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"I see. Who would have thought he was serious about the Kaldorei language research..."

"I certainly didn't expect that from him."

"You should put more effort into trying to see the good in others." he chuckled.

"I can't, you take up all of my energies." the bitter answer came. Though the night elf meant the comment as a raillery, deep down Illidan was delighted by her words, taking it as a sign of her care.

However, their friendly banter did nothing to evaporate Lysende's shock, and Maiev finally noticed it.

"Lysende, this is Illidan. Illidan, she's my niece, Lysende." She introduced them to each other, not suspecting that there was no need for it anymore.

"This? This madman is your Illidan?!" she blurted out in frustration.

"I see you made a good impression." her aunt smiled, glancing at the person sitting next to her, who straightened up with pretended pride.

"What can I do, it's my personal charm..."

"Your what?" Maiev asked sarcastically, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Listen, he is a brutal beast!" the teenager jumped up from the table.

"Well, what a surprise. Do you know each other?

"I think something is coming back..." said the demon hunter, with his chin cupped in his hand.

"He threw us out of a club with Za'zul!" Lysende recalled their last meeting, seeing that her relative had taken her statement lightly.

At the accusing words, Maiev looked questioningly at her companion, who finally put the pieces together in his head as to why the girl was familiar.

"Did you throw them out?"

"Good." She replied, then immersed herself in her work again. "Just a moment, I'll finish this. Until then, order something."

"You alright with the usual?" Illidan asked as he headed for the checkout.

"Of course. Lysende, you want something?" Maiev asked the girl, but she was still completely floored. "Get her some ice cream. Caramel flavour."

As the man finally got out of earshot, she poked her niece.

"Are you disappointed?" she asked teasingly.

"You can't imagine!" the teenager replied sulking.

"I really don't know what you expected." she laughed, then returned to her work.

"Not this for sure! Some charming guy. But this...? He is so repulsive!" she whispered contemptuously, then folded her arms and continued to pout.

Maiev didn't say anything, just frowned as if she was thinking about Lysende's words. The girl would dare to bet that she noticed something on the woman's face that she could best describe as slight embarrassment, and she immediately got ashamed of her earlier statement. It wasn't nice of her to flout someone's love interest. Even is she keeps denying her feelings. She wasn't happy either when her parents spoke ill of Za'zul. Guided by her unclean conscience, she glanced at Illidan, who still stood in line, and tried to take a closer look at the demon hunter to see if she could find anything about him to praise and please her aunt. But the image of the man became even more awful as she inspected him with more care, discovering that he had hooves instead of legs. She didn't even notice that in the dark last time. Terrified, she rubbed her feet together under the table, reassuring herself that they were still there. She also had a hard time figuring out why someone was still posing with horns in their time when even Trolls and Orcs mostly get rid of their fangs so as not to hinder them when using ordinary tools, like cell phones. A Tauren classmate of hers got rid off of his horns, too. And she didn't know what to think anymore by observing the huge wings. At the same time, she couldn't get rid of the feeling that she either had seen the security guard somewhere before or he reminded her of someone.

"Well, looking closer, he is well built." she finally whispered apologetically, the only thing Lysende could bring up as a positive about the man.

"One bad boy at a time is more than enough. Don't bite bigger than you can chew. And believe me, he is a big bite." Maiev scolded the girl, but her words were completely misunderstood by her niece, her face coloured dark purple.

"He sure looks big..." she thought blushingly, her thoughts drifting again towards her boyfriend. They had been together for two months now, and it was obvious that the boy was running out of patience.

"Your ice cream." Illidan put the caramel dessert in front of her. She muttered a thank you in embarrassment, trying to get her aunt's earlier words out of her head. She raised her curious gaze at the demon hunter peacefully munching on his sandwich, trying again to figure out who he reminded her so much.

"Could it be an actor...? He could be quite charming if..." but her train of thought was interrupted by a vibrating sensation in her pocket. She pulled out her phone carefully, and at the sight of her sweetheart's name, her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She put the device back into her pocket and pleaded to leave for the bathroom, complaining about a stomach ache. As her aunt nodded, she was already storming in the direction of the women's washroom.

"She's lying." Illidan crumpled the leftover napkin.

"I know. She's gonna chat with her boyfriend over the phone. I'd say for at least half an hour. So, feel free to eat the ice cream." Maiev bit into her sandwich, then wiped her mouth and continued. "Can you see her inside?"

"Yes." he spooned into the ice cream.

"Good. Keep an eye on her."

"You think she will try to escape?"

"That's a possibility, yes. Anyway..." she put down her half-eaten wrap and took out a notebook. She flipped through it and then turned to her companion. "Bills?"

"Rent, water, electricity paid. They're coming to check the gas usage next week."

"Good. Did you turn up the heating? I know you don't get cold, but the wall will mould if you don't keep the room warm."

"Yes, to 20 degrees."

"Great." she ticked off her list, then being pleased, she put the booklet back in her bag and nodded appreciatively to the man, who returned the gesture. "Quite impressive."

"By the way ..." Illidan reached into his pocket, pulled out a large flat cell phone and carefully placed it on the table. "I bought it today." he grinned proudly at his new treasure. "Would you help me to set it up?"

But Maiev did not share his enthusiasm. She examined the device coldly, though she knew exactly that her eyes were not dazzling, it was indeed a high-end device.

"Illidan, this costs a fortune! Why do you need such a phone? Half of the features are completely useless to you, and the other half are included in a cheaper device!" the night elf scolded him, but he shrugged it off.

"It looked good."

Maiev's annoyed eyes spewed reproachful sparks, but she finally put up with her pal's useless reasoning, reluctantly reaching for the phone.

"You bought a SIM card, too, right?" she asked suspiciously, but she hasn’t even finished the sentence, Illidan triumphantly tucked the tiny plastic card under her nose. She sighed and took the accessory. After some fiddling, she managed to bring the device to life. "It seems to work." she ran through the menu, then looked at the demon hunter's hand. "You should cut your claws on at least one of your hands so you can use this comfortably. Although, I'm afraid a plain nail clip will not be enough for this. I'll check the local drugstore to see if they have a stronger one..." Maiev added the item to her assignments, then glanced at Illidan, who was examining his claws in deep thoughts on his dominant hand.

"You... didn't... You thought you'd take it off with Eye Beam, didn't you?" she froze from the realisation.

"Certainly not." he hurriedly closed his fist, giving a strong impression that Maiev had been right. "By the way, Lysende is trying to climb on the radiator."

"Is there a window above it?"

"Thanks." Maiev acknowledged it with satisfaction and began typing something on her phone, presumably to the girl.

"Add that if she were to take off her high heels, it might be easier." said the demon hunter, and his companion grinned.

Not even a few seconds passed and Lysende tore open the girl's bathroom door. The shocked gaze of the collared fugitive brought a smug smile to the despicable duo's face. She reluctantly sat back at the shared table, her eyes down.

"Anyway ..." Maiev returned to their previous topic. "I'll give you Malfurion's number." Illidan nodded gratefully at the offer, and Lysende raised his head in shock at hearing her adoptive grandfather's name.

"Wait... you mean my grandpa Malfurion?"

"I forgot to tell you?" her aunt's eyes brightened and a grin wider than before appeared on her face. "This guy is Shan'do Stormrage's twin brother. You're more or less relatives."

"Was everything fine?" Jarod asked his returning sister at home as she hung her coat. Upon hearing her father's voice, Lysende's already slightly colourless face suddenly turned even fainter. Her situation was already desperate after she told Za'zul that she could not meet him. And now she will be punished again for trying to escape.

"Yes." Maiev replied succinctly, not taking a look at her niece, who waited breathlessly to see if she would say anything else, but her fear was unfounded.

"I'm glad." her father nodded and the girl's eyes fell as she ran to her room. Inside, she took the phone from her pocket. A tiny LED signalled an unread message.

She opened her beloved's text, her heart in her throat.

A muffled but all the more heartbreaking sobbing sound filtered from her teenage daughter's room, prompting Shandris to stop as she walked toward the bathroom. The woman listened sympathetically to her child's lugubrious blubber, as she recalled when Jarod had left the Kaldorei community without a word, and for ten thousand years everyone believed he was dead. It was nothing but immature adolescent’s attraction to a man she barely knew, yet at that time the truest and only important feeling for her was this stillborn love for him. How many nights and days did she spend watching, hoping that he would come back. And how much she cried when she gave up hope of ever seeing him again... She knew all the torments of young people's love, and every beat of her motherly heart cried out to go in and hug her daughter, who was suffering from the thorns of rosy emotions, but she also knew that the verbal consolation would help nothing It was Lysende's interest to keep the parental rigour, and they agreed on it with Jarod. Yet, her soul repeatedly questioned the correctness of their decision.

"Maybe the two-week detention was too strict..." she touched the white-painted door. Slowly the noises also went silent, perhaps her daughter cried herself to sleep, and Shandris moved on with the determination to speak with her beloved the next morning to find another way for Lysende to serve his sentence for disobedience.

It was midnight when Maiev woke up to the pain in her injured shoulder. She was almost accustomed to the occasional bothersome feeling around the scar, especially when rain was expected, though she was not in the least impressed that her arm had become a weather forecast-device. She gently massaged the sore limb, and she was about to lean back when she heard a barely noticeable noise in front of her door. Just a tiny metallic sound. Exactly like when someone in the dark tries to find a keyhole. And indeed, Lysende, with all of her nerves, focused on not waking up her parents while turning the key in the lock. It signalled with a soft click that she was successful and quickly she gently pressed the doorknob. The girl had just breathed a sigh of relief that her plan was on track, but on the other side of the door she was greeted by a familiar pair of silver eyes.

"Quite impressive. You'd have made a good watcher back in the day with sneaking skills like this." Maiev whispered as she lowered to eye-level, praise and reprimand wrestling in her voice. Frightened, Lysende tried to back away, but her aunt grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the stairwell, then closed the door carefully and turned to her again. "You have two hours. Go to the Hot and Misty Club, I'm letting Illidan know about your arrival. Don't try to get out of his sight, you wouldn't succeed anyway." she said, releasing her niece's arm.

"Thank you..." she sniffed, but the aunt turned her back on her in silence, then disappeared into the darkness just as she had done in the mall before.

Indeed, Illidan was already waiting for them when the couple showed up at the club. Za'zul still stuck his chest out in frustration as they passed the security guard, but Lysende wished she could shrink as tiny as an ant, then she might not feel the weight of her relative's gaze with such weight. She buried her purple face burning from shame into her sweetheart's chest, who smoothed his hand along the girl's youthful curves.

"What am I doing here? Aunt Maiev covered for me about my afternoon escape attempt, and I betrayed her by trying again... And Illidan too... I just sniffed at him all evening... I don't even deserve their help... " she hugged her love tightly, who in return kissed her on the neck. "I'll be a good girl from tomorrow, I promise, my aunt..."

The weekend promised a pleasant springtime for all those who wanted to spend their valuable free time outdoors. The end of winter was getting closer, and in some places the flowers - known as the heralds of spring - stuck their tiny white heads out already from under the still frosty soil. Maiev sniffed contentedly into the morning air, which finally did not stink of gases emitted from the cars of the morning rush hours. The housing estate quietly enjoyed its rest after a hard week. Only one other resident was awake beside the woman, and unfortunately Maiev already knew who she was. As she closed the window and glanced toward the door of her room she could clearly see the bright pink socks between the door and the floor, staming in one place, presumably waiting for the night elf inside to finally come out. Maiev shook her head in disapproval. She could have sworn that after their restaurant meeting a month earlier, Lysende would no longer harass her about Illidan, but not only did the situation not improve, it got even worse. For two weeks now, she had been following Maiev everywhere like a shadow, especially if she somehow got wind that the woman was about to meet with the demon hunter."Good morning Lysende, what can I do for you?" she asked the youngest Shadowsong as she opened the door."Good morning! Oh, up so early and already dressed? Are you going somewhere?" she asked with sparkling eyes, which once and for all confirmed her aunt's assumption that she wanted to tag along on that day, too."I have a dance class." she replied indifferently as she walked past her niece and reached for her coat."Dancing? Oh, that sounds very exciting!" Lysende said enthusiastically, obviously not wanting to give up the fight to go with the woman."I doubt it would interest you. Classical Night Elf Priestess Dance, organized by the Kaldorei Tradition Club."No, not at all! I AM very interested! I’ve always wanted to know more about my Mother’s culture!" she testified, but Maiev knew exactly that it was just as true as the weather report."Don't you have gal friends? You used to always hang out with them."Yes, but..." Lysende's lips curled. "They would just keep asking me about him..." Her eyes filled with tears, and her aunt finally realised what had happened."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." she said. "I'm such an ox, how didn't I figure it out sooner?" Maiev blamed herself as she reassuringly hugged her niece."I don't want to talk about him..." she sobbed in pain as she pushed her sad pale face into her relative's chest."You don't have to. A worm that can leave such a great girl is not worth mentioning." Maiev tried to cheer Lysende up, who pulled away almost apologetically at her words, her reddened eyes meeting the woman's gaze."It... It was me, I broke up." she stammered, then, seeing Maiev's surprised visage, continued after a few sniffs. "He kept pressuring me to do something, but... I couldn't... I wasn't ready." Her eyes fell and she soon found herself in the aunt's embrace again."You were very brave, Lysende." she heard the words of encouragement. "I'm proud of you, you're a real Shadowsong." she stroked the girl's head, and Lysende's throat tightened again."Thank you... it's just... it hurts a lot! Where can I find another boy like him?"Well, if you ask me, this kind of trash can be found on every corner." Maiev said cynically. The girl's sobs finally subsided, giggling softly at the mocking remark. The night elf stroked her head once more, then let go of her and reached for her coat as well. "Come, or we'll be late for the dance class."

Spring no longer kept the good folks waiting at the green countryside of Hyjal. A stray breeze ran through Nordrassil's sky-reaching foliage, only to fade away in the sea of endless slopes, and finally invite the park's flowers at the foot of the valley to a mischievous dance. Malfurion Stormrage glanced warmly at the Cinderblooms swinging beside him, then turned back to his younger brother."A little bird chirped to me that you're well off and that you're getting used to today's life."Aye, I have no reason to complain." The younger Stormrage replied suspiciously. "But what kind of little bird chirped to you?"Maiev." the druid replied to his brother's surprise. Seeing his questioning face, the twin continued. "I see her here from time to time, and sometimes we exchanged a few words. She spoke with great pride of your accomplishments. I share this feeling from my heart." Malfurion nodded appreciatively. Upon hearing those words, the corner of Illidan's mouth trembled imperceptibly. Quickly, he overcame the urge to laugh out loud and twisted his lips into a humble smile. Although his probation officer's words flattered his vanity, if he didn't want to get caught, he had to be cautious, especially around his brother."Thank you for your honourable words, but unfortunately the credit is rightfully Maiev’s. Without her, I would still be completely lost in the maze of modern existence." The demon hunter weaved the sentences with great care, knowing exactly that only half of them were true. Although he indeed leaned on his former warden at first, he caught up in knowledge relatively quickly, but he had not even the slightest intention to reveal this information to his probation officer. The woman continued to do her work with devotion, and her initial hostility had evaporated since their conversation in her brother's apartment a few months earlier.Illidan was still not sure if Maiev was really just doing her job or planning something and her almost overwhelming care was just part of the play, but he didn't care either way. As long as he got the solicitude and kindness he craved from their farce, the true nature of her actions were irrelevant to him. He also made sure he controlled the situation by keeping the woman in the dark about his learnings. After all, it means no harm to pretend to be a bit more ignorant, right?"That's true. I was pleasantly disappointed in her." Malfurion agreed. "She has changed a lot."And how did you meet with her, if I may ask?"Upon his younger brother's question, the druid seemed to think for a moment, as if he had forgotten the answer, but replied after a short hesitation."She takes dance lessons." Malfurion frowned. He probably just realized for the first time how strange and uncharacteristic Maiev's reason was to go there."Dance lessons?" asked his younger brother, who was just as stunned by the answer as he was."Yes. Traditional priestess dancing. At least that's what she told me."I see... It fits her." Illidan noted as he imagined the woman in a long, white silk tunic. Similar to what he had seen Tyrande in so many times twelve thousand years ago, and he suddenly had an inclination for sneaking in to one of the woman's classes to watch Maiev dancing. However, he quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that she would probably know about his presence before he could see anything, and it would not be worth risking their relationship for a stolen look. "But I don't think you called me here to talk about Maiev." the demon hunter diverted the conversation and his own amusing thoughts from the subject.Malfurion nodded in agreement, but remained silent. Illidan waited patiently, knowing that his brother often needed more time to settle his thoughts. The druid's troubled gaze revealed that his thoughts were somewhere far away, in old times, and the demon hunter had the suspicion that their young days had something to do with their meeting's reason. At last, the older Stormrage sighed."I have a student. Or... maybe I just had..." the druid shook his head resignedly. "He is... Impatient and outspoken. He does not feel the power of Nature, he does not hear its word. It reminds me so much..."Of me?" Illidan interrupted him, listening to the story with increasing tension. Malfurion nodded slowly, and his brother snorted arrogantly. He already guessed the direction of the conversation, and his pulse increased just from the mere thought of it."I can see that he's really trying, but ultimately, he just ends up being disappointed in himself."In himself?" the demon hunter asked back, but continued without waiting for an answer. "Aren't you more afraid that he is disappointed with his teacher instead?" he said. His words were sharper than any blade and cut deeper than any material weapon as his remark was true. "Instead, tell me, what do you expect from me? You want me to stand in front of him as a deterrent example that if he doesn't study, he will end up like me?" he chuckled, but behind the laughter the memory of a millennia's insults and wounds were hiding. Malfurion felt the poorly disguised bitterness. "No, Illidan! You misunderstood! I just wanted to know that..." he took a deep breath, and with it the strength to finally ask the question that had been laying deep in his mind for thousands of years. "What should we have done differently with Shan'do?"What do you mean?" all the veins strained on Illidan's forehead as he tried to control the anger that was slowly piling up in him, with less and less success."I realised that we had failed you..." the druid replied. Despite the apologetic tone mingled in his voice, it all came through as superiority and pity in the frustrated mind of the younger Stormrage."Failed me? Is that a sugar-coated way to say you think of me as a failure?!"No! Listen..."No, you listen...!" Illidan bounced off the bench, flames flared up from his empty eye sockets with unbridled force. "...listen for the first time in forever to something that's not a darned weed or a pest!" a demonic murmur mingled into his rumbling voice as his soul was flooded with rage. "This me is the living sacrifice I gave to save this world for the two of you! Yet, to this day all you and she can see in me is some sort of failed, vile mirror image of yours!" he finally gave way to the anger and bitterness he had accumulated over the years, caused by his brother's contempt. The once quiet park trembled from his words, then a creepy silence ensued. Illidan was still gasping in anger as he looked at his twin brother, but the druid couldn't stand his gaze, he sat with his head bowed on the bench. Seeing Malfurion's retreat, he tried to take his temper under control again. "I came here to have a talk with you, brother, not to argue. What happened has already happened, there's nothing we can do about that. As for your student... Don't delude him. If you think he's just wasting his time, send him away. Don't keep him around just to make you feel better. Don't use him to calm your own conscience." he turned his back to leave, but a gentle grip on his wrist held him back."Thank you. I've heard you." Malfurion said. Illidan turned back in disbelief, his gaze meeting his twin brother's. "You're right. It was wrong of me to try to force my own path on you and judge you accordingly. I got a reminder today that I still have something to learn, even from you, too." He released Illidan's wrist. The man nodded, then turned away from his brother."I better go now. If the mood has cooled down a bit, I'll call you." He began to leave, then suddenly added: "I promise."

The room, once floating in a flood of light and decorated with drawings and posters, was now just as dark as the broken soul of the adolescent girl squatting in it. Panting, she tried to find something, anything on the internet that might distract her from the thoughts that kept tormenting her. But no matter how many times she hung on to her aunt, or how many books she read, or movies she watched, the continuingly choking, piercing feeling that struck her every time she thought about her formal sweetheart slowly fossilized in her heart. And unfortunately, she thought about him more and more often. Especially now that her parents had business in town and Maiev had a meeting with another offender assigned to her, leaving her alone in the apartment. Nearly compulsively she picked up her phone to look at Za'zul's social media profile, fearing that she might be greeted by a new lover's name or face. Foolishly she didn't block the man after their breakup, who soon after began to post pictures from parties where he was having fun with other girls, breaking Lysende’s heart."Just what were you expecting?" she asked herself with cynicism, almost like her aunt would have done. "That he's going to take celibacy because of you and not go near any woman anymore? You know well that if you break up with him, he'll find someone else sooner or later." she blamed herself as her finger trembled when she clicked the refresh button. A huge sigh left her lips as the page loaded, and the relationship checkbox remained empty. But her joy was short-lived. The boy had just made a new post a few minutes ago."your my moonshine baby i love you forever" she read the short but all the more clear sentence with teary eyes and her stomach narrowed.Well, the moment has come. It's just a matter of time and the other answers to him. Then it's all over. The phone hit the ground with a soft, dull tap on the mossy green fluffy carpet as Lysende sobbingly dropped on the bed, buried her face distorted with grief onto the pillows and plush toys that was oh so dear to her childhood. But she knew full well that the crocodile tears were worth nothing anymore. She wasn’t brave enough to comply with her lover’s demand, nor to admit that she couldn’t let go of her first love yet, especially after her aunt’s words of encouragement. There was nothing left but the slow, excruciating mortal agony of her heart as it shatters to pieces while Za'zul embraces and kisses another woman.If she could, she would have turned back the wheel of time. Over and over again, she imagined what could have been if she were to decide otherwise and just gave to her sweetheart what he wanted, while desperately clinging to her teary pillow, knowing full well that in reality, she could never bend to his will like that. Her sobs were silently and sympathetically listened to by the four walls. A sharp, beeping sound pulled her out of her painful desires. Someone called her. She hesitated for a moment, looking doubtfully at the phone lying on the floor, but soon she threw herself at the device almost as if her life depended on it. No matter who was looking for her, just put an end to this horrible moment! She picked up the phone, wiping her eyes, but soon they were misty again as she saw the name on the display. Her heart was pounding in her throat as she lifted the phone to her ear."I wanna see yuu."

The small and cramped dance floor compared to other clubs was crowded that night with young people, too, merely writhing dazed from the excessive consumption of alcohol. From time to time, one of the mood lights’ bright colours shone on their foggy gaze. A human girl stumbled awkwardly as she tried to climb the narrow stairs, pulling a grown Tauren behind her. Soon they both disappeared into one of the VIP rooms. The DJ started playing a well-known song, further enhancing the mood, turning the already anthill-like place into a chaotic cacophony.But both the noise and the lights only felt like distant happenings to Illidan, who was still pondering on what had happened in the morning. He had to reluctantly admit that no matter how much time passed, there would always be a tangible tension between him and his brother. The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he would have liked to rinse it off with something strong. Perhaps he could bring Maiev along, too. This thought reminded him of her previous drunken night, and slightly raised his mood as he looked at the crowd raging in ecstasy. His gaze soon met another. The arcane blue eyes gleamed with playful curiosity as their owner undisguisedly checked out the security guard. Not long after, the figure of a young blood elf blessed with a graceful, slender shape unfolded from the confusion as she stepped closer to the puzzled Illidan."Hello." she flashed her gleaming white teeth as she smiled flirtatiously at the man, who rewarded her with a restrained nod. "Wild night, huh?"Can I help you?" the demon hunter asked coldy, but his reserved behaviour has done nothing, but visibly piqued the elf's interest."Stoic type! Now, that's something I like! I was hoping the wild exterior would hide a matching, unbridled interior, but this is not bad either." she dripped her nectar words soaked in feminine charm, but seeing that Illidan wasn't biting just yet, she thought it would be better to change strategy. Her fingers walked playfully along the man's chest, until she could finally stroke her hand over the pecs that stretched under his shirt, and rubbed her hips against the demon hunter's thigh. "You're right, let's not run unnecessary laps. I like you, and I wouldn't mind if you were to take me on a wild ride. In one of those VIP rooms, of course." she said, and Illidan finally understood what the play was all about.The woman’s touch was novel and exciting, not to mention that she was easy on the eye. He could have freely left his post for an hour or so for a quick coition - and why not? His troubled mind would have really benefited from a refreshing snog."I'm not interested." he politely pushed away the blood elf looking in disbelief. She clearly did not expect rejection. But to her virtue, she did not grieve much over the failed conquest."Well, if you change your mind, I'll be here until closing." she winked mischievously, then added quickly: "Or we can find a place once the lights are out, too." then she turned a corner and disappeared into the undulating crowd.Illidan looked after her with a sigh, cursing his stubborn nature and his stone-carved principles, but all in vain. If he were to make love to a woman, he wanted it to be something special, not a meaningless one-night encounter. Nothing could change that.A new song ensued, and the demon hunter let the throbbing electronic music muffle the murmur of his brain. He felt a sudden vibration in his back pocket, someone called him on the phone. Surprised, he retreated into a quieter corner to pull out the device. A more pleasant surprise could not have awaited him. The display featured a picture of Maiev that Illidan secretly took during one of their meetings on a whim. The woman laughed with sparkling eyes in the photo, still believing that the demon hunter couldn't use the phone and he was merely blundering with the device. The stealthily captured smile filled the man's chest with pleasant warmth and pride as he smiled back at the picture, then quickly lifted the device to his ear. Maybe she wanted to talk about their meeting tomorrow? Probably she just wanted to ask if Lysende could go with them, but still, just her calling was enough to ease his tension."Hi, are you missing me already?" he said jokingly on the phone, but the smile on his face quickly faded. The whole conversation lasted no longer than a few seconds. Illidan pocketed the phone and hurried to the exit, but the blood elf from before stood in his way."Tsk, Tsk you could have just said you already have someone on your mind! I recognize that smile from anywhere!" she teased the security guard, but he paid no attention to her nor to her words as he walked right past her. In his mind, Maiev's disciplined yet distraught voice echoed:"That bastard took Lysende!"

The lace-up boots knocked with measured elegance on the marble-imitation tiles of Maestra's Post shopping mall, but shoppers heard nothing of it, the sound got lost in the pother of the early evening visitors. But exceptionally, Maiev was not disturbed by the crowd, she walked contentedly toward the exit. She finally managed to pound into the head of that stubborn orc that if he doesn't get a job very soon, there would be consequences. And her middle name just happened to be "Consequences". The finished CV rested peacefully at the bottom of her shoulder bag.

Not far from the exit, a bookstore advertised its nowadays almost irrelevant product, including the newly released editions. Maiev glanced uninterested at the shop window from where a hairy muzzle that she knew so well that it bored her to tears looked back at her. The lead actor of the Worgen Diaries seemed to decide to try his hand at writing, and his first autobiographical book got published recently. The night elf walked past the shop-window grimacing at first, but suddenly she got a better idea and entered into the store. Before long, she walked to the book pile with a basket in her arm.

"I have no idea what Lysende likes about this smug barn-stormer figure." she slipped the volume into the basket quickly. "But perhaps this will raise her mood." Indeed, she badly needed some distraction. Poor girl. Maiev wholeheartedly pitied her, although she had never experienced the excruciating vicissitudes of young love. She was preoccupied with her ambition to rise in the ranks of the sisterhood as soon as possible, devoting her attention entirely to her goal except for a passing, whimsical attraction. Then, the First War broke out, and her maiden heart, with her hopes, was torn into small pieces by the Bruning Legion. She gave up on and exchanged her priestess dress for armour and the dreamful promise of love for a weapon.

Her thoughts of the past suddenly disappeared into where they belonged as a book caught her eyes while walking toward the checkout. She lifted the volume off the shelf with interest.

"From Alchemy to Pharmacy - The history of modern medicine." she read the title, then flipped through it without hesitation. "Ah, fascinating! I'm sure Illidan would be interested in this! He always studies drug brochures with such enthusiasm. Well, it's understandable... If my memory serves me right, he is not only an excellent mage but also an adept alchemist." she placed the volume next to the other book and walked over to the checkout with a clear smile on her face. Within minutes the cash register cheerfully printed the receipt, suppressing the alarming voice inside the back of her head questioning her actions.

Although it was already spring, the sun was still retiring early below the horizon formed by mountains, and the sickle of the moon soon appeared on the dark sky. Maiev ambled cheerfully toward her brother's apartment, her thoughts revolving around the gifts lurking in her bag. Will those two be happy? Especially Illidan... Will he immerse himself into the pages with the same zany smile like when he's exploring the different functions on his phone? She wholeheartedly hoped that he would, and she continued to imagine the made-up scenario in her mind, her soul tingling with a pleasant warming sensation from the intensifying, exciting fantasy.

"Why did you buy him a present?" a hoarse, vengeful voice snapped her out from her joyful thoughts, prompting the night elf to stop. As if she had awakened from her sleep, she reached awkwardly into her bag for the book, looking in disbelief at the simple but carefully designed cover, questioning the correctness of her action. The air around her slowly ran out as her brain rumbled, seeking self-justification in her stirred mind. Unexpectedly, a sharp, blood-curdling scream pulled her out of her pointless contemplation. However, the most terrifying part wasn't the cry itself, but the realization that she knew whom the voice belonged to.

"Lysende!" she put the volume back into her bag, and without thinking, she began to rush in the direction of the sound. A hastily dropped shopping bag lied on the ground, its contents spilt on the roadway. Soon, she heard another desperate cry, this time recognizing Shandris.

"Lysende! Lysende!" the mother yelled again and again as she was haring in the middle of the road. chasing after a leaving car, with her daughter on the backseat beating on the window. But it was useless, the speed of a night elf could not match the acceleration of a vehicle, and the lights of the car soon disappeared at an intersection with Lysende. Maiev Blinked next to Shandris, who was gasping for air, grabbing the woman by the shoulder.

"What happened?"

"He took... that troll... he took Lysende! He shoved her... I couldn't..." Shandris panted desperately, proving her sister-in-law's fear to be true. Her words were merging into one another as she struggled with tears.

"Pull yourself together, General!" Maiev growled at her in Darnassian, breaking the mother's panic. "Put up a warrant of caption, gather as many people as you can. Check Lysende's chat logs to see if you can find a clue where he might have taken her." she gave out the orders, handing over her bag to the woman. "I'm following them. I'm counting on you!

Shandris took a deep breath and seemingly managed to recover after her initial shock. She nodded approvingly to Maiev, who acknowledged with satisfaction that the determination has returned to her eyes. She patted the woman's shoulder encouragingly, then chased after the kidnapper. In a few moments, she reached the intersection where they had lost track of the car. The vehicle turned onto a less busy street instead of the main road,  heading straight to the old town, but beside that, she found no more clues, to Maiev’s greatest annoyance.

"Concentrate. There has to be something that can lead to them. You've always managed to track down... Illidan...!" she caught to her pocket, and at the next moment, she was dialling the demon hunter. "Pick it up, please pick it up..." she drummed impatiently on the concrete with her feet as she waited for the man to answer the phone, her heart pounding in her throat.

"Hi, are you missing me already?" Illidan said suddenly into the line to the woman's greatest relief. "Come to the club, I'll go out right away." the demon hunter closed the conversation quickly after the woman briefly explained the situation, and soon Maiev was rushing toward the Hot and Misty Club on the deserted streets, her steps echoing ominously among the dark buildings.

A few corners later, she could see the neon lights of the nightclub, and below that, Illidan waiting. Maiev's heart pounded as their eyes met. She breathed a sigh of relief as if a huge boulder had fallen off of her heart merely from the man's reassuring presence.

"Tell me everything that might be helpful." the demon hunter instructed the woman without hesitation as she arrived. His voice was just as tense as hers.

"I don't know much either, just what I've said." she shook her head. "But I can show you what type of car that worm was driving." she got her phone, and soon a picture of an old white vehicle appeared on the tiny screen. "But if they left the car..."

"Then I'll look through the buildings." Illidan interrupted. His serious voice filled the woman with confidence, nodding in approval.

"Then we just have to find the car."

"Yes, and I have an idea where we should be looking." he added, to Maiev's greatest shock. Seeing her questioning gaze, the man continued. "Do you remember what Ukar said on my job interview? That a troll gang had settled in the area."

"And you think that Za'zul is a member of that group..."

"Exactly. When I threw him out, he had a knife on him."

"Just like Ukar said... Everything checks out!" she gasped. Seeing her joy, Illidan allowed himself a modest smile, but his features took on a strict form soon again.

"Then don't waste time, let's go!"

"All right. I'm searching this street, you start on the parallel one! If you find anything, give me a call!" Maiev rushed forward, her shape was soon swallowed by darkness.

The chilling spring night was traversed by a breezy wind, catching into Maiev's ponytail, but it didn't bother her. Her eyes kept scanning the cars parked along the road and in the side streets. The hunt was on, but for the first time in her life, she wished it were otherwise... She could only hope that Illidan had the right intuition, and Lysende was somewhere close by. The clock was ticking, and with each passing minute, the likelihood that her niece might never be found alive increased. The thought weighed down on her shoulders as a terrible burden, but she couldn't afford the luxury to break down, not now.

"Damn it..." she kicked frustratedly into a garbage can as she searched a street, but found nothing again. "Lysende, why didn't I take you with me?" she blamed herself, knowing full well that no one else was allowed to be present at her meetings. "How on earth did that wretched man get close enough to..."

Suddenly her phone began to ring and she missed a heartbeat for a moment.

"Illidan!" She glanced at the display and immediately pressed the phone to her ear.