Old Familiar Faces

Braeth'el leaned against the wall, his arms folded and his eyes half-closed as he casually loitered. Dressed in a simple pair of pants and a tunic that had no sleeves, he looked like many of the other commoners that milled about along the avenues and ways in this part of Silvermoon. He'd paid careful attention to detail, ensuring that his clothing and look was authentic to the elves that frequented this place, so as not to draw attention to himself, and then spent the past hour or so casually making his way through the city towards his destination.

His target stood now across the street from him, not a person but instead an edifice set back against the winding street. Rising several stories up, the miniature spire featured a gold and white, gated wall that cut the front of the property off from entry by those passing below on the street. On either side of the building sat rows of carefully tended gardens, with benches and inviting fountains meant to beautify the area around the small structure and make it look more magnificent.

Of course, House Dawnslight had little reason for such displays, especially given that the structure was only one of their many properties within the city. Even so, to Braeth'el's practiced eye the gardens were unnecessary and actually were a potential detriment to the security of the building, allowing passersby to linger too close to either side of the golden wall.

He'd come down to this part of the city personally to observe the Dawnslight holdings. After Biara had given him a rather interesting report related to her mother's former House, he'd taken it upon himself to gather more intelligence on them. They were a powerful family, and the fact that they'd remained relatively out of the spotlight meant they were very subtle about their political maneuverings; definitely something that put the spy on edge. It never hurt to learn more of a potential threat before it became an actual problem.

As he stood there in his subtle repose, Braeth'el's keen eyesight noted something that was completely out of place and rather not subtle. A robed and, for some reason, cowled elf made her way through the crowds, her head turning now and then to peek at the others around her to see if anyone was paying her any mind. It was so obvious that she was trying to be sneaky and failing at it that it was hard for Braeth'el not to stare. As she passed directly across from him, he got a glimpse of fel green eyes, a stony expression, and a hint of golden-brown hair tucked within the cowl. It was enough of a view to give him pause, the elf seeming to be hauntingly familiar to him.

When she turned and rather abruptly made her way into the gardens to one side of the Dawnslight holding, Braeth'el shook his head, pushing himself up and away from the wall, muttering to himself as he began to follow the elf, "Just lovely..."

Taking actual care not to be noticed, he slipped through the crowd casually, making his way into the garden as if he were looking for a place to rest, slipping down the cobbled paths until the street was out of view beyond the decorative plants. His gait changed then, moving more swiftly as he followed the robed figure where she had disappeared deeper within the garden. He paused as he found her, his instincts immediately picking up on what was going on; the elf had begun to cast some sort of spell, her voice low and chanting out the words. A quick glance up showed him an open window about two floors up on the miniature spire next door.

"Practicing your magic, are we?" Braeth'el said casually, slipping around the elf and startling her.

Her eyes widened in shock and her face twisted into a sneer as she finished the spell, a hideous shadow fiend appearing before her, its shadowy tentacles oozing out over the ground. She responded, her voice a low hiss, "It's none of your business what I'm doing!"

Braeth'el held his hands out, palms facing her to show he carried no weapon. His voice was calm when he replied, his gaze meeting hers, "Do you not remember me, Kestrial? Has it been so long?"

The other elf blinked once beneath her cowl, seeming to hesitate for a moment, "I-I....Braeth'el...? H-how...are you here? Why are you following me? I won't let you stop me! It doesn't matter if we've been friends in the past!"

And indeed they had been. Kestrial had been just another orphan on the mean streets beside Braeth'el and his sister. He'd know her well when they were children, had helped her steal food or make toys out of bits of wood they'd scavenged. She'd grown since then, and the world had obviously not been kind to her. She was lean, and her expression was one of bitterness mixed with that determined fire that he remembered from long ago; the one that would usually get them in trouble. He spoke again, trying to soothe her, "Kestrial...whatever it is that has sent you down this path, there are other ways. If you do what I think you're about to do and try to send that spell into the tower, they'll know who it was and they have defenses for it. Are you mad, to think that you can assault the holdings of a powerful House within the city itself all by yourself?"

"They deserve to suffer for what they did to me!" Kestrial nearly shouted, jabbing a finger in his direction. "I can see that your life has gone just fine. You look healthy as an ox and in perfect shape. We've not all been so lucky, and one of the bastards in there ruined my life! So if you will excuse me, I'm going to make him pay for that."

Braeth'el could tell his old friend was riled, and it was likely that something truly awful had been done to her. Still, he couldn't let her wildly assault the structure with magic; it was not only foolhardy but would likely get her killed. He stepped towards her, his hands still outstretched, "Kes...stop and think for a moment. You'll be killed. I can't let you do that."

"Stand back!" Kestrial shouted. She gestured and the shadow fiend before her shifted towards Braeth'el, tendrils lashing out. He brought his arms up in time to block the assault, the creature's strange appendages wrapping around his wrists and trying to squeeze the bulging muscles on his biceps. He grunted, trying to grip what was essentially shadow, wrestling with something that was hard to pin down.

"Kes...stop!" he growled as the shadow fiend moved closer, more of it's inky limbs slapping at him. One began to wrap around his neck, trying to squeeze the breath out of him as Kestrial stood on the other side of it, her weight shifting from one foot to another nervously and her look uncertain; it was clear she didn't want to kill him and that things had gone much further than she'd planned.

Unfortunately, the situation was growing dire. Braeth'el's vision dimmed slightly as his air supply was choked off, and he knew that Kestrial, intentionally or not, might kill him with the spell purely by accident. He began to struggle harder, resigned to the fact that he might have to draw steel and hurt her to end the spell.

He was saved that trouble a moment later when a figure appeared behind Kestrial. Her eyes widened in shock as a hand wrapped around her, a very serious looking combat knife pressed to her throat. She glanced down in surprise, noting the feminine but calloused hand that was holding the knife in place, even as a female voice whispered in her ear, "End the spell, or I end you."

For a moment no one moved, and the elf behind Kestrial jerked the knife a bit, as if to emphasize her point. Kestrial squeaked something out in a panic and a second later the shadow fiend disappeared as if it had never been there. Braeth'el took a big, gulping breath of air and rubbed at his throat, staring at the two elves.

It was uncanny, to say the least. Kestrial's cowl had fallen back when the other elf had grabbed her, and now two sets of fel green eyes appraised him. The second elf still held Kestrial tightly, her weapon hard against the other's throat, but as she peered over Kestrial's shoulder, it was like he was seeing double. Their steely-eyed expressions were identical, the golden-brown of their hair glowed the same in the afternoon sunlight; even their height was similar, with both of them much shorter and more petite than he himself was.

After he'd had a moment to appraise the situation, Braeth'el nodded his thanks to the newcomer, noting the bow and full quiver peeking over the corner of her shoulder, "Well met, and thank you, ranger. You can release her now. I don't think Kestrial is going to try any additional spells, are you Kes?"

"N-no..." Kestrial said miserably.

The ranger grunted and abruptly released the shadow priestess as quickly as she'd captured her, the knife disappearing into a sheath with an efficiency that impressed even Braeth'el. She stepped back from Kestrial, nodding at Braeth'el, "Happy to be of service, sir. I am Ranger Captain Mayri Emberfall of the Emberfall Rangers of Quel'Thalas."

"Well met, Mayri," Braeth'el said, glancing between the two in wonder once again, "Your intervention was timely. I am Braeth'el, Master at Arms of House Sunfire. My friend Kestrial here is...going through difficult times. I am sure she did not mean to harm anyone. Isn't that right, Kes?"

Kestrial's eyes widened as Braeth'el spoke his title, looking almost as if he'd insulted her. Even so, she was acutely aware that she had a rather well armed and lethal ranger standing within a hand's breath of her. Her response was subdued when she replied, "R-right. I...I'm sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me. I just...there's a lord in the tower. He ruined my life, my reputation...h-he...had me whipped! I can't take it. Something must be done!"

Behind Kestrial the ranger snorted, her voice light, "I imagine if you're the sort to use dark magics at every slight you may have had reason to be punished, or if not in this case, then for some other reason. You need to learn to control your temper and focus."

Braeth'el observed closely as Kestrial was about to reply hotly and then thought better of it, choking back her words and merely nodding. She was in the wrong; it was obvious to everyone. The fact that neither were attempting to arrest or imprison her and were giving her the benefit of doubt was a mercy that she might not necessarily deserve. Braeth'el spoke up to break the tension, his voice soft, "Kes, I think we should talk a bit and figure this out together hm? Things aren't like the old days. I have ways to help now beyond showing you where a good loaf of bread lies unattended for you to steal. Whatever has happened to you, it's not worth your life and things can improve."

"Your friend speaks the truth," Mayri added behind her, her voice also consoling. "My own life has neither been easy, nor without its own ups and downs. Whatever has lead you to this path can be fixed if you rely on your friend here. Rather than, you know, trying to choke him to death with wild magics."

Kestrial had the grace to blush and look away from Braeth'el for a moment, biting her lip in anxiety, "I-I...okay, fine. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made a mistake here. That I reacted that way. I wasn't...thinking clearly. I just hate....you know what? It doesn't matter. It's over."

Braeth'el nodded, meeting her gaze, "Right. It is, but maybe this was a fortunate meeting. I can help you if you want, Kes. For old time's sake if for no other reason. It would be good to catch up a bit also, wouldn't it?"

"Yes...I suppose it would," Kestrial said somewhat sullenly.

"Good!" Braeth'el smiled, trying to distract her from her obviously dark thoughts. "If you've any healing spells that are as good as your shadow spells, I suspect we could even find a place for you. Work, room and board, a future. We'll talk about it after you've had a chance to 'unwind' shall we say?"

"Fine," Kestrial replied, tight lipped.

Braeth'el nodded and smiled, glancing back at the ranger again. A quick glance at her confirmed his earlier impression of the Sin'dorei; she was a professional. Outfitted in the latest armor and combat gear, with not a speck on her that would glimmer in the sunlight should she be in the forest, he suspected that the bow on her back was well used and not for ornamentation. He nodded at her again, "As for you, Ranger Captain, you've been a big help. House Sunfire is always looking for external resources that we can tap in times of emergency. I'm sure that the ladies of the House would be interested in speaking with you at some point in the future, and I will put in a word with them about you. In the meanwhile, take our thanks and an open invitation to visit or make use of any services we can provide you or your men."

Mayri nodded, bringing a hand to her heart in salute and standing at attention for a moment. It was charming to Braeth'el to think that someone would pay him military respect, "As you wish, Master at Arms. It was my pleasure to assist you. I trust that you and your...friend...are no longer a concern to the residents of this structure so I will be on my way. I will consider your words in relation to House Sunfire."

"Excellent," Braeth'el said, shifting to begin subtly prodding Kestrial from the gardens.

Mayri glanced on more time at Kestrial before whirling in place and moving swiftly away from them, out of the gardens. As she spun, Kestrial's eyes locked onto a necklace around her neck. It was the only speck of gold or metal of any sort that was not dulled a black color, but it was not the color that made her eyes widen, it was the emblem of a raven that was engraved on the pendant.

She stared after the ranger long after she had slipped from sight, her hands coming up to her neck and pulling an nearly identical pendant from within the confines of her robes, her hands shaking. The pendant had been left with her when she was a baby, abandoned at birth at an orphanage. She'd never seen its like again, and the craftsmanship was unmistakable.

How did a ranger have the same piece of unique jewelry on her?!

The question turned over and over again in her mind as Braeth'el gently guided her from the garden, herding her away from her ill-planned vengeance and towards a gleaming spire that rose up further into the city. All the while, Kestrial's thoughts whirled, even as she answered almost automatically to the meaningless chatter that Braeth'el kept up in a stream of consciousness beside her while they walked.

Even as they approached House Sunfire's spire within the city, the thoughts still weighed on the troubled priestess's mind, her eyes glancing back as if to look for the brown-haired ranger one last time. There was a mystery here that she had to unravel, on top of a list of other things including learning more about Braeth'el's new life and position and, of course, taking her vengeance on those who needed to pay.