#vengeanceburns
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ i’m——not sure that the knife will be necessary. ”
her heart sank. she felt caught.
instinctively, she drew back a little---searching his face for disapproval. her grip on the blade tightened.
she hadn’t meant for him to see it, but---she had also wanted him to, in a way.
“ i know how to use it. ”
these words came out quickly---defensively. she bit down on her bottom lip.
he must have thought her weak---always following him around, and getting under his feet---she had wanted to prove that she could fight.
she stowed the dagger under her traveling cloak---the one he’d given her---and looked up at him.
her expression was serious.
“ anything could happen. ”
of course---she was going to regret brandishing the weapon around if he decided to take it away from her---or asked about where she’d found it.
she’d stolen it from a drunk soldier. not one of their people---obviously. one of the humans.
it wasn’t true---what she’d said about knowing how to use it, but---she wasn’t afraid to use it.
and she was willing to bet that she could get more done than half of the grand marshal’s grumbling old men.
“ i should be able to defend myself---and you. ”
she knew that she sounded stupid---that he could’ve defended himself and everyone else here before she could even lift a finger.
but she wanted to learn. she wanted to get better.
if she couldn’t use magic, then she would just get good at killing people.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ may i——offer you something to drink? ”
she blinked---her gaze flickering over him. she wasn’t startled, but, he had caught her off guard.
had someone else poised the question with such---well, hesitancy---despite it being a rather simple one, she might have responded with a little amusement.
given who had approached her, though---that particular feeling came and went.
which wasn’t to say that she didn’t find it quaint, and somewhat humorous, that he seemed undecided about speaking up---especially to one of his own people.
but---then again, she supposed even princes were allowed to suffer their doubts.
sometimes with greater reason. and she’d always thought him modest, as royalty went, which tended to be a good thing.
she smiled at him.
“ of course. thank you. ”
her eyebrows were faintly risen---not because she was remotely critical of him, but simply because she didn’t have the slightest idea what he could have wanted.
had he wished to discuss a military issue---barring something more theoretical, he likely should have taken it up with sylvanas.
and, the fact that she wasn’t overawed by him---though he certainly had her respect, did not mean that she knew what to say to him.
courtly matters were not altogether her forte.
“ how fares your work in dalaran, your highness? ”
in most cases, she would have just asked what he wanted---in more courteous terms. if he indeed sought anything beyond polite conversation.
but---in this case, unless she’d wholly misread his demeanor, she didn’t get the impression that asking outright would have been the kindest thing to do.
her fingers brushed over a lock of braided hair, pushing it away from her brow.
she wasn’t so idiotically humble as to assume that he couldn’t have been possessed of another reason to offer her a drink.
but---well, she wasn’t going to assume that he was, either.
it would have been quite the assumption---and a rather strange one at that.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ and your sister, will she——be here, as well? ”
her gaze narrowed a fraction.
“ no. she is not expected, your highness. ”
there was a distinct chill on the morning winds, moving hungrily through the forest. even now, they carried the bitter scent of ash and smoke.
everyone assembled here could smell it.
her response was dispassionate and courteous.
she did not believe the nature of his tone was lost upon her. then again, she may have been reading into the matter.
where her sister was concerned, she had grown used to encountering sympathy along with doubt.
neither of which were altogether misplaced.
still, prince kael’thas was here to remain apprised of the invasions and subsequent conflicts within their lands. alleria was a captain amidst their ranks.
his inquiry may have been rudimentary and nothing more.
she would not have presumed that he spoke to offer his sentiments any sooner than she would have presumed that a gesture of the sort was impossible.
she had always known him to be pragmatic as well as compassionate.
irregardless, she was more than content to leave it alone.
there were far more pressing issues that required attention.
“ there have been steady reports of horde activity in alterac. she took her rangers south of our borders two weeks ago and has yet to send word. ”
she continued with a similar formality.
she did not expect that they had been confronted by any significant difficulty. even as a singular group, they were more than capable.
in any case, little organization remained within the horde.
which did not mean that she appreciated her sister’s lack of communication. she did not.
but it came as no surprise.
it would not have been terribly unexpected before, let alone now.
and she nonetheless trusted that were anything vital to occur, alleria would ensure the intelligence was delivered.
that would suffice.
“ but our situation is not so dire that we cannot afford to lend assistance elsewhere. ”
she did not speak to defend her sister’s movements, but simply to inform him of their present circumstances.
prince kael’thas had long been an advocate of improving their relations with the outside world, and she had no reason to believe that he would object to such aid being given now.
furthermore, had they not been able to spare any forces, she would not have permitted alleria to roam as she did---and nor would her sister have wished to do so.
they had suffered a grievous blow to the very heart of their home. there was none among them who would not prioritize the safety of their own.
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@VENGEANCEBURNS asked:
“ i was——told you were being held here. ”
her jaw had turned rigid at the sight of him.
that he should dare to stand before her now. that he should dare to open his foul, slippery mouth.
that he yet lived---while she rotted here with the blood of her own people on her hands.
she would have pulled him through the bars and broken his neck if he’d come close enough.
it seemed that fate was intent upon mocking her.
or, perhaps that was merely illidan himself---and his wretched lackeys by extension.
she did not discount for one second that the treacherous young prince could have been acting on his master’s behalf.
one more needle to stick in her eye.
a bitter, loathsome sense of injustice coiled around her chest, and then squeezed.
she did nothing to quell the feeling.
she held onto it, and allowed it to fester wordlessly inside of her. as she allowed herself to suffer all such feelings now.
she would not weaken or relent.
she would forget none of them.
and she would forgive none of them.
for a very long moment, she remained utterly silent. long enough that it began to seem as though she would not deign to acknowledge him.
and perhaps she would not. why should she? he spat upon the very survival of their world with his treason.
no doubt he thought her to have fallen very low since last they had met. he was not mistaken.
but he was mistaken if he believed that she would spare him when the time came.
to think that she had once pitied this foolish child.
perhaps she always should have known. perhaps it had been inevitable that their banished kin would once again succumb to their insatiable lust for magic.
they had learned nothing from the lessons of the past.
she could only hope that his decision would result in his own death and not the death of countless innocents.
in the end, of course, she expected that both would be true.
“ and had the nerve to show your face to me. ”
finally, these words slipped from her dry lips---hoarse, and twisted with contempt.
she did not move from her position near the back of the cell.
other than identifying him upon his arrival, she had not once looked at him.
now---slowly, she raised her head, and leveled a cold, unyielding glance in his direction.
she did not blink, and she did not waver.
her eyes were condemning pits.
“ i should have left you and your wretched people to die in that forest. ”
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ in the language of my people, yes. ”
“ oh, I see. ”
a gentle smile brightened her features, softening the corners of her mouth.
she had often wondered about the incantations that he spoke, mostly because no one else appeared to use them.
of course, what they did was obvious enough, but---she had never known what they meant, or why his approach was different. the answer, it seemed, was relatively straightforward.
well---so far as the first part was concerned, anyway.
she still wasn’t quite sure about why he was so liberal with them, but---she imagined it was likely unique to the specifics of his spell-work, or---to the spell-work of his people, maybe.
there were other high elves present in dalaran, of course---however, there were still far more humans.
she really did need to work on her language studies. there were just so many to learn---along with so many other subjects, it could all be a little overwhelming.
“ it’s very lovely---your language, i mean. ”
her words came out more awkwardly than they had sounded in her head, and she immediately hoped that he didn’t think she was being impertinent, somehow.
she’d spoken with every sincerity, but---in retrospect, she realized that it might come across as objectifying.
as though there could be anything strange or foreign about his approach to magic, when his people had practiced spells for thousands of years before any human had so much as flourished a hand.
a little color blossomed over her cheeks, and she pressed on---trying to compensate for any discomfort that she might have created.
“ i think my roots may be a little more gruff. ”
a slight, quietly embarrassed sort of laugh escaped her lips.
she had no true wish to insult her own heritage, of course, but---it was the first thing that came to mind, and critiquing herself seemed like a good way to imply that she’d meant no offense.
besides---though she had all the love and respect in the world for her people, there was no denying that certain things about her culture would have looked rather coarse in a very refined city like dalaran.
another reason she had done her best to lose the accent.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
he’d grimaced, laying a hand over the scar on his chest. he appeared to be under the impression he was alone.
her mouth had gone dry.
she could feel a terrible, sickening sense of shame twisting somewhere deep inside of her gut.
and the longer she watched---the longer she stared at him---vulnerable, and reduced by so much pain---the worse it got.
the more her heart ached for him. and the more guilt she could feel seeping through, shredding her conscience to bitter pieces.
none of this ever should have happened to him.
all of the selfish, vile, contemptible beings in the world---all the ones who deserved it---and he was the one who suffered, who’d fallen so low.
him---when he’d sacrificed everything for them---for his people.
she’d failed him. she hadn’t been there to protect him---not when he’d needed her the most, anyway.
not when it had really mattered.
she’d allowed misunderstandings and her own misguided search for greater strength to tear them apart.
she’d lost sight of what was important.
wherever he went from here---he would always bear that scar, and all the others that couldn’t be seen.
of course, she probably wasn’t doing him any kindness now---lingering in the shadows to ponder and regret, when he thought himself alone.
and yet, she hesitated.
too ashamed to make her presence known, she guessed.
it was cowardly, and she hated it.
but---there was so much hurt between them now, so much that had waited too long to be said---well, she didn’t even know where to begin.
the distance between them felt much larger than any steps that she could have taken to approach him in that moment.
and she’d changed too. she would have been loathe to forget that. she bore her own scars---ones that sickened him to look upon.
she didn’t even know if her company brought him any comfort at this point---or just more torment. it wasn’t as though he ever would’ve had the heart to tell her.
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@VENGEANCEBURNS asked:
“ he——sounds terrifying. ”
“ does he? ”
her gaze flickered, shifting to eye prince kael’thas for a short moment.
she considered the sincerity of his statement, and then---satisfied, she looked straight ahead once more.
“ good. ”
her tone was cold and pragmatic. she took no pleasure in it, and nor did she suffer to disclose it.
it was simply a fact. one they needed to subdue him.
“ you should be terrified of him. he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. ”
whatever that goal may have been. it hounded her to no end that they had come this far and she still did not know.
his motivation spoke for itself. but, what he intended to do here and now remained unclear to her.
it had been raining for a while. the frigid droplets pattered over the plate of her armor, and dampened the thick material of her cloak, weighing it down.
she paid no mind to any of it.
what she did do was silently curse their luck. illidan would be that much more difficult to track in these conditions.
but she would not dwell there either. in the end, it would make no difference. she would find him.
“ do not engage him alone under any circumstances. ”
she doubted if such a situation would arise in any case. the young prince did not seem unduly rash. and she intended to be at the forefront of their search at all times.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ let me go in first. we have no way of knowing what that maverick might have left behind. ”
“ nothing very pleasant, i’m sure. ”
a faint, grim sort of smile glimpsed the line of her mouth.
it wasn’t quite raining, but the air felt very damp, and she’d drawn her hood up against the chill. She peered out from beneath it now---her gaze flickering over the structure that they were about to enter.
a slight, vaguely critical furrow began to manifest across her brow.
even so---as per his request, she hung back.
she could have drawn attention to the fact that her days of being a novice were likely behind them---she could have, but---it would’ve been a needless distraction.
they had come here to do a job---a very specific one, and it was her duty to be helpful---not to quibble childishly about how she could take care of herself.
besides, though it did sometimes feel difficult to escape being coddled---or underestimated, she knew that he, of all people, did not mean it unkindly.
perhaps she had overcome her propensity to set the wrong things ablaze, or to spill nectar on invaluable tomes, but---in the company of someone like kael’thas, her personal experience remained a pittance.
and, considering the difference of their respective lifespans---she supposed that would always be true.
not that she minded---she had no particular need to be better than anyone, and certainly not someone who she respected as much as him.
still---try as she might to push the reminder away, she found herself thinking about how rarely arthas had coddled her---and how she’d loved that.
he’d always---seen her, exactly the way she was---good and bad. he’d seen her so easily that---sometimes, it had been a little frightening. he could know what she meant---or what she really wanted, before she even did.
but---mostly, it had been---empowering, and comforting---and alleviating in that way that being understood is always alleviating.
she didn’t believe that he ever would’ve held her back---and she’d come to rely upon that.
of course---she’d come to rely upon him in all things, and now---well, things were different now.
she didn’t imagine it was ever wise to place so much faith in one person---no matter how incredible, or wonderful they were---and he surely was, but---life wasn’t that steady, or that simple.
it wasn’t his fault, it was just---unfortunate, and it hurt.
a small lump had risen up in her throat, and she did her best to swallow it now---to shake herself awake, and back to the task at hand.
truly, she was glad to keep herself occupied, especially if that meant being helpful---even when it concerned a gruesome matter, like this.
even gruesome matters could be learned from, and so---though she remained cautious of them, she was also curious about them.
and when it came to kel’thuzad---there was much to be curious about. and to be cautious of. despite the discoveries that had been made about him---it seemed to her that he was still more mystery than anything else.
strange---to think that someone who had lived among them for so long, could be so unknown to them, in the end.
it wasn’t a very reassuring thought, but---it did merit interest.
still, she was careful to mind her tongue---kael’thas took these transgressions very seriously, as anyone should have, and the last thing she wanted was for her intrigue to mistakenly come across as disrespectful---or naïve.
“ even from here, the energy around this place feels---unnatural. ”
unnatural may have been putting it gently. corrupt, or dangerous---either of those might have been more accurate choices.
she’d sensed remnants of that power long before they’d reached its exact location.
her eyes were a bit narrowed now, and she frowned, looking focused---taking a few steps forward.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ i——wish you wouldn’t speak of her in those terms. ”
she tilted her chin up a fraction to regard him.
“ oh? tell me something I don’t know. ”
cynicism dripped from her voice---low, and gloomily sardonic.
of course, it must have been her fault. she must have been the ungrateful child.
her---with her damaged face, and her marred skin, and her contaminated blood.
she knew that she still sickened him. perhaps she always would.
that feeling alone was enough to break her heart. to make her wish that none of this had ever happened. but, she couldn’t get out. she was trapped in her own body.
anyway. It never could have been the doing of his favored little human. she was much too cultured and refined to be responsible for anything like that.
why should it matter to them if her charitable actions and her carefully chosen words reeked of pity and condescension---?
why should they care if she had once aligned herself with the very person responsible for destroying their home and slaughtering their people, only to run away from it all across the sea---?
while the rest of them had crawled through the mud to survive.
and then she had reappeared like some beacon of light---with her aid, and her sympathy, and her pompous opinions about everything they’d done.
as if she had any right to judge them.
a weighted pause had fallen between her and kael. she debated leaving the silence to stew for a while---and then, with very little sincerity, she gave a shrug and relented.
“ my apologies. ”
she dampened her lips and leaned back slightly, lifting her eyebrows at him---idling a casual hand.
all right, so---maybe it wasn’t that simple. it was more than enough. it had every right to be that simple, but---it wasn’t.
she knew that. rationally speaking, she knew that. she’d always had her reservations about lady jaina. but, when they’d first met---things had been so desperate on quel’danas, she’d been grateful for her assistance.
grateful that someone cared, that someone would listen---that someone else hadn’t given up on kael.
over time, those feelings had gotten---warped, she guessed. things weren’t so desperate anymore. she knew more about lady jaina---who she really was, where she came from---what she meant to kael.
she was jealous.
and why shouldn’t she be---?
lady jaina was a mage, like him. she’d studied at dalaran, like him. she was a diplomat. the ruler of an entire city.
how could he not prefer her as a companion---? she was a human, yes---but that didn’t appear to be stopping him.
“ apparently i’m too coarse and vulgar to appreciate her ladyship’s generous hospitality. ”
a bitter twinge curled over her mouth, and she shook her head---glancing off.
really---really, loathing herself, in that moment. and everything. she didn’t necessarily feel on the verge of losing her temper, though.
not right now. she was just sort of---wallowing in it.
soaking it all up. lovely. maybe she didn’t deserve any better. she definitely didn’t know what to do about it.
she knew that she was part of the problem---whatever her criticisms of lady jaina. a big part, in all likelihood. she knew that she was being childish and unfair.
that knowledge didn’t make her feel any better---surprisingly.
she’d tried to think of what lord illidan might have said to her---beyond the fact that she should toughen up and get over herself.
she missed him. she missed him a lot. and that wasn’t the only feeling left there, either. there was guilt, too. a lot of guilt.
he probably would’ve thought she was being ridiculous---acting this way. maybe she was being ridiculous. maybe she was ruining everything.
she didn’t want to ruin everything. kael was finally getting better. he finally had the chance to get better, and here she was---hating him for something that might’ve made him happy.
sure---she wanted to protect him. she would have done anything to protect him. she didn’t trust lady jaina. but where did all of that come from, really---?
hell if she knew.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ come. ” he had taken her hand in his own. “ let’s get you somewhere warm. ”
almost numbly, she responded to him---following with steps that felt like they belonged to somebody else. she’d never found her shoes, she realized now---and she guessed that she never would.
“ ---thank you. ” somehow, the words came out---hollow, little more than a whisper.
her fingers curled---forming a weak grip in reaction to his own, but---she could barely feel that, either.
she could barely feel anything.
she recognized him, of course---she wasn’t an idiot.
even the ones who had been cut down and then come back as growling, rotting monsters still would’ve known him.
and so, it did occur to her that it was very strange, and probably remarkable---that he was here, speaking to her, trying to help her---but it was a distant, hazy sort of understanding.
what exactly was anyone supposed to be helping now, anyway---?
her gaze shifted---empty, almost unblinking.
wandering over the scarred, blackened earth---the withered trees, the broken buildings---the bodies that hadn’t been moved yet.
she stared at them.
she could’ve been one of them. should’ve been, probably. sylvanas windrunner---the ranger general who’d saved her life, who’d told her to run---run as fast as you can, run to the city, warn them all---she was dead, too.
and valeera had run to the city---she had tried to warn them.
it hadn’t made any difference at all.
even their king was dead---the father of the man who was leading her away now.
and if her parents hadn’t been killed by worthless cowards, they probably would’ve died here too.
because it seemed like almost everyone had.
i should be dead.
she knew that she’d come close---very, very close.
it felt like forever since she’d stopped crying, but---suddenly, her breath caught in her throat, and that made her feel alive again, and---right now--- that might have been the worst, guiltiest, most helpless feeling in the whole entire world.
her grip on his hand, which had been lifeless, and feeble---finally tightened.
“ ---i’m sorry, your highness. i’m so---so sorry. ” she wanted the tears that dripped from her eyes to be angry, defiant---and they were, but---more than that, they were lost---lost, and hopeless.
“ i--- ” her voice hitched, and she shivered once---swallowing hard. she didn’t know what she wanted to say. what could she possibly say to him, anyway---?
what did it matter---? what difference could it make---?
“ ---i tried. ”
she probably sounded like she’d lost her mind, and yet---it was the only thing that she could think of.
tried to what---? stop all of this from happening, somehow---? tried to reach the city in time---? tried to save her mother and father, before any of this had begun---? tried just to help somebody, anybody---?
it was a stupid, pointless thing to say. a childish thing to say. he wouldn’t understand. how could he? she didn’t even understand.
she didn’t think that she understood anything---not anymore.
who could possibly want to understand this---?
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ ah, i see. another——human custom? ” he’d hesitated halfway through saying it, as if he were worried he might offend.
there was something sweet about the hesitant way that he spoke.
once---not so very long ago, though it felt like an age---this was exactly the sort of awkward conversation that would have made her curl up like a frightened snail.
she could remember the feeling very well---of dearly wishing that she’d never opened her mouth, how she would stumble over her words, and the way her cheeks had always burned.
it still wasn’t---well, altogether pleasant.
and she would have been lying if she’d claimed that, when a quiet laugh escaped her, it had nothing to do with being nervous, but---the urge to strangle herself with her own robes had definitely lessened over the years.
so, that was good.
they did still seem to have a special knack for these bumbling exchanges, though---the two of them.
half of the time, she never even knew how the subject arose---until it was much too late, of course.
she could only assume that she was the culprit.
seeing as how kael’thas was far from the only individual she’d found herself facing that predicament with---she just happened to feel especially sorry and ungainly when he was involved.
anyway, things were a little different now.
she was older, and the time they’d spent together of late had been---more honest, she supposed---if only because there had been few niceties left to hide behind.
“ well---it may be a little more exclusive to my people, i think. ”
a slight, gentle smile came to her lips, and she looked out across the harbor, where the ocean stretched on before them, as far as the eye could see.
“ i’m not sure that everyone else would be in too much of a hurry to claim that particular one. ”
her brow crinkled a little---humorously, and she tilted her head---finding that she felt relatively calm, by her own standards---and feeling thankful for that.
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@VENGEANCEBURNS asked:
“ i——i don’t understand. surely we should make at least some attempt to locate her? ”
“ she is a soldier. she understood the risk that she took. ”
her voice brooked no respite, no discernible emotion. she did not look at him when she spoke, and nor did she once pause to glance over her shoulder, to regard all of the filth and death left in their wake.
she could not permit herself to feel.
they had no time to look back.
“ she would not wish us to compromise the mission on her behalf. ”
there was no lie in her words.
her features were cold beneath the guise of her helmet, firmly set to a rigid line, and she quickened her pace---cutting a clear path over this strange, dying land.
these people were frightened and battle-weary. if she did not allow them a moment to consider, if she drove them on ahead, they would follow.
even young prince kael’thas. who appeared to be experiencing a moral quandary over what had befallen tyrande.
but tyrande had made her decision.
as always, she had ignored those who sought to caution her, and chosen instead to stand alone.
of course, despite all that had occurred between them, and despite her foolish arrogance, her initial response to seeing the high priestess claimed by the river had been to save her.
but things were no longer that simple, and that knowledge had stayed her hand.
it had sickened her to do so. but---would it not also have sickened her, to pull her from the water, when she was responsible for the deaths of so many of her people---?
tyrande had made it clear that she could no longer be trusted where illidan was concerned. in this particular case, her reckless behavior may have worked to their advantage.
even malfurion may have been inclined to show his brother too much mercy. tyrande’s absence, if he believed her to be dead, would harden his heart.
he would do what needed to be done. in him, she still had faith.
but, even as those thoughts had first taken form so quickly in her mind, even as she had turned away from the raging waters----a distinct sense of wrongness had also gripped her.
what was she doing---? had it truly come to this---?
did it not go against everything that she had sworn to uphold, to protect---to forsake one leader, and to conspire to deceive another---?
was she not going too far---?
no---they had forced her hand.
she had not released the betrayer upon this world. she had not slain her own people in cold blood. she had not demanded that anyone choose between saving her life or continuing the mission.
this situation never should have existed in the first place.
she was not betraying her people. she was saving them. she was doing what needed to be done.
prince kael’thas couldn’t possibly understand that. his heart was, no doubt, where it should have been. where her own could no longer be.
she would simply need to make sure that he heeded her.
in every likelihood---for better or worse, tyrande would survive.
she could only hope---and act quickly, to make sure that illidan was secured before she found her way back to them.
and then she would readily face whatever consequences followed. she would bear no shame.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ i could teach you, if you would like. ”
her mind leapt at the opportunity.
“ oh, please---? ”
she answered very much without thinking---too quickly, in other words---too forwardly, a radiant smile coming to her features---and she knew that her enthusiasm at the prospect had gotten the better of her.
no sooner had she spoken than did a flush of deep color redden her cheeks, blotting out most of her smile, and she swallowed, bowing her head---hastening to suppress her excitement.
“ i mean---that would be lovely, if it’s not too much trouble. thank you very much. ”
it was good to be passionate, of course---motivated, but---not at the expense of propriety.
what ever would he think of her, one step away from clapping her hands together and jumping up and down, all because she wanted to learn something new?
she’d felt that way all the time when she’d first arrived, having suddenly found herself surrounded by so much knowledge, so many paths of learning.
it had been overwhelming in the most wonderful way.
that being said, she’d always been ashamed of her tendency to become so excited, and she’d truly hoped to outgrow it---no such good fortune yet, it seemed.
of course, by no fault of his own, she felt that particular shortcoming all the more keenly in his presence.
he was so---well, so very much the opposite of anything like that, she couldn’t help but to feel especially childish and unrefined by contrast.
she could only hope that he wouldn’t regret his offer.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ and he brings his cat. ”
her mouth opened, clipped shut---and then opened again.
“ that’s---true. ”
following a brief, slightly awkward pause, she finished this admittance. because---silly as it may have sounded, it was essentially accurate.
her eyebrows were faintly risen, and she blinked several times---doing her best to contemplate the issue from a reasonably serious perspective, however---that was proving to be somewhat difficult.
if she was being completely honest with herself, it didn’t strike her as very important, and---it was a bit funny.
“ i suppose that is a little---unprofessional, though---for whatever it’s worth, his cat is very well behaved. ”
actually, she liked mr. bigglesworth quite a lot, and he never seemed to cause any trouble, but---then again, perhaps that wasn’t really the point.
gently, she cleared her throat---keeping her expression carefully schooled---her hands neatly folded in her alp.
“ there are worse things he could do. ”
there was another short pause---awkward, like the first one, and she finally lifted her gaze---finding his face, and then sparing him a soft, sympathetic sort of smile.
“ you---don’t really like cats, do you? ”
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ the way that i spoke to you that last time, when i left dalaran——i always regretted that. ”
a slight, quiet frowned shadowed her features, and she glanced over to regard him---narrowing her eyes a fraction in the dim, flickering light.
“ you had suffered an unthinkable loss. ”
she spoke clearly---factually, but---the deference in her voice for what had occurred could not be mistaken---or the lamentation.
her gaze was not unkind---if anything, she could not have been more sympathetic, but there was a certain steadiness about her expression---a firm solemnity.
“ carnage of that sort cannot truly be measured---however terribly common it may seem at times. ”
and she could not deny---sometimes, it felt so common that it became difficult to keep from wondering how the entire world had not simply fallen to pieces.
but, this weary world that they lived in---whether from great apathy, or great resilience---always seemed prepared to continue turning---even when the rest of them did not.
“ i wished that i could have done something to help you, but---even then, i understood that i had likely made that impossible---for a while, if not forever. ”
after all, how could he have possibly wanted to hear anything from someone who had stood by his enemy for so long?
she remembered very well how deeply his words had cut---not because she had felt wronged, but---for an entirely opposite reason.
it had seemed---warranted, almost---deserved.
she had felt powerless to help him, and worse---she had known that her mere presence was a constant reminder of arthas, and thus by extension---all of the crimes he had so recently committed.
she may not have been truly complicit in them, but---her ultimate lack of action had more than spoken for itself, before the end.
such a thing always did.
even now, she still found herself struggling to make amends for all the times that had been true.
her gaze shifted downwards.
with a delicate, casual wave of her hand, she breathed a little more life into the fire that crackled by their feet.
“ there is nothing to forgive. ”
a thin, melancholy smile touched the otherwise reserved line of her mouth.
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@vengeanceburns asked:
“ you——look different. ”
such a simple thing to say---too simple, perhaps---for she found that it struck her rather deeply.
not quickly, or even painfully, but---deeply.
an occurrence that had once been common to her, but had long since become very rare---and yet, it seemed to happen now, with nothing but ease.
there was something almost curious about the gaze she lifted to him, and she tilted her head, regarding him from beneath her lashes---watchful, but calm.
a slight furrow appeared on her brow---very gently, somberly amused.
“ to you especially, i’m sure. ”
after all, the last time they’d seen one another---she’d been little more than a girl.
he’d been right about that much.
a girl who’d believed that she’d witnessed terrible things, and could remain unchanged whilst standing against them----well.
you look different.
some things weren’t possible, and the harder you believed in them---the more vulnerable you were when the sky did finally fall.
and the sky would always fall.
that---if nothing else, was certain.
a brief pause surfaced between them, and then----seeming to consider what he’d said, she continued.
“ i am different. ”
her voice was temperate---almost empty, but---her expression was not unkind.
a sad, but nonetheless gentle smile ghosted the line of her mouth, and for a moment---she looked weary for the entire world.
sometimes, she felt weary for the entire world.
her throat shifted with a quiet swallow, and she glanced away---becoming a little more somber.
“ ---we’re all different. for better, or for worse. ”
she looked down at her hands where they were folded in her lap.
it hadn’t all been for the better---that was as true of her as any of them.
but---it hadn’t all been for the worse, either. and she hadn’t given up. she was still---working on it. what she thought, how she felt---what she did with both of those things.
perhaps this was another place to start.
she took a small, measured breath, and then looked back at him---softening again.
“ come, sit with me. ”
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