For the Whored Ch. 054

Elunara made a stop by the mage tower and then headed on down. She whistled her way along until she spotted Jordan, standing at the edge of the training yard. She wandered over to him.

"How's it going?" She smiled.

His face quirked, but he had his usual dour expression. "Renwa is finally getting what he's always wanted." He murmured.

"What's that?"

"A wife. A family." He rolled his shoulders.

"And what do you want?" She murmured.

"I never figured that one out." He whispered.

Her eyebrows raised; she considered. "You will never figure it out, if you don't try."

He shook his head. "I have tried plenty. Trying leads to disappointment."

She shrugged. "That's an awful depressing way to look at it. You're a good man Jordan; you're just stuck in a sorrow filled limbo. Until you try to break forward, you will always be stuck where you are." She patted him on the back and walked away.

He stared at her retreating form for a long time; watching her wrap her arms around Grogek. He looked away and stared at Tulani on the hill, the baby playing at her feet. With a sigh, he wondered if he should have left when he had a chance.

Elunara considered the pages in the hand. With a sigh she tucked them in the hidden compartment behind her books. She still hadn't heard back from Mathias and wasn't sure she would. A knock on the door surprised her. She opened the door and was even more shocked.

"Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah." Elunara couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Jordan in casual clothes.

She closed the door behind him and just stared.

"You didn't have any appointment I'm interrupting?"

"I'm not busy today. Is something wrong?"

He sighed and appeared to want something to do with his hands. "I'm not even sure why I came over today."

"Well, you obviously have something on your mind." She sighed. "Listen, how about a sketch? Just a normal portrait, while you figure out why you've come here."

"Yeah, I guess."

She sat him down in a chair in the center of the room, and then pulled out her board and began to work. "Don't worry about talking; just say what's on your mind."

"Well..." He hesitated. "Well, I don't know." He frowned. "Today was my day off, and I found myself here."

She shrugged. "It's nice to have a visit with a friend, I guess."

"You consider me a friend?"

"I'm still working out the definition myself, but I would say so."

"I guess I've been thinking about what you said."

"Oh?"

"That's what you did, isn't it?"

She stopped and stared.

He flushed. "I guess you were stuck in a bad place, but you moved past it."

She laughed. "Sweetie, I've never felt like I was in a bad place. I wasn't after changing my place; it just got changed for me. I wouldn't go back, if that's what you're asking."

"Are you happy?" He whispered.

"Supremely."

"Oh." He fidgeted.

She laughed again. "You sound unhappy."

He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know what I want."

"Jordan, for the longest time, I thought you were gay."

His eyes went wide.

"I thought that you had a crush on Renwa, and that you hated me because I captured his interests. Then I thought you were upset with me because I toyed with his emotions." She tapped her pencil on her board. "It was recently pointed out to me, that maybe my thoughts were misplaced."

"I..." He continued to gawk and then blushed. "I never understood you. Not one little bit. How could you give yourself to so many men? When Renwa, my friend, fell for you, I was just so angry how little you seemed to care for him. I was relieved when you disappeared. But he was so completely crushed that, yes I hated you for a time." Jordan straightened up. "We both know that Renwa is a diehard family man."

"Which is why I left. I wanted him to find someone else. I had no idea he'd latch on to a fantasy." She sighed.

Jordan's face was grim. "Neither did I." He shook his head. "Then you showed up again, and I just knew it would start all over. Then you brought back Grogek, and it was like you were throwing it in his face." He sighed. "But you changed. You... released Renwa from himself, and then you transformed." His expression was one of awe. "You became a different person and it was amazing to watch. I mean, yeah, there was that... day. But you single handedly changed this entire town into something amazing."

He shook his head as if coming out of a trance. "I watched Grogek, and then Tulani, and now Zelinnia." He gestured with his hands. "You reach out and you save them. You bring them here and you make them yours. You have this really cool little baby. He should be an abomination, but instead he's so damned cute."

She was having a devil of a time trying to capture all of Jordan's expressions. She laughed. "Jordan, what are you trying to tell me?"

"I love you." He froze as he realized what he'd just said. He stared down at his feet. "I mean..." He coughed and tried to stare past her. His entire face was flame red and he swallowed. "I mean, you're an amazing person. You do all these things for people, for no real reason, and yet you're completely terrifying when you're pissed off. Your wrath is not to be underestimated." He clapped his hands over his face. "I don't know what I'm doing here." He stood up and started to walk away.

"Jordan, stop." Elunara sat her board to the side and stood up. Placing a hand on his shoulder she sighed. "Don't run."

"I just told a married woman that I love her." He muttered. "I kind of have a right to run away."

"You can't run away from yourself. At some point you're going to have to figure out what you want."

"I can't have what I want." He snorted. "You have Grogek, and you have Tulani. I can't be one of your... customers." Jordan ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "And you're not some fantasy I can chase around."

"Well, I'd say you've gotten a good track going." She chuckled. "I love my husband, and I love my wife. I don't think you'd be happy trying to replace either. But, Jordan, there are always options that haven't been explored yet." She shook her head. "You need to figure out what would make you happy. Maybe it's not even me."

He ran the back of his fingers on her cheek. "Maybe it is." He whispered. His breathing sped up as he pressed his lips to hers.

Her responses were always expert, but even now she was so confused that she had no idea what to do.

His fingers brushed back into her hair and down her neck. He gripped her shoulders and pushed her back. "I have to go." He jogged to the door and yanked it open. The door closed quietly behind him.

"Oh, shit." Was all she could say as she flopped down into the chair.

That was where Tulani found her. "Is everything alright?"

"Jordan is in love with me."

"Oh, that again."

"No. He came in here and TOLD me he was."

Tulani dropped her basket. She scrambled to pick it up. "What?"

Darguni started making noises, and Elunara walked into his room and picked him up. "You should have heard him. It took me a few to pull it out of him, but then he started flooding."

Tulani shook her head. "What is there to do about it?"

"I don't know." She put Darguni with his toys. "I'm going to have to write down the conversation so I can analyze it." She picked up her board and started to work.

Grogek came in and put down his axe, sat down and pulled off his boots. He looked over at Elunara, still sitting on the bed. Curious, he yanked off his shirt and tossed it in the pile before heading over to look over her shoulder. "Jordan came back for a sitting? Or did you make up him smiling on your own?" '

"Jordan came by. He had a lot on his mind, it seems."

"Oh?"

"I got confirmation that he's in love with me."

"Really now?"

"He told me."

Grogek's eyes widened. "I'll be damned."

She sighed. "I know." She ran her fingers through her hair. "He doesn't wish to replace you, or Tulani, and he says he doesn't want to be just another customer. The best I managed to get out of him was that he won't go after what he wants, because he can't HAVE what he wants."

"That's a difficult situation to be in." Grogek sighed. He kissed her temple. "Knowing you, you'll either find him a girlfriend, or figure out where to put him in your life."

She looked up at him and frowned. "How are you ALWAYS so understanding in all of this?"

"Because I don't need to know where my place is in your heart. I know you, I see you. I have faith, that no matter how many people you let find room in there, I will always have the biggest and most important part."

She laughed. "One might consider that arrogant."

"Hey, I'm an Orc. Comes with the territory." He grinned.

"Yes, well, when you get naked, I want that Orc dick in me."

He raised an eyebrow. "One might consider that arrogant."

"That just makes the both of you perfect for each other." Tulani smiled as she closed the door to the baby's room. "While you're busy, I have a dress to sew."

Elunara knocked on Renwa's door.

"Enter!" He looked concerned as she closed the door behind her. "Did you hear from Mathias?"

"No, but I did hear from Jordan."

Zelinnia bit her lip. "What now?"

"You win, Zelinnia. Except instead of a simple crush, he's completely in love with me."

Her eyes went wide. "Oh my." She whispered.

Elunara sat on the edge of Renwa's desk. "I have no idea how to take this." She murmured.

"You? Are at a loss..." Renwa blinked. "Zelinnia, please mark this on my calendar, so that I may savor it while I'm not in shock."

"Oh, ha ha."

"Have you told Grogek?"

"You know his opinion... "Just tell me if I get to watch"."

Renwa shook his head. "Even I don't get that orc."

"Anyway, I thought you should know."

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter!"

A man stepped in. "I was told to get this to Elunara immediately."

She took the small package and passed the runner a coin. Untying the complicated knot, she unrolled the papers. "Well I'll be damned."

Renwa stood up. "What?"

"Kathleen's parents weren't killed by Horde. Her mother was training as my replacement and her husband her spotter." She filled through the documents. "No wonder this was sealed. They wanted a new me, one who would seduce her target and steal information. She trained on my papers, even tried to copy my techniques, but something went wrong. They were unable to recover the documents she had attempted to gather, but... She was going after the defias." She continued to browse the package. "Both were found with their throats slit, defias poison in the wounds. They had to be fished out of the fountain in Moonbrook."

"Looks like we need to have a conversation with the sibling duo."

Zelinnia sighed. "Can I just do paperwork?"

Renwa laughed. "I'd rather you not be present anyway."

They walked down into the jails.

Kathleen sat on the bench, obviously seething. Her bonnet and fan had been taken away, and instead of flounces and frills, she sat in a plain brown dress. Seeing Renwa, she flopped to her side and moaned. "Oh, please help me. No one will give me so much as a drink of water, and I'm allergic to this fabric, it's so itchy!" She sniffled.

"Sweetheart," Elunara snorted. "I need to give you acting lessons. Though, from the sound of it, I should have given your mother the acting lessons."

Kathleen bolted straight up. "You have no right to say ANYTHING about my mother!"

John held his hands over his ears. "Please don't get her started. I just had a moment of peace..." He whined.

"Since you're the more trustworthy of the two..." Elunara turned her attention to John. "Were you aware that your parents were trainees in the SI:7?"

He stared at her. "Bwuah?"

"They weren't JUST trainees!" Kathleen shrieked. "They were the best of the best!"

John blinked dumbly at her. "You knew about this?"

"You always were completely dense." She sneered. "Where did you think I got the papers? Those were mother's. She designed them herself." She gave a haughty sniff.

"Actually, those were MY papers. You twit." Elunara snorted. "Your mother broke into the files back at office. She was training to be my replacement so she felt she should have been allowed access."

"That's a lie and you now it!" Kathleen stomped her foot. "My mother was a GREAT spy! Better than you EVER were. She didn't need to sully herself with another man just to get information."

Elunara flipped to a page and held it up. "Here's a copy of the disciplinary action they took on her for breaking into the files. She did such a sloppy job of it; they debated on throwing her out." Elunara flipped the page again. "Here's where she lobbied for MY code name," She flipped the page again. "And here's the denial because she could not live up to it." Going back to the summary page she held it up. "Your parents were given ONE assignment together, against the Defias, one of the lowest ranking assignments, usually given out to new recruits," Elunara turned the page. "And here is where they got their throats slit for bungling it up."

"I think I'm going to be sick." John whimpered.

Kathleen gawked at the sheets of paper in Elunara's hand. "Lies! All of it!" She shrieked. "You fucked Mathias, so of course he'll do anything you say!"

Elunara raised her eyebrows and looked at Renwa. "Damn, I'm so good; even I don't remember that one."

Renwa bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Though..." Elunara looked back at Kathleen. "If Mathias is so easily controlled by his dick... wouldn't that topple the entire SI:7?" She cocked her head to the side. "I mean, I wouldn't want that kind of guy to be my superior officer. I wouldn't listen to him at all." Kathleen tried to snatch the papers, but Elunara was quicker. "But, then again, you wanted to try to control Renwa with HIS dick."

"I'm not a WHORE like you!"

Elunara shook her head. "No, you'll never be as good as I am. But, trying to control this town, by marrying Renwa, would have been the same damned thing. I'm not like you Kathleen, I actually respect men." She nodded to the guard.

He pulled out a key and unlocked the cell. John scrambled out like a man saved from certain death.

"Good Bye, Kathleen." Elunara rolled her papers up and grabbed John by the arm. "Let's go have a little talk."

Renwa turned to follow Elunara, but stopped and turned back. "Oh, Kathleen?"

"Yes?" She tried for innocent.

"You're invited to mine and Zelinnia's wedding. Under armed guard, of course." He smiled and turned away.

She started screaming obscenities.

"Might I recommend a gag?" John turned puppy eyes on Renwa.

"Bound and gagged it is." He nodded.

"You know I didn't mean Zelinnia any harm, right?" John wrung his hands. "Right?"

"Actually, we have something special in mind for you." Elunara smiled.

"We've been thinking that, living with that woman had to of been its own special brand of torture." Renwa nodded.

John seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"But, you're not out of the woods yet." Elunara smiled.

"No, first you much apologize to my future wife."

"Then you get to sit in the town square and decry your entire mess of lies."

"Then I'm free?" He whimpered.

"Free and duly humiliated." Elunara tapped a finger to her chin. "Granted, there's going to be a chunk of town who'd like to take it out of your hide." She smiled.

"Oh, I'll be nice and announce all to be forgiven... eventually." Renwa smiled as he pushed open the door to his office.

Elunara paused. "Would you like to know why we're doing it like this? Or even why we're being so nice?"

John nodded slowly.

"Because we've had someone spying on you who vouches that you're not a complete and utter louse." She shoved him in the door.

Zelinnia jumped up. "What the hell?"

John crawled on to his knees and clasped his hands together. "Please forgive me, I never meant you any harm. I know I said awful things but I didn't mean those either. I should have never touched you inappropriately and I promise on my life I will make it up to you, just tell me how. Anything is better than what I've been through... or done. I'll make it right, I swear." He laid his palms on the floor and banged his head into it. I'm so sorry, I'll fix it, I swear it."

"Uhhh." Zelinnia looked up at Renwa and Elunara, who stared at her expectantly.

"You can accept or deny, it is your choice." Renwa smiled.

"If you want me to disappear, I will hide on the other side of town and you will never have to see me again."

"Uh, okay I wouldn't go that far." Zelinnia sighed. "Look, you're a moron, but I also lived with someone I was terrified to defy. So... I guess I forgive you."

He hugged her legs. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Let go of me." She growled. "Touch me again and I will kick your teeth in."

"That's my girl." Both Renwa and Elunara said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Now," Elunara tugged John up by his collar. "You may or may not want to see the next part."

Zelinnia followed them with some curiosity as they marched John into the center of town. Many had already heard of John's arrest and were curious to see what was going on. John stood by the center fountain, and before long, the entire town was gathered around in a circle. Even Grogek had delayed today's training.

Renwa and Elunara stepped back beside Zelinnia.

"Hello, my name's John." He fidgeted in place. "I have come to tell you the truth." He swallowed. "

You see, some years ago, both of my parents were killed. We were told that it was due to a Horde attack of some sort, and ever questioned it. My sister, Kathleen never had a medical condition of any sort. One day she decided that... in order to land a strong husband that would take care of her, she would need to be frail. So, she concocted a scheme to land her a powerful husband. One day, I don't know why, she set her sights on General Renwa. She got a little crazy..." He hesitated and looked around. "okay, she went insane, when she discovered that Renwa and Elunara had a relationship. Deciding that a woman like Elunara could never stay still, she decided to wait her out. It was Kathleen's doing that I was shipped out here. I still don't even know how she did it."

He cleared his throat. "Seeing how Elunara had abandoned her relationship to take up with Grogek... Kathleen decided she was free to, uhh, win Renwa." He scratched his head. "To be honest, Kathleen has never made much sense in how she does things, but she left me out of it." He took a deep breath. "Then Zelinnia showed up and Kathleen went even deeper off the bend. She came to me with a plot to defame the Blood Elf, and get her removed as a traitor to the Horde. Quite frankly, Kathleen has always thought she was a spy, and that subtlety would lead her to what she wanted. I think she was just nuts. I tried reasoning with her a few times, to no avail. She had a nasty temper. Then one day, she brought me some papers." He shuddered.

"These papers, believed to have come from my parents, detailed torture techniques." His voice grew shaky and he wiped his mouth. "Specifically the mutilation of... male genitailia. She fully believed that she knew how to put these papers in use. I had no reason to doubt her. So, I played her foul little game. It was all childish bullshit anyhow, why not? But the longer it took, the madder she got. What was the point of spreading these ideas, if none of the people I told them to were willing to spread it? No one pisses of Elunara and gets away with it. I'm lucky she didn't find me sooner." He tugged at his shirt.

"Anyway, Kathleen thought herself a master spy, and with these papers, would secure the future she wanted." He laughed softly. "I spent many hours listening to "when I am Renwa's wife" and how she was going to get rid of people, change the town, all while making a dog out of General Renwa." He shook his head. "She would even make Renwa get rid of Elunara. Because once she was his wife, she would make him get rid of anything that displeased her." He shook his head and stared at his feet. Looking back up, his face was grim. "Then when she found out Zelinnia moved in with Renwa, she went through the roof."