Emerald Mosaic

The sun had come and gone as it usually does over the city of Shattrath. Night had come, and with it the usual display of stars overhead.

The Aldor guards stood watch outside of the temporary quarters on the Aldor Rise, safeguarding the person inside. Though they had questioned the validity in guarding a Kaldorei druid, they were not one to disobey command and had done a splendid job of keeping the elf inside.

Peering through the open doorway, they saw the elf sitting on the balcony, reading a book. She seemed intently focused on her reading, as she had not yet touched that night's dinner just yet, a simple meal of bread, some cheese, and dried talbuk.

Turning their gaze away from the elf, the guards settled in once more for several more hours of a vigorous if not boring watch.

From far off in the distance a lone figure took a long drag off a cigarette. After holding in the smoke for a moment or two, the figure slowly exhaled, dropping the cigarette down to the ground then quickly snuffing it out with its boot. Grabbing an ornate spyglass from its pack, the figure focused its gaze on the guards.

As if on queue, several mechanical squirrels scurried into view, darting this way and that, much to the amusement of the guards. The squirrels would pause, rear up on their hind legs and chitter at the guards, shaking their metal tails. Each squirrel scurried off to a spot around the guards, away from each other, almost as if they're positions had been pre-coordinated.

The guards laughed, delighted at this mechanical diversion. They looked over their shoulders every so often to check on the Kaldorei, but she was occupied with writing what looked to be in a journal. Turning their attention back to the squirrels, they clapped and cheered as the little metal beasts started to do tricks.

From off in the distance the figure smiled. Bending down to reach into a beaten leather pack that lay at her feet, it pulled out what appeared to be a remote control of sorts.

"Hold on to yer hooves mates... its time fer fun." the figure said as she pressed down on a red button on the remote.

Atlus's meditations were disturbed by a loud explosion. If he had known nothing of just what was about occur, he might have got to his hooves and stepped outside to investigate. He might have been concerned that perhaps the Scryers had declared war on Aldor Rise as he so often suspected they might do one day.

But the fact was that he knew exactly what was going on. He smiled softly, closed his eyes and whispered a short prayer.

"Is suppose that's my queue?" Arahadord asked. Atlus gave a little nod. "Don't do anything with Dathanar I wouldn't do."

As he left, he tossed the slumbering bundle of joy into the air which Atlus caught promptly. He ran out onto the balcony and, withough a second thought, leapt from the height. He fell freely for only a moment before Equinox the Gryphon caught him on his back.

"Lets go rescue a cat."

Avie sat writing in her journal, a casual hobby that she had taken up as of late. She paused a moment to choose the right wording that best decribed her current situation, tapping her pen against her chin. The right wording coming to mind, she smiled as she started writing again.

It was then a large explosion rocked the living quarters of Aldor Rise, sending her tumbling over backwards. She scrambed to her feet and quickly looked towards the front of the building, the confused shouts of the guards.

"It was the squir..." one guard screamed, cut off as yet another explosion seemed to rock Aldor Rise to its very foundations. Avie screamed and ran outside to the balcony. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the guards scrambling around trying to maintain order, while swirling smoke started to fill the front of the building.

Colored smoke. Shades of white, green, and purple.

Avie stared in bewilderment, wondering just what in Nether was going on. Someone was assaulting the Aldor Rise, and had chosen the outside of her quarters as the main battle ground.

It was a very short flight from Atlus's home to the balcony that Avie stood upon. Arahadord could see her clearly now. Several thoughts went through his head as he looked down upon her. One of them being how grateful she might be for this rescue, another, perhaps more logical thought, where he might have to be his humble self.

Equinox circled the air above Avie, looking for the best spot to land. He swooped down steeply and landed just in front of her, flapping his large wings.

Arahadord offered her his hand. "Get on."

Several more explosions rocked the Aldor Rise, further adding to the confusion and chaos as people scrambled to get to safety. Colored smoke covered most of the western side of the Rise, obscuring what exactly was going on.

Avie stared in confusion, worried that the explosions might draw closer. Glancing down over the edge of the balcony, she knew it was quite a fall if she were to try to jump to safety. As she pondered the odds of surviving such a fall, a gryphon landed just in front of her.

Avie blinked as she stared at the beast's rider. A man dressed all in black, his face covered with a cowl extended his hand towards her, simply muttering "Get on."

Avie stared at the man she called a friend, gazing from him back towards the chaos as yet another explosion went off. For as much chaos that was occuring just outside her quarters, she had yet to hear of anyone that had been injured. It almost seemed as if the entire fiasco had been staged.

"If I stay here I'm as good as dead... but if I go..." she thought to herself as she glanced back towards Arahadord. A silly grin coming to her face, she remembered her best friend's words:

"Yeh only live once mate... so live like yeh dun give a shit."

Reaching out for Araha's hand, she climbed onto the gryphon and sat just in front of him. Smiling mischeviously, she cried out "Lets go!"

Equinox cawed loudly as he spread his wings. With a single beat they were up in the air and then they were plummeting, diving toward the central circle of the city. The gryphon spread it's wings once more a split second before they hit the ground. They were flying so low and so quickly that several people had to dive out of the way.

Arahadord's cloak was billowing wildly as they flew and his cowl was threatening to be blown away. He clung tightly to Equinox's bridle as they flew into the shrine in the very centre of Shattrath. The gryphon turned left suddenly, very narrowly missing A'dal. They flew straight through the portal to Ironforge and came rocketing out of the Mystic Ward not a moment later.

Equinox circled around the Mystic Ward to slow himself down. They landed gently upon the balcony of Hellbane Manor.

"We decided to relocate you to somewhere a little safer." Arahadord said finally. "My home."

Avie smiled from ear to ear as the gryphon pressed its wings against its body and dived down towards the ground. The wind rushed past her, her hair flying wildly behind her. The ground came closer with each passing second, when at the last moment she felt the great beast spread his wings once again and pulled out of the dive, screaming towards the very epicenter of Shattrath.

They flew low to the ground, taking advantage of the gryphon's momentum as they buzzed several people, sending them scrambling for cover. The beast suddenly banked a hard left, narrowly missing the Naaru in the center of the shrine, much to Avie's delight. The beast righted its course and flew directly towards the portal which lead to the dwarven capital.

Avie smiled as she saw the portal loom before them. For the first time in what seemed ages she felt free, and alive.

"We decided to relocate you to somewhere a little safer." Arahadord had told her, once they safely reached Ironforge. Avie smirked slightly, as judging by the pyrotechnic distraction she could only guess as to who was in cahoots with such a daring rescue.

"My home."

Avie smiled. It may have been his home, but to her it was sanctuary. It was a place she could relax and try to clear her mind, try to come up with some way to put an end to the mad gnome's ways.

It was a place she would be safe.

Sarilus smiled slyly over his cup at the draenei warrior sitting next to him. The tentacle-faced fool had bought a charm from Shy'ster outside town that was apparantly supposed to prevent him from feeling the effects of alcohol very strongly, and he had marched into the World's End tavern and declared himself willing to match any patron in drinking, with the tab on his bill if he lost. That sounded like a fine deal to Sarilus, who had his own drunk-modulation remedy safe in his pouch, its effectiveness well-tested during Brewfest. The warrior had readily agreed to the contest with the very attractive female draenei, expecting that her slight body would never be able to handle as much booze as he could put away, and Sarilus had played the part of the hapless ingenue to the hilt.

Sure enough, the drunk cure was exactly as effective as the other wares sold by Shy'ster. It seemed, if anything, to make the effects of the drinks more powerful. After only three glasses of bourbon, the warrior was weaving and slurring, while Sarilus felt merely pleasantly warm. If he played this right, he would end up with an evening of free drinks, quite possibly a companion for the night, and the contents of the warrior's purse to boot...

As he was signaling for a fourth round, an explosion erupted somewhere in the city. The patrons of the bar jumped to their feet - except his drinking opponent, who immediately flopped onto the floor. Normally a hardened lot, the thought of re-opened hostilities breaking the peace of Shattrath was enough to make even the darkest or drunkest heart skip a beat. As a crowd, they rushed towards the entrance, jamming in the doorway as another explosion echoed through the city, while the bar's owner began cursing and packing away his most expensive vintages.

Outside was chaos. The everpresent refugees were in a panic, dragging what few belongings they had, many heading for the tunnels, mindlessly fleeing the renewal of wars in a place they had believed to be a safe haven. Draenei guards who normally would have cautioned them against the dangers outside were shouting over their stone communicators, preparing to fortify the city for a last stand. Flying mounts were as thick in the air as a flock of sparrows, sometimes tangling up with each other, causing them to plummet to the ground in a mass of flailing wings and furious riders. To cap the scene of disaster, a thick plume of smoke was rising from Aldor Rise.

Sarilus stared at the scene, halfway between amused and aghast. He was as vulnerable as any of the refugees here; if the Legion attacked now, he'd find himself fighting or dying in this city - both of which he would strongly prefer to avoid. Along with a good proportion of the crowd, he began pushing his way towards the portals in the city's center.

By the time he was nearing the portals, draenei guards were shouting that there was no attack, it was a disturbance centered on Aldor Rise, everything was fine, nothing to worry about. Like the rest of the mob, Sarilus didn't particularly care. He wanted to get out of the town for a while anyway - *just in case*. As the crowd carried him towards the gates, he could see a couple of draenei mages on the sides, trying to shut down the spell. He wasn't sure if they meant to prevent word of the sort-of-attack from spreading, stop the culprits from escaping, or contain the mob before it spread to other cities, but he didn't particularly care. With a last burst of effort, he leapt towards one of the glowing, shimmering gates, unable to see which one he'd picked and not particularly caring.

In an instant, he found himself standing in the soft blue light of the Mystic Ward in Ironforge, along with a crowd of similarly dazed refugees. After glancing around to orient himself, he pushed outside, intending to head to the tavern for another much-needed drink.

Arahadord shooed Equinox away. He cawed softly, beat his wings once and took off. He lead the druid inside his house, bolting the balcony door behind him. He hurried downstairs with his cloak billowing behind him, past the portrait of Leriqite, and bolted the front door too.

He returned to the upper floor, taking off his cowl now. "I'm sorry if that all seemed a little dramatic." Arahadord apologized. "Dewberry and Atlus agreed that a great distraction was needed divert so much attention."

Arahadord picked an apple from the fruit bowl on the table and peered at it thoughtfully. "Now, I'm certain that we're going to get i quite a lot of trouble for having done this so if anyone asks, Atlus had nothing to do with this."

He winked once and took a bite out of the apple.

Avie chuckled, trying her best to imagine the Farseer up to mischief. He was always so serious and thoughtful, the thought of the Draenei up to no good amused her.

"Atlus who?" Avie winked. "If I know Dewy she'll take the heat for all this. She was never one to have other's get blamed for her own antics."

Avie spent the next few hours exploring the Hellbane Manor, remarking at how cozy and comforting it was. She liked that fact that Araha had such a warm place to come to at the end of the day, but she couldnt help but feel as if something was missing from home. She gazed for a long time at the hanging portrait, astonished at how similar she looked to Leriqite.

Avie ran a finger along the scar that crossed her face. "Well.. somewhat similar." she thought.

The evening soon came, and Avie had settled into a chair in the common's area of Araha's home. She was writing in her journal again, but paused as she heard a commotion outside. Straining to hear, she swore she heard Xyra yelling. The guild hall just happened to be next door to the Hellbane Manor, causing Avie to be curious as to just who was getting torn a new one this night.

"I wouldn't worry." Arahadord said, not looking up from his book. He thought that Avie might have been a little alarmed by the noise. "If they're looking for you then the last place they will look is right under their nose. So you see, we have a fair amount of time."

The grandfather clock at the end of the room struck several tones. At this, he snapped his book shut and got to his feet. Arahadord stepped over to the portrait and pulled out a candle from beneath his cloak and the Burning Edge. His the wick with the blade and placed it on the floor beneath the portrait, whispering his family moto. "Through the power of truth, I while living shall conquer the universe."

Arahadord stood silently for a moment, gazing thoughtfully at the portrait. He looked into eyes of the painted image with his hands held behind his back.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were examining this portrait for some time a short while ago." Arahadord spoke finally. "The artist is quite talented to say the very least."

Avie watched as Arahadord lit a candle and placed it beneath the portrait of the deceased Kaldorei. She listened as he muttered a quote, curious as to its origins.

She blinked, embarrased when she realized she had been caught staring at the painting.

"It is quite a splendid painting, dearie. It has truly captured her likeness." Avie replied, turning her gaze back to the portrait.

Avie slowly traced the scar on her face with her finger again.

"I know... My being here is not easy for you." she said softly. She turned, gazing at Arahadord eye to eye. "I am... sorry that I am a painful reminder. But please know that I am very grateful for what you did for me, Arahadord."