[Twinflame]

((Taking place after...))

The chances of a Sin'dorei being truly comfortable in Orgrimmar were about as great as the amount of money he had on hand to purchase things that Orcs couldn't even imagine the uses of. Oils and perfumes, those were easy for the Orcs to get. But the simple fact that, no, one pillow is not as good as another, and silk just is not interchangeable with satin no matter how much you insist they're the same thing, seemed to inexplicably elude every Orc in the city. Still, comfort to Dhein was at best a secondary priority.

His first priority upon entering the city was to find the first room available and move the plant into it. He insisted on this haste beacause, out of all the things they knew about the plant, was that it exuded a palpable and detectable power that skilled practitioners of certain magics would be able to track down if given time. And Dhein, being a Warlock, knew off the top of his head that there was a whole nest of Warlocks living in Ragefire Chasm that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with.

The room he secured was a room in only the strictest sense, as if the Orcs that ran the "inn" didn't even know what doors were. He had to secure the entire upper floor of the building, as the lower floor was full of bunks which were rented out to massive men of horribly unsatisfactory hygiene. Taking well to any kind of shelter, even if it was wooden walls and wooden floors and improbably irregular metal joists, Dhein at once beckoned Antimony and Aztal up with the plant and began his work isolating the magical energies of the plant.

This was done using the same method as before: Adam's fingers, dust, and Fel energies. The lack of a door made the work awkward for him since he couldn't be sure of their privacy. He'd left instructions not to be disturbed, but, who knew what Orcs heard when a Sin'dorei and Forsaken made such a request.

"We'll have to secure some sort of long-term, and more private place for you to do your research." Dhein said to Antimony as he placed a dust-covered corpse finger near the ramp that lead down. "Where do you live, by the way? Is it Undercity? I don't think I've ever asked."

[Naunet]

In the wake of Dhein's various requests and demands, Antimony followed and sought to smooth over baffled trolls and disgruntled orcs with the weight of her signature and account number with the capital's bank for charge. This was important, as Dhein had not actually possessed enough money to rent out a room, much less an entire floor. She was perhaps lucky that her frequent business in Orgrimmar had given her at least a pinch of understanding on how to sooth disgruntled orcs - or at least disgruntled orcs with more of a mind towards business, as the innkeepers generally were.

She wasn't sure how long her account could cover this expense, however; she was not exactly a rich individual. This thought weighed on her mind as she stepped into the open "room" with its many bunks that lined the walls. Then she tried not to think about how many times over she would have to pay and instead set down the plant and turned back towards Dhein. Aztal let out a squeak when she nearly stepped on him.

"Don't follow so close then," she chided sharply. Dirt-stained fingers brushed across the front of her robe, seeking futily to smooth its innumerable wrinkles, and then lifted towards Dhein a vague furrow of her brow. "Ah... I suppose, yes. Though not in the... manner the living typically mean." For what good was a bed when you did not require sleep? Some Forsaken maintained lives in structures beyond the Undercity, but they were largely for work purposes, and to house the occasional living passerby or soldier. Antimony pursed her lips and, reluctantly, gave up on her clothing for now, instead pulling her bony fingers through her hair. "Considering the nature of this plant, I'm unsure if it would be the best place for research. Unless we could procure a secure spot amongst the ruins, but even then..."

[Twinflame]

"I don't think it would be a good idea to move it overseas. Or overland. Except through the city. Actually." Dhein stood and spun on Antimony in a smooth motion, spine straight and heals clicking in a gesture of utmost control. His boots scuffed the dust on the floor and knocked one of the zombie fingers down the ramp, though, and with a squeal Aztal went after it. A moment later shouting and stomping and the haunting screech of a panicked imp could be heard, but Dhein somehow did not seem to notice. "We're unlikely to replicate the climate of the Overgrowth for this plant, and I think we may already have put it through too much stress just bringing it here. We should find someplace underground, or at least very contained, where we can control its environment. I don't believe that Orcs know what a greenhouse is, though."

[Naunet]

"Underground," Antimony echoed dubiously. Then she let out a sigh her body did not actually feel, though her shoulders heaved up and down. "I hope we did not unintentionally kill it. After all that trouble." Her fingers went back to combing through her blue-tinted hair, struggling to work out a horrible knot. She would have been more concerned with spreading the dirt on her hands to her hair, but at this point it hardly seemed to matter. Though a bath of some sort would be...

Antimony shook herself and turned to glance down towards where she'd deposited the plant. Did it look more wilted, twisted in on itself? Was its coloration off, perhaps more yellow than the mottled green from the Overgrowth? Antimony wasn't exactly a botanist - not even close. What would such a plant, so clearly infused with some sort of Other energy, even require? Perhaps it would be perfectly happy in its new home.

Lids slid over the glow over her eyes once. "I... may be able to afford to rent a more livable place in the upper levels of the Drag. At least temporarily." And not if they stayed here for any longer than a single night.

[Twinflame]

"We need somewhere we can stay in the long term. That's the crux of the arrangement, above all else. Obtaining the plant alive won't do us much good if we can't keep it long enough to analyze how it behaves and really look into its constitution." At this point he turned and noted that the line behind him had been scuffed, the zombie finger missing, and his brow furrowed. "Aztal! What have you done to my perfect spell?"

The imp burst from a plume of brown haze against one wall, holding the zombie finger up between its own fingers. It didn't really look that much different. "I've got it! You're welcome!"

"Welcome to what?" Dhein glared and paced towards the center of the room, hands behind his back. "Fix what you've broken."

[Naunet]

"That is as long term as I can come up with," Antimony huffed, frowning down at the plant. "If you can imagine something better, then you are welcome to it." She bent down then, bringing her face level with the twisted vine and its curled leaves, gave it a considering look.

[Twinflame]

"The fact that there is no readily apparent answer is just cause to think all the more abstractly about the problem." He paced to the far wall, gave the plant a suspicious look as though it were muttering about him under its breath. "If we could get it back to Silvermoon we could just keep it in the storage room adjacent to my bar. But I still don't think we should move it that far. Maybe we know- Oh! I know!" He lifted a finger and smiled happily. "I'll just sell my bar and buy something here in Orgrimmar!"

Aztal, who had been working on the line of arcane dust, suddenly snapped straight and spun on Dhein wide-eyed. Then, with a billow of green fire, the imp fell to his knees and cried out, "No! No!"

"Hm." Dhein tugged on the tuft of hair just below his lip. "Or perhaps just the inventory?"

"Nooooooooooo!"

"No, you're right. I should just sell the whole thing."

"Noooooooooo!"

"Furniture, too. Like this!" Dhein held up his hands in front of him. "Bar for sale! Fully furnished and stocked, ready for business!"

Aztal collapsed in a tiny heap of gray limbs, shivering, weeping.

[Naunet]

Shrill, wavering sobs pulled Antimony's gaze from the plant and across the room, first to Aztal and then Dhein. Her lips pursed unhappily. "That is your livelihood, and I wouldn't ask you to abandon it." Even though it was incredibly tempting when it came paired with the ability to focus on studying the plant. "As well, we don't know how long it would even take to sell such a thing."

[Twinflame]

"It's well-positioned, and you forget what we do for a living! I could likely slough it off as an investment to someone at the Auction House in Orgrimmar with only a few hours of pitching." The Warlock pulled on his soul patch repeatedly, a smug smirk cracking his features as he pondered. "As for my livelihood, it really isn't. more of an asset and a bad influence. And, really, Antimony," he cast a glance her way, "You've been such a good influence so far. I don't really need alcohol in my life when I can become so deeply intoxicated upon your radiance and intellect." The sound of an imp's despairing wails undercut Dhein's cautious tone, and he cast a glare to the tiny demon. "Aztal! Quiet! We're talking and you're being very rude!"

[Naunet]

Antimony found she had to look away a moment, a smile pushing stubbornly at the corners of her mouth. "Perhaps." Her hands found themselves in her lap, fingers weaving together, and then her eyes returned to the plant, studied the thick, rippled skin of its stem. Dhein's wards seemed to still be in place, as she could not feel anything over the oily closeness of fel.

"It would provide us with proper start-up capital," she murmured, leaning forward slightly and wrinkling her nose at the fel that cloaked the plant. "... I suppose it's as reasonable a plan as we can get. I do not, unfortunately, have any such assets to sell, only my savings."