*Early morning in Darnassus*
Malandrae smiled happily as she walked through the craftsman's terrace of Darnassus. The last glimmering stars shone down above as the sun began to peek over the horizon, slowly lighting the sky above her. The air was cooler this time of year, but always pleasant atop the great tree Teldrassil, and Malandrae had come to appreciate why her people had decided to erect a city here; it was beautiful, comfortable, and felt safe and secluded.
Unfortunately the Highborne knew that her stay in the beautiful city was about to come to a close. Although she dearly wished to stay longer and simply walk around the place to learn its every nook and cranny, she knew that bridging the gap between her people and the more modern people of Darnassus was important. As such, she was determined to set out soon on her journey.
Of course, this meant a bit of shopping first!
While the Highborne had an over-abundance of clothes, she had left many of her things back in Stormwind In Professor Knox's apartment. The things she DID have with her were hardly suitable for the journey she planned; namely a lengthy foray into the thick forest-jungle of Ferralas to help the Sentinels there. As such, it was time to buy some clothes, not that she was complaining!
As Malandrae walked through the Terrace, she noticed that many of the clothing shops were selling items for everyday use. She quickly realized that she would need a more specialized shop that sold travel gear and supplies, otherwise she would be unlikely to find essential items such as proper boots, packs, raincoats, and the like. After a lengthy time searching, she finally came upon a 'general store' type of shop (as the humans would have called it). Smiling to herself, she walked in the door.
Almost immediately she was greeted with an icy stare from the male Kaldorei that ran the shop. As her heels thudded on the wooden floor of the shop's entrance, the green-haired elf rose from the stool he'd been sitting on and walked briskly towards her. He stuck an arm out, blocking her path further into the store.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" he said, his tone menacing.
Malandrae blinked in surprise and stuttered out a response, "I w-was just going to l-look at your wares. I n-need a few things for a trip..."
She trailed off lamely as she saw the look on his face change from icy to utter disgust. He practically spat at her as he spoke, "I don't sell my wares to Highborne. Why don't you go find some other place to shop?"
Malandrae took a step back, still stuttering out excuses. "B-but your s-shop is the only one that sells the things I n-need..." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a few gold coins, holding them in her palm. "I-I'm willing to pay!"
Her attempts to negotiate with the elf were cut short as he slapped the coins from her hands. "I don't want your tainted coins! Your kind isn't welcome in my shop, or this city! Why don't you go crawl back into whatever ruins you came from and rot there? I had family that died in Zin-azshari!"
Malandrae's eyes widened further and she took a hesitant step back. Her coral-painted lips parted to whisper an apology or anything to calm the elf, but it was already too late. Seeing her about to speak again, he snarled and lurched forward, shoving her backwards until she connected solidly with the doorframe. His hand held her there, pinning her against the wood with pressure on her shoulder as he glared at her.
Just as Malandrae thought the elf was about to strike her, a female voice shouted from nearby. "Hey! What's going on over there! Separate at once!"
Not daring to take her eyes off the enraged elf, Malandrae heard the faint sound of metal armor jingling as another figure approached. The shopkeepr released the pressure on her shoulder and took a step back, giving her room to swivel her head in time to see a sentinel approaching.
"What is the meaning of this disturbance?" the sentinel asked. She looked at the two elves and frowned, her eyes lingering on the spellblade that Malandrae carried on her hip.
The Highborne looked at the sentinel with pleading eyes, "I j-just wanted to..."
She was cut off by the shopkeeper as he shouted another outburst. "She tried to force her way into my shop! She and her tainted coin aren't welcome here!"
The sentinel scowled, turning to face Malandrae, "You people should know better than to create disturbances in the city! Go back to your lodgings immediately and we'll forget about this, otherwise I will be forced to place you under arrest."
"B-but..." Malandrae began.
The sentinel placed a hand on the glaive sheathed at her hip, staring the Highborne down. "Go. Now."
With tears in her eyes, Malandrae turned and slowly began to shuffle away, leaving the coins that had been struck from her hand glittering on the ground behind her. She took a few steps, her gaze distant as she felt two sets of eyes boring holes in her back with the intensity of their hatred. Her mind whirled, thoughts conflicting with her natural fears and misgivings.
No. This is wrong. Would the other Roses want you to walk away? Would they be alright with this? What about the next Highborne that comes to his shop? Will they be beaten or struck by the elf because he now thinks it's alright, when all they wanted was to buy some supplies? No. You let this happen once before, in Zin-azshari. Only then it was the commoners that the upper class of the city looked down upon. Would they have been allowed in one of the Queen's balls? Never. And look at what she eventually let happen to them.
You have to stop this now.
Malandrae took a deep breath to steady herself, and turned, her face determined. She marched back towards the shops entrance, even as the sentinel and shopkeeper glared at her. As she approached, the sentinel drew her glaive. The elf pressed one of the sharp edges to Malandrae's belly, the pointed tip a deadly warning.
"I'm telling you right now that you had better turn around and leave," the sentinel warned. "I do not ask twice."
Malandrae paused, tilting her head as she studied the glaive pressed against her body. She forced a smile on her face, despite the fear that made her heart pound. She looked the sentinel over deviously. "Oh, you don't know about the curse. You poor dear you."
The sentinel's eyes widened and her grip on the glaive tightened, "Curse..?"
Malandrae nodded happily, still smiling at the sentinel, "Oh yes. Killing a Highborne in cold blood is TOTALLY not a good idea! Their spirit doesn't turn into a wisp or anything, it just follows you around, moaning and telling everyone that you're a murderer. Oh and there's the mark too!"
The sentinel now looked a little pale, and her glaive wasn't pressed quite as hard against Malandrae's belly. "M-mark...?"
"Yes, the mark!" the Highborne chattered on. "It appears on your forehead. It's a spellmark you see, written in an ancient dialect. I'm still pretty good at speaking it actually. But anyway, it spells out 'killer' and stains your skin. You totally can never remove it. Even if you cut your skin off, it'll just reappear to show all the world that you're a cold blooded Highborne killer."
Behind the sentinel, the shopkeeper shouted, "She lies! There's no such thing!"
The sentinel didn't look so sure, backing up a step. Malandrae simply smiled pleasantly and held up a hand, as if telling them both to wait, "Look, I'll show you!" She reached to her belt, which made the sentinel tense, but only retrieved a small magic mirror. She held it up so the sentinel could see her own reflection.
The elf's eyes widened in horror and her glaive fell from nerveless fingers as she saw a rather evil looking rune appearing on her forehead in the reflection. She gasped, stumbling backwards into the shopkeeper. The elf looked at her in shock and then shoved her away from him. "There's NOTHING on your head. It's an illusion you idiot! Arrest her!"
Malandrae brought the mirror down as the sentinel blinked in surprise, securing it on her belt again before stepping forward, her face inches from the sentinel's. "Yes, it is an illusion. Because I don't curse people with magic. Because I don't like demons, and I don't like magic that hurts people. Because I don't kill children in sadistic rituals. Because everything you know about my people is completely false."
The shopkeeper opened his mouth to protest and Malandrae's hand came up. This time magic did crackle in the air, and he was silenced for a moment. He blinked stupidly at her as she continued to lecture the sentinel. "Yes, I am powerful, as are my people. And yes, we misused that power long ago. That does not mean we don't wish to make amends though. It also doesn't mean ALL of us are a threat to you. Magic is like your glaive. It is a tool, and can be used for good or evil. Only when you stop and consider what we ARE doing NOW will you see that we want to help, because you are OUR people. We're all the same. Do you understand?"
The sentinel nodded numbly, looking at Malandrae with wide eyes. The Highborne smiled, bending down and picking up the glaive, handing it back to the elf. She turned and looked at the male, snapping her fingers and removing the silencing spell. "As for you, shame on you! I'm bringing you coin to feed your family and enrich your home and you treat me like garbage. Worse still, if you really believed that we were so evil and powerful with magic, attacking us with your fists would be a TOTALLY bad idea, wouldn't it?"
The elf massaged his throat, nodding stupidly as he realized that Malandrae hadn't hurt him. She smiled at him and nodded, "Good. Because I would never hurt you with magic. I would let you beat me up with your fists if need be, just to AVOID hurting you. Because I'm not what you think I am."
She paused, fixing a few errant strands of her hair around an ear. Back straight, she sighed and released the tension that had been building inside her, her smile widening. "Now then, I wish to purchase items from your shop, with my perfectly good coin. Then I will leave you alone and go away, but I want you to think about what you are doing. You have to treat everyone the way YOU would want to be treated, do you understand?"
The shopkeeper nodded once, still looking at Malandrae in amazement. She returned the nod and then brushed past him, walking into his shop under the watchful eye of the still amazed sentinel. A few minutes later she had a large stack of supplies and clothing in hand, topped with a pair of new boots for her adventure. She placed them on the shop's counter and put down a more than generous sum of coins for the items. The sentinel sheathed her glaive and moved forward, helping the Highborne gather up the items when she was done paying.
As the two left the shop, the sentinel looked sheepishly at the Sorceress and sighed, "I'm sorry."
Malandrae just returned the smile and nodded, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Our people have every right to fear magic, but they can't fear the people who wield it. We need to work together, and I'm going to do just that. Thank you though...for learning quickly. It is your ability to do that, and people like Corrienda Windwhisper, that will help our people heal one day. I just know it."
With that, the two proceeded down the lanes of the Terrace, heading towards Malandrae's lodgings in the nearby inn.
Malandrae smiled happily as she walked through the craftsman's terrace of Darnassus. The last glimmering stars shone down above as the sun began to peek over the horizon, slowly lighting the sky above her. The air was cooler this time of year, but always pleasant atop the great tree Teldrassil, and Malandrae had come to appreciate why her people had decided to erect a city here; it was beautiful, comfortable, and felt safe and secluded.
Unfortunately the Highborne knew that her stay in the beautiful city was about to come to a close. Although she dearly wished to stay longer and simply walk around the place to learn its every nook and cranny, she knew that bridging the gap between her people and the more modern people of Darnassus was important. As such, she was determined to set out soon on her journey.
Of course, this meant a bit of shopping first!
While the Highborne had an over-abundance of clothes, she had left many of her things back in Stormwind In Professor Knox's apartment. The things she DID have with her were hardly suitable for the journey she planned; namely a lengthy foray into the thick forest-jungle of Ferralas to help the Sentinels there. As such, it was time to buy some clothes, not that she was complaining!
As Malandrae walked through the Terrace, she noticed that many of the clothing shops were selling items for everyday use. She quickly realized that she would need a more specialized shop that sold travel gear and supplies, otherwise she would be unlikely to find essential items such as proper boots, packs, raincoats, and the like. After a lengthy time searching, she finally came upon a 'general store' type of shop (as the humans would have called it). Smiling to herself, she walked in the door.
Almost immediately she was greeted with an icy stare from the male Kaldorei that ran the shop. As her heels thudded on the wooden floor of the shop's entrance, the green-haired elf rose from the stool he'd been sitting on and walked briskly towards her. He stuck an arm out, blocking her path further into the store.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" he said, his tone menacing.
Malandrae blinked in surprise and stuttered out a response, "I w-was just going to l-look at your wares. I n-need a few things for a trip..."
She trailed off lamely as she saw the look on his face change from icy to utter disgust. He practically spat at her as he spoke, "I don't sell my wares to Highborne. Why don't you go find some other place to shop?"
Malandrae took a step back, still stuttering out excuses. "B-but your s-shop is the only one that sells the things I n-need..." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a few gold coins, holding them in her palm. "I-I'm willing to pay!"
Her attempts to negotiate with the elf were cut short as he slapped the coins from her hands. "I don't want your tainted coins! Your kind isn't welcome in my shop, or this city! Why don't you go crawl back into whatever ruins you came from and rot there? I had family that died in Zin-azshari!"
Malandrae's eyes widened further and she took a hesitant step back. Her coral-painted lips parted to whisper an apology or anything to calm the elf, but it was already too late. Seeing her about to speak again, he snarled and lurched forward, shoving her backwards until she connected solidly with the doorframe. His hand held her there, pinning her against the wood with pressure on her shoulder as he glared at her.
Just as Malandrae thought the elf was about to strike her, a female voice shouted from nearby. "Hey! What's going on over there! Separate at once!"
Not daring to take her eyes off the enraged elf, Malandrae heard the faint sound of metal armor jingling as another figure approached. The shopkeepr released the pressure on her shoulder and took a step back, giving her room to swivel her head in time to see a sentinel approaching.
"What is the meaning of this disturbance?" the sentinel asked. She looked at the two elves and frowned, her eyes lingering on the spellblade that Malandrae carried on her hip.
The Highborne looked at the sentinel with pleading eyes, "I j-just wanted to..."
She was cut off by the shopkeeper as he shouted another outburst. "She tried to force her way into my shop! She and her tainted coin aren't welcome here!"
The sentinel scowled, turning to face Malandrae, "You people should know better than to create disturbances in the city! Go back to your lodgings immediately and we'll forget about this, otherwise I will be forced to place you under arrest."
"B-but..." Malandrae began.
The sentinel placed a hand on the glaive sheathed at her hip, staring the Highborne down. "Go. Now."
With tears in her eyes, Malandrae turned and slowly began to shuffle away, leaving the coins that had been struck from her hand glittering on the ground behind her. She took a few steps, her gaze distant as she felt two sets of eyes boring holes in her back with the intensity of their hatred. Her mind whirled, thoughts conflicting with her natural fears and misgivings.
No. This is wrong. Would the other Roses want you to walk away? Would they be alright with this? What about the next Highborne that comes to his shop? Will they be beaten or struck by the elf because he now thinks it's alright, when all they wanted was to buy some supplies? No. You let this happen once before, in Zin-azshari. Only then it was the commoners that the upper class of the city looked down upon. Would they have been allowed in one of the Queen's balls? Never. And look at what she eventually let happen to them.
You have to stop this now.
Malandrae took a deep breath to steady herself, and turned, her face determined. She marched back towards the shops entrance, even as the sentinel and shopkeeper glared at her. As she approached, the sentinel drew her glaive. The elf pressed one of the sharp edges to Malandrae's belly, the pointed tip a deadly warning.
"I'm telling you right now that you had better turn around and leave," the sentinel warned. "I do not ask twice."
Malandrae paused, tilting her head as she studied the glaive pressed against her body. She forced a smile on her face, despite the fear that made her heart pound. She looked the sentinel over deviously. "Oh, you don't know about the curse. You poor dear you."
The sentinel's eyes widened and her grip on the glaive tightened, "Curse..?"
Malandrae nodded happily, still smiling at the sentinel, "Oh yes. Killing a Highborne in cold blood is TOTALLY not a good idea! Their spirit doesn't turn into a wisp or anything, it just follows you around, moaning and telling everyone that you're a murderer. Oh and there's the mark too!"
The sentinel now looked a little pale, and her glaive wasn't pressed quite as hard against Malandrae's belly. "M-mark...?"
"Yes, the mark!" the Highborne chattered on. "It appears on your forehead. It's a spellmark you see, written in an ancient dialect. I'm still pretty good at speaking it actually. But anyway, it spells out 'killer' and stains your skin. You totally can never remove it. Even if you cut your skin off, it'll just reappear to show all the world that you're a cold blooded Highborne killer."
Behind the sentinel, the shopkeeper shouted, "She lies! There's no such thing!"
The sentinel didn't look so sure, backing up a step. Malandrae simply smiled pleasantly and held up a hand, as if telling them both to wait, "Look, I'll show you!" She reached to her belt, which made the sentinel tense, but only retrieved a small magic mirror. She held it up so the sentinel could see her own reflection.
The elf's eyes widened in horror and her glaive fell from nerveless fingers as she saw a rather evil looking rune appearing on her forehead in the reflection. She gasped, stumbling backwards into the shopkeeper. The elf looked at her in shock and then shoved her away from him. "There's NOTHING on your head. It's an illusion you idiot! Arrest her!"
Malandrae brought the mirror down as the sentinel blinked in surprise, securing it on her belt again before stepping forward, her face inches from the sentinel's. "Yes, it is an illusion. Because I don't curse people with magic. Because I don't like demons, and I don't like magic that hurts people. Because I don't kill children in sadistic rituals. Because everything you know about my people is completely false."
The shopkeeper opened his mouth to protest and Malandrae's hand came up. This time magic did crackle in the air, and he was silenced for a moment. He blinked stupidly at her as she continued to lecture the sentinel. "Yes, I am powerful, as are my people. And yes, we misused that power long ago. That does not mean we don't wish to make amends though. It also doesn't mean ALL of us are a threat to you. Magic is like your glaive. It is a tool, and can be used for good or evil. Only when you stop and consider what we ARE doing NOW will you see that we want to help, because you are OUR people. We're all the same. Do you understand?"
The sentinel nodded numbly, looking at Malandrae with wide eyes. The Highborne smiled, bending down and picking up the glaive, handing it back to the elf. She turned and looked at the male, snapping her fingers and removing the silencing spell. "As for you, shame on you! I'm bringing you coin to feed your family and enrich your home and you treat me like garbage. Worse still, if you really believed that we were so evil and powerful with magic, attacking us with your fists would be a TOTALLY bad idea, wouldn't it?"
The elf massaged his throat, nodding stupidly as he realized that Malandrae hadn't hurt him. She smiled at him and nodded, "Good. Because I would never hurt you with magic. I would let you beat me up with your fists if need be, just to AVOID hurting you. Because I'm not what you think I am."
She paused, fixing a few errant strands of her hair around an ear. Back straight, she sighed and released the tension that had been building inside her, her smile widening. "Now then, I wish to purchase items from your shop, with my perfectly good coin. Then I will leave you alone and go away, but I want you to think about what you are doing. You have to treat everyone the way YOU would want to be treated, do you understand?"
The shopkeeper nodded once, still looking at Malandrae in amazement. She returned the nod and then brushed past him, walking into his shop under the watchful eye of the still amazed sentinel. A few minutes later she had a large stack of supplies and clothing in hand, topped with a pair of new boots for her adventure. She placed them on the shop's counter and put down a more than generous sum of coins for the items. The sentinel sheathed her glaive and moved forward, helping the Highborne gather up the items when she was done paying.
As the two left the shop, the sentinel looked sheepishly at the Sorceress and sighed, "I'm sorry."
Malandrae just returned the smile and nodded, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Our people have every right to fear magic, but they can't fear the people who wield it. We need to work together, and I'm going to do just that. Thank you though...for learning quickly. It is your ability to do that, and people like Corrienda Windwhisper, that will help our people heal one day. I just know it."
With that, the two proceeded down the lanes of the Terrace, heading towards Malandrae's lodgings in the nearby inn.
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