Varia

"Easy, easy does it..." she muttered to herself as she was fidgeting with the lock. If there was one perk about having a 'young' blood elven rogue as a friend, it was learning how to pick locks. Varia was always curious, busy tinkering so picking locks was a good enough hobby as any. Small problems to solve. Something to focus on.
"Promise me-" Vareesa began.
"Not to use it all the time, I know." Varia replied.
The sindorei frowned and tapped her head slightly." No, do it all the time if you want. Just don't get CAUGHT."
Varia took that lesson to heart. Since her training, she never stole anything, or anything that would be noticed, and always had a look-out. A friend whom she dragged into her little world of crime. Both were friends from a young age. Distant fathers, both having a love for books and mischief. Warren visited the royal library a lot and was a regular in Varia' household.

"Hurry up." Warren whispered as he peeked around the corner. The brown haired youth was a year older than Varia, a bit pale and chubby.
"You see something?" Varia asked.
"No, not yet." He replied.
"Then don't rush me. Holy light, don't get your panties in a bunch." She went back to work.
"They are comfy and easy to wear, shut up." She did not see it but knew her friend was grinning at that remark.
"Ha ha."
Warren was the result of several polite indiscretions of a knight in the king' service and a priestess of Northshire. Although technically not a bastard, it was obvious this was a sham marriage since his mother remained in Northshire as his father did most of the raising. A father who was not impressed his son was the bookish, talkative, weak spined sort. Still that made him a excellent look-out who could easily distract any on-lookers as Varia made her getaway.

"You think your mother is going to make those apple-pancakes again?" Warren asked." They were really good last time."
Varia frowned at the lock." Maybe…mum likes it when you come over for dinner. With you being her number one fan and all." One small turn…and click." Got it."
"Coast is still clear." Warren said." Go in, I'll give the signal if I hear or see anything."
Varia folded her gear up and placed it in her belt before she opened the door with her gloved hand. "Thanks, Warry." She said and went inside the room.

The room was full of decadent art. Half naked marble statues of muscular men, portraits of the Duke of Alterac and his family, a king sized bed and a lot of heavy literature. The book shelf was full of novels about young kings and drama's about the duality of man. Varia rolled her eyes, this all reeked to much of a boy who wants to impress his father. She made her way to Alexander Grimshore's desk and began rooting through it. There were some letters and other rubbish but notihng usefull. She went trough the drawers, pulling out each and investigating them. She had almost given up when she came across a locked drawer. She gave a small smile and grabbed her gear. There was a smaller lock which she immediately managed to open. Inside was a small ledger, the sort she was looking for. She scanned it quickly before she took out a pieces of paper from her gear, placed it on the ledger's pages and began copying them by rubbing charcoal over it.
"Caught you red handed, you ponce…" she said to herself.

There was a knock on the door, two strikes and then a scurrying of feet. Someone was coming!
She put the ledger back in its place and closed the drawer before she ran to the balcony. She quickly glanced left and right, trying to find a way down. There was a lower rooftop which led to the others if one could jump and run. Thankfully she could.
She lowered herself from the balcony before she let go, feeling the paved tiles on her feet as it let it a rather loud cracking sound.
"Damnit!" she cursed, Valeera would've smacked her for that. She got her mind back to the present time to reprimand herself later. Varia turned and leaped to the other rooftop and made haste.
She ran as fast as she could, not looking back once.
"You will lose speed if you look back, don't ever lose speed. Speed is the only thing separating a successful heist and a investigation at your doorstep." Valeera would say.
Despite the sense of danger, she was loving this. The adrenaline heightened everything. The air tasted better, the scent of bread from the bakery across the street smelled divine, the screeching of the gryphon riders far above her sounded so distant and yet so close. She held her hand on the prize on her belt, proud if what she did. She felt great, she felt alive!

She slid down from the rooftops after a few blocks, close to Old Town, and quietly made her way back to the palace. Towards the drawbridge she saw Warren waiting outside along with one of the servant girls, chatting until they saw Varia appear. The servant girl, a short dirty blonde haired girl with blue streaks, smiled at Varia." Varia, about time you showed up girl! Tells you something if tub of lard can get here faster than you can. Magic or no." She motioned to Warren. The boy looked a bit sad at that statement. As he looked down Varia frowned at the servant girl and motioned to Warren with her head.

The girl sighed." …Despite the fact he lost a bit of weight."
Warren smiled." You noticed, Cass?"
Cassandra nodded, rolling her eyes at Varia, as she folded her arms." Sure, whatever. How did it go?!"
Varia smirked and held out her prize." I got it."
"Wow!" Cassandra exclaimed and took the papers." You did it! You really did it!"
"Was there any doubt?" Varia placed her hands on her hips.
"Well, ever since you were caught with silver ware right out in the open a few weeks back…" Warren rubbed his chin in thought.
"Warren. The hand that feeds you, you're biting it. Hard."
"Right, sorry…" he chuckled nervously.
Varia rolled her eyes before she turned to Cass." You're Intel helped us a lot, Cass."
"Oh well, you know…Alterci love the sound of their own voice. Especially when you've poured cheap wine through their gullet, added some nod and wink and you got them eating from the palm of your hand." The blue streaked girl flicked her hair.

"Careful, your modesty is showing." Warren said before he turned to Varia."They didn't suspect a thing. Wrong turn outside the door. Yay magic."
"Yay magic." Varia agreed." I'll go see my boss."
Cass raised her brow. "You have a boss?"
"There is always a bigger fish." Warren nodded sagely." Oh, could we ask your mother to cook some fish tonight?"
"Oh, would Amellia mind me coming over? Ma's working overtime again and my shift ended ten minutes ago."
"Sure and sure. I'll see you two later." She bid them goodbye, took the papers back and ran inside the palace.

Security tripled ever since the night of the green stars. The demons were far away from Stormwind but the nobility needed their assurances. Royal guard was everywhere as Dalaran magi were on every floor to scry for warlock magic. Most knew Varia so they either ignored her or gave her a small nod, the daughter of the librarian was of little consequence to them. Except of course to the librarian.
"Varia Anais Bloomsworth!"

Varia stopped cold as the sound of her mother's call echoed through the corridor. She winced as she turned around and saw the blazing fury of her mother. She stormed over, her glasses over her head as her dress flowed behind her. She stopped a few inches away from her daughter, frowning with disappointment.
"Hey mum…" Varia said.
"Where were you? I expected you to help me in the library two hours ago!"
The young girl bite her lip, damnit she forgot all about that.
"I…forgot." She didn't lie that." I had to help Warren with something." She did lie about that.
"Don't you drag that poor boy into this! You could learn a thing or two from him."
Varia scoffed." Like what? Where to catalogue dwarven religious hymns in the children' section?"
She got a small tap on the head from her mother for that." None of that sarcasm, I'm the one angry at you and not the other way around."
"Yes, mum. Sorry mum…" she groaned annoyed. Some footmen were chuckling but one glare from Amellia shut them up soon enough. Varia could not help but smile a little before those deadly eyes came back to focus on her.
"Warren knows something about responsibility, about being reliable. You never do your chores and always break the rules." She did her signature shaking her head and sighing." Your father would've been very disappointed in you."

"Well, maybe." Varia looked away." Maybe that's why he went off on that expedition, to not see his daughter be a failure."
It was a gambit, but she had to play it. Her boss was waiting. Either it was going to be a slap or a hug. She was very grateful when she felt that hug. Varia sighed sadly and held her mother." Sorry mum…I didn't mean it."
"I know, dear." Amellia kissed her daughter's forehead." Look…what happened to your father…one day, we will talk about what happened to him. But he would always be proud of you." She said with a soft smile.
"Always?"
"Yeah." Amellia nodded and let go.

"Mum, I'm sorry if I'm…difficult sometimes." Amellia smirked at that." Most of the time then. But look I promise I'll try harder from now on."
"Good, some books need clearing tomorrow. First thing in the morning, your…'lessons' with Valeera Sanguiar be damned."
Varia gasped." Mum, you swore!"
"Oh shut up." Amellia replied." You should've seen me back when I was Milton Sheaf's assistant. The man mixed up Milan of the Elven House of Scribes with Thrall. Honestly how can one mix up Annals of the Alliance with Rise of the Horde, I mean honestly?"
"Yeah, mum. Sure. Say Warren and Cassandra are coming over for dinner do you mind?"
"Oh, no I suppose no-"

"Thanks, mum!" Varia kissed her mother's cheek and ran off." I'll be there to make it! Warren wants fish!"
"Varia!" her mother cried out but it was drowned soon enough as Varia crossed a few corners. She was late, her boss was waiting.
There were several secret tunnels in the palace Valeera told her about. Tunnels the Defias brotherhood had built so the massacre that happened in the First War would not wipe out the ruling classes. Most of the tunnels were deadends however and with Vancleef and mostly everyone involved in the creation dead, only a handful knew which tunnels could be used.
Varia knew of at least two tunnels she could use, one which would lead outside the palace into Elwynn Forest and the other to a secret room where her boss was waiting.

She pushed away cobwebs and coughed from the dust but eventually she got to the secret room. There her boss was already waiting, the blonde hair being in sharp contrast to the dreary room.
"Do you have it?" her boss asked.
Varia nodded and handed the papers." I sketched them as fast as I could. My agents assured me Lord Alexander doesn't know what happened."
Her boss nodded and read the pages as she continued.
"It's all in there. The plans to get Gilneas into the Northern Kingdoms, this anonymous Horde leader getting backing from Darnassus, Aerie Peak serving two masters…"
Her boss sighed." Falstad's treachery is what hurts me the most…even now with the Legion coming for us"
"I'm sorry to hear that…" she folded her arms." What are you going to do?"
"I will do what I should've done long ago. Matthias was right, the time to be a good king is over. If I want to lead this Alliance I will have to force their leaders to do as I say. Blackmail, extortion, marriage…whatever it takes."
Varia raised her brow." Doesn't sound like what a priest would say, big brother."

Her boss smiled sadly." You are right, Varia. But a priest wouldn't have to do the things I have to. A priest is entrusted with secrets in confession because he is not allowed to abuse that power. If I want to win this war against the Legion, I will have to abuse that power. Be the monster Benedictus was."
"You're not a monster, Anduin…you never were."
"I am, little sister. I have to keep our blood relation a secret despite the fact that I use you like a pawn." She didn't mind helping her brother, especially since only he and Valeera knew of her and not Mathias Shaw. Who knew how deep SI7 was infiltrated by Calia Menethil's goons? She told him several times she helped because she wanted to. The thrill of the heist, the beating heart in her chest during a chase is what she lived for. Anduin continued. "I have to keep my love for Valeera a secret because I will have to marry someone else to keep the kingdom and the Alliance stable, I will now have to force people in doing things they don't want to by subterfuge and mind control. All in the name of the greater good." He rolled up the papers." Not even Velen would forgive me…"

Varia held her brother' shoulder. " He might not, but father would. I'm sure of it."
Anduin smiled at his little sister and held her." Father would've loved you so much, Varia." He looked her in the eye." When this is over, I will announce to all of Azeroth that you are my sister. Until then…"
"We keep everyone in the dark…including mum." She nodded.
"For her own safety and ours." Anduin agreed. He held his sister for one more moment before he let her go." I best let you go now, it's almost dinner time."
"Yeah, need to help mum with the library tomorrow. Can you ask Valeera to hold off on the extra training?"
"I'll convince her. I have my ways." The king of Stormwind replied with a smirk.
"Eww, don't want to know." Varia chuckled and ran off.
As Varia returned to her mother and her friends, she felt happy. She was helping her brother securing the kingdom, using her skills and getting better each time and she had people who cared for her. She was not the praying sort but that night she prayed to the Light that her life would remain like this, just for a little longer.

Little did she know the dice was already thrown.