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Post by Sunshine on Jul 19, 2008 9:02:19 GMT -5
((Stories about my draenei girls, updated on a basis of As I Feel Like It. To be told mostly from Mijha's perspective. For best effect, imagine her as voiced by Liz Sroka, the actress who played Tali in Mass Effect.))
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Post by Sunshine on Jul 19, 2008 9:07:44 GMT -5
The sky had burned blood red with an early sunset. She remembered that most clearly out of any of it.
The sky had burned, the crystal engine screamed and glittered as it shattered, scattered, rained, and the world as she knew it changed.
Literally.
-- "Daughters!"
"Mother? Mother, what's happening?!"
"I'm not sure. They're saying something has gone wrong with the engines. Quickly, this way!"
"Where are we going?"
"A Vindicator told me there are escape capsules. Stay close to me!"
"Where's Father?!" --
-- "Stay together, both of you, hold on tight, the capsule will bring you safely to the ground. Lijha! I said stay there!"
"Mother, why aren't you coming with us? Where are you going?"
"To find your father! Someone said they last saw him in the core with the other technicians. No, I said STAY! We'll be in the very next capsule down; we'll find you on the ground, I promise. You have to go now!"
"Mother—!"
"Take care of your sister, Mijha! I love you both! Now go!"
"Mother!!" --
-- A glittering red rain, a burning, smoke-filled sky, and a long, slow fall through flames...
"Lijha? Lijha, where are you?"
"Here, Sister. I hurt..."
"I think you've broken your leg."
"But there's blood..."
"The bone has punctured your skin, that's all. Hush, now. I'll carry you— we have to find help. I think I saw others over that ridge." --
-- "Mijha? Oh, thank the Light! Your sister, what has happened to her?"
"She's been badly hurt, Anchorite. At least her leg is broken, probably more than that. Please, will you help her? It's too bad for me to heal on my own."
"I will get to her as soon as I can, Mijha. Set her down there, with the others. Where are your parents?" --
-- "Sister..?"
"I'm here, Lijha. Anchorite Zalduun is going to take care of you. You'll be alright."
"Where are you going?"
"He asked me to help look for other survivors. I'll be back soon." --
-- Wreckage, a crater, rising smoke. A broken body lying in an ominous red glow; one of many.
"Light, another one. Please, please be alive..."
Shallow breaths and pained moans. Frantic healing. A face burned too badly to recognize; opening eyes.
"Daughter..?"
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Post by Sunshine on Jul 19, 2008 9:20:12 GMT -5
Mijha's plate dripped with gravy. The carrots were so well cooked they could be cut through with a spoon; the potatoes had herbs in them. The onions had made the chef cry as he chopped them— not because they were onions, but because he knew deep in his heart– just as all artists know, when they create their greatest masterpieces– that he would never, ever prepare a meal as good ever again. As for the roast itself, in cow heaven it mooed with joy that it, humble Bessy from Elwynn, had been chosen to be transformed into something so succulent.
Mijha's waiter suppressed himself from drooling as he brought her the plate and set it on her table. The smell of it hit her like a twenty kiloton bomb.
She looked up at her waiter.
"...Excusink?"
"Yes, miss?" The young waiter blushed, then smiled shyly. He was unaccustomed to speaking with beautiful young women, especially ones with hooves, horns, and wiggly face tentacles.
"Vhat is beink brown stuff on plate, please? Zis stuff here." She pointed a fork at her plate and gave the waiter a baffled smile.
"That's the roast, miss."
"...Zis is beink roast? Roast is meat?"
The waiter nodded dumbly. Suddenly, he felt out of his depth.
"Oh," said Mijha, her smile faltering tragically. "Um." She rallied. "Vhat about sauce on vegetables, is beink made of...?"
"That's the gravy, miss. Er. I'd have to ask the cook. I think a lot of it is the drippings from the roast?"
Mijha's face tendrils gave a discontented wriggle. "So... is also meat?"
"I think so, miss." The waiter pointed a thumb over his shoulder, towards the kitchen. He gave her a hopeful smile. "Want me to go ask?"
"...No, sat is beink okays. Sankinks."
"Er. Right. Enjoy your meal, miss..."
He tried smiling again. She ignored him; he left. She stared sadly at her plate.
It stared back. A spectral moo sounded down from the heavens. She sniffed at it, face tendrils curling.
"Eeugh."
She pushed the plate away in revulsion, then reached down to where her backpack was resting on the floor, doing her best to ignore the twists of hunger in her stomachs, and lifted, then set it down heavily onto the table, wincing as gravy stains soaked the fabric. She sighed, unbuttoned the top, and withdrew a crinkled length of paper and several pencils.
Five and a half broken pencils later, she got one working.
Dearest Sister:
I am writing to you now from a tavern called The Blue Recluse, and have safely arrived in Stormwind City, as planned. If you received my last data crystal from the place called Booty Bay– which you probably didn't; I disliked the look of the mail carrier who took it from me– you will know that this occurs after an exhausting journey by boat from the port town of Ratchet, which is where I sent the crystal before that from.
You know that I love water, Sister, but there is definitely such a concept as "too much of a good thing." At one point a pack of horrible fish creatures called dolphins surfaced next to the boat. I was so frightened it was necessary for me to hide below deck, and the goblin crewmembers all laughed at me.
As awful as it was to travel by boat, I think I much prefer it to the trip I had to take to get from Booty Bay to Stormwind. I was intimidated by gryphons– "gryphon" is what the bizarre bird creatures the humans use to fly are called– and unable to find any elekks to rent, so was forced to travel by foot. Stranglethorn Vale, in which Booty Bay is located, is hot, dense, and full of things which attempted to eat me— both insects and larger, fiercer creatures. That I am able to run swiftly is most fortunate.
Also during that part of my journey, my tools for the inscription of data crystals were stolen while I stayed at an inn one night. This is why I am writing on this tree bark material; the human who sold it to me said it is called "paper", and claims it is what humans always use! The tool I am marking my paper with is known as a "pencil", but I think it is very poorly designed. Only one in six seems to be effective.
Common is as strange a language as I first thought. Nevertheless, I am glad to have left Common for Lackwits home with you. What Common I learned before leaving has proven more than sufficient so far, although I think perhaps my accent is confusing to people. Also, the book is helping you to learn Common, which is good. Best of all, I don't have to carry it around in my luggage. I think perhaps the book is so heavy because Common is such a dense language.
Humans have horrible food. I ordered a thing called a "roast," thinking it was some kind of vegetable— it sounds like a vegetable, doesn't it? It does. I thought I would be getting a salad or something, but it turned out a "roast" is a gigantic, awful slab of greasy brown meat. MEAT. Even the vegetables were covered in meat! I nearly vomited. The waiter who brought it to me kept grimacing, too, whenever he looked at me; he must have thought poorly of me for ordering such a thing. I am clearly going to have to be very careful about food while I'm here— it's that or starve!
Speaking of which, I suspect I am going to have to find some sort of work soon. The goblin captain refused to take sandstone as payment for my passage aboard his ship– he called it worthless rocks! Sandstone, worthless rocks!– but fortunately seemed very happy to accept one of the diamond earrings I made for myself on Draenor when we were girls, which I was wearing at the time. He seemed shocked when I offered him both of them! I feel bad for him; he must not make a very good profit, allowing his passengers to travel so cheaply. That aside, however, the humans have been no more willing to let me pay them with sandstone than the goblins were, and I have only a few diamonds left. Barely twenty. I have some rubies, sapphires, and several other worthless gems– I brought my rock collection with me, if you recall– but I will be surprised if the humans want any of them. Please do not read this part to mother; I do not want her to worry about me.
I very little else to report. I still wait for another vision, still for whispers from the spirits; Moth still refuses to speak to me. In the meantime, I am staying at an inn called The Gilded Rose. I do not understand why anyone would use such a valuable data-conducting metal on a simple flower, but it is a nice place, nevertheless.
I anxiously await your return letter; I shall be sure to give this one to a more trustworthy courier. How is mother doing? Has she improved at all? How are you doing, and how are your studies?
I miss you both terribly. I want to be home, but must do my best to remain patient. The spirits will reward me in time.
Much love, -Mijha
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