#sharyssa

The lone figure slowly made her way towards the edge of the cliffside, without a care for the downpour. Her vantage point provided a perfect view of the ruins of Dalaran... Well, what was left of it after magi and looters alike had already cleared out every nook and canny.

The observer knew this as fact, for she had already inspected them closely more than once during her brief stay on the Isle of Dorn. Yet here she was once again, maybe for the last time, and not because of the storm.

If anything, the weather seemed to please her, were anyone close enough to witness the cant of the pair of elven ears sticking out from the hood. Ears that stayed still as the raindrops didn't quite make direct contact. Barely visible runes shimmered at the hem of her cloak, the enchantment woven into the cloth keeping the garment and the elf wearing it dry even under these circumstances.

Uncle Eoloran would scoff and admonish her for such frivolous use of the gift of arcane she was blessed with. "That's just the thing, Uncle. You're not here..." The voice was bitter and resigned, lacking the playful warmth of the past. Of a time when Sharyssa would go home to her little apartment in the floating city, or visit her uncle to discuss any recently published theory on arcane magic. Her place, her life she had carved out after finally leaving Suramar, being freed from a legacy she'd never wanted, gone. Crashed into the ground below, with almsot every possession she held dear. Even her prosthetic arm, left at her home in pieces, waiting for an upgrade that would never happen now.

Her uncle? Likely gone as well, but she couldn't even be sure. Eoloran Soursea was old, once a magister in the Court of Azshara herself when she was still the queen of the kaldorei, and his mastery over the arcane arts was something Sharyssa could only dream of, and hope she could match one day. She shook her head lightly with a scoff and sighed. That spark of ambition lingered on, but the nightborne would have gladly traded it in exchange for news on her uncle's fate. He survived many a conflict locked away in magical stasis, and there were plenty of odd gadgets and relics in his possession whose purpose Sharyssa had no idea about.

To be completely honest, she wasn't a hundred percent sure he was even in the city when the catastrophe had happened. That thought gave her hope and suffering in equal measure, though surely after all this time he would have contacted her or the family of his grandchildren at Hyjal if he was fine... Right? Sharyssa hated these doubts. They brought her no closer to the truth, but lingered on in the back of her mind, unrelenting. She sighed again.

{ Prompt Here }

"When Dalaran was brought down, I think one of the first tragedies I thought of was potentially you," Safrona said with some strain across the channel, staring at the crystal in hand as it softly pulsed in time with each syllable spoken. She waited until the crystal dulled and transferred the words fully, before gathering her thoughts again to give.

"I hated the thought that you were lost too, that day. That sinking dread that I would find....some remainder of you, moved on. That I would be the one to tell your cousin and all your marvelous family that they had lost a promising Light in you."

Safrona inhaled and chuckled witheringly on her next words. "Love is a strong word for just...a moment of relief. But I like very much that I would not have to be the one to bring that news. I certainly had my tally of the grieving to report that sort of loss too, and deliver effects. Few postmasters are willing to take on that burden, but I have always made that a part of my function. And it takes its toll."

"People come and go from me as they need to, and I accept that. You, of course always had the knack of picking up conversation like it has been yesterday, no matter how long you've been away. I think I'd miss that ease of conversation - your delightful eagerness. But don't worry on it, lovely girl. Part of me also knows that you'll be just fine without me in your ear too."

The fall of Dalaran is the most recent that fits that criteria. Luckily Sharyssa wasn't in the city when it happened, but she still lost almost every possession that actually mattered to her along with her home. She is unwilling to return to Suramar, so for now she occupies one of Asharin's guest rooms. That said, her stance on void users soured in general. Of course there are exceptions, but I daresay it's a good thing she knew and befriended Safrona before this happened :D

Sharyssa's main 'weapon' is her magic, and she used it plenty of times. In case this is about an actual physical weapon -in which case her magci in itself doesn't count-, she has a staff and some actual training with it, but her physical combat skills are rusty. plus, ever sicne she got her prosthetic arm, she doesn't even need the staff to aid for her casting as the arm took over that purpose as well.

Thanks @nixalegos

It was the end of another long day, and Sharyssa let out a relieved sigh as she unceremoniously flopped down on her bed. At least this one was far more comfortable than her bedroll back in the main camp of the Dragonscale Expedition.

"What a week..." Shar mused out loud, stretching her arms. Doing that still felt odd sometimes, watching her prosthetic mirror the movement while physically feeling nothing.

The arcanist yawned. A good sleep was what she needed, unbothered by her state of dress. Her boots were off, the bed would stay mud-free, and that was enough.

A flash of violet light from her coat pocket pulled her back from the edge of sleep. She sat up with a groan.

"Damn it, 'Rea... did you really have to send a letter right now? Your sleep schedule is messed up as always..." Sharyssa grumbled, rubbing her eye as she pulled out the envelope. It was bound to its pair by enchantment - the other piece owned by her little sister, obviously - and any letter put into one would end up in the other.

She stifled another yawn as she unfolded the paper, eyes going wide at the easily recognizable scrawl... of her mother.

"The audacity...!" the arcanist snarled, the ruby in place of her right eye flaring up along with the gems of her prosthetic arm from the sudden influx of arcane energy.

She tossed the letter to the ground to avoid incinerating it accidentally in her anger.

Shar swore she would never forgive the woman. Well, she did plan to reestablish something casual eventually so they wouldn't be strangers - mainly for Alyth'Rea's sake -, but that was to happen at her own pace, not the other way round.

"How odd... How in the fel did she convince 'Rea to let her use the envelope? She shouldn't even be aware its existence."

The train of thought led her in a direction she didn't want to contemplate, brows furrowed as she nudged the letter with a toe.

"So... 'Rea likely offered to send the letter herself. Damn it Kim'dal*, you know well the extent of my grudge with that insufferable woman. What is so important that you would offer to help her out like this...?"

The arcanist sighed and picked up the letter again. She will read it, for 'Rea.

@daily-writing-challenge

Continued from here.

"No, I'm no layman. I earned my Arcanist title with knowledge and skill. The first I still have, the second... well, working on it." The nightborne shrugged.

"I didn't mean to show off, just truly didn't expect I'd find that many useful books. Creating a magehand in itself is easy, but casting spells that require proper control and concentration through it is more of a hassle than I thought... but it will have to do for now."

"And I worry because while it was an accident, the fault is still mine... and your healing will take a while if you're unwilling to see a healer. Don't even try to convince me, Nenniah. You can't even put pressure on that foot, can you?" Sharyssa crossed her arm over her chest. The gesture just made her own predictament even more obvious. "I might have something to help with that..."

The mention of getting her new arm was enough to derail Shar from the high elf's injury. She sighed.

"I... as much as I appreciate your praise, arcane crafting and constructs are not exactly my field of expertise. I do have a schematic for a prosthetic arm prototype, but I decided to check every well of knowledge first to get the best possible result. Things like that are quite pricey and take a while to build." "These books are either about constructs, or the use of gems as mana sources or catalysts." Shar indicated at the bunch of tomes that led to their meeting. "If I'd known there would be that many I didn't find elsewhere before, I'd have brought my enchanted backpack, and woudl have avoided spilling them over your foot and breaking it."

// While I knew it was unlikely I could write for each prompt, I'm still satisfied that I could tackle even a few of them. It felt good, writing these solo pieces.

Day 1 - Forgiveness - featuring Sharyssa Day 3 - Blind - featuring Neria and Kaydestrasz Day 6 - Hurt - featuring Samantha and Zhiadormi Day 7 - Aftermath - featuring Arlyn

Sharyssa quickly sidestepped a pair of children running around, the little girl at the front holding a box of chocolates to her chest and laughing as she ran. The arcanist just smiled and shook her head.

"Come to think of it, it's that time of the year again..." She muttered after a glance at the decorations lining the streets.

Shar usually didn't celebrate Love is in the Air, for multiple reasons. For one, she was far from confident in her appearance ever sicne she lost her eye. Back when she was still the heir of House Soursea, her looks didn't really matter compared to the prestige and status she'd bring to any political marriage.

Even if she was free of those shackles for years now, the nightborne knew her physical appeal only became worse with the loss of her arm, the scars left behind by the accident and the gleaming prosthetic arm - the construct was currently resting in her home for maintenance. Shar wrapped her one arm around her waist, the empty sleeve of her coat billowing in the wind.

No matter how many times she told herself that she had no time for romance, that her research and her thurst for arcane knowledge were her priorities, the arcanist couldn't help feeling concerned about her appearance if she wanted to eventually find a partner.

"That won't be anytime soon, I should stop worrying about it." Sharyssa shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. She was back in Dalaran to take a break, celebration or no.

"Oh, is that... moonberry cheesecake?" Her ears perked up as she spotted the dessert on display. Hmm, maybe the whole Love is in the Air thing wasn't all that bad.