell an ox. She reluctantly went ahead, pouting, though returned to her cheerful self as she returned to the deck.
As the last of the cargo made it off, the three helped to organize everything, with the ship captain directing them. Midway through, however, Kyra stood up with a small case of wine in her hand, staring off toward the inn, her eyes still as she stared at the group of men who seemed to be watching them.
Bending down toward her sister, she muttered, a bit concerned, "Hey, who are those guy that are watching us?"
Though she'd been quite happy-go-lucky up to this point, Vylira immediately tensed up at her sister's tone, slowly scanning the port until she noticed the men, still watching them, seemingly not caring that the two knew they were there. Vylira sighed, getting back to work, slowly.
"Those are Deegan's men," she noted, quietly, "At least, they're wearing his regalia. He's a big, bad boss man up here, so I'm not exactly happy they're eyeing us."
She groaned, shaking her head, "I suppose it was foolish to expect an easy journey."
Kyra watched her sister's face sink, causing her even more concern. She quickly popped up to find Colin, who was lost in the tablet he'd been given to document everything. She sighed in relief, him still in sight, as she crouched back down beside her sister.
"So if they want trouble? I mean, what's the law like up here?"
Vylira chuckled, rather mournfully, "I know about as much as you do. I know some names and people, but I'm lost of law and order up here. I guess we'll just play it by ear; they might just be checking out two night elf women for all we know. We can't expect them to just be malicious."
The thought of being "checked out" sort of upset Kyra, though she knew it would be for the best, all things considered. At least, better than these men wanting to kill them or something. She continued working, though now with a wandering eye toward shore, noting that Vylira was doing much the same.
"Hey," Kyra muttered once she passed by Colin.
"The guys by the inn?" he replied, bluntly, "I noticed 'em too. They don't seem bloodthirsty; I mean, they're waiting for us to make it off the docks. They don't seem interested in me, either; they keep watching you two. Any plans?"
Kyra sighed, "I guess Vylira wants to just play it by ear; we don't even know what they want."
Colin shrugged before nodding, "If worse comes to worse, five on three- I think we could take them."
Unable to hide a soft laugh, Kyra covered her mouth, but Colin sighed, "Hey, I've learned a thing or two since I started fighting."
Kyra nodded, amused, going back to work in order to hide her chuckles. Colin groaned at that, but his lips twisted as his hand reached back around him toward the bag slung around his shoulder, feeling the hard outline of a book.
Eventually, finish with their tasks completed, the three made their way down the lengthy wooden dock toward land. As they did so, the group of men began to turn away, as if they were suddenly uninterested. The three remained wary, however, even as they stepped onto the shores of Northrend for the first time.
"Well, that was uneventful," Vylira muttered absently, "Are we staying here tonight?"
Colin's lips ran to the side, concerned, "I don't know; I still get the feeling that we're being watched."
Vylira shrugged, "Well, I'd rather be watched through a locked door than watched in the wilderness; I don't know about you. Besides, we might figure some stuff out if we run on to the inn."
He turned to Kyra for reassurance, her head nodding in agreement before they began toward the large building, keeping their eyes open. Colin couldn't believe that, right off the boat, the light-hearted air of the journey had come to an end, though, just by looking at the profile of Kyra's face, he knew she felt the same.
The inn was a rather sleazy place, as expected from the biggest Alliance port on this side of Northrend. Many patrons were from incredibly varied backgrounds, simply here in a conglomerate of sea-weary sailors, partaking in alcoholic reveries and shanties. The three sidled on in, Vylira leading them to the administration desk, a tired, old gnome sitting atop a tall stool going over paperwork.
Vylira leaned over across the counter, clearing her throat to get his attention, which came with little to note, though she began anyway, "Excuse me, innkeeper. We're new here and-"
As she went on, Colin looked around the darkened tavern-like interior, shocked at the behavior of the patrons, which ranged from wild bursts of unheard-of words to dramatic collapses to the floor. Kyra turned alongside him, her arms crossed as she watched, confused.
Such a place was rather foreign to her, even despite her two years off of Teldrassil. She'd never taken time to partake in such drunken activities, and being here was like a whole new world. It was a feeling she didn't particularly care for, though she found it interesting in its own way; the stupors turning otherwise intelligent men into mindless animals. She eyed Colin, who seemed embarrassed by the behaviors, but he only sighed as if being here was a rather uncouth activity.
Suddenly, Kyra jumped rather violently; her eyes flying open wide as her neck whipped around, meeting the inebriated grin of some old coot who'd just taken a grasp at the back of her thigh. She winced into an angry scowl, but in that second, a fist flew past her, smashing heavily into the man's face and sending him flying backward and into a nearby table in his drunken coordination.
Kyra shot a look of surprise at Colin, who held his open hand with a pained expression, waving his unarmed weapon in the air as he seethed, "Ow, that hurts more than you think."
He turned to his lover, grinning goofily, which, compiled with his defensive grasping at his fist, wasn't the manliest of situations for him to be in, though Kyra was sure she hadn't ever loved him as much as she did then. Despite that, she still wore a weary expression, leaving Colin to lean toward her, concerned.
"Hey, go get some air outside, okay? We'll get this," he spoke up, "Just stay nearby, in case those guys show up. Don't be a- Okay, just like us help you be a hero, alright?"
Kyra nodded distantly, walking over toward the main door as Colin watched her, more or less, escaping this hole. He groaned, stroking his head, though it remained swollen; the pulsation of a bruise beginning to take hold of his extremity.
"Uh huh," Vylira nodded, "And about the room, I'll need one for-"
"Hey," Colin interrupted her, pulling gingerly at her sleeve, "I'm going to head on outside; my hand's just… I'm going to get some fresh air or something."
Vylira shrugged, still more lost in her conversation than him, so Colin simply followed the path Kyra had taken, hoping to have some sort of alone time with her on, this, their first night in this new world. He stepped out, carefully, though immediately noticed that Kyra was missing, a quiet sigh leaving his mouth with a shake of his head.
He looked around to see where she'd gone to, thinking she had seen something and decided to pursue it. Had it been something so malicious, there's no way she would have succumbed in the time it took for him to leave. He went around to the corner of the building, turning to peer down the length of its side, catching a faint glimpse of Kyra at the other end, turning the corner in a haste.
Colin quickly followed after her, now concerned at how fast she was going. Who was she chasing? He didn't bother to think about it, simply dashing down the long exterior of the inn, finally coming to where hed seen her, grasping the cornerstone as he whipped around to the other side, sliding to a stop in horror as he was immediately confronted by the five men from earlier, all staring at him, confused.
Without looking at the ground, he could see Kyra laying there in his blurred peripheral vision. He quickly jerked his hands up to defend himself, but the man closest to him already was bringing a wooden sword down onto his head, crashing against Colin's head, knocking him into darkness as he slumped to the ground.
The leader of the group sighed, obviously not wanting this, "Take 'em both, I guess. He might be her accomplice or somethin'. Deegan will be happier that we got him than that we didn't."
His men all nodded as two of them picked up the slumping bodies, carrying them over their shoulders as the small group of men made their way off toward the docks.
Kyra wandered back into the inn, still patting her face dry with a towel she'd brought, reaching Vylira just as she spun around, leaning against the counter of the administrator, "Got us a room for the night. Put us as 'Underhill' just in case; we've got more eyes staring at us in here."
She groaned, "Yous think theyd never seen a night elf before. That dranaei in the corner over there? Can't stop ogling me."
Vylira sneered at the man, who immediately shifted away in his seat, ducking toward a blood elf who was sitting beside him. Vylira shook her head, displeased, before checking out her sister, head to toe.
"What happened to you?"
Kyra shrugged, "I just dunked my head in the fountain nearby. I was getting kind of overwhelmed. I guess Colin already went to the room?"
She was met with a blank stare, "Wait, where is he?"
Vylira shrugged, "Said something about getting some fresh air; I figured he was off to find you."
The two watched one another for a moment or two before rushing toward the door, quickly making their way outside, missing the dranaei's concerned stare as they went. Outside, they quickly looked around, though to no avail.
Vylira cursed under her breath, "Shit. You think Deegan's men- why would they take him, though?"
Kyra's mind froze, unable to form a reply as she stared off into the distance. She hadn't an idea of what to do; her head just forming into blankness. Vylira quickly ran off to try and find him, leaving Kyra there, still.
"I swear, these kids," Vylira muttered to herself, annoyed.