Aranae’s Inner Reflections

So I’ve been scolded again for not writing more.  Master Cheng should just get a book for himself or something.  It’s not that he reads mine, but he does check if I’ve written anything.  If he wants so much writing done, maybe he should do it himself!

Toruviel is back from his trip.  He didn’t say much about it, but then he really doesn’t say much about anything.  I do think he’s been a little more talkative since coming back, but it’s not a huge change from before.  Just slight.  He’ll talk for a bit, and then there’s those long awkward pauses where he just looks at me before falling silent.  It’s usually up to me to keep the conversation going, but I don’t mind the quiet sometimes.  I don’t think he does either.

Then there’s the times I almost regret talking to him in the first place.  We were talking about Cadellus, the other sin’dorei here.  For some reason, light knows what, Toruviel thought Cadellus and I were a thing.  I wouldn’t even think about it!  I suppose he’s good looking, and he may be training here.  However, he is still a scout.  I kind of ditched my training to come here.  I guess it would just be a little embarrassing if he knew that.  I mean, he could tell the bears and then they’d think I’m going to ditch my training here too.  I don’t want that.

I was telling Toruviel that I want to finish my training here.  He was interested about what I planned to do after.  I really don’t know.  I might stay here after finishing, at least for a bit, to help with new trainees.  I might go home to Silvermoon.  I’d like to see my nephew.  I wonder if Nessna plans to go to Vallindra’s wedding?

That’s another thing, I don’t really want to go.  Vallindra and I aren’t really the best of friends, but I guess she’s my sister so I have to go.  Things would be so much easier if you could pick your family.  I’d pick parents who only wanted one child for starters.  I guess that’s not really fair to Ness or Lani though.

So I have to go to a wedding, I have no dress and no shoes.  I’m sure mother will remedy that situation the moment she sees me.  I just hope she’ll let me come back.  Maybe something will happen and the wedding won’t happen.  Then I won’t have to go.  That would be perfect.

Anyway, somehow the conversation with Toruviel got turned into me staying in Pandaria forever and screwing bears.  I am curious now if they have fur everywhere, even, you know, there.  I’m 100% certain their butts must be hairy.  The girl pandas must have hair over their nipples too.  I mean, I already hate it when I find fur in my food.  I don’t really need more ways to ingest fur!  And this is all if you can look past the fact that they’re all fat.  Chances are I’d suffocate the first night if I married one.

I don’t even know if they get married.  I should ask Master Cheng.

Xyliah’s Diary

Dear Diary,

I found it!  I found the ring!  I was so sure I had left it with the gloves in Dalaran.  It turns out that I had left it with the gloves, but I had packed the gloves with the dress when I sent it to my father!  So it was in Silvermoon all this time, which is great.  I had wanted to keep it anyway because technically Berwick gave it to me the first time.  It means a lot to have it now.

I invited my father and Yara while I was in Silvermoon getting the dress out of storage at my father’s house.  They’re both happy for me.  I have to go to my brother’s home in Eversong soon to talk to him.  I spoke to Hethurin about it already, as it is his home, and he may not appreciate my brother’s wife coming to the ceremony.  It wouldn’t be an issue if she weren’t his sister.  He did say it was okay, but he seemed a bit irritated.  Anyway, I figure I’ll invite Vessen, but explain the situation.  Maybe Nessna won’t even want to come.  On the other hand, it might be good for Hethurin to meet his nephew.  Anyway, I hope we can find some sort of solution.

I also spoke with Tik, the butler, just earlier today.  He said that food won’t be a problem as long as it’s not too big of a gathering.  I assured him that it wouldn’t be.  Neither of us plan to invite many people.  I’ve already had a big wedding and I think one was enough.  I think a small ceremony will be much more suited to both of us.  Anyway, Tik told me to let him know how many people he would be cooking for.  He offered to make a cake too, which will be helpful because I don’t think there are any bakeries around here.

Des has agreed to help with my hair, as well as help me make sure the dress fits right.  I know Berwick’s seen it before, and it’s probably silly of me, but I don’t want him to see me in it again until it’s time.

Screenshot of the Day

Jogu passed out in my pond.

Screenshot of the Day

Sanimir gets his gem!

Sanimir’s Notes

• It’s been a crazy few days.  I had returned from Shattrath after speaking with Aeramin and thought that was it.  Confessor Morthorn thought there was some idea I hadn’t thought of to work things out with Aeramin, so I had been thinking about that when I received a letter from Isandri.

• She mentioned that she didn’t want to move to Shattrath, but she would go anywhere to be with Thero because she loves him.  I thought about how that applied to my situation and I decided to go back.

• I brought Des with me because I thought it might be good for her to go to the library again, and I figured it might be a few days because I wanted to talk to other people first.

• I saw Isandri the same night we went.  I’m not sure what to think now.  She repeated what she said in the letter, but she still thinks that ugly, drab robe was acceptable.  I tried to explain that the others look nicer, and don’t show anything with the scarves we bought, but she thought people will think things.

• I don’t see how people will think things when there’s hardly anyone in the Ghostlands to begin with.  She’s my apprentice.  That is all.  I never did anything with Master Daymark, and most of the people I knew didn’t do things with their teachers either.  I don’t know where she gets the idea that all mages take advantage of their apprentices like that.

• I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen.  I wound up just dropping it, but I still wonder if she doesn’t hate me or something.  She let me stay the night there instead of the inn though, so maybe not.

• The next evening, I was sitting in the library, in the regular part, not upstairs.  I was reading some books on fire magic to improve my own knowledge on the subject.  I was hoping to find something that could help Desdeyliri learn.

• So I was just reading when I looked up and saw Xanaroth.  I almost jumped out of my chair and ran, but I didn’t see Vallindra with him.  I froze instead because she could have been anywhere.  I asked where she was, and he said she was practicing late.  I decided to believe him because I’d rather not have to leave my books.

• He sat and we talked for a bit.  He thought that if someone left, then the other person got someone else, then they weren’t in love anymore.  He says he would never leave Vallindra, and he would never find someone else.

• Maybe it’s my fault for leaving.  I mean, I did leave.  I should have come back and asked him about buying a house in the Ghostlands.  I guess I was afraid the answer would be no.  It really would have been no.

• And that makes me think that maybe the relationship was bad for me.  I went from surviving off my parents to relying on Aeramin without any real period of independence in between, and I think that I kind of needed to have time where I really took care of myself and made my own decisions.

• I needed some time alone to think too, after all that happened on the farm.  I didn’t mean for him to feel like I had left him, though I guess that’s how it must seem.  There would have been plenty of room for him here, if he had wanted to come, but he didn’t.  It was already too late when I went back.

• I was really upset at first.  I mean, I was dealing with all of the other stuff, then he found someone else, and I had to deal with that too.

• Lately, well, just before I started talking to Confessor Morthorn, I’ve been trying to move towards accepting it and moving on.  I’ve been making plans for the house, and for my life, and those plans don’t have Aeramin in them.  I’m not actually sure how things would have worked out if he had agreed to come home with me.  Maybe it would have been fine, or maybe we’d be in a similar situation again in a few months.  I don’t know.

• I didn’t give the ring back.  It’ll always be special to me because he was special to me for so long.  I suppose if I ever meet someone else, I’ll stop wearing it, but for now, I think it’s okay to keep it on the necklace.  I keep it tucked under my robe so that no one sees it.

• Desdeyliri and I returned to the house in the Ghostlands last night.  I apologized for taking her to Shattrath and back on short notice, and admitted it was just so I could talk to Aeramin.  In the end, I didn’t really wind up talking to him.

• I had planned to ask him to move to the Ghostlands with me one last time.  If he refused, again, I was ready to give up everything I wanted to do, and move back to Shattrath.  Desdeyliri could have come with me, if she wanted, and stayed in the extra room.  Then I thought about it more, and talked with Isandri and Xanaroth, and thought about it even more.  It was while Desdeyliri was visiting Aeramin for help with her fire studies that I decided I really wouldn’t be happy staying in Shattrath, and that, while I still love Aeramin, maybe it would be best if we went our separate ways.  He has a new boyfriend.  His work and studies are in Outland.  My work, studies and future is in the Ghostlands.

• I don’t want to leave and give up on my dreams.  I think I made the choice that will make me happier in the long run, even if it’s a little sad to start.  So I wound up just going to get Desdeyliri.  He was there with his new boyfriend.  I hope he’ll be happy too.

• Desdeyliri mentioned wanting to switch to something else other than fire for a break from it because she was finding it frustrating.  I agreed.  She’s right that something else might give her the encouragement that she needs to succeed with her fire exercises.  Luckily, I had just picked up a book in the Lower City on beginning arcane magic.  I asked her to read the first chapter, and went over the major points with her this morning.  Hopefully, she’ll get it in her practice later!

A Letter to Imralion and Aeramin’s Notes

My Dearest Imralion,

I wasn’t sure how much time you needed to think, but I was hoping I could see you soon.  I haven’t heard from you at all.  Maybe that means you don’t want to hear from me.  It would be nice to know either way.  I guess it’s possible that you don’t, but if you do, maybe we could meet for supper.  I miss you.

Love,

Aeramin

***

• I wrote to Im.  I don’t know if he’ll come back.  I don’t think he trusts me now.  The kicker is he doesn’t trust me because I was honest with him when I told him about Sanimir falling asleep on the couch when he came to visit.  I tried to wake him up and couldn’t.  I couldn’t just leave him there and go to Netherstorm.

• It was my fault he fell asleep.  I forgot about the tea.  He reacts a bit strongly to the nighttime tea.  I used to give it to him to get him to sleep.  I drink it now because it is relaxing, and while it makes me tired, I can still stay awake.  I forgot how it just knocks him out for the night though.  I didn’t really tell Im all about that.  He doesn’t need to know about that part.  He just needed to know that nothing happened.

• I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t quite believe me.  I’ve been thinking about that too.  He may not come back.

• I’ll have Sarwyn, I guess.  He, he’s usually male around me, insists that I don’t need either of them.  Sanimir did make it very clear that he will not be returning to stay in Shattrath.  I miss him, but I can’t keep seeing him and thinking we might get back together.  His house is more important than being with me, and that is consistent with how other rich or well-off men have been.  They’ll easily put their possessions before staying together.  I should have learned my lesson with Beldiron.

• I don’t think Sarwyn is right though, and it would be rather foolish to take advice on relationships from a succubus.  Imralion is different.  I think he’d stay, if he forgives me for not coming to see him that one night.  He doesn’t have much of his own, and no family except for one sister.  I really haven’t seen her much, so there wouldn’t be any of that problem either.

• Sure, I don’t know him as well, but time will fix that.  I knew Sanimir for a few years before we actually got together, so I can’t really compare that.

• I shouldn’t compare anyway.

• So I wrote.  I figure at the very least, I’ll know if he’s not coming back.  Of course, I’m hoping for better, but I know not to hold my breath.  He was pretty upset when I last saw him, and he said he needed to think about things too.

• Maybe he thinks he’d be better off without me.  If he does, then I’ll just be alone.  Maybe Xan was right and that’s the way it should be.

The Market

Teniron Whitemorn sat on the bench near the market in the small village in Eversong Woods.  He was glad Kit had agreed that it would be good for him to get out, to help him recover.  What surprised him was that he was letting her have so much say in his life.  He had never been one to like being told what to do, but here he was sitting quietly on the bench instead of running off to do his own thing.  He didn’t think he would get very far, even if he tried, but that was beside the point.  The point was he knew what was happening, and was doing nothing to stop it.

He was falling for her.

Somewhere, deep in his mind, he could still hear that lingering doubt.  There’s no such thing as love.  She’s only here for… for what?  Something.  He was running out of reasons.  It couldn’t be the jewelry, which had been his main reasoning before what had happened in Dalaran.  He had been captured.  He didn’t think most people would even entertain the thought of going into an enemy city just to rescue some lowly jeweler, so that he might be able to, someday, make jewelry again.  He didn’t believe that Kestrae had asked her to help get him to safety either.  His reasons were truly running out, and that could only mean one thing.

She was falling for him too.

He looked up towards the market.  He couldn’t see her now, but she was somewhere there in the crowd.  He wanted to tell her how he felt, but each time he tried, the doubt came back.  Maralle hadn’t seemed so bad at first either.  What if it was like that?  Would she change her mind in the future and decide to hate him?

He supposed there would be time to think about it.  They had spoken the other night about checking on the costs of going to Pandaria.  He didn’t want to stay in Eversong or Silvermoon.  His brother and his wife had gone to Shattrath.  He had tried writing, but he knew he wasn’t welcome there.  Kit had bought some noodles to try that were from the lands discovered to the south.  The food was good.  It might not be a bad place to get back into shape.

He smiled a bit to himself as he leaned back on the bench.  Maybe he could find the courage to say what he wanted once they were there, too.

Screenshot of the Day

I found a better screenshot of that certain warlock. Check out those soul shards!

Xyliah’s Visit Home

“Ann’da, do you remember the package I sent from Dalaran?”

Thavron Amberlight looked up from his upholstery work on the fancy leather chair he was making under special order for one of his customers.  The leather was one of the thicker varieties, and tougher to work with than some.  It was, no doubt, one of the leathers his daughter had sent from Northrend.  She naturally had sent many packages from Dalaran.  “Which one, Xyliah?”

“I sent it a few months ago.  It’s the one I asked you to store for me.”

That one.  He remembered now.  “The one with the dress?  I put it upstairs in the closet in the spare room.  It’s on the top shelf.  Did you need it for something?”  He knew Xyliah wasn’t fond of wearing dresses, and that dress in particular could be associated with things she’d probably rather forget.  His eyebrow quirked up in question.

The grin on her face told him before she spoke that his question must have a good answer.  “Berwick likes it.  I thought I’d wear it for our ceremony.  It is a nice dress, isn’t it?”

Both of Thavron’s brows shot up, “Ceremony?”

Xyliah smiled and nodded.  “It’s going to be small.  I was hoping that you and Yara could come.  I know Vessen might not be able to make it with the baby, or bring his wife to the location.  It’ll be in the Ghostlands.  It’s not the best place for them, I think.”

Thavron nodded, absorbing the information.  Xyliah was getting married.  It was less than a year ago that she, his eldest daughter, had last worn the dress at another wedding, also one in which she was the bride.  It had been an expensive, arranged marriage.  Luckily, the groom’s mother, Verisna, had insisted on paying for most things.  Thavron suspected it was so that she would have the final say.  The arrangement only came to be in the first place because she approached him on the subject of helping Yara, his youngest daughter.  This was shortly after his son, Vessen, began talking about marriage with Nessna, one of her daughters.  Yara desperately needed surgery to walk again, and Verisna’s husband was a priest specializing in the sort of treatment she needed.  Thavron had left the decision up to Xyliah.  She had agreed to go through with it.

The marriage wound up being short-lived.  Although Thavron had given Xyliah the choice to back out, the groom was not given the choice.  It was shortly after the wedding that he announced that he had no interest in women.  In fact, he had a boyfriend the whole time, unknown to anyone else.  They had the marriage annulled.  The boy’s father had agreed to see Yara regardless, free of charge.

Thavron was surprised when Xyliah remained in Dalaran after the annulment.  She had apparently made good friends there.  He couldn’t complain too much.  The skins that she sent from Northrend for use in the shop were typically thicker and hardier due to the harsher climate that the animals had lived in.  The reasons for her staying became more clear when she wrote home about Berwick.  She started going on trips, and sending skins from other places.  When she finally visited Silvermoon with him, Thavron thought he was polite enough and well-mannered.  He worried a little about his background, but he couldn’t say too much.  Besides if Xyliah was willing to bring him home, then it was clear they were serious.  Still it was a surprise she wanted the dress at all.  Thavron had expected it would sit for an eternity in that closet, still wrapped in the box she had sent it in not too long ago from Dalaran.

He got up, leaving his work on the chair to be finished later, and followed her upstairs.

“Berwick is doing okay then?”  He asked on the way up.  “I was worried for a bit when you first brought him back from Northrend.”

“He is.  We should be able to resume our trips after the painting job is done.  He’s worried about being able to make enough.  I’m sure we’ll have enough to live on while we work on getting what he had before.”

Thavron opened the closet in the spare room.  Reaching up for the package, he said, “You’re not going anywhere too dangerous, I hope.”  He grinned at the look she gave him as he handed the package to her.  “I’m kidding, Xy.  I know you’ll keep each other safe.”

Xyliah smiled back as she opened the package, checking the contents.  A small box fell out on the floor.  Xyliah gasped and bent down to pick it up.  “How did this get in there?  I thought it was in Dalaran.”

“What is it?”

Xyliah opened the box and smiled.  “The ring.  I was sure I left it in the dresser with the matching gloves.”  She looked in the package again, grinning as she pulled out the gloves.  “I guess I was wrong.  I can’t wait to tell Berwick.”

Another Screenshot

YES! I guess I’m waiting until 5.3 to level the rest of the 85’s!