#tiny blacksuns

"It'd be pretty crowded though, with all of us and two visitors. Luckily Kiera and Astalis are out at Halfhill, staying a couple days to do some trading, get some supplies," Fendien commented, pouring three squat cups of tea from the pot sitting idle on the table.

Taking a seat, Keleros continued to study the children as the others spoke; his forearm rested upon the table, finger tapping. "If we had to, I'm sure Chasz and I could find somewhere else to stay nearby. This place is hardly inhospitable."

Chaszmyre for her part could hardly keep her attention off the children or on the conversation. She watched Jespere and Seinne waddle after the little bird, Seinne's flower mostly smooshed against her face to keep smelling as they went.

When the bird stopped, both of them dropped to the floor and laid on their sides until Chaszmyre rose to wind the bird up again. "That's true, maybe next time we'll do that," she finally added, looking to the other adults as she retook her seat.

Fendien simply shrugged. "We'd make it work, for you. But it sounds like it's going to be a while, til next time." He looked between both of them, his expression grave, though not entirely disapproving.

Chuckling, Kel shrugged a shoulder half-heartedly. "What's a man to do? I can hardly pass up the chance to see what's being offered across the portal. That, and I have an obligation. Chasz here...well, she's just too bloody stubborn to see reason." He waggled his eyebrows at her with his last words.

Rolling her eyes and trying to look indignant did nothing to prevent a bit of color in Chaszmyre's cheeks. "That isn't all of it," she murmured, looking more soberly to Fendien. "You should see the portal, and what's pouring out of it. The Blasted Lands truly aren't far from Quel'thalas. Who knows how far this invasion can spread if it's not stopped."

She bit her lip, knowing how often she'd used those words and how many more times she'd say the same thing. "I just want them to be safe, if I can do something, I will." She dipped her head to look at the depths of her teacup.

With a light chuckle at Keleros' assessment of the situation, Fendien kept otherwise quiet, watching Chasz and listening to her answer. "You're doing what you think is right. Finally," he finally added with an unreadable expression. "I'd be going too, if it weren't for them," he tilted his head to his niece and nephew and got up to revive the lot of them by re-winding the bird.

"For the greater good, hm?" Kel's words were almost wistful, eyes back on the children as they began to chase the bird once more across the room. "There are worse motivations in life, I suppose." With a shake of his hand, his old coin appeared. Pressing it into the table, he rolled it back and forth across the wooden surface, drifting into silence.

"Like money," Fendien quickly interjected, watching the coin move. "We spent so much of our life following that promise, following someone who was always after that. Maybe he wanted a better life for all of us, but that day never came." He watched Chaszmyre's face and she was quiet, her left hand bending so that her thumb rubbed the back of her ring finger, the intricate floral ivy tattoo there.

"It's really just for them," she murmured with a nod to the pair of children, one's loud giggles and chirps making up for the silence of the other. "That's all I care about now. And their little sister. There's nothing more important."

Keleros simply nodded, flicking his hand. Ringing softly, almost like a bell, the coin flipped through the air, landing squarely in the rogue's waiting palm. With another spin of his hand, it was gone. "I want you to remember that when we're on the other side."

Chaszmyre nodded to Keleros and sipped her tea. "I will." For the first time, the anxiousness, the fear showed. It had been there, as with any venture of this size, as it had been there in Durotar, in Dalaran, it finally showed here and she shivered under the weight of it, watching the children play.

Seinne had picked up the 'dead' bird and tried winding it herself, struggling with it in silence for several moments while Jespere looked triumphantly to the adults. "We got it," he shouted, waving from over by the heavy screen separating the cozy main room from the sleeping area.

"Things will be fine, Chasz. I'll be there, after all," Keleros said softly.

Fendien watched the adults more keenly than the children, clearly still making up his mind about them altogether. "I take it you'll be well-prepared, you have, a unit or somesuch you're traveling with? Not just the two of you, bounding off into the unknown?" He sipped at his own tea, waiting for an answer.

As he did, Seinne approached and pawed at Fendien's elbow. He held up his teacup and she nodded. The small ceramic cup was passed down and Seinne set her flower down on her uncle's knee to hold the cup in both hands as she sipped from it.

"I'm with the Hospice, personally." Kel replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Though I'll likely end up jumping back and forth between groups. Going through by ourselves, especially in that initial rush? I think it'd be foolhardy."

Fendien shrugged. "Plenty of objectives can be done with a small strike team, where a large company would be noticed. I do not think this is one of those, from what Chaszmyre has been telling me about the orcs pouring out." He gave a vague nod of approval.

"The Sunbornes, the family I spoke to you about, they're going as well. I'm not sure if in the first rush, or following. Nothing is quite set yet. Though we're getting close." She sipped at her own tea.

Kel let his fingers move to play with the teacup, though he never lifted it as he stared down at the contents. "I have no idea what's planned. Nor do I really worry much about it. One way or another, things will work out." He chuckled. "Likely after a lot of trouble and pain, but in the end."

"Hopefully not that much pain," Chaszmyre amended. She shifted the topic then, ready to be done with the gloom ahead for now. "The only thing I'm not sure about is the lounge. I'm going to miss it and I don't know how it's going to keep together without me there, running things."

"Eh, I'm sure things will be fine while you're gone," Keleros said.

"Well without me, that leaves only one artist and no official bartender. I just wish I knew more people who could be involved over there, keep it going strong while I'm gone."

Fendien frowned. "What could be so difficult in keeping a business afloat? Clearly you were doing well, with the trip you made out here before and how you've helped out."

"Exactly." Kel said, grinning at the woman. "She's always so prone to worrying over every little thing. Let issues handle themselves...we have enough problems to face."

Chaszmyre scowled into her tea, hastily refilling the cup whiel Fendien chuckled. "I only meant, it doesn't seem like a hard job, and why not find someone to keep the place running smoothly. You keep records, and the like, do you not? Of vendors and customers." He shrugged.

Chaszmyre shook her head. "That's just it though, who am I going to ask? Certainly not Braeden. There are few others I have at my disposal who I'd trust with that sort of thing."

"What about that Melada friend of yours?" Kel asked curiously, continuing to study his drink as he spoke.

Chaszmyre shrugged. "After the blowup of the Ravenwoods kicking her out and trying to attack her in the lounge? I Just don't think it's a good idea. I think she's trying to lie low."

"You know, you were always saying you wanted to bring the twins home, to Quel'thalas. Now, you want them closer to their sister, and you've tracked down and handled any remaining threat to them or the rest of us..." Fendien lifted a dark brow at Chaszmyre and refilled his own tea.

Smirking, Kel let his gaze shift to the man before sliding over to the woman, eyebrow now arching as he waited for her reaction to the words.

Looking up uncertainly from her tea, she studied the dark-haired elf. "You actually want to go back there? I don't have a home to offer you, aside from the lounge itself. It's cramped but, I.. it would put to rest a lot of concerns and a lot of things I have hoped for." She shrugged.

"As you can see, I don't need a lot of space. Besides, I think Astalis and Kiera deserve to finally have a home of their own, without us intruding. We could make it work."

"The Lounge is nice. I've never had any complaints while I visited," Keleros offered with an encouraging smile.

"Then it's settled," Fendien said. "We'll be closer to their little sister, your business will be in the hands of family and Astalis will finally be free of the Blacksuns. Now that's done, I need to get some things gathered from the garden for dinner. Chasz, why don't you get the little ones washed up and get some water boiling and that dried fish there into it." He looked almost sternly to Keleros then, and nodded to the door.

Straightening from his seat, Kel stretched before offering Chaszmyre a wink. "Mmmm, I should probably go help gather." Turning away, he strode out from the room with his usual cat-like stride.

Pulling at her cloak against the rain, Chaszmyre cast an anxious glance to her left. "You can still turn back, if you want," she muttered, looking up the walk. Waiting just under the roof edge stood a lithe male elf and two small children, a boy and a girl both bundled up.

Arching an eyebrow at the woman, Keleros gave a low snort before returning his gaze to study the strangers. "After we spent all the time coming out here? It's not exactly a short trip."

She grunted. "Well, Halfhill then, you don't have to-" But they were in earshot by then and the boy child gave a small shout and scampered out into the rain to greet them. He hugged Chaszmyre's leg and looked surreptitiously to the stranger. "Who?" he demanded. The girl child held back with the adult elf, the latter raising a hand in greeting and looking equally surprised at the second visitor. "Friend," Chasszmyre quickly replied, looking at each gathered face.

With a head tipped curiously, the rogue knelt down to study the boy, humming softly as he did so. After a moment, he nodded. "You can call me Kel."

Chaszmyre tried to press on to get at least the boy child out of the rain, if not everyone involved. "Kel," he repeated, peering up with squinty eyes. "Jespere," he offered and held out both hands toward Kel, palms facing each other.

Blinking, he glanced at Chaszmyre and sighed before slowly straightening. "Best follow your mother, Jespere." With those words, he followed after Chasz's urgings and strode his way up to the building.

With a small pout, Jespere dropped his hands back to his sides and headed up. He linked arms with the girl child and as they all approached, the adult male elf finally spoke. "I didn't know you were bringing someone along," he said with a skeptical glance over. "But welcome all the same. I'm glad you could make it out before, well." He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, the other holding the girl child's free hand.

Chaszmyre nodded. "We're heading out together, same group and all that. Fendien, this is Keleros, Kel, Fendien, the twins' uncle. And this," she leaned down to thread fingers into the girl's hair. "Is Seinne."

Kel gave the man a nod and a wink before suddenly kneeling down once more to consider Seinne. "Seinne? What a lovely name. Tell me, do you like flowers?" He hummed, snapping his fingers. In hand appeared a tulip, which he offered to the child.

Seinne nodded at the question and Chaszmyre stepped back to make room. At the sudden appearance of the flower, she jumped a bit but let go of both her brother and uncle to take the flower in both hands. She promptly shoved her nose and most of her face into the petals to smell it.

Chuckling softly, the rogue shifted his gaze to study the young boy. "And what of you, Jespere? Do you like toys?"

While the dark haired adults looked on, Jespere folded his arms and eyed the unfamiliar man. "I like toys," he replied but looked skeptical still. It was one expression he'd mastered.

"Hmmmmm. Well, then..." Kel reached back to dig through a pouch at his waist, taking on a look of mock frustration as he couldn't find what he sought. Beginning to dig through another bag, he paused an an 'ah' before lifting a hand to reach behind the boy's ear. With a sudden jerk, he pulled his hand back to reveal a toy-bird. "Here you are, young sir. Wind the key on the back, like so, and he'll walk for you." Demonstrating the motions, he set the bird on the floor and watched as it walked towards the boy.

The skeptical frown was quickly replaced with a small gasp and an 'o' of surprise on his face. "Bird!" he shouted, looking to Seinne and pointing. He scrunched down close to watch it walk and poked it a bit when the steps slowed. His little hands clutched the bird but struggled a bit with the winding the key, eventually holding it still and turning the bird instead before setting it on a step again.

Finally Fendien waved the other adults in. "Let's play inside, it's still cold and wet out." His light urging at Seinne's shoulder got her moving though she watched the bird a bit more. Chasz moved toward Jespere to do the same.

"He'll walk better on the floor inside, I bet," she told him, scooping up the bird.

Smoothly standing, Kel followed after the others, eyes shifting back and forth as he studied their surroundings. A hand moved to rest at his hip as he entered the home, quickly looking it over as he hummed a soft tune to himself. "Not bad. Pandaren's make a cozy building."

The small house was large enough to have the usual table, as well as a screen likely concealing the main bed and the children's sleeping area from the main home. There was also, however a small ladder to an upper level, from the looks of the outside of the house, a small loft.