Jakko's Isle

“…Hey.” Spritzie evenly replied, none too happy to see her older brother.  She leered at the baby harness he wore around his chest, holding his baby daughter, Atalari.  “…Cowardly move, using a child as a shield, thinking it would protect you from my wrath.”

“…Can we talk?” Jakko asked.  “I promise, it won’t take long.”

“You have five minutes.” Spritzie said as she put her hands on her hips.

“…I’m sorry.” Jakko asked.  “I’m sorry for trying to control you.”

Spritzie’s face went from disdain to shock.  She wasn’t expecting to be hearing that today.

“I’ve been doing some thinking and…It’s just…You’ve always been my baby sister.  The one I gotta look out for.  The one I gotta protect.” Jakko said.  “And for the longest time…that was one of the few things I know I did right.  That was a big deal to a screw up like me.  I didn’t wanna let that go.”

The troll sighed.  “I remember when you ran off to the Broken Shore without me.  Same with Argus.  I was so pissed off that you didn’t even wait for me.  At first I thought it was Rikko’s death that was making you more distant, and that was probably part of it, sure, but more than that…it was because you were growing up.  You didn’t…you didn’t need me watching your back anymore.  You didn’t need me anymore.  And…that hurt me.  More than I thought it would.”

The troll sniffled.  “Sorry, I…uh…and the reason you were so pissed at me is cuz I couldn’t or wouldn’t see that.”

He took a deep breath.  “Spritzie…I love you.  I care about you.  And I’m always gonna watch out for you.  But…I can’t tell you what to do anymore.  I need to let you be your own person, whoever that ends up being.”

Spritzie was silent for a few long seconds, honestly not sure what to say.  She sighed and stepped aside.  “Come on in...”

Jakko obliged and stepped inside Spritzie’s home.  “Man.  Got your own place and everything, huh?”

“Eeeyup.” Spritzie said as she closed the door behind her.  “…I’m sorry too.”

“You are?” Jakko asked as he took a seat at the dining room table.

“Rikko’s death DID affect me.” Spritzie said as she took a seat opposite from Jakko.  “For the longest time, it was the three of us.  The three adventurers.  But after his death…I dunno…I guess I just needed time alone.  And then the Battle for Lordaeron happened…”

The goblin sighed.  “…I was angry.  At you.  At the Alliance.  At everyone.  I’ve lost so much and…I felt like SOMEONE needed to pay for it.  I didn’t even care who, just someone, anyone.  Wasn’t until I met Vozul that I started feeling like…like ME again.”

“I dunno about that.” Jakko said.  “You’re still pretty angry.  Definitely more angry than you used to be.”

“…I know.” Spritzie admitted.  “…I dunno if that anger will ever go away.”

“It’ll fade.” Jakko said.  “It’ll take a long time, but eventually, you’ll get tired of it.”

Spritzie and Jakko shared a look.  She knew he was right.  She sometimes forgot that Jakko was no stranger to loss either.  The fact that he hardly brought up Hadra anymore was a testament to the fact that he moved on.

“…Speakin’ of Vozul, you’ll be happy to hear that she and I buried the hatchet.” Jakko reported.

“Yeah, what WAS your beef with her anyway?” Spritzie asked.

“How about the fact that she’s an idiot?” Jakko asked back.

“So?  I hated her for being stupid too, but I got over it.  You though?  You took that shit PERSONALLY.” Spritzie pointed out.

“That’s because I did.” Jakko replied.  “I was…jealous of her.  You and her are practically inseparable.  Reminded me of how WE used to be, yanno?”

“Yeah well, like you said, I’m growing up.” Spritzie said.  “I’m not that little girl who looked up to her big brother anymore.  And I never will be again.”

“…I know.” Jakko replied, sadly.

“Instead, I’m the woman who looks at her big brother as an equal.” Spritzie said.  “You don’t need to protect me anymore, Jakko.  You and me?  We’re on the same level now.  I just wanted you to acknowledge that.”

“Well…I’m acknowledging it now.” Jakko replied.

“Good.” Spritzie said.  “Cuz you shouldn’t be wasting your protective instincts on me.  You’ve got someone in your life now who needs it way more than I do.”

“Who?” Jakko asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Spritzie said as she pointed to Atalari.  The little troll babe had been asleep in the harness the whole time.  She was like her mother - a heavy sleeper who could probably sleep through a blizzard.

“Oh.” Jakko replied, chuckling at his own stupidity for a moment.  “…Saurfang rallied his rebellion just a few days after she was born.  I marched with him because I realized - I wanted to make the Horde better for her.  Better than what Sylvanas was turning it into.”

He looked his baby sister dead in the eye.  “…I was afraid I was gonna have to fight you.  Cuz I knew you were a loyalist.  I was relieved to see you at Razor Hill.”

He paused.  “…You nevah told me what made you change your mind.”

Spritzie paused and drummed her fingers against her arm.  She finally sighed.  “…Once we got word that the rebels and the Alliance were marching on Orgrimmar, the first thing I did was try to find you.  But I couldn’t.  Not in Pyrewatch, not in Orgrimmar.  I never found you.  Instead all I found were death guards arresting people for speaking out against Sylvanas, goblins burning paper trails, and a lot of scared people.  And that’s when I realized where you really stood...”

“…You couldn’t do it.” Jakko said.  “Even after everything, you couldn’t fight the rebels.  Not if I was one of them.”

“…I hopped on Liam and told the death guards I was gonna do a scouting run over Razor Hill.  I joined up with the rebels once I landed.” Spritzie said.  “It…helped, seeing all the Heroes of the Horde there.  Thrall.  Saurfang.  Baine.  Made me feel like maybe I WASN’T making the wrong decision.”

“…It’s still a miracle that the war ended so…bloodlessly.” Jakko said.  “The Loa, the Titans, the Light….I dunno, somebody threw Azeroth a bone that day.”

“And now N’zoth’s gone too…” Spritzie said.

“So what now?” Jakko asked.

“Well, Sylvanas is still out there.” Spritzie said.  “And I dunno about you, but I’m not exactly inclined to let someone get away with shouting ‘The Horde is Nothing’ in front of about a million loyal Hordies.”

“You’re gonna hunt her down?” Jakko asked.

“If the Horde asks us too?  You bet yer ass.” Spritzie replied with a smirk.  “…I could use some help.”

At that moment, Atalari woke up and started making noises, a bit grumpy after waking up from her nap.  Jakko lifted the baby out of her harness and began cooing at her to calm her.  “I dunno, Spritz…” he said.  “I’m a family man now.  Not sure if I can drop everything and go kick the bad guys’ asses like I used to.”

“…Really?” Spritzie asked.  “You spend what, two years pining for the partnership we used to have and now that I’m givin’ it to you, yer turnin’ me down?”

“That was BEFORE I knocked up my mate.” Jakko said.  “I’m surprised you’re not begging to be Atalari’s godmother, by the way.  Weren’t you always the one trying to get me dating because you liked the idea of a little troll baby calling you ‘Auntie Spritz?’”

“Oh like you’d make anyone else the godmother.” Spritzie replied with a roll of her eyes.

“I dunno.  Teka might be interested in the role.” Jakko said.

“Teka doesn’t count.  She’s EVERYONE’S godmother.” Spritzie pointed out.

Jakko cackled at that.  Spritzie cackled right back.  It was the first time in years they were able to share a Boomsprocket-patented cackle.  “…Hey Jakko?”

“Yeah?” Jakko asked.

“Promise me something.” Spritzie said.

“Anything.” Jakko said.

“…Don’t do to Atalari what you did to me.” Spritzie said.

“What?” Jakko asked.

“Yanno - When Atalari’s a teenager and starts dating and getting tattoos and shit?” Spritzie asked.  “Don’t be one of those super-overprotective fathers, because I promise, she IS gonna hate your guts for it.”

“…”

“Jakko!”

“What?  I’m thinkin’ about it.” Jakko said.

Spritzie cackled again at that.  Atalari started laughing as well.  Spritzie walked over to Jakko’s seat and Jakko, knowing what his sister wanted and trusting her with it, handed the baby to the goblin.  Spritzie smiled down on the little troll.

“Don’t worry.” she assured the baby.  “Grim and me will smuggle you the good kush while you’re lame-o dad isn’t looking.”

“Please don’t put degenerative thoughts in my daughter’s head.” Jakko said.

“You handed me the baby.  You knew the risks.” Spritzie shot back.  “I’m gonna get her tattoos, and teach her how to use a gun, and nothing you do is gonna stop me.”

Jakko cackled at that.  So did Spritzie.  So did Atalari.

The Alliance had sacked Dazar’alor.  First, they faked an attack from Nazmir, luring away the bulk of the Zandalari and Horde armies, leaving the harbor nearly defenseless.  Second, they somehow destroyed what ships remained in the harbor - witnesses say the ships just blew up for no damn reason, leading most to suspect sabotage.

The Alliance made landfall in the harbor, slaughtering anyone and anything that was too slow or stupid to get out of their way as they stormed their way up to the pyramid.  There, they did the unthinkable.

They killed King Rastakhan.

By that point, the Horde had finally returned to the city.  They were able to chase the Alliance forces back out to sea, but the damage was already done.  The God King was dead, and the Golden Fleet had been gutted like a fish.  The Alliance now stood with the superior naval force, and the Horde’s odds of winning the Battle for Azeroth just got a lot slimmer.

Jakko reached checked his watch.  She’s late.  That didn’t surprise him.  Punctuality had never been Spritzie’s strong suit, and that was back when they were on speaking terms.

Ever since the Battle for Lordaeron, Spritzie…changed.  That sweet, cheerful young goblin was gone.  She lost too much that day.  She became harder.  More ruthless.  Started picking up bad habits like drinking and picking fights for no damn reason.  Her bad attitude got her kicked out of two guilds, and the last time they spoke was months ago, and that wasn’t so much speaking as it was yelling and screaming.

I’m sorry, Rikko.  Jakko promised his brother, minutes before his death, that he would look after their family.  Lately, he was failing.  Miserably.

Jakko’s ears twitched as he heard a voice he hadn’t heard in weeks.  He looked over and saw Spritzie outside the Hot House, instructing a devilsaur and a large spider to stay put outside while she went in.  Gone were the goblin’s childish pigtails and in their place was a sweeping hairstyle held in place with a skull pin.  She wore armor that was black as night with a skull emblem on the belt.  Jakko was sensing a theme.  Strapped to her back was her old sniper rifle, a wolf-slayer model, souped up to double as a shotgun through the miracle of goblin technology.  She didn’t even look at Jakko as she took a seat next to him at the bar and ordered a drink.

“Surprised you showed up.” Jakko said.

“I was thinkin’ of blowin’ you off.” Spritzie replied.  “But your letter made you sound so fuckin’ pathetic that I had to come and see for myself just how deep in the gutter you are.”

That surprised Jakko.  He had kept the letter brief.  He only said that a lot had happened in the last few weeks and that there were some things that Jakko and Spritzie needed to talk about.  Spritzie must’ve inferred Jakko’s desperation from the simple fact he bothered to reach out at all.  It unnerved him, seeing how perceptive she really was.

The troll tapped his finger on the table as an awkward silence hovered between them.  “So…what’ve you been up to lately?” he asked, unsure of how else to begin the discussion.

Spritzie paused in thought, taking a moment to digest Jakko’s question.  Then she smiled like a cat in a canary cage.  “Well, lately I’ve been in Darkshore a lot.  Guess those night elves didn’t quite get the message the first time we kicked their asses.”

“Yeah, it’s almost like destroying their city pissed ‘em off or somethin’.” Jakko quipped.  You fucking dumbass - you need her help and you think NOW is a good time to be a snarky dick?

“In that case, YOU should be as pissed off as they are.” Spritzie pointed out.  She jerked a thumb outside.  “Don’t know if you noticed, but the Alliance kinda kicked your race’s ass in a major way.  Don’t tell me you’re not itchin’ for a little payback.”

Jakko had to admit, Spritzie had a point.  Jakko remembered being awe-struck the first time he set foot in Dazar’alor.  A living, breathing, thriving city of trolls.  He never thought that such a thing could exist outside of history and legend.  Seeing the City of Gold in all its splendor made him think that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for the troll race.  Hope that they could one day become something more than just a collection of survivors stubbornly clinging to the edge.

Hope that the Alliance tried to destroy.  He was there, with his mate Vorz’ka, in the Zoccalo when the Alliance attacked.  Mole machines erupted from the ground and Dark Iron poured out, terrorizing the people, looting anything that wasn’t nailed down and setting fire to anything that was.  It was a miracle the Horde showed up when it did to take back the Zoccalo before Alliance forces could do too much damage.  From what he heard, the docks weren’t as lucky.

The Zandalari didn’t even do anything wrong.  Not this time, at least.  Their only crime was asking the Horde for help.  For the first time since this stupid war started, Jakko found himself truly, genuinely angry at the Alliance.

But he was even angrier at Sylvanas.

“If Sylvanas hadn’t started this war, the Alliance would’ve never attacked Dazar’alor in the first place.” Jakko growled.  “The Alliance killed Rastakhan, but she was the one who put the target on his back.”

“Oh, don’t even TRY to spin this to make it look like Sylvanas’s fault!” Spritzie snapped.  “The Alliance kills trolls so often, they use troll sweat to grease their war machines!  Dazar’alor was just another Tuesday for them!”

“Then how come they didn’t wanna attack Zandalar until WE came here?!” Jakko snapped back.  “Everything the Alliance has done was because SHE pissed THEM off!  SHE’S the reason we’re in this mess to start with!”

“The Alliance hate us!” Spritzie ranted.  “Remember Stormheim?!  The Burning Legion was lookin’ to destroy BOTH factions, but that wasn’t enough to kill the Alliance’s hate boner for us, judgin’ from the way they merrily bombed our fuckin’ fleet!  THEY’RE the reason we went to Zandalar - because we needed a new fleet to replace the one THEY blew up!”

“Oh, they hate us.  Okay.  Well.  Here’s an idea.  LET’S BURN DOWN THEIR WORLD TREE!  THAT’LL MAKE ‘EM NOT HATE US!  GREAT PLAN, SYLVANAS!”

“War was inevitable!  Ever since we figured out what Azerite was, it was only a matter of time until war broke out over the stuff!  Sylvanas was just smart enough to get in the first punch!”

“War was inevitable?  Really?  With Anduin ‘Let’s all just hug it out’ Wrynn as High King?  Gimme a break.”

“Two things - first off, Anduin’s not as much of a goody-two-shoes as he lets on.  Call it a gut feelin.’  Second, look at all the Alliance leaders who DO hate us!  Greymane!  Whisperwind!  Fuckin’ Proudmoore!  And you think they’re all gonna lay down their arms just cuz some teenage pretty boy tells ‘em to?  That’s NOT how it’s gonna go down and you KNOW IT!”

Jakko groaned.  “Fucking…okay, look, I don’t want to argue with you on this.”  Political arguments like these were part of the reason Spritzie cut communication for so long.

“Ah, so you’re giving up then?” Spritzie asked with a smirk.

“No, I’m-“

“You said ‘I don’t wanna argue with you on this.’  Which I know is Jakko-speak for ‘I’m wrong and you’re right, I just don’t wanna admit it.’”

“Can we PLEASE just-“

“No!” Spritzie snapped.  “Not until you admit that I won the argument!”

“Look, I just want-“

“Oh my gold, you can’t even admit that YOU’RE WRONG!!!”

Spritzie was now standing on top of the bar stool, giving Jakko the most hateful glare he’d seen since…well, the last time they had an argument like this one.  “…THIS is why I cut you out of my life.  THIS is why Akivani left you, and it’s why Vorz’ka’s gonna leave you too one day.  It’s because you’re arrogant.  It’s because you think you know what’s best for everybody.”

She paused, then shook his head.  “I came because I thought maybe you finally swallowed some of that fuckin’ pride of yours.  I shoulda known better.”  With that, she hopped off and began storming her way out.

Nice going, you stupid asshole.  You just couldn’t do it, could you?  You just couldn’t NOT be a piece of shit for five fuckin’ minutes, huh?  The fuck is wrong with you?  How many times do you have to do this shit before you realize that doing this shit is a bad idea?  You are letting EVERYONE down, you STUPID, SELFISH, WORTHLESS-

“Vorz’ka’s pregnant!” Jakko called out before Spritzie could reach the exit.

The goblin turned around and looked over her shoulder.  “…What?” she asked.

“…Vorz’ka’s pregnant.” Jakko said again, quieter this time.  “I…I need your help, Spritz.”

Spritzie turned back towards Jakko and stared him down.  “…Help with what?”

“Shiverblood’s not payin’ enough.” Jakko said.  “Not enough to feed three.  I…I heard you was with Firebrand now, right?  Pay’s good?”

“Yeah.  So whaddaya want?” Spritzie pressed, running low on patience.

“…I need you to put in a good word for me.  I need a job with Firebrand.” Jakko said.  “Please.”

Spritzie stared down Jakko for a good few seconds.  She then sighed.  “…I’ll talk to the boss about it.” she said.  “If I get you an interview, it’ll probably be at our office in Orgrimmar.  Ask for Tamani Tightclamps, she’s our hiring manager.”

“Thanks, Spritz.” Jakko said.

“Don’t thank me.” Spritzie replied.  “I’m not doin’ this for you.”

On that note, she turned and left the Hot House.  Jakko sighed as he rubbed his face with his hands.  Okay.  He’ll have an interview.  That’s…something, he guessed.  All he had to do was not fuck it up.