[Thrall's voice comes through calmly, but there's a sense of urgency. He wants to make sure Hiro is okay after all of ............... whatever the fuck that was. Landing in a new world, quite literally, has left him somewhat shaken.]
Hiro, are you all right? Please respond when you can.
[Normally, Hiro would take his time in responding especially if he was in the middle of something. This time? The answer's almost immediate.]
Thrall! [Oops, too enthused.] Dude, hey...you came back. [There's definitely relief in his tone to know that and before he can stop himself the next question slips out.] Are you okay? [Clearly that's more important than answering Thrall's initial question.]
I'm fine. [He lets out an audible breath, relieved to hear Hiro's voice coming through clearly.] I would not abandon you if I had the choice. I am sorry I could not protect you from the battle atop the Gem, wolf pup... I hope you were not hurt too grievously.
I've gotten better at defending myself. [There's a touch of pride in his tone but he's also keeping his voice nice and relaxed. Thrall doesn't have to know about the way he threw himself head-first into battle and used his magic to keep himself alive, nor does Thrall need to know right now all of the loss he'd had first-hand.] I don't think any of us really had a choice up until the end. But...it's really good to hear from you. What about Snowsong? And the trading post? Everything still standing?
[Thrall figured Hiro wouldn't be able to stay away from the conflict, which is why he just went straight to apologizing. Ah well.] And you, my friend.
Everything is fine. The villagers I had been protecting are gone, and Snowsong cannot find them. I can only surmise they were left behind in the old world. Or perhaps they were reincarnated here. I... I do not know, and the spirits do not know, either.
[He's still not sure where Jaina is, but she'll show up. Probably.]
If what they've told us is true? They're probably not in existence yet if I'm understanding the whole thing right. It's pretty complicated to think that we're in the past after we went back to our own present.
Time travel isn't... something I often come in contact with. The timeways are guarded by bronze dragons. Incidents like this just don't happen on Azeroth.
[He lets out a deep breath, obviously troubled.]
I am. This is not what I wished for, and I still have not heard what became of our Shardless friends. It is of great importance to me.
We don't even know if timeways exist where I'm from,much less if they're guarded by dragons. [He can't help but frown slightly in thought.] Those of us that had shards and have since lost them are still around. I'm living with one. [She's also now a vampire.] So I can't imagine that all of the natives are just totally wiped out, too.
[A beat.] We could always start exploring all of the new territory and look for them. Ask around and see what we can find.
Good. I need to do another sweep of my acres and make sure I did not miss something. The trading post is in the same place as before, and near a road. Can you come to me, or should I pick you up?
[He's not looking forward to riding his puca but he can, if he has to. It's not for the faint of heart though.]
Good thing it won't take me that long to get there. [He even manages a laugh though. He knows he was (okay, is very impatient. At least Thrall understands though.]
I'll see you really soon! [And with that he disconnects the call, already bustling around to get ready to head out.]
( On Yule morning, Hiro will find a small collection of gifts beneath the tree for him. For the most part, they're sweets or clothes, things that feel standard for gifts around this time of year, but there will be a couple that certainly stand out.
First, there will be a large envelope with some papers inside; the first page will have a rune drawn on it, and the pages that follow explain how to cast it. Clarke described that the rune was created for his use, and that should he inscribe it on his armour, it should allow him to fly, along with an incantation that will allow him to alter the wind to adjust his direction.
The second gift is a box; inside of it is a large polished iron bowl, which seems very odd as a gift. Sitting in the bowl, however, is a piece of paper with directions. It tells him that on the bottom of the bowl is engraved another rune that echoes memories. If he fills the bowl with water, he'll be able to view any memory that he has by writing the memory on a piece of paper, drawing the same rune on the paper, and tossing it into the water. It is worth noting that a memory can only be viewed once before the paper disappears, and must be written again if he'd like to view it a second time.
A card accompanies it all, addressing the gifts to Hiro, with love from Clarke. )
opening it reveals a carefully (if not entirely expertly) decorated piece of paper, one certificate for Hiro Hamada, promising that one Miss Grell Sutcliffe pledges her absolute aid and talents to a project of his choosing - she swears to not ask questions about the safety or sanity of the undertaking, but only to serve as his assistant for the duration until the project is completed.
a smaller paper tucked in the certificate reads only Happy Yule.]
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