Watcher

It smelled of sea, rum, blood, and sweat and the boards creaked with each step. The sound of the sea was heard clearly even in the dank wooden building, waves crashing on the rocks below and seagulls swooping about. He sat on the second story of Booty Bay's tavern with a wary looking goblin across from him. He didn't blame her, not considering what he was and with the war heating up between the Alliance and the Horde. Silently he dropped a leather pouch on the small table between them. The coins inside jingled and clinked catching the woman's attention, but not lowering her guard.

He spoke with a deep rumble and a strange hollowness. "200 gold up front. Another 200 each week you send me a report, a detailed one mind you. All you have to do is keep her safe, preferably happy if that's even possible for… for a forsaken. Interested?"

Grey eyes looked at him with suspicion and the ever present wariness. Her voice was a contrast to his, higher pitched and bubbly. "Interested, sure. I'm gonna need more details 'fore I accept of course and an answer as to why ya asked for me specifically."

Nazli grinned at her, showing a muzzle full of mostly white fangs. "Because I hear you're trustworthy. No history of backstabbing, cheating, stealing, and so on. Also, as a goblin you're less, ah, invested in the Horde and it's," The worgen paused to sneer nastily. "Warchief."

Kinktoxi relaxed at his answer and even allowed a grin to spread across her face. "All right, ya got yaself the right gal then. So what's her name? Basic features? Any extra duties?"

The death knight pushed the pouch of gold to her side of the table as he spoke. Without turning her attention away from him she slid it to somewhere below sight, presumably into one of her many pockets. "Her true name is Amara Charring, my sister, but with her memory loss she now goes by Aravyth. You may tell her our last name as well as her age, 33. She's," his jaw locks for a moment before he grounds out the rest. "Forsaken, she's undead. Long dark brown hair, she wears a leather strap around her face, and has a… rotting dent of sorts on her forehead."

He paused and looked at Kinktoxi for a moment. "She also has a pet spider larger than you."

The priestess looked disgruntled, but nodded, committing the information to memory. She tilted her head then and threw out another question. "Say, if ya know all this stuff why do ya need me?"

Nazli leaned back against his chair which creaked dangerously and casually looked around the tavern. The only other souls there were a pair of humans on the first floor and the goblin bartender. It was a rather quiet afternoon. "Easy to get bits here and there. A little gold for a little time, but none of them fit for what I really wanted. What I want you to do." His face turned grim then. "You won't find it much trouble. That dent, the head injury keeps her docile from what I can tell. Consider finding out more about it as part of the deal, shouldn't be too hard for a priestess like yourself. Heal it even if it's possible."

Kinktoxi pursed her lips for a moment and stood up. "Well, no time like the present. I'll go find your sister and get her set up somewhere cozy or whatever. She better have a damn good hold on that spider though, I'd rather not be bitten. My luck it'd have one hell of a tough to cleanse poison."

He chuckled at her, but nodded his appreciation. "Knew I chose the right goblin. My thanks, she's the only person, only thing I care about anymore. Take care."

The goblin woman turned away, trying not to show how much she wanted to swoon over such familial love. "Yea, yea. Don't ya worry, long as the gold keeps flowing she'll be fine and dandy." With a poorly concealed sniffle she walked away, down the stairs and out into the bright day light.

With his lively companion gone, Nazli sunk further into his chair and his expression smoothed out to being nearly blank. He stared sightlessly at a stained wall and a single claw tapped on the table as he lost himself in his thoughts. Everything from his life was gone, all he had left was her. Her and his skill with jewelry. The gold he made from his skill by far covered the 200 gold he'd send weekly to Kinktoxi, not to mention the other 200 he was sending directly to his sister. The rest that he made went into the bank, there was little he needed gold for. Armor repairs here, weapon replacements there. He didn't need food, his mount didn't need food, and neither of them need sleep either.

The worgen grunted as he stood up. He had more commissions to complete and there was always another order to take, but his patrons would find him easier in the human capital than in the bay. The two humans paused their hushed conversation as Nazli walked by their table to head outside and didn't continue until he was well past the door. He ignored them with practiced ease as did the until now unnoticed pug following his steps.

Well, perhaps there was one other soul he cared for. The pug was scooped up into his arms and cradled with care as he mounted a ruby panther. "Try not to puke on me this time Percy. And remind me to give that goblin a bonus too if she can actually do something for Ara's injury."

These will be a series of shorts involving Nazli, Kinktoxi, and/or Aravyth. All ready have a general idea for the next one. If you read my other story - I do have a chapter for Fujin, but it's on a GHI book that I need to see if someone else managed to keep. Lost my copy with the last patch and Lord knows I'll never be able to rewrite it.