#mayday32024

May 21 - Day 3 Shame / Favorite 

On certain quiet nights it was getting harder and harder to ignore that she was no one’s favorite. That was a painful thought, hot and sharp to the touch. Sticky, too, one of those notions that would drag one down and drown if handled too long. 

Dalaran glittered in the late twilight, people laughed and passed through the streets under her little apartment’s balcony — not that it had been her’s for long, and shortly would not be again. Maybe it was the excess of wine, maybe it was the truth, but it was pretty miserable to realize how little her feelings meant to people who had claimed to be friends and how small she was in the grand scheme of it all. 

It would’ve been better to go into the alternate timeline with Sylmae, her un-daughter, who loved and missed a version of her she absolutely could have pretended to be. Wasn’t it better to be adored, even as something you weren’t, than not at all? That’s how she’d spent her whole life, and it was certainly better than this. 

Pyraelia could probably send her there, and would if she asked. Away from the mess and the song. 

It was a fine thought for a moment before her stomach turned and the guilt settled in. Bailing would be giving up, and the fact of the matter then remained even now: she didn’t belong there. But she didn’t belong here, either. 

Rue chirped a rolling meow and stretched her long, lanky body up as she clawed at Fio’s thigh, protesting the packed away furniture that had existed to scratch at. It was a subtle gesture, but she got the message — maybe she was someone’s favorite after all, if only to a cat.

FMK

“I am not going to play fuck…”

“Language..” Kyean interrupted Dei.

The warlock carried on, repeating the first just because he had stopped her, “… Fuck, marry, kill, with you concerning types of demons. If you put intention to some it gives it power.”

The Illidari laughed, “It is a game Dei, not one of your contracts. I will start,” he rubbed his chin, “Fuck it, I am married to killing them all.”

Dei dissolved into a fit of giggles, there was something about the ginormous Kaldorei that was just outrageous enough to get her to forget her ‘proper’ raising ever since he showed up after Brendan’s funeral. She was far too serious as a child due to her mentor/guardian’s raising, he was a hard man that had no use for a child but was in need of a protege, she just happened to be six when he took custody of her. No one, to that point had, ever made her feel comfortable enough to let go of all Brendan had instilled in her, and at seventeen she had been still a child.

“Going to bet you would have come up with that answer yourself if you relaxed a little,” Kyean said as he prodded at her ribs with one long, clawed finger. “So tell me about the boyfriend.”

Dei squirmed away because his claw had hit a ticklish spot. The night had been pleasant, they had made pasta together, well Dei made it and Kyean had kept stealing the fresh tomatoes they had bought, then sat in her newly organized front room. She still had three rooms to sort books from on the lower level and three on the upper levels of the house, then it would be in order. It wasn’t until Rurik had come to stay with her that she had really wanted to erode the anchors to how she was raised.

A couple bottles of wine had been added to the dinner, which Dei realized belatedly, that he burned off alcohol at such a fast rate he didn’t even get tipsy and she was pretty drunk, lightweight that she was. “Cheating,” she pointed out at his answer, then she became more serious. “Rurik, that was his name.”

“Probably still is,” he broke in with.

“Rurik *is* his name,” the ebony haired young woman corrected, wanting to throw a pillow at him. “He joined the company in a time when I wasn’t focused all that much on it. I just happened to hear the woman with the Man’ari friend talking about misplacing a jar of soulstones. I am sure you can guess my reaction and that drew me back in, connecting with them once more, to try and prevent them from falling to fel stupidity, if nothing else.”

Kyean turned from where he was reclined on the floor at her feet while she tucked herself up in a corner of the couch, “She what?”

It was so nice having someone else around that understood her stance on demons. Sure a few in the company disliked them and had adopted her safe handling instructions but most were aloof in their interactions, it drove her mad… “Yes, a jar went missing, then it reappeared partially empty.”

“Or partially full,” he offered oh so helpfully.

This time she did swing a pillow at him which caught him in the shoulder, pillows didn’t have auras after all so he couldn’t *see* it coming. This time she didn't even correct herself, “Then she said they changed colors and she was pleased with this. While I was losing it over this cavalier attitude a voice came over the comm. I did not recognize him, he was asking generalized questions. What kind of work did we have coming up? Anything illegal? I guess he already had trouble in his past but nothing really invasive.”

Kyean’s head lifted, “For your first boyfriend you chose a criminal? What the Fel Deiala? It has been five years since Brendan’s death, that seems a bit late to be rebellious. Couldn’t you have dyed your hair or something? Maybe stop wearing corsets?”

“Are you finished?” She asked tartly then continued, “She started asking if he was a reporter or something. I thought his questions smart for just joining the company, things I never asked any when I joined really”

“You didn’t? You? Miss ‘I read the small print in ancient texts on the theory of Azeroth Being round’ for fun’? Miss ‘There is not a mystery out there I don’t want to solve’?”

Dei sat there silent until he said, “Go on.” To which she replied, “I wanted to make sure you were done.” Something she had realized the first few times she drank was that she had a tendency to be more challenging, especially to strong willed men.

“Anyway, she kept challenging him but I didn’t know him so why would I involve myself in their squabbling? A couple days later I went to watch people spar, more to put faces with voices than anything. Me, being me, with all my social graces, ended up just standing there, I observed, until I wasn’t.” The young woman smiled at the memory, “He just said hello and we began talking, next thing you know he is coming by the shop to research an art project.”

“You had an artist in your group?”

“A tattoo artist, though he was a good painter as well.” She replied.

He nodded, “Okay, yeah that tracks. Criminal and tattoo artist, next thing you know you will tell me he was a sailor or something.”

Dei flushed and Kyean laughed, “Annnyyy way… we had a mission and some things going on so it was suggested we team up to keep an eye on one another. The antagonistic woman suggested with a seductive tone that he and her should pair up. He was at the shop when he asked me instead. The mission didn’t go well, in fact it was a bit traumatic, so he came back here with me…”

“And you fucked away the trauma, yeah, been there, done that.”

“Actually no,” she said and drew a breath in through her nose, “he said that he would not take advantage of that and slept in one of the back bedrooms. It wasn’t until another mission went sideways that we ended up sleeping together, even then I had to push the issue.”

Kyean grunted in disbelief but said nothing.

Dei frowned at him, tipping her chin up, “I can decide what I want for myself you know.” Not bothering to wait for another comment, “Well, things happened and instead of a reporter the woman started calling him a spy and ended up making things uncomfortable so he left here in not the best of circumstances, on a night when my new friends were here for dinner. To say the least, this did not endear him to them.”

For once he remained quiet so she continued. “He came back, apologized for leaving stupidly and we started again. This time it was even better than before between us, but this whole spy thing had taken root in some people’s minds, even I had some doubts. The company verified that there was a spy in our midst, personally I think there is more than one, and we certainly had false faces around, somehow it was decided that he was the spy. I was told about this and when I chose to talk to him about it and not just stop seeing him it upset my friends. One threatened him and I did not back her. She decided to wash her hands of the whole thing and told me I would do what I wanted anyway, so why should she bother,” Dei frowned and laid her head against the back of the couch.

“The lack of trust issue rears its head,” he said quietly.

It took more than a moment for her to continue, “He said that he could not stay knowing it would put me in such a position. It was his idea to leave, I tried to talk him out of it but he was looking out for me.” Thanks to the wine tears welled in her eyes again. “He was looking out for me, and yet I did not fight for him.” This time her voice was quiet.

Kyeanadril reached out for her chin making her look at him, “There is no shame in that Dei. He was right, it would have caused undo conflict for you and since I doubt you told him about what you guard, that alone might put you in an even worse quandary.”

“I still feel like I failed him,” Dei did not tell Kyean about the couple of times she had reached out to Rurik and each time he had sounded like she felt, but he still picked up, he could just have stopped answering if he hadn’t cared about her. The last time had actually been the night before.

“Sometimes the harder path is not always the best one. What if you chose him over them and it didn’t work out? What if he really was a spy and using you? I know how people use one another all too well. There are a million what ifs, but what I do know is that you have a job above and beyond all else, the secrets you keep are dangerous and if you are in the midst of conflict it will make you vulnerable.” He then asked the tougher question, “Did you love him?”

The dark haired woman nodded a bit in his grasp, but she was still so conflicted, “I miss him. I haven’t really slept since he left. And I don’t know if I love him or not, I wasn’t given enough time to find out. I think I was starting to though.” The nightmares they discussed tortured her and the only time she had been free of them since the first mission they went on was when Rurik had slept in the house with her, even before he was in her bed. “I don’t like being alone now…”

This story is a entry for @daily-writing-challenge day 3 shame and feature my orc warrior character Gramakk Axeband.

Sometimes darkness brought Kai peace. It had been over ten years since her mother's passing. Standing in the clearing of a massive waterfall close to Booty Bay, Kai allows the moon's beauty to grace her body.

This was the one place that she felt the closest to her mother. The only peace they had ever found.

Even after all these years, she can feel her presence. It had always been her mothers favorite spot. Over the years it had become Kai's as well.

And on the anniversary of her mother's death, she came here. The same questions ran through her thoughts. Would her mother be proud of her? Would she feel ashamed of who Kai had become?

Crossing her legs before her, Kai rests her elbows on them. Closing her eyes, Kai takes in a deep steady breath. Her dreams have become more troubled lately, and these dreams not only affects her, but others as well.

What did these dreams mean? Why could she hear this call? This song? Who was it that calls out to them?

She was finding it harder and harder to clear her thoughts. She would need to return to the Jade Forest. Maybe there was answers there. Eyes open as she glances up to the waterfall before her. First there was Annya's Gallery.

Then she would leave after to pack for her trip.

"I will see you next year mother. I'm sure I will have so many new stories to tell you." she leans forward to press her lips against the stone that rests just before the water.

Standing up, she looks around one last time, before heading down the pathway that would lead her back to Booty Bay, and then back home to Ratchet.

Day 1: Mysterious / Appearance (Gravekeeper)

Day 2: Agony/Embrace

Day 3: Shame/Favorite

It was a meeting, in secrecy. The warlock constantly underestimated Elernia, and now she swore Safrona would pay for her lax attention, her utter dismissal and betrayal. Their infernal bond waned as the warlock's bond with the new young succubus AND incubus strengthened, allowing the Elder Sayaad to roam further from the warlock without notice. She lured a victim by teaching her name to the right lovesick acolyte and she was effectively summoned in the dank crypt long enough for her to overpower and slaughter the silly elf. And now, presenting the fresh flesh with the right sigil, she bid the one in mind to attend her.