True Love- A Goblin Tale

The tavern in Silvermoon was bustling, the decorative tables laden with food and the soft divans covered with lounging patrons idly chatting away. Here and there a voice would rise above the din in laughter or anger before the general buzzing drone of conversation continued on its way. Drinks flowed freely, and the atmosphere was light and celebratory throughout the confines of the place. That was, of course, with the exception of a lone patron sitting at one of the tavern's smaller tables.

The elf was best described as golden. His long flowing golden hair cascaded down around his sun-kissed skin, resting atop the shoulder plates of his gold and red armor. On the floor beside him sat a leather backpack with golden thread and a sheathed sword, it's length predictably decorated with gold. Although the Sin'dorei sat in brooding silence, given his appearance the sudden arrival of a second patron at his table was somewhat less than surprising.

At first the elf didn't notice as the small goblin woman slipped into the chair across from him. Swaying drunkenly, she placed a large bottle on the table in front of her and then promptly rested her hands on the bottle's neck and chin on her hands, peering at the golden elf through her glazed, purple little beady eyes. She sighed happily, just taking in the look of all that GOLD!

After a time, the brooding elf noticed his diminutive and uninvited drinking companion, his fel green eyes meeting her gaze. Not too politely, he growled out a few words in a low tone, “Can I help you with something?”

The goblin giggled, the high pitched sound discordant amongst the relatively melodious sounds of the laughing Sin'dorei in the tavern. After a moment she stopped, lifting her head up and offering him a sharp smile. “The name's Zeppi Sparkflash, honey. You can call me Zepp or Z if you'd like though. As for helpin' me, I just saw you sittin' there and started wondering what could make a doll like you so gloomy.”

The Sin'dorei's eyes widened slightly for a moment and he snorted, “I don't see how that's any of your business goblin. Why don't you go find someone else to swindle?”

Zeppi's face fell for a moment and then she shrugged and took a long pull from her bottle. “Don't gotta be like that honey. Besides, I already got business in Quel'Thalas. Buncha nobles hired me from some coalition or another.”

She set her bottle down and squinted at the golden elf, making him shift somewhat uncomfortably. “The way I figure it, either someone died or you lost something pretty special.”

The Sin'dorei nodded once, sighing as he spoke, “That is an astute guess. If you insist on sitting there, I will admit that I've lost something dear to me. It's not something you would understand though. My one and only beloved has run off with another you see, which is why I was sitting alone enjoying my solitude.”

Zeppi perked up in her seat, shaking her head even as the elf finished speaking and completely ignoring the not-so-subtle hint to leave. “What do you mean I don't understand? You lost your first love. 'Course I know what it's like to have a first love!”

The little green woman nodded vigorously as the elf looked at her with some degree of disbelief. She took another pull from her bottle and set it down again, more firmly this time. “Love's the thing that makes your heart race like an engine on turbo. It blooms in your heart like the biggest explosion you could ever see. It cuts through the night's darkness like...um, like a welder's torch cuts through metal! No matter how far you travel, or even how fast, you're always gonna remember your very first love. Can't ever forget 'bout it, because it turned your heart's key for the first time. Ya see sugar, I know alllll about it. Had just as much of it as you did!”

The elf blinked a few times, absorbing the rather unusual lecture that a goblin of all things had given him, watching the little woman sway drunkenly in place as she made her final point. For her part, Zeppi swept up her bottle, taking another gulp as she continued on.

“I remember my first love clear as day, sugar. It was back when I was home with my Ma and Pa. They ran a sweet little chop shop outta the house ya know? Had all kinds of trikes and tricked out rides comin' in and out of the place, and all sorts of folks. Sometimes even a few that were in the Trade Prince's eye ya know? It was there that I first found love. I remember the feelin' I got in the pit of my stomach. The way my heart raced each time my eyes caught a glimpse. I remember layin' in bed at night, wishing I could slip outta bed and knowin' my Pa's custom built security system would take out half the house if I tripped it. Let me tell you goldie, those were the best times of my life, and they got even better once I got to be WITH my love.”

The elf snorted, taking a sip from his own neglected wine glass as the goblin's story wound down and she sat across from him, staring happily into empty space and lost in a drunken stupor of memories. After a moment, he interrupted her daydreaming, his tone softer, “And what happened to your love? Did you lose it as I have? Did cruelty snatch it from you when you thought it would be yours forever?”

Zeppi shook her head, coming out of her trance and grinning at the elf, “Nah, wasn't nothin' like that. Fuel tank leak caused this HUGE fireball. It was really amazing to see, but man am I gonna miss that trike. Was my very first one ya know? Nearly four feet long with custom alloy rims, eighteen hundred horsepower dual throttle, turbo charged engine. And it even had a sweet nitro-boost rocket on the back for extra speed. Painted the thing this beautiful red color, even put a little heart on the side. I can't even tell you how many street races I won with it, and how much coin. Was some of the best years of my life when I was growin' up.”

The Sin'dorei nearly spit out his wine, his face breaking into a scowl as he slammed the delicate glass down, nearly shattering it. His head leaned forward, his golden hair half-covering part of his face. “Are you trying to tell me you are comparing the loss of the love of my life to a trike that you had once that exploded?!”

Zeppi blinked at the Sin'dorei, tilting her head sideways in confusion, “Course I am sugar. As far as I'm thinkin', it don't matter one bit what it is that makes your heart race. What matters is the FEELING you get when it does. That moment when your blood is pulsing and you know, without havin' to second guess, you KNOW that you belong in that moment. If that's not love, what's the point of it?”

The elf across from her leaned back in his chair, falling into a brooding silence. Zeppi took another sip from her bottle, frowning when she discovered it was empty. She shrugged, setting it on its side and idly spinning it on the table, a grin creeping across her face. She began to speak, her words almost slurred with drink, “You know goldie, the best way to get past a loss like that's to go and get your heart pumpin' again. Why don't you go order us another bottle and get one of the nicer rooms here. I don't gotta be back at the worksite til morning.”

The Sin'dorei's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he sat up in a huff. “I should certainly think NOT, Miss Sparkflash. I didn't ask for your company at my table OR your advice, and I certainly don't need...whatever it is you're implying.”

Zeppi shrugged, her laughter floating out and jarring with the general droning of conversation within the tavern, “Honey, I was just jokin' with you. Judging by the fake diamonds you got on your ears, I'm gonna guess you can't afford the kinda wine OR room I'd like anyway sweetie.”

The elf flushed red with outrage, his hands darting up to his ears, “W-what...how DARE you...do you have any IDEA how much these cost? I had them imported from...from...”

His face fell as a toothy grin cross Zeppi's face. Her voice finished his sentence for him, “From a goblin who got them from some pirate's cove, right dollface?”

The Sin'dorei abruptly rose from his chair, his face so flushed with anger he could hardly speak. As he stormed off, Zeppi's laughter followed him, redoubled now at his embarrassment. After he was gone she laughed to herself at the table for some time before she noticed the glint of red and gold near where the elf had been sitting. She leaned down, looking under the table and spotting his travel pack and sword. With an even larger grin her deft little hands soon had the coin-purse he'd accidentally abandoned.

Zeppi leaned back up in her chair and waved one of the tavern's barmaids over, nodding to the Sin'dorei as the other approached. “Hey toots, can you get us another bottle of your best wine? Golden boy had to go relieve himself but he'll be back. He said put it on his tab.”

The waitress nodded and hurried off to fill the order while Zeppi grinned and grinned.

Ten minutes later the little goblin woman was walking drunkenly towards the Sheppard's Gate, a bottle of extremely expensive, imported wine in her hand and a song floating discordantly from her lips hovering drunkenly in the air around her. At her belt, a thick pouch of golden coins jingled.

Sometimes you get to meet the love of your life more than once.