[World of Warcraft] - Unstable Beginnings (Elumiel and Anyu)
Written by myself and the player for Anyusan (correctly spelled Anyu-san). General fleshing out of the characters of Elumiel and Anyu, both before they left Garadar, Nagrand and after they met up again at Silvermoon City in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Before Anyu had come to the world of Kalimdor, he lived in a place called Garadar. The town, mainly populated by orcs, made him feel out of place. Though Nagrand was full of marvelous things, they remained largely unknown to Anyu, as he was rarely allowed to leave.
So now he sat on the wooden wall on the north side of the town, overlooking a large lake, with rock structures in the distance know at the Throne of Elements. He paid little attention to that, however, as he leaned back, staring at the mesmerizing night sky. He wasn't supposed to be here this late, but it's not like anyone would come looking for him. He came here all the time, and nothing had happened before. 'It's too dangerous!' they say. Bah. Why can't I see what's out there?
He let out a small sigh and pulled his arms in front of him, falling back completely. I wonder if it's possible to get to one of those floating islands...
Elumiel gave a sigh of content as she watched the great elementals in the rock circle. She wasn't supposed to be this far out of town, especially this late at night, but the Throne of Elements had always intrigued her. She leaned against one of the rock pillars and looked up at the sky, smiling slightly. Even if she didn't belong in this place, it was beautiful.
Groaning, she rose and stretched, feeling the knots in her shoulders loosen. Her gaze went toward the town, to the wall that overlooked the lake. She wondered if Anyu was there. Out and about, like her. Neither of them belonged. Maybe that's why they were such good friends.
Giving a jaunty salute to the elementals, she started off at a steady trot to the town, to see if her guess was right.
Anyu stared at the bright stream floating in the sky above. Somehow the sight soothed him, made him feel more at home. He pushed himself back into a sitting position, then took out his small knife and started poking at the wood he sat on. He wondered what Elumiel was doing, he knew she wasn't sleeping. She seemed to always be up to something at this time, most likely wandering away from the town again. One day she's going to get into alot of trouble, or get hurt... where does she go all the time?
He twisted his neck a bit until he heard a slight pop, then rubbed his forehead. Maybe one of these days I'll go with her and see what she sees. It must not be too bad, if she keeps going all the time. He let out a small sigh and stood up. He stretched his arms and closed his eyes, yawning quietly.
Passing small groups of talbuks and skirting the edge of the lake, Elumiel made her way back. Stopping for a moment, she took off her shoes and wiggled her toes in the grass, smiling, bfore she continued onward to her home.
El slipped quietly back into town, making her way to the wall to see if Anyu was there. It took her a moment, and as she grew near, she slowed to a walk, trying to sneak up on him. Some days she could, when he wasn't paying attention, but it looked like he'd just stood up. She smiled and crept through the grass behind the wall, clearly visible in beneath the stream of light and pinpricks of starlight that shone down on the town.
She waited for an opening, thinking it might never come. Then he yawned. Grinning broadly, she dashed forward and leaped forward at the last second, hoping to tackle him.
Anyu finished his yawning and opened his eyes just in time too a familiar face. A face that was heading straight toward him! Before he had time to react, he was tackled to the ground by Elumiel. He blinked for a moment, then smiled and poked her lightly on the forehead, "Nice to see you too, Elumiel. What was that for? That could have hurt, you know." He grinned, "You're just lucky I'm so tough! What are you doing out this late, again?"
Elumiel grinned and gave her friend a hug, winking slightly. "I knew you wouldn't get hurt," she said, laughing lightly. She sat down on the wall and looked out across the lake. "What was I doing?" she asked, smiling and looking out at the great stone circle. "Just sitting around. Enjoying it all," she said, looking wistfully back toward the elementals. "It's more peaceful away from town, I think." As kind as everyone was, she didn't think they really liked her or Anyu. They were too different.
"Hey, Anyu," she said suddenly. "Do you think there's a place for us, out there somewhere?" Elumiel asked, gesturing with a broad sweep of her hand toward the world around them. "Somewhere that people won't think us... odd?"
Anyu looked into Elumiel's eyes, and smiled. "I'm sure there is, somewhere. I've heard people talk about a whole other world out there, where there are all kinds of races living together. Even people like us, with their own cities. I would think that we could fit in in a place like that."
He hugged her lightly, "Someday, Elumiel. Someday we'll find that place. We'll fit in and be happy. But we have to get out of here, first." He turned his head and looked out toward the lake, and the large stones he could barely make out in the darkness. "What would you do? If we got out of here, I mean."
She flopped back on the wall, spreading her arms out as she stared up at the sky. "Entire cities, with all sorts of races living together? Our own? That would be nice," she sighed. She thought about his question, frowning slightly. What would she do? She thought about it for a moment, her lips pursed. "I would learn all I could learn. I'd be a mage, maybe. And... perhaps I could find my family," she said. "There has to be someone still out there, right? An entire family can't just...disappear."
She turned, propped her head up on her hand, her elbow pushing against the wall's top, keeping her stable. She glanced at her friend, giving a slight smile. "What would you do?" she asked Anyu, using her free hand to trace unseen designs.
Anyu sat up and looked toward the ground, "I want to learn to be a master archer. I've asked some of the archers around here to train me, but non of them will. One day, I'll find someone who will, and I'll be the best!"
He smiled and looked at Elumiel, "I'm sure you would make a great mage. There aren't of them around here though, I wonder where you could find someone to teach you. Shattrath, maybe?"
"They won't teach you?" she asked, frowning. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with you!" She shook her head, irritated at their 'home', and sighed. "As for my training... Shattrath would be the best bet, or so I've heard. They told me that if there wasn't someone there who could teach me, there would be someone who would know where I could go." She smiled wistfully. "Can't you just see it, Anyu?" she asked, making another gesture. "The power of two dangerous elements at my beck and call. That would be wondrous," she laughed, then clamped her hand over her mouth, afraid that someone might have heard.
She didn't see anyone come, but kept herself quiet when she began speaking again. "Where do you think you'll go, if no one here will instruct you?"
Anyu laid back down, staring at the sky once more, "I don't know. Maybe I could go to Shattrath too. Maybe I could find the other land, surely someone there would help me. I could find the city full of people like us! That's it! Someday, I'll find that place, and I will be a master marksman."
He smiled and closed his eyes, thinking about being happy. Thinking about fitting in. And best of all, becoming a master archer. It was decided, there and then, that nothing would stop him from attaining his dreams. Nothing...
El smiled and ruffled Anyu's hair. "That's a good idea." She poked his side, nudging him slightly. "You'll let me know when you decide to go on this excursion, won't you?" she asked, getting to her feet. Elumiel ran a hand through her hair and turned. "At any rate, my friend... it's late. We should get some rest."
She gave him a small wave, grinning, and stooped over to put her shoes back on before making her way to the residence that had been assigned to her and a few of her female fellows.
Anyu chuckled lightly, "Of course I will." He then stood up and walked Elumiel to her residence, before heading back to his home and sneaking inside.
About two months later, Anyu snuck out of his home, late at night, just as he usually did. Though for him, this wasn't going to be a usual night. He quietly walked through the silent town, the only sound being the Talbuk's outside town. Suddenly he caught movement in the corner of his eye, and he quickly ducked behind a tree. Peer around it, he saw the familiar form of Elumiel. It looked like she was sneaking out of town again. He smiled and held back a chuckle, then silently started to follow her from a distance as she neared the town entrance.
Elumiel crept to the edge of town, ducking around guards and those who were still awake with their various duties. She wore simple, dark clothes tonight. Clouds filled the sky, blocking out most of the light that usually shone down on her home. Silently, she made her way through sleeping talbuks on a path around the lake that she knew well by now. It took her a few minutes, trying not to disturb the creatures in and around the water, but she finally reached her goal.
The Throne of Elements stood before her, and she paused briefly, searching for the familiar glow of Incineratus, the fire elemental with whom she spent her most time. Moving warily through the stone pillars - they weren't always safe, especially late at night - she found herself before the giant elemental. Out of courtesy and habit, she bowed to it, then settled down, pulling a small book out of a pocket. A stylus rested in its pages, and she took it up, flipping through to a blank page, where she began to sketch, mostly doodles, but some of it was study, on the elementals, her home, and other things. She paused every now and then, chewing on a lock of her hair in thought.
Anyu followed Elumiel quietly around the lake, trying to not make a sound. He felt more at ease around the sleeping creature, having become accustomed to the Talbuk raised in the village, which he always enjoyed being around. Soon he came to the massive stone blocks situated in the circle known as the throne of elements. He hid behind one of the massive stone pillars, and watched as Elumiel took a seat near a massive fire elemental. Elumiel is friends with this beast? He though to himself. Is this where she comes all the time? To be with a fire elemental?
Anyu glanced down at the ground for a moment, then heard a low growl behind him that made his skin crawl. Upon turning around, he saw an earth elemental even bigger than the one of fire. The giant hadn't noticed him yet, and turned toward Elumiel and the fire elemental, and started lumbering in that direction.
Scared half out of his wits, Anyu stood frozen behind the stone pillar. With one last thump of the earth elemental's monstrous foot, Anyu finally regained himself. He took off, heading into to town. After sneaking back into town, he grabbed a few supplies he had ready, and took off as fast as he could, leaving Garadar behind and heading toward the city of Shattrath. He didn't know what to expect there, but he was damn well going to find out.
El looked up as the earth elemental approached. She gave it a smile as it passed and went back to her work. Time slipped by.
She didn't know how long she had been there, but the sky had lightened, the clouds dissipated by the time Elumiel came back to focus on reality. She yawned, stretching, and got up, giving her usual jaunty salute to the elementals as she left their domain and headed back to town.
She yawned. Sleepily, she decided not to hunt for her friend, but to go to bed. Elumiel smiled at the accomplishments she'd made in her journal. She snuck back into town, making her way to her residence.
The next morning, Elumiel woke up and prepared for the day. She trotted down the path toward Anyu's residence, knocking politely on the door. His mother answered. "Beg pardon," she said to the older woman. "Is Anyu home?" she asked, smiling slightly.
"I'm afraid not. We haven't seen him at all today. I'm sure he just left early," replied the woman, unconcerned.
Elumiel frowned. That wasn't like Anyu at all. He usually waited for her so they could start on their chores. Perhaps he was at the wall. Shrugging, she made her way to her friend's favorite place. She didn't find him there, either. Her frown deepened. Where was he?
--------------Seven Years Later--------------
Elumiel blinked her brilliant green eyes at the bright sunlight that beamed down on her, gleaming off city walls and reflecting in the water of the large fountain that greeted her beneath Sunfury Spire. She had been told the home of her people was in ruins after an attack by the Scourge, but to her, only the quietness of the city seemed any indication that there had ever been a problem. She sighed and shook her head, brushing away a lock of red-orange hair that fell in front of her face as she turned around slowly. Silvermoon City was nothing like where she'd been these past few years - nothing at all.
In fact, coming to this place was a relief. She'd seen a lot where she'd been, and she wanted to forget it, to start over again. Now was a perfect chance. A chance to start anew, to forget. Elumiel blinked furiously, forcing back the tears. I won't cry, she told herself firmly. Not now. I have no reason to cry now.
The young mage straightened her back, raised her chin just slightly, and set forth into the world of her people, her small white kitten, Ghost, following behind.
El moved up to the fountain and leaned over, looking at her reflection in the rippling water. Ghost jumped up to the rim and rubbed against her arm, shedding white fur all over her new robes. She sighed and picked the kitten up, looking him firmly in the eyes. "I will not have any of that, you silly creature," she said, but smiled and rubbed her nose against his before setting him down again. He purred and continued rubbing, stopping only long enough to stare at the tiny arcane construct running behind them. Elumiel turned and watched the blood elf chasing after it. "Looks like a useless endeavor to me."
She looked around, searching, and smiled when she found a guard. Approaching him, she bowed slightly and asked, "Sir, where is the enchanter in this city?"
"Not far away from here, miss," he rumbled, gesturing back up the stairs she'd come down. "I warrant you'll see the sparks before you see the sign." She smiled her agreement and went on her way.
The guard was right. She did see the sparks long before the enchanter's emblem appeared before her eyes, and wondered how she'd missed it the first time. She must have still been dazed by her arrival. She also heard the cursing of the shop keeper. "That's another pile of dust you've wasted!" shrieked an angry female voice. "Stop using it all up just so you can make your weapons pretty!"
El checked her purse to see how much coin she had. Not much. She frowned, and looked down at her clothes. Did she really need it? Yes, she decided, and marched forward. "I need ten weights of vision dust," she announced. "And four small radiant shards." The woman smiled, the vision of kindness, and they made the exchange. As Elumiel left the building, she heard the shrieking start up again.
Maybe it wouldn't take her so long to get used to it here after all.
Elumiel frowned as she heard her stomach rumble in irritation. It had been a while since she'd eaten - she'd been too nervous to do so before her first instructor and mentor had led her to the portal for Silvermoon. She finished her enchanting and then inhaled, calming herself and focusing her mind. Searching the well of her body for the mana needed, she created a small amount of food and water, then settled on the fountain's edge. She picked up Ghost and stroked his fur, thinking to herself and she nibbled on the sweet bread that she'd made from nothing. Odd, how some people don't want to eat my food, she thought, amused. I eat it all the time, and there's nothing wrong with it.
She took a look at her surroundings, peering up at the sky. It really was beautiful here. Her last home had been... well, it had been well-planned, and some of the structures had an elegant kind of beauty, but the raw power she saw and felt here made her feel more at home than 'home' had ever been.
She sighed wistfully. Home. She was used to things there. Used to how things worked. And now... she wouldn't be able to go back. She was stuck here. Sighing, she turned back to the spire, gave it a jaunty salute, and then walked away, brushing crumbs from her robe. It was high time she went exploring.
Anyu walked through the gates of Silvermoon City for the first time in a number of years. The last time he did so, he was starting his journey to become a better person. Upon his return, while he undoubtedly had gained skills and power, he didn't feel he was a better person. Shiro, a massive white tiger, followed Anyu into the city, peering around corners for potential threats, as she was trained to do.
Anyu looked into the bright sky, Mid afternoon, it seems. He peered down the busy street, everyone far too busy to pay attention to the strangely dressed man. The people of Silvermoon wore bright colors, usually, which made Anyu feel even more out of place in his dark colored armor. He slung his massive bow over his shoulder with a sigh, and started down the street, entering the first inn he came across.
Anyu sat down at one of the tables, and tried to get comfortable, Shiro laying down near his feet. This wasn't home, but it would have to do. He had no intention of ever returning to that place...
Elumiel went to the same guard she'd spoken with before and asked him directions to the nearest inn. He told her, and she started off, slightly bewildered by the instructions he'd given her. It seemed there were two inns in the city, but the clientele was better nearer the front gates. The second inn was nestled in the shady area of town normally reserved for warlocks and rogues. Elumiel did not feel like being amongst so many untrustworthy people, even if they were her own race.
She strolled through the streets of Silvermoon, taking in the sights on her way to the inn. It seemed the elegant style of her kin made its home everywhere they went. She had grown accustomed to it where she had been raised. Its presence here only made things that much easier to take in.
Running a hand nervously through her hair, she strolled into the inn, taking a look around. Ghost mewled piteously and went to sniff at a large tiger, obviously belonging to the hunter who sat with his back to the door. She smiled at Ghost's antics, but in general ignored everyone inside, moving instead to the innkeeper, whom she spoke with concerning goods she would need for her travels, as well as any news a young mage might find intriguing.
Shiro shifted a bit, peering at the tiny white kitten, before putting her head back down. Anyu glanced down at the kitten and smiled, reaching down to pet it.
A moment later he was brought two plates of food. He absently grabbed one of the plates, containing a large rare steak, and set it down on the floor for Shiro, who quickly started eating it.
Anyu stared at his own meal blankly. It was the first real meal he had in a long time. After living off of the land for so long, eating what he could find, usually crudely cooked at best, this average meal seemed like a luxury. He smiled again and started to eat. The one true thing I've missed, the great food. I wonder how long I should stay. Not more than a couple days... I'll worry about that later. He thought to himself as he enjoyed his warm meal.
Elumiel finished off her conversation with the innkeeper by ordered a light meal, full of meats and raw vegetables, with a healthy glass of sweet nectar wine - things she could not conjure from ... wherever her food came from. She took a seat at a table near the tiger and its master. "Ghost," she called, her voice light. She twisted around in her seat to try and find the wayward kitten, who was still nosing the tiger that was now happily devouring its meal. "Ghost, you know it is very impolite to disturb someone while they're eating. Come on over here. I've got a treat for you!"
The kitten perked up at the word "treat" and mewled, torn between staying with his new friend or finding out what Elumiel had gotten him. When she swished around a glass of milk and a few strips of meat, he made up his mind, darting back to the mage, purring and rubbing against her arm as she poured the milk into a small saucer, placing the meat on the table beside it. Ghost happily went about his meal, glad to not forage for food today.
"I'm terribly sorry if he was bothering you," she said to the hunter, her eyes focused on her kitten. "He's young, still, but he'll learn one day, I suppose." She smiled at the small white kitten, a look that said she would let the little thing get away with anything he wanted.
Anyu took another bite of his meat, not realizing at first that he was being addressed. After a moment, he raised his head and looked around a bit, "It's alright, I love animals." Upon noticing the mage whom had addressed him, he froze, and dropped his drumstick back onto his plate. "Elumiel?! Is that you? I never expected to see you here, when did you leave home?"
Shiro glanced up at Anyu, then toward Elumiel and Ghost, before contently returning to her piece of meat. Anyu wiped off his hands a bit, and stood up to bow before Elumiel. It felt a bit awkward in his armor, and looked even more awkward, as it wasn't made with formality in mind. Upon sitting back down, he looked at Elumiel, "Goodness, how long has it been? Five years?"
Elumiel had been petting Ghost, but when the hunter spoke, she stopped, shocked. Slowly, she turned to take a good look at the man. "Anyu?" she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I... I just got here today. They said I was ready to face the world." She managed to recover from her shock a bit, shaking herself slightly. She tried to wave him to sit down, blushing slightly at the bow, but he didn't see it.
"It's been seven years, actually," she said, sighing. "I kept track. It's... it's good to see you in good health." She didn't want to tell him that she'd worried, feared that he wouldn't have survived the training as a hunter. She'd feared even more that she was never going to see him again. At least she needn't fear for those things, now.
Instead, she feared for his reactions to her. Could they still be friends, after all this time? She wanted to think they could be. She had enjoyed his company in their youth. He had, in fact, been her closest friend. "Why didn't you ever come home to visit?" she finally asked, nervous at his response.
Anyu looked down at his table, at his plate of food that almost seemed strange to him. "I.. I'm sorry. It's not that I didn't want to see you again, because I did. I just... I'm not going back home. "
Anyu looked up at Elumiel again, concern showing in his eyes, "My training required me to stay away. I never had a chance to return. But, it's good to see you again. What have been doing all this time? It's been so long..."
Anyu let out a small sigh and put his plate with the rest of his food down on the floor for Shiro, who looked up at Anyu for a moment before digging in to the best meal of her life.
"Not going home?" she asked, startled. "Why not?" Without looking behind her, she scooped up Ghost before he got into her wine. The last time that had happened, she'd had to take him to healers to have them remove the alcohol from his system. She could not afford such healers now. "And you could have written, you know. All that time... I never knew where you were, or how your training was going."
"As for me," she sighed, running her hand through her hair again, a nervous habit. "Studying. Preparing for my training, and the training itself. They kept me cooped up most of the time, reading musty old tomes and poring over scrolls that have probably seen better days." She smiled slightly and opened her hand, palm up, creating a small flame that danced around on it. Ghost swiped at the flame, and it crystallized as Elumiel turned it into ice before setting it on the table so Ghost could play.
"I see you've gotten a companion of your own. Much more useful than Ghost here, I imagine," she said, smiling, trying to bring the topic to something more comfortable.
Anyu let out a bit of a chuckle as he reached down and rubbed Shiro behind the ear, "Shiro here is indeed a great companion. She can hold her own in any fight. She also.." Anyu leaned back and glanced up toward the ceiling, "She kept me company. I apologize for not writing... I tried to distance myself from that place, sadly that meant you too..."
Anyu blinked, then turned his attention to Elumiel once again. "I don't expect you to understand. I don't even expect you to forgive me, I practically abandoned you. I just hope you have it in you to move past this. If you never want to see me again, I understand."
Anyu let out another sigh, "I'm sorry, Elumiel. I know I should have let you know. I don't know how I can ever make it up to you..."
Elumiel sighed, partly in annoyance, partly in sadness. "I wish you had told me. I wish you would tell me why you'd left like that. If you don't want to, though, I understand." She smiled wanly and shook her head just slightly. "You can be so aggravating, Anyu," she said, giving him a small glare.
He had abandoned her. There had been no 'practically' involved. One day, he had been there. The next... he wasn't. Everyone had assumed he'd gone off to train. After a while, she had accepted that, but that first day... she had been shocked. Anyu had been a comfort to her, growing up. She couldn't say she blamed him for not wanting to go back. She didn't particularly wish to return, either, but her exit had at least been... public.
"Where did you go, when you left?" she asked quietly. She didn't feel she needed to tell him that she would forgive him. After all, she'd not yet stormed off in anger, right? She was a little bitter, but... he had his reasons. And she had hers, for doing the things she'd done in his absence. But he didn't need to know about that. Not yet, at least.
Anyu took a drink of his ale, "I came here, at first. Eventually I made my way to the Tirisfal Glades, even all the way to Durotar. I never really stayed in any one place for long. I was looking for someone, a hunter I was told could train me. A great hunter, a great Troll. His name was Scix."
Anyu had wanted to be an excellent marksman ever since he could remember. He idolized the men and women he saw display their skills in his old home. He wanted to be like them, but none of them would teach him. They said he didn't have the skills, and he was too young.
"They told me he couldn't be found. He had disappeared in the wilds, never to return. But I found him, Elumiel. It took me over a year, but I found him." Anyu slammed his mug into the table after he emptied it. "And you know what he told me? He told me I didn't have what it took. He said I would never be a marksman. Then he left me. I had been so focused on finding him, I didn't map my way back."
Anyu let out a small chuckle and smirked, "You don't know what it's like to be alone in that frozen hell. But I made it my home. I found myself a bow, and I taught myself. I did what they said couldn't be done. I proved them all wrong. It took me 5 years, but I proved them all wrong..."
He leaned back in his chair once more, "This whole time, I had a mission. I finally accomplished it, and I didn't know what to do anymore. So I came back here, and here we are..."
Anyu stared at the ceiling, contemplating what had brought him to this point. The things he had just said, the things he hadn't. Why am I here? He thought to himself, Why am I in this position, with the one person I thought I would never see again? Have I really screwed up that badly?
"You weren't the only one who was alone, Anyu," she replied softly, after taking a minute to digest what he'd said. "I may have been surrounded by people, but it wasn't the same with you gone." She remembered it clearly. People talking about 'that poor orphan girl' behind her back. Oh, how she hated that. Anyu had never been that way. To her knowledge, he hadn't even cared. For that, she'd been grateful.
When he'd left, she'd dived into her studies, forcing him out of her mind. She was the brightest student in the school, passed all of her tests with flying colors. She learned her magic quickly and precisely. But it was all to fill a void that had appeared. Her best friend had just... left. She turned away from him now, slightly, and pretended to busy herself eating, so he wouldn't see the tear that slid down her cheek. "I'm glad you managed to prove them all wrong," she continued, pushing memories aside. "And now you're here? What do you plan on doing?" Do you plan on leaving me again? she thought sadly.
"And when did you meet Shiro?" she asked, motioning toward the tiger, who was playing with Ghost, obviously done with his meal. "Before you fulfilled your mission?"
"Now that I'm here?" He paused for a moment, and scratched his chin. "I'm not really sure what I'll do now..."
Anyu looked back down at the table, and spoke lightly, "Oh, um, yes. I saved her in the wilds, I'd say 3 years ago. She would have died, she was attacked by another hunter who wanted her skin. We have been inseparable since."
He turned his chair a bit, facing Elumiel, and spoke quietly so only she could hear, "I am not glad for what I have done. I have done many things I regret. I saved Shiro, yes, but in doing so I killed someone. The same is true in my skill... I proved them wrong, but I did so selfishly. I wanted vengeance on the people who doubted me. I killed Scix. And not in a way that shows that I am a better marksman, because I'm not. He was old, and his arms shook from drawing the bowstring. I came after him in the night, and I killed him. I'm not a marksman. I'm a coward! I should be the one dead, not him... He did nothing wrong."
Anyu sighed and looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Elumiel." He stood up, and turned toward the door, "You don't want to be around me, Elumiel. I am sorry that we met again like this. Come on Shiro..." Shiro glanced up at him, but remained laying down, in her own little way of protest.
Elumiel silently thanked the tiger, and then did the only thing that seemed reasonable, while Anyu's back was turned. She polymorphed him. Smothering a giggle at his baa's, she apologized to the other occupants, and quickly ushered the sheep out of the inn, silently counting down the seconds before he came out. Now that she wasn't around patrons, she could do anything she felt was necessary. "As I'd really rather not have the Arcane Guardians come and 'keep the peace', as it were, you'd best not move an inch. Trust me, you'll regret it if you do," she said calmly, leaning against the wall as he transformed back into his own form.
"You were proving a point. I can't say I blame you. We are all selfish at some point in our lives, Anyu. You are no different from the rest of us. We have all done things we regret. I am no different." She paused a moment, shivering, and continued. "There will always be times like that. Some of what we do is not right, no. But we do it. It is what shapes us. Can you not see that? Selfish or not... it makes no difference to me."
"They did not see what you could be, Anyu. Remember how they said I would never amount to anything? They at least gave you credit," she said, forcing back tears. "They didn't pity you, I'll bet. Well, I showed them," she continued angrily, not realizing the fire that was forming in her fists. Ghost mewled loudly, and she froze, glancing down. Quietly, calmly, she rubbed her hands together and put the fire out. "I became the best, because I was selfish." And I did much, much worse than you would ever believe of me.
"What the hell was that?!" Anyu raised a fist, but before he could do anything Shiro came bounding out of the inn and tackled him, pinning him to the ground. Anyu let out a sigh of defeat, "All right... I'm sorry. I don't to get you involved in this." He laid his had flat on the ground, staring at the sky.
"Can you ever forgive me, Elumiel? I'm sorry, for everything I've put you through. I should have told you before I left, I thought it was better I didn't say anything to anyone, but I was wrong. I can't imagine how hard it has been for you..."
Anyu pushed Shiro off of himself and sat up, "I thought I would never see you again. But for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Thinking of you drove me to attempt to become better, but in the process I've become something worse. I haven't been in a city overnight in years. All I know anymore is the wilderness. It isn't what I wanted. What about you? Is this where you saw yourself, all these years? Standing in Silvermoon, with me of all people? What now? All this time, and we finally see each other again. And what happens? You turn me into a sheep... I can't say I didn't deserve it, though... "
Anyu pushed himself off the ground and stands up, dusting himself off. "So what now? You probably hate me after all of this. Should we go our separate ways, and never see each other again? Is it even possible to go back to the way things were before?"
He leaned against the wall and looked down at the ground, "I've been all over the place, and I still don't know where I'm going. You said you just got here, you must be even more lost than I. After all this time, I've thought about what to say if I ever saw you again, and when it finally happens, it all goes awry. What do we do now?"
Elumiel crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for Anyu to calm down. "Feeling a little... sheepish?" she asked, grinning. She sighed and moved toward him. Without warning, she slapped him once, hard, across the cheek, leaving a mark as red as her hair. "There. Now I can forgive you. As for the rest... you walked out of my life without so much as a word at any time. I didn't expect to ever see you again. I thought you were dead, Anyu! And everyone was telling me that maybe it was for the better. Do you know what that feels like? I was constantly worried about you, wondering what had happened, why you'd left so suddenly!" she was riled now, and every other word she stabbed him in the chest with a finger, her small form shaking with anger and all the depression she'd locked inside over the years.
"Seven years, Anyu! Seven years I waited for any word, any sign of you!" Suddenly, abruptly, she turned away, stopping her assault almost as quickly as she'd begun it. "I don't hate you, Anyu. I could never hate you. I never imagined I would see you again, but I always hoped I would, even if it was just so I could know you were alive."
She shook her head and wiped away tears. "I don't know what to do, now. You're alive, and well, even if you aren't the person you wanted to be, or the person I knew all those years ago. You're still Anyu. And I'm not the person I wanted to be, or how I was then. But I'm still Elumiel. Isn't that all that really matters, in the end?"
Anyu jumped back a bit in surprise from the sudden slap, and rubbed his cheek. He looked down at the ground until Elumiel finished speaking.
After a moment, he looked at her again to see her turned around. He put his arms around her, and hugged her. "You're right Elumiel... I am so sorry. I don't know what you've been through without me, but I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you through it. As much as I wish I could, I can't change the past. I realize now, that I don't want to live like this anymore. Can you ever forgive me, Elumiel?"
Anyu took a step back, and scratched Shiro behind the ear absently as he awaited Elumiel's responce with tears in his eyes.
El stiffened for a moment when he hugged her, but she relaxed. Slowly, she turned around and moved to him. She raised her hand and brushed away the tears that had managed to slide down his cheek before she softly kissed where she'd slapped him. "Of course I can forgive you, Anyu. When have I ever been able not to?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle embrace, resting her head on his chest. "Just... don't ever do that to me again? Please?" she begged.
After a few moments, she remembered they were still outside the inn, and they'd drawn quite a crowd. Stepping away from Anyu, a flush creeping up the back of her neck, she rounded on the audience. "What are you staring at? There's nothing to see here! Go do whatever it is you people do!" she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously. They hastily went back to their business, and she stopped herself from giving them a few licks of her flames to get them speedily on their way. Suddenly embarrassed, she turned to Anyu. "I think perhaps we had best move this... elsewhere. Were you intending to get a room here for the night?"
As Elumiel embraced him, he hugged her gently, and whispered, "I promise, Elumiel."
He blinked as she stepped away and got rid of the crowd, and blushed slightly in embarrassment. He hadn't even noticed the other people until now, he was used to having privacy. "Oh, um, yeah, I was planning on it. Shall we go back inside?"
Anyu walked back inside, followed by Shiro, and sat back down at a table. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling happiness for the first time since before he had left his home. Such a wonderful feeling it was, he wished it would never go away.
Ghost yowled and ran into the inn after Elumiel, mewling pitifully at her, begging her to take a look at his poor, abused tail. She picked him up, examining the appendage. After she deemed that no true harm had come to it, and therefore did not warrant a healer, she rubbed her cheek against Ghost's. "Some people just don't know how to treat a poor, innocent kitten," she told the white ball of fluff. He mewed in agreement.
She picked up her platter of food and moved to a seat beside Anyu, leaning back slightly. "So, you don't know what you're going to do while you're here?" she asked. "I do. I was told that I might be able to find my father, or other relations, here, by looking through the city's registry. I'm not sure that it would be possibly, since I don't even know his name, but I imagine it's possibly. Somehow." She sighed and shook her head, then grinned. "I'm also here because they said some of the greatest mages were here. They can teach me more about polymorphing, and new fire spells I haven't learned yet."
She took a bite of her food, chewing slowly. It was still a little too hot, so she grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit in front of her and nibbled on it, her thoughts wandering.
Anyu scratched his chin for a moment, "About the polymorphing, please don't do that to me again. It was... weird." He chuckled a bit, then reached down and pet Shiro for a moment, "I really had no plans when I came here. Lately I've just been wandering, and this is where my journey of these lands began, so it seemed logical. I wanted to start over."
He looked at the white kitten, "Is his tail alright? I could take a look at it if you want, I can do a bit of healing myself, but only for animals. It's the only thing I've ever been able to practice on."
He pulled a snack out of his pack for Shiro, but broke off a small piece before handing to rest to the tiger. He laid the tiny piece on the table. "Here you go, Ghost was it? So, what how do you plan to find relations? Do you have anything to go off of, besides they might be here?"
"It does feel rather strange. At least you weren't turned into a pig. My instructor did that to me," she said, blushing. "It was embarassing. I got her back, though." Elumiel grinned mischievously. "So, if you wanted to start over... do you suppose this is a good new beginning? Finding me here?" she asked, her voice soft.
She picked up Ghost and set him on the table, motioning for Anyu to go ahead and take a look. Maybe he could see something she couldn't. "Someone stepped on his tail while he was outside," she said, irritated. "He's just a... well, he might have been an innocent kitten," she said, wrinkling her nose at the fluff-ball. "I can't imagine why someone would do something like that."
Letting her long-time friend take a look at her beloved kitten, she leaned back in her seat and mulled over his questions. "I... don't really know where to begin. I have a few trinkets, things that belonged to my mother, one or two from my father. I was hoping maybe they would hold some clues to who they were. There has to be a historian or an archivist that records family histories... right?" she asked, sighing again.
Anyu reached to the kitten as it munched on the snack he left, and gently help his tail. He squeezed a section of the tail gently, then another, and another, stopping when the kitten twitched on the third squeeze. "He's in a little pain, it seems, but nothing major. I can fix that up no problem." He focused for a moment and a slight green glow emanated from his palm. He help the tail in that hand for a moment, then patted Ghost on the head. "There, that should do it, poor thing."
He pondered Elumiel's question for a moment,"I suppose this would be the best way to start over that I could think of." He smiled at Elumiel warmly, "And I'll try my best to help you in your search. We can start first thing tomorrow, if you wish."
Before Anyu had come to the world of Kalimdor, he lived in a place called Garadar. The town, mainly populated by orcs, made him feel out of place. Though Nagrand was full of marvelous things, they remained largely unknown to Anyu, as he was rarely allowed to leave.
So now he sat on the wooden wall on the north side of the town, overlooking a large lake, with rock structures in the distance know at the Throne of Elements. He paid little attention to that, however, as he leaned back, staring at the mesmerizing night sky. He wasn't supposed to be here this late, but it's not like anyone would come looking for him. He came here all the time, and nothing had happened before. 'It's too dangerous!' they say. Bah. Why can't I see what's out there?
He let out a small sigh and pulled his arms in front of him, falling back completely. I wonder if it's possible to get to one of those floating islands...
Elumiel gave a sigh of content as she watched the great elementals in the rock circle. She wasn't supposed to be this far out of town, especially this late at night, but the Throne of Elements had always intrigued her. She leaned against one of the rock pillars and looked up at the sky, smiling slightly. Even if she didn't belong in this place, it was beautiful.
Groaning, she rose and stretched, feeling the knots in her shoulders loosen. Her gaze went toward the town, to the wall that overlooked the lake. She wondered if Anyu was there. Out and about, like her. Neither of them belonged. Maybe that's why they were such good friends.
Giving a jaunty salute to the elementals, she started off at a steady trot to the town, to see if her guess was right.
Anyu stared at the bright stream floating in the sky above. Somehow the sight soothed him, made him feel more at home. He pushed himself back into a sitting position, then took out his small knife and started poking at the wood he sat on. He wondered what Elumiel was doing, he knew she wasn't sleeping. She seemed to always be up to something at this time, most likely wandering away from the town again. One day she's going to get into alot of trouble, or get hurt... where does she go all the time?
He twisted his neck a bit until he heard a slight pop, then rubbed his forehead. Maybe one of these days I'll go with her and see what she sees. It must not be too bad, if she keeps going all the time. He let out a small sigh and stood up. He stretched his arms and closed his eyes, yawning quietly.
Passing small groups of talbuks and skirting the edge of the lake, Elumiel made her way back. Stopping for a moment, she took off her shoes and wiggled her toes in the grass, smiling, bfore she continued onward to her home.
El slipped quietly back into town, making her way to the wall to see if Anyu was there. It took her a moment, and as she grew near, she slowed to a walk, trying to sneak up on him. Some days she could, when he wasn't paying attention, but it looked like he'd just stood up. She smiled and crept through the grass behind the wall, clearly visible in beneath the stream of light and pinpricks of starlight that shone down on the town.
She waited for an opening, thinking it might never come. Then he yawned. Grinning broadly, she dashed forward and leaped forward at the last second, hoping to tackle him.
Anyu finished his yawning and opened his eyes just in time too a familiar face. A face that was heading straight toward him! Before he had time to react, he was tackled to the ground by Elumiel. He blinked for a moment, then smiled and poked her lightly on the forehead, "Nice to see you too, Elumiel. What was that for? That could have hurt, you know." He grinned, "You're just lucky I'm so tough! What are you doing out this late, again?"
Elumiel grinned and gave her friend a hug, winking slightly. "I knew you wouldn't get hurt," she said, laughing lightly. She sat down on the wall and looked out across the lake. "What was I doing?" she asked, smiling and looking out at the great stone circle. "Just sitting around. Enjoying it all," she said, looking wistfully back toward the elementals. "It's more peaceful away from town, I think." As kind as everyone was, she didn't think they really liked her or Anyu. They were too different.
"Hey, Anyu," she said suddenly. "Do you think there's a place for us, out there somewhere?" Elumiel asked, gesturing with a broad sweep of her hand toward the world around them. "Somewhere that people won't think us... odd?"
Anyu looked into Elumiel's eyes, and smiled. "I'm sure there is, somewhere. I've heard people talk about a whole other world out there, where there are all kinds of races living together. Even people like us, with their own cities. I would think that we could fit in in a place like that."
He hugged her lightly, "Someday, Elumiel. Someday we'll find that place. We'll fit in and be happy. But we have to get out of here, first." He turned his head and looked out toward the lake, and the large stones he could barely make out in the darkness. "What would you do? If we got out of here, I mean."
She flopped back on the wall, spreading her arms out as she stared up at the sky. "Entire cities, with all sorts of races living together? Our own? That would be nice," she sighed. She thought about his question, frowning slightly. What would she do? She thought about it for a moment, her lips pursed. "I would learn all I could learn. I'd be a mage, maybe. And... perhaps I could find my family," she said. "There has to be someone still out there, right? An entire family can't just...disappear."
She turned, propped her head up on her hand, her elbow pushing against the wall's top, keeping her stable. She glanced at her friend, giving a slight smile. "What would you do?" she asked Anyu, using her free hand to trace unseen designs.
Anyu sat up and looked toward the ground, "I want to learn to be a master archer. I've asked some of the archers around here to train me, but non of them will. One day, I'll find someone who will, and I'll be the best!"
He smiled and looked at Elumiel, "I'm sure you would make a great mage. There aren't of them around here though, I wonder where you could find someone to teach you. Shattrath, maybe?"
"They won't teach you?" she asked, frowning. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with you!" She shook her head, irritated at their 'home', and sighed. "As for my training... Shattrath would be the best bet, or so I've heard. They told me that if there wasn't someone there who could teach me, there would be someone who would know where I could go." She smiled wistfully. "Can't you just see it, Anyu?" she asked, making another gesture. "The power of two dangerous elements at my beck and call. That would be wondrous," she laughed, then clamped her hand over her mouth, afraid that someone might have heard.
She didn't see anyone come, but kept herself quiet when she began speaking again. "Where do you think you'll go, if no one here will instruct you?"
Anyu laid back down, staring at the sky once more, "I don't know. Maybe I could go to Shattrath too. Maybe I could find the other land, surely someone there would help me. I could find the city full of people like us! That's it! Someday, I'll find that place, and I will be a master marksman."
He smiled and closed his eyes, thinking about being happy. Thinking about fitting in. And best of all, becoming a master archer. It was decided, there and then, that nothing would stop him from attaining his dreams. Nothing...
El smiled and ruffled Anyu's hair. "That's a good idea." She poked his side, nudging him slightly. "You'll let me know when you decide to go on this excursion, won't you?" she asked, getting to her feet. Elumiel ran a hand through her hair and turned. "At any rate, my friend... it's late. We should get some rest."
She gave him a small wave, grinning, and stooped over to put her shoes back on before making her way to the residence that had been assigned to her and a few of her female fellows.
Anyu chuckled lightly, "Of course I will." He then stood up and walked Elumiel to her residence, before heading back to his home and sneaking inside.
About two months later, Anyu snuck out of his home, late at night, just as he usually did. Though for him, this wasn't going to be a usual night. He quietly walked through the silent town, the only sound being the Talbuk's outside town. Suddenly he caught movement in the corner of his eye, and he quickly ducked behind a tree. Peer around it, he saw the familiar form of Elumiel. It looked like she was sneaking out of town again. He smiled and held back a chuckle, then silently started to follow her from a distance as she neared the town entrance.
Elumiel crept to the edge of town, ducking around guards and those who were still awake with their various duties. She wore simple, dark clothes tonight. Clouds filled the sky, blocking out most of the light that usually shone down on her home. Silently, she made her way through sleeping talbuks on a path around the lake that she knew well by now. It took her a few minutes, trying not to disturb the creatures in and around the water, but she finally reached her goal.
The Throne of Elements stood before her, and she paused briefly, searching for the familiar glow of Incineratus, the fire elemental with whom she spent her most time. Moving warily through the stone pillars - they weren't always safe, especially late at night - she found herself before the giant elemental. Out of courtesy and habit, she bowed to it, then settled down, pulling a small book out of a pocket. A stylus rested in its pages, and she took it up, flipping through to a blank page, where she began to sketch, mostly doodles, but some of it was study, on the elementals, her home, and other things. She paused every now and then, chewing on a lock of her hair in thought.
Anyu followed Elumiel quietly around the lake, trying to not make a sound. He felt more at ease around the sleeping creature, having become accustomed to the Talbuk raised in the village, which he always enjoyed being around. Soon he came to the massive stone blocks situated in the circle known as the throne of elements. He hid behind one of the massive stone pillars, and watched as Elumiel took a seat near a massive fire elemental. Elumiel is friends with this beast? He though to himself. Is this where she comes all the time? To be with a fire elemental?
Anyu glanced down at the ground for a moment, then heard a low growl behind him that made his skin crawl. Upon turning around, he saw an earth elemental even bigger than the one of fire. The giant hadn't noticed him yet, and turned toward Elumiel and the fire elemental, and started lumbering in that direction.
Scared half out of his wits, Anyu stood frozen behind the stone pillar. With one last thump of the earth elemental's monstrous foot, Anyu finally regained himself. He took off, heading into to town. After sneaking back into town, he grabbed a few supplies he had ready, and took off as fast as he could, leaving Garadar behind and heading toward the city of Shattrath. He didn't know what to expect there, but he was damn well going to find out.
El looked up as the earth elemental approached. She gave it a smile as it passed and went back to her work. Time slipped by.
She didn't know how long she had been there, but the sky had lightened, the clouds dissipated by the time Elumiel came back to focus on reality. She yawned, stretching, and got up, giving her usual jaunty salute to the elementals as she left their domain and headed back to town.
She yawned. Sleepily, she decided not to hunt for her friend, but to go to bed. Elumiel smiled at the accomplishments she'd made in her journal. She snuck back into town, making her way to her residence.
The next morning, Elumiel woke up and prepared for the day. She trotted down the path toward Anyu's residence, knocking politely on the door. His mother answered. "Beg pardon," she said to the older woman. "Is Anyu home?" she asked, smiling slightly.
"I'm afraid not. We haven't seen him at all today. I'm sure he just left early," replied the woman, unconcerned.
Elumiel frowned. That wasn't like Anyu at all. He usually waited for her so they could start on their chores. Perhaps he was at the wall. Shrugging, she made her way to her friend's favorite place. She didn't find him there, either. Her frown deepened. Where was he?
--------------Seven Years Later--------------
Elumiel blinked her brilliant green eyes at the bright sunlight that beamed down on her, gleaming off city walls and reflecting in the water of the large fountain that greeted her beneath Sunfury Spire. She had been told the home of her people was in ruins after an attack by the Scourge, but to her, only the quietness of the city seemed any indication that there had ever been a problem. She sighed and shook her head, brushing away a lock of red-orange hair that fell in front of her face as she turned around slowly. Silvermoon City was nothing like where she'd been these past few years - nothing at all.
In fact, coming to this place was a relief. She'd seen a lot where she'd been, and she wanted to forget it, to start over again. Now was a perfect chance. A chance to start anew, to forget. Elumiel blinked furiously, forcing back the tears. I won't cry, she told herself firmly. Not now. I have no reason to cry now.
The young mage straightened her back, raised her chin just slightly, and set forth into the world of her people, her small white kitten, Ghost, following behind.
El moved up to the fountain and leaned over, looking at her reflection in the rippling water. Ghost jumped up to the rim and rubbed against her arm, shedding white fur all over her new robes. She sighed and picked the kitten up, looking him firmly in the eyes. "I will not have any of that, you silly creature," she said, but smiled and rubbed her nose against his before setting him down again. He purred and continued rubbing, stopping only long enough to stare at the tiny arcane construct running behind them. Elumiel turned and watched the blood elf chasing after it. "Looks like a useless endeavor to me."
She looked around, searching, and smiled when she found a guard. Approaching him, she bowed slightly and asked, "Sir, where is the enchanter in this city?"
"Not far away from here, miss," he rumbled, gesturing back up the stairs she'd come down. "I warrant you'll see the sparks before you see the sign." She smiled her agreement and went on her way.
The guard was right. She did see the sparks long before the enchanter's emblem appeared before her eyes, and wondered how she'd missed it the first time. She must have still been dazed by her arrival. She also heard the cursing of the shop keeper. "That's another pile of dust you've wasted!" shrieked an angry female voice. "Stop using it all up just so you can make your weapons pretty!"
El checked her purse to see how much coin she had. Not much. She frowned, and looked down at her clothes. Did she really need it? Yes, she decided, and marched forward. "I need ten weights of vision dust," she announced. "And four small radiant shards." The woman smiled, the vision of kindness, and they made the exchange. As Elumiel left the building, she heard the shrieking start up again.
Maybe it wouldn't take her so long to get used to it here after all.
Elumiel frowned as she heard her stomach rumble in irritation. It had been a while since she'd eaten - she'd been too nervous to do so before her first instructor and mentor had led her to the portal for Silvermoon. She finished her enchanting and then inhaled, calming herself and focusing her mind. Searching the well of her body for the mana needed, she created a small amount of food and water, then settled on the fountain's edge. She picked up Ghost and stroked his fur, thinking to herself and she nibbled on the sweet bread that she'd made from nothing. Odd, how some people don't want to eat my food, she thought, amused. I eat it all the time, and there's nothing wrong with it.
She took a look at her surroundings, peering up at the sky. It really was beautiful here. Her last home had been... well, it had been well-planned, and some of the structures had an elegant kind of beauty, but the raw power she saw and felt here made her feel more at home than 'home' had ever been.
She sighed wistfully. Home. She was used to things there. Used to how things worked. And now... she wouldn't be able to go back. She was stuck here. Sighing, she turned back to the spire, gave it a jaunty salute, and then walked away, brushing crumbs from her robe. It was high time she went exploring.
Anyu walked through the gates of Silvermoon City for the first time in a number of years. The last time he did so, he was starting his journey to become a better person. Upon his return, while he undoubtedly had gained skills and power, he didn't feel he was a better person. Shiro, a massive white tiger, followed Anyu into the city, peering around corners for potential threats, as she was trained to do.
Anyu looked into the bright sky, Mid afternoon, it seems. He peered down the busy street, everyone far too busy to pay attention to the strangely dressed man. The people of Silvermoon wore bright colors, usually, which made Anyu feel even more out of place in his dark colored armor. He slung his massive bow over his shoulder with a sigh, and started down the street, entering the first inn he came across.
Anyu sat down at one of the tables, and tried to get comfortable, Shiro laying down near his feet. This wasn't home, but it would have to do. He had no intention of ever returning to that place...
Elumiel went to the same guard she'd spoken with before and asked him directions to the nearest inn. He told her, and she started off, slightly bewildered by the instructions he'd given her. It seemed there were two inns in the city, but the clientele was better nearer the front gates. The second inn was nestled in the shady area of town normally reserved for warlocks and rogues. Elumiel did not feel like being amongst so many untrustworthy people, even if they were her own race.
She strolled through the streets of Silvermoon, taking in the sights on her way to the inn. It seemed the elegant style of her kin made its home everywhere they went. She had grown accustomed to it where she had been raised. Its presence here only made things that much easier to take in.
Running a hand nervously through her hair, she strolled into the inn, taking a look around. Ghost mewled piteously and went to sniff at a large tiger, obviously belonging to the hunter who sat with his back to the door. She smiled at Ghost's antics, but in general ignored everyone inside, moving instead to the innkeeper, whom she spoke with concerning goods she would need for her travels, as well as any news a young mage might find intriguing.
Shiro shifted a bit, peering at the tiny white kitten, before putting her head back down. Anyu glanced down at the kitten and smiled, reaching down to pet it.
A moment later he was brought two plates of food. He absently grabbed one of the plates, containing a large rare steak, and set it down on the floor for Shiro, who quickly started eating it.
Anyu stared at his own meal blankly. It was the first real meal he had in a long time. After living off of the land for so long, eating what he could find, usually crudely cooked at best, this average meal seemed like a luxury. He smiled again and started to eat. The one true thing I've missed, the great food. I wonder how long I should stay. Not more than a couple days... I'll worry about that later. He thought to himself as he enjoyed his warm meal.
Elumiel finished off her conversation with the innkeeper by ordered a light meal, full of meats and raw vegetables, with a healthy glass of sweet nectar wine - things she could not conjure from ... wherever her food came from. She took a seat at a table near the tiger and its master. "Ghost," she called, her voice light. She twisted around in her seat to try and find the wayward kitten, who was still nosing the tiger that was now happily devouring its meal. "Ghost, you know it is very impolite to disturb someone while they're eating. Come on over here. I've got a treat for you!"
The kitten perked up at the word "treat" and mewled, torn between staying with his new friend or finding out what Elumiel had gotten him. When she swished around a glass of milk and a few strips of meat, he made up his mind, darting back to the mage, purring and rubbing against her arm as she poured the milk into a small saucer, placing the meat on the table beside it. Ghost happily went about his meal, glad to not forage for food today.
"I'm terribly sorry if he was bothering you," she said to the hunter, her eyes focused on her kitten. "He's young, still, but he'll learn one day, I suppose." She smiled at the small white kitten, a look that said she would let the little thing get away with anything he wanted.
Anyu took another bite of his meat, not realizing at first that he was being addressed. After a moment, he raised his head and looked around a bit, "It's alright, I love animals." Upon noticing the mage whom had addressed him, he froze, and dropped his drumstick back onto his plate. "Elumiel?! Is that you? I never expected to see you here, when did you leave home?"
Shiro glanced up at Anyu, then toward Elumiel and Ghost, before contently returning to her piece of meat. Anyu wiped off his hands a bit, and stood up to bow before Elumiel. It felt a bit awkward in his armor, and looked even more awkward, as it wasn't made with formality in mind. Upon sitting back down, he looked at Elumiel, "Goodness, how long has it been? Five years?"
Elumiel had been petting Ghost, but when the hunter spoke, she stopped, shocked. Slowly, she turned to take a good look at the man. "Anyu?" she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I... I just got here today. They said I was ready to face the world." She managed to recover from her shock a bit, shaking herself slightly. She tried to wave him to sit down, blushing slightly at the bow, but he didn't see it.
"It's been seven years, actually," she said, sighing. "I kept track. It's... it's good to see you in good health." She didn't want to tell him that she'd worried, feared that he wouldn't have survived the training as a hunter. She'd feared even more that she was never going to see him again. At least she needn't fear for those things, now.
Instead, she feared for his reactions to her. Could they still be friends, after all this time? She wanted to think they could be. She had enjoyed his company in their youth. He had, in fact, been her closest friend. "Why didn't you ever come home to visit?" she finally asked, nervous at his response.
Anyu looked down at his table, at his plate of food that almost seemed strange to him. "I.. I'm sorry. It's not that I didn't want to see you again, because I did. I just... I'm not going back home. "
Anyu looked up at Elumiel again, concern showing in his eyes, "My training required me to stay away. I never had a chance to return. But, it's good to see you again. What have been doing all this time? It's been so long..."
Anyu let out a small sigh and put his plate with the rest of his food down on the floor for Shiro, who looked up at Anyu for a moment before digging in to the best meal of her life.
"Not going home?" she asked, startled. "Why not?" Without looking behind her, she scooped up Ghost before he got into her wine. The last time that had happened, she'd had to take him to healers to have them remove the alcohol from his system. She could not afford such healers now. "And you could have written, you know. All that time... I never knew where you were, or how your training was going."
"As for me," she sighed, running her hand through her hair again, a nervous habit. "Studying. Preparing for my training, and the training itself. They kept me cooped up most of the time, reading musty old tomes and poring over scrolls that have probably seen better days." She smiled slightly and opened her hand, palm up, creating a small flame that danced around on it. Ghost swiped at the flame, and it crystallized as Elumiel turned it into ice before setting it on the table so Ghost could play.
"I see you've gotten a companion of your own. Much more useful than Ghost here, I imagine," she said, smiling, trying to bring the topic to something more comfortable.
Anyu let out a bit of a chuckle as he reached down and rubbed Shiro behind the ear, "Shiro here is indeed a great companion. She can hold her own in any fight. She also.." Anyu leaned back and glanced up toward the ceiling, "She kept me company. I apologize for not writing... I tried to distance myself from that place, sadly that meant you too..."
Anyu blinked, then turned his attention to Elumiel once again. "I don't expect you to understand. I don't even expect you to forgive me, I practically abandoned you. I just hope you have it in you to move past this. If you never want to see me again, I understand."
Anyu let out another sigh, "I'm sorry, Elumiel. I know I should have let you know. I don't know how I can ever make it up to you..."
Elumiel sighed, partly in annoyance, partly in sadness. "I wish you had told me. I wish you would tell me why you'd left like that. If you don't want to, though, I understand." She smiled wanly and shook her head just slightly. "You can be so aggravating, Anyu," she said, giving him a small glare.
He had abandoned her. There had been no 'practically' involved. One day, he had been there. The next... he wasn't. Everyone had assumed he'd gone off to train. After a while, she had accepted that, but that first day... she had been shocked. Anyu had been a comfort to her, growing up. She couldn't say she blamed him for not wanting to go back. She didn't particularly wish to return, either, but her exit had at least been... public.
"Where did you go, when you left?" she asked quietly. She didn't feel she needed to tell him that she would forgive him. After all, she'd not yet stormed off in anger, right? She was a little bitter, but... he had his reasons. And she had hers, for doing the things she'd done in his absence. But he didn't need to know about that. Not yet, at least.
Anyu took a drink of his ale, "I came here, at first. Eventually I made my way to the Tirisfal Glades, even all the way to Durotar. I never really stayed in any one place for long. I was looking for someone, a hunter I was told could train me. A great hunter, a great Troll. His name was Scix."
Anyu had wanted to be an excellent marksman ever since he could remember. He idolized the men and women he saw display their skills in his old home. He wanted to be like them, but none of them would teach him. They said he didn't have the skills, and he was too young.
"They told me he couldn't be found. He had disappeared in the wilds, never to return. But I found him, Elumiel. It took me over a year, but I found him." Anyu slammed his mug into the table after he emptied it. "And you know what he told me? He told me I didn't have what it took. He said I would never be a marksman. Then he left me. I had been so focused on finding him, I didn't map my way back."
Anyu let out a small chuckle and smirked, "You don't know what it's like to be alone in that frozen hell. But I made it my home. I found myself a bow, and I taught myself. I did what they said couldn't be done. I proved them all wrong. It took me 5 years, but I proved them all wrong..."
He leaned back in his chair once more, "This whole time, I had a mission. I finally accomplished it, and I didn't know what to do anymore. So I came back here, and here we are..."
Anyu stared at the ceiling, contemplating what had brought him to this point. The things he had just said, the things he hadn't. Why am I here? He thought to himself, Why am I in this position, with the one person I thought I would never see again? Have I really screwed up that badly?
"You weren't the only one who was alone, Anyu," she replied softly, after taking a minute to digest what he'd said. "I may have been surrounded by people, but it wasn't the same with you gone." She remembered it clearly. People talking about 'that poor orphan girl' behind her back. Oh, how she hated that. Anyu had never been that way. To her knowledge, he hadn't even cared. For that, she'd been grateful.
When he'd left, she'd dived into her studies, forcing him out of her mind. She was the brightest student in the school, passed all of her tests with flying colors. She learned her magic quickly and precisely. But it was all to fill a void that had appeared. Her best friend had just... left. She turned away from him now, slightly, and pretended to busy herself eating, so he wouldn't see the tear that slid down her cheek. "I'm glad you managed to prove them all wrong," she continued, pushing memories aside. "And now you're here? What do you plan on doing?" Do you plan on leaving me again? she thought sadly.
"And when did you meet Shiro?" she asked, motioning toward the tiger, who was playing with Ghost, obviously done with his meal. "Before you fulfilled your mission?"
"Now that I'm here?" He paused for a moment, and scratched his chin. "I'm not really sure what I'll do now..."
Anyu looked back down at the table, and spoke lightly, "Oh, um, yes. I saved her in the wilds, I'd say 3 years ago. She would have died, she was attacked by another hunter who wanted her skin. We have been inseparable since."
He turned his chair a bit, facing Elumiel, and spoke quietly so only she could hear, "I am not glad for what I have done. I have done many things I regret. I saved Shiro, yes, but in doing so I killed someone. The same is true in my skill... I proved them wrong, but I did so selfishly. I wanted vengeance on the people who doubted me. I killed Scix. And not in a way that shows that I am a better marksman, because I'm not. He was old, and his arms shook from drawing the bowstring. I came after him in the night, and I killed him. I'm not a marksman. I'm a coward! I should be the one dead, not him... He did nothing wrong."
Anyu sighed and looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Elumiel." He stood up, and turned toward the door, "You don't want to be around me, Elumiel. I am sorry that we met again like this. Come on Shiro..." Shiro glanced up at him, but remained laying down, in her own little way of protest.
Elumiel silently thanked the tiger, and then did the only thing that seemed reasonable, while Anyu's back was turned. She polymorphed him. Smothering a giggle at his baa's, she apologized to the other occupants, and quickly ushered the sheep out of the inn, silently counting down the seconds before he came out. Now that she wasn't around patrons, she could do anything she felt was necessary. "As I'd really rather not have the Arcane Guardians come and 'keep the peace', as it were, you'd best not move an inch. Trust me, you'll regret it if you do," she said calmly, leaning against the wall as he transformed back into his own form.
"You were proving a point. I can't say I blame you. We are all selfish at some point in our lives, Anyu. You are no different from the rest of us. We have all done things we regret. I am no different." She paused a moment, shivering, and continued. "There will always be times like that. Some of what we do is not right, no. But we do it. It is what shapes us. Can you not see that? Selfish or not... it makes no difference to me."
"They did not see what you could be, Anyu. Remember how they said I would never amount to anything? They at least gave you credit," she said, forcing back tears. "They didn't pity you, I'll bet. Well, I showed them," she continued angrily, not realizing the fire that was forming in her fists. Ghost mewled loudly, and she froze, glancing down. Quietly, calmly, she rubbed her hands together and put the fire out. "I became the best, because I was selfish." And I did much, much worse than you would ever believe of me.
"What the hell was that?!" Anyu raised a fist, but before he could do anything Shiro came bounding out of the inn and tackled him, pinning him to the ground. Anyu let out a sigh of defeat, "All right... I'm sorry. I don't to get you involved in this." He laid his had flat on the ground, staring at the sky.
"Can you ever forgive me, Elumiel? I'm sorry, for everything I've put you through. I should have told you before I left, I thought it was better I didn't say anything to anyone, but I was wrong. I can't imagine how hard it has been for you..."
Anyu pushed Shiro off of himself and sat up, "I thought I would never see you again. But for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Thinking of you drove me to attempt to become better, but in the process I've become something worse. I haven't been in a city overnight in years. All I know anymore is the wilderness. It isn't what I wanted. What about you? Is this where you saw yourself, all these years? Standing in Silvermoon, with me of all people? What now? All this time, and we finally see each other again. And what happens? You turn me into a sheep... I can't say I didn't deserve it, though... "
Anyu pushed himself off the ground and stands up, dusting himself off. "So what now? You probably hate me after all of this. Should we go our separate ways, and never see each other again? Is it even possible to go back to the way things were before?"
He leaned against the wall and looked down at the ground, "I've been all over the place, and I still don't know where I'm going. You said you just got here, you must be even more lost than I. After all this time, I've thought about what to say if I ever saw you again, and when it finally happens, it all goes awry. What do we do now?"
Elumiel crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for Anyu to calm down. "Feeling a little... sheepish?" she asked, grinning. She sighed and moved toward him. Without warning, she slapped him once, hard, across the cheek, leaving a mark as red as her hair. "There. Now I can forgive you. As for the rest... you walked out of my life without so much as a word at any time. I didn't expect to ever see you again. I thought you were dead, Anyu! And everyone was telling me that maybe it was for the better. Do you know what that feels like? I was constantly worried about you, wondering what had happened, why you'd left so suddenly!" she was riled now, and every other word she stabbed him in the chest with a finger, her small form shaking with anger and all the depression she'd locked inside over the years.
"Seven years, Anyu! Seven years I waited for any word, any sign of you!" Suddenly, abruptly, she turned away, stopping her assault almost as quickly as she'd begun it. "I don't hate you, Anyu. I could never hate you. I never imagined I would see you again, but I always hoped I would, even if it was just so I could know you were alive."
She shook her head and wiped away tears. "I don't know what to do, now. You're alive, and well, even if you aren't the person you wanted to be, or the person I knew all those years ago. You're still Anyu. And I'm not the person I wanted to be, or how I was then. But I'm still Elumiel. Isn't that all that really matters, in the end?"
Anyu jumped back a bit in surprise from the sudden slap, and rubbed his cheek. He looked down at the ground until Elumiel finished speaking.
After a moment, he looked at her again to see her turned around. He put his arms around her, and hugged her. "You're right Elumiel... I am so sorry. I don't know what you've been through without me, but I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you through it. As much as I wish I could, I can't change the past. I realize now, that I don't want to live like this anymore. Can you ever forgive me, Elumiel?"
Anyu took a step back, and scratched Shiro behind the ear absently as he awaited Elumiel's responce with tears in his eyes.
El stiffened for a moment when he hugged her, but she relaxed. Slowly, she turned around and moved to him. She raised her hand and brushed away the tears that had managed to slide down his cheek before she softly kissed where she'd slapped him. "Of course I can forgive you, Anyu. When have I ever been able not to?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle embrace, resting her head on his chest. "Just... don't ever do that to me again? Please?" she begged.
After a few moments, she remembered they were still outside the inn, and they'd drawn quite a crowd. Stepping away from Anyu, a flush creeping up the back of her neck, she rounded on the audience. "What are you staring at? There's nothing to see here! Go do whatever it is you people do!" she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously. They hastily went back to their business, and she stopped herself from giving them a few licks of her flames to get them speedily on their way. Suddenly embarrassed, she turned to Anyu. "I think perhaps we had best move this... elsewhere. Were you intending to get a room here for the night?"
As Elumiel embraced him, he hugged her gently, and whispered, "I promise, Elumiel."
He blinked as she stepped away and got rid of the crowd, and blushed slightly in embarrassment. He hadn't even noticed the other people until now, he was used to having privacy. "Oh, um, yeah, I was planning on it. Shall we go back inside?"
Anyu walked back inside, followed by Shiro, and sat back down at a table. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling happiness for the first time since before he had left his home. Such a wonderful feeling it was, he wished it would never go away.
Ghost yowled and ran into the inn after Elumiel, mewling pitifully at her, begging her to take a look at his poor, abused tail. She picked him up, examining the appendage. After she deemed that no true harm had come to it, and therefore did not warrant a healer, she rubbed her cheek against Ghost's. "Some people just don't know how to treat a poor, innocent kitten," she told the white ball of fluff. He mewed in agreement.
She picked up her platter of food and moved to a seat beside Anyu, leaning back slightly. "So, you don't know what you're going to do while you're here?" she asked. "I do. I was told that I might be able to find my father, or other relations, here, by looking through the city's registry. I'm not sure that it would be possibly, since I don't even know his name, but I imagine it's possibly. Somehow." She sighed and shook her head, then grinned. "I'm also here because they said some of the greatest mages were here. They can teach me more about polymorphing, and new fire spells I haven't learned yet."
She took a bite of her food, chewing slowly. It was still a little too hot, so she grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit in front of her and nibbled on it, her thoughts wandering.
Anyu scratched his chin for a moment, "About the polymorphing, please don't do that to me again. It was... weird." He chuckled a bit, then reached down and pet Shiro for a moment, "I really had no plans when I came here. Lately I've just been wandering, and this is where my journey of these lands began, so it seemed logical. I wanted to start over."
He looked at the white kitten, "Is his tail alright? I could take a look at it if you want, I can do a bit of healing myself, but only for animals. It's the only thing I've ever been able to practice on."
He pulled a snack out of his pack for Shiro, but broke off a small piece before handing to rest to the tiger. He laid the tiny piece on the table. "Here you go, Ghost was it? So, what how do you plan to find relations? Do you have anything to go off of, besides they might be here?"
"It does feel rather strange. At least you weren't turned into a pig. My instructor did that to me," she said, blushing. "It was embarassing. I got her back, though." Elumiel grinned mischievously. "So, if you wanted to start over... do you suppose this is a good new beginning? Finding me here?" she asked, her voice soft.
She picked up Ghost and set him on the table, motioning for Anyu to go ahead and take a look. Maybe he could see something she couldn't. "Someone stepped on his tail while he was outside," she said, irritated. "He's just a... well, he might have been an innocent kitten," she said, wrinkling her nose at the fluff-ball. "I can't imagine why someone would do something like that."
Letting her long-time friend take a look at her beloved kitten, she leaned back in her seat and mulled over his questions. "I... don't really know where to begin. I have a few trinkets, things that belonged to my mother, one or two from my father. I was hoping maybe they would hold some clues to who they were. There has to be a historian or an archivist that records family histories... right?" she asked, sighing again.
Anyu reached to the kitten as it munched on the snack he left, and gently help his tail. He squeezed a section of the tail gently, then another, and another, stopping when the kitten twitched on the third squeeze. "He's in a little pain, it seems, but nothing major. I can fix that up no problem." He focused for a moment and a slight green glow emanated from his palm. He help the tail in that hand for a moment, then patted Ghost on the head. "There, that should do it, poor thing."
He pondered Elumiel's question for a moment,"I suppose this would be the best way to start over that I could think of." He smiled at Elumiel warmly, "And I'll try my best to help you in your search. We can start first thing tomorrow, if you wish."