Post by Annalira Delshannon on Feb 24, 2007 2:31:16 GMT -5
The apartment was in shambles.
Chairs knocked over, the table upset, crocks of flour and sugar smashed all over the small countertop, vials of ink cracked and oozing on the counter and the windowsill. Her herb cabinet had been flung open, its contents strewn about the floor, making small gritty, crunching noises as she stepped through. The bookshelf had been toppled over on one side, all the books now scattered on the floor, some covered with flour and sugar, all with bits of herbs around them. Small flakes of fine paper ash floated in the air as the breeze from a broken window stirred up the long dark fireplace.
With a small squeak, Anna called out over her GuildCom – hoping someone would be around to help her make sense of this senseless mess. Polrena was around – her voice concerned – and Vangelis and Valand. Was she alright? Yes, she was fine – just startled. Was it ruffians? She didn’t know. What was missing? Books, mostly.
Books… HER books – and not hers. Robbyn had let her borrow his copy of the ever esoteric Magical Enchantments of the Nethergarde to see if there were any more useful bits of knowledge buried under the jargon and spidery handwriting… stolen. Anna hurriedly set the table upright and began to take stock of her books. Holy Light and Song… Advanced Shielding… Channeling the Divine Spirit…Healing through Herbalism… Most were there – if dirty. Three of her own books were, however, missing. The Power of Words to Strengthen and Destroy, and two books of Shadow spells. One of her notebooks was gone too – the one she’d been using to write notes about her most recent adventures and books, including the Nethergarde book.
“Anna – Anna, we need to know if there was anything dangerous in the books that are now missing.” Valand’s voice crackled through her Com, level as always, but with an edge – something was bothering him.
“Dangerous?”
“Yes, anything that could be deemed any sort of threat to you or those around you… or anyone else, for that matter.”
Anna thought for a moment – all of those books were about advanced spellwork, particularly healing and priestly spellwork. Other than Nethergarde, they’d be a bit hard to decipher, even for an experienced mage. Perhaps some young, cocky idiot might blow up a trashcan, but…
She leaned on the kitchen counter briefly, squelching her left hand into some half-dried purple ink. Sighing, she washed it off, looking around for something to use to start a fire in the quickly darkening room. Then she noticed the fireplace.
Sitting, half burned on the edge of the hearth was the corner of a letter. A letter from her younger sisters, written in their girlish scrawl, with hearts over the ‘I’’s and bubbly exclamation points. Frantically, Anna overturned the piles of papers strewn about from the collapse of the bookshelf – her letters were gone.
“Letters?” Valand’s voice again, “what kind of letters?”
“From my family, mostly – my only real contact with home. A few from former Defenders.”
His voice darkened, “which Defenders?”
Anna wracked her brain for the contents of the letters – some were over a year old now. She knew one had been from Emizael, and a short one from Angoleth. And the letter she’d gotten from Lord D’ana’no, before his… well… before all that mess – when she was first beginning her journey, first moving into the now abandoned Defender’s Hall.
She shivered, brushing tears from her face. Dusk crept slowly over the city, and the cool afternoon breeze had turned into a brisk evening wind. She went back into the bedroom, stopping short at the door.
Everything in the bedroom had been overturned. Her tiny wardrobe had been opened, clothes strewn about haphazardly. Even the trunk, padlocked, had been wrenched open with a prybar, its contents rifled through and left lying on the bed and the floor. Nothing seemed to be missing, other than the letters and the old Defender’s tabard that she’d found that day in the Cathedral. Pushing aside a few of her light summer robes, she sat down on the little bed, springs creaking with the sudden weight. She couldn’t stay here – not tonight, after all of this, and in the midst of this mess.
Polrena’s voice crackled through the Com this time – concerned. “Have you called the Stormwind Guard? You must do something – this kind of lawlessness should not be allowed free reign!”
“I know, but… it IS Old Town – and they didn’t really steal anything… just made a mess. Even my fanciest clothes are still here.”
Valand finally offered the solution. Next door was the Pig and Whistle tavern; he had a room reserved there. He’d stay the night in her little apartment, if she wanted to stay at the inn. As tired as she was, she grabbed her quilt off its stand in the corner – if nothing else, she still had that – and made her way over to the Pig and Whistle. On her way out, she stopped to talk to Mrs. Stone, the wife of the swordmaker whose upper room she rented, but the woman hadn’t heard anything. Anna wasn’t surprised, considering the amount of noise that the grinder made most of the day in the shop.
Valand was going to meet her at the inn, so Anna stepped inside to get warm. Almost immediately, the barmaid bustled over and poured her a glass of brandy, bustling about how she looked a fright and needed something to “keep the chill off her bones”. And so, stepping outside to meet Valand, the alcohol buzzed through her head and she nearly fell down the steps.
As they stepped inside, Valand yelled over to one of the barkeeps, whose name was apparently Reese, and who was apparently somewhat hard of hearing: “Reese! This young lady will be staying in my room tonight, no one but her and I are to be getting in or out that door, can you do that for me?”
Reese muttered something incomprehensible.
“No, I won’t be staying with her, thanks for asking. Just make sure someone watches the door, ok? Thanks Reese”
Valand led her up the stairs to a small room on the southern side of the inn. It wasn’t big, just a bed, an end table, and a table in the corner strewn with books, but it was clean, and a fire burned low in the fireplace. Anna flopped the quilt down on the bed and peeked out the window. She could see “Honest Blades”, the Stone’s swordshop, next door.
“Anna – keep those blinds closed, if you want to peer out. Nobody knows you’re here, I don’t think, but still, I’d rather you be careful. There’s a dagger in the mattress as well.” Polrena chimed in assent, and offered her help, if Anna needed it.
She smiled, pulling the curtain closed. After all of that, she was pretty sure she’d not be up for spying on her own apartment, but it was good to hear the voices of her friends and to have Valand there. Val muttered something about not needing to warn her, and got up to leave.
“Thank you, Valand. It’s… been a trying day.” Anna blinked back tears again, willing herself not to cry here, now, where someone was already concerned for her. He was going to stay the night in the shambles of her apartment, with a member of the Stormwind Guard to help. She wasn’t sure what good it would do; nobody had expected her back so soon, and only a very few knew she was in town, but it wouldn’t hurt, and she was in his room at the inn.
Valand made to leave, showing her how to bolt the door, and suggesting she run a chair under the doorknob. “I’ll be out for a little while yet, Anna, but Reese and the rest are downstairs if you need anything.” He brushed her shoulder softly. “Be careful, and get some rest. Goodnight.”
Anna called goodnight to him, closed, bolted, and chaired the door. She thought about letting the fire burn down, but decided she’d rather be too warm than in the dark, and stoked it back up until it was crackling merrily. The bed wasn’t hers, but it was comfortable as she lay on the rough spread, wrapped in her mother’s quilt, with fragments of letters running through her mind and down her cheeks with icy tears. After awhile though, exhaustion took over, and she fell asleep.
((apologies for errors - I'll fix them as I find them - it's late, and I wanted to get it up!))
Chairs knocked over, the table upset, crocks of flour and sugar smashed all over the small countertop, vials of ink cracked and oozing on the counter and the windowsill. Her herb cabinet had been flung open, its contents strewn about the floor, making small gritty, crunching noises as she stepped through. The bookshelf had been toppled over on one side, all the books now scattered on the floor, some covered with flour and sugar, all with bits of herbs around them. Small flakes of fine paper ash floated in the air as the breeze from a broken window stirred up the long dark fireplace.
With a small squeak, Anna called out over her GuildCom – hoping someone would be around to help her make sense of this senseless mess. Polrena was around – her voice concerned – and Vangelis and Valand. Was she alright? Yes, she was fine – just startled. Was it ruffians? She didn’t know. What was missing? Books, mostly.
Books… HER books – and not hers. Robbyn had let her borrow his copy of the ever esoteric Magical Enchantments of the Nethergarde to see if there were any more useful bits of knowledge buried under the jargon and spidery handwriting… stolen. Anna hurriedly set the table upright and began to take stock of her books. Holy Light and Song… Advanced Shielding… Channeling the Divine Spirit…Healing through Herbalism… Most were there – if dirty. Three of her own books were, however, missing. The Power of Words to Strengthen and Destroy, and two books of Shadow spells. One of her notebooks was gone too – the one she’d been using to write notes about her most recent adventures and books, including the Nethergarde book.
“Anna – Anna, we need to know if there was anything dangerous in the books that are now missing.” Valand’s voice crackled through her Com, level as always, but with an edge – something was bothering him.
“Dangerous?”
“Yes, anything that could be deemed any sort of threat to you or those around you… or anyone else, for that matter.”
Anna thought for a moment – all of those books were about advanced spellwork, particularly healing and priestly spellwork. Other than Nethergarde, they’d be a bit hard to decipher, even for an experienced mage. Perhaps some young, cocky idiot might blow up a trashcan, but…
She leaned on the kitchen counter briefly, squelching her left hand into some half-dried purple ink. Sighing, she washed it off, looking around for something to use to start a fire in the quickly darkening room. Then she noticed the fireplace.
Sitting, half burned on the edge of the hearth was the corner of a letter. A letter from her younger sisters, written in their girlish scrawl, with hearts over the ‘I’’s and bubbly exclamation points. Frantically, Anna overturned the piles of papers strewn about from the collapse of the bookshelf – her letters were gone.
“Letters?” Valand’s voice again, “what kind of letters?”
“From my family, mostly – my only real contact with home. A few from former Defenders.”
His voice darkened, “which Defenders?”
Anna wracked her brain for the contents of the letters – some were over a year old now. She knew one had been from Emizael, and a short one from Angoleth. And the letter she’d gotten from Lord D’ana’no, before his… well… before all that mess – when she was first beginning her journey, first moving into the now abandoned Defender’s Hall.
She shivered, brushing tears from her face. Dusk crept slowly over the city, and the cool afternoon breeze had turned into a brisk evening wind. She went back into the bedroom, stopping short at the door.
Everything in the bedroom had been overturned. Her tiny wardrobe had been opened, clothes strewn about haphazardly. Even the trunk, padlocked, had been wrenched open with a prybar, its contents rifled through and left lying on the bed and the floor. Nothing seemed to be missing, other than the letters and the old Defender’s tabard that she’d found that day in the Cathedral. Pushing aside a few of her light summer robes, she sat down on the little bed, springs creaking with the sudden weight. She couldn’t stay here – not tonight, after all of this, and in the midst of this mess.
Polrena’s voice crackled through the Com this time – concerned. “Have you called the Stormwind Guard? You must do something – this kind of lawlessness should not be allowed free reign!”
“I know, but… it IS Old Town – and they didn’t really steal anything… just made a mess. Even my fanciest clothes are still here.”
Valand finally offered the solution. Next door was the Pig and Whistle tavern; he had a room reserved there. He’d stay the night in her little apartment, if she wanted to stay at the inn. As tired as she was, she grabbed her quilt off its stand in the corner – if nothing else, she still had that – and made her way over to the Pig and Whistle. On her way out, she stopped to talk to Mrs. Stone, the wife of the swordmaker whose upper room she rented, but the woman hadn’t heard anything. Anna wasn’t surprised, considering the amount of noise that the grinder made most of the day in the shop.
Valand was going to meet her at the inn, so Anna stepped inside to get warm. Almost immediately, the barmaid bustled over and poured her a glass of brandy, bustling about how she looked a fright and needed something to “keep the chill off her bones”. And so, stepping outside to meet Valand, the alcohol buzzed through her head and she nearly fell down the steps.
As they stepped inside, Valand yelled over to one of the barkeeps, whose name was apparently Reese, and who was apparently somewhat hard of hearing: “Reese! This young lady will be staying in my room tonight, no one but her and I are to be getting in or out that door, can you do that for me?”
Reese muttered something incomprehensible.
“No, I won’t be staying with her, thanks for asking. Just make sure someone watches the door, ok? Thanks Reese”
Valand led her up the stairs to a small room on the southern side of the inn. It wasn’t big, just a bed, an end table, and a table in the corner strewn with books, but it was clean, and a fire burned low in the fireplace. Anna flopped the quilt down on the bed and peeked out the window. She could see “Honest Blades”, the Stone’s swordshop, next door.
“Anna – keep those blinds closed, if you want to peer out. Nobody knows you’re here, I don’t think, but still, I’d rather you be careful. There’s a dagger in the mattress as well.” Polrena chimed in assent, and offered her help, if Anna needed it.
She smiled, pulling the curtain closed. After all of that, she was pretty sure she’d not be up for spying on her own apartment, but it was good to hear the voices of her friends and to have Valand there. Val muttered something about not needing to warn her, and got up to leave.
“Thank you, Valand. It’s… been a trying day.” Anna blinked back tears again, willing herself not to cry here, now, where someone was already concerned for her. He was going to stay the night in the shambles of her apartment, with a member of the Stormwind Guard to help. She wasn’t sure what good it would do; nobody had expected her back so soon, and only a very few knew she was in town, but it wouldn’t hurt, and she was in his room at the inn.
Valand made to leave, showing her how to bolt the door, and suggesting she run a chair under the doorknob. “I’ll be out for a little while yet, Anna, but Reese and the rest are downstairs if you need anything.” He brushed her shoulder softly. “Be careful, and get some rest. Goodnight.”
Anna called goodnight to him, closed, bolted, and chaired the door. She thought about letting the fire burn down, but decided she’d rather be too warm than in the dark, and stoked it back up until it was crackling merrily. The bed wasn’t hers, but it was comfortable as she lay on the rough spread, wrapped in her mother’s quilt, with fragments of letters running through her mind and down her cheeks with icy tears. After awhile though, exhaustion took over, and she fell asleep.
((apologies for errors - I'll fix them as I find them - it's late, and I wanted to get it up!))
