Daina of Kirin'var

Art by janainaart; talandriel‘s Daina Dawnblossom and my Luminel Pyrestar.

daily doodle #2

I should clarify these and say that me and talandriel made a deal where if she jogs 5 miles+ in a day, I sketch her something. Something that’s not me being an asshole, that is.

(Continued.)

Inside the tavern, Kadji stood behind the bar, as he often did. But this time he bent forward, peering at a chunk of wood missing from the front side of the old, heavy bar top. In one hand, he held a small piece of wood he intended to use to repair the gap, but of course it would take some work. It always did.

An ancient looking Sin'dorei sat at the end of the bar, looking on with amusement. “Just stick it in there,” he said. “It’ll be fine.”

Kadji doesn’t look up, but he smiled. “Dat’s what my mother said to my father one time. And look what happened.” The Sin'dorei laughed loudly at this, and Kadji’s smile widened a bit. These days grew long without amusement to pass the time, but of course there was plenty of time to be serious, too. That’s the way taverns worked. He held the piece of wood next to the gap in the bar, then made three small markings on it with a pencil.

“What in the world beat up the bar?” asked the old Sin'dorei. Kadji just shook his head wearily, the amusement falling away. “The same t'ing that beats up da world,” he said. “People.” He turned the piece of wood over one more time, then reached behind the bar to grab a couple of tools before pointing at a brightly painted sign on the wall. It read, “Fighting will result in marriage to a dwarf.” Kadji chuckled. “Let’s just say we had ourselves a couple of weddings yesterday.”

The two of them grinned, and Kadji glanced up toward the front door. He glimpsed golden curls through the tiny window. “Well, well,” he said to no one in particular. “Little Miss Sunshine is here!” Then, still smiling broadly, he bellowed “Daina!”

Kirin’VarVillage, Netherstorm. Outland 

(This post is in screenplay format.)

-Script-

INT. A PROPER BREW - MID-EVENING

Business is picking up slightly at the tavern, although one table and a handful of barstools remain empty. One can hear the sound of laughter coming from one of the tables, and DAINA grins as she picks up a handful of empty mugs from it. JAEDAN, the bar’s owner and current bartender, works patiently but swiftly behind the bar. All seems to be going well.

Then, the front door opens abruptly to reveal an ominous BLOOD ELF, in full battle attire, his right hand curled around a vicious-looking polearm. He stays on the threshold, surveying the bar’s patrons until his eyes find a miserable-looking FORSAKEN at the corner table. In the short time it takes to do this, the entire tavern has quieted.

FORSAKEN Oh, hell.

BLOOD ELF Oh, hell, indeed.

The Blood Elf starts to take a step into the tavern, when suddenly we see a few tiny, blue sparks flash on each side of the door. The result is remarkable; the Blood Elf bumps into what appears to be an invisible force field and cannot pass. His face registers shock for a moment, then anger.

BLOOD ELF What is this absurdity? Let me in at once.

While we haven’t been paying attention, Jaedan is suddenly there, a few feet away. The Pandaren moves with incredible silence.

JAEDAN No weapons in the bar.

EXT. A PROPER BREW - FRONT DOOR - MID-EVENING (CONTINUOUS)

As he’s talking, we pull back slowly behind the Blood Elf to reveal a sign outside the door that reads, “No Weapons In the Bar - Please Deposit Here and They Will Be Returned Upon Exit.” Below it is what appears to be an enormous drawer with a large red button. The Blood Elf turns to glance at them in disbelief.

JAEDAN We can handle the occasional fistfight, when they happen. Can’t really do too much with swinging blades and assault rifles. Good thing we have two engineers on staff, right? Inara and Kadji are much smarter than I.

INT. A PROPER BREW - MID-EVENING (CONTINUOUS)

Jaedan smiles. The Blood Elf points a finger at the Forsaken in the back.

BLOOD ELF Fistfight? I’m not touching that…thing. He probably has fourteen types of disease.

FORSAKEN Fourteen?? Try fifteen. I visited your mom last night.

No one laughs.

BLOOD ELF Seriously. This won’t take long. I’ll even clean up the mess.

Jaedan shakes his head.

JAEDAN I’m afraid it goes in the drawer, along with any other weapons you have, or you can wait outside.

The Blood Elf furiously slams forward, but the force field doesn’t budge at all. He yells in frustration, then takes a moment to gather himself before a grin unfolds across his face.

BLOOD ELF Oh, I’ll wait outside. As long as it takes.

The elf slams the tavern door. Jaedan sighs, then turns to head back to the bar.

JAEDAN Well, we have at least one customer who’s in for the long haul! Who else? Let’s make a night of it.

Daina

A neatly-wrapped package bearing the seal of the Azerothian Trade Federation would arrive at the flower shoppe early one morning. Within its finely-laced compartments there would rest six blueberry muffins and a small note folded and placed at the side of the box.

Dear Daina,

I cannot thank you enough for the conversation the other morning. It is not often that I am afforded the opportunity to meet such a bubbly individual, much less have the chance to stop and smell the roses flowers. Although we may often become caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, it is good to know that there are people out there who still pay attention to the little things in life that make it worth living.

Please enjoy these muffins as a token of my appreciation. I do hope you like blueberries! It seemed only appropriate to give you something as refreshing and full of life as the conversation between us.

I hope that our paths may cross again some day. Although, something tells me that they will indeed do just that.

Thank you, again, and please be safe, wherever you may be in the world.

Sincerely,

Tarcanus Frostbourne

To add the final touches on this blog in preparation for Coram Populo’s new Azerothian Trade Federation storyline, this account is now host to all of the hardworking staff of A Proper Brew—Silvermoon’s small, hole-in-the-wall, but full-of-heart tavern. Those characters primarily include Jaedan Snowdrift and Inara Nightfall, the two previous subjects of this blog, as well as two additional characters: Kadji (troll) and Daina Dawnblossom (Blood Elf). Daina has her own account and is beautifully written here with collaboration from Talandriel Sunchaser. I’m quite looking forward to some fun storytelling within the tavern and hope you enjoy following along.

Here is the newly-updated write up on the tavern’s Characters page, for additional insight. Thanks for reading, as always!

The Characters

A Proper Brew is a very small bar & tavern located just off The Bazaar in Silvermoon City. It is basically a hole-in-the-wall as far as such things go, but its staff is working hard to make it respectable. Its specialty is making customized brews for customers, based on the circumstances those customers find themselves in—primarily through the talents of its two brewmasters, Jaedan Snowdrift and Inara Nightfall.

Jaedan Snowdrift is a Pandaren monk and the owner of A Proper Brew. He is currently a background character for the most part (although he was the focus of this Tumblr during the Mists of Pandaria expansion). The direction and decisions of the tavern lie with him, although he trusts Inara deeply and often works closely with her on most of the tavern’s logistics.

Inara Nightfall is a Sin'dorei monk and Jaedan’s right-hand woman at A Proper Brew. She is of average height, has long, black hair, and is in her mid-forties. Compared to most Sin'dorei, she is moderately attractive and somewhat short. At the tavern, she provides many specialized brews for customers, but also provides brewing/bartending services to special events, as well as handles the accounting and logistics of the tavern. When not working, she is often found splitting her time between Silvermoon and her current home, Dawn’s Blossom (within Pandaria’s Jade Forest). She has befriended many Pandaren in recent months, subsequently going through rigorous training to become a monk and brewmaster mid-last year. The achievements rank as her highest, on a personal level, and she continues to study her craft extensively. Much more secretively, she also works as the unidentified writer of an anonymous advice column, Dear Felicity, which has a small circulation within Silvermoon.

There are two others that currently work at the tavern, making a total staff of four:

Kadji is a troll in his thirties who splits bartending duties with Jaedan. He sees his role as bringing fun to the bar and its customers, particularly the ladies.

Daina Dawnblossom is a young Sin'dorei who works as the tavern’s lone waitress, generally working during its busiest hours to bring drinks to and from tables. Much of her story has yet to unfold.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the tavern is its ability to attract customers of all types, particularly adventurers and storytellers. In a world at war, we too often do not stop to heed the lessons of events that have already unfolded. Perhaps A Proper Brew will afford us a chance to do so.

Hope to see you there!