Pink Rose [1]

"A Really Awkward Trust Exercise"

Quest Objective: Master eating noodles (someone please hand Prince Anduin a napkin!).

~ Zhu's Watch, Krasarang Wilds ~

Anduin and I ran into a merchant's family, and continued our journey south to a small town named "Zhu's Watch." The air was saltier and the ocean sighed somewhere close by. We sat across from one another in the only inn, inhaling the aroma of fresh beer and melting candle wax.

Anduin leaned close to look at the paper lantern at the center of our table. "Is it odd to say that their candles are so...unique?"

"It's bizarre," I agreed, folding my arms on the edge of the dark wooden surface. "It's a different continent, I suppose everything is different here. I'm used to the Horde making everything burst into flames."

Don't get me wrong—the Horde can hold their own in battle, and the goblins have some breathtaking fireworks. My parents loved to burn things—probably why I ended up working for Garrosh.

Anduin's lips curved up.

The innkeeper appeared with two bowls billowing steam. He was one of the pandaren; the fluffy, bear-like race that was native to the island. He placed two bowls of noodles in front of us and bowed. "Please, don't hesitate to leave. Just put your copper in the coffer and go."

The innkeeper waddled off, an air of melancholy about him as he stirred a cauldron of soup across the room. Anduin and I exchanged glances, but it was hard to keep eye contact with all the steam. I waved my hand over my bowl of noodles to dismiss the warm layer of mist.

"Speaking of the Horde...why are you running from them? If you don't mind me asking," Anduin asked politely as he fanned off his own meal.

"I'm a scout, and I found out something that I wasn't supposed to know. I already burned the foundation when I defended Theramore against Garrosh's attack...I don't know if I can ever go back," I finally realized out loud. I stared solemnly down at my pasta, tracing the damp dunes with my eyes.

"Oh," Anduin's hand froze above his bowl. "I apologize, it's not my place to ask."

"Don't be, we're two strangers stuck on this continent together," I picked up my chopsticks, giving in to my appetite, "I think it's a good idea to get to know one another better. But can we pretend that the Horde-Alliance feud doesn't exist...? I don't really care for it."

Anduin's eyebrow rose. "You don't care about the war...? Careful, those are still hot."

I waved off his warning as I took some of the steaming noodles in my mouth. Anduin was right, they were scalding, but I had a high tolerance for heat (despite the third-degree burn on my side). I held a hand over my mouth as I chewed. Anduin looked surprised when I swallowed with ease. When my lips parted to speak, a narrow stream of mist wafted out.

"I'll be alright. And I wouldn't say I don't care about the war, I just think it's pointless—where I was raised, there were more pressing...concerns."

Garrosh was raised on the same planet as me. I really do not understand his new fascination with demolishing the Alliance at all—I didn't expect him to escalate the war. Yes, he's a brilliant military strategist, but why waste his skills on crippling the Alliance? That's not him—or it wasn't , anyway. Nowadays, I don't know who he is anymore.

"I wish I could stop the war."

When I looked up, there was a glint in Anduin's eyes. Not a ferocious gleam. It was a spark of hope, like a beacon in a sea of blue. His confession caught me off guard, but I felt...relieved. A little impressed, actually.