News From Home

[Qabian]

Qabian ran his fingers through his hair as he walked along the circle above Undercity's bank. While his mind was brimming with distractions, he was starting to appreciate the dimness of the city. He had sequestered himself in his new apartment for a few days, and he was rather glad not to have to walk from the minimally controlled light he kept into the blazing afternoon of the new Silvermoon's perpetual autumn. Darkness just seemed closer, more comfortable, more conducive to study when he needed it. If there was intrigue here as there was in Silvermoon, the Forsaken kept it considerably less public and considerably more quiet, and for that Qabian was grateful.

Since meeting with a few fellow mages, he had spent many hours reading up on the other schools of magic. He knew enough of them to use them, but he knew little of their intricacies. He had spent so much time focusing on fire, and he had developed excellent control over the decades, but his skills with ice and the intrinsic arcane were pretty much limited to the basics. He didn't have much care for ice. The idea of stalling or slowing an enemy just seemed pointless when the option for more direct pain was always available. The arcane school, however, was more historically potent and held some interesting possibilities, but no matter how much he read of other magic, he found himself continually coming back to fire. The certain destructive power of it just held too much allure.

His mind was tossing calculations about, always internally arguing for the superiority of fire, but always doubting just enough to need to seek proof. As such, the mage wasn't particularly conscious of the letters slipping between his fingers as he collected his mail, mostly auction payments. He flipped through them absently, automatically walking down the ramp to the bank, when the expected money didn't slip out of one envelope, drawing him out of his numerical thoughts enough for him remember what his physical person was doing.

He stopped in his tracks as his attention returned to his location and the city around him. Someone bumped into him from behind. Qabian didn't even acknowledge them, but moved aside. He leaned against the post next to the banker as he read the letter.


My dearest son,

The woman certainly must have intrigued you for you to write to me, especially after your little run-in with the Sunbounds. Indeed, there is one notable person who seems to match your description, a certain Ninorra Gitana. If I recall correctly, she's practically a child. She was a slave of Virgos DiSantos. Perhaps that will strike your memory?

Most believe she killed him, but apparently there was not enough proof to charge her. In any case, she's a free woman, married to an old Bloodstone. I believe he's a blood knight now.

Even as a slave she was strange. As your mother, I recommend you either leave her alone or find a reason to kill her. From what I've heard, she's not only a slave pretender, but rather toxic company.

I heard what you did to Jastra, or what they say you did. She must have done something to anger you, but I suppose someone else must have killed her before you could. That's a pity. She had real promise for a commoner, unlike that Gitana girl.

I also heard that someone engaged some machinations to allow you to return to the Magisters, but you haven't yet. Does this have something to do with your associations with these Grim people? Oh yes, I've heard about that, too. Or perhaps you are simply avoiding your mother as always?

I also heard that Jastra was holding Larinth somewhere not long before she died. You wouldn't happen to know what happened to him, would you? You do know that I would be interested --

The paper crumpled between his fingers as Qabian's hand clenched. A scowl crossed his previously disinterested face. He didn't particularly want to be reminded of that event. He didn't bother to finish reading the letter, but straightened the paper as best he could, folded it neatly, and slipped it inside his glove before continuing to collect the rest of his money from his other mail.

[Ninorra]

"Oh, he's so sweet, mistress!" Helnia said, clutching a large tome to her chest. The succubus practically had stars in her eyes as she spoke, her tail swishing back and forth, much to the chagrin of her owner. "You should see how kind he is. He snuggles with me all night and gives me little kisses.."

Ninorra sighed and smiled, shaking her head. "Well, people in love do that sort of thing, Helnia. Of course, I never imagined that you would fall in love with Frank."

The two walked casually through the Undercity, after acquiring new books for the succubus to learn from. This particular tome was rather thick, having in it new forms of seduction that would be stronger than her old techniques. Helnia silently wondered if she should apply these techniques to Frank, and giggled. "Neither did I, mistress."

Ninorra would have said more, had she not noticed Qabian reading something. She hadn't spoken to the mage since her last power binge, which left her feeling both physically uncomfortable and mentally detatched. It was with a heavy heart that she was reminded of her crimes, of her shameless murder of hundreds for a taste of the mana they kept in their soul. A slight tingling crept to her lips as she thought about her need for mana, and when next she would have it willingly given to her by Vicailde.

She would have left Qabian alone alltogether, had it not been for Helnia.

"Oh look, it's that handsome mage with the rage issues! Yoo hoo! Hello, Qabian!"

[Qabian]

Qabian turned at the sound of his name, and then frowned once he saw who, or rather, what had said it. He directed his gaze upwards a moment in an expression of exasperation before he proceeded to pocket the rest of his mail.

"I hardly think it is a slave's place to address me so directly," he said in returning the succubus' greeting. And then, smirking at his own wit, he nodded curtly at the woman accompanying the demon, "Lady Bloodstone, I presume."

[Ninorra]

Helnia stuck her tongue out at Qabian, giving a little hmph! before turning her back and folding her arms.

Ninorra hid her amusement, opting instead to give a low bow. "Good day, Lord Amberlight," she said pleasantly.

There was a fairly large difference between her appearence now, and the last time he'd seen her. Her hair was freshly done, it's unruly curls straightened, and her red robes were cleaned and pressed. Her dark skin had the subtle scent of lavander, and bore no signs of a day's work. Her red eyes, even, looked brighter. They were reminiscent of the old days, when many of the Sin'dorei had eyes of different colors.

[Qabian]

Qabian grinned at Ninorra. "I have no claim to title at this time, but I can understand how such a mistake might be made."

Her eyes were definitely curious. Either the fel reliance was not strong enough in her to change their color, which seemed only more odd considering her warlock tendencies, or perhaps there was something more sinister. As unnerving as Qabian found them, with his mother's information in mind, he was less immediately wary, although he certainly hadn't forgotten the demonstration of Ninorra's "music". Information could be a source of comfort, even if the details were few.

Qabian's own dark purple robes were neat as usual. Extended hours of studying had little external effect on his appearance, although his time away from the sun, unusual for his people, had left him looking somewhat more sallow than usual.

He was not usually one for small talk, but the intrusion had effectively derailed his train of thought, and he was having difficulty retrieving it. "You are looking well?" he offered half-heartedly.

[Ninorra]

"Why thank you," she said, somewhat surprised. She remembered Qabian being slightly more brisque than this, but it might have been because of her unreliable temper at the time. She was both angry and affected by the souls she'd consumed, then..

"As are you," she said finally. "And.. if you don't mind me asking.. what should I address you as? If not Lord. I am under the habit of regarding people with their formal names."

[Qabian]

He had been considerably more short with her before, having been under a certain duress himself, but presently, he was working with the mental acuity of a creature just emerging from a long hibernation, so he hardly had the presence of mind to be angry or even annoyed as he perhaps would otherwise have been.

He scratched the underside of his jaw absently as he considered her question. He hadn't thought about it much. He'd spent most of his life to this point as simply Apprentice. He'd rather forcibly ended his short time as Magister, and although he could theoretically take that up again, he wasn't sure he wanted that title anymore. For the moment, he was referred to as a Minion, but that hardly had any style and rightly implied a certain low status. Redcap simply called him Qabian, or whatever short form the rogue decided to invent. And Ninorra, for all that she'd married into a name, based on what Qabian's mother had told him, was hardly worthy of being allowed to use his first name as though a friend.

Perhaps he should have just pretended to be a Lord. His family had held those titles once, and some with his name still did. Magister was supposed to be his title. It was the one he had worked for. Perhaps throwing that away had been a bad idea. Qabian sighed, hoping the repercussions for his decision would be minimal. "If you must, I suppose Magister is still my most appropriate title, although a simple reference as Mage would also suffice."

[Ninorra]

"Very well, Mage Qabian," she said with another bow. "My apologies for possibly having offended you, when we met earlier. I was considerably hot-tempered at the time, something that I am rather ashamed of."

Helnia glanced at her mistress, wanting to defend her. The succubus was more than used to her submissive nature, but she hated seeing it. One's mistress should be powerful, and not cast her eyes down before anyone! But Ninorra kept her gaze low, in the presense of others. For all her talk of equality, she was raised to serve, and it showed all too easilly.

"I also apologize for the antics of my succubus. I believe Helnia is rather informal."

[Qabian]

"One can hardly expect a demon to have any respect for propriety," Qabian said with a grin.

Ninorra's submission put him more at ease than offers of help ever could have done, although it was certainly an odd quality to see in a warlock. "I was also not particularly calm when we last met, especially when compared with the first time you interfered in my affairs." Although his words were accusatory, his expression and tone of voice were disinterested, almost friendly. He had been eerily calm the day of his exile, once free of the river. It seemed very long ago, especially on this side of his recent time of seclusion.

Qabian straightened the front of his robes, a habit he fell into when uncertain how to proceed. "Did you end up singing to your audience of flaming peasants after all?"

[Ninorra]

She shuddered, somewhat saddened by his recollection.

"Well.. yes.. but it didn't last long. I find it rather morbit to kill those who can not defend themselves as well as I, for very long. A challenge makes this far more interesting. Besides," she shook her head. "My singing shouldn't have been used for that purpose. I feel like such a brute for even thinking it."

[Qabian]

Qabian stifled a short laugh. Definitely a strange girl. He didn't think he had particularly enjoyed her nosy hot-tempered persona, but this unintrusive gentleness hardly seemed suitable for a Lady, either, especially a Sin'dorei with much to avenge. Perhaps she was showing what he'd often heard of as the unpredictable side of artistic creativity.

"Challenge has little to do with justice, or redress, or even survival. I can't think of a better use for music, myself. I would be loathe to use such a talent in any other manner. Thankfully, my talents lie elsewhere and are somewhat more... direct."

[Ninorra]

"You are a mage, and I imagine your skills lie within the realm of academia. If that is the case, then I am readilly impressed. My own information gathering mostly goes towards teaching my minions a few new tricks.. although I am rather skilled in the art of cursing," she smiled a little at the thought. "You'd be surprised just how efficient a good curse can be, when directed correctly. Sometimes, they don't understand why they feel themselves weakening..

"Their limbs fail them and if they try to do spells, they become feeble minded.. it really is fascinating."

Ninorra caught herself rambling, and looked away, clearing her throat.

"Of course, that is not the way it works with mages.."

[Qabian]

The longer Ninorra spoke, the more interested Qabian became. Obviously the caricature she presented of a woman who found herself brutish for harming those who could not defend themselves was not entirely accurate, or if it was, she actually took a particular delight in tormenting the more defended. The distinction of defensibility was not one Qabian bothered to make when it came to the Alliance. Not only had the young woman betrayed a certain taste for discomfort in others that piqued the mage's curiosity, but she had touched a topic of conversation that Qabian could indulge in for hours given the opportunity.

"Certainly, a mage's skills often have their source in academia, especially in terms of learning from the mistakes of others who have already gone before, eliminating the need for many hours of trial and error, although the best mages will still make experimentation a part of their learning. I prefer to think of my abilities as a focused use of inner power, in addition to power siphoned from convenient nearby sources. If magic were only based in information gathering, humans and trolls would likely have access to considerably less talent than they do, living less than a century on average. But no, even I must admit that many of them are capable of focusing their power admirably, even if they often seem to have less control than even the most lowly apprentice taught in Quel'thalas.

"Curses are not something I have spent much time with. Their effects take too long for my tastes. Why apply a curse when you can simply blast your enemy off their feet. As much as I revel in destruction, I prefer it to be quick, clean, and complete. Not only that, but a curse can be removed so easily. All it takes is a little concentration, and..." He paused mid-speech, gaze narrowing at her. Perhaps betraying the secrets of the mages to such a young warlock with a less than impressive background was not a good idea, even if he had recently been attempting to sever his connections with the Magisters.

His expression returned to one of disinterested bemusement as he recovered himself. "But in moments of anger, I can certainly see how the application of a particularly appropriate curse and the observation of its effects might be incredibly soothing."

[Ninorra]

"Oh, you have no idea!" She said, her expression one of excitement. Clasping her hands together, she continued. "While the effects of curses take a longer time to complete than something immediate, it gives one the advantage of not having to waste time casting. You see, when someone who depends on sheer brute force is coming at you, one can't spend too much time with a spell that will repel them.

"Bringing fear to the hearts of men, or whatever creature is upon you.. that gives me ample time to apply curses, spells that eat away at their lives, spells that burn them from the inside, spells that apply limitless damage to their very souls, while my minion does his or her part. It's brilliant, you see, how the warlocks have perfected this art, and their words trapped within books for our advantage. I may not be so very experienced, but I can understand the power locked within words and emotions.."

Ninorra closed her eyes a moment.

"..like pain. Just the word can bring such intense pain that it will cause your victim to flee feverishly. He will beg for death.. and if he is not so feebleminded, he will attempt to do it himself."

[Qabian]

Qabian couldn't help but smile at Ninorra's obvious delight in the pain of others. It added considerably to her attractiveness, and almost counteracted the inescapable strangeness of her eye color and other miscellaneous personality quirks.

"There are occasions when time spent to cast makes the power that grows in exchange absolutely worth the effort, but I agree with you that dispensing with time expense is extremely valuable. Still, if I'm going to dispense with the time investment, I prefer the immediate results of something like this."

He raised one arm and an ethereal glowing red dragon's head appeared in the air over his hand, blasting flame through the empty air next to the platform of the bank, instantly vanishing again afterwards. The spell, though it injured no one, caused some heads to turn. Immediately after doing it, he felt somewhat awkward. Perhaps that was too showy, but when he'd done it, he'd simply thought to prove a point, practically forgetting that they were conversing together in a very public space and none of the bystanders would understand.

His face flushed a little, but he quickly returned his attention to the woman before him, ignoring the whispers. "See? No casting, but an immediate and direct effect. That's what I prefer, but that's not to say that your own exquisite preferences aren't without a certain merit. For your confessed dislike of attacking the defenseless, you seem to have a cruel streak nevertheless," he said with a quirk of one eyebrow and a twisted grin.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra couldn't surpress a grin.

"Well.. if I am cruel, it is not because my punishment is not well deserved. However, there is merit in what you say, and I have a similar effect. Although my skills are time based, they often have immediate results, like.."

Ninorra reached a hand towards the air. Immediately, a rain of fire descended from out of nowhere, covering the top of the bank. Fortunately, nobody was there, but it provided an impressive display. After a few seconds, she dropped her hand.

"You see? It depends on time, but an immediate effect none the less. Of course, were I to be distracted, it would end.. but luckilly, that's what I have Helnia and the others for. Despite her base nature," she said with a smirk at her succubus, who grinned at Ninorra. "..she is quite good at providing a distraction."

[Qabian]

"Convenient, should you need to be channeling, I suppose. I've never felt much use for pets myself." He spared the demon a disdainful glance. "They seem to get in the way more often than necessary. Although, facing a competent one in the field often presents an interesting new level of challenge.

"I try to avoid pausing to channel power. Interruptions can too easily result in a waste of precious resources. Light forbid that reliance on an indentured demon slave might fail at an inopportune time. Of course, I've also heard that warlocks can pour their own blood into channeling an area of pain, which I find ludicrously counterproductive, but if it achieves the desired results, who am I to argue with the methods?" His expression was one of smug superiority as he clasped his hands behind his back, but then, smug superiority was also his neutral everyday expression.

[Ninorra]

"Channeling one's own blood can be terribly useful, in the field," she said with a shrug, ignoring his smug expression. "To someone who might find himself at the sharp end of a sword, I can understand why it would not be prudent to injure onesself to aid in one's power. However for a warlock, well, it does't really matter much. We hardly ever come into direct contact with an oponent."

Ninorra gave her own smug grin.

"They're usually too busy running for their lives, like lambs to the slaughter."

[Qabian]

Qabian nodded solemnly. "As long as they meet the slaughter they deserve, the slaughter they require, my heart is fulfilled. The method of violence is merely the art that takes them there. While I relish the end result, you seem to find more pleasure in the journey they take, the sensations they undergo on their way to their end. While I am concerned with a quick conclusion, abrupt and clean, leaving nothing but charred bones to speak of their pitiful lives, you seem to desire a forceful conclusion, an ending full of pain and terror for as many moments as you are willing to let them suffer before you snuff them out.

"I think your art may be more delicate than mine, drawn out like a thread of agony, intensifying with time, yet also more fragile and more easily disrupted. My own art is bright, of similar intensity, but lasting only a moment, dazzling the artist and the canvas, over in a flash of brilliant pain, difficult to interrupt, but requiring me to find a new canvas while you are still delighting in every moment spent painting yours with torment.

"I offer that perhaps neither method is truly better than the other, but that we simply have different tastes, both of which have their place and bring about similarly gratifying results." The smile that graced the mage's lips following his speech was definitely genuine, but doubtless a less sadistic audience would have found it highly disturbing.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra nodded, smiling in agreement, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Delicate? I've never considered the arts of a warlock delicate, before.. although I suppose it's an interesting point of view. As for the variants in our skills, I quite agree. There are things that you can do that I could never, and vice versa. While you can transfigure enemies into livestock, I can keep someone immortal for a short ammount of time. You can blast someone into a firey death, while I can prolong their suffering.. and oh.. how it does a body good to prolong the suffering of your enemies.."

Helnia was not paying attention, but if she was she might have noticed a change in her mistress' eyes. For a moment, they flashed a darker red, then wen't back to normal. Ninorra cleared her throat, and smiled again.

[Qabian]

((Geez, Vil. I swear you camp this thread. I'm going to bed now. Haha! I'll edit something into this tomorrow maybe if I finish my work.))

[Ninorra]

((*roasts marshmallows* Whassat?))

[Qabian]

"Ah yes, the humiliation of the barnyard. Sometimes when outmatched I can apply nothing else and continue on my way," He smiled, remembering. "Not my preference, though. I'd still rather bring down useless fire and let them know that I at least wish them dead." He adjusted the front of his robes again.

"So, Mrs. Bloodstone, what does your husband think of your penchant for suffering? Or does his absorption of stolen light match your taste for torment? Most blood knights I've encountered seem to think they can redeem our people with their theft, which is ludicrous, especially considering we hardly need redemption."

[Ninorra]

"To be honest, I've never asked him aboutit.." She said thoughtfully, turning her eyes upwards. "I do not know if he even understands my traits as a warlock. He's never seen me use my skills willingly before.. and I say willingly, because during my less-trained days, there were more than a few occasions where I would summon unwanted demons.."

Ninorra pushed a few strands of hair behind an ear.

"As for redemption.. I am unsure as to how he feels about this, as well. My husband is over three hundred years old, and has watched the Sin'dorei change power sources from Sunwell to Naaru. I suppose if anyone would have strong opinions as to wether this is right or not, it's him. As for me.. well.. I can not take power directly from the Naaru anyway, hence my red eyes, so it means very little to me."

[Qabian]

Qabian's head tilted thoughtfully. "Oh? Am I incorrect in my judgment of just how passionate you are about your skills? Just from this one conversation it seems like you would indulge and practice your abilities for the sheer joy you experience from them, and that joy would give you the strength to develop those skills to heights I doubt your husband could even imagine. And you would neglect to share this passion with the man you've linked yourself to for life?

"Similarly, you would neglect to ask him about something that I would assume is very important to him or he would have chosen another vocation? It seems either I am mistaken about the intensity of your passion, or you must have other reasons to keep his company than sharing your interests. Or perhaps you are hoping to someday dispatch with him as the gossips insist you did the previous man in your life?" He raised an eyebrow again. Being as direct as he was with his insinuations, he was quite curious about which emotional response his words might provoke.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra's eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"I'm not sure where you find you information, Qabian.. but the last man in my life was a man that I was sold to. I had absolutely no emotional ties with him. My mother allowed him to take me home as a child, for a very large ammount of money, and he simply treated me as a pet. I was given luxuries, such as extensive musical training and the like.. but I was unable to leave his home. Furthermore, he did not, nor did he allow anyone else, to become emotionally attatched to me. I never touched a man, until I met my husband. As for me speaking to him about the pleasure I draw from causing pain in others.."

She licked her bottom lip in thought, eyes rolling towards the ceiling before coming down again.

"..I suppose it's never come up. Perhaps a topic for dinner, this evening."

[Qabian]

Qabian laughed. Was that defensiveness she was showing? How interesting. "Obviously, I do not have all the details about your past, but I was implying that if you do not share what is important to you with your husband that perhaps you have simply been sold again. Maybe not for gold, but for something else, because though married, you seem not to know each other on the most basic of levels. I can learn things about you in a random conversation by the bank that you have never discussed with your husband? You don't find that odd?

"It hardly matters to me why you stay with a man or what he means to you. I'm simply prying into your personal life to make you question the way things are, as you've made me question my ways in turn. No more, no less."

[Ninorra]

Ninorra shook her head, smiling.

"There isn't a doubt in my mind that Vicailde and I still have things we haven't shared with one another.. however, I doubt that matters much in the long run.

"Vicailde actually asked me to marry him out of neccesity. He was getting on in years, and needed an heir. He asked me if I would be interested, because despite my low born status, there was little I could do in the world without proper training and financial stability. Of course, I being a romantic, told him that I would only marry him if he could find it in himself to love me."

Ninorra sighed wistfully, remembering.

"Luckilly.. it wasn't very hard for either of us."

[Qabian]

Qabian's eyes widened in a sort of amused surprise. "So you, being young, were asked by an older man to marry him because he was 'getting on in years'? How..."

He struggled to find the correct words, something that would combine distaste for the typical Sin'dorei considerations of family pride with the despicable machinations of those who care little for the continuing lives of those forcibly connected with them, and the considerable oddity that was marrying a suspected criminal slave girl in the simple hopes that she would bear children. He stuttered, unable to find a remotely suitable sequence of words without accusing her of almost everything he found wrong with family life in Quel'thalas.

"That's -- I -- well -- but why --" He shrugged, forcing the jumble of words from his mind as he tried to refocus, and then laughed again.

"I find that a highly amusing situation. I would not consider myself a romantic, but I did assume that if I selected someone to produce an heir, that I would actually bother to share some part of their lives with them. Perhaps that's why I've never taken much interest in continuing relationships with Sin'dorei women. They're always looking for something other than a shared life. They all want to climb that social ladder. I, for one, find that utterly pointless, and I could not even fathom attaching myself to someone for any considerable length of time without their company enhancing what I found to be important in at least some way.

"Not romance at all, but enhancement. If I'm going to chain myself to another, they are going to empower me, share my goals, and help me reach them. I don't care if they love me, as long as they can help me bring destruction to my enemies with ever greater efficiency.

"But I suppose if you started life as a slave, being promoted to baby maker might seem like an improvement." He laughed again, unpleasantly, amused by his own crude expression.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra couldn't help but turn a little red at his comment, her own smile betraying whatever embarassment she might have felt.

"Well, I suppose that it goes without saying that someone who has known no freedom can be quite overwhelmed when they feel it, for the first time. I was quite alone, and vulnerable. I won't lie, it was frightening, and I was disliked by nobility and low born alike. My eyes, my past, and my skills.. they opened and closed doors.

"Although it should be noted that I never would have agreed to marry him, if I didn't feel something between us. I'm not sure if you've ever felt that before.. but.. here in the Undercity, when I found him alone one night, I asked him why he seemed so interested in me. He said that I reminded him of his first wife. We talked for some time, about our lives, and he seemed quite as trapped as I was.. although for different reasons. I asked him why, if he was apparently so interested in me, had he not attempted to kiss me. He became a little flustered.."

She smiled wistfully.

"..and actually, the only reason I asked was because I was too shy to kiss him myself. I'd never been kissed, before. But here, in the Undercity, surrounded by death and life side by side.. I found love from someone."

Ninorra cast her eyes downards, still smiling.

"You don't know how wonderful it is, to feel love for the first time. Not even my own mother loved me."

[Qabian]

Qabian rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "Sounds to me like you're simply playing the same old Silvermoon games.

"I'm sure my parents treated me with what they believed was in my best interest to some degree, but they were as shallow as anyone else. They wanted to return to the titles they had lost, and their children were the ticket back up the ladder. The stupidity and malice of their enemies ruined their plans anyway, but love? There is no love. Love's only use is as a motivator for action, for change, as an incentive to right the most important wrongs. Beyond its power to grow and feed ambitions, what is the point of love?

"You admit your vulnerability. I think you fell prey to it. I think this blood knight played you, and you played him back, thinking you were both getting what you wanted at the time. I don't know about his reality, but I think your world, your ambitions, your skills require much more than the simplistic nature of love allows. I have a feeling that in your case, love, since you seem to think that's what you have, will only hold you back from the greatness you could truly achieve through pain."

[Ninorra]

Ninorra looked at Qabian, as if studying him. He was fairly attractive, as far as Sin'dorei went, but even when he smiled there was malice in his lips. His eyes shone with "stolen" power from the Naaru, power that he used only for his own benefit. For a moment, she looked at him with a softening expression.

"You know.. I think that perhaps it's you that's been played by Silvermoon, Qabian. I admit that I've never known love, until now.. but at least I could recognize it's value. You've never found love before, and you don't seem to understand it."

She paused in thought.

"I will admit that it may weaken me.. but I would gladly trade the feeling of being loved for whatever power could be offered otherwise.. and besides. Love hasn't stifled that joy yet, now has it?"

Ninorra gave Qabian a wink.

[Qabian]

Qabian sighed. She was so strange, this slave girl turned breeder. At times simply annoying, at others intensely intriguing, at others betraying her extremely low origins, and now so childish. This insistence on clinging to her vulnerability just seemed infantile, like she needed warmth and comfort and safety, when she could instead be abandoning all things soft to apply agony to those who deserved it.

"I don't know. Has it? I'd say the more time you spend with your decrepit blood knight, the more your true joy is stifled, especially if it turns out he does not appreciate your talents after all. If he can share in your delight of tormenting your enemies, perhaps there is merit to him yet, but having not shared his opinions on the most important things with you before chaining you to him with his name, I doubt he can be trusted to give you what you truly need, especially in his old age.

"As for me, I have no need for love. I have no need for anything that will weaken me. I do not wish to understand it, except in terms of an obstacle to be avoided. I will not seek it out. I will never admit to love of anything less than power itself. Everyone around me is flawed. None of them deserve love. Respect perhaps. Maybe even loyalty after long evidence of trust. But love? Never. If I ever marry, it will be for respect and enhancement of a shared life, not for anything as petty as love.

"Besides, love is hardly necessary for creating an heir. Do you actually know that he wants anything more from you?" Qabian smirked again.

[Ninorra]

"Yes, I do," she said without pause. "Because as of this moment, we're not certain if we'll be able to have children, and he still loves me just as much as the day we married."

Ninorra smiled again.

"How infuriating it must be, Qabian.. that everyone around you is so flawed, and that you have no hopes of ever finding someone who might be your equal. It's lonley at the top, isn't it? That's what my master once said.. and for a while, he truly believed that he had everything he needed; wealth, power, and knowledge.

"Yet he died one night, alone, without anyone to save him.. and the few who mourn his death only do so because of the secrets he took to his grave. Perhaps that is the way some people can be content, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't spend my days killing, only to come home to an empty room with nobody there to tell me that what I did was worth doing. I am weak in my need for affection, but you can already see.."

Her eyes flashed red again.

"..that there is more potential in me than one might expect."

[Qabian]

"I concede to that last, absolutely," he said, still smirking, noticing the flash in her eyes. "But while I may spend much time alone, I am certainly not lonely. And unlike love, which I freely admit to considering a worthless enterprise, I have actually felt loneliness, and I have used it, like I use every other base emotion, to further my higher goals. I may not have known love, but I have known friendship. And while I have known loneliness, I have certainly never felt it to be infuriating. It is simply another driving force for me to do what I need to do.

"I did not say I was personally without flaws. I am certainly not at the top. At least not yet. But the top is my goal, and my life will be spent overcoming all of my flaws to reach the top, and I will crush all those who stand in my way or have ever stood in my way in the past, no matter what it takes. If I die alone, it will only be because I made the mistake of not being engaged in combat when the time came. Dying alone certainly does not mean dying lonely. Having experienced loneliness, and used it to fuel my actions, I doubt I will ever truly experience it again. My own company is more than enough on any given day. There is far too much that I need to do for me to suffer due to a lack of chatter from others. Not that there's a threat of that while you continue to follow me around." He laughed.

"I have only ever allied myself with others of value. Being flawed doesn't mean someone cannot be valuable. It simply means I will never devote everything I have to another. I will never invest everything in the possibility of betrayal, and everyone has a reason to betray. I will only devote everything I have to my goals. My life is quite simple. Love, on the other hand, is unnecessarily complicated.

"For example, if you cannot give him an heir, and yet he says he loves you, but he does not know what brings you joy, and you do not know why he chooses to do what he does, does your love mean anything? Or is it merely some ephemeral attachment to a stranger, not even remotely grounded in reality?"

[Ninorra]

"Darling, causing others to suffer is certainly not the only thing that brings joy to my life. I am more than just a warlock.. I am also a musician, a woman, and here and there I enjoy a bit of jewelcrafting. Vicailde may not yet know of my skills and joys on the battlefield, but certainly he understands my love of music and the arts. It is something we have in common.

"I understand why he is a Blood Knight, at least from what he has told me. He faced a tragedy in his youth that caused him to believe that strength would help to protect those he loves more than anything else, and so he enlisted in the military. He has been a soldier ever since, although he does say that he hopes to work more with holy skills in the future, to protect and heal rather than face open combat. He is somewhat selfless that way.."

She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, before continuing with a grin.

"As for chatter, I think that you've spoken at least as much as I have, Qabian. Not that I mind.. it isn't often that I find someone interesting to speak with."

[Qabian]

"I would even say that today I've spoken more than you. You, or rather your insolent pet, caught me at a moment of distraction, after many long hours of study, and we somehow managed to touch on topics of interest to me. I may be pretentious, but I am not actually reticent. How could I help but decide to convince you of some of your errors? Unfortunately for you, you're proving to be too stubborn. Oh well, I've lost a little time to a pointless cause today. I'll simply have to make it up elsewhere," Qabian explained with a shrug.

"It's a shame, though. If you could understand that the only true art is that which accomplishes change, that which decimates and humiliates your enemies, perhaps I could count you among the valuable, even if you were a slave. As it is, your reliance on some dreamy unrealistic idea of love for a man who you admit hardly knows you just makes you seem incredibly ignorant, no matter how much potential you may have.

"Perhaps in some as yet unforeseen future, when he has betrayed you or you him, as will no doubt happen eventually, I may count you worthy of respect. For now, not a chance. Selflessness is always a charade. I make no pretence at doing anything for anyone but me. I'd be highly suspicious of your blood knight, Ninorra, if he does otherwise."

[Ninorra]

"Mm.. perhaps I am stubborn.. and although it saddens me to hear how reluctant you are to trust, I must admit that you are not abnormal in your beliefs. Their are few who would consider me anything of value. That is nothing new."

Helnia frowned at Qabian. Again, he had reverted his mistress to her submissiveness, something that the succubus loathed (unless it was directed in the bedroom), but knew that she could not change. Ninorra gave a little shrug.

"And if Vicailde truly were taking advantage of me.. well.. then I suppose that would open all sorts of doors, now wouldn't it? Imagine the intense pain that I could bring others, if someone granted me that sort of heartache."

[Qabian]

Ninorra's return to submission had that same relaxing effect on Qabian that it had the first time. It was almost as though when she acted as he expected her to, he could not help but be more comfortable in her presence. Submission held a power over him that he didn't even acknowledge to himself. His arms lowered to his sides, and his posture shifted.

He lowered his voice slightly. "I think that would be a thing of great beauty. And I don't think I'd even need to apologize for wishing you that pain." Another grin twisted his lips.

"You still have considerable potential, even if I don't think you'd make a valuable ally based on your current state of mind. You rely far too much on others and others' opinions of you. Self-effacement doesn't become a warlock. Even the succubus knows it. Every time you react like a slave, she sees your weakness. She's the slave. Not you. If you seriously took hold of who you are, not who you were, realized your own importance right now, did everything you do for your own benefit, to hell with everyone else, I would see far more value in you than I do at present."

[Ninorra]

Ninorra was, for a moment, speechless. She couldn't recall when someone had told her to be more dominant. Self efficient, perhaps.. less submissive, as well, but to actually wish pain on her for the benefit of power was somewhat uncanny.

"You want me to be hurt, so that I will become more powerful..?"

Color rose in her cheeks.

"I find that oddly complimentary."

[Qabian]

Qabian smiled at her. Although the slave's submission could make him more comfortable in his own place, he would never respect it, and he had meant every word. Maybe someday she actually would understand. She had many ideas that would never coincide with his own, but they could at least share an appreciation for causing pain.

"Go tell your blood knight about your other art, over dinner, or the moment you next see him. Tell him about the joy of a good curse and the delight in screams of terror. Tell him how the agony of your enemies actually makes you feel. If he reacts as I have done to those interests of yours, you are lucky to have found someone who may actually be able to help you fulfill your potential. If he reacts otherwise, use the pain he gives you. What is the purpose of emotions if not to use them to make ourselves stronger?"

[Ninorra]

She nodded in response, smiling at the mage.

"There isn't a doubt in my mind that he will understand. Vicailde realizes the potetial in fear, and he certainly unerstands pain. He has suffered far too much not to have the knowledge of the power it holds.. but I wonder if you should not be so quick to overlook the joys that love can bring.

"Even if it weakens you.." she continued. "It may be a fair trade for the pleasure it brings."

[Qabian]

Qabian sniffed indignantly. "With the number of other sources I have for pleasure, why would I need to render myself vulnerable to something like love? Not only that, but it requires a certain reliance on others, a selflessness, perhaps? No, thank you. I'm far too important to myself to fall in love." He laughed at himself then, but it was true.

"Any weakness is an unfair trade in my mind. The whole point is to grow in strength, not sacrifice strength for useless emotions or a sort of pleasant but withering disease. Pleasure should be found in power, not in vulnerability."

[Ninorra]

"I consider it an even trade," she said airilly, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't believe than any sort of power can have quite the same type of pleasure that love can bring.. after all you have done to have grown in power, after fighting and clawing your way to the top, what will you have to show for it? Who will you share it with? No.."

Ninorra sighed lightly.

"I should think that it is worth losing a bit of time away from my studies, to have the passionate feelings that have been given to me.. but even considering your own thoughts, Qabian, love can be such a strong emotion that it may even grant one power. Have you never heard of people doing great things, for love? There is nothing that I wouldn't do for Vicailde, and that includes becoming as powerful as I possibly can. You see.."

She fiddled with the ring on her finger.

"I am motivated by love, and you are motivated by yourself. We're not so very different.. we both care for something."

[Qabian]

"But to care for something external from yourself is to weaken your own resolve. You don't seem to see that. Why would I want to share my power? Why would I want to spread it thin, weaken what it is? Why would I need to show it to anyone? It is for me to enjoy and others to acknowledge however they must. The passionate feelings that motivate me may derive from the actions of others, but I require no sacrifice from myself to achieve those feelings in the first place. I only use them. I don't create them.

"I will not sacrifice who I am for anyone. You, on the other hand, so ready to give of yourself, will always be limited by what others think of you. I see that as a shame. You seem to see it as something good?

"Am I not evidence enough that love is not necessary for motivation?" Qabian asked, touching just below his collarbone with one hand. "Where is my attachment to anyone else? I am free to do as I please, to increase my power, to threaten whoever I wish, with no recourse to anybody. The next time you hesitate to do something that you know would be best for you, but you deny yourself because you insist that someone you think you love might not agree with your actions, consider that I will have done the same for myself and with no regrets or concerns. I think I can find far more joy without love than attachment to anyone else could ever provide.

"I don't think there's any way you could convince me that love is a strength and not a weakness, certainly not a love for another living person at least. It is a distraction only, useless and limiting." His expression remained smug and self-assured.

((I totally got no work done today. :P))

[Ninorra]

"Oh, I quite dissagree. Passion can be used to empower someone as readilly as pain. While it is true that I may limit myself, depending on wether or not my husband would benefit from it.. it is also true that I would go very far, for him. My love for him burns so deeply that there are none I would hesitate to destroy.. and in fact.."

She gave a light sigh.

"..I would revel in the pain of anyone who wanted to hurt my love, far more than any other type of enemy. Attempting to harm me is one thing.. attempting to harm him is something else entirely."

[Qabian]

"Still not convinced. Wanting to avenge harm done to your lover is fulfillment of your own desires, not his. It's your feelings that matter. Channeling that passion in yourself to damage your enemies is fine, but I'm not about to waste time on having a lover in the first place. I have plenty enough passion for myself to show my enemies. I don't need to concern myself with wasting time on anyone not directly allied with me in combat.

"Again, I keep it simple. You complicate things. I think that is the basic difference between us." Qabian shrugged.

[Ninorra]

"You may be right about that. I'm sure it would be simpler to look out for onesself, but I'm not sure that I could find any fulfillment in it. I much preffer to feel passion for another, at least, I do now that I've felt it. It's far too wonderful to ever want to throw it away."

She smiled at Qabian.

"I suppose as long as you're content, there's nothing wrong with what you do. You and I simply have different objectives, even if we can appreciate eachother's skills."

[Qabian]

"How generous of you to admit that I might not be wrong. Unfortunately, I cannot reciprocate. You are wrong. You simply have yet to experience how wrong you are.

"The day your husband decides that the artificial goodness of his stolen light is too great to allow him to share in your sadistic love of the death throes of others and he abandons you to your own pure pain that you will sculpt into your greatest display of power yet, or the day you finally break his body beyond repair in sharing your true passions with him, touching him with your favorite curses in his sleep, ripping his soul from him forever, the day you end him, the day you come into your own, and finally become the real Ninorra, the Ninorra with access to true power, instead of the slave girl your mother sold you for an identity, the day you stop accepting perpetual inferiority -- that day, you come and find me. Then you and I may have something to discuss, something to share, something real, something that can change the world. And I will certainly be glad to see you destroy entire armies because your desire to do so is strong enough to make it happen." Qabian followed up his statements with the self-satisfied smile of someone firm in his beliefs, delighting in insinuating trouble for the future.

"On that day, if you still ask it, I'll concede you may be right. Until then, I'll be enjoying my own freedom to do what I have already learned is right."

[Ninorra]

Ninorra gave a light chuckle.

"You are dead set in your ways, Qabian. I can not argue with someone who has already made up his mind.. but very well. If what you say comes to pass, I will find you, and we will burn cities and torment thousands."

She shook her head a little, still smiling.

"Perhaps I'll even admit that you were right.. if it does manage to happen."

[Qabian]

"I'll be waiting."

He doubted that Ninorra would ever actually be brave enough to throw off the crutch of love and become the power she was capable of being, but much of the future was unpredictable. Should it happen, he, at least, would be ready for it.

"Well, I won't be doing nothing while I wait. What was I doing anyway? I should --" He remembered having left several books open on his desk instead of replacing them on the shelves and suddenly felt this to be a great injustice. And he had not yet actually finished reading the letter from his mother.

"If our argument is at an impasse, then I'll take my leave. I have much to do to make up for lost time. Unless there's something else you wish to discuss, Lady Bloodstone?"

It was unlike Qabian to offer to extend conversation with someone whose opinions he generally didn't value, but her affinity for pain had certainly earned his interest, if nothing else.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra shook her head.

"I should really be heading back to my studies. Lord Therium has no patience for lateness, and I have no interest in angering him. However, if it pleases you, I'd like to invite you to dine with my husband at I in our home. Conversation alone would make it an interesting evening," she added pleasantly.

[Qabian]

After a moment of stunned silence, the mage stuttered, "T-Tonight?" There was no mistaking Qabian's shock. It had been years since he had been to any social event that didn't involve mages, a guild, or someone he was about to murder. Although, depending on how such an evening went, he might be able to file it under that last category.

"I'm not sure your husband, given his profession, would approve of my company quite as much as you do," Qabian said, smirking.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra looked curiously at Qabian.

"My husband is a Blood Knight, Qabian. As far as I know, you both take power from the same source. He is not quite as sociable as I am, but it may be nice for us to have a bit of company for once. We're usually all alone."

She smirked.

"..and you needn't worry about dress code. This will be rather informal."

[Qabian]

Qabian coughed uneasily. "I draw my power from any and every source I can get it: demons, arcane creatures, enemy mages, the Naaru if I must. I don't make such distinctions. And I don't use anything resembling the light. I only meant that most blood knights I have met don't share my tastes in how to use that power.

"But if you are so desperate for dinner conversation, I will consider your invitation. And I always dress formally." Qabian's calm smile hid a flash of memory of certain events where he'd chosen a humiliating outfit for reasons of practicality, but decided Ninorra didn't need to know about them. His intention, at least, was always formal.

[Ninorra]

She gave a demure laugh, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I thought so, I was only joking.. it's an open invitation, Qabian. You don't have to come if you don't want to. I only thought that you might enjoy a nice evening with company. Either way, it's likely I'll be seeing you again; be it in social events or on the battlefield.

"If you'll be stopping by, just make sure that it's sometime around seven o'clock. Delicately prepared birds are not so pleasant after being cooked for too long."

[Qabian]

Qabian nodded. "If I intend not to show, I will send a note ahead. A nice evening with company isn't exactly at the top of my list of priorities, but then, neither was this conversation. If I can manage to find a reason why it might not be a waste of my time, I'll be there."

He was, in fact, considering that he might get a good deal of entertainment out of such an evening if he could manage to pit the couple against each other, but based on her stubborn insistence that love had merit, he wasn't entirely certain it would pan out as delightfully combative as he might hope. That, and when it came to women, he made a point never to commit to anything.

"In any case, I'm certain we'll meet again, Lady Bloodstone." He bowed to her, though not particularly deeply.

[Ninorra]

Ninorra gave a low bow, a sign of respect and her own inherent submission.

"Have a pleasant day, Magister. Please be careful, out there. The roads can be.. treacherous."

[Qabian]

Qabian nodded and took his leave. Saying anything else would have just added to the thriftless way he had just spent -- the sun only knew how long he had been standing there babbling away. He walked briskly down the ramp and on towards the outer rings of the city.

Ninorra was still as strange as ever, but he was having difficulty dismissing the obvious passion she had shown for the dissolution of her enemies' faculties by her own power. If only he could convince her that that was her most valuable characteristic, she might be more than just a strange, insolent slave child. She might actually be a person of interest.

Back in his Undercity apartment, he replaced his books on his shelf, reorganized his notes, and selected a particular tome regarding the use of ice magic, but when he returned to his desk, he couldn't bring himself to read it. It seemed like wasting more time. Why this study of slowing, blocking cold? Why not just blast everything from one's path and be done with it? Such continued frivolity, especially after a long argument about the usefulness of love, just made him want to burn something.

He reached for the hood and mask he had taken to wearing in the field, but before removing it from its stand, he remembered his mother's letter. He slipped the paper from his glove and unfolded it.

Ah yes, she had been warning him about keeping Ninorra's company, and now he was considering taking up a dinner invitation. That amused him so much, he considered writing to inform his mother of the evening just to see how she would react. Perhaps after the event he actually would. As far as he was concerned, his mother had become nothing more than flotsam in his wake the moment she had sent him away for his own education and betterment. The time they'd spent together immediately following the attack of the Scourge had only reinforced his perceptions of her. She was a foolish old gossip, useful only when he wanted information on social matters, which was rare. A continuing relationship with Ninorra might serve to annoy his mother in a highly entertaining manner.

It was the comparison between Ninorra's and Jastra's potential as commoners in the court that drove the point home. Jastra had been cruel in her own way, but only pointlessly so, only in terms of driving people apart and pulling the strings of the court. Jastra's cruelty had been that of words only, while Ninorra's was cruelty of words of power, words that could actually be actions in and of themselves, words that didn't lead to feeble emotional pain, but real physical agony. If only Ninorra had Jastra's sense of self-worth. Now that would be a woman worthy of respect, capable of laying waste to the vermin of the Alliance, and unafraid to live her life under her own direction, provided that fictional woman could extract herself from petty Sin'dorei squabbles.

As far as he had seen, there wasn't a blood elf woman alive who knew how to truly leave that world of inanity behind. The Grim must hold some. He just hadn't met them yet.

And what Jastra had done to Larinth was far beyond words.


I also heard that Jastra was holding Larinth somewhere not long before she died. You wouldn't happen to know what happened to him, would you? You do know that I would be interested in what happened to him. He was as much a son to me as you were. You must tell me everything you know.

You never even knew him, mother. You only thought well of him because of his name. You never even knew him. I will not tell you anything, at least anything you want to hear.


I was ever so glad to have a letter from you. You were never very good at writing letters while your father was alive. You must promise to write more often and come to visit. I long to hear how you are doing. When are you going to be returning to the Magisters? Have they said anything about offering you a title? I know it's not something they do often, but it must certainly be within their power, especially after all your years as an exceptional apprentice.

You must send me some news other than asking questions about criminals some time. Have you heard when our Prince may be returning? We all hope it will be soon. I am sure he would be glad to give you a gift of some land somewhere in exchange for your service in Dalaran. You must inquire about that the day he returns.

Please do not forget to send me news of Larinth the very first moment you have an opportunity.

Your loving mother,

Qynda Amberlight

He crumpled the letter in his fist, and it burst into flames, scattering glowing ashes across his desk.

That stupid old woman. She doesn't understand the first thing about the real world.

Qabian swept the ashes into the palm of his hand and tossed them in the wastebasket in the corner. He unceremoniously thrust the book of ice magic back into its place on the shelf, before practically tearing the hood and mask from its stand. He pulled the mask over his face, then reached for his staff.

There was always someone looking for a fight in Tanaris. Today, he'd bring it to them. He thrust his hand into the pouch at his side, and ran one thumb across his hearthstone. Qabian was sure he'd feel better about this whole dinner idea after a few hours of dealing death.

He stepped from the Gadgetzan Inn out into the blazing sun of the desert. After all his time cloistered in the city beneath the city, he felt blind as a newborn for the eternity it took his eyes to adjust. Once he could see again, the fury his mother had so benevolently bestowed on him rushed through his veins, and he took off at a run, scanning the horizon line for the first lone Alliance out of reach of the goblin bruisers' protective vengeance.