Goran Norag went home that day tired even though he had little to do earlier and since the whole week. He went home to the Southeastern quadrant of the city near the more modest residential areas.

His station as the prison warden and the second vice-captain of the city guard, the responsibilities of which were the training of recruits as opposed to the first vice-captain being in charge of the city's internal and external security, afforded him to have a house nearer to the more affluent residential areas on the southwestern quadrant of the city but he never was one to play with the shows of wealth or influence. He was more along the lines of living a simple and responsible life with his family while squirreling away some money for a rainy day, though it hardly rained in the area around Trask.

Knocking before entering "Hello Dasha. I'm home." still grunting but only lightly.

"Daddy!" the cheerful and bright voice came from a more slender version of Goran with his raven black hair, dark brown eyes and small nubs around the sides of her lower lip and only came to half his height.

"Welcome back Honey" followed soon after from Goran's other half, she clearly was the source of the fairer features of their daughter.

It was a striking disparity between the two as could infer from the pair's daughter who only had a slight green to her skin tone which was balanced by a light grey rather than Goran's deep moss green

"Now. Now. Rhana, sweetie. Let daddy rest. We still have to finish with dinner, okay?'" Dasha smilling and giving Goran a quick peck on the cheek. "So anything exciting happen?"

A mix of a sigh and a grunt came out before Goran spoke "The little runt sends his regards to you dear and to you too baby." his hand ruffling the little girl's hair a bit.

"You got to play with big bro again?" Rhana puffing her cheeks and pouting, which elliceted another sigh from her father.

"Oh. So the Carrot got in trouble again? I see." Dasha nodded and smilling in amusement. "Well at least you got to spend some time with a friendly acquaintance."

"I just don't want to keep seeing the lad in trouble okay. It gets annoying how often I have to drag him in for all the messes he gets into." Goran spilling his complaints like a man having to do the same repetitive and fruitless job over and over again, Rhana poking his cheek as he vented.

"Come on Sweetie. Let daddy be for now and start setting the table would you." Dasha getting a nod from her daughter and made her way to the kitchen and dining table. "I know Honey, I worry about the young man too and that's what I love about you, your concern for the good of those around you."

Goran moved himself over a hardwood sofa covered in a few cushions and dropping his weight on in. "It's been like that for the past five years. I know the lad is an honest one but itss been like a regular thing for him, getting arrested. Yes, yes I know he isn't the one solely at fault but he could learn to handle things better and not charging through carts just to catch a pickpocket or socking a swindler in a tavern full of drunks leading to a full on bar fight...."

Goran tallied through the many offenses the lad had made through the years. If anyone else but the captain would hear him, they would think this was uncharacteristic of the strong, silent and intimidating second vice-captain and jail warden of the city of Trask.

Dasha simply nodded and listened to her husband's rant, simply sitting beside him and admiring the features that would lead others to be intimidated but to her were more endearing especially with the disparity of his image to his personality.

The truth was Goran had a difficulty in expressing himself in words to others, a trait he gained from childhood being the only one of his peers with Orcish features which scared the other children. He was twice the size of those his age and three times stronger. The combination of both previous factors made childish arguments into something of a life-changing and traumatizing affair for the other children.

The situation also wasn't alleviated by the fact that the parents of most of the other children were not there to help their young be more understanding of the disposition of the Orcish youth and some were often non-friendly in addressing the young Goran.

His parents were a kind of celebrity in the security and protection business as they worked as armed escorts for VIPs travelling to and from the city which left Goran in the care of a friend from the City Guards, the current captain's Uncle, a half-human, half-troll, but to the man's credit he just looked like a taller human with a little green to his skin, arms which were curiously longer than one would expect from the average and a more sturdy yet leaner physique than an average man.

The Guardsman became a mentor for Goran and allowed him to be more in control of his apparent growing strength. His parents did try their best to alternate their schedules and had arranged for one of them to be with Goran a couple of weeks at a time in between their jobs. It was a risky life they led but it was a fulfilling one that allowed them to live a modestly stable one and eventually allowed Goran to be schooled in the city's academy and later proceed into becoming a City Guard and his current station now.

"-I mean it's only you, Rhana, the Captain, the Old Guardsman and my parents that understand me. The Captain sometimes even uses me to whip the snotty recruits into shape, beating them around and putting them in place, I know it's necessary to discipline them and all but that keeps my bad reputation as a silent and violent but just vice-captain up. Whenever I try to talk to the young ones, they would just cower in fear or avoid me unless absolutely needed. Huh...." Goran ending his tirade and Dasha stroking his head as it now rested on her lap.

"Oh Honey, I understand and remember that is how I came to be with you." smiling and gently letting her hand through the orc's course and neatly trimmed hair as she reminisced their first meeting.

Their first encounter started out as simply routine as part of the guards' duties in patrol of the city and the occasional investigation of prevelant rumors and occurrences that residents would report or complain about. Goran, at the time, was just freshly promoted as squad leader of one of the patrol groups.

It was run-of-the-mill illegal activity tracking that they did as the reports on the move of armor theft and smuggling had become more common but the curious thing was that the stolen wares would often resurface in the exporting caravans and were then found to be engraved. Yes the city was a commercial hub that boasted diplomacy through trade and that allowed many kinds of specialized products to be found in it but it lacked an established engraving guild and the quality and style of the said works were of those that could only be found from Erun engravers.

Following the search for the stream of wares with the specialized engraving eventually led the City Guard into a kind of forced-labor camp that masqueraded as a studio for sculptors and jewelers near the wealthier quarter of the city. The facade was complete with a small gallery room after the entrance that served as a lobby for the commissioning and purchase of products. A raid was conducted and those involved in the indentured labor camp were charged and arrested for theft, smuggling and inhospitable working conditions, then sent of to serve in a mining penile colony near the base of the mountain just north the city.

The forced laborers were healed, housed and further interviewed by the city guards and judges which later compiled their testimonies and found out that most of the laborers were from different travelling groups that were learning to advance their craft. They were then subsequently allowed passage to their home cities along with outgoing merchant caravans which had friendly diplomats in them along with a pair of escorting adventurers.

There were eight Erun in total but only seven went home as one young lady, around the age of 17 had insisted on staying. Her story was a bit more tragic in that here parents were with her in the labor camp but died shortly after as they had tried to escape by killing a few guards and in the process ruined a lot of the products the group were forced into enchanting which angered the slavers. The incident then employed the use of compulsion collars unto the remaining Erun. The girl, along with three other women of the group were not violated as the quality of their engraving is greatly affected when placed under duress to the body, which they were already suffering from with the menial and just bearable working conditions, and that affected the profitability of the illegal business.

So now an Erun maiden was left alone in a city in which she knew little about. The matter was approached to the Mayor and the city council in what they were to do. Present in the gathering were the Captain of the City Guard and all the Squad leaders involved and a decision was made to allow her live with a host family of one of the Erun residents within the city, as her skills in engraving were also a mark of interest. The maiden was welcoming of the decision and agreed to it and was then assigned to a family only after she gave her one condition, that she have the choice of the guard/s which were to act as her guide and observer for her adjustment period. Said condition was welcomed by the City Council and the Captain at the time.

Her choice that day came as a shock for those present and later became a talk of the town for the following months, as a fair maiden of light grey skin with eyes that shone gold and silver and lustrous black hair which glinted regardless of the light of day or darkness of night was seen strolling through the city with a towering deep green statue of muscle and hostility that was a head and a half taller than her. That was how Dasha chose the man that had saved her and protected her in the moments of grave peril she had experienced.

As from her own memories, with the start of the raid triggered the henchmen of the slavers into disposing of the evidence which included the scrapping of the wares and turning all the slaves to ash, a popular feature in compulsion collars in case disposing slaves. An armored figure quickly eliminating the threats with directed violence that came at a speed that was deceiving of its frame. She was the last one to be saved as being farthest from the entry point of the suppression squad and saw the figure take a mace to shoulder and a dagger to the armpit, the mace logged into the pauldron and the dagger into the gaps of the armor managing to slip through the mail and into flesh courtesy of the piercing engraving she had been forced to make.

Red slowly bloomed unto the cloth below the mail as a pair of soft brown eyes on a rough, green face locked with hers with a look of relief and concern which was barely visible beneath the helmet.

A large hand slowly reaching towards her which she took and then picked her trembling and weakened form into a gentle carry and eased out a few rough but soft words of "It's alright. It's all over. We will protect you." and her barely letting out the words "thank you" before letting her exhaustion take her to sleep. She searched for her savior during her recovery asking some of the healers and guards that watched over the laborers and found out that there was only one name which fit her description and that he had a curious reputation. So when the time came she was given the choice by the council, she voiced her decision and gave her condition as a way to know of the man which saved her and a chance to show her thanks.

Goran and Dasha married a year after their first meeting and they were an interesting tale that was often shared by the residents of the city. Goran rose in rank with many of his deeds and Dasha had accepted commissioned works from home through the Merchants Association as the city has still yet to have an established engraver's guild. Then a few short years later their love has made for a new member to their family.

"Mommy I need a little help with the stew." little Rhana's words pulling back Dasha to the present and smiling again as she looked at her husband and went to the kitchen to her daughter. "Coming Sweetie."

"Dinner, Honey." pulling Goran from almost dozzing off. He then looked down a brooch in his hand before pocketing it. The trinkets grey jewel had gently which been glowing in his hand now turning back into a nuetral state and him seating himself on the table as Dashsa was done setting it up. Rhana was to his left smilling and boasting about being the one to mostly cook the dishes before them and Dasha was to his right smilling and praising the little cook with a brooch on her dress identical to the one Goran had save for the jewel which was currently giving a soft, glow of deep green.