She watched Zahlia speak to a blond haired women, who from what she could see, was taking care of a goblin with a rather nasty bite on his arm. "Mildred, could you take a look at this one when you're finished?" The women didn't turn away, immersed in her work. "How bad is it?" She asked in a weary tone while dabbing ointment on the goblin's wound with wool cloth. Many other injured lay on the beds around them, excluding Evencar, who was sitting on his with a dazed expression, most likely a delayed reaction to the blood loss. "Not too bad, his nose is a bit banged up and there was quite a bit of blood loss from what I see." The other women nodded.
"Have someone clean him up, I'll be over in a moment." Zahlia looked over to the other side of the room where a draneni was conversing with a bedridden dwarf, both chuckling heartily. "Cr-,cri-," She stumbled over her words. The dwarf caught the older womens stuttering. "I think she'll be needing your assistance, lassie." The draneni stood up straight. "What be it that you are needing of me?" A smile lit up her face as she trotted over to them. Short, straight black hair came down to the nape of her neck, their ends curving around the edges of her soft blue face, while the well polished horns she possessed curled down toward the floor.
Zahlia sniffed, picking a piece of wool cloth from a nearby basket. "You draneni and your names, I swear. I can never pronounce any of them." Eilya watched with growing disinterest as water was poured into a small bowl from a jug sitting on a nearby table , and dumped unceremoniously into the draneni's hands. The older women jerked her head towards Evencar.
"I need you to clean him up, and be quick about it." The draneni looked baffled. "My name of birthing is Criinau, I do not be seeing how this speaking of is being so bad." Evencar turned his head up at Eilya with glassy eyes. "Wha' ish s'e alking abou'?" She shrugged. Criinau laughed at him, awkwardly kneeling down beside the bed, dipping the wool cloth in the water from the bowl she'd tucked under one arm. "Please be giving my apologies, common is not my good speaking of." Evencar shivered as she began cleaning his cheek. "Ish 'old." Criinau frowned. "Wool is almost being very new, no old has it." He shook his head. "'Wha'? O, I mee' ish 'old." The draneni's lower lip jutted out. "Do you not be hearing me very good nightelf? I be saying that there is being no older cloth!"
Between the both of them, Eilya couldn't tell what was worse, their speech, or the fact that neitheir could understand one another. By the time his face was clean, the discussion had escalated into a full explanation of how they got their supply of wool, and the quality of it. It was at this time the physician had finished with her other patients, and strolled over. "What's the problem here?" The draneni threw her hands up in frustration. "This elf be keeping saying the wool that is being here is old. I try to be giving knowledge on how the wool is bringing here even, but no giving is he!" The sound created as she stomped one of her dusty hooves on the stone beneath her was so loud, the rogue thought she could feel blood trickle out of her ears. "I have not be having such bad timing since Altruis the paining!"
Eilya's ears perked up, despite the ringing in them. "Do you mean Altruis the Sufferer?" Criinau nodded. "That is what I being said!" Mildred put a hand on the Draneni's shoulder. "I think it's time for you to take a break, doesn't your pet Alazar need to be fed?" Seeming to forget all about her previous conversation, the draneni sprinted from the room, quickly thanking the women for 'be remembering' her. " S'e 's ad." Evencar remarked as Mildred's fingers applied gentle pressure as they ran along the bridge of his nose. "Yes, she's a bit odd, but she's also a big help around here. The building may have been fixed, but we're as understaffed as ever."
While the physician did her work, (hearing Evencar curse once or twice), Eilya's mind wandered to thoughts of the demon hunter, Altruis. It seemed strange that he would be here in Shattrah, he didn't seem like the type to be around people for very long, or to be easily injured. The last time she'd met him, he'd been worried about an invasion in Nagrand.
She closed her eyes, pulling the memory from what seemed like a sea of them that had collected in her mind over thousands of years. Tossing one after another into it, until it seemed almost endless.
"What do you see when you look to the west, rogue?" He had asked her. She observed the encampment, mounds of twisted steel layered each other, and bright green smoke rose to the skies. Closing her eyes, the smell of the blackened soil overwhelmed her, it's scent burning her nostrils as she took it in. "I see twisted steel and smell sundered earth."
"Do you know what I see?" Her silver eyes opened, watching him speak. "A precursor to invasion." His bold statement made her curious, wondering what he had seen with his sight that she was not able to with her own. Eilya didn't know much about demon hunters, save that making pacts with darkness somehow gifted them with the convienent ability not to run into walls while blindfolded. "I'd heard the portals had been closed."
He nodded. "Aye, the master was wise in sealing the portals, but he has since lost his...how shall I put this?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "The master has lost his focus, yes focus." The two flickering gold lights that penetrated through the black cloth he wore seemed to suddenly vanish. They both stood in silence, reflecting on the weight of these words.
Apparently Illidan's sanity had not been far behind in the things he'd started to lose, though some would argue it had never been there to begin with. Eilya couldn't agree with this, not after having watched for ten thousand years as he began his descent into that terrible madness...
A pang of fear and regret shot through her as she struggled not to let her feet touch the waves of memories that lapped at the shores of her mind.
In the pit of her stomach she felt something wasn't right. Considering the fact demon hunters weren't exactly welcomed neitheir here nor in Azeroth, it was quite a brash step to make for no reason.If Altruis was here he wouldn't be looking for just anything, he would be looking for help. Help that couldn't be found by going to Telaar this time. "Mildred." The women looked up at her. "Do you know where Altruis is now?" Eilya did her best to conceal the urgency in her voice. "I believe he's at the tavern if i'm not mistaken." The women shook her blonde head, sighing. "That man shouldn't be drinking! He slept for three days straight after arriving here complaining of being ill, and woke up just yesterday strolling out of here like nothing ever happened." She clucked her tongue in dissaproval. "Of course Criinau tried to stop him, but the man is stubborn. He should be grateful that he was able to get any assistance at all with all the trouble his kind have caused us."
Eilya turned her gaze to Evencar who looked back at her with worry. "Evencar, stay here. I'll only be gone for a while." He groaned at her feebly. "Da's wha' 'ou a'ways 'ay." It was true, she often told this to the younger nightelf to get some time to herself and a drink or two, but this time was different. Mildred pushed him back down as he tried, unsuccessfully, to stand up and follow her. This didn't seem to deter the hunter, who stood up again, trying to intimidate the human he easily towered over. The women got to her feet. At average human height, Mildred barely came up to his waist. But there she was, standing toe to toe with him, unyielding to his persistence. It was an amusing sight to behold. "She said she'll be back, besides you aren't in any condition to be leaving yet. We'll be needing a healer for that nose, my bandaging can't fix a fracture." There was a note in her voice that dared him to challenge her authority. Eilya smirked as he shrunk back, beaten at his own game. He slumped on the bed, watching as she left him to the mercy of his current caretaker. She walked away breathing a sigh of relief. One less thing she had to worry about for now.
It felt like an eternity; Eilya made her way to her destination, her desire for a drink rising. If she was being as idiotic as she thought she was, the worst that could happen was another hit to her already hurting pride, but if she was right... The sinking feeling in her stomach returned as she stepped into the tavern, her eyes searching for any sign of Altruis, secretly grateful that the bar was mostly empty around noon.
It didn't take her long to spy the figure sitting in the corner, the two warglaives resting by their side helped to wipe all doubts of the persons identity from her mind. After all, how many people went around carrying those types of weapons? Weaving around the tables, she approached him with caution. Altruis sat with his head down, looking to be lost in thought, a troubled expression gracing his features. His head remained down as she took another step toward him. "Altruis." He looked up slowly. "Yes." She took a deep breath. "My name is Eilya, we've met once before." Altruis seemed unimpressed. "I have met many people. What is it you want?" He covered his mouth, coughing violently. She waited till he'd stopped, and tried to be friendly. "Do you mind if I ask what's troubling you?" Altruis responded in an irritable tone, his voice gruff. "Do you mind if I ask what exactly it is you're here for, rogue?" Eilya looked at him calmly. "So you remember who I am." He smiled bitterly at her, coughing into his hand once more. "Don't flatter yourself, all rogues smell of blood." She looked down at her right glove, coated in the dry blood of Evencar. Altruis quickly changed the subject back before she could defend herself. "Why are you here?"
She forced out the words that were caught in her throat. "Because something is wrong."
"Very wrong, rogue." Her stomach turned.