Flawed Design
Mar. 21st, 2006 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shosenI didn’t really get to start my search. I tried reaching Avenhar through the Nether, but I didn’t receive a response. As I stopped in Orgimmar, trying to decide what to do, I received a summons from Johaan to return on a matter of some urgency. Which is, apparently, a highly relative term. He needed something brought to him from the Apothecarium, and hadn’t been able to find anyone in Brill to talk into it. I know that’s the job I agreed to, but right now, it just seemed like an imposition. Especially standing here, watching Cuely prepare the samples in what I’m certain is the slowest manner possible. He’s finally finished, and I grab the bag just in time to hear the end of an argument behind me.
“I don’t care!” Faranell screams, “put them up anyway!” And now it’s raining parchment in the Apothecarium. By the time I turn, Faranell has stalked away and Apothecary Lycanus is in the centre of the room, glaring at the other man’s back. Everyone else is quite deliberately ignoring them, and by the time I realise that’s a good idea, he’s already noticed me watching.
“You! Help me pick these up.”
I slip the package into my bag and swallow the annoyed retort as I walk around, gathering the scattered papers. I don’t really pay attention to them, so it takes awhile to register the somewhat familiar name under the WANTED heading.
“Jessa?” I frown with confusion, “but she...” came on the University field trips, even the last one if I’m not mistaken. She healed those who got injured on the more dangerous ones, and even felt bad when she couldn’t help someone who’d been foolish enough to wander off on their own.
“She what?” I look up to find Lycanus watching me.
“Sorry?”
He points at the parchment. “Do you know her?”
“No.” Truth there, travelled with her on the trips, talked to her briefly once, but I don’t know her.
“Then why did you say her name?”
“It sounds like my sister’s,” outright lie that one. Closest thing I have to a sister is Sakti. Had? Have? Damn it, I need to get out of here. “Is that all?” I hold the stack out towards him.
He watches me for a moment, and then grins. “No.” He dumps all the papers he gathered on the top of my stack. “Make sure you put them up all over the city. I have more important things to do.”
“And I don’t?” I mutter to his back as he turns and walks out of the room. I’m the one being ignored now, by all but Pagtuk, who’s laughing at me. “Oh be quiet.” He doesn’t listen, never does to that particular command, and continues to laugh as we make our own way out of the Apothecarium. I tilt the stack forward, reading the rest of the page as I walk, stopping when I hit the canals. I frown over the words “mentally effected,” “delusional,” and especially “dangerous.” None of it matches what I remember of the healer.
Looking up from the page, I glance at the walls, surprised to see earlier versions of the same posters I’m carrying. They’re faded, some are torn or defaced, and it looks like they’ve been there for quite some time. Which means that I’ve been asked to do someone else’s job, spending hours wandering the Undercity putting up redundant posters calling for the capture of someone I’ve never seen be anything but nice, at the worst possible time. I can do it, or--
The papers hit the surface of the green liquid before I consciously decide to drop the stack. I stand there and watch as the paper and liquid absorb and are absorbed. The parchment changes colour and the ink starts to run before they’re finally too heavy and sink from view.
Pagtuk’s momentarily quiet as we stare at the undisturbed surface, not even ripples remaining. After a few moments, I turn to my Imp and shrug. “I don’t have time for this. Let’s go.” He starts to laugh again as we leave the area, taking the nearest tunnel to the Trade Quarter when I see Lycanus ahead of us.
I’ll take the package to Johaan, and then I’m taking the Zepplin and that’s it. Pointless errands, work someone else is too lazy to do, I’m sick of it. I don’t care how urgent he says it is, I’m staying on Kalimdor and not answering any summons for a while. At least not until I know whether this is hopeless or not.
“I don’t care!” Faranell screams, “put them up anyway!” And now it’s raining parchment in the Apothecarium. By the time I turn, Faranell has stalked away and Apothecary Lycanus is in the centre of the room, glaring at the other man’s back. Everyone else is quite deliberately ignoring them, and by the time I realise that’s a good idea, he’s already noticed me watching.
“You! Help me pick these up.”
I slip the package into my bag and swallow the annoyed retort as I walk around, gathering the scattered papers. I don’t really pay attention to them, so it takes awhile to register the somewhat familiar name under the WANTED heading.
“Jessa?” I frown with confusion, “but she...” came on the University field trips, even the last one if I’m not mistaken. She healed those who got injured on the more dangerous ones, and even felt bad when she couldn’t help someone who’d been foolish enough to wander off on their own.
“She what?” I look up to find Lycanus watching me.
“Sorry?”
He points at the parchment. “Do you know her?”
“No.” Truth there, travelled with her on the trips, talked to her briefly once, but I don’t know her.
“Then why did you say her name?”
“It sounds like my sister’s,” outright lie that one. Closest thing I have to a sister is Sakti. Had? Have? Damn it, I need to get out of here. “Is that all?” I hold the stack out towards him.
He watches me for a moment, and then grins. “No.” He dumps all the papers he gathered on the top of my stack. “Make sure you put them up all over the city. I have more important things to do.”
“And I don’t?” I mutter to his back as he turns and walks out of the room. I’m the one being ignored now, by all but Pagtuk, who’s laughing at me. “Oh be quiet.” He doesn’t listen, never does to that particular command, and continues to laugh as we make our own way out of the Apothecarium. I tilt the stack forward, reading the rest of the page as I walk, stopping when I hit the canals. I frown over the words “mentally effected,” “delusional,” and especially “dangerous.” None of it matches what I remember of the healer.
Looking up from the page, I glance at the walls, surprised to see earlier versions of the same posters I’m carrying. They’re faded, some are torn or defaced, and it looks like they’ve been there for quite some time. Which means that I’ve been asked to do someone else’s job, spending hours wandering the Undercity putting up redundant posters calling for the capture of someone I’ve never seen be anything but nice, at the worst possible time. I can do it, or--
The papers hit the surface of the green liquid before I consciously decide to drop the stack. I stand there and watch as the paper and liquid absorb and are absorbed. The parchment changes colour and the ink starts to run before they’re finally too heavy and sink from view.
Pagtuk’s momentarily quiet as we stare at the undisturbed surface, not even ripples remaining. After a few moments, I turn to my Imp and shrug. “I don’t have time for this. Let’s go.” He starts to laugh again as we leave the area, taking the nearest tunnel to the Trade Quarter when I see Lycanus ahead of us.
I’ll take the package to Johaan, and then I’m taking the Zepplin and that’s it. Pointless errands, work someone else is too lazy to do, I’m sick of it. I don’t care how urgent he says it is, I’m staying on Kalimdor and not answering any summons for a while. At least not until I know whether this is hopeless or not.