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Sylvanas looked out over her troop. Anya and Velonora, both in full scary clown makeup and bloody ripped clothes. Nathanos in his werewolf costume he insisted on wearing every night. She was still not convinced that his time off last December had been for his fifth grandma passing away and not to go to Midwest Fur Fest. Her other “rangers” were in their normal Banshee Ranger get-ups. And of course, their makeup artist Xalatath, who was chatting with Cyndia as she finished up Lyana’s “ripped” ear. Sylvanas still didn’t know how Lyana stood her ear being folded over like that for so long.
“Hot date?”
“Yes!” Xalatath clapped her hands together before starting to neatly put her tools back into a multi-tiered makeup box. “Another forest ranger like Sylvie here,” Sylvanas bristled. She hated that nickname. “Also pretty sure she does archery. MILF could snap me over her knee and I am into that.” Xal’atath fanned herself before regally hooking the heavy box on her pointer and middle fingers and practically floating out the door.
Sylvanas huffed and picked up her clipboard. “Alright, crew! We’re almost ready to start. Just a few quick notes.” Her troop snapped to attention. “First off, Anya, no more crying in the shadows to lure people over.” Anya threw her hands up. “Why do people come here if they don’t want to be scared?!” Sylvanas sighed. “Anya, normally it’s a very fun trick, but you don’t know when not to use it, and there have been too many complaints from field trips. Seriously, Anya, you need to tone it down when kids are around.” Anya deflated against Cyndia. “Fiiine.”
Sylvanas chuckled. “Next up, Cyndia. You’re on door duty. If that Genn guy tries to get back in, call the cops on him. I’m not having him assault our guests again because they won’t help him turn his seventeen-year-old daughter straight.” Cyndia saluted and grinned evilly. “Gladly, Dark Lady.” Sylvanas scoffed at the nickname. “Good. Now, just the nightly reminder: we have a no-touch policy. Unless you are blocking a guest from touching you, do not touch anyone. Clea, spraying fake blood on people counts as touching them.” Clea nodded solemnly and pulled a sprayer out of her costume. “Lastly, unless the guest is interacting and talking with you, ten seconds per— we don’t want to actually traumatize anyone.”
Later, Sylvanas was walking the perimeter of the main area when she heard a group of about four men walking her way, talking loudly. A blonde man around his early forties was yelling the loudest.
“If that bitch thinks she’s gonna get child support for that stupid attempt at gold digging, she’s kidding herself!” Sylvanas smirked. This was going to be the highlight of her night. Creeping up behind them was easy enough. They made more than enough noise to cover her. She pressed her ears flat to her head as she could, bared her fangs, and jumped out from behind Mr. Number-One Dad, hissing and trying to hold back the giggles threatening to break loose as he shrieked like a stretched balloon and bolted back into the main fairground with his friends. The older man with them was not so good at holding back his laughter.
In her most regal voice, Sylvanas channeled her character, the Banshee Queen: “You would laugh at a queen?”
The old man chuckled. “No, no, Your Majesty,” he said with a mock bow. “Just at the boy getting his just deserts. Have a lovely evening.” He waved and followed after his party. Sylvanas continued her rounds.
A few scares later, she heard crying. Rolling her eyes, Sylvanas ducked behind the nearest vendor stall into the alley between the outer stalls and the chain-link fence that marked the perimeter of the property.
“Anya, I thought I told you not to pull this trick… Toni—Oh. Hello?”
A child around five or six was huddled against the fence, sobbing into a violet Kirin-Tor Labs hoodie that he was practically drowning in. Sylvanas stepped a little closer and crouched. “I’m sorry for yelling. I thought you were someone else. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
The child peeked out of the neck of the hoodie, the hood sliding back a little to reveal mussed blonde hair. The kid’s eyes widened. Oh no.
“WAAHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHEEEE!”
Sylvanas shrunk back as if stung. “No, nonono. I’m so sorry, I’m not trying to scare you.” Sylvanas remembered she looked like some nightmare come to life and silently cursed Xalatath for being so good at her job. The kid backed into the chain-link fence hard enough that he had to have welts now. Sylvanas quickly untaped her costume shirt so she could cover the massive chest “wound” Xal had painted over a scattering of blue LEDs.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” she said softly.
The kid stopped screeching, thank Barlore, and looked at her as if she were a very hungry tiger on a very thin chain.
“You’re safe, buddy. It’s just a costume.”
The kid glared at her. “Lying’s mean! That’s not a costume!”
Sylvanas was taken aback. “Uhh, you know you’re right. I’m sorry for lying. I thought it would make you feel better?”
The kid looked at her for a moment and looked guilty.
“It’s okay. I lied to my mama once because I didn’t want her to be sad when I got a cut. But she told me if I lied, then she wouldn’t know to make it better.” The kid then dove his arms into the pouch of the hoodie and excitedly pulled out a small “My Little Talbuk” bandaid.
“Here,” he said and clumsily started trying to open it, then frowned. “Can you open it for me?”
Sylvanas carefully opened the bandaid before the kid snatched it back and excitedly put it on the area of her cheek Xalatath had made to look as if it were falling apart and exposing her teeth. Sylvanas was trying very hard to hold back tears and remember that no, she could not bear-hug a stranger’s child.
“Thank you very much! Speaking of, though, where is your mama?”
“Oh, she’s at home with Mrs. Windrunner.”
Sylvanas frowned at her last name. Did this kid know her sisters?
“And how did you get here?”
The kid looked at her sheepishly. “I was at a sleepover with my friends, and Mr. Windrunner was watching us. Then he said he’d take us on an adventure and not to tell Mrs. Windrunner, and he brought us here.”
Sylvanas decided she had to know. “And what are your friends’ names?”
“Giramar and Galadin.”
Sylvanas froze. So this kid was friends with Vereesa’s kids then.
“And forgive me for not minding my manners. My name’s Sylvanas. What’s your name?”
The kid stood up straight and puffed his little chest out, beaming. “Daelin! Like my grandpa!”
Daelin frowned. “My mama says he was a hero, and I should be proud of his name, but she gets all sad when she talks about him. I think she misses him.”
Sylvanas nodded solemnly. “Well, Daelin, do you know where Mr. Windrunner is?”
Daelin shook his head. “No, I got scared of the big wolf and ran away. Then I couldn’t find them.” He looked on the verge of crying again.
Sylvanas slowly stood up and held out her hand. “Okay, that’s okay. We’ll go to the front desk, and we can call Vereesa and your mama, okay?”
Daelin took her hand. “Okay! But how did you know Mrs. Windrunner’s first name?”
____________________________________________________________________________
Across town, Jaina was filling two bowls with Cheetos and grabbing some old take-out chopsticks her son had yet to commandeer as toy swords.
“I still wish I knew where my favorite hoodie went, is all.”
Vereesa looked over from scrolling through the Netflix catalog. “Have you tried Daelin’s room?”
Jaina sighed. “Yes, and the laundry, and my office, even my lab! No sign of it.”
Vereesa shrugged, taking the offered bowl of snacks. “I’m sure it will turn up somewhere. No wine?”
Her friend pouted.
Jaina playfully rolled her eyes. “No, not since Daelin figured out how to climb to the top cabinet to get ‘Mama’s’ special grape juice.”
Vereesa nearly choked on her snacks.
Jaina sighed. “Let’s just pick something to watch.”
Vereesa gasped an affirmative through her laughter.
About an hour into a documentary on arcane physics Jaina had begged Vereesa into watching, the phone rang.
“Ignore it. It’s probably spam,” Vereesa said with a mouthful of chocolate she’d stolen from Jaina’s pantry.
Jaina checked to make sure it wasn’t Rhonin calling about the boys and turned off her phone. Then Vereesa’s phone rang from the same number.
“Huh,” Jaina’s heart leapt into her throat. Had something happened? Was it the hospital?
Vereesa picked up.
“Hello? Oh, Sylvanas! Hey! Did you get a new number? Actually, now’s not a great time. I’m having a movie night with my friend… No, don’t call Alleria instead! Anyway, I’m pretty sure she’s on a date or something. What’s up?…”
Vereesa’s eyes widened. Jaina leaned forward, trying to hear Sylvanas’ voice.
“I am going to kill that man,” Vereesa said, pinching her brow.
“Alright, yeah, his mom’s with me. I’ll be there in 15,” Vereesa hung up.
“Was that about the boys?” Jaina was desperately trying to hold back the wave of anxiety telling her Rhonin had been gruesomely murdered and the boys taken hostage.
Vereesa sighed. “That was my sister. She works at the haunt location downtown. Apparently, Rhonin thought it’d be a good idea to take the boys there without permission.”
Jaina was pretty sure that place employed actual criminals.
“Did something happen?!”
Her friend patted her on the shoulder. “Jaina, they’re fine, relax. Daelin just got scared of one of the actors and ran off to hide. Sylvanas found him and is keeping him at the front desk until we can pick him up.”
Jaina sighed with relief. “Okay, sorry for getting so worked up so quickly.”
“It’s okay, Jaina. I swear, if I weren’t so exhausted from dealing with two of them, I’d be the same way. Not to mention, if I didn’t have Rhonin to calm me down.”
Jaina sighed again, laughing away some of the stress. “Yeah, you’re right. Though it doesn’t seem like Rhonin will be around much longer.”
Vereesa turned the ignition and sped onto the road as Jaina desperately grabbed the ‘Oh shit’ handle.
“No, he will not.”
By the time they finally pulled into an employee parking spot next to a beat-up purple and white Jeep, Jaina was hyperventilating.
“You are SO lucky the cops didn’t pull us over,” Vereesa just laughed and pulled open the door for her.
Marching up to the front, they saw Rhonin and the boys looking around, worriedly.
“Vereesa?! How did… uh, what are you doing here? Oh no, Jaina, I’m so sorry. Please don’t kill me but I—”
Jaina held up her hand. “Rhonin, I’ll help. Vereesa, eviscerate you later. Where’s the front office?”
Rhonin puzzledly pointed toward an old, rundown building barely bigger than a shack with a medic sign hastily taped to the door.
Jaina ran over, hearing Vereesa start to tear into Rhonin behind her, and flung open the door.
She saw a startled-looking elfin woman sitting behind the desk.
“Hello?”
The elf cocked her head to the side, drawing attention to the gore makeup on her cheek, covered with a… ‘My Little Talbuk’ bandaid?
Jaina froze when she saw the gaping chest ‘wound’ running down the elf’s sternum, glowing an eerie blue. Shit, she’d been staring for a while, hadn’t she? And… ooh, dear Tides, the woman’s shirt was entirely unbuttoned to show off the makeup.
Am I bisexual?! And had they said something to her?!
____________________________________________________________________________
Sylvanas had handed Daelin off to Nathanos after he’d insisted on apologizing for screaming at him and running away. They were now locked in a serious game of Uno in the back room, sharing Nathanos’ packed dinner, while Sylvanas waited at the front desk for Vereesa and Daelin’s mom to arrive. She’d been halfway through tapeing her shirt back into place when the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen practically broke down the door.
“Hello?” Sylvanas gently put down the tape, waiting for her to respond, only to be stared down.
“Can I help you? Are you here with Vereesa? Are you Daelin’s mother?”
The lady just kept staring, and Sylvanas was starting to shrink back into her chair when a blur of blonde rushed past.
“Mama!”
The lady bent down and picked up the boy as if a 45-pound wiggling child weighed less than a bunch of grapes.
“Daelin, I’m so glad you’re okay! You can’t run off like that. Rhonin was really worried when he couldn’t find you.”
Daelin frowned. “I’m sorry, Mama. I didn’t mean to make Mr. Windrunner worried. I was just scared of the big wolf because I didn’t know he was nice yet, and I wanted to hide.”
Daelin perked up for a moment. “But then Sylvamas found me, and I gave her a bandaid ’cause she’s hurt, see?” He pointed at the bandaid still haphazardly slapped across her cheek.
“Oh, so you did. That was very kind of you, little seal,” his mother said, smiling at him as she looked back up at Sylvanas—less intensely this time, to her relief.
“Thank you so much for taking care of him. Uuh, Sylvamas, was it?”
“Sylvanas. It was no trouble; he’s a very sweet kid. Plus, I’m sure without his help I would have bled out! Do you see how big this cut is?” She gestured dramatically to her cheek.
Daelin’s mother chuckled.
Barlore, Sylvanas was going to immolate if this woman kept… existing?! Like that.
“And your name? I certainly don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to call you mommy.”
Oh, fuck, by Barlore’s Tits, she’d said that out loud, hadn’t she?! “I… I, uuh, I’m so sorry—”
Daelins’ mother, who’d gone cherry red, shook her head.
“It’s Jaina! Uuh, my name is Jaina. It’s lovely to meet you, Sylvanas. You’re, uuh, Vereesa’s sister? I haven’t heard her talk about a Sylvanas before.”
Sylvanas cleared her throat, half afraid her blush was showing through the inch-thick layer of blue face paint Xalatath had slapped on her that afternoon.
“Yes, I’m her older sister. She tends to call me Lady Moon rather than my actual name.”
A look of recognition crossed Jaina’s features. “Oh! The one that accidentally shot her in summer camp? And then felt so bad about it, she smuggled a squirrel into the healers as a gift, and it terrorized the nurses, bit her, and she had to get rabies shots?”
Sylvanas cringed and hid her face in her hands while Daelin giggled.
“Did that really happen?!”
He looked at her like she was a cartoon character as she slid further down in her chair.
“Yes,” she muttered, feeling her ears heating up as they tried to press through her skull. At least Jaina’s belly laugh made her embarrassment a little more tolerable.
“Oh, sorry, I don’t mean to embarrass you, darling,” Barlore. She wished this goddess would call her that every day.
Vereesa came through the door then.
“Jaina, did you— Oh, you did find Daelin.”
Daelin wiggled out of his mother’s arms and waddled over to Vereesa.
“Hi, auntie! We went on an adventure.”
Vereesa shot a glare over her shoulder at Rhonin.
“Yes, you did. I’m glad we found you! Oh, and Sylvanas, thank you for finding him and calling us. It’s always nice to hear from you.”
Sylvanas cringed; her hiding away from Vereesa had been a bit of a sore spot since her recovery from a car accident had sent her into a severe depressive episode.
Suddenly, Rhonin popped his head into the doorway.
“My darling, my love, light of my life, I’m afraid the boys are a bit overtired, and I could use your help.”
Vereesa simply rolled her eyes before excusing herself to help Rhonin.
A few moments of awkward silence later, Vereesa popped back into the doorway.
“Jaina, I’m so sorry, but the boys are having some—”
She sighed. “Issues. And need to be brought home.”
“In separate cars!” Rhonin yelled over her shoulder.
Vereesa pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Yes, in separate cars.”
Jaina smiled weakly. “It’s okay. Really, my apartment isn’t far; I can walk back.”
“Carrying Daelin?”
At that, Daelin puffed his chest out at Vereesa.
“I can walk back. Mama doesn’t have to carry me!”
This was punctuated with a rather large yawn.
Sylvanas chuckled. “If you’d be comfortable, I can drive you back. My shift is about to end anyway.”
It wasn’t, but the troop could handle themselves for a little while, and she wasn't about to let this goddess walk all the way back across town while carrying a sleeping child.
Jaina looked nervous but then sighed, resigned.
“I suppose he’ll be fine without a car seat, just this once.”
Ah, Sylvanas had forgotten he might need one.
Vereesa chimed in that she and Rhonin both had two car seats in each car, and they could let Sylvanas borrow one for the time being.
Sylvanas thanked her and told Jaina to relax and take whatever wasn’t labeled with someone else’s name out of the break room fridge.
A bit of fiddling with the seat and several reads of the instructions later, Sylvanas had a sleeping Daelin buckled in and was sliding into the driver’s seat of her old Jeep next to Jaina.
The drive back was calm enough. Jaina yawned and seemed to nearly nod off in the passenger seat, making Sylvanas wish she’d invested in a vehicle less likely to concuss anyone leaning on the inside of the door.
Jaina pointed them to her apartment complex’s garage, and Sylvanas pulled into the designated spot just as Daelin was starting to stir.
“DUCKIES!!”
Sylvanas and Jaina both laughed at his surprised joy.
“Yes, we Jeep owners trade them. If we see another Jeep, we leave a duck on the hood. Would you like one?”
Daelin grinned like he’d just won the lottery and pointed at the purple duck in a lab coat.
“Can I have the one that looks like Mama?!”
Jaina flushed, and Sylvanas chuckled.
“Sure.” She pulled it off her dash and handed it to him.
He took it as if she’d handed him something made of the finest glass and then promptly hugged it as tight as he could. Sylvanas’s heart was melting; she needed to see both of them again. Maybe Vereesa would be willing to give her Jaina’s number? No—that’d be creepy and not in the fun way. Maybe she could… no ideas were coming to mind.
If she wanted to get to know the siren who was gently unbuckling the sweetest child she’d ever met from the car seat in her old, worn-down Jeep, she’d have to actually make a move.
“Jaina?”
Jaina looked up from Daelin, who was showing her his new duck friend.
“Yes, Sylvanas?”
Just then, Sylvanas was struck with the realization she was still in full makeup (and a kid’s bandaid), and she wasn’t sure she cared.
“Let me walk you up?”
Jaina smiled. “Oh, yes, please. Thank you, Sylvanas.”
Sylvanas smiled back, locked the Jeep, and started walking toward the elevator with Jaina while listened to Daelin excitedly explain how his mama was a wizard and did magic science, and Jaina clarifying that she researched arcane sciences at Kirin-Tor Labs, that she used to work for the famed Antonidas, and that she taught classes two times a week at Dalaran University.