Warcraft: The Shadowhand Conspiracy

[rivaan]

"Alright! I haven't been there... or to most places really!!!" Naisha exclaimed joyfully, not completely getting what was going on right away, but getting just about enough to know the basics of wwhat was going on right now. That being that Asha wasn't returning home to 'marry' right away, they still get to travel around and help people( also seeing new places), have adventuers and that they were helping in doing so! Also they were visiting goblins! She had seen goblins a few times in Auberdine and Ashenvale, they were traveling merchants in these weird mechanical carriages that were sometimes pulling by rockets or robots or something and at ohter time seemingly moved by variety of gears and booming sounds... Weird folk, the goblins. In any case, she didn't like em much, but they did have curious curiosities a planty in their wares.

"That would be the best plan indeed." Ironhoof nodded sagely." Whatever that 'order' is about is likely something big if it's going to Ogrimmarof all places. Getting to the bottom of it, getting leads and spreading those leads around to... 'clear' your name and capitalize on whatever you encounter to mess them even more, well that's bound to stirr the hornets nest." The elderly tauren chuckled, his voice rumbling, but not unpleasant." If you could, try to also reach out and build up connections with Alliance agents... building bridges would piss them off even more." He then laughed.

"Nuh-huh! I'm not stuck with you, I like traveling with you!" Naisha objected right away with a bright smile, earning a chuckle from her Dryad friend and another laugh from the elderly tauren. Ironhoof really liked the Harpy Priestess of Elune. Naisha never acted like the usual of her vocation, nothign against priestesses of course, he held much respect for them, but it was refreshing to see somebody soo innnocent and pure on the path. The harpy just seemed to view the world from her own lense and the elderly tauren wished that one day Azeroth truly matched that unknowable vision of hers. He supposed and hoped deeply that she would never lose that childhood innocence of hers." There are trained flying mounts that follow trade lanes from here, but I only know the ones that lead back to Ashenvale..."

"Lucky for you there's a flight route from here that leads to Ratchet, but given the distance being half a continent away, it takes a couple of days even with a mount capable of flight, that's already assuming that there would be readily avaible replacement mounts at each stop. So while it'd be possible to easily get there quickly via flight, it will still require you to make a few stops along the way. We've got mounts prepared for when you want to head out, but since I've heard of your journey to here, would you mayhaps prefer to get a proper night's rest before heading off again? The Inn's beds are very comfortable i'm told and some proper meals might not hurt." Ol Ironhoof asked with a smile.

[Keira Kelly]

Asha barely noticed Naisha's excitement at travelling and seeing more of the lands south of Ashenvale. Her mind was more concentrating on trying to theorize at what they might encounter, how best to get to Ratchet, what problems they might run into on the way, what they might need to bring with them and the like. Despite being more than relieved not to have to go home just yet, there was so much to be concerned about that she couldn't really bring herself to be quite as enthusiastic at her friend. At least they would have to be crossing mostly Horde lands to get to Ratchet, and that meant that a Sin'dorei travelling through wouldn't be quite as suspicion-rousing as it would be for her to go into Alliance territory.

Her jaw dropped slightly, and long, feathery eyelashes raised when Ironhoof mentioned reaching out to Alliance agents. She raised one hand slightly as she tried to put her next question into words. "If it is a good idea to reach out to Alliance agents.... how.... would we know which ones, whom to approach?" she asked hesitantly. She was still highly skittish about going anywhere with so much of an Alliance presence that they would have agents around. Further south, the majority of Alliance they might encounter would likely be humans, whom she actually did have fond memories of, but she doubted that any of these humans in Kalimdor felt the same for Quel'dorei as did.... as had some of the people of Loraerdon. She could always send Naisha first to meet with any Alliance agents but.. knowing Naisha as well as she did now, she wasn't sure that that was the best option. The harpy was determined and lovable, but the forgetfulness could lead to bad situations.

Naisha's rebuttal about being stuck with Asha brought a smile to the blood elf's face. Despite all the consternation the harpy's forgetfulness had caused Asha over this whole situation, Naisha was just too naive and innocent that it elicited feelings from Asha that she could only assume was a fondness and protective instinct for a younger sister. She now felt just as Olrine and Raevia, her two older sisters, had displayed towards herself. They were gone now, they were all gone, but at least Asha had someone she could think of as family now. All she really had now was Naisha, like a little sister, and Thas, whom was leaning against her as she idly scratched his head.

She drew her attention back to the tauren as he answered her question about travel. She gave a nod at his answer. "Even with a number of stops along the way, a few days, or even a handful, is far faster than the time it would take going by ground, with a mount or not. I can imagine that this is something of a time sensitive task so, even with a few stops on the way, it's the best we can do." she agreed.

Despite her words though, when offered a bed for the night, she hesitated. It WAS a time sensitive task but.. they also needed to be as well rested and clear-headed as possible, right? Sleeping in the forest was not something abnormal for a Farstrider, but it really had been a good while since Varasha had had a decent bed for a night... and with the pace they had been moving at, one night staying here wouldn't hurt, right? The offer of a good meal sealed it. She glanced over at Naisha, seeing the harpy looking encouraged by it all. "A good meal and a comfortable bed for the night would be very appreciated." she said, standing up and giving a grateful bow of her head. "Thank you, Elder, and all of you, for your hospitality and kindness."

[rivaan]

"That's a problem as I cannot be certain who is informed about this and who is not besides my immediate fellows with us here and high ranking leaders and their most loyal. Any of the agents investigating Legion activities should at least hear you out. I mentioned it as an option to pursue if an opportunity presents itself. Don't worry too much about it and just proceed as you feel is right. Your innocence's known to those that matter and when we've weeded out the main dangers you will be able to resume your normal life." The old tauren reassured with a smile in a way that taurens smile which is look kinda weird but hey different faces and skull structure.

"In that case I suppose it's time for us to call it a night and give ourselves time to rest tonight." The Old Druid laughed and stood up." Calliope would you be a dear and show your friends where the tavern is? I've send somebody to arrange for rooms there as soon as they arrived." the archdruid asked of the present dryad with grandfatherly voice and the dryad nodded with a polite smile.

"Of course, if I don't, Naisha will end up getting distracted and probably end up in the lake or something." Calliope grinned back, earning as squak from the harpy.

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Naisha argued back in outrage.

This earned an raiseed long eyebrow from teh dryad who just looked to the side." Ohh look a hyppogryph."

"What, where, where!?" Naisha's attention was immediately pulled away from the previous topic as she dashed to the now opened doorway, lookingaround only to stop when she saw none of the majestic beasts and her lil head started to realize she's been had. She scowled at Calliope, but nodded obediently in the end." I am... a bit easily distracted yes." She agreed in the end. This earned smiled from all the druids present.

"Follow me, I will show you to the tavern." The dryad said and began leading the way down the grass paved spaces between the different buildings towards a more traditional night elven building near the lake. It had the typical open ground floor design that could be seen in a number of Kaldorei buildings nowdays in places where the weather was pleasant year round. There were tables, lounging chairs, people moving about with trays of food. Seems the open ground floor was a mix of a eating area and lounging area. Not too busy, but it had enough people, mostly druids though. They were given the keyes to their rooms, two rooms on the second floor next to each other. Both with nice comfortable beds, a small cabinet, a desk and a chair. There were huge windows overlooking the lake. The eternal enchanted night and hte moonlight gave it a very majestic view and in Naisha's case soothed her immensely to the point she was napping curled up in her bed right away.

[Keira Kelly]

Asha was not exactly satisfied by the answers she got; it was going to be difficult at best to tell which individuals they might meet that might be agents, especially when it came to Alliance ones. And it would be dangerous for a member of the Horde to show themselves to someone from the Alliance who did not know of the.. operation. She supposed though if they went to one of the new neutral towns or cities and.. perhaps let it be overheard that they were after evidence of Legion activities or some such, it might draw the attention of agents. Maybe.. maybe it would be best to let Naisha do that though when they found an appropriate location after all. A harpy speaking of such things would likely give either faction pause enough to listen to what was being said, rather than it coming from someone whose race had recently allied itself to the Horde.

After Ironhoof broke up the official meeting, suggesting it was time for sleep, Asha was about to speak when the banter between Calliope and Naisha interrupted. The half smile at the teasing turned into full laughter as the dryad tricked Naisha. As the amusement settled down and Calliope began to move to lead them out of the building, Asha turned to Ironhoof and the other druids, giving them all a respectful bow of her head. "Thank you all, for your hospitality and willingness to listen.. and help us." she was finally able to say, before she turned to follow the dryad and harpy out, pausing only to pick up Thas to carry him with her.

During the walk, Asha was able to take in more of the architecture, most of it being very Kaldorei. She frowned just a bit, the admonished herself to hide the expression. None of the Kaldorei structures she had seen since coming here to Kalimdor had really impressed her. Almost all of them just simply made, painted in drab, earthen, wooden colours, not only here but even back in Auberdine. Despite what she was glad she was avoiding back home, she sorely did miss the sweeping spires and columns all painted in striking red and white, made to impress and prove the grandness and majesty of their culture. Even with the destruction that had visited Silvermoon, her home city was still far more impressive than anything she had seen on her visit here. But she would be a gracious guest. Besides, sleeping in a bed, even if it was in a building that was less fancy even that stables back home were, it was better than sleeping up in the open on that mountain they had come from. She might have been a Farstrider, one more dedicated to nature than most Sin'dorei, but even she could appreciate a soft bed to sleep on.

As Calliope showed them their rooms at the inn, Asha thanked her before heading into her own. She put her things down beside the chair in the room, wandering around and idly checking out everything that was there as Thas did the same. The drab, near-darkness was beginning to eat at her nerves. Anar'alah, she missed... well, the light. Missed the colours and the happy brightness of the sun. How could anybody live in this sort of place for any length without seeing the life-giving sunlight? With a heavy sigh, she moved to lie down on the bed, but sleep did not come easily as thoughts of what was passed and what was still to come played on her mind. That, and she couldn't wait to be back in beautiful sunlight once more...

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NEXT MORNING
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She slept fitfully and when she awoke, she had no idea if it was morning or night or... anything. The eternal night in this place, made her feel the want to go back to sleep but she fought against it, unsure if she should be getting up now or if she still had hours left to sleep. She glanced over to near the end of the bed where the bear cub was stretched out, legs splayed in every direction, snoring away. Well, she was certain that whenever it was truly morning, Naisha would find a way to wake Asha up, so the blood elf might as well get as many more minutes.. or hours, of sleep that she could.

[rivaan]

Naisha's dreams were... curious thing. Sometimes more wild than others, at times completely lacking any sense and at rare times even seemingly getting glimpses into something entirely different that existed beyond their current reality. This time was one of the last one. Since her near death experience at the hands of the satyr, she was hardly getting proper rest least she had nightmares, but here in the domain of nature and under the influence of Elune, she finally had her proper rest. Thing was that she also experienced something else... Dreams of times and places she never had been at. Grand majestic images of a tree that made any present current seem like young ones. Of countless flying beings inhabiting it and somehow deep in instinctual way she recognized it as a home.

It was a nice dream, one that soon faded into the usual dream lack of understanding and memory. There were also the dancing moons, the chickens that were playing cards and one very confused goose armed with lance and shield proclaiming itself as Sir Goosalot. Dreams were such a funny little thing. At least until she suddenly snapped wide away, bolting to a sitting position, breathing heavily, cold sweat rolling off her body. Naisha's eyes were opened wide, still reeling from some unseen horror that had already faded from her awareness, but it's effect still present despite the soothing moonlight that was gently covering her body, allowing her to sense the very kind and loving presence of the Mother Moon. So she instead chose to do her rites and prey to Elune for the time being, hoping the goddess would help her figure out why her dreams were such a mess as she felt it was not just ththe near death at least not fully.

In the end she didn't just get magically fixed, nor did Elune directly spoke to her, but she still felt her presence focusing on her for a while. it felt nice, like how she felt back home when her mother would hug her whenever she was afraid at night from the dark and the monsters that lurked there. Finally the stress and fear faded out as the goddess's presence weakened, no doubt her attention required elsewhere. The world was filled with chaos after all. That said her goddess did provide her with a lead at least when it came to that evil mean tree that was plaguing her nightmares most of the time. It had to do with Shan'do Stormrage..., but he was missing. Now that was an issue because Naisha was now worrying if the tree wasn't responsible for his disappearance in some capacity. Maybe she could ask the High Priestess next time they meet? Or write her a letter and mention big mean evil tree and her concerns. In the end she deciced to write a nice letter, which she did. Then she put it in the post box down in the lobby before flying up to Asha's window from outside by habbit. She saw the elf still napping so she began knocking on the window, very carefully with her feet making sure to not stop moving her arms/wings and fall down.

[Keira Kelly]

Asha was only very lightly sleeping when the taping came at the window, instantly waking her. A part of her had the urge to grab for a weapon until she could judge what had awoken her but very quickly, she could see the dark, flapping form at her window. She was still not comfortable here. Then again, she could not think of one place in the whole of Azeroth that she would feel comfortable in right now. Back home, she had responsibilities that she wanted nothing to do with at the moment. She wished she could go back to Quel'Thalas and just become lost in the forest of her home, but even that, a large swath had been destroyed and taken over by the undead. Here, in the Moonglade, with the ever present night, she felt trapped and was yearning for the sun and light again, and in the rest of Kalimdor, she was seen, for now, as only a wanted murderer to most.

She quickly got up, moving over to the window with bare feet on the wooden floor. She did miss the cool, smooth stone floors of her home too. Getting to the window, she opened it, being careful to not hit Naisha as it opened outward and then stepped back to let the harpy in. She glanced back at the door to the room, then at the window and then at Naisa, wanting to say something but hesitating. She realized she really shouldn't have been surprised that the harpy decided to use the window rather than a perfectly good door. Asha rubbed her face with one hand, knowing that she had not nearly gotten enough sleep, at least not quality sleep, and yawned.

"Is it morning?" she asked, casting a glance out the window, still completely unsure at the eternal twilight, a lighting that actually sort of reminded her of the Ghostlands to the south of Silvermoon City, where the walking dead still resided. "How did you sleep, Naisha?" she asked, wanting to change the subject in her mind away from such depressing thoughts. The idea that it was morning now settled more into Asha's mind, giving her some hope of seeing the sunlight again soon. "Unless the elders have anything else for us, I guess we will be heading out towards Ratchet today. Hopefully after a good meal... You ready for a trip, Naisha?" she asked, feeling just a bit excited see more of Kalimdor. At least, until she thought of the vagueness of their task.

She schooled a grimace off her face. "So what do you think of our... 'mission'? Any thoughts or ideas about it?" She was still less than confident about being able to cross tracks with any agents that would be in the know of their mission. She could only hope that word of her wanted status was something they could keep ahead of from the general populations of the places they were to be headed to.