Part 2
In the course of questing it was not very long before Crias had to come back to Stormwind. There had been several people who needed messages or packages delivered to loved ones (or business associates?) between there and Westfall, and her caring nature made her want to help in any way she could.
Ben greeted her again at the door. "Ah! Crias the Paladin! Please, please, come in." The cheese shop was once again deserted except for Ben and Elaine.
When she commented on it, Elaine merely said "We have some loyal visitors who are regulars." She shrugged as if to imply that what hours they conducted their business in either were none of her business or weren't that interesting anyway.
Crias was trying to look over her shoulder and up into the second floor when Bent caught her eye and chuckled. "Trying to catch a glimpse, eh? He may have gone out. Would you like me to see if he is up there?"
"No, no," Crias said quickly, trying not to sound too interested. "I just wanted tot hank him - and you - for the wonderful gift last time. I thought I might pick up some more while I was back in town for a little while."
"Sure!" Ben said brightly. He picked up a marbled bleu cheese and held it for her to see proudly. "The Master says it's the best I've done yet. It's not Dalaran Sharp, of course, but it's pretty darn good for what it is."
"I'll take a little of that too, then," Crias replied, trying to be nice.
"That you Crias?"
The voice came from upstairs and she knew exactly who it was. She tried not to be nervous as she responded "That it is, sir. I came to thank you for the cheese and pick up some more."
"Glad you liked it." There was a pause, as if he was considering something. Then he spoke again. "Care to share a glass of Pinot with me?"
Ben's eyes were wide with surprise and he was nodding vigorously. "Sure," she replied cautiously, and then had to move quickly as Ben shooed her to the staircase.
There was a beautiful landscape on the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and as she climbed carefully, she saw two more on the opposite wall on the second floor; one rust colored and the other a nighttime painting of a misty forest. It looked a little more sinister and daunting than her Elwynn Forest, but it made her nostalgic none-the-less. The stairs creaked louder than any she had ever been on before, and by the time she got to the top, she was sure her tanned face was red from blushing.
If the man on the other end noticed, he did not say anything. Instead she motioned to the little table set up against the wall, and the two chairs. Crias took one, and took the opportunity to look at him hopefully unnoticed while he opened the bottle of wine.
He was tall and broad, with boots and fine, but worn, clothing. His hair was a dark wave on his head, but what made him almost intimidating was the black eyepatch he had over one eye. Overall his presence was large and masculine, and Crias wondered what kind of stories he would have to tell about his life.
He sat down across from her and filled two simple clay goblets. Up close he looked younger than she had assumed, but worldly, as Elaine had been. His eye stared at her as he took the first sip of wine, and Crias followed suit. "Nice," she commented, but with no real opinion behind it.
Elling Trias shrugged. "It's decent. The man who sells it is local, his shop is right around the canal from here." He raised his glass in a toast, and after clinking goblets with Crias and sipping, he continued. "We like to help support local businesses. The world is growing around us, and all too often independent shops like ours, and his, are the casualties of progress." She sipped the wine again, and it burned going down her throat.
He asked her a few questions about Westfall, which showed that he had some knowledge of the region, although he had not heard of the extent of the bandits there. Finally he leaned back in his chair and stared at her full in the face. His one dark eye seemed to penetrate her, and made her feel uncomfortable.
"I hear you're running around with a Warlock."
She blushed. "Yes. His name is Strangequark. We, um, grew up together." Which was mostly true.
"Seems odd to me, that. You, a defender and champion of the light, him a practitioner of the dark arts and bedfellow of the undead."
"He's not like that. He was born with his abilities, just as anyone else is. And he uses it for good. Think of all he can do, all he will be able to do, working for the light?"
Elling snorted with derision, and he looked away, shaking his head. "He'll corrupt you faster than you can bring him back to the light, Paladin. I bet he already has you tagging along on his quests for his unquenchable lust for power." He looked at her, almost accusingly. "I'm, right aren't I? He's already brought you places you wished you'd never seen, showed you the dark and decaying underbelly of humanity.
"If you have an interest in the seedy lusts and unethical desires of Stormwind, I can show you that, but I'm sure there are things he's willing to do that not many of us would." She shivered under his words. "He'll corrupt whatever he touches, use whatever he can, so he can take more, use more."
She hated his words, hated what he was saying about her companion. But some of it... some of it had occurred to her before. What was she doing with a Warlock?
She shook her head, purposefully trying to ignore much of the thinly veiled innuendos he launched at her. "He's not like that."
"And that," he said with a long swallow of his wine, "is something I've heard before." He stood abruptly and called downstairs. "Elaine! Prepare some Brie for our Paladin. She was just leaving."
Crias scrambled to her feet, feeling awkward. "I... I thank you for the brie, but it would do me no good at this point. I can't use it yet."
"Then come back when you can," he said a little softer, some of the hostility gone from his face. Crias quickly jogged down the stairs, taking a few two at a time. She couldn't wait to get out of there. She barely nodded in thanks to Elaine who handed her the paper-wrapped cheese, and to Ben who stood silently at the door. She was angry and fatigued and promised herself she would never return. But as she did, she knew it was a promise she could not keep.
Ben greeted her again at the door. "Ah! Crias the Paladin! Please, please, come in." The cheese shop was once again deserted except for Ben and Elaine.
When she commented on it, Elaine merely said "We have some loyal visitors who are regulars." She shrugged as if to imply that what hours they conducted their business in either were none of her business or weren't that interesting anyway.
Crias was trying to look over her shoulder and up into the second floor when Bent caught her eye and chuckled. "Trying to catch a glimpse, eh? He may have gone out. Would you like me to see if he is up there?"
"No, no," Crias said quickly, trying not to sound too interested. "I just wanted tot hank him - and you - for the wonderful gift last time. I thought I might pick up some more while I was back in town for a little while."
"Sure!" Ben said brightly. He picked up a marbled bleu cheese and held it for her to see proudly. "The Master says it's the best I've done yet. It's not Dalaran Sharp, of course, but it's pretty darn good for what it is."
"I'll take a little of that too, then," Crias replied, trying to be nice.
"That you Crias?"
The voice came from upstairs and she knew exactly who it was. She tried not to be nervous as she responded "That it is, sir. I came to thank you for the cheese and pick up some more."
"Glad you liked it." There was a pause, as if he was considering something. Then he spoke again. "Care to share a glass of Pinot with me?"
Ben's eyes were wide with surprise and he was nodding vigorously. "Sure," she replied cautiously, and then had to move quickly as Ben shooed her to the staircase.
There was a beautiful landscape on the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and as she climbed carefully, she saw two more on the opposite wall on the second floor; one rust colored and the other a nighttime painting of a misty forest. It looked a little more sinister and daunting than her Elwynn Forest, but it made her nostalgic none-the-less. The stairs creaked louder than any she had ever been on before, and by the time she got to the top, she was sure her tanned face was red from blushing.
If the man on the other end noticed, he did not say anything. Instead she motioned to the little table set up against the wall, and the two chairs. Crias took one, and took the opportunity to look at him hopefully unnoticed while he opened the bottle of wine.
He was tall and broad, with boots and fine, but worn, clothing. His hair was a dark wave on his head, but what made him almost intimidating was the black eyepatch he had over one eye. Overall his presence was large and masculine, and Crias wondered what kind of stories he would have to tell about his life.
He sat down across from her and filled two simple clay goblets. Up close he looked younger than she had assumed, but worldly, as Elaine had been. His eye stared at her as he took the first sip of wine, and Crias followed suit. "Nice," she commented, but with no real opinion behind it.
Elling Trias shrugged. "It's decent. The man who sells it is local, his shop is right around the canal from here." He raised his glass in a toast, and after clinking goblets with Crias and sipping, he continued. "We like to help support local businesses. The world is growing around us, and all too often independent shops like ours, and his, are the casualties of progress." She sipped the wine again, and it burned going down her throat.
He asked her a few questions about Westfall, which showed that he had some knowledge of the region, although he had not heard of the extent of the bandits there. Finally he leaned back in his chair and stared at her full in the face. His one dark eye seemed to penetrate her, and made her feel uncomfortable.
"I hear you're running around with a Warlock."
She blushed. "Yes. His name is Strangequark. We, um, grew up together." Which was mostly true.
"Seems odd to me, that. You, a defender and champion of the light, him a practitioner of the dark arts and bedfellow of the undead."
"He's not like that. He was born with his abilities, just as anyone else is. And he uses it for good. Think of all he can do, all he will be able to do, working for the light?"
Elling snorted with derision, and he looked away, shaking his head. "He'll corrupt you faster than you can bring him back to the light, Paladin. I bet he already has you tagging along on his quests for his unquenchable lust for power." He looked at her, almost accusingly. "I'm, right aren't I? He's already brought you places you wished you'd never seen, showed you the dark and decaying underbelly of humanity.
"If you have an interest in the seedy lusts and unethical desires of Stormwind, I can show you that, but I'm sure there are things he's willing to do that not many of us would." She shivered under his words. "He'll corrupt whatever he touches, use whatever he can, so he can take more, use more."
She hated his words, hated what he was saying about her companion. But some of it... some of it had occurred to her before. What was she doing with a Warlock?
She shook her head, purposefully trying to ignore much of the thinly veiled innuendos he launched at her. "He's not like that."
"And that," he said with a long swallow of his wine, "is something I've heard before." He stood abruptly and called downstairs. "Elaine! Prepare some Brie for our Paladin. She was just leaving."
Crias scrambled to her feet, feeling awkward. "I... I thank you for the brie, but it would do me no good at this point. I can't use it yet."
"Then come back when you can," he said a little softer, some of the hostility gone from his face. Crias quickly jogged down the stairs, taking a few two at a time. She couldn't wait to get out of there. She barely nodded in thanks to Elaine who handed her the paper-wrapped cheese, and to Ben who stood silently at the door. She was angry and fatigued and promised herself she would never return. But as she did, she knew it was a promise she could not keep.