“So, uh, watcha been up t’ lately?”
Arzog had been oddly quite over their meal; perhaps coming into the presence of Akirlia again had made him uneasy, given their history, and while the Draenei new that, she was still warm, welcoming. By the Light, she’d missed him, and she just wanted to make sure he was alright. But even as he barely touched his food {which was an oddity, as far as she remembered} the monk decided that maybe the open air was a better place for them to be.
“Eh, just trying to find a place I really like, you know? After being on Draenor for so long, I finally decided to figure out where I’m supposed to be.” There was a slight curve to her lips, a small frown crossing her features. “It took a while, getting my father back to the Exodar from there…it was terrible; his entire family had been lost to the Iron Horde.”
Arzog’s lich-fire eyes flickered to the woman, sensing the pain in her voice, seeing it very clearly upon her features. Instinct told him to take her into his arms, give her a comforting hug…but would she even accept that? It was one thing for her to hug him; their past relationship had been nothing but her comforting him…but as much of a monster as he had been, would she accept affection of any sort from the troll?
However, his second guessing lost him the opportunity, as her tone took on a brighter note, her eyes back to their usual glimmer. By the spirits, she was pretty, Arzog thought as she continued to chatter on, lips curving into their usual smile. Had he been living, his face would have darkened into the deepest of blushes, but thankfully, there was only a fondness that the Draenei was oblivious to.
“What about you?” she asked, bringing Arzog out of his daydream, causing him to jump slightly, clearing his throat. “I know you’ve done more than just keep away from everyone. No one can be alone for so long, even if you’re with Skullslinger and Rascal.”
Lich-fire eyes glanced to his dog, whose drooping eyes looked back to him, almost encouraging him to open up. A heavy hand reached to the back of his neck, rubbing his skin absentmindedly, and though he avoided Akirlia’s gaze, he wanted nothing more than to look into them.
“Ah saw meh mum,” he murmured, brows furrowed together. “Went t’ Stranglethorn Vale after we…ah, before Ah started travelin’…she was ‘appy t’ see me, after given’ me a good smack on da ‘ead wit’ ‘er mace. She encouraged me t’ go search mahself, so Ah went t’ Booty Bay, where Ah met Kyana.”
Shit. Why did he mention Kyana? Sure, she had helped him clear his head, figure out where he wanted to be, especially being a Death Knight herself, but would Akirlia think that they were…
“She ‘elped me get mah ‘ead on straight,” he added quickly, side-glancing at the Draenei, who was watching him curiously. There was a hint of amusement on her features, as though she could see right through him, and that thought caused Arzog to panic more. Could she see how he still felt? Shit, shit, shit! He didn’t need this yet.
“She ‘ad ah ‘usband an’ a little girl who ‘e wouldn’ let ‘er see, so Ah ‘elped ‘er see ‘er kid again,” he continued, just as fast as before. Akirlia was surprised he hadn’t yet stumbled over his words, but his actions and expressions seemed oddly off, almost awkward, which caused her smile to spread even further.
“Was she pretty?” she asked casually, causing the troll’s features to erupt into something akin to horror. “Give me details, Arzog, I want to know!”
“She wasn’t!” That was a downright lie, and he knew that Akirlia could see it. “Well, ya, she was pretty,” he continued grumpily, nose wrinkling as he folded his arms over his broad chest. “But she ain’t like you are.”
Fuck.
Slowly, he glanced at Akirlia, and the moment he saw her smug features, he wished he could have evaporated on the spot. He had said what she was waiting to hear; his attraction was too obvious to her, and her smile grew even wider as a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
“Are you staying anywhere?” she asked offhandedly, shrugging her shoulders as though nothing happened, though the grin still remained on her lips. Clearly not amused with Akirlia’s antics–spirits, how he missed her spunk–Arzog’s lips frowned around his great tusks, and he huffed glancing away.
“Nah, ‘aven’t gotten ‘round t’ findin’ ah place, girlie.”
“Well, looks like you’re staying with me then,” she replied, nonchalantly. “No use spending money when you’ve got a friend here in the city. That would be stupid.”
Turning on Akirlia, Arzog had just opened his mouth to retort when suddenly her finger was on his cold lips, silencing him before he could even say a word. Ears drooping angrily, his eyes narrowed as he shut his mouth, pouting in Akirlia’s direction. Amused, no doubt by his childish expression, she pinched his lower lip between her fingers, tugging lightly before booping his nose with her own.
“No arguing, Kurenai,” she mused, tugging his lip once more before releasing it. Sniffing, Arzog reached to rub it, straightening to his full height, causing Akirlia to crane her neck backwards to get a good look at him.
“Come on, you weirdo,” she mused, tugging on his hand. “Let’s get back to my place. Get your feet up and a comfy couch. And out of that plate, it looks like it could use a good cleaning.” Pausing for a moment, a wicked grin suddenly lit up her features, causing Arzog’s eyes to widen, his ears drooping further down. But before he could say a word, she had turned away, and Arzog couldn’t help but to watch her swinging hips as she walked.
“You know making yourself big like that isn’t going to intimidate me,” she called, glancing over her shoulder. “I have a thing for big, tall guys.”