Gems and Giants

[Cabriel]

Silvermoon presented its usual face, a beaten woman covering her scars with cosmetics and perfume, hoping no one would notice. Halsted squawked beneath Cabriel, which earned the great bird a playful scratch at the back of it's pink feathered head. Streets were swept clean before them, dry in the cool winter noonlight. Cabriel looked, puzzled, at the intersection of two tree-lined avenues. One of these was correct. Not that the other was INCORRECT, of course, just that it wouldn't lead him to his destination. He forced the intruding thought away.

That one, he suddenly remembered. Cherry blossoms would have frosted those trees had it been spring. He smiled awkwardly at the thought, pushing back his sense of nostalgia for the city. It's better that he address the task at hand and be on his way. He was a busy, busy person.

Halsted's talons clicked against the smooth cobblestones. Cabriel once again went over his mental script, hoping against hope that she would be at home. Part of him, a small part, felt a twinge of guilt for needing to enlist help in this minor quest, but the stakes at hand were unusually high, and Cabriel hated to lose.

"The little bugger can't have gotten far..."

The muted sunlight cast strange shadows across the facade of the estate's main villa. Carved columns took on the masks of grotesques in the intruding darkness, but it was only an illusion. Fitting.

He dismounted and carefully tied Halsted's reins to a brass post. Cabriel straightened his shoulders, licked his lips, and proceeded to the great doors.

"C'mon, Ninorra. Be home."

[Ninorra]

"No! No! Bad dog!" Ninorra shouted, as she ran back and forth between the main room and the kitchen. In the doberman's mouth was a very brightly dyed piece of underwear, which she worried might have already been ruined by her wayward pet. "Put that down! You! Stop!"

Sitting on the sofa, Damian watched his mother run to and fro. He clapped his hands, enjoying the spectacle, giggled bubbling from his mouth. If it werent for the fact that her expensive panties were being mauled, Ninorra would have enjoyed the sight.

"Please, I just bought those..!" She moaned, when the dog suddenly dropped them to the floor in favor of his food dish. Ninorra snatched them up, when the doorbell rang.

Putting the matter of her disobedient pet behind her, the warlock unloked the front door and smiled brightly at the sight of Cabiel.

"Well hello there, Cabriel! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

[Cabriel]

"Panties! You shouldn't have. I have plenty, so if you'd like to keep those for yourself, please be my guest," he beamed. Ninorra laughed it off, tossing the stray undergarments aside and ushering him inside. The foyer was cold, fragrant with the delicious aroma of something baking.

No, Cabriel sniffed. Burning.

"Um, I'll tell you in a second. You'd better check whatever it is you're baking. It's...getting crispy,"

[Ninorra]

"Crispy? Why what could be--, my muffins!!"

Ninorra's face had a special way of going from perfectly delighted, to perfectly horrified. She ran back toward the kitchen, and yanked open the oven with her bare hand. Having grown used to the feel of open flames in her hands, she never did enjoy having her skin seared by hot metal. Yelping once, she made a motion as if to strangle the muffins inside, but opted to use a pair of oven mitts to retrieve them instead.

They resembled tiny black mountains.

"...that dog is making it very hard for me to love him."

[Cabriel]

Cabriel followed Ninorra into the expansive kitchen, trying very hard to not wrinkle his nose at the acrid smell of blazing muffins. He bounced Damien once in the air, catching him and holding him lightly at his hip. The baby giggled and settled in.

"Nah, that's what animals are for. And when you have no other choice, they're great stand-ins for experimentation. I mean, it's not always EASY to find a willing participant,"

Cabriel raised an eyebrow in contemplation, then lowered it.

"ANY-way, I need some help. Recently I was...saddled with this thing. This, child. I did some work with the Argent Tournament for a bit, raising funds for some transumutation supplies I desperately needed. Strange bunch of people. I suppose its some strange custom, but I awoke one morning and there was this...little...thing. Child. Orc. He just stood there, mouth breathing,"

Cabriel set Damien onto the floor, where the child promptly grabbed the hound's collar and was spirited off into another room, cackling madly.

"I have no idea where he came from. It seems that the Tournament has some in-house charity or something. Squires, they're calling them. I didn't ask for him...they just kind of...left him. Ugly little brat, too. Buggy eyes, drooly, slack-jawed. I don't know if that's cause he's full-on retarded, or if that's just what orc kids always look like, but, BorkBork is one piece of work,"

Ninorra stared.

"BorkBork. That's his name. I asked him what I needed to call him, and it's just the...sound he made. BorkBork. Like a hiccup and a belch. Anyway, there he was, looking all empty-headed and dumb, and everywhere I went, he followed. SERIOUSLY. I would take a flying mount to remote places to, um...well, just to, yanno, do whatever. And he'd SHOW UP. Had no idea how. Just...turned around and THERE was BorkBork, picking his nose and looking all happy about it."

Cabriel sighed heavily, dropping onto a stool.

"So, yeah. BorkBork. He's lost. I think I must have left the back door open or something, and the little bastard ran off. I need to find him,"

Cabriel sighed again.

"I really need to find him. Soon."

[Ninorra]

"Ohhhh dear..." The warlock sighed, leaning against her countertop. A runaway child was one thing, but, a runaway orc child? Thinking back, she tried to remember the last time that she had ever seen one. Shattrath, it had been. She generally did not travel to Orgrimmar, and never came near their orphanage anyway.

"I suppose the thing to do would be to track down the little thing," she said calmly, drumming her long red talons against the marble. "I don't suppose he's left a trail? Footprints, maybe? Your felhound would be ideal in sniffing him out. Orc children are, I've heard, not the cleanliest. And the residual smell of fel taint from his ancestors would be more than enough for your felhound to follow."

[Cabriel]

Cabriel's jaw opened once, then closed. He seemed to mull the idea over for a split second, then violently shook his head.

"That's just the thing. I've kind of...well, aside from Abanip (who I just cannot get rid of)..I've kind of been, um...NOT calling upon my, er, 'friends',"

He cleared his throat.

"After all the mess last year with the strange transformations really shook me up, so I've kind of sworn it off. Well, as much as is possible. So, Gzaad isn't going to work here. I also don't trust demons when they're out of my sight. Too much havoc to wreak, and I just won't do it anymore,"

Ninorra nodded.

"But not that it matters much. Gzaad wouldn't work here, MOSTLY for the reason that I need to retrieve the little snot in the first place,"

Cabriel crossed his legs.

"We haven't seen much of each other for awhile. I've tried to keep in touch, but my research has taken me very far away. I'm working on some really high-level things. At the moment, I'm trying my damndest to join the ranks of the Royal Apothecary Society by opening some of my older research to them for study. It's nothing of real consequence. I'm really letting those crusty bastards go through my old logs because I'm hoping to ingratiate myself, and put them in my debt. I need their resources, not to mention their facilities. What I'm working on right now is...huge. I can't be open about it, totally, except to tell you it involves some highly advanced transmutation techniques..."

Cabriel looked up at Ninorra.

"The end result of which, I hope...well. I hope results in an artificially-created gemstone that cloaks the fel energy that surrounds...people like us."

He looked to her, almost scared to see her reaction.

[Ninorra]

"Cloaks?" She repeated, her mind buzzing with possibilities. Since becoming a dutiful wife and mother, she'd put her old ambitions behind. Before Damian, she would eagerly use her husband's resources, combined with her own inhibitions, to do things that most would have considered objectionable. Her little creation, Galitea, along with the trapped soul of her brother, were both reminders of what could happen if she allowed hersef to dabble too long in such matters.

Clutching the red gemstone that hung from a golden chain around her neck, she tried to remember her brother's voice. It echoed faintly in her memory.

"What is it you intend to do with the gemstone, if it works? Hide what we are?"

She had meant it to sound less than accusing, because the idea truly fascinated her. Selash's wife's reaction to her was not the first time she had been shunned, either because of her inborn ability with demons, or because of her distaste for wanting more of it.

"Could you even?"

[Cabriel]

He didn't miss the burning look in Ninorra's eyes; the way they flared red momentarily in curiosity. It made Cabriel nervous.

True, the power he'd...enjoyed...the last few years had it's advantages. Yet the drawbacks were severe. That same power had almost permanently disfigured him in a time that, still, seem so recent to him. Fel energy was misunderstood, in Cabriel's opinion. It was simply energy - not good or bad - just like any other kind of energy. A scientific mind understood that. Energy traveled down the path of least resistance, and, unfortunately for some, fel energy tended to be easier to wield than its arcane or natural counterparts. It's properties were astounding, but a magic easy to use often attracted those that...well, Cabriel could term them as weak-willed, or power-hungry. To say the least, most who used it did not truly understand it - only the quick rush of power it so freely gave.

He explained all this to Ninorra, placing great emphasis on his theory that demonic energy could be split into it's respective parts - what some scientific minds were calling "waves and particles". Use of extreme temperatures and pressures were a part of it. Willpower, another. Thirdly, a receptacle.

"So, much in the same fashion that mages of the Kirin Tor have been imbuing certain natural gemstones and precious metals with specific energies, I believe I've found a way to not only harness and separate the components of fel energy, but utilize them to, well...to temporarily nullify the aura that surrounds those of us who make everyday use of the stuff. Think of it like a bath - each day, you bathe away the accumulated dirt and dust on your skin, in your hair. You rinse it from your mouth, clean it from inside your ears...all that. If my theory is correct, a certain quantity of the 'waves' of fel energy can be used in the same way. It's not a permanent solution. Not yet, at least. But, it would have it's advantages. For me...socially and academically,"

He took a deep breath, as if to say something further, but stopped short.

"So I suppose the possibilities are endless, once I'm able to further experiment and get into some real trials. Problem is...I can't do those trials without the gems themselves..."

He swallowed.

"Which are sewn, all two hundred of them, into the lining of BorkBork's clothing."

[Ninorra]

"Oh Cabriel.." Ninorra sighed, her fingers rubbing circles into her temples. "You have gotten yourself into a mess, haven't you? I suppose it would do no good to ask why you decided to hide them on the boy, of all things.."

The swirling red gemstone swung back and forth from her throat. The color was identical to her eyes, which she had often wished could be changed, if only to look the same as others.

"You know.. I am thinking that I would appreciate learning with you. If we had known what you are discovering now, perhaps my brother might still be here. Your research could help many, although I hardly approve of your desire to work for the RAS.. they are known villains, and have few redeeming qualities."

Ninorra glanced behind her to watch Damian, her mother's heart aching with love for a boy who might have to endure the same problems that she had.

"..never the less, it would be beneficial research. I will help you find Bork Bork. Do you have any objections to me using my own felhound? He is still lovingly loyal. Provided you have something that smells of the little orc, I'm sure we will be able to find him."

[Cabriel]

"Well, it's like you said, I can't trust the Royal Apothecary Society, so it made absolute sense to hide them on BorkBork. He's a filthy, drooling little carbuncle. Who would ever suspect?"

Cabriel straightened himself and stood up. He affected a haughty face, partly in jest and partly to cover his distaste at Ninorra's suggestion of using the demonic beast.

"If you FEEL you MUST, go ahead and use the hound. It'll be interesting to see if the cursed thing can pick up on the brat while he's 'cloaked'. The stones are extremely unstable in their current state. My work to stablilize them was put on hold when, uh...something came up. So that's another reason we need to find BorkBork soon. The stones could...well...they could implode. Or explode. Or release their energy all at once. Really, there's no way to tell. This is kind of the first batch. Again, it'll be interesting to see what happens."

[Ninorra]

"Oh dear.." She murmured, taking a small circle around the living room as a way of gathering her senses. Damian's laughter caught her attention, and before proceeding, she made sure to sit him on the sofa and shoo the dog outside. "Alright, I'll summon him in here. I don't really know what the dog would do, if they were in the same room together. You'll have to pardon his odor, as you know, they're not the most hygenic of demons.."

After giving her son a few reassuring kisses, the warlock cleared her throat and murmured a few low notes. They ascended in her throat, until eventually, they became a series of musical scales. Her voice sounded different from usual; gravelly, husky, and low. By the time she reached her second scale, a portal opened out of thin air, and an enormous creature crept forward, it's sickly red tongue hanging from his mouth. By the time he reached his master, she stopped singing, and the portal disappeared.

"Good boy," she said gently, giving her felhound an affectionate pat on his head. Damian clapped his hands from the sofa, looking happy and undisturbed.

[Cabriel]

The tiny hairs on the backs of Cabriel's hands stood at attention, each minute portion of them humming with the familiar electric buzz. He tamped down hard on the cravings his body had for the summoning energies. It was as if each pore yawned open and screamed out for more.

He held himself steady, flicking two unsure eyes over at Ninorra. She began to sing, closing her beautiful eyes in rapture. Cabriel quickly dove into the inner pocket of his frock coat and withdrew a small vial. With mechanical movements, he popped the crystal stopper out and held its tiny spoon to his nose. Quickly sniffing, he swallowed hard and in an instant, the vial and it's precious contents vanished back into his coat.

Snorting the infinite dust was the opposite of an epiphany. Instead of his thoughts solidifying in the middle of his conscious mind, they all exploded outward from the center of his brain, like bystanders from the epicenter of a disaster. His body flooded with divine sweetness, forgetting all pain and bathing in an eternal pool of effervescent liquid energy. When his thoughts returned, he could order them more efficiently; place them where they belonged. The infinite dust was more than a way to awaken his body; it was a method in which he organized his mind.

His eyes fluttered and flared, the natural green light arguing with the violet emanations of Ninorra's portal. He squeezed them shut, riding the crest of the infinite wave, and tears spilled out over his bottom lid.

He opened them, watery blur giving way to a more crisp version of reality. There Ninorra knelt, caressing her hellish hound. Cabriel smiled, probably too largely, ignoring the sparks sizzling along all his nerve endings.

"So, we begin?"

[Ninorra]

"Yes, we begin," she murmured, glancing back toward Damian. She and the toddler exchanged glances, as if they had a secret between them. Standing to pick him up, she bounced her sun in mid air to make him smile, and approached the stairs. "I'm going to have to leave Damian with Talion, if he's alright with it. If you can, find something that would smell of your boy, and give it to the hound. Whatever you have should be fine."

In reality, she needed a moment away from Cabriel to gather her own thoughts. She'd been distracted by the summoning, and was unable to watch her fellow demonologist; but she had her suspicions, and the sparkling residue on his face seemed a bit thicker than usual. It was either some sort of fashion statement, which she would not find surprising, or he was huffing enchanting supplies.

Well, I'll just keep an eye on the poor dear, she thought to herself as she brought Damian to his nephew. Gods know what he's been through that he'd even think of doing glow.

[Cabriel]

Dusk had fallen, a silk coverlet across the land, by the time Ninorra and Cabriel reached the Shepherd's Gate. The stone sentinel guarding the city leered perversely down at them, or at least at Cabriel. The glow was beginning to ebb, which always placed the elf into a state of near-extreme paranoia. His sensitive eyes picked up flickering lights within Eversong Woods - small needfires, the green and gold jewels of animal eyes, fireflies - and it sent his skin crawling. He tried to divert his attention away from it.

"So, uh. The, uh...the kid. BorkBork. The kid. He was with me when I was in Undercity. That's when he got loose. I've already searched that place HIGH and LOW, to no avail. He's not there, if he's anywhere,"

Ninorra's felhound had taken BorkBork's scent from an old sackcloth bag the child had carried Cabriel's reagents in for a time, and the demon had long fled Silvermoon, leaving not a trace of it's presence, save a foul odor. The two had decided to ride out to see if BorkBork had traveled toward Silvermoon, as awed by the grand city as he was the first time Cabriel had taken him there.

"Kids love the woods, right? Catching lightning bugs...all that. Woods. Kids LOVE the woods."

[Ninorra]

"Woods? I don't know.."

The woods were dangerous, especially considering how many minor zombies and ghouls still lurked about. The idea of a child, (even one as special as BorkBork), willingly running off to the woods did not make much sense. However, an unescorted orc child in Silvermoon nearly made less.

"Did little BorkBork have any friends in Silvermoon? I have seen an orc or two inside.. I wonder if perhaps he fled to them for.." Ninorra chose her words carefully. Cabriel seemed to be very itchy about the neck. "..safety?"