It's 5 A.M. I've been up for far too long, as in, twenty hours at least. Blissfully writing and drawing all night. Why does summer break automatically mean insomnia? :P
Review Responses:
NyteKnight: Have I mentioned that your username is so fun to type for some reason? xD Anywho... Yes. Unaril. Don't be a stoopehd-head.
Rock On: Omg! So many reviews! xD That was awesome! Haha. I'll just reply to your ch.24 review. As for Sarion.. Sarion is going to do something, but probably not what you're expecting..
Aeschielle-MoonGuard: Ahh, I know, right? Like, I almost left that part out, just cut it short without any detail but I was like, I NEED DIS. UNARIL AND NYELA NEED DIS. So yeah. :D Yummy.
Darkblight the Hunter: Nyelaril is fun to say even more than Nyaril xD And.. nobody dying?! What is this, another Breaking Faith? Hehe. Wait, Unaril died in that one, too... Hmm. ;)
Ophianara Blade: Raphael backstory is sort of slightly revealed in this chapter, just enough to give you insight into him a little deeper than what we've seen. :D As for dark side attractive guys, ugh, I know right? Like... there's a reason they're powerful and evil and somehow still charismatic. Step 1: be attractive, amiright? :p
Noriana26: Don't dieee! D: Then I won't have an RP buddy. Which, by the way, we need to do again now that I'm outta school. But I'm becoming nocturnal, which may make my schedule hard to line up.. Eh. Anyways. And ahahha Sarion is just kinda off being evil while Unaril and Nyela get all close and cozy.
Gamer Girlfriend: Dark!Sarion is kinda entertaining to write, too. Like, I have to get my sarcastic juices flowing for it to work properly. As for Unaril and Nyela, ahh I know right? Like, super super fast. Too fast, one may say. ;)
Kintaraheart: Exciting thing is that I already have the scene regarding the grove's recovery entirely planned out, all the way down to the staff and everything. I'll say this: no single alternative for fixing that grove is entirely exclusive in that it will be successful. If that makes any sense at all whatsoever. If not, ignore. ;)
Lady Pixi: Hahhaa I supposed it was you! xD And you're...sort of close to my own thought patterns on the whole issue. Nice. :D
OnyxRing: Ah! My phone does that to me all the freakin' time. If I'm reviewing, it'll spazz out and post it halfway through. But I got a new phone that's not an iPhone and now it's working with no hiccups. So if you have an iPhone, blame it for being an iPhone. ;D Anyway, yes! Action is really about to start. Especially with like.. well, it's all leading up. Omg. I'm so excited and terrified for what's going to happen and I know what's going to happen. Hahha.
Connet: The only way to escape a sinking ship is to ABANDON SHIP! Get on life rafts and PADDLE AWAY! ...Right? xD
Runicpower of Azeroth: Yay! Congrats on your exams :D That must feel so awesome! And thank you thank you! :)
Zarabethe: I already replied to your PM but I'll reply to that awesome review too :D AAAH! I can't help it! Unff. Unaril. :( He's so torn up inside. /sob. I can't handle these Unarilfeels.
CherryMountain: Lol! Omg don't spoil it for me, I don't wanna know the ending! ;D
Unaril
Unaril awoke with a start, breathing heavily, arms tensing for a split-second until the woman wrapped in them stirred in her sleep, snuggling in closer to him, and he finally relaxed. His dreams had not been pleasant, all of them travelling to the darker parts of his mind and unveiling every mistake and regret he'd ever had. Seemed his impending death was causing his life to flash before him even in his nightmares.
Worry arose when he realized he could feel Nyela's heartbeat in his own. The spell he'd performed last night in the heat of the moment had not been a simple one, nor had it been all that intentional, either. He hadn't been thinking straight; if he had, linking them together was the last thing he would have done, especially with what his future had in store for him. He'd inadvertently, unable to keep his emotions in check, bonded himself to her. They were now, by principle of their tribe, technically married, and there was a good chance she didn't even know it. Mated for life, however short a time that may be now with him. Her essence was now merged with his own, making both of them stronger. Their lives were now intertwined. They could sense one another; not only feelings, but memories as well. And any time they so much as touched, they would automatically synch together, bodies and minds working hand-in-hand to the point of where even their heartbeats lined up.
He noted that Nyela had seemed to have enjoyed the spell last night, but that was probably because she didn't recognize what he'd done. It was an unbelievably good feeling, that spell. Reaching such a pure, intense connection with someone he loved so dearly could in no way be bad. But it'd been an accident; he'd done it without thinking, like it'd been triggered by the sheer intensity of his own emotions, and now he knew he couldn't find an excuse to remove the link unless he told her why he was doing it, and that reason was that he was going to die. Now that they were bonded, the loss she would feel once he died would hold nearly twice the weight it normally would. It'd be like losing her second half. Right now, he already hated himself for doing this to her.
He knew this could go one of two ways once he explained what he'd done. One, Nyela wouldn't be upset about it, in which they'd keep the bond and she'd soon have to feel the weight of his loss even stronger now that they were bonded; or two, she would be upset about it and that'd give him an excuse to redact the spell. But one thing was for sure: he was not going to tell her what Lucian had told him the day before. She did not need yet another thing to worry about, especially not this early. If he had to die, it'd at least be a week from now, probably more. Nyela didn't need to spend that entire week mourning him while he was still here.
He wanted to spend his last moments with her in a manner that didn't involve the love of his life bawling her eyes out while precious seconds ticked away that they could instead spend happily together.
Carefully so as to not wake her, he reached across them both and grabbed his pocket watch from beside their bed roll, checking it. It was just before seven. They had to be at the inn with Raphael at eight, so he'd need to wake her soon.
In the meantime, though, he'd have to figure out what he was going to do about this, and fast.
Nyela
Nyela woke to the feeling of a stubbly chin brushing against her temple and smiled, cracking her eyes open to see Unaril already dressed and ready to go, leaning over her and giving her a kiss on the head, his long cerulean hair draping down beside her face.
"Morning," she said cheerfully, sitting up. "What time is it?"
"About quarter 'til eight," he said calmly.
Nyela's eyes widened, and she jumped out of bed. "What?! Are you kidding me? I have to be there at eight!"
He smirked. "I know, I was going to wake you, but you just looked so cute sleeping there..."
Nyela bit back an annoyed retort and couldn't help but smile, though she didn't want to. She jammed on her clothing and threw her hair up, not really thinking about much at all, other than that she needed to get ready and go now. Within just a minute or so, she'd freshened up, and she took off out of her tent into the bright, crisp morning. Unaril followed after her, giving her a hesitant smirk the entire time, like he was prepared for her to ask him something or to yell at him. But whatever it was he was anticipating wasn't on her mind: she was focused on getting to the inn and finding Raphael. She had a big day ahead of her.
They found the inn in no time, but just walking there had taken nearly ten minutes, and she was felt a little bit of annoyance rise up, but she wouldn't let herself project it onto Unaril, as much as she wanted to. Even so, she hated being late; it was one of her worst peeves.
"You could have woken me up sooner," she grumbled as she held the door open for him, and he donned a playful grin, which was annoyingly hard not to smile back at. He was supposed to have woken her up earlier. He'd promised he would, but he didn't, and now she was late because of him.
He didn't say anything, just smiled at her lightheartedly, and she rolled her eyes.
"You rascal. Don't think you can get me with that smile of yours. I'm not forgiving you yet."
His bright grin widened, but then he looked past her and waved slightly, walking around past her, so she turned as well to see Raphael leaning against a bar across the room.
He saw them and stood up straight, placing his hands on both of their arms in a greeting. "Your timing couldn't be better! My helpers arrived a few minutes ago. Let me take you upstairs," he said to Nyela.
Nyela and Unaril followed him upstairs into one of the small rooms, which was lit up brightly. Satchels and bags and large wrapped items all covered the bed, and she saw three people standing there: a human woman, a Blood Elf woman, and a Blood Elf man.
Raphael walked in and introduced them in that order. "Opal, Ivanna, and Seth."
Before Nyela even had a chance to introduce herself, they all closed in and placed her in a raised chair and immediately got to work. They stripped her down to her smallclothes without question, which she felt a little awkward about, but didn't have much say in the matter. Thankfully a thin, silky robe was given to her seconds later, which she wrapped around herself immediately.
She couldn't see Unaril or Raphael from where she was sitting, but she could hear them talking back and forth. She'd have paid attention to them, but what was going on right now had stolen her attention away. One of the three started on her hair, one on her face, and one on her hands and feet. It was a whirl of so many different things going on at once that Nyela barely even noticed what she realized was one of the women plucking her eyebrows or another brushing through her curly hair, or the man filing her sharp, claw-like nails.
The human, Opal, who was going through Nyela's hair, commented cheerfully, for the first time speaking. "Such beautiful hair!" she practically gushed. "Oh, so many would kill for this. I've never seen this color. Is this natural?"
Nyela nodded.
Seth cleared his throat. His voice was somewhat deep, but he spoke in an oddly feminine manner as he peered at her nails. "What are you, a mole? Do you dig for a living? You've got so much dirt under your nails it should be a crime."
Nyela couldn't help but smirk at this.
It was only a few seconds before the third finally spoke, finishing the circle. The elf woman, Ivanna, had finished plucking her brows and now had a powder palette out and looked perplexed.
"I don't have any direct matches to your skin tone. This is so odd." She looked up at Raphael, behind Nyela. "Where on Azeroth did you find this girl, Raphael? I thought you said she'd be a Blood Elf, but her skin says otherwise."
Nyela heard Raphael's low laughter. "Found her right here in Stormwind."
Ivanna shook her head and began mixing different powders together in a light, shimmery pinkish, purply combination and then applied it to Nyela's cheeks.
She felt Opal doing something strange to her hair and felt it becoming warm, but there was no mirror in front of her, so she couldn't see what was going on. A few seconds later, though, she felt a few strands fall to the side of her face and was surprised to see them in the corner of her eye. They were straight, sleek, and now nearly twice as long without the curls to tighten them.
"You're making my hair straight?" Nyela asked aloud.
"Yep!" Opal chirped.
"Why..?"
"It's the rage in Silvermoon," Opal laughed. "Plus it'll be easier to manage, and it matches the style we've planned. Unless you don't want me to..?"
Nyela shook her head. "It's fine. Just not what I was expecting."
She then glanced down to see Seth painting her now-smooth and clean toenails with some sort of acrylic-looking pearly off-white pinkish color, then realized he'd already done it to her fingernails. Nail paint, too? How far was this going to go?
Ivanna began dusting Nyela's eyelids with a subtle, whitish shimmer and told her to keep her eyes shut while she worked. Nyela ended up having to keep her eyes shut nearly to the end of the entire 'makeover', which felt like it had to have been at least an hour, maybe more. They'd poked and prodded and fixed every possible imperfection on her, commenting all the while. It was as frustrating as it was hilarious to her.
It was sudden, though, when finally everything slowed down, and then the only person left doing anything was Ivanna, working finishing touches on Nyela's eyes. Finally, she stepped back, and Nyela sat there feeling bored as they all inspected her and searched for anything they could've missed.
"I think she's done," Ivanna finally said, and Seth and Opal nodded in unison.
Nyela sat forward. "Can I get up now?"
"We've got to dress you," Opal exclaimed happily. "Stand up."
Nyela stood, and Opal went over to the bed and grabbed something off of it. "Robe," she said, tugging on the silk, and Nyela grudgingly removed it.
"Lift your arms."
Nyela lifted them above her head. Immediately, a dress was pulled down over her, fitting itself snugly at her waist.
"It fits," Seth commented. "Good eye, Opal."
Nyela glanced over at the bed and noticed that there were multiple identical dress bags lined up in a row; they were probably different sizes of the same dress. How much had that cost?
She looked down at the one she was wearing. It was black and sleek, a long gown that tapered up at one side, showing part of her left leg. The neckline and small off-the-shoulder sleeves were made entirely of thin lace, and she could tell from a distinctly 'airy' sensation that the back of it dipped fairly low as well. From the lace and the color and style, it all looked strangely...oriental.
The three helpers secured everything in place. Nyela tried on two pairs of the same open-toed shoes before one was finally found that fit. They were sandals with comfortable soles, though Nyela noted that they were heels; there was no way she'd last all day in these, she knew it.
To top everything off was jewelry. Loads of freaking jewelry, all of it matching pearls: earrings, necklace, and even a bracelet.
When everything was finished, the three stepped back and inspected her, and she finally took a deep breath and let it out, hesitantly glancing back over at where Unaril had been this whole time. She saw him leaning his hips back against a windowsill, arms crossed leisurely, stare latched on hers with a knowing smirk pulling at his lips. She sent him a playful look. She'd never been so dressed up in her life, and from his expression, he could read right into her discomfort.
"There's a mirror here," Opal said brightly, walking over to a desk and lifting up a large mirror. Nyela didn't look away from Unaril yet, though.
She smirked at her Druid. "Do I want to look?"
He bit his lower lip subtly, and she caught an interesting, flirty undertone in his voice. "I think you do."
She smiled and finally looked in the mirror, and the second she did, she thought she was looking at a painting, or a picture of some sort. She didn't even recognize herself until she moved and realized it was her.
Her hair was straight and silky, draping long over her back and down her shoulders. It'd been long with the curls, but now that all that had been straightened, it nearly went past her waist. It appeared brighter in color, too, possibly just from being straight. The sides of it had been braided in delicate braids and pulled back, leaving just a few select strands to frame her face.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
The most shocking part was her own face. She'd never worn makeup. Ever. It was rare that anyone in her tribe ever did. Her light skin looked like porcelain, and her eyes shimmered with just enough intensity that it kept the attention on them over everything else. They'd been accented with a delicate outline of black as well to match her dress, and in all, it was such a striking look, the pearls and the bright magenta of her hair against the black lace. She couldn't help but just stare at herself in the mirror with her mouth held wide open.
"What do you think?" Opal asked, though it wasn't directed toward Nyela.
Raphael clapped his hands slowly. "You've gone far beyond my requirements, you three. Expect an exceptional pay as thanks." He walked over to Nyela, eyes inspecting all of her up and down as he circled her once.
"How do I look? Good enough for what's-his-face?" she asked the man as he finally came around to face her again.
He clicked his tongue and sent her a flashy look. "That's putting it lightly. He'd have liked you before all of this."
Nyela simply smirked. "So what now? When does the party start?"
"We're heading to Silvermoon City immediately, as long as there's nothing you need to do beforehand," Raphael hummed. "I have some business regarding tonight that I must take care of in the elf capital. And we will attend the party at six this evening."
"We're going now? What time is it?" Nyela asked in surprise.
Unaril glanced at his timepiece. "Ten-thirty-ish."
Nyela's brows lifted. They'd really been here that long already? She felt a new appreciation to Unaril for just…standing there the whole time. How in the world did he have that much patience, doing nothing but watching her? Surely there was something else he could've been doing that was more fun.
He sent her a friendly smile. "So? Anything you need to do?"
She shook her head. "I suppose not."
Raphael nodded over at Seth, who began to draw magic into his hands in a spell, creating what Nyela recognized was a portal. The iridescent shine of the ethereal door glimmered into view in the form of an oval before them, and Raphael held out his hand to Nyela. However, the gesture was blocked as, in front of everyone, Unaril stepped in between them, swooping in and drawing Nyela into his arms, pressing his lips to hers and sweeping her completely off her feet in a kiss so intense it painted her cheeks red in a blush. She kissed him back, laughing at the suddenness, and when he finally righted her on her feet again, he grinned widely, kissing her again and catching her lower lip with his teeth, not holding back. Finally after what had to have been at least thirty seconds' worth of affection, he let her go. She smirked up at him, winded, and he smiled back.
"Come back to me soon," he murmured, then pulled her in for a tight, warm hug before releasing her to Raphael.
Raphael was sending them both a sly, subtle smirk, his vivid green eyes flicking between them, and again he held an open hand out to Nyela, which she now took. Without further ado, in they stepped through the portal.
At least four hours later, Nyela sat on a stone-and-wood-carved bench outside the Silvermoon elves' bank, leaning back in the seat leisurely and lightly fanning herself with an ornamental fan given to her by her 'date' for the upcoming party.
He was inside the bank retrieving whatever it was he needed, and she spent her time by staring out into the beautiful city at the various people walking about. There was a surprising number of Trolls here, she noticed. Of course, most of the people were elves, but the second largest population seemed to be Trolls. She wondered why that was.
She'd received a generous amount of staring from other people and hoped that was good rather than bad. Maybe it was the color of her hair; she wasn't sure. Most of the elves here had pure, platinum blonde locks, long and shimmering, almost white. It was a gorgeous look, she had to admit.
She'd gotten used to the look of the city after just under an hour of walking through it. Raphael had given her a 'tour' of sorts, just through a few districts. The only one she truly remembered was the Bazaar. That place was stunning, no doubt. Spire towers shot up from the larger buildings into the blue, clear sunny skies, and everything was decorated in gold and red and green. Fresh, silky banners draped over every archway, and one thing that really stood out was that everywhere Nyela looked there were copious amounts of blooming flowers. So many flowers... Everywhere, and in every color. On windowsills, under trees, pretty much anywhere that wasn't paved.
From the city's tall arches hung thin, almost tissue-like drapes of various bright colors, shimmering and blowing in the breeze. Even the trees themselves, despite the season, had bright golden and red leaves that matched the decorative engravings on all stones and bricks in the area.
In short, the whole place looked like a fairy tale. If Nyela wasn't so attached to her place in the orchard, she would actually want to come stay here. Maybe even for good. It had such an out-of-place feeling, as if she'd been swept away into a secret world where no one could get her and nothing bad could happen. Very disarming and pleasant, certainly.
She saw Raphael approaching with a large bag swung over his shoulder. She had to admit, as much as he annoyed the hell out of her, she did find some comfort in him being there with her in the big city instead of her being all alone. He'd been fairly subdued today in comparison to normal, especially here in the city, out in public in front of the other elves. It was strange, but not a bad thing. He'd been far quieter and somewhat serious.
He walked over to where she was sitting and offered her a hand to stand up. She took it, and he cleared his throat. "We're going to stop somewhere I can change into dress clothes and give you a run-down of what we'll be doing. I've got a place here to stop by, as long as you don't mind rats."
Nyela held back laughter. "I don't care, whatever you want."
Raphael smirked and led her through the city into a darker district near the edge of the city, stopping in front of an old wooden door under what looked like rows and rows of small, stacked apartments. This place was completely different than the rest of the city: it wasn't all that pretty. Like the slums version of Silvermoon.
"What is this place?" she asked curiously as he led her through the door and up a flight of stairs to his room, pulling a key from his belt to unlock his door.
"Doesn't have a name. Apartments here are owned by the city. Quite cheap, but never tended...trading quality for affordability. And I, seeing as I'm almost never in this city, don't need anything special."
Nyela shrugged. "No harm in that."
Raphael motioned toward a table and chairs as he activated a lamp that was made entirely of energy crystal, which lit the whole room in a warm, subtle orange glow. "Make yourself at home, if possible. I'll be right back."
He took off into another room, and Nyela walked past the chairs to a tiny window, peering out of it down into the street. There was almost no one out there, but she did notice that oddly enough she saw a lot of cats. She wondered if that was an elf thing or if this district just had a cat infestation, if that's what one could call it.
Raphael shortly returned, and Nyela's brows shot up at how quickly he'd cleaned up from the rough bandit look into a surprisingly highly-distinguished-looking elf. If not for his shoddy surroundings, he might look like nobility. His chocolate shaggy hair was sleek and tied back, facial hair neatly trimmed, and he was wearing a sharp, fine-tailored dark suit with multiple, complicated-looking layers of a greyish-blue, white, and black. It looked old fashioned somehow but still quite good, with crimson inner lining and pearly buttons and a split coattail in the back. The guy was already a good-looking elf, and this look just intensified it.
She cleared her throat. "You clean up fast."
He laughed. "With some effort, I can appear presentable at a moment's notice."
His newly-shined (or possibly just brand new) shoes hit the wooden floor in a crisp 'clack clack' sound as he walked over to the table and pulled out a chair, offering her a seat, so she took it, and he then sat across from her, folding his hands in his lap and watching her a moment before speaking.
"We have two hours before we'll head over. Nightfall is early tonight; the winter is at its peak. So we'll need to keep to the lighted streets. We will be accompanied by two others, with whom we'll meet after we leave here. I'll introduce you, but they really won't have any part to play in tonight so don't worry about them. Nothing more than a few of my guild members." He reached into a pocket at his chest and withdrew something small, handing it to her across the table. "And... This is the trinket you will be planting."
She studied it. It matched her own jewelry almost perfectly, and she now realized why they'd gone so overboard with the pearls. It'd make the ring blend right in. She took it from him and fit it onto her right ring finger. It was actually just slightly loose, but that was a good thing. It'd be easier to get it off and plant it at a moment's notice.
Raphael continued. "I have its twin back in my bank vault; I'll retrieve it after the night is over, as long as everything goes smoothly, and it'll be our link to the vaults." A few seconds passed, and he sent her a smirk. "I have no doubts about tonight. I'll be with you the entire time, up until you're in the spotlight, and by then our whole plan will most likely be laid out before you. It'll be like taking candy from an infant."
"So...what is our whole plan?" Nyela half-laughed, feeling a little unsure.
Raphael's smirk widened, and he laughed aloud. "That would be an important thing to tell you, wouldn't it?" A moment passed as he readied his thoughts. "Alright. Your name is still Nyela, just don't give a last name. If asked, say Farstrider. It's a common noble surname and he won't think to question it. When we arrive at the party, Ephraim most likely won't show up for the first hour. When he does, though, he's likely to make a big, grand entrance and have all eyes on him. You know that type." Raphael rolled his eyes at the thought. "Ephraim will start to make rounds with his guests. There'll be at least ten dozen people there, at a minimum. Stick with me, and you'll be fine. I've been to enough of his parties to know his rounds. You and I will need to wait until he's met us for you to make an impression. He'll move on to greet the rest of his guests, but hopefully will be interested enough to, after a while, come back."
Raphael paused, laughing to himself at what he said next. "Once he's met you, I'm going to do something I've actually done before at one of his festivities: get drunk off my ass. Or, at least, give the illusion of doing so. And you'll need to act absolutely disgusted with me to the point of leaving me, but I'll tell you when to do that. Timing is everything; we'll need to do it under my uncle's watch. Hopefully when you ditch me, he'll swoop in and put on the charm. Before long he'll be parading you around to all his nice things."
Nyela thought for a while. "This is relying a lot on chance. What if he doesn't end up liking me? What if he never even takes me to see his treasures?"
"He will," Raphael reassured her. "He does it every year. And as for liking you," Raphael paused, gaining a sly edge to his expression. "I'll say in absolute honesty that that is impossible."
"Will he have a date, though?" If Ephraim had a date, this would be a lot harder.
"He never does. He usually tries to steal mine, if I bring one. If not mine, then some other poor chap. Just one more wonderful thing about my uncle. It's like a game to him."
Nyela grimaced. "Sounds like a great guy."
Raphael chuckled sarcastically. "The best."
Nyela leaned back in her chair, which was rickety but surprisingly comfortable. "What are we supposed to do in the next two hours, then?"
"Hmm..." Raphael, for the first time that day, reverted back to his normal self, gaining an edgy, sly smirk. "I can think of a few things...most of which involving that delectable dress ending up on my floor."
Nyela snorted. "Right."
He laughed. "Ah, but then all that hard work would be for nothing," he gestured toward all of her, probably referring to the makeover work done by his three helpers. Where he'd found those three, she had no idea.
"Yes, and I'm going to guess you paid a lot for all of this," Nyela hummed.
"Actually it wasn't so bad. Plus, I have more money than I know what to do with most of the time. It's a terrible curse."
Nyela sneered at him playfully. "Oh, poor you."
He winked at her, and drummed his fingers on the table, the sound surprisingly crisp. Possibly because it was one of the only sounds in the room, save for a continuous hum coming from the floating crystal lantern. Nyela had heard of the Blood Elf crystal uses but never thought they'd use them as lights. Just one more cool thing, huh?
She sighed. "Well, I'm bored." She sounded purposefully whiny.
Raphael snapped a finger at her. "That's the attitude I'm looking for. You'll need to sound just like that at the party."
Nyela laughed defensively. "What are you saying, that I sound snobby right now?"
"Ah, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," he laughed back. "Though it wasn't the words, it was the attitude. Speaking of which, you're going to need to not smile so much when we get there. It's far too distracting, plus it pulls away from how you're supposed to be stuck-up and holier-than-thou with Ephraim. I'm not saying the smile is a turn-off; matter of fact it just might be my favorite thing about you, but I am saying that the less interest you show, the harder he'll try to win you. Like I've said. It's a game to him."
"But what if I'm too difficult, and then he loses enthusiasm? I mean, there's got to be a good medium I can stay at, right?"
Raphael nodded. "You don't want to be outright rude, nor do you want to fully ignore him. Give him just enough attention to keep him going. One of those long-lashed flirt looks that you do sometimes from under your brows should be just about right, if you do it once every few minutes. But he's going to try to flatter you almost non-stop, and you're going to have to act as if you get that all the time. Though, then again, a woman like you, you probably actually do."
Nyela did her best to ignore the fact that Raphael kept inadvertently giving her flirty compliments. He was a handsome man, of course, but so not her type at all, not to mention, well, Unaril.
"So...what's his house like?" Nyela asked, mostly just to pass time and to take the subject off of her and transfer it to something else.
"It's massive. An entire court, practically. It's about four stories tall with a few more loft and tower sections, as well as a lowered floor , which is where the vault is. Honestly, you have to see it to understand; I'm not even going to try to describe all of it. Imagine all the decorative aspects of Silvermoon City compacted into a mansion. That pretty much sums it up."
Nyela lifted her brows. "And how long has he had this mansion?"
"Long, long time," Raphael said. "Long before you were around. Long before your parents were."
"How would you know? I have a Night Elf dad," she replied. "He could be super-old for all you know."
"Matter of fact...I've met your father, so I know he's not that old," Raphael said, and Nyela's brows shot up.
"What?"
"And your mother. You know, the first time I saw you I thought you looked familiar. I didn't even know you were a Silverpaw until the second time we spoke though."
Nyela continued to blink in surprise. "H-how did you meet them?"
"Years and years ago," Raphael said. "Ninety years? One hundred? Long time ago. We met in...a different time. The world was a very different place, and I was a very different man. I left your parents on appalling terms. Pretty sure if either of them saw me these days they'd fight over which one of them got to tie a noose around my neck and which one got to kick the stool out from under me if given the chance."
"What?!" Nyela asked again in shock. "What in the world did you do that was so bad?"
"You know the guild I'm in right now?"
"The mercenary guild? Serpent whatever?"
"Shrouded Serpent." He sighed. He'd become surprisingly somber now. "I remember its founder, Ian Strom. Tiberius's and Sebastian's gr-"
"Grandfather, yes," Nyela butted in.
Raphael nodded. "Ian was a brilliant man. Strong, intelligent, cunning... But my uncle and I were as ruthless as we were ambitious, and it wasn't long before Ephraim decided that Ian wasn't fit to run his guild, that he was letting so much of its potential go to waste. Ian was actually working on transforming the guild into a more law-based, official title when Ephraim ended up kil-..." he abruptly cut out mid-word, brows furrowing.
Nyela almost didn't want to hear what Raphael had to say. "Ended up...what?"
Raphael's gaze lifted back to hers, and he sighed a hopeless sigh. "My uncle killed Ian Strom. He killed a man who'd been nothing but his trusted friend and leader. He betrayed him. And in a way, I helped him do it. From the second it happened and onward, it's been my one and only regret. Since then, Ephraim has twisted this guild into something dishonorable. Something dark. And although I stay a part of it, I'm not a part of it. In truth, I've been planning on doing something for a while, be it taking over or just leaving entirely."
"So what do my parents have to do with all of that?" Nyela asked after a long while. This was the first time she'd learned anything even remotely personal about Raphael, and it was intriguing, not to mention disturbing that somehow, in some weird way, he had ties to her.
"Your parents regarded Ian as family, as far as I know," Raphael said. "Your mother especially loved him like he was her own brother. When it happened... They thought I'd been the culprit. In a way, I guess I was. And...well, sides clashed, and long story short, they left me for dead. They still think I'm dead, and that Ephraim is, too. That is to say you haven't mentioned me..."
Nyela shook her head. "I haven't."
He grimaced. "Probably best it stays that way."
She let out a breath, thinking on everything he'd just told her. "So. That's a sort of heavy weight for you to carry."
"Well," he stretched his arms out calmly, yawning, "When you make it a mission to keep life as simple as possible, a weight like that is nothing. Who cares if I took part in assassinating my beloved guild leader, right? I've made it this far just fine!"
Nyela laughed. "Aaaand you're right back to good old Raphael again."
"Good old Raphael," he clicked his tongue, placing a hand at his heart and looking forcibly starry-eyed. "He makes everything better. What would we do without good ol' Raphael?"
"Soak your head," she snorted back.
"And ruin this hair? Are you joking?" he retorted, showing off his shaggy-but-neatly-combed brown locks that swept back from his face, the length reaching just enough to where it barely fit behind his ears. It looked good, but Nyela just shrugged.
"Might help, on the contrary."
He let out a loud, pure laugh. "Goooood," he purred, eyes sparking, "Let the contempt flow through you."
Nyela shook her head humorously. "When are we leaving?"
"We've only been talking fifteen minutes," Raphael hummed, and then sighed dismally. "You really should take me up on my initial offer. That dress would truly look great in a heap on my floor, plus it'd be such a great way to pass time. So, so much better than this depressing talk of backstabbing and murder and head-soaking."
Nyela lifted her brows jokingly. "You want this dress, this beautiful, expensive, luxurious dress, on the floor?"
"Only if I'm allowed to put it there," he retorted glibly.
"I'd like to see you try," Nyela bared her teeth at him teasingly.
He smirked back at her, one brow lifting suggestively. "You would?"
"No."
He threw his head back in infectious laughter. "Okay, okay, fine. We'll do the boring stuff then." He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand over his face, groaning loudly as if complaining. Somehow his groan turned into a growl before trailing off into words. "Ugh. Boring is so much work."
Nyela laughed. Whatever. She could keep boring up for another hour and a half. No problem.
When the time came for them to leave, Nyela had to admit she sort of wanted to keep doing the whole 'boring' thing. She didn't tend to feel nervous about a lot of stuff, but this was different. She was going on a secret, undercover mission that all rode on how well she could keep the interest of a complete sleaze. Not exactly something she knew how to do or had ever actually done in the past, that was for sure.
Turned out that, when they left, Raphael had finished his old-fashioned look with a clothing item that probably would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, but he pulled it off surprisingly well: a matching top hat. With his curled, sleek mustache, his swept hairstyle and the sharpness to his outfit, all he needed was a monocle with that hat and he'd look like a proper sir. Nyela had told him that almost word-for-word, and he'd laughed and claimed that if they were near the bank, he'd grab is monocle for real. She wouldn't put it past him to own one of those, which was the weird part.
And even weirder, she noted, was how well her outfit and his fit together. The styles seemed so different, but they fit so well with one another that one could definitely tell they were a 'couple'.
The two of them met up with another couple that Raphael knew, and he chatted with them as they all began walking through the crystal-lit streets. She noted that Raphael was right about the early nighttime of winter. She liked it, to be honest. Right now was just about dusk, and it was only just before six. The sun would be fully set in an hour.
After walking for minutes, Nyela's mind was so distracted that she didn't even notice they'd arrived at the mansion until Raphael offered her the crook of his elbow in order to direct her up a low-incline flight of stairs. She took his arm without question, looking up at the top of the stairs at where she saw two tall, armored elves standing sharp and another one just a little further checking people in by means of invitations.
"Do we have invitations?" she asked Raphael as they began up the stairs behind the other couple.
He smirked and nodded. "Yes. Shhh."
She stayed quiet at his request, standing a little taller and raising her chin, remembering that now, Ephraim could be watching. She had to stay on the ball non-stop, which she could easily do, as long as she stayed focused.
They reached the top in no time and seamlessly entered the party. Nyela noticed that Raphael didn't even show the guard a ticket on the way in. The guard took one look at him and just shrugged him along, meaning he probably recognized him, which made Nyela feel a little better. Raphael really did know what he was talking about. He'd been here many times. As long as she did what he said, she'd be perfectly fine.
She had to admit, what Raphael had said about Ephraim's place had been entirely accurate. It was the most impressive, most gaudy place she'd ever seen in her life. It was shocking to think one man owned this. It could be considered a freaking palace. The ceilings were incredibly high and spiraling staircases allowed for convenient access to the upper floors. However, it appeared this party was based on the main floor, as everyone seemed to be congregating in a gigantic, open area, with treat-laden tables lining the walls. A band was playing music in the large hall, the music carrying possibly throughout the entire building. She now realized she'd even heard it outside but hadn't thought much of it.
It seemed everyone was excited, though, and she also noted that all the people here were dressed almost or equally as grandly as she. So much money in one place, was all she could think. The collective worth of the people, items, and property here was probably more than she could successfully process.
In short, she felt so, so out of place.
She watched how the other women interacted with one another. It was so strange. In Silvermoon today, she'd noted that most of the elves here seemed quite friendly with one another, lots of smiles and waves and friendly interactions. Down-to-earth type, that sort of thing. But here was entirely different. The people here all seemed to be competing. To Nyela, it looked ridiculous, but then she realized she was supposed to be one of them. So she began to attempt to mirror the expressions of the women around her: chin up, lips plumped, and half-lidded, judgy stares. At least, that's what she got out of it.
Raphael, as they strode into the hall with a large group of other arrivals, took one glance back at her, and she saw laughter in his eyes. It was all she could do to keep her expression and not laugh back.
"What?" she asked simply, sending a furtive glance to the side for show.
He smirked down at her, removing his tall hat and smoothing his hair. "You're surprisingly good at that."
"Stop giving me that look, you're going to make me laugh," she murmured under her breath, looking away from him and staring out at the party. Almost no one else here was laughing unless they were laughing in a large group with gigantic, fake smiles and loud forced laughter. She got the impression that this party was nothing more than a bunch of ridiculously wealthy people getting the chance to go flaunt their wealth and snub others just like them. How fun, right?
"How do you stand this?" she turned back to Raphael. The party was beginning to raise in volume to where it was now a loud hum of voices.
"On two feet," he replied, which confused her.
"Huh?"
"I stand on two feet. Like most people." He quirked a brow at her. "Don't you?"
"That's not what I said," she couldn't help but begin to smirk before biting her lip and swallowing her laughter. "I said how do you stand this? The party?"
"Ah," he nodded, "Okay. I was going to say, what kind of question is that?" He shook his head. "I stand it because I grew up in this life. I wasn't always the scrappy Rogue I am now."
"Raphael Amaranth origins story time?" she asked him hopefully, interested as could be, but kept her expression somewhat plain.
"Some other time," he chuckled at her. "We need to mingle."
"Mm," she hummed sarcastically, "Mingling. My favorite thing."
"You scorn the action, but just you wait. It usually proves itself beyond entertaining. They all take themselves far too seriously."
Nyela allowed herself to smirk with one corner of her mouth and shrugged. "Alright, might be fun."
Raphael stepped in close to her and she felt one of his hands slide along her back and begin to tighten and draw her in at the waist, and she bristled.
"What are you doing?" she asked him bluntly, giving him a funny look.
"Shh," he laughed and shushed her for the second time, his laugh almost a snicker. "Nyela. We're a couple. My uncle needs to see that." He paused. "Whatever I do here tonight, it's all for show. Same will go for you. Alright?"
She huffed. "Alright. You just surprised me is all."
He simply laughed again, and she felt his hand fall back to the small of her waist, hooking her back in and causing her to constantly be just a little closer to him than she preferred. At this short distance, she could easily catch the subtle scent of what she was pretty sure was cinnamon clinging to his clothing. It was nice, but this whole thing just felt wrong.
It's all an act.
She took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She could do this. Not only could she, but she would.
Raphael first, though, led her over to the refreshments bar and retrieved two tall, slender glasses of sparkling white wine, handing one to her. "If I'm going to be drunk, I may as well start now."
"You're really going to get drunk?" she lifted her brows. "Is that wise?"
"No, not for real," he laughed quietly, leaning in closer. "Nyela. Everything is an act; please remember this."
"Right," she nodded, sipping the beverage.
Raphael, still holding her snug like a magnet, began to drop upon different little groups of people here and there, each time being recognized by everyone no matter who it was he spoke to. Nyela couldn't count the number of times she was introduced, and the number of times that people had analyzed her head-to-toe, watched her for a moment, and then seemed to accept her as a challenge and began comparing themselves or their dates to her. She decided this was a good thing. She was on level with these people, and so far she was doing a decent job of giving them partial, critical-ish smiles. She was even getting the hang of peering down her nose, something she hadn't thought was a real thing until she saw another doing it.
This was probably the strangest experience of Nyela's life, to be honest. The food was amazing, and despite the strange air to the people here, the party was actually pretty fun. The music was modern, the people had begun to loosen up after a few drinks, and it was getting better by the minute. It was to the point now where in order to blend in with everyone else, she had to keep smiling. She'd gotten used to Raphael parading her around and practically showing her off, and she also noted that the man kept drinking constantly, which at first worried her, until she realized that instead of getting a new, full glass every time he ran out, he was refilling his with water.
However, he'd had enough early on that she could at least catch the scent of wine on his breath when he got close enough, which she knew he'd done on purpose. He seemed fully aware, but as time went on he was becoming more and more slowed in his conversation, more relaxed, and far louder with just the tone of his voice. If she hadn't known he was drinking water, she'd have been fooled. He was a damn good actor.
As the two enjoyed the party, Nyela scanned the area for fresh meat. She and Raphael had 'mingled' with practically every single person at the party by now, and she tried her hardest to find someone they hadn't spoken to yet. She wanted to get a little more practice in.
Her eyes drifted through the crowd until, to her own surprise, she saw someone she hadn't spoken to yet. He was across the room, dressed in a dusty, charcoal grey, listening to someone chat his ear off. Like many of the elves here, his hair was pure, almost white blonde. His face was clean-shaven and his hair was long and sleek, partially pulled back into a plain clasp, the ends draping over his shoulders. He stood quite tall, somewhat regal, and Nyela couldn't deny that he had an air about him that automatically made her want to know more about him.
She nudged Raphael with the back of her knuckles, still not looking away from the strangely enthralling man.
"Raphael, who is that?" she pointed at the man across the room.
Raphael's hand shifted at her waist as he turned, and she felt his fingers automatically constrict ever-so-slightly as he caught sight of the man.
"That, my dear lady," he purred in her ear, "is my uncle."
It's so late now that although I've proofread twice, I've also been up so long that my eyes now feel like lead and I have no doubt missed a buttload of mistakes. :P
I'll read through it again once I've had sleep and will fix anything I see. If you see typos or confusing points where the words are jumbled or if it just randomly cuts off, feel free to let me know. Sometimes the copy/paste function clips random spots out of my chapters too, for some reason. So if that happens I'll get it fixed. :)