The Farstrider watched as the tall blue woman and her mate entered the portal to Zandalar, noting this. The ranger-general and her right-hand had trusted this job to her and so for two weeks, she had spied on the young couple. The blue girl was adapting quickly to Horde customs, but the ranger had noted her continued unease as something that could potentially be exploited. Given the way she constantly looked any trolls she passed by and her lingering gazes at herself in any reflective surface, the ranger was fairly sure she wanted to be an actual Darkspear.

She waited a moment longer and then crept into their home, moving unseen from shadow to shadow. She studied the things she found, making careful note of anything belonging to the mysterious blue woman. She found several hairbrushes with different levels of bristles, long black hairs in all of them. The blue lady takes extreme care of her hair. She's protective of the braid. A biological weakness to exploit, perhaps. I'll have to watch longer to be sure.

There was a note shoved under the bed on the man's side. It seemed to be several attempts at a speech he was trying to plan to ask...Kali to... make things official, to seal them. She put the note back where it had been.

The spy kept searching until she found it, her lip curling in satisfaction. A carving, in the middle stages of it's making. It was the symbol of faith for those who followed Bwonsamdi. Now I'm decently sure where the blue lady...Kali is going. Time to leave and make my report.

A shadow fell across the doorway as the ranger turned, barely dodging the blade meant for her head in time and rolled sideways. Varok Saurfang attacked again and the ranger made for the door, trying to flow around him the way her general did. He grabbed her by the arm, picking up her whole body and throwing it down. Then he stabbed her, using the width of his two handed blade to pin both legs to the floor. "You and I are going to have a talk." He rumbled, ignoring her loud screams of agony. When she did nothing but wail, he leaned on the blade a little. "You don't need both legs to do it, either. Start talking. Why are you poking around in this house?"

x

It was a swamp, but the temple itself still felt so...Comforting to Kali even despite that. The Court of Spirits was broken down certainly, but it was perfect for what it represented. "I'm going to enjoy this." Kali said, turning to watch Zekhan set up the picnic by the side. "I need to make an offering. We might be close, but...I feel the need to thank him and the totem I was carving isn't done yet."

"So ya be wantin' my recommendation, eh?" Zekhan chuckled. "Go hunt a creature and cook it and offer it up. He can have lunch with us before you do your thing."

"I don't be needin' an offering from my favorite little Darkspear." Bwonsamdi appeared, ruffling the hairs on top of Kali's head. "Comin' to visit ol' Bwonsamdi in his home is good enough for me." He winked at Zekhan and Kali felt as if something unsaid was passing between them.

"What was that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you two in cahoots about something?"

"I do know this word...Cahoots?" Zekhan gestured to the spread he had set out. "Let's have a meal."

"I'm... actually really excited to just meditate." She was a little sheepish.

Zekhan sighed. "Ah. Go on. It will still be here when you're done."

Kali settled comfortably with her head in his lap, crossing her arms over her chest and slowing her breathing to the point it was almost not there. If she perfected that, she could probably become a master of stealth, but that was a thought for a different time. Kali slipped into the cool, comforting embrace of Nazmir.

x

Kali opened her eyes to see herself alone in the Court of Spirits. Well, not perfectly so. Before her was the fire spirit who had followed her soul to Pandora, and it wasn't on its own. Next to it was a spirit made up of... grave dirt. "Who's your friend?" Kali asked, curious. Even as she spoke, Kali understood. This was her next elemental friend. She had spent a lot of time since coming to Azeroth with her toes dug into the earth, taking comfort in the warm heaviness of it. All things were buried eventually, after all.

She held out her hand to it, and the little ball of dirt rolled into her fingers, opening big round eyes. They were a cute gray. "Hello. You're-" Something was wrong. Kali felt her body being shaken in the waking world. She tried to shrug it off, but the shaking persisted and the eyes on her physical body opened. "Zekhan I was meeting-" They weren't alone anymore. Kali's words cut off mid-sentence when she the worry etched deep into Zekhan's face. Her eyes flicked to their guest. "Who's this?" Kali studied their features. It was male goblin, staring back up at her.

"His name is Reznik." Zekhan lokked extremely unnerved. "And he says we can't go home if we want to live." Zekhan's tone caused her to look closer at him. He was agitated. Did he want to take it out on Reznik? Is it something to do with the secret he and Bwonsamdi had? The wink? She looked around for the loa at this and was confused not to see him.

"Well, Reznik I just got this home back and I'm no coward. I will fight for it." Kali frowned, her more sharp teeth pronounced to accentuate the point.

"Yea. You'll fight and you'll die, Solar Scorch." The goblin seemed unimpressed. Kali was unnerved. "How did you-"

"It's my job to know." He seemed almost bored. "Just come with me. Both of you. Master Shaw will explain."

"No." Kali said, feeling a little hostile. "You interrupted our date. You disrupted my deeply religious moment. And I don't like your tone." Kali's ears swiveled back on her head."

"I've been told to bring you by any means necessary. It is...after all for your own safety." His eyes bored into her.

Zekhan was finally trying to speak. "Kali, he's clearly with-"

"No, ma Zekhan. I do not run. Not anymore. I face threats head on." She glared at the goblin. "If Reznik wants to try again, with more explanation and less threat-" The goblin was gone. "Where did he-"

"Kali, I thinm we should go. We can get explanations when we arrive in Stormwind." Zekhan was nervous now, too.

"He interrupted a communion. That pisses me off so deeply." Kali almost snarled with anger.

"More than an arrow in each of your eyes would?" The goblin said from behind her, a blade pressed to her ribs.

She kicked, flinging up one hand to hopefully send him flying on a block of dirt. The elementals did not answer and Kali's foot did not connect. This gave Kali enough pause to hear Zekhan as he placed both hands on her shoulders. "Object of ma heart...These people work closely for Anduin. They protect the peace on a large scale. If he's here on behest of Shaw, odds are Anduin sent Shaw and Shaw sent Reznik. We should hear our friend out."

"Fine. But this isn't over." Kali shot Reznik a venomous glare. "I really don't like him."

x

Kali really didn't like Stormwind. It was too much white and the smells were all off. She was still practically vibrating with fury at the manner with which she had been fetched. People were staring at Zekhan and her both, but mostly her. She was extremely tall and blue. And faintly glowing. Already a little self conscious about her look, Kali just kept her gaze cast down, face flushing a dark blue with an upset sort of embarrassment. I'm a Darkspear. Don't look at me like that. She felt the weight of every eye on her.

"Don't care what they think." Zekhan took her hand and squeezed. "Don't ya be lookin' down. Head up, ma Kali. You're a gorgeous woman."

Am I? Kali didn't like having doubts. But the fact was she did now. It was a new and horrible feeling that all the staring and whispering did nothing to help. "Sorry." She said, and kept her eyes down. "There are too many people. The whole feel of this place is unreal. I hate it. I don't know how Anduin can feel comfortable with so much..." She felt quiet. "It feels so cold here and I don't mean physical."

Zekhan squeezed her hand harder. "We'll see what they say. Maybe we can be put up in Pandaria until it's safe enough to go home. It's a bit more like what we left behind than this."

Kali said nothing else, mind whirling with discomfort at this entire situation. How was she supposed to challenge Zekhan's tribe for the right to call herself Darkspear if they were stuck in Alliance territory? The answer is that you won't. That's been shelved. You're stuck like this. A strange freak. Tears pricked at the edge of Kali's vision and a slow-building panic. They were being marched forward at a steady pace, up some stairs. She was being tugged even as she tried to pull back. Closer and closer to the keep. She tugged free from Zekhan's fingers and shot back down the stairs.

Have to get away. Don't want to die. Kali couldn't hear Zekhan shouting at her or even feel the edges of her face. What she did feel was Bwonsamdi's presence, even if he wasn't there. That's ironic. This whole time they were worried I'd remember something being on the Echo Isles again and it was Stormwind that nearly did it. Have to hide. Have to calm down.

She slid into an alley and crouched at the bottom of a wall behind a large barrel that smelled vinegar, trying to slow her breathing and figure out how to get back the way they had come. I'll make our home safe. I can't stay here. It's so...not home.