Reunion in Ager's Court

"Can we get two chairs over here? Please?" the half-orc said, his index conjuring where he wanted the chairs, "and maybe a table?"
I stand awkwardly by while Lang the tiefling sets everything up, I had never imagined him as...subservient. I really don't like for anyone to make a fuss, anyway.
The half-orc turned back to me, "Dorge, my god! When they said you were coming, I didn't think they meant now. Now, now." He wasn't wearing his horned helm, I wished he was, the scarring was difficult for me to deal with.
The tiefling pulled the seat out for the half-orc, why couldn't I think of his name? and then remembering, for me as well.
The leveling of stature that usually takes place upon sitting across from someone wasn't taking place now. This guy was huge and frighteningly so, concentrating on not knocking the table over. We were sitting outside on the street, cobble stoned and yellow, like a painting of Milan I saw once, or what I thought was Milan. None of the insides of the buildings were complete yet, not even the tavern, that's why we had to sit outside. At least it was warm, not that seemingly endless Winter of Devils' Bay.
"What do you think?" the half-orc asked, expanding his arms, "Not bad, huh? Warm, nice breeze. Ager's Court! I mean, I love it, Dorge. Really, I think everyone does."
"That's good. I was worried about that," I replied, a little thinly, "You left Banda Cate?"
"Could. Not. Wait. To get out of that place, it was...like a bad high school play. Does that make sense? These...nefarious villains and...side plots and...I mean, was that a sand box or a sand trap? Dorge! I'm just messing with you, seriously!"His grin was partially sealed shut, skin seared together by fire, was there actual mirth in his eyes?
"Well, you're right about all that. I just wanted there to be a city and it was probably...,"
"-overly complicated? A bit. The Aver and Benzel...and what? Lolth, too. It was a little-,"
"Convoluted," I finished for him.
There was a pause that was not uncomfortable, and Tohm Deeza, long dead, brought us two waters with lemon.
"Thank you, Tohm," the half-orc said.
"My pleasure, Half-Orc," the man replied, I had not seen him so...alive, for a long time.
The half-orc poured a grin in my direction, "I'm sorry, it's killing me, or you, maybe it's killing you. You can't remember my name, can you?"
I sighed, "I'm embarrassed."
"It's because you never named me. I was always just 'The half-orc' and so now that's what everyone calls me.
I must have visibly paled, because next he reached across the table, a huge mitt of a hand over mine, "It's alright. It's actually freeing, really," and there was some strange kindness in those eyes, glinting past the scar tissue.
"Do you want a name?" I manage.
"And be given some definition? No. I am what I am, Dorge," like a bad word.
I had meant for him to be a villain, and maybe at the root that's what he still was. But he had clearly grown, out here on his own, somehow evolved. He was not who I was expecting to give me the tour of the new city, far, far North of Banda Cate and Largo Largo, all of that. His being here made me wonder what mistakes I would make this time around. I was hoping the slate would be a little cleaner, but it had been so long now that I knew I was only kidding myself. Thank god the group I DM'd for was so patient.
Half-Orc's face was a mess of burn marks, his nose wilted into a stump, clumps of hair patched onto piebald skin. There was malice there, no matter how well he hid it, but he knew he couldn't hurt me. He couldn't hurt the Dungeon Master the way I could hurt him.
I wondered what the water would taste like here, but didn't drink it, didn't give in to the hospitality.
"I would like to be here, Dorge, when they come," he bent his head toward me.
"I don't know that that would make much sense," I leveled.
"Right. Like how that floating Death Knight ship made sense? I can see your point," he clicked the words.
GeoDetha Barne, the crazed knight sauntered to the table, "This guy giving you trouble, Dorge?" he ribbed the half-orc, grinning. What was he doing here? "You want me to have a word with him?"
I managed some flutter of laughter, "GeeDee, you don't think I can handle this guy?" but my throat caught and Half-Orc narrowly covered a sneer.
"Hey, Dorge," GeeDee clapped my shoulder,"wanted to congratulate you! Over 5,000 page views on your blog! That's great man!"
"Oh," Half-Orc purred, "Is that why you thought it was time to put in ads?"
I could not bring myself to unexist him, not in front of GeeDee, who had conveniently recognized someone else across the street and was making his way to them.
"I always said I would put in advertisements if we ever reached 5,000," I flattened my voice.
"You have never said that. Never."
I couldn't give an answer because I didn't have one. There was silence now and it was thick. I got up to leave, and then turned back.
"Half-Orc, you see Tohm Deeza over there and he's alive. Very much alive. The last time I saw him, he was a...wasted body in the forest, totally drained, like a husk. Did you know that? I mean, you must have. So if he's alive here, and happily going about whatever he's doing-,"
"Then why do I still look like this?" Half-Orc mused.
"Right."
"Tohm Deeza doesn't want to remember what happened to him."
"And you do?" I asked, incredulous.
Half-Orc seemed to think for a moment, finally reaching up and softly touching the ruined flesh of his face, "Tell Loom, when you see him, that I'm going to kill him."