"Ahhh." Veina cried as I pinned her to the wall.
"So rough with your love lord Fulton, more." She moaned.
"The hell is wrong with you Baroness?" I growled. I could feel Isz's gaze on my back and I could tell if she was displeased with me or angers at Veina. I felt Isz's hand on my shoulder and glanced at her, I found her gentle smile unsettling.
"David, might the baroness and I handle this? Woman to woman?" She smiled at Veina who shivered under her gaze.
"She climbed through the window…" Isz cut me off.
"I'll handle it." She grabbed Veina and dragged her out of the room. I gave her a smile, though I'm not sure it reached my eyes. They returned after a minute and I ignored the scratches and Veina's new black eye.
Isz walked over and kissed my cheek. I glanced at her in surprise but she was now sticking her tounge out at Veina. Are these two fighting over who's closer to me? I sighed and tousled Isz's hair a bit before I grabbed a handkerchief and forced them to sit. I dabbed at Veina's scratches, cleaning them up a bit. She shit a triumphant glance at Isz.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Veina." I warned her.
"With all the competition it's all I can do just to be competitive." Veina smiled at me. It felt like a bomb was about to blow when I glanced at Isz and the feeling disappeared.
"Competition?" I asked.
Isz glanced away and fidgeted. "There's… a…"
"There's a lot of women that want you, Lord Fulton." Veina leaned against me.
"I have to do something to stand out." She continued as she pressed against me. Oh… I was aware of the many women seeking my hand right now. I could rarely have a solitary meal, having to host the many guests I had. Which was taking time away from other more important concerns I have. Like figuring out what my brother was up to…
"David?" Isz grabbed my hand but wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Yes?"
"Could we… have a private dinner? The two of us? Tonight?" She asked.
"I know you have dinners planned all this week… forget I asked." She looked away.
"No, I'd love to." I hugged Isz. Now I wouldn't have to deal with Baroness Geli and her stupid notions of hosting tonight.
"Really?" Isz asked, face upturned with a wide smile.
"If it's not too much of a hassle, I'd love to share a meal with you." I smiled. It'd been a long time since I'd been able to just hang out with a friend. This'll be a good chance to unwind.
"What about me Lord Fulton?" Veina pulled me away from Isz with a pout.
"What about you?" I asked. Though I did feel guilty about what i'd had done to her, that didn't mean she could act as she pleased… but I did cut her a little more slack than I probably should.
"Am I not worth your time?" She pouted.
"We've known each other for two weeks. Isz and I have been friends for months." I replied dryly.
Veina stood and put her hand over her chest. "Then I'll join the fight for your affection! Await me my love." She blew a kiss as she left.
"Finally, I can get back to work. Isz, could you cancel the dinner with the baroness tonight?" I plopped back behind my desk and started skimming through the reports again. I'd been gone too long and the work had piled up. I'd been back for three days and had barely put a dent in the pile.
"Of course… is it alright if I leave early today?" Isz asked.
I glanced up. "Is there a reason?"
"I want you to try my cooking." She smiled.
I chuckled a bit and nodded. "Sure, go ahead. I'll look forward to it."
I started on my reports. Thankfully Isz had separated the reports from the issues that had needed my immediate attention so the most pressing tasks were already done, instead I was familiarizing myself with the progress that had occurred in my two month absence.
Perhaps most impressive was how Xir and her goblins were turning Orgrimmar around… the population had quintupled since I left and commensurately its production of raw ores had increased exponentially. Though the trend across the barony was generally upwards. Progress towards true industrialization was slow but steady, and with each report I read the closer and more obtainable it felt.
I put the reports down and looked around the empty office. Isz had left an hour ago, normally she'd let me know we were done for the day. It felt a bit odd without her. I packed everything away and went to my room to clean up a little.
I washed up and put on some clean clothes before I made the quick journey across the manor. I knocked on her door and waited. About a minute later she opened the door.
She smiled nervously. She'd dressed up, she wore a gorgeous green dress that complimented her. She'd done her hair up in a loose bun and even applied a bit of makeup.
"You look beautiful." I whispered.
"Thanks." She ushered me inside, showing me to the kitchen.
"I'm almost done, I'll have it over in a moment." She headed over to the stove to check on the food.
"It's fine, no need to rush." I replied as I closed my eyes and relaxed a bit. I helped lay out the plates and silverware. Isz acquired a bottle of wine as I brought the food to the table. We settled in for dinner, braised pork and chicken stew with a side of barely bread.
We clink our glasses together. "To a bright future."
"David?"
"Yes?" I glanced up from my plate.
"Do you… miss your old world?" Isz found the words she was looking for.
"Sometimes…" I sighed. "The conveniences, my friends and family I left behind…"
"Was there anyone special? Over there?"
I sipped my wine before I continued. "Once upon a time, yes. But that was a long time ago."
We finished our meal quietly. We cleaned up, washing and drying the dishes before resting on the sofa, staring at the sunset streaming through the wavy glass window. She entwined her hand with mine. "What do you think about me?"
I froze. I felt my chest tighten like a cold hand was gripping it. "Are… you asking what I think you are?"
"I can't read your mind David." Isz joked. I looked at her, that cute small smile of hers.
"You are a great friend, Isz." She nodded, her lips pursed slightly.
"Could we be more than that?" She leaned closer. I let go of her hand and leaned forward. Shit! No.
"Isz…" I cradled my head. "I don't want to hurt you."
She started rubbing my back. I grimaced again. How could I be so stupid? I froze as she spoke again. "I love you."
"I… Isz…" I looked at her, her was smiling, supportively like she always had. It made my gut wrench even harder. Maybe if I wasn't foisted into nobility…
"What do you even see in me?" I asked quietly before I realized that was a mistake.
"You're brave, smart, funny, you don't hold your options back, you take what you want. You possess ambition. I love the little scar on your wrist, though I don't know where it came from, I love the vibrancy of your eyes…"
"Isz…" I cut her off.
"I… let's just be friends." I stood, putting some distance between us. "I… can't hurt you."
Isz nodded. "Could you love me?"
I didn't answer her as I walked out of her room.