Time Lost Begets Time Anew
It'd been not even a week since Escher had opened his eyes from his eight year coma.
He had woken in his home of old atop the mountains of Pandaria - a location known only to a select few whom he trusted completely aside from his family. All he could remember was being in Argus assisting with the assault against the Legion before everything went black. He knew not why he had awoken, nor even how he had gotten back here, but it didn't matter. He was alone; the halls were quiet against his footfalls. There were no greetings; there was no laughter; there was nothing. He was alone. He took his time of late in Silvermoon, gathering his bearings of the world seemingly anew in his absence. There were several of those who helped him back on his feet, offering both friendly word and medic work. Day in, day out, he situated himself on his perch of old in Murder Row - his home away from home. At best, someone would recognize him or he would recognize someone else. But, no one came. The meandering of those he couldn't be bothered with couldn't sate his appetite for normalcy. Perhaps he was selfish. No matter what, however.. he was alone. Until she came. Acalinia Embershade.
However cruel fate seemed to be up until this point, it appeared that it was not done torturing the elder. Last he remembered of her, he took something from her that didn't belong to him. Despite it feeling like the right thing, he couldn't help but question if her disappearance shortly after meant that he made a mistake. He didn't care. He was used to making mistakes. Even though he had planned on opening himself up to her, maybe it was a sign to him that it wasn't his time. Even then, that carried onto his future marriage and every misgiving he had of committing himself to a woman that gave him two children and it never waned. Everything reminded him of that moment. Even when his wife had offered to rid him of the scars, he refused her as violently as it took for her to understand. Why? Why did he care so much? He found himself asking these questions again even after the night they ran into each other at the bar. Even though she seemed as feisty as before, he wondered. Even though she assaulted him for reasons he probably deserved, he wondered. Where had she been this whole time? Was she okay? Sure, the way he spoke to her made him seem entirely indifferent to her entirely, but it could be that he was merely angry. Angry with himself. Angry with her. Did she deserve it? He felt so. Still. It was nice to see her. Then the next night. Like clockwork. Things seemed to fall into relative normalcy for him, even it for a moment. An idea given to him to get his boots back on the ground and get back into work. Dragging her along like he had any right to. He'd start up a company. Emberstrider LLC. She'd sort herself right into being his secretary by her own admission of needing to write everything down. He did, after all, like to reward those with good ideas. A couple days gone by. He'd gotten some new partners into the company. It was even when he was gaining the trust of another potential employee that she would show up. Banter. They three shared innocent bantering before bringing in yet another body. But she had to question him once more. Like every other night they took the time of one another, she had to know why he took her scars; unlike every other night before, he finally relented.
To where it all began. She'd follow him, not so far above the ruined city of old Lordaeron into the tower that they had once absconded to in the past. It was here that he laid everything bare. His reasons for stealing from her what he never earned. Yet, despite the conversation, it was not everything despite her not pressing him. She wanted to be beautiful again. He wanted that for her. She wanted to be wanted again. He wanted that for her. She wanted to be someone who someone could be proud to look at. He wanted that for her. He wanted her. Whatever her allure, it called to him like a siren to the unawares. Then and now. No matter what kind of monster she saw in herself, he saw a person struggling like he was. He was fully aware, despite how things went last time, to take her burdens unto himself. Despite her refusal, he vowed to not be denied. Still, their eyes locking into one another made her hard to refuse, and he wasn't of a mind to fight. He just wanted peace. They had bickered too many nights in a row. It was enough. It had to be enough. To deny himself any more selfish had to be enough. They were but a breath's kiss away from one another, and with every fiver of his being, he couldn't take too much.
Tonight was enough, at least. She rested her head on his shoulder; his arm finding its home around her waist. After all, whatever happenings Silvermoon would find itself in, two age-old relics surely wouldn't be missed. They deserved their peace, too, and for now he'd let her have hers.
