Chapter Two : An Illusion, what are you hiding?

The next morning, Briar's newfound blue glow did not go unnoticed. Her aunt had practically rushed up to her the moment she'd caught her eye.

"Please tell me you didn't sneak out last night!" she breathed, grabbing one of the girl's hands and began examining it. "I'm not saying I'm not glad you're looking better, I'm just saying that you could've gotten hurt Briar," Deannah continued, patting the back of her hand gently before letting go. There was a short moment of internal struggle within Briar. Her aunt noticed this and looked at her intently. "Out with it," she mused.

"They were rounding up people at the Waning Crescent. Innocent, sick people!" Briar blurted out. Several people in the room shifted in their seats. It was clear that Briar had the attention of everyone that was in there now.

"Who were?" Deannah wondered, a frown creasing her brow as she spoke. She sat down on the pile of pillows next to her niece. Briar could feel a lump form in her throat. She tried to power through it, but her voice did waver ever so slightly at the next words she spoke.

"The guards. They dragged them out into the streets and then-" she swallowed. "Then they saw me." There was a moment of silence. The entire room was collectively holding their breath, waiting for the young girl to continue her story. Deannah wrapped an arm around Briar, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked. Briar shook her head, squinting her eyes shut as tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"I ran. I ran as fast as I could. And I thought they would get to me, I really did. But-" she trailed off, her gaze falling on her notebook, still opened on the same page where she'd left it last night. That face with the piercing eyes stared back at her. A strange sensation washed over her. It was like the feeling of falling in a dream. Movement in the corner of her eye pulled her back into reality. Briar looked out of the window. There were people at the door. Before Deannah could say anything more and even before Briar could jump to her feet, Voltas came rushing up the stairs.

"Vanthir is here!" he spoke, not with his usual excitement or relief. He sounded worried. His gaze met that of Briar and for a moment his expression shifted from worried to confused. "My don't you look mighty blue this morning," he mused. Briar was on her feet now and so was Deannah. Both of them followed Voltas down the stairs, neither of her elders protesting the fact that Briar shuffled her way ahead of either of them to get to Vanthir first.

She'd nearly ran straight into the man. He was a proud Nightborne man, he was bald and was wearing a robe that looked to be decorated with leather trimmings, held together by a belt. He looked worried, much like Voltas had. It appeared that he had already unloaded their share of Arcwine as it was neatly stalled on the counter in the corner of the main room. Voltas stepped forward, but before he could speak, Briar beat him to the punchline.

"What happened to the people at the Waning Crescent last night?" she demanded. "Did they really send them out of the city?" There was a moment of silence. Voltas cleared his throat, sounding a tad disapproving, but he remained quiet waiting for Vanthir to answer the girl's question. The man did not seem to be surprised at all by Briar's questions.

"It would appear that you were there last night, young one. And it also looks to me like you got a good taste of Arcwine too." Vanthir spoke, his voice calm and wise. "The City Guard indeed took in some of my customers. They spoke of sending them to the border, that much we both know. There are, however, more matters at hand. Matters I can not speak of freely. I must apologise for this. You are one very lucky girl, making it out of there, seemingly in one piece," he examined the girl from head to toe and smiled a weary smile. Briar nodded shyly. Vanthir then turned to Voltas and Deannah. "The Dusk Lilly rises again," was all he whispered. Briar frowned in confusion, but both Voltas and Deannah merely nodded at his words.

"Very well," Voltas said.

"Indeed," Deannah added. The two of them nodded once again at Vanthir, and then turned to Briar. "It's best we let Vanthir be on his way again, child," her aunt spoke as she already headed back towards the stairs, with Voltas in her wake. Briar just stood there, frozen in place trying to make sense of it all. All the while, Vanthir said his goodbyes and headed back out on the street. A few seconds passed before Briar realised he was already out the door. She darted outside and ran after the man who hadn't made it that far away from their building yet.

"Hang on!" Briar called out, her exclaims catching the attention of several people that were passing by. Vanthir stopped walking and turned around. "How did you know someone gave me Arcwine last night?" Vanthir hadn't seen her in weeks and the last time he had visited their building, Briar hadn't looked much different from what she looked like now. Vanthir let out an amused chuckle.

"Let's just say I've been getting a bit of help around the shop as of late. The number of people in need of Mana sadly grows by the day and I certainly can no longer keep up with doing all the deliveries by myself. An old friend sent me someone that could help me out. A traveller from a far away land. I believe you've already met them," Vanthir spoke. He then turned around and waved Briar a last goodbye. "Run along now child, wouldn't want to catch a cold," he mused and then he went on his way again, leaving a very puzzled Briar in his wake.

That same evening, the sound of feverish scribbling filled the room. Briar was curled up in a ball in her corner with her notebook in her lap. She was in the midst of adding notes all around the drawing she'd made of the stranger that had saved her life. One of which was an arrow that pointed towards a text that read 'works for Vanthir, does she stay at the Waning Crescent?'

The creaking sound of the stairs gave away that someone was coming up. As Briar looked up, she saw that it was Voltas. He walked up to her and sat down next to her.

"So Deannah tells me you had quite the adventure," Voltas mused. He peered over Briar's shoulder to see what she was writing. He let out an impressed humming sound. "Is she the one that gave you the Arcwine?" Voltas breathed. Briar shifted awkwardly in her seat and closed her notebook, pushing it to the side. A careful nod followed. Voltas chuckled. "Well she certainly isn't from around here." As he said this, he got back up to his feet.

"Where do you think she is from?" Briar tried, cautiously. Voltas seemed to think about his answer for a moment before speaking.

"Well, unless you've really misinterpreted the looks of a mighty Orc from Orgrimmar, I'd say you've drawn yourself a Sin'dorei, my girl." There was a smile on Voltas' face that almost felt melancholic for a moment.

"Sin'dorei," Briar echoed. She tried to suppress a yawn but failed.

"I think it's time for you to catch some well deserved rest. Plenty of time during the day to figure out this mystery, huh?" Voltas spoke. He then moved back towards the staircase.

"Does that mean I can-"

"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," Voltas replied before he disappeared down the stairs. Briar had heard her fair share of stories about the endeavors of Voltas' back when he was her age. Anything he wouldn't do left quite a fair amount of wiggle room, Briar reckoned. With this in mind, the Nightborne girl went to bed, already picturing the adventure that would greet her in the morning.

Briar got up at the crack of dawn the next day. She had barely slept and in the few moments she had managed to get some hours in, she'd spent dreaming of the chase after her unknown hero. So she wasn't as well rested as she had liked to be, and the colour of her skin had shifted into a slightly paler shade of blue. Briar chose to ignore both of these things and hoped that neither Deannah nor Voltas would notice them as she headed outside.

She'd grabbed her bow and strapped it on her back to a leather belt that wrapped around her chest. A couple of arrows went into a quiver and her trusty notebook and pencil went neatly into a satchel. Ready to go, Briar whirled down the stairs and in passing a mirror that hung on the wall mid-way down the stairwell, she stopped for a moment to pull half of her pale, white hair into a bun on the top of her head.

"Going out?" the sound of Voltas' smooth voice greeted her the moment she stepped foot into the main room. He was sipping some type of beverage from a mug and glanced at her intently. "You look like you're ready for an adventure," he added, and then took another sip. Briar wasn't sure whether to act cautious or excited about Voltas' remarks and instead just stood there for a moment, weighing her options. The flamboyant man let out an amused chuckle and placed his mug on a counter. He then walked up to the girl and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Look child. Don't be afraid to have a little adventure. But make sure you do not stick your nose where it does not belong. Or where it is likely to be bitten off by demons!" Voltas explained, gazing deep into Briar's lilac eyes. He spoke his words with a smile but Briar knew he was being serious. Voltas took an extra long glance at Briar's exposed arms, and then gazed straight back into her eyes. "Arc Wine will only last so long. Be cautious. Make the most of your time today and come back in one piece come nightfall!" After this he turned and picked his mug back up. Before Briar was even halfway through the door, Voltas raised his hand. "Oh and don't tell Deannah!"

"I won't," Briar replied, awkwardly shuffling out of sight. She gave the strap around her chest a good tug and sucked in a deep breath of air. "This is it. I'm doing it. I will find you. I have-" her whispers came to an abrupt end upon noticing she was far from alone as she was walking down the street. Several people passing her by stared at her. A girl talking to herself. What an odd sight. Briar let out an embarrassed chuckle. Uttered something about being in a play and sped up her pace twofold.

Briar decided to retrace her steps back to the Waning Crescent. That was of course the place where Vanthir worked. Considering the fact that he'd spoken of a person from a far away place helping him out, the Nightborne girl realised this was as good as any a place to begin her search.
The streets were still scattered with City Guards as per usual, but there was no reason for them to be interested in a regular looking girl such as Briar. Especially not in broad daylight. As she passed by two rather tall fellows, she caught herself checking the colour of her skin. Still blue, despite having lost it's initial Arcwine induced radiance. This was no way to live, Briar thought to herself. There had to be a better solution.
The Waning Crescent came into view and Briar once again sped up her pace. She darted around several tables and stools, some of which were occupied, and walked up to the entrance of the tavern. Vanthir stood inside behind the counter. He smiled a friendly smile at the sight of the young girl.

"I had a feeling I would be seeing more of you today," he spoke, seemingly amused. "I was just telling my friend here about how you were very glad with that bottle of Arcwine," he added, his glance shifting to the person sitting on one of the barstools, leaning over what looked like a glass of milk. There was a brief moment of terror within Briar. She froze in place, gawking at the stranger sitting at the bar. Vanthir cleared his throat, which startled the young Nightborne.

"Uh, I'm sorry I just-" Briar stammered, taking two steps further inside of the establishment, getting a closer look at the stranger. There was a strange feeling of deja vu washing over her, a knot tying in her stomach. None of it seemed to be adding up. This stranger, who now looked up at Briar, had a dark blue skin and several tattoos marking her cheeks. Her eyes were the palest shade of violet she'd ever seen, hidden behind a fringe, her dark hair cropped just above her shoulders. She was wearing your typical high-born Sindorei attire. Taking one step backwards, Briar shifted awkwardly in place. "Oh but I thought-"

"You're mumbling, young one," Vanthir noted, before turning around as he began dusting off some of the glasses that were on display on shelves behind the counter. Briar couldn't stop staring at the stranger, and the stranger seemed intent on staring right back. There was something about her gaze that irked Briar.

"Anarys Lunastre, pleased to meet you," came a voice that Briar did not expect at all. What little hope she had left that this was actually the same person she had met that night was now instantly shattered by a shrill, high-pitched voice.

"N-nice to meet you too," Briar stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I was just hoping Vanthir would know where I-" she trailed off again.

"You are leaving a lot of sentences unfinished, young one," Vanthir said, sounding both amused and serious at the same time. He turned to face the both of them. "Lady Lunastre here is helping me around the tavern. Don't you remember her?" he spoke. Briar couldn't fight back a confused expression, but found herself even more puzzled upon seeing the Lady seemingly trying to fight back some kind of reaction of her own. And for a split-second, Briar could've sworn she saw a ripple in the air surrounding Anarys Lunastre. Neither of them spoke and for a short moment it was quiet inside the tavern.

"I don't think we've met before," Briar finally whispered. Anarys merely nodded in agreement. There was a brief moment where their glances met. And then the sound of footsteps interrupted them.

"Vanthir! We have trouble!" a man that looked disheveled called out as he came to a staggering halt inside of the tavern. Taking no note of who else was in there, he opened his mouth to begin explaining. "There's something wrong with that last batch of Arcwine, it's been po-"

"Quiet Lyman, can't you see we have customers! Child, run along home now! Quickly!" Vanthir boomed, those first few words louder than the rest of it, but still there was an urgency in the way he spoke. Briar jolted out the door without giving it a second thought. The confusion of this meeting was still buzzing in her mind. Who was that person? If that wasn't the person that had saved her the night before, then who was? And what was that about that last batch of Arcwine?

Briar hadn't even made it as far as one block from the Waning Crescent when a stinging sensation in her chest caused her to come to a staggering halt. The other people in the street were staring, pointing even, as Briar collapsed onto her knees. Gasping for breath she reached out an arm and what she saw next made her tremble to her very core. Her blue skin was fading, faster than she'd ever seen it do. Starting at her fingertips and then slowly moving towards her shoulders. A familiar itch in the back of her throat warned her that a coughing spree was imminent. She had no time for any of this. What if the guards saw her? There was no way there were no guards around this particular block. But Briar could barely think clearly, let alone make sure she wasn't seen by the Suramar City Guards.

"There she is!" someone called out. They sounded distant. Briar couldn't make out from the sound of their voice if they were a friend or a foe. "I told you she couldn't have gotten far!"

"Whose bright idea was it to tell her about me again?" a shrill voice spoke.

"I hardly see how that is the main concern here now," the first voice replied. A third voice then entered the conversation.

"Step aside! All Withered must be escorted to the border. They are a menace to society!" Not a friendly voice. And who let the Withered into the city?

The sounds of a struggle followed. And after that, there was nothing.