An man in a large-brimmed hat and a patchwork cloak sat on the zeppelin, isolated from the crowd of visitors who had decided that it was a good time to get to Orgrimmar. He looked at his pocket watch and sighed, putting it away. He rubbed his eyes under the hat and recalled Alaia, but most importantly her tears.
“What are you doing?” Alaia had asked, leaving her dough behind and giving him all her attention as she tried to understand his ideas.
“I’m going to Orgrimmar, find Laerchel, and order the Admiral’s death.” It all seemed normal and obvious to him, but he noticed that it wasn’t to her.
Her chin crumpled and when her mouth opened it took a few seconds for her to get her voice out and then it was even softer. "Why? Why can't it just be over now?" She tried to fight back tears, but a tear rolled down her cheek, which she ignored as she stared at him.
"Alaia..." He dropped to his knees and moved to her legs, looking up to her. "Alaia, please don't... It...it just isn't over. I would tell Ziggly to do it, but I don't know where he is and this has to be done rather quickly. Look, the sooner we get rid of him, the sooner it will be over." He reached up to touch her cheek. "I promise, lovely."
She didn't want to get upset but she stifled a stuttered little sob and a shudder wracked her thin shoulders. In a heartbeat she was out of her chair and on her knees in front of him, pushing into him and burying her face in his shoulder. She gripped so tightly at his shirt. "I don't want you to go," she choked out.
He wrapped his arms around her and sighed, kissing her head. "I won't take long. Two days max. I'm not the one who is going to kill anyone. I'm just going to find her. Nothing will happen to me."
She held onto him tighter, pushed into him harder as if she were trying to disappear in his arms. She had such a terrible feeling and let out the most shuddering sigh. "I think you should leave him alone. What if it stirs up more trouble? Or they replace him with someone worse? Just stay with me," she pleaded. "Please."
"Lovely, I'm only going to speak with Laerchel. I'll be well hidden. Then I'm out." He stared into her eyes and frowned. He hated to see her in pain. "I promise you will have me in your arms in two days after I leave. I will be safe, in one piece. I swear it on everything I have." He placed his hand on the little vial of seawater, sand and shells. "I swear it on my mother."
"I don't like it," she whispered as if it needed to be said. "It doesn't feel right. Not when Tia is still out there. She's the only one I'd worry about killing." She shuddered again and pressed her face into his shoulder.
"We'll get to her eventually. She's a little tricky. She's always aware of what's going on. But we'll get her. Baby steps, love. We'll get this Admiral out of the way and make our way up to Tia."
She snuggled into him a little and tried to pull his arms tighter around her as if she simply couldn't get close enough. "What if she was using him like she did you?" That had never dawned on her before and she doubted it was very likely but she was still doing her best to give him a reason not to go. Even if it was ridiculous.
"It doesn't matter, love. He could have told those beating me up to stop." He closed his eyes tightly and sighed. "They almost killed me because he allowed it, Alaia. I was almost dead!"
She did cry then, really cried; she pulled her hand from his shoulder to press it up over her face. She remembered very well the state he'd been in when they'd got to him; those images woke her up at night still. So she cried and for a moment she cried hard and gripped at him even tighter. "And I don't want them to get you again! I don't want them to have a reason to start looking for you! If he dies they're going to want to know why!" She was scared; really, truly scared and angry that he couldn't let it go so she didn't have to be scared. But her hold did not ease up, despite how hard she had begun to tremble.
He was startled to see her cry. His heart began to pound faster. "Love, they won't get me. I'm only going in and out. His death will be an accident. We'll make sure of that." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I will be back before the asshole dies. There will be no proof that I was in the city!"
Her face was buried in her hands by then to muffle the sounds of her weeping and while she seemed for a moment as if she might pull away when he hugged her she curled right into him. All she could just then was nod, she was crying too hard for anything else.
"I'll be back before you know it. Two days. I promise," he whispered again. "I'll make it up to you. Anything you want. You name it."
"I just want you," she whispered in a weak and wavering voice, her words broken with her efforts to stop crying. She forced herself to take a deep breath, it stuttered in and back out so slowly. "I won't say anything else."
He kissed her head and sighed, "You'll have me. In one piece. I’ll get someone to come stay with you." He tried to get off the ground.
Her brow furrowed as she slid back to let him up, her hands folding in her lap. "I don't need anyone."
"I can get the Kid or.... Gerty, I guess, to keep you company if you wish." He placed the hat on the table and fixed his long hair in a ponytail. "I don't want you to be alone."
Alaia shivered a little and pulled her knees up until she was nearly folded in half. Her arms wrapped around them and she seemed quite content to stay that way. "I can find my own company if I want it," she replied quietly, rubbing her cheek against her knee to wipe the tears away though her eyes were oh-so-slowly welling with them again.
Cris glanced at her but decided against saying anything to her remark. He nodded and looked down at the cloak. "Very well." He sighed and shook his head. "I'll work on the cloak." He kissed her head and slowly began to walk away into the bedroom.
It wasn’t long before Alaia walked into the bedroom with an old patchwork cloak and helped him create his disguise, as much as she hated the idea of him leaving. Nonetheless, he left that same afternoon.
Now, on the zeppelin, he wondered if she was right. He hated making her cry. In fact, it was something that he never wanted to do. The crowd onboard disrupted his thoughts as they shuffled to exit the airship. Cris sighed, made sure his costume was set, and he hobbled off the airship as well. He would make this quick. The sooner he found Laerchel, the sooner her could go back to his lover’s arms.
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