Grim Views

((I had to throw it in from Lilly's view point Cause like, Syreena, you're nuts))



It was later that evening that Syreena showed up at Lilliana's room in the Grim's barracks.


Syreena wanted Lilliana to perform a most odd request. She wanted her to sew, with a needle and thread, the remaining half ear that was once on the side of Cerryan's head, to the side of the little rogue's head. This was to replace the ear that was missing, a result from Kex'ti's dishonorable attack (you know, the one after Konro's regretful death...while his body was still laying dead on the ground in the snow). Lilliana had watched this occur between Syreena and Kex'ti, and she never approved of it. If Khorvis had not been there, Lilliana is certain she would have attacked Kex'ti at the time, but oh well....that evening was all about "honor", and ways to claim one was upholding it, while simultaneously ensuring that they didn't uphold any honor at all.


Dishonorable idiots, convinced that they were honorable. Lilliana snorted.


It should also be mentioned that Syreena wanted a purple and gold earring pierced into it's flesh, for style, Lilliana supposed. Lilliana was a tailor, and a priest. Manipulating a 'living' creatures skin with thread, and attaching body parts that did not belong was not something she would sway away from or hesitate in performing. She was aware of how the forsaken seemed overly gleeful in doing so, with their abominations that they created in the dark dungeons of the Undercity. She just had never done so herself.


The small priestess had not been in a good mood since her return from her Morinth adventure. The encounter with Cerryan was just two days after she'd been returned home. Her patience was thin, her demeanor quiet. And although she was quite grateful to her rescuing party, she had discovered that her mood was quite foul. When Syreena approached her with this twisted request, Lilliana actually considered refusing.


She stared at Syreena quietly as the small rogue stood in her hunched manner, both of her hands out, palms up with the ear resting there for Lilliana to consider. The troll hadn't wanted the little rogue to cut off the ear in the first place, yet here she was, prancing around with her little treasure, triumphant. Now Syreena wanted to make it a public display, to taunt Sanctuary and announce how ridiculous it is for them to dare taunt a Grim. Not to mention that Syreena had already attempted to blame Lilliana for her actions to Leyu'jin (not that Lilliana had anything to worry about there). The priestess would never out the rogue, though. In fact, once she had noticed there were eyes on them (of course Xaraphyne would show up RIGHT as Syreena sliced off the ear into Lilliana's hand), she quickly altered her presentation. She made it seem like this was planned, an expectation of the drama that had unfolded in front of them. Secretly, she didn't care that Cerryan lost an ear. He was being foolish, weak in her mind in his attempt to be as good as the light can be. What she cared about was how this would affect the Grim...and she would never berate a Grim in front of others if it could possibly put them at risk later. She cared about this, even if that Grim was a bit of a brat, which Syreena was.


So Lilliana thought, what the hell, why not? She was sick of having to endure stares of disdain, when she has only ever been polite, if not protective of Sanctuary in the past. She definitely had her inappropriate motives when it came to her actions with that particular force, but still, she had always acted appropriately. At least, politically speaking.


She took a needle and thread, and blessed it with the healing magics she could still call upon even when wielding her shadows. With this she was able to preserve the ear, so that it wouldn't rot and stink as it hung from Syreena's vacant ear hole. It wasn't the best match, for this was only half an ear. Perhaps having such an odd cut in place of where a proper ear should go is more of an insult to the use of this particular ear. Syreena had her choice of many different ears. She cut off ears and ate them all day. But she choose this ear, of all ears, to implant on her head. Having this half ear (which of course, was still rather long, considering elf ears are extensive), certainly made a statement. Actually, it was ridiculous. Cute, smooth pinkish pale flesh that once belonged to Sanctuary now mixed with the dark, rotting flesh of a long time Grim. When Lilliana went to find a purple and gold earing from her own jewelry box, piercing the elven ear carefully to add to it's beauty....well, she stood back to admire her work.


Dear gawd, she thought, and giggled in her endearing, childishly free way.


Lilliana had no problem in encouraging twisted yet pleasant insanity. She was part of it, and always would be.

Syreena sat on her usual table in the Brokenspear Tavern, fiddling with a contraption on her forearm. It was supposed to launch a dagger into her hand when she moved it a certain way, but so far, she couldn't get the adjustments right. While she was fighting with it, Kex'ti walked in, unimpeded, and with no staff. He walked directly to the table she was sitting on and looked at her. Syreena looked up at him, but she no longer felt as threatened by him as she once did. They'd run into each other a few times while out fighting threats in Tanaan and the rest of Draenor, and they fought alongside each other without attacking each other, so she believed their truce was holding steady so far.

"I understand you wish to join us on our journey into Hellfire Citadel," the elf said, peering at Syreena's new ear.

"Yes," Syreena nodded. "Naheal talked to you about it then?"

"One hears rumors. I am curious as to why."

"Does it matter why I want to kill Iron Horde?"

Kex'ti studied the little rogue before answering. "For anyone else, no."

Syreena looked back down as she speaks, fighting to load a small dagger into the contraption, grinning slightly. "But you're special?"

"Surely you can appreciate my hesitance, given that you wear one of my comrade's body parts."

"He deserved worse," Syreena shot back, referring to Cerryan's ear that was now attached to her head where her own ear was missing, thanks to this very elf. She was happy to let the conversation travel away from his original question. Though she had explained it to Naheal, she suspected Kex'ti might be insulted by it, since he'd already addressed her concern.

"What prompted that action, on your behalf?" Kex'ti asked, looking at her.

Syreena, remembering the words Ley'ujin wrote to her about it in a note earlier that day, met his gaze evenly as she answered. "Slandering The Grim, being physically confrontational with Lilly, and standing by and doing nothing while a member of the Horde was nearly killed by an Alliance rogue."

"Somehow I am not inclined to believe you."

The little rogue shrugged. She didn't care if he believed her or not. "It's the truth. Ask Lilly."

Kex'ti looked at her, and she looked right back at him.

"You saw what I did to Tolero, I assume?" the elf asked her.

Cobrak leaned back against the bar, curiosity piqued at the mention of the mammoth draenei Enforcer.

Syreena tilted her head at the elf. "Are you threatening me for punishing someone who deserved it?"

"You do not get to decide when Sanctuary deserves punishment, Grim," Kex'ti said. "Lilliana is my friend, as well as yours."

"Well...you weren't there to take care of it," Syreena said, smiling sweetly as she looked back down at the device on her arm.

Kex'ti 's arm, whip-quick, lunged for Syreena's throat. He lifted her easily off the table and into the air. "I am pleased at your decision to join us in Hellfire," he informed her as she squirmed in his grasp, grabbing at his fingers in effort to pry them loose. "But you are not in a position to dispense justice to my faction."

He gripped her throat tightly. She didn't need to breathe to 'live', but air was a bit necessary to create and carry vocal sounds, so she glared at him silently while she struggled.

"Ah. I forget that undead don't need to breathe. Perhaps this will better illustrate my frustration at your poor choices." Kex'ti began to haul her towards the fire pit in the middle of the tavern.

"Oi," Cobrak's voice suddenly came from the bar. "Kex. Ya wanna be puttin' 'er down."

Kexti held the woman inches from the blaze and smiled at her. "Do we have an understanding, Syreena?"

Syreena glared at him, and drew a foot back to kick at him, but then paused. She wouldn't let her anger here ruin her plans. She nodded slightly, her eyes narrowing, and Kex'ti dropped her to the grated floor. She hissed at him as she got to her feet and stepped away.

"Keep that ear, for now," he said with his usual smirk. "You and I have fought against Gul'dan's forces. You owe me the respect not to attack my family." He glared at her, and then added. "Our disagreements aside."

"You're right," the rogue answered after a pause. It wouldn't further her plans to argue the point with him. She understood the distaste of an outsider punishing someone. The Grim were the same way. Only Grim were allowed to punish Grim. Still, she didn't appreciate his threats either, and even if he did spare her life in Icecrown, she wasn't going to take them quietly. "But touch me again, and I might go after another of your family."

Kex'ti rubbed his beard, not reacting to the threat as he looked again at her new ear. "If you had asked, nicely, I may have restored your ear. Would that not have been a better resolution?"

"No," she answered plainly, earning one of his smirks. "I don't need your help."

"I assure you, friend. Your own ear would look superior to that of an elf's."

"I sent it to you for you to eat it. You didn't?" Syreena pretended to be disappointed.

"Syreena, if I wished to consume undead flesh, I believe there would be a far more amicable manner with which to do so," the monk's gaze went to the purple and gold earring in Syreena's new ear. "And if you would be so kind as to dispose of the gaudy display..."

Syreena didn't answer that. She liked wearing Sanctuary's colors in Sanctuary's ear. It had meaning. She wasn't sure exactly what that meaning was, but she liked her new trophy just the way it was.

Kex'ti looked at Cobrak. The Grim hunter kept his gun pressed against his chest, satisfied that Kex'ti wouldn't turn Syreena into a weenie roast.

"So...if you're done playing the tough elf," Syreena said as she returned to her usual perch on the table in the corner. "When do we attack the Citadel?"

"Are you done being needlessly hostile?"

"Me? You're the one that started getting all physical!"

"We attack next Friday. I'd have endeavored to do so sooner, but it would be a fool's attempt to do so when so many of our number are recovering," Kex'ti answered. Syreena nodded. "Syreena, please, spare me the irritable obfuscation. You attacked Cerryan. He is Sanctuary. The...believability he would attack Lilliana unprovoked is negligible."

"Wait. Who attacked Lily?" Cobrak inquired. "An' why ain't they dead...."

"Nobody, Cobrak," Kex'ti answered, and then added. "Besides Morinth."

Cobrak growled menacingly, and then blinked at Syreena's answer: "Cerryan punched her in the face. After insulting all The Grims and doing nothing while a Horde was nearly killed."

"I will speak with him, too, Syreena," Kex'ti assured her.

"Good. He was out of line. Also, he's a cowardly crybaby."

"Patience, Syreena," the elf glared angrily at her. "You know what I'm capable of. Do not test me further."

Syreena did know. But she wasn't going to cower or skulk from him for that knowledge. "Oh, relax. I have no plans to go after him any more."

"If you have issues with any Sanctuary moving forward, I will accept your pleas personally, and deal with them accordingly," Kex'ti instructed her. "But don't assume the role of the sanctimonious."

Syreena didn't even know what that word meant, so she ignored it. "I wouldn't request to come along on your hunt, and then harm the people I want to hunt with. That wouldn't be very smart for my own safety, would it?"

Kex'ti coughed, and considered her words. Then he nodded and turned his attention to a new Sanctuary member who had entered the tavern, and the little rogue went back to fiddling with the dagger launcher on her forearm.