#zane things

“Again!” Halestis bellowed, holding the target dummy in place. Zane charged it and struck at with the blunted sword. This time, the dummy rocked backwards, but Hale pushed it forward and it smacked her right in the face. She landed on her ass in the dust, hard, her sword flying from her hand. Defeated, she flopped on to her back.

“What the actual fuck, Hale?! I’m exhausted. I don’t see you, or Kalen, or Nast training this hard. Why are you putting me through all this extra work?”

Hale moved to her and sat down with her in the dust, brushing her vermillion hair back out of her flushed face. 

“Because, my dear, the instructors are going to work you twice as hard. Do you know how many women signed up for the academy this time around? Ten. You are one of ten women, and they are going to work you harder than us men to make you prove yourselves. 

Zane groaned and dropped her arm over her eyes, blocking out the glaring sun of Kalimdor. 

“And why did we have to come all the way to Orgrimmar to train? We could have stayed in Quel’thalas and trained just as well there.” She opened her sky blue eyes and peered up at him. 

“Because the orcs here are probably even better than us at fighting. If we learn from the best, we won’t struggle as much during training.” He waved an arm out over the training grounds where Kalenaestus and Nastaleron Silverblade, and Tobinaer Dawnweaver were taking turns dueling each other. 

“Drink some water, take a quick break, and then we’ll get back at it,” Hale said, patting her leg. 

~*~

Zane stared at herself in the mirror. Her once purple hair was growing in red again, leaving only the tips a vibrant shade of violet. She saw no change in her eyes, however, they were still just as pale lilac today as they were the day before.

Oh.

The day before.

She reached up and touched her fingertips to her lips, were his lips had been. It was a brand new year, and she had rang it in with a rather tall, rather handsome, and sometimes rather infuriating man. She hadn’t been expecting the kiss, it had completely caught her off guard, and she hadn’t had time to think about protesting once his lips met hers. All rational thought had emptied itself from her mind, and she kissed him back. 

What she had thought about, however, was about getting her hands on him; in his hair, gliding her fingers over his tattoos, maybe running her tongue along his lower lip. 

She gripped the wash basin tightly and sighed.

“Fucking hell, Zane, get a fucking grip,” she hissed at her reflection. She splashed cold water on her face, and then moved to lace up her running shoes. In spite of the still near constant protests of her ribs, she pushed herself hard every day when she ran. And every day, she ended up winded and with a sore side. 

The doctor that had healed her injuries had told her take it easy for “a couple months”. She had nodded and said ‘sure,’ with no real intentions on doing so. But the injuries had been worse than she had originally realized. In fact, she had been unconscious for the better part of two weeks, put into a medically induced coma by the doctor to allow her internal injuries to heal. 

While unconscious, she had dreamed. So many dreams, of so many people that were gone. Hale, Nast, her sister, her father... And then she had dreamed of Solun and panicked, thinking that he, too, was dead.  

The first thing she had done when she returned to Stormwind was look for him, but she couldn’t find him. In fact, the building where the clinic had been was empty now. So she sent him a letter, hoping he was alive. And he was, he had answered, and when she finally saw him in the city, the relief was palpable. She hadn’t told him just how bad her injuries had been when she took the fall in Maldraxxus, she had said that she had fallen from a flying beast, which was true, but she had fallen such a great distance, that they had thought her dead at first. 

Aquarius is represented by the water bearer, the mystical healer who bestows water, or life, upon the land. Accordingly, Aquarius is the most humanitarian astrological sign. These revolutionary thinkers fervently support “power to the people,” aspiring to change the world through radical social progress.

Weaknesses: Rebels without a cause, emotionally detached, scatterbrained, irresponsible and impersonal. An Aquarian's desire to be the center of attention can sometimes mean that when ignored, they can be deeply hurt.

Aquarius are happiest when they help others.

The number one thing that brings happiness to an Aquarius's heart is participating in philanthropy. If they can bring a smile to another's face, they will gain their own in return. They love doing good for other people, animals, and even the earth.

Aquarius is apparently the rarest star sign out of the 12 signs in the zodiac, and the theory makes sense. February is the shortest month and so people assume that Aquarius season is shorter.

When stressed, Aquarius will procrastinate and become more emotionally detached, if not flake out on responsibilities altogether. The air signs talk even more when feeling anxious, chasing the tails of worries and concerns while putting off their personal responsibilities by trying to save the turtles, so to speak.

They are among the coolest and most open-minded people you'll ever meet. It's said that the way an Aquarius thinks is the way society will think in a decade (or longer). Their sharp intellect and progressive views combine to create a personality that is magnetic, optimistic and welcoming to all.

For all their peace, love, and happiness, Aquarius sure has a penchant to crying. ... Whether it's because something is so beautiful, too moving, or just plain ol' heartbreaking, Aquarius can easily cry over anything and everything.

If you want to win the heart of your Aquarius, try not to criticize their brash decisions or their disdain for structure. Embrace their rebellious side, and encourage them to always remain true to themselves. They're used to always being the lone wolf, so they'd love to have someone by their side who really gets them.

Pushing an Aquarius native to open up immediately or divulge every detail of their life story is a huge no-no, as this sign tends to be somewhat shy. They love to talk and will certainly let you into their life over time, but it must be on their own terms—they must never be rushed or pressured.

“Shit,” she muttered, pushing a hand back through her hair as she slowly realized where she was, and that she was alone.

Alone.

In the gloom of near-morning, she sat there, the last vestiges of the nightmare still clinging to her mind. After her heart rate returned to normal, she untangled herself from the sheet and went to the counter, pouring a glass of water from the pitcher she’d left there the night before.

She lit a match to light a lantern, there would be no returning to the blissfulness of sleep today, that dream had disturbed her more than she wanted to admit. So, she made herself breakfast, eggs with ham and toast, put on her running shoes, and went for her morning run.

She pushed herself harder than usual, and ended up with sore ribs as a result. Finally deciding she had worked herself enough to burn away the last tendrils of the nightmare, she plopped down on the sand of coast and watched the sunrise over the water. A few months ago, I would have had someone to share this with, she thought bitterly. She shook her head, shaking those thoughts away, and took a long drink from the water skin she brought with her.

Sighing, she pulled herself up and headed back to the apartment. The same apartment where he had told her that he was in love with her. Where they had shared meals and her bed, where they had sat by the fire and talked about the future. He wanted kids, and she had been coming around to the idea of maybe adopting. She wasn’t opposed to becoming a mother again, but she always made sure anyone she was with knew it wouldn’t happen naturally, that she couldn’t have anymore children.

Kicking a rock, she cursed herself for ever making that decision. She had definitely not been in the right frame of mind when she demanded to be sterilized. Might be for the better, she thought. But then, she always wondered if a man could actually truly love her if she couldn’t have his children.

Azure, a cross argent, in chief and base and dexter and sinister four saltires azure, a stag fess Or

Sloth: a headcanon about something your character hates to do, or hates in general