. "Author: Vodral Characters Involved: Slelis, Mecaeth A certain, stereotypically white-haired night elf has gone missing, and it's up to Mecaeth to solve the mystery of her disappearance. Enjoy, but mind - there may be foul language here and there. While adventurers and beasts alike lay at rest in other parts of the Hellfire Peninsula, a strange buzz dominated the chatter of the arakkoa. Their excitement resounded all the way to the entrance of the Den of Haal\u2019esh, where passing explorers might have heard the commotion and wondered \u2013 briefly \u2013 what could have gotten a bunch of hyper-intelligent birdmen so worked up. They scrambled from here to there, beaks clacking, feathers flying, heads turned to a smaller nook within the Den, where a rickety cage sat newly occupied by a night elven prisoner. She was small by anyone\u2019s standards, about the size of an average human. Her long, white hair had obviously seen better days, as it draped about her shoulders in a tangled mess, twigs and other various portions of nature occasionally daring to peek from the strands. Dirt smudged her pale cheeks, and her eyes rested at half-mast, though whether she was exhausted or just horrendously bored could not easily be determined. Escape was a plan she\u2019d given up on hours ago. Now, she sat cross-legged on the dusty earth, one hand propping up her chin while the other played with the wooden bars of her confine. Several arakkoa gathered near her, their beady eyes constantly flicking in her direction to ensure she was behaving to their satisfaction. After a time, she raised her eyes and fixed one of them with a dull stare. \u201CI dunno\u2019 \u2018bout you,\u201D she drawled, \u201Cbut I\u2019m real excited right \u2018bout now. I mean, this\u2019s gotta\u2019 be the high point in m\u2019recent life. Sittin\u2019 in a cage with you fellers, yeah, now this\u2019s entertainment. Boy oh boy.\u201D They regarded her in confusion and, much like their avian cousins, cocked their heads to the side at an angle that would make most humanoids cringe. Despite this, the elf continued on. \u201CM\u2019Slelis Dendrath, by the way, but you can call me D, Three Words Dead, Jackass, Rat, Slick... take your pick. Not like it matters up here though, yeah? Jes\u2019 sittin\u2019 \u2018round in a cage all day. Fanfuckin\u2019tastic.\u201D The largest of the arakkoa \u2013 whom she\u2019d politely dubbed Sweetheart and determined was a male - snapped his beak and shook his staff at her in protest. \u201COh, I see how it is,\u201D she snapped, \u201Ccan\u2019t even talk now, can I? Some treatment y\u2019got up here. First I come down lookin\u2019 to meet with somebody, mindin\u2019 my own bus\u2019ness, an\u2019 you drag me from the spot like I done somethin\u2019 wrong. Next you bat me \u2018round a lil, poke at me, shove me in a cage, an\u2019 now I can\u2019t even talk? Great service.\u201D With an incensed screech, Sweetheart raised his staff and slammed it against the cage, narrowly missing Slelis\u2019s hands. She yelped and scrambled away from the bars, until her back was pressed to the opposite wall. \u201CWell, THANKS!\u201D she snarled. \u201CIf you wanted me to shut up that badly, you could a jes\u2019 said so!\u201D A frown creased her lips as she pulled her knees to her chest and folded her arms around them. The situation seemed entirely hopeless: she was alone, deep within the heart of an arakkoan outpost, and surrounded by guards. They\u2019d managed to remove all but her most hidden weapons, but the constant presence of her captors made it impossible for her to do anything with what remained on her person. She buried a hand in her greasy hair and muttered in Darnassian, \u201CI lived through the bloody Third War, and this is what happens? Need a damn miracle to get out of this one, D.\u201D A sigh escaped her lips as she lowered her head onto her other arm and shut her eyes. Even when she was fast asleep, her guards remained ever watchful, no doubt unwilling to give up their prize without a fight \u2013 which was exactly what they\u2019d get. The tower behind Falcon Watch cast a shadow as tall as the valley beyond it was long and shrouded the crouched form of a large, robed elf in darkness. He ran his fingers cautiously in the orange dust before him, his fingers hesitating in a footprint left in the dirt. For a moment, he sat with his brows drawn in thought, then scooped up the soil from inside the impression and sniffed at it. Almost immediately, the tension in his forehead vanished, his frustrated visage eased into a look of deliberation. From behind him, a wiry-framed human stepped into view, his hands playing with a silver coin. \u201CFind something?\u201D he asked. The elf rose to his feet, straightened the neck of his robe, and replied, \u201CThe woman you\u2019re looking for, why was she out here in the Outlands?\u201D \u201CBusiness. We had a deal.\u201D \u201CMr\u2026 Rodigue, was it?\u201D \u201CJust call me Rodie, Mecaeth.\u201D The elf smiled and turned, his eyes resting a few inches above Rodigue\u2019s black-topped head. \u201CYes, well, as I was saying\u2026 I\u2019m an inspector for the Cenarion Circle. I understand the need for you to maintain some sense of privacy in this, but you did file the missing persons report yourself, and the more information you give me, the easier it\u2019ll be to find this girl.\u201D Rodigue sighed and flipped the coin in the air, caught it in his opposite palm, and stowed it in a pouch at his waist. \u201CHow much you need to know?\u201D \u201CWhatever you can afford me.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s not very much. I took a vow of silence when I joined up with the Guard, I can\u2019t paint the whole picture for you.\u201D Mecaeth adjusted his hold on his walking staff and grunted dismissively. \u201CAny bit helps. I just hope you can find the time to tell me now. This isn\u2019t the only case that\u2019s popped up since that abominable portal opened. People have been vanishing left and right\u2026 I haven\u2019t been home for a good month, haven\u2019t been to the Grove in longer. So, summarily \u2013 please hurry and tell me what you can. I don\u2019t have all day.\u201D \u201CTo the point,\u201D said Rodigue, as his lips bloomed into a sly grin, \u201CAlways a good trait, that is.\u201D He received a forced smile from Mecaeth, and decided against stalling any longer. \u201CRight, the information. It\u2019s all very complicated, you see, so I won\u2019t be able to explain all of it here, but she was coming out to receive a mission located near this area. I was going to meet her a little ways from here and give her the files, but\u2026 She was gone.\u201D \u201CDid you see or hear anything?\u201D \u201CNothing out of the ordinary. The arakkoa were making a fuss, but when aren\u2019t they?\u201D Mecaeth rapped his fingers upon the head of his staff and asked, \u201CWhat did this job entail?\u201D \u201CJust another military mission. It\u2019s\u2026 private, but she\u2019s been working with the Stormwind militia for about a year now, and they hired her to take care of a dilemma out here.\u201D \u201CA dilemma.\u201D \u201CI believe that\u2019s what I said, yes.\u201D Grimroot took a step closer to Rodigue. \u201CDid this dilemma happen to have a specific name?\u201D \u201CErm.\u201D \u201CErm is a very foreign title to me,\u201D remarked the druid. \u201CIt\u2019s classified.\u201D Mecaeth hesitated, then huffed angrily, muttered a few choice words about military officials, and said, \u201CVery well. Let me repeat this back to you\u2026 You and this woman, a Ms. Dendrath, were to meet behind Falcon Watch and discuss a newly acquired mission, likely a hit for the armed forces, as it sounds. You showed up at the proper time and place, but she \u2013 for reasons unknown \u2013 failed to make an appearance.\u201D \u201CThat about sums it up!\u201D chirped Rodigue. The two exchanged a moment of thick, awkward silence, worse than the sort that tends to rear its ugly head on bad first dates. At long last, Mecaeth said, \u201CYou do realize you are my number one suspect in this case?\u201D The human stared at him with a look of shock that the druid interrogating him failed to notice. \u201CMe?\u201D he squeaked. Mecaeth nodded quipped, \u201CI believe that\u2019s what I said, yes?\u201D \u201CBut I didn\u2019t do anything!\u201D \u201CYou were alone, and so was she. You\u2019re the last person who could have seen her. Her footprints are here, and I\u2019m certain there are others nearby, too, possibly showing signs of an altercation. I gathered from the report I received that you\u2019ve worked with her before on similar espionage missions, which means there\u2019s plenty of opportunity for you two to have had a spat, a disagreement\u2026 Something that would give you reason to begrudge her.\u201D \u201CMr. Grimroot,\u201D Rodigue protested, \u201CI\u2019m a man of the law. I work for Stormwind, for Uther\u2019s sake. If I ever kill a living creature, I do it for the alliance \u2013 not to satisfy my personal vendettas.\u201D \u201CPlenty of Stormwind\u2019s forces have experienced corruption at some point or other. Who\u2019s to say you haven\u2019t?\u201D \u201CWell, me!\u201D \u201CNot a very compelling witness,\u201D Mecaeth retorted. \u201CWhy would I want to hurt her?\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s what I was hoping you would tell me. But if you\u2019re so intent on withholding information, I can raise the issue with my brothers in the Circle, and we can handle it from there\u2026 Elune knows your men must have their hands full if they\u2019ve stooped to calling on a kaldorei such as myself to solve their mysteries for them.\u201D Rodigue drew himself up in anger and piped, \u201CYou\u2019re a very well-known investigator. By the Light, you\u2019ve solved cases that have been closed for years, the sort most people look at and declare, \u2018It must have been an accident,\u2019 just because there\u2019s no other answer in sight.\u201D \u201CI appreciate the sentiments, but flattery isn\u2019t gaining you anything, here.\u201D Mecaeth turned towards the Watch and continued, \u201CIf that\u2019s all you have to say to me, I\u2019m going to go back to the Watch and write to my fellow druids. No doubt they\u2019ll want to hear what I\u2019ve discovered.\u201D As the druid tapped his staff on the ground and began to make his way back to the base of the outpost, the finest of ears could have detected him muttering to himself, \u201COne, two, three, four\u2026\u201D \u201CWait!\u201D He smiled brilliantly and whispered, \u201Cfive,\u201D then turned towards the sound of Rodigue\u2019s voice and inquired in a stronger tone, \u201CYes? I assumed we were finished.\u201D \u201CI heard someone screaming from the Den of Haal\u2019esh earlier,\u201D the human confessed, \u201CI assumed it was just another stupid adventurer, but\u2026 You may want to look into it.\u201D Mecaeth bowed his head and said, \u201CThank you for the information, Mr. Rodigue. No doubt you\u2019ve spewed it only to save your own hide, but I will investigate any and all leads you give to me. I just hope this isn\u2019t some attempt to get rid of me before I can file my report, hmm?\u201D \u201CAs I said,\u201D Rodigue spat, \u201CI\u2019m a man of the law.\u201D Mecaeth laughed and commented as he changed course towards the Den, \u201CThat\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m afraid of.\u201D As he walked away, Mecaeth couldn't help but grin: despite the fact that he'd been blind ever since waking from the Emerald Dream, the threat to file a report never failed. Sweetheart was tired. He cawed to the other guards and shuffled away from the cage, fully prepared for a long and well-deserved break. Through the flocks of shambling, feathery bodies he moved, pausing occasionally to greet one of the prized owls his people bred. He was as proud of them as the rest of his neighbors, but on that night he hadn\u2019t the time to coo and fuss over their gorgeous feathers; getting some fresh air was much higher on his list of priorities. Eventually, he meandered out of the Den and found a nice, broadsided rock near its entrance. He ruffled his feathers and ambled up to it, but never got the chance to sit down. Without so much as a war cry to warn him, an assembly of thorny roots sprung from the earth and wrapped about his legs. When he tried to call out to his comrades, a single length of vine twined itself about his beak and clamped it shut, silencing any and all of his protests. From behind the rock, a robed figure emerged. It stood before the screeching arakkoan for a few moments, then smiled, bowed its head apologetically, and pulled back its hood, revealing two pointy ears and a head full of long, teal hair beneath. Sweetheart\u2019s muffled squawk positively brimmed with bewilderment. \u201CTerribly sorry,\u201D Mecaeth began, \u201Cbut I\u2019m here on behalf of the Circle, and I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t afford to have you interrupting my investigation. I promise you the binds will remove themselves after an appropriate length of time.\u201D He started to shuffle towards the Den, but in the midst of his step he raised a finger thoughtfully to the sky, swiveled on his heel, and added, \u201CIf you find my behavior inappropriate, feel free to report your complaints to the nearest outpost. Feedback is always appreciated.\u201D His duty done, Mecaeth slid into a crop of shadows and felt his hand along the rocky wall leading in to the Den. He took several steps foreword and paused: not too far off, he could hear the racket of the arakkoans as they went about their business, and by the sounds of things, there were far too many for a druid of his stature to handle. This investigation needed a little more than brains to complete: it required stealth. \u201CBy Cenarius,\u201D he grumbled, \u201CI hate cat form.\u201D With a flurry of cloth, a few disturbing cracks and pops, and a low growl, Mecaeth\u2019s proud elven form transformed into that of a scraggly-haired panther. Briefly he paused in his hiding place as his body adjusted to the changes; after all, going from two to four legged mammal was no small task, but it was especially made difficult when the only bestial form Mecaeth was used to maintaining was that of an ursine. When he felt he\u2019d gotten a grip on his hairy situation*, he nudged his forgotten staff to the side and prowled into the heart of the Den. \n* Totally unintended, in the most intentional of inadvertent ways one could unintentionally intend. \u2026 Don\u2019t kill me."@en . . "Author: Vodral Characters Involved: Slelis, Mecaeth A certain, stereotypically white-haired night elf has gone missing, and it's up to Mecaeth to solve the mystery of her disappearance. Enjoy, but mind - there may be foul language here and there. Escape was a plan she\u2019d given up on hours ago. Now, she sat cross-legged on the dusty earth, one hand propping up her chin while the other played with the wooden bars of her confine. Several arakkoa gathered near her, their beady eyes constantly flicking in her direction to ensure she was behaving to their satisfaction. \u201CBusiness. We had a deal.\u201D \u201CErm.\u201D"@en . "Business Gone Bad"@en .