[WoW] Siblings

“You're saying it wrong. It's Keleo-sha not Kele-o-sha.” the priestess corrected for the fifth time.

 

“I am knowing how to pronounce my own name. Kele-o-sha!” the paladin argued back in the same voice.

 

The priestess shrugged her shoulders, “I have had the name longer than you have, I think I would know.”

 

“Do not use the age argument again. Everyone on my Draenor says the name right, you are saying it wrong.”

 

“I don't know what to tell you then. Everyone on my Draenor pronounced it the correct way. Keleo-sha.”

 

“Veektor, tell her she is saying our name all wrong!”

 

Captain Victor Blackwald groaned, staring at his half empty drink and wishing he'd ordered something stronger. The two nearly identical draenei had been arguing for what seemed like the better part of an hour. Since they shared a voice it made them sound like a solitary draenei having a spirited argument with herself – which to anyone who didn't know the situation probably sounded quite mad.

 

Maybe it was. Was this madness? It felt like madness.

 

“Yes 'Veektor',” the priestess smirked, “Tell my sister she's wrong.”

 

“I guess…” the Gilnean eyed both lasses, trying to figure out which he wanted to anger the least, “Both sound right to me?” both draenei continued staring at him blankly expecting something more, “It's just another difference between you. One of you is a priest, the other a paladin. Doesn't make one right and the other wrong, it's just another thing that makes you you.”

 

“Both sound right to you?” the priestess asked.

 

The captain nodded, hoping he'd finally brought the argument to an end, “Aye.”

 

More staring, more silence until the priestess scoffed, “I can't believe we are asking you. You talk strange even for a human.”

 

The paladin laughed, “Yes! I am also noticing the strange way he is speaking!”

 

The worgen buried his face in the palms of his hands as the two began to mercilessly compare notes on his accent. At least they were getting along.

 

 

Later that evening.

 

The Westguard inn was starting to quiet down as one by one each patron left. At a table in the corner a pandaren sat by herself facing toward the door waiting for someone who never showed. She hadn't seen her sister since she left Pandaria for the north continent. She finished her drink and stood up from her chair, stretched and then yawned. It was time to sleep. She would have to try again in the morning.

 

She reached into her bag and pulled out several coins to leave on the table as a tip for the server. She hummed a song to herself as she carefully arranged the coins to make two eyes and a smiling mouth. Her work done, she gathered her things and headed for the stairs when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

 

“Mei?”

 

Mei turned around and smiled at the pandaren monk who had just walked in the door. She had no time to react as Lei Pan ran across the inn and nearly knocked her down with a hug. She hugged back, “I was looking for you but I guess you were out on an adventure.”

 

Lei nodded, “Punchin' demons. Punched one so hard he skipped over the Twisting Nether and went straight to oblivion. That was the lucky one.” she punched the air and then mimed a demon flying through several planes of existence. She looked at her sister with her head tilted to the side as if just then realizing that Mei was in a place she wasn't used to seeing her, “Mei. Mei, what are you doing here? Is the farm okay? Do I have to beat up more virmen?”

 

“The farm is fine,” Mei reassured her, “I left it in good hands because I wanted to come visit you and maybe offer my help to your Templar friends.”

 

The younger sister's eyes narrowed as she searched Mei's face, followed by a sudden realization, “You came here to check up on me.”

 

Mei felt a little guilty and worried that Lei felt patronized, “Well, yes, but-”

 

“And because you need me to take care of you. Because that's what we do, right?” Lei smiled and hugged her sister again.

 

Mei hugged her sister tightly, “That's right. That's what we do.”

 

 

Many years ago on the main timeline Draenor…

 

Keleosha had been preparing to leave for Karabor when her parents had asked her to sit down for a serious talk. Did they mean to prevent her from leaving? They were so adamant about her sticking to her training. Her parents were sitting beside each other holding hands and looking at each other and glancing to her for a long silence that seemed to last minutes.

 

“What is this about?” Keleosha finally broke the silence, feeling a little impatient.

 

Nurtaa, her mother, was the first to speak, “When we left our old home we left many of our people behind. We lost friends, family, and our home. For millennia we ran with the Legion always never far away. Once our people found this world, we thought it a place to start over. A second chance to rebuild and reclaim what we had lost. The Light blessed us with not only a new home, but you, who we named Keleosha – Light's mercy.”

 

The young Draenei smiled, “I know this story. I do not understand though.”

 

Her father, Voran spoke in a low and quiet voice, “We never told you the full story or the extent of what we lost on Argus.” his grip on Nurtaa's hand tightened and he nodded to her as she finished for him.

 

“You had a brother.”

 

 

Fifteen years ago, the Wandering Isle…

 

Mei's heart was heavy as she walked outside the village toward the river. The funeral had been difficult, and Lei had left right away. She would have gone after her if she hadn't needed to stay and settle affairs like ownership of the house. It didn't take long for her to find Lei though, she was right where she thought she would be on the large rock next to the stream. As Mei approached she noticed that Lei had her hands held together. The younger pandaren whispered something into her closed hands and then opened them, freeing two petals to fly on the wind.

 

“We can stay in the house…and Su-Ji is going to check on us from time to time,” Mei told her sister as she walked over and sat on the edge of the rock, “I'll keep working at the farm to support us and you can continue learning at the training grounds.”

 

Lei Pan didn't say anything, she just stared blankly at the water's surface, only reacting when Mei put an arm around her. She leaned in to her sister as Mei continued.

 

“It's just us now,” Mei barely held back tears but remained strong for herself and for her sister, “We have to look out for each other now. We have to take care of each other.” she rubbed Lei's back, “Can you do that?”

 

Lei suddenly leaped off the rock and into the stream and disappeared below the water. Mei got to her feet in a panic calling out for her sister. A moment passed, then another, then the still surface of the stream was broken by Lei swimming up holding a fish in her hands, “I caught us dinner!” she shouted triumphantly. The fish was fighting in her hands and suddenly broke free, slapping Lei with its tail as it fell back in the water. Lei swam after it, “Hey! Get back here!”

 

In spite of the pain of the day, Mei giggled as she watched her sister struggle with the fish. They were going to be okay.