I can’t believe Xyliah had never been to Orgrimmar before. It’s easy to forget there are people who’ve never left the area where they grew up, though she doesn’t seem like that at all. I want to ask her about it, but I don’t want to seem too nosy or like I’m prying into her past. We all have secrets, some of which we don’t need to share. I just want to find out more about her, that’s all. So I don’t push the subject, especially when it seems she doesn’t want to talk about it right now. Either she’ll want to talk eventually, or not. I won’t force it.
She seemed to really like it though. She said the crude huts were “cute”, and I told her we could go inside one of them. There’s a bar right in the central area, so I took her there. All of the other patrons were orcs (and one goblin), so we got a few curious looks as we came in. But I suppose they’re used to us by now, and the barkeep took my coins just like anyone else’s. I was happy to see they had Xyliah’s “frog juice” for sale, and we both bought enough to bring with us. There weren’t any chairs, but you could sit on the floor around a round brazier. I ordered some talbuk venison and bird legs and we cooked them right there. It was actually sort of fun, like being camping without having to go hunt the meat yourself. I’m admittedly not a very good shot, which is probably why I never went out for the rangers. And I don’t know how to skin, something about it gives me the shivers, seeing the insides of an animal laid out like that. Xyliah would probably laugh if I told her that, but fortunately she didn’t ask why I don’t know how to skin.
The zeppelin ride was fortunately uneventful — that’s not always the case with goblin technology. We stood out at the front and watched the ocean rush past beneath us. It was too loud to talk, really, but I enjoyed being there all the same. Usually I’d never even consider bringing someone along with me to a trip like this, but she’s different. I’m not dreading setting up camp or getting dirty in the ruins with her. How long will this be able to go on, though? Eventually her father’s going to find out, or worse — her in-laws. We found a little island overlooking the enormous waterfall that opened up when the world split, with a perfect view of the sunset. She said it was all right if I called her my girlfriend, but that worry is still there, lurking in the back of my mind. Her husband is still missing, and no one knows where he is. If he’s really lost, she’s going to have to explain that to his family. They won’t like the part where she was off in the jungle with me instead of looking for him.
There was a sudden evening thunderstorm, and we had to move under a tree for cover. My little tent isn’t really big enough for two, but she’s creative. It took a while to admit to myself, but I think she’s just about perfect. Which makes me worry all the more that she’ll somehow slip away, maybe through no fault of her own. Or maybe through something I do. I don’t exactly have the best record at this. I held her close while I can, as the rain pattered on the tent.
At dawn, she went to track tigers. I admitted that I don’t know how to track, but I’d like to go along if I wouldn’t be in the way. Honestly, I probably was, but there are so many tigers in that part of the jungle that it would be impossible for her not to find any. I didn’t watch her skin them, but the pile of pelts looked clean with no waste. We got a considerable pile, and took them back to the camp — they weigh more than you’d think at first! I don’t know if she’ll do the initial tanning there or not, it’s damp so I guess she’ll have to. We stopped and had something to eat before we crossed over to some troll ruins I’d seen to the north. There was also a watchtower, but when we got close enough to investigate, it was abandoned. Maybe someone had already searched these ruins. We didn’t find much up top, but then I found a passageway overgrown with vines, leading down into the cool vault below. Xyliah didn’t hesitate at all, I think she found it an exciting adventure, though I did warn her to watch her hands and feet. Snakes love tomb vaults.
Speaking of snakes, the trolls who’d lived in this particular building had a thing for Hethiss. We found a number of bijous — Xyliah found on on her own, which she was very excited about — as well as a statue about a foot or so tall. Collectors don’t usually like snakes so much, but someone will buy it. It’s well-carved and made of a cool, translucent dark green stone. Among the bones, we found some nice jewelry. I don’t know why, but bones don’t bother me as much as a skinned animal. They didn’t seem to bother Xyliah either, she reached down and plucked up some of the jewelry herself. That should sell well enough, but we still haven’t found that one thing that’ll pay for the surgery. I told her that I’d made almost five thousand since we last talked, and she seemed surprised. I’m just motivated, that’s all. I hope I can meet her sister someday, she must be a great person if Xyliah is willing to do all of this for her.
That is, if her father would allow it. She seems to think he would, but my experience has proven otherwise. She says it doesn’t matter, that I’m a good person. I’ve still done things that weren’t so good, everybody from that part of the city has. I don’t even have a family name, it was lost generations back when my great-grandmother or something was disowned, and none of them since then have bothered to get a new one. I guess I could, but in my business nobody has much need for names. I don’t know why I’m thinking about it now — well, I guess I do.
In the evening, she seemed troubled by something. She said she didn’t want to talk about it, so I let it be. It wasn’t until later, when we were going to sleep, that I realized what it was. Her brother’s wedding was today, she’d missed it. It was my fault, I asked her to come out here with me, I promised to have her back in time. I feel terrible, and her family’s probably furious at her. I don’t know how to fix that.
The Dancing Hare 