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"Blind fucktard." She said, offended.

Soon afterwards, the group of girls started cheerfully towards the exit, satisfied. They were almost out of the shop when the burglar alarm began to screech, and the next moment, the shop's security guard was right in front of them.

"Relax, it's probably just a false alarm. An anti-theft device was left on one clothing." He took the jacket out of the paper bag to inspect it, but found nothing. "Hm..." The human caressed his moustache, troubled, then looked at the fidgeting teenagers. "Okay, try to go out one by one."

Hajna and Panka made it through without a problem, but when the Draenei tried to cross, the device beeped again. 

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I need to look through your bag." The guard held out his paw-sized, crusty bear hand. Ismi rolled her eyes as she complied, but shock replaced her frustration within moments as the old man pulled out a crimson red lace silk thong. His face turned just as red as the underwear when he realised what he was holding, unlike Draenei's, whose had changed to a dead pale shade instead. 

"I don't... I don't know how this got into my bag!"

"Well, it was here, miss. You saw it, I saw it. I must call the police. Your friends are staying here, too."

"Wait, what? Why should we stay?" Panka cried out as the guard herded them back into the shop.

"I swear I didn't mean to steal anything!" Ismi pleaded, desperately searching for sympathetic glances among the onlookers, but finding none. Distraught, she turned to her companions, who looked just as frightened and lost as she was. 

"Now, would you look at that! Mere moments ago they acted like they owned the place, and now their pants are full." One customer remarked gloatingly. "Does this happen often?" She asked the cashier from before, who was removing the anti-theft devices from the woman's purchases in a calm manner.

"Ya know, every now and den." said the troll, snuck a look at the shamed girls, then handed over the wrapped goods and receipt with a smirk. "Thank you for shopping with us!"

The tiny park in the heart of Hyjal, which has hosted so many meetings of the Stormrage twins, now appeared rather weather-beaten. In the centre stood a glorious tree, the only one that still retained some of its former emerald canopy, but that too was gradually turning bronze. On the small bench below, the brothers sat together, closer than usual.

Picture followed picture, through which the image of a newly renovated apartment slowly emerged. 

"This is the living room." Illidan swiped on his phone as he boasted about his new home with his characteristic panache. "And this is the bathroom."

"I see you've spared neither money nor effort." Malfurion stroked his beard, amazed at the, for a lack of a better word, grandiose bathtub, though he should have expected it. 

His younger brother, as bold as brass in his whole life, never took half measures. He could not rest until he had achieved his aim, whatever the cost. A trait that was just as reassuring as it was unsettling... This time, the goal was to win the love of a living and breathing individual, and it worried him even more. 

"Naturally." The demon hunter grinned. "And I haven't shown you the best one yet." he continued swiping, searching for something. "This, the jewel of the apartment, will be Maiev's room. Even more beautiful in person. Forgive me for only showing it to you over the phone, but I promised her she would be the first... um... guest in the residence, and I intend to keep that promise." He went through the pictures of the carefully decorated room with pride, momentarily lost in his sweet dreams of the future. His brother listened in silence, his brow furrowed. "Alright, out with it." Illidan closed his mobile upon seeing the other Stormrage's expression. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I've known you since our first heartbeat. I can see when something's bothering you from a glance. Tell me, what concerns deepen those wrinkles on your forehead, brother, and let me dispel the clouds from your worried eyes."

Malfurion hung his head. Yes, they developed in one womb, drank one woman's milk, became orphans at the same moment. They grew up together, inseparable, knowing each other just as much as themselves. And it was this very knowledge that made the druid hesitate. If he were to voice his fears, he would undoubtedly anger the demon hunter. Illidan was too indulged in his desires to listen calmly and consider what his brother had to say. The archdruid turned his mind to nature preparing to hibernate. He listened to the whisper of the rising wind, but there was no answer in the chilly breath that could erase his uneasiness.

"Have you shared your idea with Maiev yet?" He asked at last. Illidan raised his eyebrows, puzzled, then a smug grin spread across his face, confirming the older Stormrage's fear.

"I already told you I can't. I want to impress her as much as possible, and for that the element of surprise is key, that's part of the confession. Worry not, dear brother. I've got it all worked out."

"That's what makes me doubtful, Illidan. These are your plans, and they don't necessarily reflect Maiev's wishes." 

"Yes, they do!" He snapped at hearing the unexpected statement, but after a brief pause, he continued more collected. "And if, IF for some reason that wasn't the case, I'll convince her over time. She has a well-planned path ahead of her on which I'll guide her along, and the goal is getting closer, even if slowly,I know!" The demon hunter brushed aside his brother's concerns, but his voice was still filled with tension.

Malfurion looked sorrowfully at his lovelorn fool of a brother, and he came to a decision. He put his hand on the other's shoulder, drawing his sightless look.

"Illidan... Her love, or rather, Maiev herself is not an object, not a prize to be won. I hoped you had learned that lesson by now..." 

His good intentions proved futile. Anger flared in the demon hunter's gaze, and he pushed his brother's hand away. 

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Perhaps... you're trying too hard to control the... situation. You're very close to crossing a line, and you wanting to decide your... future without Maiev, that is something I disagree with." He tried to soften the blow by carefully choosing his words, but to no avail.

"It is easy for the victor to have a morality sermon over the loser's head, isn't it, brother?! For you, who return home every night to his loving wife..."

Malfurion felt the suppressed pain and anger in his brother's remarks on his skin. The wound of Tyrande's choice had never truly healed. It cast a difference between the previously almost identical twins for the rest of their lives, in his mind, stigmatising and degrading the younger and prouder Stormrage.

"I'm just trying to say that perhaps you shouldn't go so far..."

"Shouldn't I?! On the contrary! I have to go to the very end to even stand a chance! No. I must turn chance into fate! I did everything I could before, and yet it wasn't enough for the woman I loved to return my feelings! And back then... I... I wasn't THIS! Or did you think I'm not aware of what I've become?! How people are looking at me?!"

"Illidan, please..."

"BE QUIET! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A FREAK, AN OUTCAST! You, my brother, you have nothing but respect. How could you possibly understand how I feel?! All my life I've been promised a prosperous future, and what have I got?! Ten thousand years of loneliness and suffering!" 

"I know, I'm not blind to your... trials, but you must realise! You see Maiev through your heart, yet you're trying to deny her the chance to do the same for you! All of your scheming and secrecy will backfire, I'm afraid! And then all your chances will be no more...!

"Stay quiet now!" Illidan snapped at the druid, but a shrill roar overpowered his thundering voice. The twins as one, turned their eyes to the noise. A branch came crashing down to the ground, an uncontrollable blaze licking it and the bough of the tree. 

The brothers did not hesitate. Illidan, clasping his right palm, regained control of his powers, smothering the stray magic, while Malfurion called upon the wind, and, blowing sand over the branch, extinguished the flames.

Illidan stared at the charred, smoking piece of wood as if it were a bad omen and yet... It was no secret that he had started the fire, and worse, in Malfurion's presence. He felt the druid's heavy gaze on him, and mingled with his sudden sobriety, an almost unbearable shame. When was the last time he had lost his head enough to unwittingly turn his anger into magic and let it run wild?

"I pray that's not your idea to win an argument with Maiev." Malfurion walked past him, waving goodbye to his reckless brother, leaving him alone with the consequences of his actions. 

Illidan took one last look at the branch, then disintegrated it to ashes and set off in the opposite direction. Slowly the steps increased to a jog, the jog to a run, until at last, heedless of Maiev's admonition, he spread his wings and kicked off. Her dance class must end soon, and he could not risk them avoiding each other! Not that day! He had to see her...! 

It was late in the afternoon, but there were hardly any customers in the upscale patisserie. Perhaps that had more to do with the higher than average prices than the time of day. At least that's what Lysende thought as she looked through the leather-bound menu. And that wasn't the only detail the confectioner added to demonstrate the place’s exclusivity. Behind the mahogany-panelled refrigerated counters scrubbed to glossy clean, a million variegated cakes tempted even the most unyielding dieters into sin, while sweet and savoury tea cakes offered themselves up for consumption alongside hot drinks and locally squeezed juices with cheeky flirtatiousness. Above shoppers" heads hung a gilded candle chandelier with a million crystal inlays. It was obviously fake, but that didn't take away from the eye-catching spectacle. Its glow reflected proudly on the coffee-brown marble floor, almost singing: yes, you have to pay for all this! Lysende shifted uncomfortably on the burgundy velvet upholstered chair, deeply regretting accepting the invitation. She should have realised sooner that this was not a place for their wallets! 

"I seem to have left my niece halfway through and brought a jitterbug by mistake instead." her aunt remarked, not taking her eyes off the menu even for a moment. 

"Isn't this place a bit expensive?" She whispered as discreetly as the round coffee table would allow. 

"We can allow it to ourselves once or twice a year," Maiev concluded briefly, then closed the menu. 

Lysende took a deep breath and ordered a slice of marzipan pistachio cake with a blackberry-mint lemonade, but all her inhibitions dissipated the minute the smiling waitress placed the cake on a porcelain plate in front of her. Maiev watched with satisfaction as her niece pounced on the sweet treat. A long-forgotten memory resurfaced, a faded image of her then adolescent brother, happily munching away some pie their mother baked. The similarity became even more striking when the girl finished eating, and Maiev caught her longing glance towards the pastry counter. 

"No need to hold back." She smiled and pushed the menu back in front of her. Lysende" face darkened to the tips of her ears, and she curled up as she tried to ward off the offer, but to no avail. Eventually, two more muffins and a filled chocolate cake landed on her plate.

"Let her enjoy it... It'll only make her feel better for a few minutes or hours anyway..." Maiev raised her tea to her lips. The bitter smell of brewed tea grass wafted to her core. The heat suffused her soul, bringing her a drop of peace. It was obvious from the aroma alone that it was made from a higher quality plant than the cheap bag version she was used to at Illidan's... Before she could finish it, she quickly put an end to the thought. She had other, more important things to do than mourn her lost privileges. So she took a sip and fixed her gaze on the girl frothing across from her.

The small rose-patterned porcelain cup clinked quietly as Maiev placed it back on the marble table top. 

"So?" She asked calmly, and she needed to say no more, Lysende knew exactly what the simple question meant. The kind eyes, glistening with all the true pearls of the oceans, gazed down at the thin, fragile fumbling fingers of their owner, wordlessly recounting the tugging of her soul. Maiev listened to the silent struggle with compassion, knowing well the difficulty her niece was facing. If for her, who had lived more than twelve thousand years, it was hard, no, inhumanly difficult, to open up to others and ask for help, what kind of fortitude could an innocent and sensitive child like Lysende need? She seemed at last to have found the words she was looking for in the chaos of her mind, and she raised her sad but determined eyes to her aunt, filling her with infinite pride at the sight of her courage. She was a warrior like her parents, even if she had fought other kinds of wars. Wars, in which Maiev had always been outmatched.

"Perhaps, this old, hardened warden too could learn one thing or two from this flickering light. One day, she will shine brighter than any star in the sky in so many people's life, if she finds the strenght to go all the way... Until then, we'll be here to protect her." 

"I don't even... I don't know how things turned out like this." Lysende murmured. "One day Ismi and I were going to the cinema because Mum had to leave last minute, then just in days I found myself becoming a fifth wheel. Like... I don't know... I would have to fight just to participate in conversations or sit down to eat with them, which I used to take for granted. Every day I felt more and more excluded, even though... I don't understand! I was there, but it was like I was more and more invisible every day. Nobody said anything bad, just... Something was wrong, I felt it. I was missing out, and I became desperate. We used to talk a lot about... um... boys. And... about..."

"About sex?" Asked Maiev without any prevarication, bringing an ebony blush to her niece's cheeks.

"Shhh!" The girl put her finger to her lips with all the tension of adolescence. "Yes... I guess I was trying to stay in the group... I didn't want to be left out. So I told them that me and Kaelor... Um... Don't tell Mum, please..." 

"Unless she directly asks me I won't say a word." The night elf took another sip of her tea and Lysende continued. 

"So I told them... And then it all began... I thought maybe... you know... I don't know what I thought... I'm such an idiot!"

"Young and inexperienced, yes. But not an idiot by any means."

"I just don't understand... I don't understand what I did wrong!" she cried a question Maiev was sure she had asked herself many times since her harassment had begun, but she never got an answer, only the nagging loneliness and crippling sense of shame were her company.    

"If you think you have to do anything to make someone do something so ugly, you're sadly mistaken. Don't blame yourself, the fault is not with you. I've spent a significant part of my life in an order mostly made of women. I've heard and seen this and that. Let's just say, I have first-hand knowledge of the nastiest qualities and actions of our gender. Jealousy, gossiping, manipulation, intimidation and coercion, perversion... To name but a few. Things that you would think could never happen in an organization like the Watchers, where the members are not only comrades but almost like family. But it does, oh yes it does happen... And in each case, there was one thing in common: That there was no trigger from the victim, it came solely from the stalker's side, it was from their filthy souls that these atrocities were born." 

"But... Ismi was my best friend... Then why...?"

"There's nothing more dangerous than a friend only you believe to be one. And I think that's what this is all about. Unfortunately, the backstab that hurts the most is always inflicted by a knife held by someone you thought you can trust."

Lysende held back her tears as she listened to her aunt's words. She knew she was telling the truth, yet it was hard to take in and accept what she was hearing and let go of the shame and self-blame. 

"Has anyone ever betrayed you?" She asked helplessly.

"Oh, but how many times, dear child. And unfortunately, the consequences are still with me to this day, never leaving me. Too many lives have been lost because I put my trust in the wrong man." Maiev's weary gaze wandered into the past. The ugly image of Akama, leader of the Broken, emerged from the depth of that unforgettable nightmare, and with it the massacre at the Hand of Gul'dan. She could almost smell the stench of spilt blood in the air, hear the death-rattle and screams of her men, but something was missing. Little by little, without a sign the only felon of that day became the Draenei in Maiev's memory.

A sweet tinkling sound interrupted the recollection when the door of the pastry shop opened, and as if a whole flower shop had squeezed itself into the building, an intense fragrance assaulted the nostrils of the two elves, replacing the memory of the sulphurous smell. Maiev's face contorted at the realisation, but before she could explain it to her niece, two silky soft palms covered her eyes.

"Nabitha, for the love of Elune..." She dragged away the hands to face her attacker, and low and behold, there stood her boss in the flesh, in a ridiculously vibrant outfit as usual. 

"Oh, how did you know...?" The blood elf squeaked in surprise, but without waiting for an answer, her ice blue eyes slid to Lysende, and releasing Maiev, she rushed at her. 

"Oh my, if it isn't the little Lyssy, all grown up!" she clung to the startled teenager's neck, showering her with kisses like some long-lost aunt. The real one, meanwhile, was wondering whether her niece could breathe or intervene before her boss squeezed her to death.

"Good afternoon..." Lysende mumbled, desperate to find a way out of the surprise attack. Finally Nabitha seemed to spare her, and without asking the two Dracthyr chatting at the next table, she pulled a chair away from there and sat down between Lysende and Maiev, completely uninvited. 

"How nice to run into you like this!" She clapped her hands together happily, but the other two women could probably have easily argued with her statement if they had the spirit. Instead, they looked at each other surreptitiously, resigned themselves to the defeat in the lightning war, and nodded. "Now you tell me, what brings you here?"

"Our feet." Maiev replied with a little grumpiness in her voice, but she had to admit that her boss perhaps arrived just in time to steer the conversation into a more upbeat direction, which, thanks to her, was heading for a blood-soaked waterfall. Not exactly what her niece needed at the moment. 

"MaiMai, funny as ever!" chuckled the blood elf. Lysende's eyebrows went up at the nickname, but Maiev just shook her head to ignore it. Nabitha was Nabitha. All the more so, because the imaginary timer that probably was counting down in her head seemingly reached zero, and she felt the time had come to further bother her tablemates with something truly Nabitha-ish. "So tell me Lysende, do you have many one night stands now?"

"Perhaps suitors! She's only sixteen!" Maiev reprimanded the woman.

"Yes! That's what I meant! I forgot the word!" The blood elf cheekily played the fool, bringing a smile to the little teenager's face, and while her face flushed with a dark tone again, she nodded eliciting an excited cheer from her mother's old friend. "Oh of course you have! Now, don't be modest, do you have a picture? Of course you do! And look at him, how cute! He's too upstanding for me, but..." Nabitha chimed in, giving Maiev some time to catch her breath. She could safely stay out of this, it was her boss's territory. She sat back comfortably to finish her tea. In the meantime, she fished her phone out of the bag to check the time, but by doing so, she discovered something very odd.

"What's the matter, auntie?" Lysende asked, seeing her strange expression.

"Nothing just... Twenty-two missed calls?!" Maiev opened the app but the word was stuck in her throat. According to the call history, her impatient caller was none other than Illidan, who had been trying to reach her almost every minute for the past half hour. Her heart rate skyrocketed as more and more horrible possibilities zipped through her racing mind. Was he in trouble? Had he been arrested? What if they want to put him in jail?! He's an unlicensed mage, prisons for those are no better than the one he had spent ten thousand years in already...! And her stupid head had to mute the phone that very day to give Lysende her full attention...!

"I see they're calling again." Nabitha's voice woke her from her libidinous reverie. Sure enough, there on the display was the man's name. She stood up quickly, and with an apology, moved to answer the call, but nervousness had already worked its way into her limbs, and she couldn't press the button properly, only for the second time.

"Hallo?" She raised the device to her ear and was immediately struck by Illidan's raspy voice. "Was he yelling?!"

"Finally! Where are you?! Why weren't you in dance class?! Why didn't you answer the phone?!" A volley of anxious questions hit her.

This was not what she expected. Maiev usually did not take such demanding questions lying down, especially when the questioner took such a tone, but... His tension was palpable over the phone. The knot in the depth of her stomach tightened as she tried to force meaningful words onto her lips.

"I was shopping with Lysende. What is so important? Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is a problem! You weren't in dance class, I couldn't find you anywhere, and none of your peers could answer where you were! You didn't answer your phone. I was worried you fell to temptation and was lying drunken or passed out somewhere on the verge of freezing to death!"

The fierce words, presumably forged out of sheer goodwill, made a million blades and cut deep into Maiev's soul. She knew well that her addiction made the concern legitimate, but she could not surpress the deep disappointment and shame she felt at the thought that the idea crossed the man's mind.

"A simple "I was worried" would have done it." She thought, turning her back on her companions at the table who had at first pretended to be occupied, but now both women were listening with their ears perked up. "Well, I am safe and sound, as you can hear." "Except for my self-esteem. That's kicking the bucket."

"Elune be praised, at least you're all right."

"What or who is not all right?" She asked, but before she could say it, her mind had already come up with a possible explanation. If Illidan was talking to her dancing companions, he had to be in Hyjal before. Maybe he had met Tyrande and something had gone wrong? "Did something happen?" She wondered, her fingers clasped tightly on the side of the phone.

"Pay no heed to that, Maiev. A minor conflict, nothing more. It will go with the passing wind." So she guessed correctly, it was that argument that may have caused his anger. "Anyway, you are in company at the moment, if I understand...?"

"Yes, with Lysende and... a friend of mine." Maiev glanced back at her boss who looked back at her with huge puppy eyes. She seemed to like the term "friend" instead of "boss'. The night elf nodded her head to the side with a half smile, then turned back.

"I guess we can't meet now then?" asked Illidan, his words carrying a hint of disappointment. Maiev furrowed her brows. He called her twenty-three times... She hoped she was reading the signs right and not making a fool of herself.

"Well, feel free to join us, you're welcomed." She jabbered.

After a moment's pause, she let out a relieved breath.

"I'm grateful for the invitation. A more pleasant company would be nice, indeed. Where are you?"

Maiev quickly gave the address, and the man promised to be there in fifteen minutes, then said goodbye. The night elf couldn't even put her phone away yet, she could feel four thirsty eyes on her back. And indeed, her companions were waiting with demanding smiles on their faces. They gave her the chills.

"We'll get company." She sat back in her seat. It felt like a voluntary descent into a pool of hungry sharks, but what could she do? If it wasn't just her imagination, then Illidan audibly wanted to meet with her, presumably to get some support from his friend, and satisfying that wish was a priority for Maiev. All she had to do now was to make sure that Lysende didn't blurt out her feelings for the demon hunter in front of Nabitha... Luckily, Lysende was rather good at reading the atmosphere.

"Who?" The girl asked with keen interest.

"Your great-uncle." 

"Illidan?!" Her eyes twinkled, chasing away all the sorrow from her tiny soul, and Maiev wondered why she had left a large part of her salary in a very expensive pastry shop when she could have just mentioned him. "He's coming here?!"

"First of all. You have a great-uncle Lyssy? Second, is he handsome?" interjected Nabitha, seductively stirring her tea. "Because if he is..."

"No way!" Lysende snapped, slapping the table. Maiev immediately knew there was trouble, but before she could calm her down, she continued. "Auntie is into him, too!"

"MaiMai's in love?!" The blood elf shrieked in delight, rising from the chair, and happily jumped to her scalded and devastated subordinate, hugging her. "If that's the case, of course, I won't lay a finger on him, however handsome he may be, I give you my word of honour! Sisters before misters! And? How are you standing? Did you two have sex yet?" She sat back in her chair, licking her lips hungry for information.