So credit where it’s due. Mokvar came up with a winner of an idea to kill two birds with one stone. Check this out: the reason he wanted The Noz and Chromie and what’s-her-face to enhance his hex spell is so he could use it on the YOUNG version of Faranell! Now I know what you’re thinking – what the hell good does THAT do? Well stay with me.

Liadrin stayed downstairs in the common room to watch for the Faranell brothers. While she was there she got into a little small talk with Kelly, did a little smoothing over after our…um…incident. You know, checking on how he was feeling since he seemed tired and delusional and shit, and reassuring him he didn’t have to worry about any livestock issues with us. Our Faranell remembered that he and his brother had been out walking earlier in the day, and he gave us a ballpark figure on when they would be getting back. More importantly, he remembered a window we would have to make our move.

Edwin and Patrick – the Faranells of this time period – came wandering into the inn right on schedule, and as they were making their way to the stairs, Kelly called to Patrick that a letter had been delivered for him. Patrick went over to the counter to pick it up, and while he was reading the letter, Edwin stood around waiting for him at the base of the stairs.

That was our chance. Mokvar had been waiting at the top of the stairs, and once Edwin was in position, Mokvar ran down to the first landing. While Patrick was too busy going over his letter to pay attention to anything else, Mokvar got off his hex on Edwin, and POOF, frog.

As soon as the hex was cast, OUR Edwin ran down the stairs to step in where his younger self had been standing. Mokvar and I both scrambled around like idiots trying to catch frog-Edwin, but after a few seconds, Patrick finished with his letter and looked back over our way, so Mokvar and Faranell started making like they were having a conversation at the base of the stairs, while I grabbed the frog and ran upstairs.

All of this was pretty much according to plan. Mokvar had a brainstorm on a couple of levels with this scheme: first of all, if we keep younger Edwin hexed, and sub in our Edwin, that makes the problem of him accidentally crossing paths with himself way easier to keep under control. And since older Edwin remembers everything he was supposed to have done and said right now – what with his supposed super-memory – he can just fill in for himself. In the process, we free ourselves up a LOT to come and go as we need to, without worrying about running into Kel’Thuzad or Helcular on the one side or the Faranell brothers on the other. And so we decided right off the top that once we made the switch, Edwin would introduce Mokvar to his brother as an old friend from Brill, just like he did with Kel’Thuzad, so we don’t have to be looking over our shoulders or juggling multiple cover stories. Granted, Patrick had already met Mokvar once by this point, but that’s easy enough to play off as coincidence.

So as soon as Patrick spotted Mokvar “chatting” with his brother, they had their “oh hey, you know this guy too?” exchange, they all got to talking, and Mokvar “recognized” Liadrin and brought her in, so now everybody knows everybody mostly and we can stop fucking tiptoeing around like a teenager getting home three hours past curfew and sneaking a rebellious draenei girl into his room past his lightly sleeping Greatmother parents. I mean who hasn’t been there, amirite?

So stop staring at me like that and just read the damn transcript.

LIADRIN: So…Edwin – Edwin, isn’t it? – where did you say you were from? Andorhal?

EDWIN: No, that was Patrick. I mean, Patrick’s the one from Andorhal, but yes, I’m Edwin. I live up in Dalaran.

LIADRIN: Ahh, it must be beautiful there.

PATRICK: Have you ever been?

LIADRIN: Not for quite some time.

PATRICK: It’s definitely worth a visit if you get the chance.

LIADRIN: So what brings you two down here? I would think you’d have much more interesting things to do in Dalaran.

EDWIN: Well, it’s nice to have a change of pace sometimes…

PATRICK: In my case, I wanted to come visit Edwin for a bit before I head off to study in Silvermoon.

MOKVAR: Ah okay.

LIADRIN: I see. What are you going to be studying?

PATRICK: Alchemy, same as Edwin here.

EDWIN: Well, except for how you’ve always been much better at it.

PATRICK: Mostly alchemy, at least. I’d like to work some more on the sciences in general.

Kelly brings several plates of food to the table. Edwin starts in eating immediately, looking at a few bites thoughtfully while still holding them on his fork.

LIADRIN: Thank you, Mr. Kelly.

MOKVAR: Thanks.

EDWIN: So, Patrick…

PATRICK: Mmhmm?

Edwin stares at his food a moment before continuing haltingly.

EDWIN: Who was…well…what was that letter you got?

PATRICK: Oh, that? Just an update from Emily. Good news. She just arrived and she’s getting settled in.

LIADRIN: Emily?

EDWIN: <gesturing to Liadrin matter-of-factly without looking up> Patrick’s wife.

LIADRIN: Oh, I didn’t know you were married.

MOKVAR: Condolences.

LIADRIN: Mokv—Movarius.

PATRICK: <nodding> Almost two years now.

LIADRIN: You said she’s getting settled in – I assume she’s gone on ahead to Silvermoon?

Edwin shakes his head while poking at his food.

PATRICK: Oh, no, she isn’t coming to Silvermoon too. It’s just me going there.

LIADRIN: Oh? Why is that?

PATRICK: Well, housing in Silvermoon isn’t cheap, especially for outsiders, and graduate students aren’t exactly rolling in money.

MOKVAR: You’re going to be getting a doctorate, right?

PATRICK: Cross fingers.

EDWIN: You know you’ll be running the place within a semester, professor.

PATRICK: <chuckles> Whatever you say, uncle. At any rate… Financially the easiest thing will be for me to stay in student housing while I’m there, and that’s not exactly luxurious. So Emily’s going to stay with family while I’m studying.

EDWIN: In Stratholme.

MOKVAR: Stra— Oh. It’s…nice there.

LIADRIN: Yes… I, um, I suppose it’s close enough that you could still visit each other…

EDWIN: I keep telling you, it’s silly to live apart for that long. It’s not like you’re talking about just a couple months.

PATRICK: Yes, yes, I know, how many times to we have to go through this?

LIADRIN: I suppose it’s a fair point. It does mean you’ll be apart for a few years at least.

PATRICK: <shrugs> I’m trying to think of it that this way – I’ll have that much more incentive to stay focused on my work and get finished quickly. No outside distractions, just me and my research, and maybe in the process I can get done faster and start get established.

EDWIN: Fine, don’t listen.

PATRICK: I’d think you’d like the prospect of us stepping up the schedule, uncle.

MOKVAR: Say…maybe I’m missing something, but why do you keep calling him that? He’s your brother, isn’t he?

PATRICK: Well, that’s what our mother keeps saying. I don’t know if I’m convinced. <smirks at Edwin for a moment> Oh come on, smile a little.

EDWIN: <still not looking up> “Uncle” is just this little nickname Patrick’s had for me the last couple years.

PATRICK: Basically as long as Emily and I have been talking about having a family. My dear, morose brother here, kid-hater though he is, seems to like the prospect of being an uncle.

EDWIN: I don’t hate kids. <glances toward the upstairs> Well, I don’t hate most kids.

LIADRIN: Ah… So you were—are planning to have children, then, Patrick…

PATRICK: <nods> Hopefully. Between you, me, and the walls, I’d rather like to have a couple sons. <chuckles, then to Edwin> Don’t let Emily hear that, I think she’d really like a little girl. But I remember how much Dad seemed to enjoy himself with us. Then again, he liked children.

EDWIN: I like children perfectly well. Just other people’s children. I can play with them and be the cool uncle and all of that, and then give them back and be done without having to deal with the crying and the soiling themselves and the stabbing me in my sleep when they’re sixteen.

PATRICK: Hence why you should be happy about me getting done with my degree sooner rather than later, uncle.

MOKVAR: So you’re wanting to hold off on the family until after you’re done with your degree.

PATRICK: It would be kind of crazy to do otherwise, really. If we start having kids while I’m still working, either I’ll end up having a whole slew of new distractions from finishing with school, or I’d end up sticking poor Emily with all the work of taking care of them. That would probably be the death of me.

Edwin cringes a little at the last sentence, which Liadrin seems to notice with concern.

LIADRIN: Well then…I’m sure you know what’s best for you and your wife, Patrick…

PATRICK: It’ll all work out in the end, I’m sure. Anyway, I should write her a quick note back. Shouldn’t you be going to see your Kirin Tor friend anyway, Edwin?

EDWIN: My who?

PATRICK: That fellow from Dalaran you’ve been taking those walks with. Didn’t you say he wanted to talk with you about something else today?

EDWIN: Did he? That doesn’t… I mean, yes, yes I suppose so…

PATRICK: I’ll be upstairs. <stands up> Movarius, good seeing you again… Lia, nice to meet you.

LIADRIN: You as well, Patrick.

MOKVAR: Take it easy, Patrick.

Patrick gives everyone a nod and wanders back up the stairs.

LIADRIN: I’m sorry, Edwin. I know this can’t be easy for you.

EDWIN: Yeah, well…

MOKVAR: I guess we should let you go do whatever you need to do with Kel’Thuzad…

EDWIN: That’s the thing. I shouldn’t be doing anything with him.

LIADRIN: What do you mean?

EDWIN: I remembered talking to Patrick about Emily moving to Stratholme when the letter arrived for him. I remember pretty much every other conversation I had with him the rest of the way. But I don’t remember seeing Kel’Thuzad again from this point.

MOKVAR: Is that just another one of those things you seem to forget about?

EDWIN: No, you’re not getting it. It’s not that I might have seen him and I’ve forgotten. I can remember every single thing I did the rest of the day today, and tomorrow, and the rest of this week. I didn’t go to see Kel’Thuzad. Yesterday was the last time I saw him for…well for weeks, actually. There wasn’t any business about him wanting to see me again.

LIADRIN: That’s…rather troubling.

EDWIN: Nozdormu was right this morning. Something’s going wrong with the timeline. Somehow, something’s already changed because of us being here.

Because my life isn’t delightful enough right now, right?

Meanwhile, while all this happy news was happening, I was bringing frog-Edwin upstairs for the other part of Mokvar’s plan. Here’s where the dude really got thinking outside the box. He had figured, while we have this version of Faranell all frogged up, we can use him to kill two birds with one stone, because what better way to distract a snot-nosed kid from a shiny magic crystal that just sits there looking glowy, than with a real life hoppy potential pet? Not that the little punk is going to KEEP Faranell forever, obviously, but if we give him the frog, Mokvar figures that should keep him distracted long enough for us to find where he has the chameleon shard, or maybe do a trade or something. Anyway, it’s a possible way in without, you know, having to beat up a little kid. Which I still say Chromie seemed a little creepy eager to do, gotta tell you.

So anyway, I brought the frog upstairs to see if we could do the switch, only Taelan was actually off in one of the rooms with Tirion. So no opening to make the move there. We’ll have to keep an eye out and try to jump in when we get the chance. Probably will assign Mokvar to this job, since he can refresh the hex every so often if he needs to. In the meantime, Faranell and Liadrin and I can be getting set for Isilien tonight. With any luck things will start falling in our direction. Not that we’ve had much luck so far, but at this point you have to figure the law of averages is starting to owe us.