video/action;

[hymnals]

Who: Adrasteius
Broadcast: All
Action: Marsiva
When: Oct 19

[It's been a few weeks since Archimonde's downfall. Since the collapse of the Iron Horde. It was a good moment, hard-won, but Adrasteius hasn't felt celebratory. The battle had ended in triumph, yes, but also a warning. Something is coming. Something that keeps Adrasteius from sleep, that keeps him up late fiddling with wards, praying to the Light. Keeps him staring at the sky with unease threading through all of his brittle bones.

But all living things must sleep, eventually, and he's no exception.

When he wakes up, he expects to see his wife; possibly some children, crept in after nightmares. Instead, he's alone. The room is stark, chilly, sterile.

Familiar.]

Oh, for the Light's sake.

[He rolls over, groaning. This again. Lying flat on his belly, but with his face turned upwards, he addresses the camera.]

Bal'a dash, everybody. If we haven't spoken, I'm Adrasteius. If we have--

[He sits up, albeit with obvious effort. It's hard to be old, even for an elf.]

--nice to see you again. Probably.

[Adrasteius runs a hand through his feathery blonde hair.]

What did I miss?

Comments

[hymnals]

[Light preserve him. Light preserve them both.]

Bel! Damn it--are you okay?

[He jumps up and goes to his own door, flinging it open, looking around for some sign of the kid.]

[arcanepower]

[Belth is a good 15 yards down the hallway, fighting both his robes and the door he ran into by accident. It's mostly ineffectual flailing but still. He hears Adra nearby though and tries to straighten himself up; he ends up in a sort of scarecrow pose with his hood twisted around his head and his sleeves pulled down over his arms.]

Adra?

[He tries to tug his hood around so he can see properly.]

[hymnals]

[Oh, little man. Once Adra spots Belthazar, he teleports, appearing right in front of the boy. Without preamble, he grabs Bel by the shoulders and hugs him fiercely.]

I hope you haven't been waiting for too long.

[arcanepower]

[He manages to disentangle himself a little too late; there's just blond hair and then darkness as he's tugged into Adra's arms. At one point he might've fidgeted uncomfortably, but not anymore. He clings to the front of his mentor's robes until his fingers turn bone-white.]

N-no, only a few weeks, but I thought--

[At some point he started crying? When did that happen? He sniffs and still tries to go on, tears and all.]

I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again, if I'd ever leave this place, and I found you at home but then I came back and you were gone and I realized I'd have to choose and I don't think I can--

[hymnals]

Wait, wait, wait.

[Adra gently pulls away, just enough so that he can kneel down before Bel (not that he hardly needs to), so that he can draw back Bel's hood and brush his thumbs more easily against Bel's tearstained cheeks.]

What do you mean, choose?

[arcanepower]

[He squeezes his eyes shut for fear of being poked in the eye. Thankfully, Adra is more gentle than that.]

If I get the choice to go home, I do not know what I'll do. I have friends here now, and at home--

[His face falls as he comes upon a realization.]

Do you... remember? I found you. Or rather, you found me.

[hymnals]

[Adra's not offended; that's a natural reaction. Still, he keeps his hands on Bel's cheeks.]

I remember. Just yesterday, you were helping me bake a shepherd's pie.

[arcanepower]

[He makes a little squeak of surprise, and then the tears resume flowing in earnest.]

An'da.

[Time to shove his face into Adra's shoulder again.]

You are my home.

[hymnals]

[Sweet boy. Adrasteius always knew it. He's troubled by Bel's talk, by the idea that Bel doesn't necessarily want to return to Azeroth. But neither of them can control that particular circumstance, so it seems pointless to worry over it.

Instead, Adra buries his fingers in Bel's hair, holds him close but gently, loose enough that the boy could break free easily, if that's what he wanted.]

And you're my son.

[arcanepower]

[He's never heard that and boy did he need to hear it. Belth doesn't want to leave now that Adra's here, so he just clings harder. Poor Adra has a barnacle now.]

You saved me. You always save me. [A small hiccup.] A-- a lot has happened, but I am all right. Are you?

[hymnals]

[Adra's OK with it. He brushes Bel's hair back from his face, carefully, soothingly.]

I'm always all right. Tell me more about what's been going on.

[arcanepower]

[He's relieved to hear it, and slowly grows more pliable and relaxed. Still clinging though.]

There were... people. Like the bug people I heard of in Pandaria. They wouldn't, couldn't negotiate. They were slaughtered wholesale until we found out they were possessed by some kind of illness, and then we had to put them down.

[Like the Scourge, in some ways. And still terrifying to a boy who fails at killing.]

Our ships were attacked again, too. The stops on the planets have been more like vacations, so there is that, but I have concerns... and...

[He catches himself.]

A-and that's it, really. Absolutely nothing else of interest.

[hymnals]

[Adra is too sharp to miss that little stutter. His long eyebrows furrow.]

Absolutely nothing else?

Nothing at all.

[arcanepower]

[Belth tries not to look like he's been caught, but the result is that he holds his breath. He begins to turn red... and redder... until it's reached the tips of his ears... and he shakes his head, very determinedly.

He was always a terrible liar.]

[hymnals]

[Oh, shit. What's this? WHAT IS THIS.]

Belthazar?

Are you all right?

[arcanepower]

[He nods overzealously but doesn't breathe for a good... 30 seconds... and then it all comes out in a rush.]

I'M A MONSTER.

[hymnals]

[Adra's eyes widen, because what? What. He answers quickly, automatically.]

No, you're not--what are you talking about?

[arcanepower]

I messed up. I messed up so badly. I-- I think, no, I'm pretty sure, I accidentally--

[He drags his hands down his face.]

I'm in love with a human! This wasn't supposed to happen! I'm not even a hundred yet!

[hymnals]

[That's big news. HUGE NEWS. Adra has to take a minute to process, mostly because Belthazar prefaced the situation by calling himself a goddamn monster. He squeezes Bel's shoulders--gently.]

Okay, first of all, love does not make you a monster, regardless of who it is. Let's get that sorted right away.

[arcanepower]

[He's a blood elf and a teenager. Being overdramatic is kind of in the genes at this point. Adra's calmness helps, but that doesn't keep Belth from tugging a bit on his bangs.]

But I'm so much older! I know I'm not too much older by our reckoning but-- but elves and humans don't usually--

[hymnals]

Listen, Belthazar. If Vereesa Windrunner can shack up with the leader of the Kirin Tor--which she did, and may he rest in peace--then you can certainly have a human--

[He pauses. Who is Bel talking about, anyway?]

--friend.

[arcanepower]

I-- suppose you're right. [That mollifies him somewhat. It's true that racial tensions are perhaps less important now than they were a couple years ago. Garrosh is done for and there is a truce. But it'd still be really, really frowned upon at home. Perhaps not enough to start a war, but they'd have to live in a neutral area, and those are few and far between now.]

... You're not mad?

[hymnals]

Why would I be mad? Light bless any love we can find in this horrible world.

[arcanepower]

[That's what he needs to hear, above all, and for the second time in about five minutes, all the air leaves him.]

I thought you would disapprove. I'm... glad you don't.

[He lets go of Adra's robes and seems to draw back into himself slightly, fingers fidgeting with the hems of his sleeves as he looks down.]

And I'm glad you are here.

[hymnals]

I'm glad I'm here, too. But, hey.

[Adra presses a light, warm kiss to Bel's forehead.]

If you've found someone you care about, then I'm over the moon. Especially a human.