This time Father Delion was waiting for Beckyann when she arrived. He'd been standing just outside the abbey, a pack resting near his feet as he watched the day fade towards twilight. There was only an hour or so before the sun set fully, and he was hoping that they'd have time to witness it from the place he planned to take her.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the woman wandered out of the trees nearby. It was odd that she didn't take the road, and that she never had a steed to carry her, but he dashed such concerns from his mind as he watched her approach. This evening she'd forgone the dresses he had seen her in previously, instead wearing fitted pants that were faded at just the right spots to be fashionable and to make one wonder if it was intentional or perhaps they were old. These were matched with calf-high, soft leather boots that had seen better days, and amusingly enough what appeared to be a t-shirt with a logo on it covered by a short vest. Father Delion smiled as he realized the black shirt had some sort of skull logo on it that was partially obscured by the vest; likely some musical group that had become popular in Stormwind he supposed.
As he'd hoped, as Beckyann walked up to him, he noted that she carried her violin case with her. As always, her eyes were obscured by the thick glasses he'd come to expect her to be wearing. He grinned and waved at her, bending down to scoop up the pack at his feet, "Becky! Just in time! There is something I wish to show you this evening. Please, follow me."
She nodded, one eyebrow raised in curiosity as she followed along when he turned and began walking. He moved around to the rear of Northshire Abbey, walking up to the stables and opening one of the gates there. Motioning for her to stop for a moment, he walked in and lead a brown horse out, the beast having already been saddled for a ride. As he lead the horse over to where the woman stood, the beast began to fight against the reins, stamping its hooves and trying to back up.
"Hmm, that's odd," Father Delion said, tugging on the reins. "Apple is one of our calmest horses here. I can't imagine what's gotten into her." Try as he might, he could not get the horse to get any closer than ten feet away from Beckyann.
For her part, Beckyann merely smirked, watching the beast struggle for a moment before replying in a low voice, "It's alright. I do not get along well with animals anyway. They don't seem to care much for me."
Father Delion looked at her and smiled, shaking his head, "I cannot imagine why! Your company has been quite pleasant as far as I'm concerned. It is a pity though, I had saddled her so that you could ride. I didn't want you to have to walk the entire distance to where we are going."
Beckyann seemed surprised by the comment, her response slow in coming, "That....is very sweet of you. I can walk though, have no fears. I will not get tired."
With a shrug and a smile Father Delion lead the horse back into the stable, emerging a moment later and slipping the pack on his back, "Well then, walk we shall! Come, the trail is this way. If we hurry, we will be in time!"
With that he set off towards the nearby stream, taking a small, worn path that followed along the edge. Beckyann walked along behind him, showing no signs of strain as the trail became steeper and followed along the stream's course up into the hills. After about ten minutes of walking, the rocky hillside had surrounded them, the stream a more heavily flowing river dotted with rapids as the water crashed against the rocks. Up ahead was a waterfall, a cave set in the side of the rising hills nearby. Father Delion headed in that direction, Beckyann walking along behind him in silence, studying their surroundings.
"Ah here we are then," Father Delion said, turning and smiling at Beckyann. He set his pack down, gesturing at the waterfall and the cave. "This is my own special grotto. It's the place I come to pursue my art and contemplate the greater mysteries of life I suppose you could say."
Beckyann paused, taking a few steps into the clearing between waterfall and cave opening, setting her violin case down. She talk a few cautious steps towards the cave opening before she paused, a hand raised before her. Father Delion frowned, watching her unusual behavior, "Is...is everything alright?"
"A drake died in this cave a long long time ago," came the quiet reply. "You can feel the echo of it, even now. It is...unnerving."
Father Delion blinked, shaking his head, "How can you be certain? I'm sure that whatever it is you are feeling must just be lack of familiarity with the place, no?"
Beckyann turned towards him, studying him through her glasses. Her response was clipped, efficient even, "No."
After a moment of awkward silence, Father Delion shook his head, bending down to open the pack. He withdrew a blanket from within, laying it down on the grass near the edge of the stream towards where the waterfall fell. He also took out a drawing pad and a bottle of what looked like wine. After a moment he sat on the blanket, gesturing for Beckyann to join him. She hesitated a moment before walking over and slipping down onto the soft fabric, looking out over the stream.
"It is here that I draw my inspiration for my art," Father Delion said. "This is a hobby that I myself engage in when I'm not working with the mysteries of the Light. I thought to show you both my work, and this place, thinking that perhaps you might draw your own inspiration from it. The beauty that the Light gifts us each day is amplified here I think. Certainly it helps me focus on the positive when I am here."
For her part, Beckyann merely looked around, taking in the surroundings. Whether or not they moved her was hard to tell, as her face remained somewhat impassive. Father Delion smiled at her, gesturing at the waterfall, "It is this that I wish to show you. In a few minutes the sun will set, and I think you will enjoy what you see here. At least I hope you will."
He opened his drawing pad, showing Beckyann a drawing he'd made of the place. In black and white, the image was done with a charcoal pencil, carefully smeared to give the proper shading effects to the image. She nodded, impressed despite herself at the perfection in the simple drawing. Father Delion grinned, taking a pencil out and opening the pad to a fresh page. Before he began drawing, he motioned to the wine bottle, tilting his head, "Would you care for some wine?"
She smiled at this, shaking her head slowly, "Thank you, that's very sweet, but I don't drink."
He paused, mentally berating himself for bringing the bottle. Another part of his mind contemplated the odd tones in her voice when she said 'I don't drink'. It had seemed to imply something else, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Shaking his head, he smiled at her, "Not to worry, I only brought it in case you'd care for some. Let us enjoy the moment I wish you to see then!"
With that he began to draw as Beckyann sat and watched the waterfall. As the minutes passed by and the sun fully set, the last slanting rays of sunlight glimmered, seeming to set the clouds on fire and making them a range of pink and orange that was breathtaking. That was not the most amazing thing about the place though, for the colors of the sky reflected in the falling waters, illuminating the waterfall with deep pink and red colors. Beckyann found herself actually admiring the falling water; it looked like blood after all.
She smiled, looking over at him and nodding, "It's...it's actually quite beautiful. Thank you for showing me this. I can see how you might draw some inspiration from this scene for your art. Certainly this would not be an unpleasant place to sit and think for a time."
He grinned at her and then looked back down at the drawing pad. He took a deep breath, seeming nervous about something, "Actually, I think tonight is particularly special. There is more inspiration for me here than usual, since you have decided to join me."
With that he flipped the drawing pad around, and Beckyann gasped with surprise. In the short time it had taken the sun to set, he had quickly drawn her as she sat enraptured by the falling waters. He'd captured her image perfectly, in fact too perfectly. She looked flawless in the image; a timeless beauty staring off at the wonders of the world. The passion in the drawing was obvious just from a glance, and she found herself at a loss for words.
Father Delion smiled, leaning over and taking one of her hands in his, "I...I hope you don't mind. It's just, well...the past few days have been quite marvelous. I set out to inspire you and encourage you on your path to the Light, but you have in turn inspired me, Becky."
She trembled, some emotion running through her that he could not identify. He could feel it in the cold hand he held in his own, see it in the tension of her expression. A soft sigh escaped her, and to his surprise two streaks of dirty, brackish tears ran down her face. Clearly she must be wearing makeup beneath the glasses and her tears had caused it to run. He released his hold on her hand, reaching up tentatively to wipe the tears away.
She jerked her head away, gasping, "D-don't. Don't touch me. You c-can't!"
She scrambled back away from him much more quickly than he'd have expected her to move, the tears glistening on her face as the moon began to shine. She rose, backing away from him and stumbling on the loose stones, shaking her head, "This c-can't...You mustn't think this way. You d-don't understand, and it h-hurts me...I can't...I have to go."
She turned and dashed away. With wide eyes Father Delion rose, hands stretched out towards her departing back, "Becky! Becky wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you! Please come back! Please don't go!"
But she didn't heed him, running off into the night. He was concerned for her, not only because he'd upset her, but because she was running so quickly in the dark. There was no way he could stop her though. Even as he tried to follow, she had darted back down the path, lost from sight. He turned, feeling downtrodden as he plodded back up to the place he'd left his pack, berating himself aloud.
"Good one, Robert," he murmured angrily as he began to shove the blanket back in the pack. "You've gone and mucked it up, and possibly harmed her ability to reconnect with the Light. All because of your stupid romantic's heart. You should have left well enough alone!"
He grabbed his notepad, pausing as he saw the image he'd drawn of her, shaking his head. It didn't matter what he wanted to do, he felt the way he felt. She was beautiful to him, intelligent and special. A part of him was glad he'd told her, even if it hadn't gone as planned. He just hoped that she would not hate him for it.
As he turned to leave, he spied her violin case laying on the ground. In her haste, she'd forgotten it. He picked it up, nodding to himself as he tucked it under one arm, "If she comes back for this, I will apologize."
With a sigh he began the lonely trek back down the trail and towards the abbey. In the darkness of the night, a horrible screech echoed through the forest, making him pause. It was not repeated, and he shook his head, deciding that it must have been some animal at hunt.
After all, he wasn't familiar enough with undead gryphons to recognize the sound of one being beaten thoroughly when it attempted to bite its enraged Mistress.
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