Meanwhile Again...

Meanwhile Again...
Authors: Saraich Msaka Sanguinne Phinn Pook
Saraich's Tale
As a child, Saraich Spearhewer's primary method of spending her time had been whiling away the endless hours until the next identical day of chores, degradation and insults with a book or two, and writing in a diary that was mostly illustrated with hearts, flowers, and pictures of unicorns. She had not seen many flowers growing up in Deep Mountain, a warren of claustrophobic dark caverns and tunnels miles below the earth, and she had never seen a unicorn. She was pretty sure that they didn't technically exist. But that didn't stop her from longing to see them both, up out in the impossibly wide "sky". 
She was pretty sure that the sky didn't technically exist, either.
Deep Mountain Dwarves had very strict ideas about a Dwarf's place in society and home, and even stricter ones about which of these ideas were appropriate for the females to entertain. Pretty much without exception those ideas were marrying whomever their parents selected for them for the greatest business advantage, raising children and tending their home all while being as invisible as possible. 
To say that she had come a ways from this upbringing would be an understatement.
Saraich crouched in a corner, slightly unbalanced by her rapidly expanding abdomen, hidden by the dark recesses of long-forgotten byways and tunnels that only a child given to exploration and discovery, both rare in Deep Mountain, would know about. Without a word she sprang, pulling the dully-clad and soot-smeared passing Dwarf into the shadows with her, her axe glinting at his throat.
"Drunn's body. Where is it?" She demanded in the Deep Mountain dialect, an eclectic mix of Dwarvish and Dark Iron, as the people themselves were. 
"Drunn's...body?" Devinn Spearhewer said, blinking in the sudden more-dark-than-the-usual-darkness-of-Deep-Mountain darkness. "Saraich? Is that you?"
The youngest of five children and the only girl, Saraich had bourne a lot of disdain and abuse at the hands of three of her four brothers over the years, the lone exception being the other family member to escape to the surface world Dursten. But still, Devinn hadn't been AS cruel as Drunn himself especially, recently supposedly slain by her husband Draeg Flamebeard. Supposedly. This whole setup had the stink of her family all over it, who would go to any lengths to get her back in the Mountain and her unborn child under their control.
"Aye...just tell me where his supposed body is and you can go on your merry way, and even report me to Father if you like. Or the Thain. I don't care. But if I find out that ANY of you had a hand in setting this up..." She rammed his head into the opposite wall and then yanked him back roughly. "Then you are ALL going to have to be introduced to my MACE."
Msaka's Tale
In the Old Toungue her name meant the Dance of the Hunt, and Hunt she did. Hunting people, hunting creatures, always for a price. There was always her equipment to maintain, weapons to refine, supplies for simple cooking, cleaning, living. Her body and mind as meticulously maintained and tended to as her weapons...they were, after all, the greatest in her arsenal.
He was growing near. She could sense it. The Trickster. Her eyes cooly surveyed the bustling crowds, always setting herself apart, at a distance. She had seen it a hundred times before...a few whispers in a few ears, a few Tricks later and the whole city would fall. He had plagued all the races from time to time but especially Humanity, from its very emergence until now. Lordaeron, Theramore, all the cities that had gone through turmoil and tumult, he had had a hand in it all. No use regarding the denizens of Stormwind as anything more than temporary props, gazelle in a herd, waiting to be culled.
Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she spotted critical movement. Her quarry was on the move. The Hunt was on.
Not a bead of sweat formed on her dusky skin as she chased, even against the metal chain mesh she was clad in. She followed out to Elwynn, past Goldshire, into the woods as her prey made their way to a simple farm. 
She was on him in a blink. Her blades flashing, she knocked him to the ground. She could have drawn it out, toyed with him, but one did not honor their prey with such games. A true hunter killed quickly and as with as little pain as possible. This was the way of the Hunt.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, sir," Msaka said cooly in her oddly formal, unplaceable accent. "I have been contracted to end your life. May your journey to the Lands Beyond be swift."
The farmer looked up at her in terror, his eyes wide. "Are...are you a Demon...? A monster?"
She inclined her head slightly, her expression not wavering in the slightest. "It is as you say, sir."
Her arms swept down in a dual arc, steel glinting in the light, ending the Hunt.
Sanguinne's Tale
Sanguinne Rosemond was on a hunt of her own, albeit of a different kind. 
"He should be easy prey, dearest sister," Eldaius whispered in her ear, grinning.
Sanguinne and Eldaius Rosemond, twin children of the influential Rosemond house of nobles of Elwynn, were creatures of priveledge. Disdainful and haughty, they'd been raised from birth to KNOW that they were better than the unwashed masses that teemed about Azeroth. But like children of priveledge they were left mostly on their own to raise themselves under the inattentive care of a series of tutors and nannies, none staying long enough for them to become attached, having only the other to turn to for any kind of companionship. Eldaius had become deeply engrossed in reading, in a thirst for knowledge, in a way to find the key to how the world worked to use and exploit it for himself. And Sanguinne...
"Mmmm..." Sanguinne nearly purred, looking at her quarry from a distance, reaching over to pat the side of her brother's face lightly. "It will be my pleasure I'm sure, beloved brother." 
Sanguinne sought amusement and diversion wherever it could be found, from the beds of an anonymous series of men to the recreational use of "Dream Dust" to helping Eldaius in his schemes to manipulate the people around them for his own goals and uses. 
Eldaius removed his glasses with a wicked grin, cleaning them briefly and then peering through them with a critical eye before replacing them. "Then by all means," he said, "Go and take your pleasure."
Sanguinne had charmed the Elven man easily enough with her innocent face, her wide violet eyes framed by freckles and her firey red hair. And she knew that he'd been intrigued by the curl of her lips as she smirked at him, offering him a night of unparalleled abandon. And yet, stubbornly, he resisted.
"I'm nothing..." Erunamo muttered distractedly, staring into the bottom of the latest of a row of empty mugs. "Nothing at all. Without her I'm nothing..."
Sanguinne suppressed the urge to roll her eyes in exaspiration. He'd been going on like this for quite some time and it was like she wasn't even in the room. She'd only just barely punted some annoying kid out of the tavern who was in the way of her fun and she still couldn't get the guy to even look up at her. "You know what?" She said finally. "Let's go get some fresh air."
"Mmm..." Erunamo said noncommitally, but he followed her as she went and flung the door of the Slaughtered Lamb open, sending the child who had pestering them before flying. Arriving at the Deeprun Tram, Sanguinne gave the deeply drunken Erunamo a thoughtful look. She had a plan that never failed...
The tram started whistling its way to Ironforge. As they approached the underwater area Sanguinne sidled close to the edge, narrowing her eyes to time the jump. "Whoops!" She said, pulling Erunamo with her in a flying leap off the tram, into the beauty of the underwater world.
"Now..." she said with a grin as she pinned him against the glass, "Just relax, and let me take care of you..."
Erunamo stared ahead blankly for a few moments before focusing on her, perhaps for the first time, and carefully moved her hands from around his waist. "No...all I can see is her..."
Sanguinne shrugged. "That's not a problem. See whatever you want."
"No." Erunamo said more firmly, sinking down to the ground. "I'm sorry...I'm just not interested."
"Oh FINE," Sanguinne pouted, scowling, and she took a small packet out of her pocket. Erunamo eyed it with a frown.
"What is that?" 
"Dream Dust..." Sanguinne said, shaking some of the loose powder onto the side of her hand and bringing it to her nose, inhaling it deeply. "If YOU'RE not going to entertain me then I need SOMETHING...to..." She blinked rapidly, shaking her head, and then wavered to one side, the world tilting on its edge. "Something's...wrong..."
Erunamo blinked, his eyebrows going up, and he went to her side, watching her skin turn deathly pale as she sweated and convulsed. "What...what's wrong?!" He said, trying to gather her up into a sitting position.
"B-bad...g...et...El-dai-us..." Sanguinne said with great effort, her eyes rolling back in her head as spasms wracked her body. Erunamo looked conflicted for a moment and then took off running, already shouting into his hearthstone trying to track down whoever this Eldaius was.
Momentarily Eldaius arrived at Sanguinne's side, sighing but with a look of genuine concern on his face. "What have you done now...?" He said, holding her steady as purging light coursed through his hands, clearing her body of the powder.
Sanguinne shivered in his arms for a moment. "Not...D-Dream D-Dust..." she said, her teeth chattering.
"Sister..." Eldaius said, holding her close. "You really should stop using that..."
Sanguinne closed her eyes and gathered herself. "Just n-need a t-trusted source..." Then her eyes flew open and she looked at him worriedly. "Eldaius...I'm s-sorry...he w-wouldn't..."
"Hmm..." Eldaius said with a frown, still absently patting her hair. "Don't worry yourself about it. There's still time and opportunity. I had little enough luck with the woman myself. She found a loophole that I hadn't forseen..."
Eldaius took Sanguinne's chin and tilted her head up, the light from the water reflecting off his glasses with a wicked glint, grinning. "Don't you worry, sister...the Rosemonds are not defeated so easily."
Phinn's Tale
"All right, I'll at least try the dang thing on," Phinn sighed with resolve as the sultry mage Tatjanabana handed her a black dress. Dresses weren't usually her thing, really. She certainly LOOKED like a frippy elf, what with the glowing eyes and the ears and whatnot, but she wasn't raised like one and that was what counted as far as Phinn was concerned. Growing up on the streets of Stormwind with human parents wasn't easy, with all the funny looks and the teasing. And the only trade she ever learned she learned at her dad's knee after her mom kicked off - petty theivery, spying and con jobs. She just didn't hardly have it IN her to be all fancy-like...
And then she looked over at Alucias, who was smiling at her gently and encouragingly, eyeing the dress. She sighed. If it was for him, she'd do it. Of all the things she ever saw or found in this rotten world, Alucias was the only bright point in it for her. Some people called him crazy, sure, but he was never anything but kind and protective to her, who even knew why. He'd hired her on for some minor subterfuge and spywork but as time had gone on he'd started pulling her off the dangerous jobs. He also got...clearer, the longer they hung out with each other. More coherent. Less dang off his nut. She went to a nearby shop and hid in a corner, trying to figure out how to get the garment on.
Finding herself with his lips pressed to hers one night after a heist just about shocked her to death. She wasn't really the kinda gal that she thought of as someone that ANYone would be interested in. Tomboyish, lanky, not Elfy looking enough for an Elf, not Human looking enough for a Human. She finally realized that they'd been dancing around each other since the middle of summer, when they'd watched the fireworks over the night sky together. She pondered that night and the nights to come as she found herself stuck in the dress, the waist binding her arms together at her neck. She'd never even considered that he'd be interested in her too...
And yet here they were. Somehow, improbably in love. She'd done nothing but fail at love before, had given up on the idea entirely. But Alucias...made her believe again.
With a last desperate tug the dress fell over her hips as if it was made just for her. "Huh!" she said, blinking down at herself, and then cautiously sidled outside to see...
...some beautiful human girl hanging off Alucias's neck, kissing him like he was the last guy in the world.
It was like a stab in the heart. "Alucias!" the girl exclaimed, and the name rattled through Phinn's head, echoing and hollow. He caught sight of Phinn over her shoulder, his face transforming from surprise to anxiety and guilt, backpedaling against the wall. "Phinn...Phinn!" He said, reaching out towards her as the girl blinked at him, completely mystified. But if there was one thing that Phinn Bennerton knew, it was how to get away, and how to hide.
Trying to catch her breath, trying to still the pain in her chest, she hid around a corner as she saw Alucias run by at breakneck speed. Stupid. She was so, so stupid to ever think that she was someone who could hold the attention of a guy like that...
Wait, she told herself. Maybe...it could still all just be a big mixup...she'd just run off like that without knowing the whole situation...
She slowly crept back to where the girl was talking to Jana, pouting a bit petulantly. "Sis!" She said to Jana, her expression somewhat pained. "He loves me!"
"Andreanna, that was TWO YEARS ago and he hasn't seen you since! And besides, all guys say that, it gets them what they want," She sniffed with a glare.
"No...he was different," Andreanna said insistently, and Jana just rolled her eyes. The girl reached slowly into the neckline of her robe, drawing out something that glinted golden in the light. Phinn's eyes were drawn to it, transfixed, unable to look away from the circle of simple gold.
"Jana," she said quietly. "He was REALLY different..."
Phinn doubled over as it felt like a hand punched into her chest, tore out her heart and tossed it to the Sewer Beast. She got up, taking a few staggering steps away, and then tore down the streets with a sob, tears blurring her vision.
She didn't know where she was going until she was there. Growing up different in Stormwind meant you spent a lot of time in the canals. And one day, she'd been pushed into the wrong spot, getting the attention of the Sewer Beast. She'd narrowly escaped with her life thanks to some well-timed random intervention from a boy she knew, but secretly, deep down...she kind of wished she hadn't. Her life had been nothing but dark and empty until just recently, and now...and now...
She couldn't. She just...couldn't.
The impact of the water came as a pleasant jolt, but wasn't enough to change her mind as she let herself sink. She didn't see the Beast around...no matter. He'd come on her soon enough and finish the job...
Floating.
Drifting.
Falling...gasping...
No air...PANIC...
Fading...
Resolve...
Darkness.
And Seraphinn Bennerton was no more. As her body drifted in the canals, her heart broken past repairing, her last thought was to reflect that she was just one more Stormwind Street Rat that nobody would miss.
And then...
A light. Faint and flickering. Sustaining. Holding her in place. Not strong enough to draw her back, but tying her to the world, not letting her leave. Holding her between worlds, until she decided on her own to return.
"Aww hell, Alucias," Phinn said sadly, watching the desperately flaring light. "You don't gotta do that..."
And yet...
There was something wrong with the light. It was green with natural energy...and yet there was a thread of red, of purplish black that ran through it. Something not right. 
Phinn sat in the cold and the dark, beginning to shiver...she couldn't go back. There was something in that light preventing her from returning, preventing her from leaving. Something like an itch in the back of her brain. She settled in, into the dark, with nothing to watch but the wild and flickering light...
Pook's Tale
Pook blinked groggily, waking up to the scent of morning fires cutting across the air of the Barrens from nearby Quillboar camps. She was in a small hide-walled enclosure, little more than a lean-to against the sun and the rain, just barely enough to provide a weary traveller respite as they moved across the wide expanses of the plains. It was difficult to leave the warm tangle of furred skin and blankets, but she needed a moment to stretch, and reflect. 
So much had happened, so much had changed in just a short amount of time. Just within the last year she'd wandered into the Elven lands completely feral, hardly having glimpsed a humanoid face before. She'd had a ritual performed on her that split her into two people, a purring, alluring and cruel temptress and a sweet but painfully shy and frail mute artist. She'd worked hard to seek a balance between the two aspects of herself, and she'd fallen in love and "in love" again and again with a wide string of men. She had gained and lost an unborn child, stolen from her by a vengeful Demonic ex-lover, and in her pain she had undone the ritual, becoming one person again. A person that was neither the wild creature that she had been, or the Light and Dark aspects of herself that she had become. Her child had been grown and nurtured into power and hate and now threatened nothing less than the existence of the entire world. She couldn't even count the amount of times her entire world had been turned upside down, inside out and sideways, until she could hardly remember which way the sky was anymore. 
She arched her back and raised her arms outside the slightly cramped enclosure, wrapped in a blanket with jagged earthtoned patterns. Throughout it all, one person had always stood by her. Even when she was involved with other men and he was involved with other women, both of which happened frequently, he was near. Every time she was in danger he appeared, unbidden. They rarely got along, but when they did it was...powerful. Even now, she could almost sense his presence in her soul, watching her protectively. She sat on the arid dried grasses underfoot, her finger idly tracing a wandering shape in the dust, a double-loop crossed in on itself.
And yet...although he claimed he could hardly exist without her and she did indeed love him deeply, something held her back. He was always, always being followed by scores of other women who tossed themselves at his feet, and he had a long history of giving in to those women. He was also always recklessly throwing himself into the jaws of destruction for people he hardly knew and didn't even like, at times, and had died at least twice just recently. He had fought his way past the Titans and back from death before, but they weren't about to install an open door from the Nether just for him. She just couldn't see how there could be a future for them that didn't end in pain and loss. And she had been through that enough.
She drew her knees to her chin, watching the sun rise, tinting the Barrens sky blazing oranges and reds, frowning contemplatively. And then there was the matter of the man she DID love, fully and with her entire being, without reservation or thought for herself. She would throw herself into molten lava, just to see him smile. It had been something that had taken her completely by surprise, the strength of her feelings for this man, tinged only by sadness and regret that they could never be together in this life. 
And then...fate had a funny way of working itself out sometimes...
There was a rustling in the tent behind her, followed by a deep, rumbling chuckle. "Up so early?" The voice said in very good but somewhat accented Common.
She smiled widely over her shoulder. "Not usually. Just...thinking..." she replied in flawed but serviceable Orcish. 
"Mmm." He snorted in amusement, and she rose, going to the open entrance to the tent, smiling affectionately.
"Good morning, Pook," he said, looking up at her admiringly as he laced his fingers behind his head, lying in the tangled pile of blankets.
"Ishne'alo porah," she said with a gentile smile, tossing her own blanket into the pile and sinking into his warm and welcoming dark-furred arms.
Category:Stories