Trisandrah Emberstrom

She clicked her comm off, effectively hanging up on Raerys. Trisandrah stepped over the broken teacup and marched through her room to Duir.

Whap

So it’s okay for you to lie to me?  Hide the truth?

Pow

How dare you?  How DARE you?

Tris raged and screamed at Duir. At Raerys. It had been a long time since she’d been so angry at someone close to her. Those feelings gurgled and bubbled and she didn’t like them one bit.

What a fool you are. You think everything is better? All that she held against you?  Is it okay for her to do the same thing?

Bam

The auction went better than she had anticipated. The night had on a pleasant note but she had attributed that to lack of sleep and a couple of drinks. To wake up to Raerys and...

The second night had not gone any better than the first.  Though, spending the early morning hours cooking and baking had calmed her want to flee substantially, she still had wondered exactly what she’d agreed to.  The day had been filled with finding all the okra they could possibly carry home, shopping for an excellent Stormwind Brie, bourbon, and the finest blue cloth.  It had ended with a ball in a beautiful mansion near the water’s edge.

He had assured her everything would go smoothly and it had. It seems the introduction of these new elves made it all the much easier. Until their conversation drifted to more personal things. He had all but stormed out of the ball and she had done nothing less than follow him. How could she...

What are you going to do you silly girl?

What if she comes back? Will she tell all about your family?

Does she know more than you do? That’s likely as you don’t know anything about anyone beyond your father.

Tris made her way from the shower, toweling her hair dry. She stopped and bent to pick up the crumpled parchment laying by the fireplace.  

Ms. Emberstrom

An update. I’ve found a few places to sell your chocolates. I haven’t made contact, though. The people I’ve shared them with really like them.

On another note, I’ve met and working with an Emberstrom lady. One of those new elves that’s showing up over here. You might’ve heard. Anyway, once I heard her name, I asked her. Ya might know her. In fact, I’m sure...

Sleep was an elusive but glorious thing. When it found her, she slept hard. It had taken months for her to be able to actually sleep with Zay, whether at her place or his. She never really found it odd that they’d stay up all night, talking and well…not talking.

The first time it had happened, she woke up, curled against him, and he was sitting up, leaned against the headboard, wide awake. She never questioned, they each kept their own secrets. The late-night comm talks had given that much up. He’d dozed off during a few of the more inconsequential, trivial talks but not in her presence.

The sun was rising as she stirred, her arm draped over a sleeping Zayneth. Lately, Sunday mornings had consisted of visits to Fairbreeze and...

The flat was dark. The sunlight glittering in through the living room window illuminated the presents in various stages of wrapping.  Tris ambled out of her bedroom holding her head with one hand and the wall with the other. “Sun above, what have I done?”  She looks at the timepiece on the wall and squints to try to see only one set of hands and numbers.

The banging on the door which had originally roused her continued. “Ooph…okay okay…you can stop now,” she murmured, clearly not loud enough for the person on the other side to hear. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Slowly, she made her way to the door and opened it to find a relieved Ande.

“Bout fuckin’ time. Where ‘ave you been ‘n why ‘aven’t you been...

After a long and tiring night of going circles, Tris was home. Without even bothering to turn on any lights, she made her way to her bedroom, shoulders were slumped in defeat and exhaustion. She shed her clothing, save for an underslip, and plopped down in a chair, ignoring Duir as she’d done for weeks now. She looked down at her arm, fingers tracing the new skin in spots along it…still marked from her bout with fire. Though, the wounds weren’t nearly as bad as they seemed in her head. They had healed fine, with only discoloration and mottled texture remaining.

“You could try being a dominatrix…” “Maybe you need a different friend with benefits…” “You should train as a mercenary…” “Join the military!”

She...

“Now you know you have to be a good girl, princess.” The young girl looked at her father as he knelt before her. “You know that’s very important, right?” He petted his fingers through her hair and twirled a long lock around his finger. “Now, go be a good girl and show Papa how much you love him.”

Trisandrah’s eyes fluttered open and she looked around the unfamiliar space. The room, if you could call it that, was dark and the smell of dirt permeated her entire being.  She shook her head and exhaled sharply. “Ow…” Hands clutched her head and she lay her back on the pillow. The straw under her was hardly comfortable, especially compared to her bed at home but the need to close her eyes and sleep again quickly took...

Ande stood in the doorway and watched Tris as she brushed her hair. Tris hadn’t yet realized she was there. How far the girl had come from the little waif that was barely more than skin and bones. A shell of the young woman that sat before her now. She had left the girl sitting on a bed in a small sparsely decorated room. She hadn’t known what else to do with her.  It was clear the girl wasn’t capable of surviving on her own. Not then. It had taken years to rehabilitate her. The facility had done its job, that’s for sure. Even if she had still been socially awkward when she came out. Ande had slowly pushed her into Silvermoon society. It took a year before she even spoke to someone and made a friend.

But look at her now. Ande...

The problem with portals is that they make travel easy and quick.  Even if they do make her a bit nauseous.  It’s easy to skip off unbeknownst to Raerys or anyone else. Not being a part of the military troupes or mercenary groups afforded her the ability to come and go as she pleased, it seemed. 

The alliance between herself and the undead woman was unexpected. They had worked together for some time now, the forsaken procuring some various items that weren’t easy to find. Things such as cloth and Tris’ beloved okra. 

When Tris found out where the woman was headed, she’d asked to tag along. Without a word, the woman nodded her agreement. 

They arrived together. The woman wasn’t much on words but she was skilled and knew...

She’d watched her sleep for what felt like hours now. The city lamps cast just enough light for Tris to see her. Her friend had been gone so long, she couldn’t bear not being near her this first night, especially since he wasn’t there. Tris lay there until there was no doubt in her mind she’d go crazy if she didn’t go home, at least for a little bit.

I can sneak out for a bit. She won’t even know. I can go and then we’ll have a nice breakfast. She wants to cook me muffins.

Tris carefully slid out of bed, it was something she once was quite skilled at. She hoped she hadn’t lost her touch. Once she’d snuck out of the bedroom, she nearly ran to her own apartment.

As she strode through her house, she’d shed her...

She had tried. She’d tried to keep herself occupied until sleep called. It had been a lovely evening, although she felt she’d floundered through it. She was pleased to see Raerys and the time they stole away. But soon, Rae was gone again, and though she felt better after their chat, she was not ready to go home to her empty townhouse. She considered going home with Raerys but sensed her friend very much needed her own time to continue dealing with her own demons. She hadn’t gotten around to what was bothering her, asking for advice, counsel. In the face of it all, it seemed quite trivial. Still, it put the chocolatier out of sorts and had for several days now.

So back to the after party, she went. She’d arrived at the end of...

“Ma’am….”

Tris strode through the door.  The look on her face only gave a slight indication as to how sour her mood was. She smelled of beer and her normally well-groomed hair was frizzy and wavy, somewhat stuck to her head.  Nardrah froze in her place as Tris glared at her.  The trip home had been no better than the night itself.

“Um ma’am…something was delivered for you, ma’am.”

The chocolatier stopped and looked at Nardrah.  “Something came for me?”

“Yes ma’am.  Delivered today.  They said you ordered it.  I…I tried to stop them, but they showed me your signature.”

Tris looked around. “Oooh, earlier than expected.”  She clasp her hands together.  “Did they put it where I...

Once Tris had arrived back at Rae’s she slipped into bed to try to find some sleep.  She was long since out of the sleeping draught.  Soon, she heard Rae and Ouro tumble through the halls towards Rae’s room.  Their entry and the sounds thereof were not unlike previous nights.

Tris’ threw the pillow that had been covering her head in the general direction of Rae’s bedroom.  She rolled to her back with an agonized groan. While she was surrounded by plush pillows and duvet, it all did little to comfort her into sleep before they had arrived home.  In the hours since their arrival, she hadn’t had a wink of sleep. At the very least, it kept other pressing matters out of her pretty little head.

“Oh fiddle.  Do they never...

“Oh fiddle, oh fiddle.  WhatdoIdo?  WhatdoIdo? WhatdoIdo?” Tris stopped pacing and stared down at the man who lay prostrate on her parlor floor.  As she knelt down, she reached out much like a timid feline, drawing back a few times afraid the man was going to suddenly become not dead.  When the dark-haired elf finally touched him, she immediately jumped up, hands in the air.  

“Oh fiddle..fiddle…fiddle…FUCK!”  She frantically looked about the room which was in complete disarray.  Papers littered the floor.  The bookshelf, which normally was a prominent feature in the room, now lay on its side with books and trinkets strewn about in front of it.  She pushed her fingers through her hair and clasp them behind her...