Operation Desert Rose

*Tinny voices crackle across a gnomish communication device on a channel secured for use by SI:7 personnel.*

"Status report."

"Signal source located. Package identified. Twenty hostiles and two suspected civilians with Package."

"Proceed with operation."

"Mission parameters?"

"Eliminate all hostiles."

"Acknowledged. Commencing operation desert rose."

***************************************************

*In the middle of the open desert in Uldum.*

The group of figures walked through the stiff, blowing sands of the desert, three miserable, hooded prisoners being herded along amidst the heavily robed travelers. Their race, allegiance, and even the size of their bodies was difficult to determine thanks to the swirling sands and flapping cloth that covered their head and faces as protection. Regardless, it was clear even from a distance that the three prisoners were being roughly handled and likely would not survive long without aid.

As the group crested the rise of a dune, one of the men near the prisoners stumbled and fell. The sound of distant thunder echoed across the sands, sounding like the rumble of distant dry lightning. The figure's companions turned, several swearing in crude common as they kicked their companion to urge him up. A second rumble of thunder sounded, and two more of the figures fell down. It was at this point that the realization that they were under attack slowly began to dawn on the group.

Rough voices shouted as swords leapt from sheaths, robed men running to and fro in an attempt to restore order to the group. Thunder rumbled again, and three more of the figures fell to the sands, the telltale sign of blood oozing from them indicating they'd been hit by a projectile. Two of the figures ran towards the prisoners who had stopped and sunk to the ground as they were no longer being prodded by their captives. Those two bandits fell as well, thunder rumbling once more over the distance. Any who approached the trio of slumped captives met a similar fate, the area around them being cleared intentionally.

One of the group shouted and pointed; he'd seen a flash of light from across the sands. Others took up the call, the remaining survivors dashing down the side of a dune and into the face of more light flashing from the sands, thunder rumbling again as three more assailants fell. With their numbers thinned dramatically, the group continued their charge, losing more and more men but closing in on the source of the light glinting from the sands. More men fell, their charge halted as they tumbled lifelessly to the sands and became motionless, the last of the attackers reaching the spot where he'd seen the spark flame from the sand.

As he neared it, the sands shifted and moved, a figure rising up from beneath them like nothing he expected. Raven black hair fell over a face masked with goggles and a sand-colored cloth barrier, the obviously human woman's body encased in light chain metal body armor wrapped in a stormcloak dyed the exact color of the surrounding landscape. All of this immediately faded from the robed man's mind though as the woman's rifle came up, the deadly end of the muzzle pointed at his chest and a small red dot playing across his robes from a gnomish sighting device on the weapon. It was, to say the least, an uncommon firearm clearly hand-crafted for enhanced range and accuracy, and it was wrapped in a desert colored cloth that protected it from the harsh sands. The man attempted to skid to a halt, attempted to turn and flee, but the rifle bucked in the woman's hands and he joined his companions, motionless on the sands.

"Clear," the woman said. Behind her the sands shifted and two more similarly cloaked and armed figures emerged from the ground. "Secure the perimeter and check the casualties. I'll see to the package."

"Yes, Ma'am," one of the men responded. The two snipers immediately began to trot up the dune's face at a brisk pace, pausing only to check each of the now still bandits that they'd ambushed.

The masked woman followed them, each of the snipers keeping their rifles ready for additional threats, the weapons sweeping across the fallen bandits as they moved, their footsteps silent amidst the howling desert winds. As she approached the three bound and hooded hostages, she reached down with one hand and pulled a small metal device from her pocket. A gemstone set on it began to pulse wildly as she held it over one of the three hooded prisoners, and she tucked the device away and quickly reached out to pull the hood from the prisoner.

A young, dark-skinned human woman emerged from beneath the hood, her mouth gagged and one of her eyes appearing as if she'd been roughed up a little. The sniper reached out and quickly removed the gag, her voice professional and curt as she spoke, "Agent Rosellina Cooke. Report."

Rosellina grimaced, her tongue moving to moisten her dry mouth before her voice croaked out a response, "I was able to confirm that orcs using Fel magic have created a portal and escaped to Azeroth before the assault on Hellfire. They likely are attempting to make contact with cultist elements here. They've established a magical communication network within their small group that will prevent us from eavesdropping." She paused, grinning for a moment, "Only bad thing for them is one of the civvies here saw them cast the spell and she swears up and down she can copy it exactly. Looks like the mission was a success. Except for the, you know, bad teleportation spell that brought us to Uldum and landed us in the middle of a slaver camp."

The masked sniper said nothing for a minute, a hand coming up to her ear. When she spoke, it was not to Rosellina but instead on her comm, "Operation complete. Package is secure. Operative reports that we have a civilian contact with vital intel. Heading to extraction point delta, eta fifteen minutes."

With that the sniper bent down, gently placing her rifle on the ground for a minute as she pulled out a combat knife and began to undo the rope binding Rosellina's hands behind her back. Once the SI:7 agent was free, she began to rub her wrists, wincing as the circulation returned, ""You haven't told me your name, operative."

"My name's not important, and I'm not an operative. I'm on loan from the 7th," the sniper replied, turning away from Rosellina and heading for the prisoners. She grabbed the hood on one and pulled it free, revealing a frighted looking human woman who appeared to have nothing magical about her. Shrugging, the sniper moved on, her hand coming out and yanking the hood off the third captive.

Two enormous cyan colored pigtails tumbled free from the hood as a night elf was revealed. Silver eyes blinked at the sudden sunlight and then looked up at the masked sniper a moment later. A smile crept across the elf's face and a high-pitched, energetic voice erupted with a greeting, "Hi there! Thank you sooooo much for taking that thing off my head! It was super stuffy in there and it was really messing up my hair too. Hey why are you wearing a mask? That's a really great idea for not getting sand in your eyes and oh my heavens why is everyone around us dead?!"

For a moment the sniper simply stood there, staring down at the elf who was blinking in shock at the remains of the slaver group. She seemed to tremble for just a second before her hands slowly came up and pushed the goggles off her face and into her hair. She pulled her mask down, a look of disbelief on her face as she spoke, "Malandrae Moonwhisper...."

"Oh my heavens! Miss Belleri! What are you doing here?" Malandrae exclaimed happily.

Belleri simply stared at the elf, shaking her head and mentally groaning. Of course the mission would take a turn like this. Nothing was that easy, and her punishment for thinking it would be was that she was going to have to somehow get the scatter-brained Highborne across miles of open desert in a speedy fashion. She exhaled slowly, calming herself, "I'm here to rescue Agent Cooke. I suppose it's too much to ask that you are not the one who saw the orcs casting their spell...?"

"Oh I totally saw it! They didn't even do a good job hiding it!" Malandrae said happily. "I was just picking some herbs and they came into this clearing and starting using their magic so I made myself invisible but then I tripped over this nice lady here and it made me visible and they got mad at us and-"

Belleri held up a hand, already feeling a headache coming on. Behind her, Rosellina approached, looking confused, "You...know this elf?"

"I do," Belleri replied with a long-suffering voice. "If she is the one who saw the spell, then we need to get her to safety because the information she holds is vital intel. I've...protected her before. This is going to be more difficult than I'd imagined."

Rosellina scoffed, "How hard could it be to protect one little..."

Her voice trailed off as Malandrae's hands burst into flame and burned away the ropes that had bound her. The fact that she probably could have done that the entire time they'd been captured started to dawn on Rosellina as the Highborne hurled herself at Belleri and wrapped her arms around her, "I'm so happy to see you, Miss Belleri! I'm glad you're doing good!"

Belleri sighed, gently patting the Highborne and then firmly putting her a few paces away. She freed the last prisoner and retrieved her rifle, signaling to the other snipers that were on-loan to SI:7 that it was time to move. She turned to Malandrae, her voice serious, "Miss Moonwhisper, I need you to very carefully follow my instructions okay? You have information that the Alliance needs very badly and I want to make sure you can get back to Stormwind to tell someone about it. Do you understand?"

Malandrae nodded, her eyes wide, "Oh I totally understand! Don't worry, Miss Belleri, you can count on me!"

"Good, thank you Miss Moonwhisper," Belleri said, not really believing it. She turned to Rosellina and nodded, "Agent Cooke, we're ready to proceed if you are, Ma'am. I have evac waiting two miles from here."

Rosellina nodded, "Let's get out of here. And thank you, Belleri was it?"

"Ranger Captain Belleri Giano," the sniper replied. "Let's move out. We need to get to the evac site quickly."

With that the two masked snipers with her began to trot off at a brisk pace, Belleri leading the freed prisoners behind them. As the howling winds blew sand at them and made travel miserable, a happy, excited voice echoed for long distances across the sands, "It is super hot out here did you know that? I feel kind of bad that I ended up getting us in a desert! It would have been better to land somewhere with snow I guess right? Hey! I can make snow if you guys want and-"

"No!" several voices shouted in unison. Malandrae's voice trailed off for a moment, the silence a blessing until she broke it again, "Miss Belleri? Did you ever end up going on that date with that pirate? You remember? Back in Stormwind...?"

The cursing that answered the question brought a smile to Rosellina's lips as she mentally began to write her report up. While her mission had taken an unexpected turn for the worse, all was well that ended well and it looked like SI:7 had made the right choice in linking up with a skilled team of snipers from the 7th. As she watched Belleri trot ahead of her and attempt to deflect the Highborne's peppering of questions, it became clear that the woman would be a valuable asset to the Alliance in the days to come, and there would be special mention of the Ranger's contributions to the mission in Rosellina's reports.

Who knew, in time perhaps the sniper would join SI:7 itself, or one of its affiliates. The King would be well served in any event.

Secret Affairs

Kyliska stirred as the bed moved beside her, one fel-green eye opening halfway as she quietly observed Braeth'el in silence for a moment. He had risen from the bed before the dawn, his half naked body illuminated by a small magical sphere he had lit on a nightstand that was just dim enough to avoid disturbing her but gave him light to see. She smiled as she watched him stretch for a moment before bending down and drawing his pants on, his muscles rippling as he pulled a tight fitting shirt on over his head. His hands ran through his blonde hair a few times to neaten it up and he began to walk from the room.

"Where are you going love?" Kyliska said sleepily.

"I've got some tasks to attend to. Nothing important though. You've no need to get up yet, Kyli," Braeth'el responded. He paused by a dresser to pick up several of his daggers, inspecting them carefully before placing them in a sheath.

Kyliska stirred, sitting up and watching him, curiosity building, "At this time of day? And why do you need weapons?"

He turned and walked back to her, bending down and planting a kiss on her forehead, "I always carry weapons, you know that. And sometimes work requires that I be up early. Agents send reports in at all times. You know how it goes."

Kyliska frowned, patting the bed beside her, "I'd rather you stayed here with me. Can't it wait? If it is not important then I see no reason to rush off. Besides, I'm awake now. And naked under these sheets."

Braeth'el grinned and shook his head, "That is an extremely tempting argument, however this particular appointment cannot wait. Fear not, I'll be back before noon and then we can...spend some time together, hmm?"

Kyliska pouted slightly at this, tilting her head as she watched Braeth'el turn to leave, "I wish you would just tell me what you're doing. I'm the Lady Sunfire after all!"

Braeth'el smiled at her and nodded, "And I shall...when there is something to tell. The key to being a good spymaster is rooting through the useless reports and finding the gems of information that are actually important. I will keep you updated!"

With that he was out the door, the barrier closing softly behind him and his footsteps fading away. Kyliska sat in bed, her mood souring the more she thought about it.

Why is he keeping a spy mission secret from me? Why couldn't he just tell me? And why is he leaving so early in the day? This is ridiculous!

Irritated now, Kyliska cast off her sheets, rising from her bed and walking naked over to her dresser. She quickly selected a pair of pants, shirt, and some light chain armor to throw over it before stepping into some boots and hurrying out the door.

The corridors beyond were dark and silent, most of the House still asleep and only a few servants stirring. Kyliska hurried down the hallway, peering through the darkness in search of Braeth'el. Failing to find him, her mood soured further and she turned around, heading up a staircase that lead into Biara's sanctum area. Here Kyliska walked more quietly, careful not to disturb anyone as she made her way into Biara's study, closing the wooden doors quietly behind her.

She made her way to Biara's desk, frowning as she saw stacks of papers all over it; it would take forever to find anything out about Braeth'el's mission if she had to go through all of that! Fortunately, Kyliska felt it was highly unlikely that Biara would simply keep a secret mission dossier on the top of her desk, and so with a great deal of force and very little stealth, Kyliska forced open a cabinet next to the desk that contained more files.

She lit a small candle, using the flickering illumination to pour over Biara's many hand-written notes and folders until she finally stumbled upon what she was seeking; a file with Braeth'el's scrawling handwriting on it entitled Rosellina Cooke.

With a grunt of satisfaction, Kyliska took the file over to Biara's desk, settling into her sister's chair and reading the file over in the darkness, the small sphere of candlelight illuminating a report that slowly made Kyliska's eyebrows perk up higher and higher in surprise and irritation, until finally she felt raging jealously coursing through her.

That son of a bitch is meeting with a human woman and didn't tell me! He kissed her! What the fel?!

In a flash Kyliska was out of the chair and dashing through the hallway. She spotted one of Biara's apprentices and grabbed the Sin'dorei by his arm, "You there! I need a portal opened right now!"

The sleepy apprentice blinked in surprise, his words stuttered as he replied, "L-Lady Sunfire? Should I fetch your sister?"

"No! I want a portal in this hallway two seconds ago!" Kyliska nearly shouted.

"Y-yes of course, Lady S-sunfire. Where would you like to g-go?" the apprentice replied.

"Booty Bay," Kyliska replied grimly.

******************************************************

Braeth'el looked up as the door to the tavern opened and a hooded figure entered the enclosed space, the sounds of the market outside in Booty Bay filtering into the room for a moment. He studied the figure, admiring the generous curves of her body as she made her way through the crowd, her form deftly avoiding the groping hands of the inebriated patrons as she approached.

When she was within a few feet of his table, Braeth'el rose, his hands carefully at his side. The woman, a human, paused as well, reaching up to casually push her hood back. Jet black hair cascaded from the hood, framing a lovely, dark-skinned face and brown eyes that appraised him carefully. Rosellina Cooke looked just as she had the last time Braeth'el had seen her, and for a moment it was as if they were again together in the Tanaris desert sizing each other up.

"Mister Braeth'el," Rosellina said in a neutral tone. "I received your missive. I hope that you are in good health."

Braeth'el grinned, stepping towards her, his arms wide and his voice loud enough for the rest of the tavern to hear, "Ah Rosellina! My desert delight! It is so good to see you again. I've missed you terribly!"

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, the entire thing an act designed to throw off curiosity from the other patrons. As he pressed her close against him, he felt her hands roaming over his body, her fingertips deftly finding and identifying every weapon that he had on him. He did the same, smirking as his hands ran over her nicely curved rear, giving it a squeeze....to check for daggers of course!

The life of a spy is quite demanding. So much work to do.

With a grin that was mirrored on Rosellina's face, he released the woman, sinking down into his chair and watching as she did the same. She leaned forward, her shirt designed to give him an excellent view of her cleavage and her positioning precisely aligned such that he would notice that fact. He gave her the courtesy of glancing at her once, but then immediately locked gazes with her; he was not here for games, and he knew any allure she attempted to produce was merely a weapon in her arsenal; SI:7 had trained her well.

"I am here to provide you with an offer," Braeth'el said in a low tone. He spoke now to avoid having the other patrons hear him, all business.

He saw Rosellina shift, her expression making it clear that she understood he was not going to fall for any tricks or play her games. He felt her leg slide up against his, knowing that it was not intended as a seduction so much as to gauge if he was going to tense up in an attempt to stab her. She smiled, her tone not matching the expression, "I have been instructed to hear your proposal."

"We need to know the whereabouts of a Sin'dorei. She resembles the Lady Biara Dayfire, whom I know you have intelligence on. I need to know if she was taken by Alliance forces," Braeth'el stated plainly; it was better to get to the point.

Rosellina nodded, leaning back in her chair slightly, obviously intrigued, "And what do you offer in exchange?"

Braeth'el reached very slowly up to his shirt, taking out a small folder and placing it on the table, "A dossier outlining a recent attack by Iron Horde forces on a Sin'dorei garrison. It details their strengths, movements, and military capabilities in Frostfire Ridge."

Rosellina nodded, studying Braeth'el closely, "I am authorized to accept a reasonable bargain from you. This seems like an adequate trade. You wish me to comb through our prisoner records and any reports of our forces' interactions with Sin'dorei, which I can easily accomplish. The Sin'dorei's name is...?"

"Telatha Dayfire," Braeth'el responded. "I will be personally grateful if you are able to provide information allowing us to locate her. This...arrangement appeals to Lady Dayfire, and should it bear fruit will result in future, similar arrangements against hostile forces."

Rosellina nodded and smiled. Her hand came out and gently slid the folder across the table. She picked it up, judging its weight in her hand before sliding it into her bodice. She nodded at Braeth'el, her voice low, "The deal is accepted. I will provide you with any intelligence I can find, or lack thereof, using the dead drop we've established by the lake. You will have your information within a fortnight."

Braeth'el nodded, "Thank you. It was nice seeing you again, Rose. Take care of yourself."

She smiled, rising from her chair, "I always do. Be seeing you, Brae."

With that she made her way out of the bar, her hood back on to cover her hair and her movements avoiding the patrons again. Braeth'el smiled as he watched her leave, knowing she would do as she said. His smile turned into a frown a moment later as a cowled figure rose from a table across the tavern and began to follow the human woman. This would not have been of concern as he knew Rosellina could handle herself, but it bothered him because he immediately recognized the shape and movements of the figure who followed the spy.

By the Sunwell, why is Kyliska here?!

********************************************

Kyliska was raging. Not only had Braeth'el snuck away to meet with a human woman and an Alliance spy of all things, but he'd....he'd touched her! He'd flirted with her! And she had done everything she could to steal Kyliska's man! She was going to pay for this!

She stalked after the woman, making little effort to hide herself and confident in the fact that the noise of the market would mask her movements. As the woman turned down a side alley, Kyliska followed her, her hands clenched into fists.

She rounded the corner, breaking into a run to catch the woman, only to find the trained spy ready for her. Rosellina ambushed the Sin'dorei, her arm coming out at neck height to clothes-line the rushing elf. Kyliska grunted as she was knocked backwards, falling hard on her mail-armored back. She immediately rolled, deftly avoiding Rosellina's boot as it came down where her skull was a moment before.

With a snarl, Kyliska lashed out with her legs, sweeping the woman's feet out from under her and sending her tumbling into a wall. Kyliska rolled, lurching to her feet and slamming into the spy as Rosellina also stood, the two colliding with another grunt and slamming against the alley wall. Rosellina grimaced as Kyliska pressed in on her, the physically stronger Sin'dorei trying to twist one of the woman's arms. In a panic, Rosellina brought her knee up into Kyliska's crotch, sending stinging pain through the elf's body as the spy then brought her forehead down into Kyliska's face.

Kyliska reeled back, not letting go of her opponent and tearing Rosellina's shirt at the shoulder seam, bits of fabric in her hand as she windmilled backwards. Rosellina lurched forward, her undergarments clearly visible as she lashed out and attempted to punch Kyliska in the face; a move that was blocked by a quick arm thrust from the Sin'dorei.

Kyliska dropped the fabric in her hand, her fist coming up to catch Rosellina in the jaw, "You filthy bitch! Stay away from my man!"

Rosellina grunted from the impact, stumbling backwards only to gasp as Kyliska rushed her and wrapped her arms around her, attempting to squeeze the air out of her in a bear hug. She strained against Kyliska's arms, the two struggling in place, Rosellina's half-covered bosom squished against Kyliska's, both of them panting.

"I don't know if I should break this up, or let you two keep going so I can watch for a bit..." Braeth'el said with a smirk.

Both women instantly turned to glare at Braeth'el, Kyliska releasing Rosellina and shoving her away, "Shut up, Braeth'el! I'm not done with her and then you and I are going to have a chat. How dare you two meet up like this?! In public?! I thought we had something special!"

Rosellina blinked, a smile crossing her face as she wiped blood from her lip. She made a half-hearted attempted to cover her bra, only partially succeeding, "Ah, I see what this is about now. I was wondering why a clumsy spy was following me and then why she was trying to punch me. Who are you?"

Kyliska turned and nearly spat at Rosellina, "I'm the Lady Sunfire, and I'll be asking the questions here harlot!"

"Kyliska! Calm down," Braeth'el said. "It isn't at all what you are thinking it is and I-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Kyliska yelled. "I KNOW WHAT I SAW!"

Rosellina blinked a few times, glancing between the two elves and nodding at Braeth'el speaking in perfect Thalassian, "Bedding your employer, Brae? Not very wise, but I suppose you know your business. Lady Sunfire, I am not having an affair with your 'man' as it were. We were conducting business."

Kyliska growled, jabbing a finger at Rosellina, "I know what I saw!"

"What you saw was a standard practice to ensure that neither of us were armed with anything that the other was unaware of," Rosellina stated calmly. "Did it occur to you that Mister Braeth'el is probably something like one hundred and fifty or more years older than me? I think I can find someone my own age, wouldn't you say?"

"She's right, Kyli, it wasn't what you are thinking at all," Braeth'el said reassuringly.

"Whatever, I know what I saw," Kyliska said sullenly. "I should kill you now, alliance bitch!"

Rosellina tilted her head, studying Kyliska carefully before replying, "You could do that, yes. But then of course you'd never hear more of your sister or....your father."

Kyliska reeled back as if the woman had slapped her, her tone suddenly deadly quiet, "What? What do you know of my father? Say what you mean and stop it with the spy bullshit."

Rosellina dipped her head in respect, a smile on her face, "I not only know who your father is, but I happen to be acquainted with him. I could tell you where you could find him, and I could even arrange a meeting for you. That is, of course, if you don't kill me. Not that you could..."

Braeth'el stepped closer, concern on his face now, "Kyliska, what is she talking about? I think we should head back home and let this go. She's an SI:7 agent...."

Kyliska ignored Braeth'el, staring at Rosellina intently, "Tell me where he is. I...have things I want to say to him."

Rosellina smiled and nodded, "Of course you do. I will tell you, but not now. I'd like to leave here alive. I will pass the information on to you in two days time, and will see to it that you can meet him. Is that acceptable?"

Kyliska nodded, "Fine. Get out of my sight then."

Braeth'el held up a hand, "Wait...what is this about? Someone tell me. Now."

Rosellina pulled at the sleeve of her torn shirt, studying Braeth'el keenly before speaking, "Although it is not my place to say this, you should know who it is you work for, Brae. Your Lady Sunfire, your lover, was sired by a Kaldorei long ago. She is not what she seems, and has as many secrets as she accuses you of having. I am willing to aid her in her goals, out of respect for our mutual cooperation in the past, but you should know what it is we are all dealing with here. If you will excuse me, I will go and make myself decent now. Lady Sunfire, I will have the information you requested by the date I have set. Good day to you both."

With that, Rosellina dipped into a bow before rising and slowly backing away from the two elves, leaving a stunned looking Braeth'el to stare questioningly at Kyliska. Kyliska merely looked back at him, sorrow in her eyes as her expression gave truth to the human's words.

"But...why? How could you not tell me?" Braeth'el said softly.

"No one can know, Brae. They'd...someone would kill me if they knew. My mother...she and....it's just so hard to come to terms with," Kyliska sobbed, beginning to weep openly. All of her previous ire had been forgotten in the moment she had discovered that she could meet her real father and tell him all the things that were on her mind.

For a moment, she simply sobbed quietly by herself, her eyes closed in misery. She was surprised then, when she felt Braeth'el's arms wrap around her, gently holding her against his broad chest. She wept bitterly against him, relief flowing through her as his hand came up to pat her hair and soothe her, his tone soft, "It doesn't matter, Kyli. I love you anyway. I can't suddenly stop loving you because your heritage is not what I thought it was. We'll...get through this together."

Kyliska wrapped her arms around Braeth'el, her voice unsteady as she held him tight, "I love you more than anything in the world, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Only my sister knows."

He continued to pat her, soothing her and calming her, simply holding her for a time. "It is alright, my heart. Let's go home. We can talk about this, and decide what to do. Rosellina is an enemy agent, and if she is offering you information for free there must be a reason for it. I will...tell you all about her, so that your mind is at ease, alright?"

Kyliska sniffled once and then nodded, leaning up to kiss Braeth'el, "Alright. I-I'm sorry too. I should have known....you know."

He smiled at her and shook his head, "I know. Let's get you home and start the day anew, shall we?"

She nodded and her sniffling ceased, "Y-yes, I'd like that."

Together, hand in hand, they walked out of the alley, the future before them uncertain but their bond as strong as it ever was.

Endings

Biara sat at her desk, piles of paperwork stacked up before her in both her completed and unfinished stacks, hours of work ahead of her. She sighed, her quill running across the paper before her as she completed yet another requisition form for the Magistrate to review.

A soft knock on the door brought her blessed relief, and she looked up from her work, "Come in."

The door opened and Rayleth stood there, a grim expression on his face as he paused in the doorway. After a moment he seemed to find his nerve and entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him and walking hesitantly towards the desk, "You summoned me, Magistrix?"

Biara sighed and waved a hand, "You may still call me Biara, and yes I did summon you. It's time we had a talk now that my head is clear."

Rayleth nodded, slowly sinking into a seat across from her, his voice steady, "You have been keeping me away."

Biara met his gaze, her tone even, "I have. After...what happened to me, and what passed between us at that time, I needed time to myself to think. I saw how you reacted when you saw me. It was not what you were expecting, was it?"

Rayleth considered the question for a moment and then finally nodded, "No, it wasn't. I expected you to sometimes need to risk yourself in battle, you are a battle-mage after all, but this was different. You were supposed to have been going to the city to go shopping, and you returned a bloody mess."

Biara sighed, toying with the feathered end of her quill, "Before, I told you about the difficulties of my life, of being with me, but I don't think you had a chance to truly come to terms with it. My life can be taken at any moment. At all times there are enemies who wish me ill, or may be battles that I must face for the good of the Sin'dorei. I cannot shirk these duties or stand idly by while others are placed in grave danger that I could avert with my magic. You now see what I really meant."

Rayleth nodded slowly, "I do."

Biara paused, studying him for a moment, "You may speak freely with me, Rayleth. Even if you say things that are hurtful to me, I will not hold them against you, nor deny you your place here. I need to hear what you are thinking, what you are feeling."

He sighed and nodded, "I was scared. For you I mean, but for us as well. I just never thought...well, that you could be taken from me so easily."

"It made you reconsider, didn't it?" Biara said softly. "This is not the first time that I have had suitors come to this realization, nor will it be the last. Everything that you saw is the truth of the matter. I will die doing what I was born to do; fighting for our city. That day could be a hundred years from now, or it could be tomorrow."

Rayleth looked grim, "I know. I just wish it could be different, that you didn't have to do this. It makes everything so hard."

Biara nodded, "Courage is not the lack of fear, but it is acting even when you do fear. Even so, I will not consider you a coward for being afraid for me, and for what we've had between us. You simply didn't fully understand."

"I don't think words can adequately explain it until you experience it," Rayleth said softly. "I want you to be happy, to be safe, but at the same time what we have is then on a knife's edge."

Biara frowned and sighed again, "It always was, you just didn't know. The only way for us to truly be, is for you to sacrifice more and accept that it must be this way. If you cannot, if the doubt and worry gnaw at you too much, I will not hate you or wish you ill for being unable to handle it. Suitors who I would have expected even more from than you have fled from this, and I understand it."

Rayleth nodded, "I...need some time to think about it, if that's alright?"

Biara smiled sadly, "In some ways, that is all the answer you needed to give, but yes go and take the time you need. You can return to the garrison and when you are ready, send for me. Regardless of what you believe though, promise me one thing?"

Rayleth tilted his head, "What is that?"

"Promise me that you will at least care for me, and be my friend," Biara said softly. "I have too few of those."

"Always, Biara. Always," he replied with conviction. He nodded, slowly rising from his chair and looking at her one last time, "Regardless of how I feel about...all of this, I still admire you for what you do, for your courage. I think everyone should."

Biara smiled and nodded, "If only the world worked that way. Farewell for now, Rayleth. I hope when next we speak it is of more pleasant or casual things."

"Farewell, Biara," Rayleth said with a sad smile. He turned and walked from the room, closing the door behind him.

Biara sighed again, rising from her desk and leaving her pile of paperwork behind. She headed towards a set of double glass doors that lead to the balcony connected to her upper floor office, pushing them open and letting the sunlight in. Walking across the balcony, she leaned against the stone railing, looking down into the courtyard below.

Far below her, Kyliska's Blood Knights trained, the sunlight sparkling off of their swords. Biara leaned on the railing, a head held in one hand as her eyes wandered across the elves training there, spying one that she sought. There, off to one side, two Sin'dorei stood near a third, holy Light flowing from them and into their target as they practiced their healing arts and prayers. The day was hot, and the elves had stripped down to the bare essentials.

The blood knight Myriel wore a tight bodysuit, meant to be donned beneath a set of plate armor. Standing beside her, muscles glistening with sweat in the sunlight, a bare-chested Evindar practiced his magic, his hands aglow as he cast spell after spell, his form rippling as his hands darted forward to place his spells on his target, his blonde hair flowing in the soft breeze.

Biara watched him for a time, smiling secretly as she gazed unobserved at his practicing. When she saw Evindar say something that was apparently a joke and the other Knights around him began to laugh, Biara became amused with herself as a streak of jealously shot through her when Myriel placed a hand on his arm, patting him after whatever jest he'd made.

Oh if only things were different. If only I were truly free now that I've given up my role as the Lady Sunfire and abdicated to Kyliska. Why, if I could do as I pleased, I'd shout down into that courtyard right now and order Evindar to come up into my quarters and-

"A lovely day, isn't it, Biara?" Braeth'el's voice said softly behind her. He moved to stand beside her, his footsteps having been silent.

Biara nearly jumped, her face blushing bright pink in an instant, "Oh y-yes, yes it's a lovely day, Braeth'el."

Braeth'el smiled at her, as if he was quite aware of what she had just been thinking. He said nothing of it though, nodding at her, "I apologize for saying so, but I accidentally overheard what you and Rayleth were discussing. I think you made the right decision to speak to him as you did."

Biara's smile faded and she nodded. She turned and looked back out over the courtyard, "It was hard to let him go. I wanted so badly to have what you and my sister have."

Braeth'el patted her arm reassuringly, "You will one day, but he was not the right one. Think of this; you need someone who will be beside you in battle all of the time. Your life, like my own and Kyliska's, is one of risk. He is a civilian in the end, even if he performed admirably in a battle. I know you, Biara. I've watched over you for your entire life. You need a strong Lord to fight by your side, a Knight or a warrior of renown. You will find it, eventually."

Biara smirked, "Or I'll die of old age long before...and given my contamination with temporal magics, who even knows when that will end up being..."

Braeth'el shook his head, leaning on the railing beside her, "Just be patient, my friend. I never thought that I would find it either. I wasn't even looking for it, but your sister kindled something in me that I would never have found on my own. It will be the same for you one day."

Biara sighed, waving a hand at him, "Just be sure that when you marry her you have a large number of eligible bachelors in your wedding party please."

Braeth'el barked out a laugh and nodded, "I will see it done, Magistrix."

For a time, the two fell silent, merely watching the knights training down below. After a while, Braeth'el stirred, his tone more serious, "I need to ask you how your progress goes in searching for Telatha. I'm becoming worried."

"As am I, honestly," Biara replied. "I've found no sign of her with all of my magical resources, although I have evidence that she survived the battle around the Dark Portal. I have even spent considerable coin for hints of information relating to her and offered to pay goblins of all things to hunt for her, but to no avail thus far."

Braeth'el nodded, "I am grateful that you are expending so much effort on this. I know that you are quite busy with other, much more important things."

Biara looked at him, shaking her head, "Nothing is more important than our family. I will find her, I swear it. Actually...I had a thought, although it is not a pleasant one, about what more we might do."

"Oh?" Braeth'el asked.

Biara looked him directly in the eyes, her tone flat, "We should find out if she was captured by the Alliance. I believe we need to tap into your SI:7 contact."

Braeth'el blinked, "Rosellina Cooke? She would be able to find out if Telatha had been captured or if the Alliance was aware of her whereabouts, but....what would motivate her to aid us?"

Biara gestured behind her, "I have prepared a redacted report of the battle for the Felo'melorn garrison. It fully details the strength, disposition, and deployment of the Iron Horde forces that assaulted that position. Given that the Felo'melorns were wiped out there, and that the Iron Horde still controls that territory, they are hardly state secrets that would bring harm to the Sin'dorei. I am willing to exchange this information for information that will allow us to locate Telatha, but you must ensure we get a fair deal in exchange. You are the only one I would trust with such a task."

Braeth'el considered this carefully, finally nodding, "What you propose isn't treason, as you aren't giving away any state secrets...and we're not technically at war with the Alliance at the moment anyway. It seems like a sound plan, but....Kyliska. She's going to be annoyed with you if she finds out."

Biara's tone was cool now, "Then see to it that she never finds out, Braeth'el. My sister...is quite capable, but she is untested in her new role. She would not understand that sometimes necessity requires bold moves like this. Agent Cooke is not a threat to us, as we know her identity, and if she can be of use to us, then a fair trade is reasonable."

Braeth'el fell quiet for a long time, turning to stare out into space, "I can do this for you, but understand that my days in active service are coming to an end. I send agents to do this kind of work now. I want to settle down, to retire. I want to spend my best years holding your sister in my arms and waking with her in the morning."

Biara nodded, turning away from him and looking out over the courtyard, "And I want to see my daughter grow into an adult, but I know that I will likely die long before that happens. We do what we must for Quel'Thalas and for our family. I understand what you are saying though; I will burden you no further once this task is done, and leave you to your happiness."

Braeth'el nodded, looking troubled, "Very well then, I will do as you ask. Your plan sounds like it could bear fruit. If not, it will reinforce our contact with what could potentially be a non-hostile enemy agent in the long run."

Biara nodded, not looking back at him, "You have your orders then. See to it that my sister remains ignorant of this; she won't understand the need."

Braeth'el turned, his voice carrying over his shoulder as he departed, "I've never betrayed the secrets of this House, not even to you, Biara. I'll do my job, as I've sworn to do long ago."

After he was gone, Biara stood quietly for a time, staring out into the blue sky beyond and ignoring the Knights down below now. Her heart was heavy with the many secrets, plots, and deceptions that had long plagued her rule of House Sunfire. Even now, even when she'd stepped down, they continued to stir and she knew deep within her heart that she would have to continue her course for the good of her people.

"I do what I must for Quel'Thalas," she whispered to no one.

The Cold Trail

Rosellina sighed, pushing a pile of paperwork aside on her desk and reaching over to her 'in' bin to process some more shipment manifests. She'd spent most of the morning catching up with her duties at Blackleaf in an attempt to keep her cover story solid. Faleseth had not really intruded on her operations so far, and as long as Rosellina continued to produce an adequate amount of work she suspected the reclusive Highborne witch would leave her to her work.

Just as she had completed another form and was ready to dig into the pile again, a shadow fell over her desk. She looked up to see a man standing there, a sealed folder in hand. He flashed an intricate hand signal that only an SI:7 operative would know, and Rosellina nodded at him and gave him the reply signal. He placed the folder on her desk and walked out of the Blackleaf offices, not saying a word.

Rosellina smiled, taking the folder and tearing open the seal. She pushed her work to the side for a moment, leaning back in her chair as she pulled the documents she'd requested out. After returning to Stormwind via a portal, she had decided to approach her assignment from a different angle. Braeth'el had the weapons and the information she needed, and running across the desert sands in a random direction was not the way to find him. It had also allowed her to spend some time in the city furthering the development of her network of contacts while she awaited the information she'd requested.

There were two files in the folder, the first sealed with a black 'confidential' label and the second a less critical file that had no seal and no classification codes. Rosellina took the sealed document up first, tearing the seal and quickly beginning to page through the file. She slipped her sandals off and put her feet up on the desk in front of her, as if perusing a fashion magazine or paper. Anyone looking in would have thought nothing of it other than perhaps that the Blackleaf offices had some lazy clerks working for them.

The file was on Braeth'el, or as close to being about Braeth'el as an intelligence file could be. He was an unknown, his record and his duties concealed in myriad layers of secret documents and of course the divide between Horde and Alliance. Despite this, it was possible to piece together a few clues about the elf, or at least about his intelligence network, and Rosellina had requested that SI:7's archives provide her with a summary report.

To say it was sparse was an understatement. Here there was a report of a Quel'dorei turning out to be a Sin'dorei and making off with blueprints for an airship. There was a report of a campaign commander's map being exchanged with a false one during the Northrend Campaign, redirecting an entire Alliance company into a impassible canyon and oncoming blizzard. The other reports were of similar sabotage, thefts, or information leaks that were suspected of being applicable to the particular spy that Rosellina was interested in. None of them were concrete of course, but wherever the alleged spy was spotted he had matched the meticulous description that Rosellina had provided of the blood elf.

She blushed for a moment as she thought about how easily she could recall his features. He certainly had made an impression, even if he was an enemy. It was a dangerous game to interact with enemy agents in such a fashion and Rosellina knew that she walked a thin line. A false move would result in her letting down her guard as she had at the bandit camp, resulting in disaster.

The thought of the bandit camp made Rosellina sigh and shake her head in disgust. She set the report down, rubbing her temples as she recalled the revelations of the past few days. Her father was a bandit. He was nothing more than a murderous desert raider and likely in collusion with pirates. What he did with his life didn't matter all that much to Rosellina since she had grown up with her own moral code, but what he had done to her mother was a mystery that she wished to solve. It nagged at her mind even as she tried to sort through the case in front of her.

"That is one investigation that will have to wait," she murmured. She had to work on the weapons first, and private research when she was free to do so. Duty demanded it, and it would take a long time to piece together the past anyway.

She reached for the second folder, putting the Braeth'el file aside for a moment. This one had been easily obtained and contained reports not only from SI:7, but from other Alliance organizations and even the military. It was a complete, detailed history about the actions of the Sin'dorei noble house of Sunfire, formerly known as House Dayfire. Rosellina's eyes widened as she studied the information in the file, noting the lengthy history of the two co-rulers of the House and the endless war they seemed to wage against...well...everyone. A constant threat to the Alliance, the two sisters had apparently engaged in many battles across both continents before disaster struck them and left them fighting politically and sometimes physically with other houses in Quel'Thalas. To say that the two were a major threat to Alliance security was an understatement.

"Your mistresses are not the nicest of people Braeth'el," Rosellina murmured as she flipped through page after page of detailed reports about the two Sin'dorei. "I would say that SI:7 can be the same at times, but not like...this. How do you sleep at night my rival? At least when I am done with my duty, I know I've done the right thing and that my blade is only drawn in the most dire of circumstances."

As Rosellina neared the end of the report, she discovered some rather interesting facts about the Sunfire sisters. Although the two were aggressive and violent, they had been known to negotiate with Alliance forces before. This meant that at some point Braeth'el had been in contact with human agents, which is likely why he was able to speak Common so fluently; his handlers ensured that he had the skills needed to deal with his contacts, making him perfect for hunting down the origin of the weapons.

More telling though was the fact that House Sunfire currently was conducting raids on the Kor'kron in the Barrens, and that they had sent a ship up to Ratchet where men and equipment were disgorged. They'd created a war camp in the region to help launch their assaults with more strength. Weapons and armor bearing their emblems had been spotted in engagements in several locations. It seemed that the Sunfire sisters had become distressed with the direction their Warchief was heading and, typical to their nature from what Rosellina could see in the reports, they had decided to protest his leadership in the only way they knew how, with extreme violence.

Braeth'el would be heading towards that camp if he wanted to reconnect with House Sunfire forces and return to Quel'Thalas. Although he had the jump on her, he still had to proceed across Thousand Needles and then the Southern Barrens and its warzones before he could reach the camp. Rosellina was in Stormwind, but a portal could fix that relatively quickly, and she might just beat him there.

She smiled as she took the two top secret reports and placed them in the hearth, lighting them on fire. She had just the way to beat her sneaky adversary to his destination. He might have the full power of a blood elf noble house behind him, but SI:7 had resources and technology that he didn't know about. She knew just the thing to get there faster than him.

Her smile faded as she reached into her desk for her anti-nausea herbs. She was going to need them for what she planned next. 

A Desert Rose

Night had fallen over the sands of Tanaris, the temperature dropping off abruptly. Travelers in the desert wastes typically would take shelter at this time, either in tents or in cave openings that dotted the rocky outcroppings throughout the region. Some even ventured further into the cavernous tunnels beneath the sands, although many did not return from such adventures.

Rosellina herself had entered one of the shallow caverns as night had fallen, following the tracks of the Waste Wanderer bandits that had taken their prisoners away from the wreckage of the pillaged camp. Over dune and through blowing sandstorms she had tracked them, the trail tenuous in some places and clear in others. At the end of their travels, the bandits had entered a narrow cave mouth, setting sentries and lighting torches to illuminate its depths. Rosellina came to the conclusion that the bandits were using the caves as a base of operations as they raided across the deserts and did business with the local pirates that landed amongst the coves of the Tanaris shoreline.

Infiltrating the caverns had been child's play; the bandits were not very alert after their successful raid and their sentries had been drinking. She'd slipped past them in the night without even having to try very hard, making her way deeper within the snaking tunnels and keeping herself concealed whenever the occasional raider passed by. Along the way she noted that the bandits had a large supply of stores, weapons, and other pilfered goods stored in side caverns and along the walls of the tunnels.

After a time Rosellina found herself slipping into a wider chamber deep within the bandits' hideout, her eyes taking in the sight of the prisoners she'd been seeking. They were manacled to the walls, their arms held high above their heads by the chains, forcing their backs and shoulders into uncomfortable positions. Rosellina felt pity for them as soon as she saw them, hurrying into the room and checking for guards. It was clear for the time being and she quickly looked the prisoners over, ignoring the soft cries for help that many of them uttered.

“Y-you actually came after me...?” the voice said with some degree of shock. Rosellina turned her head to see Braeth'el hanging from one of the walls, his face bruised and his lips puffy from the beating he'd received and lack of water. “You really are n-new to the business aren't you? S-should have cut your losses Rose...”

Rosellina rolled her eyes, walking over to him and checking him for serious injuries. Satisfied that he was unwounded, she stepped closer, her voice a whisper, “I need you and you know it. You know who the buyer was. I have to get you out of here so we can figure this out. I've got the weapons.”

He nodded, appraising her with his eyes before replying, “Well, I'm glad you've managed to keep working on the case while I've been hanging around...”

Rosellina smirked, stepping still closer and reaching up to examine the manacles. They were locked but a few tools in her belt pouch would handle that. They were up high over her head though and picking them would be difficult. She took out her tools, pressing herself against Braeth'el as she reached up to begin working, her face inches from his. She began the process, pick manipulating the tumblers before she realized that she felt uncomfortable, she looked down to see Braeth'el staring into her eyes.

To her everlasting surprise, the blood elf leaned forward and kissed her. She found herself at a loss both for words and for breath, the kiss immediately making her flush. His lips tasted salty and had a copper tang of blood on them, and for a moment she just leaned against him, her eyes slipping closed.

Around them the other prisoners began to complain, whispered murmurs of “Are you serious?” “Get a room!” and “Is this really the right time for that...?” rising into the air. Rosellina broke off the kiss, flushing bright red as she reached up to work on the lock again.

“Just in case we don't make it,” Braeth'el said. “In this business, you learn to take those moments of enjoyment that you can, while you can.”

Rosellina huffed, still working at the lock, trying to fight back a smile as she whispered back, “We're going to make it. It'll just be one more minu-”

“And what do we have here?!” a voice shouted. Rosellina's head snapped around and her eyes widened. Four men had entered the room, three of them obviously some sort of honor guards and the fourth the leader of the bandits. She could tell by the golden ornamentation that decorated his leather armor, wrists, and fingers. But that was not why she stared in abject shock at the man, or why she found herself frozen in place.

He looked exactly like Rosellina.

It wasn't just a faint resemblance like the other bandits had, the man had the same features, the same soft curve to his eyes, the same resolute expression that Rosellina herself often wore. If there was any doubt that her heritage was from this region, that doubt had been dashed away in an instant. Numbly Rosellina pressed the lock picking tools into Braeth'el's hands, praying he'd be able to finish the work and free himself while she confronted the threat. The other prisoners moaned in terror as she stepped into the center of the room.

The resemblance between the bandit lord and Rosellina was not lost on the man. He stared at her, his glare boring into her, “So..it seems that you live, despite the efforts of my men. To think that a daughter of Karag has been alive and wandering the world all this time; it is enough to make me laugh.”

Rosellina felt like she'd been slapped. She eyed the man warily, studying his features and then looking over his honor guards. She didn't like what she saw; the men were obviously well trained and prepared for violence at any given moment. Despite this, she also felt a burning need to know. “Y-you...you are my father...?”

Bandit Lord Karag laughed, the sound echoing in the chambers, “I would think so. Long ago a daughter was lost to me, spirited away by her bitch of a mother. Although she paid for this with her life, it is clear that the child has lived on and returns to us. Isn't that so...Rose? It is easy enough to remember what she called you, naming you after the flowers that bloom here.”

Rosellina felt a chill run down her spine as he said her name. She shook her head, trying to deny it but there was no way other explanation. She had finally discovered where she was from in the most horrible way possible. “That is my name, and your words likely ring true. I have come for these prisoners, and this elf particularly.”

The bandit lord laughed again, shaking his head, “You will have nothing! Did you think that being my daughter would get you special privileges? That I would be overjoyed to see you? Your mother was harem trash, and there are dozens more like you in this camp. You are a nothing, and you will do as you are told. These prisoners are our claim in battle, and will be sold soon enough. Step away from them and surrender your weapons. You will rejoin our camp and take the place you were meant to have when you were born before your mother disobeyed me.”

Rosellina shook her head, her voice firm, “No.”

Karag glared at her, fury blazing in his eyes, “You dare to defy me? You are just like your mother, and you will suffer the same fate, bleeding out on the sands that have been our home. You will drop your weapons and surrender now, or your suffering will last for days.”

Rosellina drew her swords, pointing one at the man she now knew was her father, “There is only one man who commands me. His name is King Varian Wrynn. Until the moment that I draw my last breath my blade will strike as he wills it. In the name of the King and the Alliance, I order you to withdraw or Light help you, I will cut you down where you stand, father or not.”

Karag's eyes widened in shock and he roughly gestured, his honor guards advancing on Rosellina as a group. She took a deep breath and waited for them to get close enough before bursting into action.

To say that the bandits were surprised by her ferocious attack would be an understatement. The first man to attack her had his sword cut from his hands with an expert parry, even as the next man received a shallow, but poisoned cut across his arm, blood pouring from the wound that wouldn't clot. Rosellina deftly dodged out of the way of a cut from the third man, kicking sand into his eyes and blinding him. He stumbled away from her, furiously rubbing at his face as he tried to clear his vision.

The man Rosellina had cut ran at her again, and she parried his blow and then gouged open his chest with the tip of her sword, sending him reeling back and dazing him. The man she had disarmed attempted to bend down to retrieve his weapon and got a boot to the face for his troubles, his body tumbling back into the sand behind him.

Karag roared as his men were defeated, not even waiting for them to get out of the way as he drew a wicked two handed sword and charged Rosellina. He brought the weapon up and then slashed it down at her, arms rippling with strength, “Die daughter. Join your mother in death!”

Rosellina managed to block the blow by catching it in the 'X' of her crossed swords. Unfortunately Karag was far stronger than her, his blow shattering one of her rapiers and forcing her feet back in the sand. Partially disarmed, Rosellina flicked her wrist and engaged a gnomish device in her bracer, blades flicking out. She punched her fist into her father's shoulder, the blades tearing into his half-pauldron and leaving three bloody holes there. He howled, swinging his sword around and attempting to decapitate Rosellina, forcing her to drop to the sand to avoid the blow.

With a grin on his face he loomed over her, sword coming up as he prepared to deliver the death blow, his words echoing in the room, “It is a shame. You honor our line with your skill in battle, but your disobedience means I must end you. Die daughter, by the one that created you.”

His blow never came. Even as he went to bring the sword up, a rather solid metal cudgel struck him in the back of the skull and laid him out cold on the sandy floor of the room. Braeth'el stood behind him, a smirk on his face and the manacles on the walls behind him hanging empty. He looked at Rosellina and nodded, “I figured you didn't want me to kill daddy out of hand. Perhaps he'll learn a valuable lesson about being a proper role model after he wakes up.”

Rosellina merely nodded, breathing hard and shaking from what she'd just been through both emotionally and physically. Braeth'el held a hand out to her, and she took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Without a word he turned to leave and she paused, “What about the other prisoners...?”

“Leave them. We don't have time. The fighting was heard throughout the caverns,” came the curt reply as the blood elf walked out of the room.

She knew he was right, but it didn't sit well with her. She walked over to her father's unconscious form, searching him quickly and taking the keys for the manacles from his belt. She pressed it into the hands of one of the prisoners, at least giving them the chance to free themselves before she turned and hurried after the blood elf.

Minutes later the two had made their way through the caverns, using stealth and guile to avoid detection by the guards. Without further conflict they managed to win their freedom, walking out onto the moonlit sands of Tanaris together, with Rosellina leading Braeth'el away.

She opened her mouth to say something to the elf when suddenly she felt the metal cudgel he had picked up collide with the back of her head. She saw stars for a moment before blackness rose to claim her.

****************************************

Rosellina woke up with a stinging headache, her body leaning casually against a palm tree at a deserted oasis in the middle of Tanaris. She blinked, rubbing her aching skull as she took in her surroundings. She'd been placed carefully so as to avoid having the sun beat down on her while she was unconscious, and judging by the light it seemed she must have been out for a few hours.

Beneath her was a blanket to keep her comfortable from the heated sand, and a water-skin lay beside her, taken from the sparkling blue waters of the oasis. Rosellina groaned, still rubbing her head and taking a drink before noticing a note beneath the water skin. It was written in elegant script, the message clean and concise.

Rose,

Terribly sorry, but my mission must come first. The next stage will bring the weapons (which I've taken) to Quel'Thalas and beyond. Places where you cannot tread. Rest assured that this will be resolved to both of our satisfactions.

I hope you like the oasis. It is a good place to recover after a difficult adventure. I have left you there both for appreciation for my rescue as well as because of the fact that it seemed most fitting for a beautiful desert rose. I will remember you fondly.

With warmth,

Braeth'el

Spymaster of House Sunfire

Rosellina's eyes widened as she read the letter, her emotions ranging from outrage to amusement to a flush of embarrassment at the end. She shook her head, taking the note and dousing it with water until the ink ran; she couldn't have evidence of her working with a Sin'dorei spy after all. It could put both of them at risk.

She sighed, shaking her head. Braeth'el didn't understand how SI:7 worked. It was not enough that she knew he would continue with their objective; she had to have evidence herself that it was complete and report on the identity of the buyer. She wasn't out of the game yet, just a step behind once again.

“Really, next time I AM going to get one step ahead of you Braeth'el,” she murmured, rubbing the back of her head again.

She sighed, rising and walking towards the sparkling water of the oasis. She'd had enough emotional and physical trauma for one day. It was time to recover and plan her next steps. She resolutely decided not to think about the man that had fathered her, and what had become of her mother; those were things for another day, something to investigate when duty didn't call her.

Rosellina Cooke wouldn't stop until she saw the mission through to the end.

Shifting Fates

Rosellina crouched down in the sand, the heat radiating off the surface making her wince a bit as she placed her hands on the ground in front of her, peering over the dune. It had only taken her a few tries to find some goblins in Gadgetzan whose tongues could be loosened enough with coin to find out what she needed to know. It seemed that a goblin speedbarge had indeed made a landing near Gadgetzan recently; recently enough that it could have been the very same vessel that House Falconoak's crew had delivered their cargo of weapons to.

With this clue discovered, Rosellina had been able to bribe and tease out enough information to determine that the goblins who had offloaded the weapons had then been met by Sin'dorei backers here in town, and that the group had set off into the desert, presumably to take them through some mountain pass and into Thousand Needles where another means of transportation would cross the water there into the Barrens. The odd thing about the information that Rosellina had gleaned was that the goblins that had went with the Sin'dorei buyers had not returned to Gadgetzan yet, and they were several days overdue now.

As Rosellina peered over the dunes, she discovered the reason for that. In the sands below her sat a camp, the tents that it was composed of a mixture of elegant red and gold Sin'dorei constructs and rough assemblies of sticks, cloth, and machinery that made up goblin shelters. In the middle of the camp sat a number of wagons, several of which were damaged by what appeared to be fire and a few suffering broken wheels and axles. The camp seemed to contain a few Sin'dorei who were well armed and on patrol, as well as a few goblin bruisers and what appeared to be wounded laying on cots within some of the tents or simply on the ground. Clearly the camp had come under attack recently.

Rosellina mentally began to count the guards, determining how she could sneak into the camp. After firming up a plan in her mind, she took a deep breath to steady herself, preparing to rise from her position on the dune and head down to investigate the weapons in secret. Just as she was about to rise, a hand clamped down on her shoulder and pushed her back into place, a voice whispering in her ear.

"You are more clever than I thought," Braeth'el said, crouching down beside her.

Rosellina blinked in surprise, shocked that the lithe elf had managed to approach her without being detected. After she took a moment to regain her composure she shook her head, keeping her voice low, "I told you, I knew who the supplier was. I knew when the shipment arrived in Gadgetzan. It's not too hard to figure out from there."

The blood elf nodded, his black hood keeping the worst of the sunlight out of his eyes as he peered down into the camp, "Well done. The question now is, what were you thinking about doing next?"

Rosellina didn't answer at first, taking time to study the elf and judging whether or not she could trust him. In the daylight she was able to get a better look at him. His body was lean and fit, the black leather armor he wore conforming to the curves of his muscles in a way that was not entirely unpleasing to her eyes. The outfit was complete with the black hood, a black mask that he had pulled down for the time being, and black cloak that she suspected had some defensive properties given the thickness and apparent stiffness of the material. The elf was also festooned with daggers, with blades visible at his hip, at the tops of the leather boots that rode up to his mid-calf, and even strapped to his arms at his biceps. Several pouches at his belt hinted at additional equipment and Rosellina quickly decided that he was indeed a professional spy and likely a well trusted one to be so well equipped.

"I'm going to sneak down there and obtain at least one of the weapons," she finally replied. "I decided to go with what you suggested, and check the markings against weapons we already have identified as being owned by the supplier. I'll shadow the caravan once they move out again until I can locate the buyers."

The elf nodded, looking at her and smiling. His face was pleasant, with the fel-green glow of his eyes only partially visible in the pounding sunlight of the desert. Short cropped, spiked blonde hair stuck up from his head and partially framed his face. Rosellina found herself returning his smile as he spoke, "That would be a good idea, except for the fact that the caravan is about to come under attack. Look."

He pointed and she turned her gaze away from him and down to the camp below. She could tell something was wrong as the guards on patrol began to shout, drawing weapons and rousing the rest of the camp. On the dunes opposite where the two spies watched, dust began to billow up as a line of horsemen appeared. Rosellina gasped as she saw them, recognizing the humans who wandered the desert of Tanaris immediately and finally coming to understand why the guards at Gadgetzan had challenged her.

She could have been one of them. Each of them wore a mixture of studded leather and chain armor, their weapons crude sabers, nets, and spears. Many sported the dark colored hair that Rosellina herself had, and a few even carried jewelry in gold that eerily reminded her of her dream from the previous night. She watched as they formed a line and plunged down the side of a dune, their warcries rising into the air as they began their raid on the camp.

"We can't go down there like this," Braeth'el said beside her. Rosellina turned to look at him, her eyes questioning the statement. "It's simple. If we go into the middle of a battle involving raiders from the desert and Sin'dorei, we will be confused for combatants. They'll think I am part of the camp, and no offense to you, think you are one of the raiders."

Rosellina nodded as she came to understand his concern. She thought about it for a moment before responding, "We could try to use stealth to get as close to the wagons as possible. We only need to gather a few of the weapons right? If we can compare the marks to the ones I have we'd be able to confirm it's my supplier, and if we can compare them to the ones you have we can confirm it's the buyer you suspect. That'll give us everything we need."

He studied her, nodding slowly, "If they see us, we'll be cut down. We need to be fast and silent. Do you think you can handle it?"

Rosellina grinned, "I'd say so. The question is if YOU can handle it hmm?"

The blood elf grunted, reaching down to a belt pouch to pull out a small sphere. He held it up before Rosellina and spoke softly, "This is top of the line, top secret goblin technology. It'll allow me to create a smoke barrier that-"

Rosellina grinned again, holding up a hand to halt him in mid-sentence. She produced a similar looking orb from one of her own pouches, "Top of the line GNOMISH technology. Does the same thing."

The blood elf laughed, the sound muffled by the echoes of combat coming over the dunes. He winked at Rosellina and joked, "If we bump these two orbs together we might literally destroy the continent I suspect."

Rosellina laughed as well, surprised that she and the blood elf could be joking when they were about to do something so stupidly dangerous. She took a deep breath and nodded at him again, preparing herself, "Ready?"

"Ready."

They rose from their position on the dune, running down the sand face and heading towards the combat, human and blood elf keeping pace with one another as they neared the fighting. The camp ahead was pandemonium as individual fights had broken out amongst the tents. It was clear that this was not the first raid on the camp, and the reason why the wagons were damaged and there were wounded. The raiding sand bandits seemed to be quite familiar with their adversaries, avoiding the thickets knots of guards and using nets to capture wounded or individual fighters as they could.

As soon as the two spies reached the edge of the camp, both hurled their orbs in front of them. The two metal containers plopped into the sand silently, both exploding once they came to a rest and sending out huge clouds of dense smoke that began to cover the entire encampment. With grim expressions on their faces, Rosellina and Braeth'el ran into the smoke and towards the position of the wagons.

********************************

The world had closed in around Rosellina as soon as she stepped into the swirling smoke. Her face covered with a mask to keep the worst of it out of her lungs, she hurried past the shadowed forms of combatants all around her, making for the position she'd seen the wagons occupying. Shouts and the sounds of combats echoed weirdly in the shroud of smoke, making it impossible to tell if she were about to stumble into enemies. Now and then a weapon would come out of nowhere, and she parried it with a rapier and continued on her way, avoiding being bogged down in true combat.

The map of the camp she'd made in her mind allowed her to stay relatively on course despite the fighting. She identified a few of the key waypoints along her route by touch, finding a camp tent here or a weapon rack there exactly as she expected. After only a few moments a dark shadow loomed out of the billowing smoke, the side of a wagon materializing a moment later.

Rosellina wasted no time and quickly sheathed her swords. She climbed onto the wagon and took a dagger out, prying open the lid of one of the crates and collecting five short swords. She wrapped them with cords she had in her belt, looping the hilts together and then binding the blades before wrapping all of the weapons in a cloth sack that she slid on her back. Her theft complete, she hopped down from the wagon, drawing her weapons again.

The smoke was beginning to clear, and she knew she had little time to get to the cover of the outlying dunes before she was seen. Even as she began to run back the way she'd come, a horn sounded in the midst of the battle and the raiders roared as they renewed their charge. Shadowed forms appeared out of the smoke, horses riding past her at high speed and weapons flashing. A few struck at her, but most seemed to mistake her for one of their own and passed her by without incident. Rosellina whispered a prayer of thanks to the Light and continued running, keeping her face masked so as to appear as one of the raiders.

There must have been over a hundred of them, so loud were the sounds of hooves in the smoke. As the smoke began to clear Rosellina knew she would never make it to the cover of the dunes in time. A desperate plan formed in her mind. She found a spot far from the tents and just on the edge of the rapidly dissipating smoke screen, dropping to the ground and laying prone. She whipped her own cloak over herself, using her rapiers to scoop sand up and slide it over her body.

Within a few moments she had covered herself with sand, her hands digging into the soft surface beneath her and sliding it over her head. She used the cloth mask covering her face to breath through, the thin material the only part of her exposed and letting her see dimly for a short distance.

Around her the smoke was being blown away by the desert wind, the disturbed dunes making her concealment acceptable given the debris all around from the battle. No one would notice the small bit of cloth sticking out of the sand, and besides that, it looked like the camp guards had lost the battle.

The raiders were withdrawing now, captives in tow as they began to climb back up the dunes. Through her cloth cover, Rosellina could see blood elves and goblins being hauled away in nets, likely to be sold as slaves or killed later. Just as she was about to look away, she noticed something that sent a chill down her spine.

One of the nets contained an unconscious Sin'dorei with spiked blonde hair; the raiders had captured Braeth'el.

Rosellina cursed under her breath, tracking the direction that they were taking the spy as they rode off. She had the weapons on her back, but he knew who the buyer might be. She needed the information he had to complete her mission. As he disappeared over the dunes, dragged behind a horse, Rosellina scowled, resolution setting in.

She was going to have to get that blood elf back, one way or another.

Desert Nights

Rosellina tossed and turned in her bed. The heat from the day had been intense, and she'd slipped under the covers in nothing more than her underwear. In her sleep, her dreams made her thrash, her covers thrown off and twisted around her bare skin as she fitfully drifted from one dream to the next.

In her mind she saw a woman with the sky framed behind her. The woman was beautiful, her skin darker than Rosellina's own, with the blue sky contrasted against black hair that was streaming behind her in the wind of their passage, a golden circlet resting upon her brow. The vision bobbed up and down, as if Rosellina lay across a horse, and she felt a chilling sense of urgency in herself. The feeling was mirrored on the woman's face as she looked behind her now and then, before brown eyes that matched Rosellina's own looked down at her. The woman spoke to her then, the words only in Rosellina's mind.

They're coming for us my desert rose. We must get to the flowing sea. Over the water you are safe, safe forever. 

The sense of urgency in the dream grew, and the woman's face drew into a grim expression, the voice pounding in Rosellina's mind.

Wake up my rose. Wake up NOW!

********************************

Rosellina jerked awake in her bed. Perhaps it was the dream that had awoken her, or perhaps the faintest stirring of air, an errant current that didn't belong. Regardless of what the reason was, Rosellina went from a dead sleep to sudden, heightened alertness. Not knowing why, she jerked herself to the right, rolling out of bed and onto the floor of the room she'd rented in Gadgetzan.

The blade that would have pierced her heart slammed into the feather mattress that Rosellina had been laying on, feathers flying from the pierced fabric. The assassin holding the blade gasped as his target suddenly and inexplicably jumped out of the way, whirling his head to track her position in the room.

Rosellina was no stranger to assassination attempts; she'd been trained to perform such actions for many years and instantly recognized the situation for what it was. Before the black cloaked and masked assassin had a chance to regain the upper hand she had already lurched to her feet, leaping onto the bed and hurling her body into the figure.

The assassin was lighter than she'd expected, and when her torso collided with his head her weight easily carried him backwards, driving him to the floor at the foot of the bed with Rosellina's rather bare body atop him. His blade, a short sword, was launched from his grip and skittered across the floor before coming to a rest against one of the room's walls. Beneath the mask Rosellina could see two fel-green eyes blinking in surprise as she attempted to pin him into place with her legs.

Unfortunately, the assassin was far more capable than he appeared, and the sudden reversal had not thrown his attack off balance. His arms were still free and he quickly jerked a hand up, slamming his stiffened fingers into a pressure point under Rosellina's arm and then punching her in the throat with his other free hand. She gagged, her arm numb and the force of the two blows making her fall backwards. The assassin used the chance to shift his body, throwing her against the end of the bed and making the breath gasp from her as the bed stand slammed into her back.

Quick as a cat she lurched back to her feet, the assassin drawing a dagger from his belt. Her eyes locked with his beneath the mask, her hands spread out before her as she dropped into a fighting pose. He jumped at her and she batted his first stab out of alignment with her palm, quickly moving within the reach of his arms, her knee coming up into his groin. He gasped and she punched him in the stomach before ducking to avoid the sweep of his knife as he tried to stab her a second time. He snarled, his knee coming up and colliding with her nose and sending her reeling. Her hands reached out and snagged his clothing, his mask and hood pulling free as she fell backwards on the bed.

It was the blood elf she'd seen dealing with the goblins. He wasted no time in taking advantage of her prone position on the bed, jumping at her with his dagger and attempting to stab her in the heart. She managed to push the blow to the side with one hand, causing the blade to bite into the mattress beside her, the edge leaving a bloody scratch on her right arm. She brought her legs up, bare feet hitting the elf in the stomach and hurling him away. He staggered backwards and slammed into the dresser in the room, the sound of the impact making Roselllina grin.

She lurched back to her feet and then felt a burning sensation in her arm. Her eyes widened as she looked at the cut and at the elf, his blade dripping with a faint green liquid.

Poison. He's poisoned me. Feels like a toxin. Maybe a fast reacting agent that affects the blood. High lethality rating I'd guess.

Rosellina slumped, her memories of her training surfacing in her mind. Specifically she recalled the six hellish months where she had been introduced to various types of poison and the inoculation she was forced to undergo to obtain some resistance to each of the most common forms. She had been as sick as she'd ever been in her life, but it had given her the ability to at least partially resist a small quantity of many regularly used poisons; a quality necessary in a person who would be expected to carry poisoned weapons frequently and who might accidentally cut themselves.

While she was actually sick, she was not as sick as she pretended to be, allowing her body to slide to the floor. The elf smirked, walking confidently towards her as he prepared to deliver the death blow. He stood over her, looking down at her and shaking his head and speaking in perfect common, "Such a waste. You're quite lovely."

Rosellina grinned, looking up at him as she sprung her trap, "That's so sweet."

She punched him in the groin. He was definitely not expecting it, and doubled over in agony. Her next blow was beneath his armpit, causing his dagger to fly out of his hand. Her third blow was to his throat, causing him to stagger back into the dresser again with another loud thump. Rosellina stood her ground, facing off against the now unarmed blood elf, both looking worse for wear.

He broke the silence first, rubbing his throat, his voice a hoarse croak, "Y-you are not a 7th Legion supply officer..."

"And you are not a simple Sin'dorei merchant," Rosellina stated, never taking her eyes off the elf. "Or do you normally attempt to assassinate your rivals in business?"

His fel-green eyes narrowed as he studied her, neither of them moving, "Why are you purchasing weapons here? The 7th Legion would contract them back in Alliance territory. Your actions mark you as a pirate or at the least an illicit arms dealer; exactly what I'm here to investigate and stop."

Rosellina laughed, rolling her eyes, "Oh really? And your investigation involves purchasing said illicit weapons? Please, I wasn't born yesterday."

The blood elf grinned, seeming to relax slightly, looking over Rosellina's nearly naked body with a nod, "No, I can confirm that you weren't. Although you are uneducated surely. Weapons have the marks of their makers upon them. When compared to other similar weapons, their origin can be discovered. Someone is sneaking weapons from Alliance territory to the Kor'kron. Someone from Quel'Thalas. I have enough evidence to show this, and I'm trying to find out who it is that is behind it."

Rosellina's eyes widened and she held her hands up in the sign of a truce, "You and I have the same mission then. I already know where the weapons originated from, but not who purchased them. A human noble was the supplier, and those supply lines are now cut. The buyer must be identified before they locate another source of supply however."

The elf nodded, remaining quiet for a few moments as he thought about the situation. Finally he straightened, looking Rosellina in the eye, "My name is Braeth'el. I work for House Sunfire, and certain interests in Quel'Thalas do not wish to see any additional weapons making their way onto the field if you understand my meaning. If you remain out of my way during my investigation into the matter, I will give you no further trouble, as it appears we work towards the same end."

Rosellina smiled at him, "You can call me Rose. SI:7 has an interest in this as well. We don't like our people supplying weapons to the enemy. If YOU stay out of MY way then we won't have any more conflict."

The blood elf grinned, his messy blonde hair falling around his face as he began to laugh, "Oh that's rich. You think you're the better spy. I'm sure I'll have this wrapped up before you've even figured out what direction the weapons were taken from here. Why, I bet you can't even-"

His words were interrupted by shouts outside. Goblin guards could be heard mustering, their shouts showing that they were beginning to search room by room for the source of the banging and sounds of combat they'd heard. The goblins of Gadgetzan frowned on Horde/Alliance conflict in the bounds of their town. Human and Blood Elf stared at each other across the space, looking alarmed as the guards drew closer.

A moment later the door to Rosellina's room banged opened and three goblin guards burst in, maces ready to club anyone who was bringing the conflict into their town. Their jaws dropped in scandalized shock as they saw Rosellina embracing the blood elf, one bare leg wrapped around his as they kissed. She quickly broke the kiss off, looking at the goblins innocently, "Oh I'm sorry, were we making too much noise...?"

The goblins shook their heads, one of them spitting on the floor and all three backing out of the room, "Just keep it down will you...? Ugh..."

Rosellina smiled and nodded at them, "Sure, no problem! I guess I'll leave the whips in the drawer for now..."

The goblins ran out of the room, slamming the door behind them. As soon as they were gone, Rosellina released the blood elf, managing to contain her laughter somehow, nodding at him.

The elf grinned at her, giving her a mock bow before turning to gather up his weapons and sheathing them. He appraised her with new eyes, nodding at her finally before heading towards the window that he'd come in through, "It seems you are more than you appear to be Rose. Perhaps we will meet again on better terms in the future."

With that he was gone, the curtains around the window moving slightly with the breeze of his passing, leaving Rosellina standing in the middle of the room, a smile playing across her lips. She spoke aloud to no one, watching the space where he'd been, "Perhaps we shall Braeth'el. Next time though I will be one step ahead of you my rival."

 

A Link

The sands blew across the dunes, the abrasive particles getting under clothing and into boots and equipment. Rosellina had covered herself with a cloth head wrap and long robe to keep the worst of it off her, but even so the sandstorms of Tanaris could come unexpectedly and cover an area with new, freshly blowing sand and dust at a moment's notice.

The sun was starting to rise as she made her way across the final set of dunes, her journey nearly complete. She had been let ashore in the darkness of the night near the wreckage that was once the Steamwheedle port. The area was rife with piracy, and the 7th Legion submarine's captain had wanted to move with some degree of stealth to avoid open conflict; it was supposed to be a top secret mission after all.

Once ashore, Rosellina had set out on foot for Gadgetzan. They'd estimated that it would take her the remainder of the night to reach the town and she'd made fairly good progress. The sun was just starting to peek over the ocean behind her as she approached the gates, her form still wrapped in the protective clothing.

The goblin guards there took one look at her and drew their weapons, setting shields and preparing their brutal looking maces for work. Rosellina paused, surprised by the reaction and keeping herself very still, her hands far from her body to show she meant no harm. The goblins chattered amongst themselves, calling out for others and soon there was quite a crowd of them, several of them leveling rifles at her.

"Put your hands on your head!" one of them shouted. Rosellina complied as two of the goblins approached her, weapons in hand.

"I-is there a problem..?" she asked.

"Yeah, we don't let Waste Wanderers into the town," one of them spat back. "You people should know better than to just walk up here with all the raiding you do. 'specially after the Cataclysm. You think we got a bunch of spare supplies for you to make off with here thief?"

"W-what...W-waste Wanderer? I don't know what you're talking about-" Rosellina began.

One of the guards shoved her with his shield, forcing her forward, "Shut up sand trash! Don't need ta hear your excuses. We'll be taking your gear and you can go right back out into the dunes where you belong."

Rosellina paused, despite the shield prodding her towards an area where the goblins obviously meant to strip her of her things, "I'm a citizen of Stormwind, and you will treat me as such. I have no idea why you've mistaken me for a desert wanderer but I've had about enough of this."

"Oh is that so toots?" one of them smirked. He looked over at the other guards and Rosellina quickly found herself being restrained by a goblin on each arm, her legs kicked from behind to knock her over. The goblins stood over her, maces held and ready to bash her skull in if she resisted. "Lotta nerve coming in here and acting like you've the right to."

They began to remove her things from her, starting with the clothes used to cover her from the sands and continuing with her swords. Rosellina quickly found herself stripped down to a tank top and devoid of weapons, the goblins forcing her into a sitting position. One of them smiled, reaching down to grab a chain at her neck. He blinked in surprise as two shiny metal tags were pulled free from the top of her tank top.

"What's this then...?" he said, turning them over in her hands.

"Those would be my 7th Legion dog tags. I told you I was a citizen of Stormwind," Rosellina said, giving the goblin a hard stare. Although she was not actually a member of the 7th Legion, the disguise had been part of the mission parameters and she was glad now she'd been carrying the credentials. In a more firm tone, she addressed the rest of the goblins, "I WAS sent here to look into the purchase of arms and armor, but apparently you don't want 'my kind' to ruin the atmosphere of your town, so, you know, we can spend all of the gold I was allotted to contract with you elsewhere."

"Whoa! Whoa now, let's not be hasty!" the goblin said, eyes wide. He turned and snapped his fingers, gesturing to Rosellina's things. "Let's give the nice lady her pigstickers back and get the Boss down here eh? He can sort this out."

Rosellina smirked as the goblins scrambled to return her things, strapping her sword belt back on. She shrugged when they handed her the robes back; there was no point in covering herself up in the town, and if they were going to think she was a local Waste Wanderer wearing the garb she'd rather not worry about it. A minute later a goblin in a very expensive looking suit with golden rings on his fingers appeared gesturing to her to follow. She walked over to him, falling in step beside him as they made their way through the town. Rosellina could not help but notice a few stares directed her way by the people within the walls.

"Look lady, we're real sorry about all of this trouble," the goblin said. "My name's Blazer, and I run a bit of business out of town here having to do with the merchandise you're looking at. You shoulda just told the boys at the gate you were with the 7th and the Alliance. You gotta excuse them, but you are the spitting image of one of the bandit lords that rules out in the sands out there."

Rosellina paused, feeling as if she were slapped, "B-bandit lords...? W-what...?"

Blazer turned and looked at her, smirking, "Come on now, can't pretend like you don't know you look like one of the natives eh? Look at you. Not only that, but your face and the color of your hair's the spitting image of one of the worst of the raiders out there on the sands. You related to those people or something?"

"I-I...I don't know," Rosellina murmured, filing the information away for further investigation. "I-I'll have to study that a bit later...a-after we d-deal..."

"Whatever you want toots," Blazer replied with a smirk, turning to keep walking. "That's the other thing I wanted to mention before you get your hopes up. We already got a buyer here today, and he already put down coin. Not sure if I'm gonna be able to sell you any stock today, although we can cut a deal for new weapons once they're made eh? I always like to get some wet ink down on a new contract."

With that he turned and lead her towards one of the goblin dwellings there, pushing aside the curtain that made up the door. Rosellina ducked as she entered behind him, her eyes adjusting to the dim interior. When she was finally able to see, she saw there were a few goblins sitting around a conference table, coins laying on the wooden surface and their buyer sitting at a chair at one end of the table. Rosellina's eyes widened as she took him in.

It was a blood elf with long blonde hair and glowing fel green eyes.

Tension instantly ran through her, and her hands darted to her swords. For his part, the Sin'dorei jumped up from his chair, his hands reaching into the sleeves of his robes; sleeves that were more than large enough to contain blades. For a moment human and blood elf just stared at each other, the potential for violence between them almost a thing that could be tasted on the air.

"Hey hey! None of that in here," Blazer complained. "You two wanna make moon eyes at each other, do it outside and we'll just call the whole deal off."

The blood elf smirked, relaxing only slightly and breaking his stare off with Rosellina, nodding at the goblin, "Very well. Our business here is through then. I'll take possession of the shipment in two day's time as we discussed. I'll let you get to your other, less important business now."

He looked at Rosellina as he said this, his lips rising in a half smile as he walked past her. For another moment brown eyes locked with fel green eyes, the promise of a future battle unspoken between them. Rosellina shook her head after he'd departed, looking over to Blazer.

"Yeah so, the elf bought all our stuff up for the next week," he said. "If you wanna wait around though, we might be able to produce more. There's an inn across the way where you can stay while we work it out."

Rosellina considered the situation carefully, thinking about how she would continue with her mission. Her objective was to find the weapons that were getting into the barrens, and identify which Sin'dorei had been making the arrangements from House Falconoak. It looked like she'd just stumbled upon the very information she was seeking.

She smiled at the goblin, nodding and looking out through the thin curtains across the doorway, watching a lean Sin'dorei form as he walked away towards a private residence in town.

"Yes, I do believe that will work just fine," Rosellina replied with a smile. "I'll stick around for a bit, and see what kind of deals there are to be had."

It was going to be an interesting mission; she could tell already.