A/N: Sorry for another author's note, but I finished this part at 4am, so there may be a few spelling errors I haven't caught. It's also larger than the others, but I wouldn't expect this to be become the normal length; think of it as a special chapter length. Enjoy.
The atmosphere in the Legerdemain was solemn as news of Regnim's death spread. Degnim was by far the most affected; not even the strongest ales managed to perk him up. Valeena stood near the back of the front room, watching silently as people shuffled over to offer Degnim their sympathies. Since the amazing start, Valeena's day had grown progressively mournful; Degnim cried at every opportunity; Amisi cried because he was crying; and Valeena cried because everyone else was crying.
Laruna however, seemed largely unaffected. Despite sharing a house with Regnim and Degnim, she'd shown a small amount of sadness but nothing on the scale of even those who didn't know him intimately. This was not what worried Valeena though; what concerned her was the fact that Laruna now avoided all non-necessary interactions. If she was affected by Regnim's death, then she didn't show it whenever she made an appearance. Valeena had a moderate inclination to follow her whenever she left and see what she was doing. Nobody who shared a house with someone who was killed could take it this lightly.
Valeena's thoughts were interrupted by the smashing of glass and shouting, and she glanced upward to spy Degnim waving the broken neck of a bottle at a tall figure clad in elegant furs and a black fedora,
"You! You did this! I'll 'ave yer big purple 'ed one day; I'll 'ave it mounted on me wall after what you did you Reggie!" Degnim roared as he flung himself at the figure, which raised a hand towards Degnim and fired a gust of wind from the palm, sending the dwarf flying backwards.
"I understand how crushing the loss of your brother must be, and that you have clearly consumed a copious amount of liquor; however I wish to inform you that threatening someone such as myself with violence on false grounds is very, shall we say, unwise." The figure plucked the fedora from his head with a large purple hand, and held it against his chest. Valeena recognised him at once as the Elf from the previous night.
"I suggest that you make your sympathies known, Talandrel, or leave if you have none." Arille's stern voice cut through the tense air like a fresh blade; the Blood Elf stared at Talandrel through hard green eyes, though never stopped cleaning the pitcher he held.
Talandrel opened his mouth as if to speak, but the words must've escaped him as he promptly closed it and simply smiled, "As you wish, Arille; this is indeed your establishment." He returned his attention to Degnim who was still breathing heavily and slumped against the wall; bleeding from his lip where he'd bitten it during the flight, "I am sorry that your brother was taken from you; you obviously shared a special bond of blood and that makes this ordeal all the harder on you. Again, I am terribly sorry."
"Great; now piss off." Degnim muttered, wincing as he ran his tongue over the wound on his lip. Talandrel smirked and turned to leave, catching sight of Valeena as he did. He gave her a curt nod and a sly smile in response to her piercing eyes, replaced the fedora upon his head and strutting back into the streets of Dalaran, whipping his fur cloak around him, "Stuck-up purple bastard." Degnim spat as he shuffled to his feet.
The onlookers of the incident who were seemingly in no hurry to aid him around Talandrel now flocked over, but he pushed them aside, "Time's the best healer at the moment; pity you all didn't have it when the twat hit me." He stopped next to Valeena and gave her a searching look, "You were a great 'elp an' all, what with yer standin' there, givin' 'im the evil eye an' whatnot; really, he's probably gone ter toss 'imself offa this floating rock now you been starin' at 'im.
"I mean come on, what 'elp would another bullock buster 'ave been? No 'elp at all, obviously." He ended his tirade of sarcasm and clambered up the stairs, "I'll be sleepin' where I fall tonight, and that's gunna be your room. Maybe yer can shack up with yer girlfriend, so I don't ave' ter kip on a chair again. Bleedin' amazin', spend the night with someone else and don't even offer ol' Degnim the unused room…" His voice trailed off as he wandered along the corridor and entered Valeena's room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Valeena stood still and silent. Eyes from across the room peered quizzically at her, only to dart back to their meal or drink as soon as Valeena returned the gaze. For her, the day could not get any worse; or it couldn't until Laruna staggered into the inn, her right arm clutching her left side and her face carrying a pained expression. The extent of her injuries was not apparent until blood began to trickle between her fingers. Something attacked Valeena's heart at the sight, and her insides churned.
Darting between the tables, she picked up on the fact that nobody took any notice of the Draenei until her legs gave, and she sent a glass hurtling to the floor as she tried to grasp the bar for support. Arille was stirred by the noise, and was the only one bar Valeena who made a move. He got to Laruna before Valeena, and scrunched up the towel he had hanging by his waist; pulling Laruna's hand away from the wound and pressing the towel against it to try and stem the flow,
"We need to move her into the back; there's nothing I can do out here." Arille said to Valeena. A shrill squawk came from a bird that sat outside the door, forcing Arille to throw a small fireball at it. The bird jumped out the way and took to the sky, "Bloody birds." Arille muttered as he heaved Laruna to her feet. Valeena pulled Laruna's free arm over her shoulders and she and Arille weaved through the table and into the back of the inn.
Amisi appeared from one of the side-rooms, meeting Arille's steely gaze and nodding as she rushed out to the front room. Arille kicked open a side-door and revealed what would be his and Amisi's bedroom, "Lay her down and keep the towel firmly pressed against her wound; there's not much I can do without a proper bandage or healing spell." Before Valeena could speak, he was up and out of the room.
She returned to Laruna, who lay tense on the bed. Not once had she opened her eyes since appearing in the doorway of the inn, but her face kept the same pained look. Valeena touched the back of her hand to Laruna's forehead, recoiling from the feverish heat. Whatever had made the wound must've been a spell-bound or poisoned weapon to induce such a powerful temperature.
Arille still wasn't back and Valeena grew ever more worried. The towel steadily grew heavy and damp with blood, as if the wound refused to heal. If nothing was done soon then Laruna would bleed to death. No. Valeena couldn't face another death today, least of all Laruna's. She whimpered as more precious seconds passed. Laruna's eyelids flickered rapidly and her face scrunched; whatever was afflicting her was gaining the upper hand. Something needed to be done now, but Valeena was powerless.
Arille stormed back into the room, carrying a tray of bandages, scraps of cloth and varying poultices. Valeena shifted to give him space and gave him control of the towel. Wrenching it away from wound, he immediately replaced it with one of the cloth scraps, watching as it soaked up the blood at an alarmingly fast rate, "This is unlike any wound I've seen; it might be beyond the capability of simple first aid." Arille said as he tried a second cloth to no avail, "No, the bandages simply won't work; the best we can do here is relieve the pain with potions."
Valeena watched Arille as he sighed and opened one of the flasks of red liquid on the tray, "There's got to be something we can do; anything!" she exclaimed, but Arille shook his head.
"She is beyond physical healing; there is nothing more we can do unless a priest or druid happens to wander in; and Talandrel has a firm grip over the latter." Arille replied, "The most we can do here is offer her a painless end."
"No!" Valeena grabbed one of the bandages from Arille's tray, "She can't die! Not today!" Arille sat and poured the potion into glass, knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince Valeena otherwise. Part of her wanted him to intervene, but the rest wanted her to try.
The bandage soaked through almost the second it touched the wound, and no amount of layers could stop it. Blood mixed with Valeena's falling tears as they streamed down her cheeks and collected on her chin. She spluttered as her throat clogged and tremors ran through her grief-stricken body. As the final bandage became sodden, she screamed and threw it to the floor with a wet thump. In a last ditch attempt, she pressed her hands against the wound and tried to seal it; logic dictated that this was a vain attempt, but emotions commanded that she try.
Arille looked on as weeping Valeena buried her tear-covered face in Laruna's abdomen; the only thing stopping him from administering the potion was the blue glow that appeared above Valeena's forehead. Laruna's body relaxed and the blood flow ebbed away. The wound stitched itself back together as light coursed from Valeena's palms into Laruna.
Valeena now seemed aware of what was happening, and she had ceased crying. Instead, she now watched through reddened eyes as the last of the wound sealed. Despite the healing, Laruna didn't stir. Her muscles had relaxed, but she showed no further movement. Her chest didn't rise or fall and she remained silent. Arille bowed his head and replaced the potion inside the flask.
"It wasn't her time." Valeena muttered, "She didn't deserve this."
"We did all we could; there is no fighting fate's will." Arille replied, "Do you wish for me to leave you to say goodbye?"
She stayed silent for a minute before nodding. Arille acknowledged the nod and exited the room. Valeena stared at the body of Laruna; she couldn't believe she was gone. The pained expression had been replaced by one of peace. Leaning over, Valeena lightly kissed Laruna's forehead, noting the warmth it carried and wondering whether it was simply the body cooling. Laruna's death suddenly impacted on her body, and her eyes filled up once again. Salty tears rolled down her cheeks, collecting the remnants of the last flow.
Dripping off her face, they splashed onto Laruna's face, not even drawing a change of expression. One of the tears landed directly onto Laruna's nose, and Valeena could've sworn she saw it scrunch slightly. Another landed on her left eyelid, and again Valeena thought she saw it twitch. Something warm floated across her neck, and her heart skipped a beat. Laruna's stomach moved ever so slightly up and down, and tears of sadness in Valeena's eyes were replaced by tears of joy.
Laruna's eyes batted and weakly peeled open for just long enough to let her see Valeena smiling back at her. Laruna's mouth curled into a feeble smile. She could just about move her arms, and she guided Valeena's hand to her stomach, assuring her that she continued to breathe as she closed her eyes again. Valeena leaned in again and kissed Laruna on the lips, revelling in the delicate reciprocation she received. She broke the kiss and affectionately nuzzled Laruna's neck,
"I though I'd lost you… I'm just glad that you're back." She whispered, "I love you."