Search for a sister
#1
Rince breathed a sigh of relief when he returned from the meeting and saw Lucerra sitting in a chair sketching a moonkin hatchling that she'd adopted and decided to name Quark. She looked up as he approached.

"I want to apologize for what I said to you earlier," she began. Her voice was so unlike her mother's, high and light, like a cloud floating on the breeze. "I was just upset about mom leaving and didn't realize. I know that mom asked you to watch over me, and it's not my place to question your judgement."

Rince put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

"So, how'd it go?"

"Smashingly. You'll be pleased to hear that we've actually decided to see if we can track down your sister."

Lucerra's face lit up, "Really?!"

"Definitely. But we need to know where to start. The other tribe members are going to look for her in the nearby orphanages. I would think we'd need to ask around in Orgrimmar and Thunder Bluff. Maybe check some of the villages nearby."

"Hey," Lucerra said, standing up. "Perhaps we could hire that goblin detective...what's her name?...Weezil!"

"She's a detective?"

"Yeah, she told me how she solved that murder that happened in the Barrens!"

"Sure," Rince said, "if she's up to it. Lightweight mentioned sending his contacts out, also, to find her."

"That's fantastic!" Lucerra jumped up and hugged him. He didn't immediately return the hug, being self-conscious about the state of his body. But after a few moments of her not letting go, he returned the embrace. And like that it was over.

He pondered on this marvel. And he was thinking he wanted to help her more than ever. He just hoped that her determination would catch on to the other tribe members. The days following the attack on the hall and the arrival of Nefarious had sombered many of the other members. The aura of listlessness was high and he had felt it himself. He knew he should take up arms against the new forces that threatened Azeroth, but he kept returning to his books. What could you say? Garrosh certainly didn't inspire motivation among any of the races that didn't just take him for granted. He'd managed to alienate his neighbors with his hot-headed actions, along with his own leader. Sylvannas was hardly any better. She's taken the fight against the worgen in to a level that was near extremism. Vol'jin had his own problems, defending against the alliance threat so near his village and now the re-emergence of the trolls in Stranglethorn. Gallywix was hated by many of the goblins, despite his efforts to build up the goblin presence in Azeroth. Baine had enough on his palatte, and the loss of Cairne was still fresh to many of the Tauren.

He could see now that Nefarion had lived up to his name, "World Breaker." The scars on the face of Azeroth were just the surface. The cracks in the races was being held by threads that were beginning to unravel. He wondered it finding one girl in the whole scheme of things could make a difference...at least among the Tribe.

He rubbed his temples not sure where to begin. He needed help with running this search, but he didn't want to burden the officers with what would seem like a menial task. They had their hands full in Blackrock and the Twilight Citadel. He hadn't seen Sreng in days, and knew he had his hands full, as well. He sighed...and for the first time in a long time, prayed...not to 'the light' as he'd done in the past, but to his wife and unborn child.
Reply
#2
((This is gonna work a little bit differently from some of the posts I've done in the past, since I'm sure there will be many things going on simultaneously. So, go ahead and respond to this as you normally would, and I'll reveal the results of each of your efforts in subsequent posts. I'm not sure if it's gonna work or not, but I'm game if you are! Big Grin

I'll be quoting part or all of your posts to make it clear as to who I am responding to! Good luck and have fun!))
Reply
#3
Rince looked over at Lucerra, and clasped his hands together, "Well then! Let's get started. Do you have anything of hers in your posession?"

Lucerra looked up to the rafters in thought. "Yes...we have her blanket from when she was born! Let me go get it!" She ran down the hallway. There was a minor commotion muffled by the distance and then she was running back holding a blanket.

Rince accepted the offered blanket and shoved aside several books that he had spread out on a table. He slung the blanket over his shoulder and reached beneath his robes. After several moments of rummaging about, he pulled out a square black cloth about three feet in length. He spread the cloth out over the table smoothing it out until it lay flat.

With his left hand, he grasped his wrist and twisted, revealing a cavity where his arm met his wrist. He dumps out a piece of white chalk into his waiting hand, whips his wrist back into place and begins to draw arcane runes onto the cloth within a circle with several lines crossing inside a series of freshly drawn circles. Each mark perfect, decades of practice proving its worth.

Lucerra watched with awe, sitting perched on a nearby bench. Rince finished drawing the rest of the spell and plucked some fibers from the blanket's corner. He began speaking an incantation, and the runes responded by hightening in color and began to glow softly. He reached over the runes until the fibers pinched between his fingers were held directly over the center of the fabric. With a single word - a word that held ancient power - barely whispered, Rince let go of the fibers. They began to swirl down, and then the magic grasped hold of them and directed their descent. The hovered barely an inch from the cloth than touched down, first one end, twirled, and then the other end. The other fibers did similar movements.

The runes flared, then disappeared.
Reply
#4
Lucerra frowned. She stared at the threads on the cloth and then looked up at Rince. "What does it mean?"

Rince shushed her in mid-sentence. "Careful."

Lucerra raised an eyebrow, completely lost.

"See that one there, by the Quirlaj?" he said pointing. His finger descended until it touched the fiber. Immediately, a picture formed on the cloth. It showed Corerra entering the greenhouse."

Lucerra frowned more.

Rince lifted his finger and the image disappeared. He did the same with the second fiber. An image of a grassy field appeared, coyotes and wolves surrounded the tauren. She had her hands down at her sides; her face was tense.

Lucerra opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.

Rince touched the third and final fiber. Corerra was standing next to a tauren on the edge of a cliff face. A large totem loomed in the background.

"Sometimes it reveals something worthwhile, sometimes it doesn't." Rince looked up at the girl.

She was no longer frowning. "I know that place! It's where students are sent for their vision quests!" She stopped. "Wait. How long ago was that?"

Rince shrugged. "Within the last three months."

Lucerra's shoulders slumped. "Oh."

"Doesn't mean we can't go there and check it out."

"How long will the images last?"

"Not much longer."

"Here, let me sketch them in my book then! That way we won't forget them. Start with the last one."

Rince did. The magic lasted for two sketches and a glimpse of the first picture again. Lucerra still did her best to sketch it out.

Rince nodded approvingly. "Well, Mulgore should be safe enough. Come, let's go for a ride."

Lucerra squealed with giddiness and grabbed her bag, sliding her book back into it.

When they returned, the disappointment in her face was deep.
Reply
#5
rincewindy Wrote:
When they returned, the disappointment in her face was deep.

The young tauren saw the collection of tents in the distance. To the south the sound of boars or some kind of pigs filled the air, their voices carrying on the wind. She checked her clothes, which were beginning to be snug on her. The voice in her head told her to go to them. She did.

Immediately one of the healers saw her enter the camp and came up to her. "Come dear, you look famished!"

She let the tauren guide her over to the campfire and was handed a hunk of bread that was rather tough. The Tauren handed her cup filled with goat's milk.

"Not much of a talker are you? Well, that's ok. Have you come to seek out your calling?"

Corerra nodded, listening to the instruction in her head.

"Very well. Come kneel before me child, and we shall see your calling."

Corerra walked over to the Tauren. The tauren placed her hand on the girl's forehead and closed her eyes. She breathed deep, the fumes from a pyre of incense filling her nostrils.

"Interesting. I'll introduce you to seer Ravenfeather when you are done eating.

The voice in her head told her to follow the instructions of the Tauren here, so she did. She did what they asked and after a week, she was ready for her final task. She was to go to the top of the mesa and speak with the Tauren up there. She'd receive a vision, and depart from the camp.


The Tauren at the camp had described the 'odd Tauren' to Lucerra and Rince as young adult, and gave them detailed accounts of what she did. They said that, apart from her lack of verbalization, she seemed competent enough.

Lucerra turned to Rince, "She'll have gone on to Bloodhoof village." Rince nodded and they began their way up the road.
Reply
#6
Weezil bounced into the guild hall, her face flecked with spatters of paint, her clothes dusty with wood shavings from her work refurbishing her Private Detective (third class) office in Orgrimmar. Two ponytails bounced at her shoulders like blue budgies, boing boingity boing. Her eyes shone wet-pebble bright. In one hand she held a well-used toolbox, dented and scratched and covered with stickers, while in the other she carried a small, portable terrarium containing a red crab with something electronic glued onto its back. On the underside of the terrarium's lid hung a small, sleeping bat, wearing what looked like a vest.

Weezil was bounding across the guild hall when she saw the baby blanket neatly folded on one of the trestle tables. On top of it lay a folded piece of black cloth.

"Oops," she muttered, slowing down. "Someone musta left that baby blanket here. Dentik. Or Sreng maybe. Or Zlinka."

She lowered her terrarium gently, careful not to dislodge the bat inside. Then she dropped the toolbox to the floor with a clatter. Released of her burdens she rotated her shoulders round and round as though she were easing her arms back into their sockets. Then she heaved herself onto the bench next to the blanket, grumbling under her breath, "... silly big tables... goblins are Horde too... insulting... won't sit on a dictionary... short people..."

Standing on the bench, leaning her chest against the edge of the table, she reached out a hand to grab the blanket and cloth. She'd have to find the rightful owner, return the things, maybe wash them first, as it looked like the black one had chalk dust on it.

She did think, wait, chalk dust? just as her hand closed on the blanket and black cloth.

Disorganized, overlapping, half-broken images started rising out of the cloth.

Oh... that was dumb.

Weezil gulped, and watched.
Reply
#7
Rince followed behind Lucerra on the road up to Bloodhoof village. He sighed. Admittedly, he sighed too loud. Lucerra's 'horse' stopped, and he reigned in his own 'horse.' Like himself, his 'horse' was reborn.

Lucerra turned 'Sparkle' to face him. Sparkle, the magical pegasus that consisted of stars and moonlight, irked Rince to no end. It shone brightly, drawing attention from who knows how far. He wouldn't be surprised if Bloodhoof was already preparing a welcome for the two. They were pretty fond of the girl, there, he had to admit. Probably could see them from Thunderbluff. Her voice brought him from his thoughts. "What's wrong, Rince?"

"I should have asked this before, but don't you have anything more...subtle to ride?"

Lucerra looked down at Sparkle and patted its neck. "Don't let his words bother you, Sparkle; I like you."

"What do you feed it, anyway?" Rince said moving his horse up to walk beside her.

"Sparkle doesn't eat, like normal horses. She feeds off of the starlight at night."

Rince restrained from rolling his eyes. Instead, he reached behind him and flipped open a compartment in his horse's rear. He pulled out a flask of water and offered it to Lucerra.

Lucerra looked at the open compartment, then at Rince, then back at the compartment, then the water flask. "And you think Sparkle is weird." She took the water and drank.

Rince closed the horse's rear compartment and turned his eyes to the road ahead. My horse serves its purpose.

Lucerra laughed, then kicked her horse into a gallop, saying, "There it is! C'mon!"

They arrived at Bloodhoof village. Lucerra jumped down from her horse and ran up to one of the guards, hugging him. "Uncle! It's so good to see you!"

Rince raised an eyebrow. "Uncle?" he asked under his breath.

The older tauren wrapped his arms around the girl. "How is your mother?"

"She's good! ...Oh! Uncle Windrunner, this is, Rince! Rince, this is Uncle Windrunner. He's actually a great uncle, but it's easier to just call him Uncle."

Rince slid down off of his horse and shook the outstretched hand.

The tauren said, "Call me Born."

After dispensing with formalities, Born turned to Lucerra and asked, "So, what brings you to these parts?"

Lucerra explained about her sister and described her to him.

He scratched his side, thinking. "You know, I think I did see a tauren that matches that description. You might want to speak to--" He interrupted himself looking down the road that Lucerra and Rince came up. "Well, if that's not a strange sight to behold on a day like today."

The two turned and saw the goblin coming up the road. Her blue hair bounced in the wind as she gunned the engine on her trike. ((Apologies for any incorrect assumptions.))

Lucerra gasped. "It's Weezil!" She was grinning as she waved at the goblin.

Rince looked at the confused guard and shrugged.

((Also, going to assume that Lucy's already made Weezil's acquaintance. And going to assume that Weezil couldn't resist a good mystery. Weezil probably would have started with the third image, being that it was still the most clear of the three. The guards at Camp Narache would have directed Weezil to follow the 'others.' Feel free to fill in the gaps.))
Reply
#8
Weezil sped down the dirt track from Camp Narache to Bloodhoof Village, dragging a great cloud of dust in her wake. This was much, much better than riding on a kodo. She'd done that once and the beast had lurched about so much, pitching and rolling like a ship on the sea, that she'd nearly lost her breakfast. Her new trike, bought on credit against the future earnings of her Detective Agency, was much better. Loud, though. It's motor tore through the silence of Mulgore and echoed off the tall red cliffs on her right like a bunch of rock-filled barrels clattering down a flight of stairs. Not exactly discrete, but then, she had nothing to hide. At the moment.

Strapped to the back of her trike rattled her terrarium with the little crab, Louie, and her bat, and a little cage containing what looked like a rat sporting a small leather harness. Her toolbox bounced underneath, itself strapped to the top of a small, travel-worn trunk full of used clothing bought on the cheap in Orgrimmar, stuff even the Auction House didn't want.

Carefully folded inside the trunk, in a sheet of brown paper, lay the baby blanket and black cloth she had incautiously touched in the guild hall. Yeah, that hadn't been such a good idea. She still remembered the image she'd seen, overlaid as it was by visions of a young Tauren at different ages, all overlapping and see-through and gesticulating, a compressed and transparent life. The thing had been a mess. Weezil didn't have a magical bone in her body, and she had no idea what any of it meant. But one image seemed to be a little sharper than the others, the image of the young Tauren next to a cliff face, near a large totem. The totem, at least, had not been overlapped too much by other visions. Weezil had drawn the totem on a paper napkin and asked around the guild hall about it, and got directions to Camp Narache. She'd never been to Mulgore herself. On a whim, she went. It was gorgeous weather for a ride, anyway, and if she could help solve the mystery of the young Tauren's whereabouts the advertising would do her agency a world of good.

At the edge of Bloodhoof Village she saw a little group of people standing together, talking. An undead with a bony horse, a young Tauren with a pegasus so sparkly Weezil felt the need of an injection of insulin, and an older Tauren guard. Driving closer, she recognized Lucerra, whom she knew by sight. She waved happily, put the brakes on, and skidded to a stop next to them.

"Hi!" she said, stepping out of her trike. She smiled at Lucerra and Rincewindy and nodded at the guard, "I'm Weezil. Private Detective, Third Class. What have I missed?" Then she looked at the guard and asked, "Have you seen young Tauren, black fur, black mane, light brown eyes, pretty short for a Tauren, real super quiet?"
Reply
#9
Lucerra grinned, "Uncle Born, Rince...this is Weezil. Weezil, this is my great uncle Born Windrunner and Rincewindy, the librarian. I'm so glad you found us!"

After formalities of introductions and a bit of small talk, Born spoke up, "As I was telling my niece, I did see Miss Lucy's sister. I would recommend speaking to Seer Alsoomse. The girl was assigned to her for training."

"Whoa! What?! My sister's training to be a Seer? This is fantastic!" Lucerra jumped up and hugged Born. "Thanks Uncle Born!"

She turned and started running towards the central pavillion.

Rince shrugged slid off his horse and patted its neck. "Wait here," he said to the horse. "Don't let Sparkle get too far."
Reply
#10
Seer Alsoomse was old! Lucerra couldn't help noticing how the wrinkles on her face bunched around the creases. But she smiled enough and had a pleasant demeanor. She greeted Lucerra with a hug and said, "You sure you don't want to become a seer, dearie?" Lucerra shook her head and politely declined. "You've got some strange company, dearie. What can I do for you?"

"My sister's gone missing. I was wondering if you remember training her?"

"Ah, yes. I thought there was something familiar in her features. You never told me that you had an older sister. What is her name?"

"Corerra, and she's my younger sister."

Seer Alsoomse blinked. "The one I helped...she was much older than you, despite her stunted growth. I'd say she was in her mid-twenties. You look like you're fifteen or sixteen. Would that be an incorrect assumption?"

"No, Seer, I am sixteen. But she has not even had her first birthday, yet."

"Yes...that would explain much..."
Reply
#11
rincewindy Wrote:
"Yes...that would explain much..."

She was flying! It was amazing! She reached to village with the totems and white tents and was about to run back to Camp Narache to do it all over again when the voice in her head told her to stay here. The voice was starting to make her upset. She wanted to go flying, again.

The voice was now very angry and she started to cry. A tauren with an apron approached her. She had white stuff covering her forearms and the tauren spoke kindly to her.

She directed her to another tauren who seemed to know her situation. He gave her some coins and told her to seek out Seer Alsoomse for more training. She began to cry again, so he led her to the Seer. The voice slid back, deep into her mind.

"What's the matter, dearie?"

She didn't know what to do...so she cried.

"There, there. It's ok. You don't have to say anything. Did you come from Camp Narache? Just nod yes, or shake your head for no."

Corerra nodded, a small smile creeping over her. She liked this game.

"Ok. So, let me show you how to protect yourself."

For a good long time, Seer Alsoomse, showed her how to create a protective bubble around herself. She got distracted very quickly and would start to bounce around in the bubble until it popped. The Seer was very patient although the voice in her head was not. It resurfaced and yelled at her after the fifth attempt to bounce to the river.

"That is very good!" the Seer said to her. Corerra grinned. "Here, dearie," Alsoomse said to her, "I think that dog's gotten loose, again...Why don't you see if you can go catch him."
Reply
#12
Weezil looked up at the ancient Seer, whose muzzle was frosted with white like a light dusting of snow.

"When did you last see Corerra?" asked Weezil of the old Tauren.

While Weezil listened to the answer, her rat squeaked from its cage on the back of her tricycle. Still listening to the Seer, Weezil undid the clasp with practiced fingers and let the rat run up her arm onto her shoulder. The rat wore a tiny vest with what looked like a radio transmitter sewn on its back, with a long flexible antenna that trailed behind the rat's body. In its mouth the rat held a few fibers of Corerra's baby blanket. Weezil cringed. Had her rat chewed a piece off of the precious blanket? That would be hard to explain. She thought she'd kept the blanket well away from the cage bars. Weezil tried to pull the fibers away, but the rat casually deflected her fingers with its little paws. Its whiskers swept back and forth; its nose twitched.

Then, clutching the fibers firmly in its mouth, the rat jumped from her shoulder to the ground. The rat dashed off, nose to the ground, whiskers sweeping, its sinuous body undulating along the ground, toward the bridge that led across the lake.
Reply
#13
The old Tauren looked down at the goblin and smiled. "Ohh, I'd say it's been a few weeks at least."

"Weezil! Your mouse! It's escaping!" Lucerra cried.


(05-19-2011, 08:16 AM)Zlinka Wrote: The rat dashed off, nose to the ground, whiskers sweeping, its sinuous body undulating along the ground, toward the bridge that led across the lake.

She trotted up the path towards the bridge.

A forlorn tauren called out to her, "Can you find my dog?"

The voice in her head was urging her to move on. She didn't want to be yelled at again, so she shook her head and hurried past the bridge.

She was crying again. She had wanted to help find the dog. She started running full out.

When she saw the tents on the bluff she stopped and stared. Then she saw the elevators and watched them go up and down. Every once in a while someone would get on them and ride them up or down.

The voice in her head was telling her to start walking. She went to the elevator and wondered what made it go up and down. The voice was telling her to 'get on already!' Now that she had to, the fear took over. She started crying louder and lay down on the walkway. "Noooo!" she cried. "Noooooooo!" And then the presence was gone...for now. She stayed there for some time.

And then a small hand touched her shoulder...
Reply
#14
Weezil's rat raced across the bridge, keeping one side against the right-hand railing with typical rodent agoraphobia. Weezil raced back to her tricycle, leaped onto the seat, gunned the engine, and roared off in pursuit of her pet, beckoning her friends to follow her. At the bridge she slowed down to a walking pace and followed the bounding rat in low gear, about five miles per hour. She gripped the wheel tight. One quick turn by the rat and she might squash it. One day, she hoped to have an honest-to-goodness bloodhound, something jowly and slobbery with big dewlaps and mournful brown eyes buried in soft wrinkles on its face, with a nose so packed with smell receptors that it could smell a missing person eleven miles away, ready to gallop off with ears flapping and voice baying. But until then, her rat would have to do. A rat wasn't glamorous, to be sure, but it had a good nose.

They passed a well on the right hand side, and some cliffs on the left, and then Thunder Bluff loomed into view, with its tents flapping and flags waving way up high on the flat-topped mesas. Weezil gaped. She'd never seen Thunder Bluff before, though she'd heard of it. It must be fun to live way up in an aerie like that.

The rat, nearing exhaustion, climbed up the ramp toward the elevator. It stopped at one point, sniffing all around one spot on the walkway, digging with its forepaws between the wooden planks, pulling on something with its teeth, back arched with effort. Weezil dismounted and crouched next to her pet. The object came free and the rat rolled over backwards, little legs flailing, tail flipping back and forth. It rolled onto its feet and stood up, holding the object in its mouth.

"What did you find?" asked Weezil, holding out her hand.

The rat deposited the object in her palm, then trotted toward the elevator.

Curious, Weezil peered at the object in her palm.
Reply
#15
Rince looked at the little goblin then over at Lucerra who was already running back to get the horses. He did his best not to roll his eyes and, for the most part, succeeded. He was surprised at how quickly Lucy had gotten the horses. She was atop hers and holding the reins of his horse out to him.

The trip to Thunder Bluff was very uneventful. Halfway there he slid open a side compartment on his horse's side. He was now balanced precariously as he reached down and felt about for ... there it was! Rince pulled the tome out and cracked it open as he slid the compartment shut with his foot. He flipped through the pages to the dog-eared page. He normally frowned upon damaging books in such a manner, but this one was hardly going to be a collector's item.

"What'cha reading," Lucerra asked, peering over at the book.

"The Light Phantasmic, by Terrance Ratchett."

"Sounds boring."

"Hardly."

"What's it about?"

"I'll tell you when I've finished it." Which he thought was a perfectly obvious hint for her to leave him alone.

She did. "Weezil? How's your mouse know where to go?" Clearly, the goblin hadn't heard her. She wondered how she could hear anything over that motor. She sighed and decided to just enjoy the view.

Thunder Bluff never ceased to amaze her. It was so fantastic, every time she came upon it. She smiled as they approached and took a deep breath. She could almost smell from here.

The came upon the walkway to the elevators when the rat stopped. It was pulling something out from between the boards...something shiny.

She hopped down from Sparkle and watched as the rat gave something to Weezil. She watched as Weezil held up the item. The necklace sparkled in the sunlight.

"Oh! Wow! That is rich!" She crouched down and saw the splinter of wood that the chain must have caught on. "It's amazing no one saw it." But then again, the one that found it was a rat.

Weezil was now holding the chain up with what might be a rod or a stick and peered at the back of the necklace. Lucerra was peering at the front of the necklace. "What kind of stone is that?"

Rince looked up from his book, "It's jade."

Weezil looked at the engraved symbol on the back of the jade necklace. It looked like a 'P', but the rounded part of the 'P' was circular with double overlapping circles to make it look like a ring.

Lucerra looked past the inset stone to Weezil's face which showed a mix of expressions on it.

"That's not my sister's," Lucy said.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)