[ Photo by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash ]
Behind the cathedral, by steps that led to the quietude of the cemetery, an apartment overlooked the dark waters of Stormwind Harbor.
Where Light, Death, and the Deep met.
The heavy brass door knocker shaped in a Kraken’s form (or was it the form of something more ancient and ominous?) had long been removed. The elaborate lock had been exchanged for something simple, something more appropriate to whoever might next occupy the space. Gone as well was the vague sense of unease, of unwelcome, that often had passers-by taking their steps just the slightest bit faster. The wards upon the entry, the others that guarded the residence from scrying eyes - were no longer present.
Not to mention some of the more… questionable items… that had once been kept within.
Past the door, beyond the stairs, the apartment itself was all but bare. The wooden floors waxed, the walls devoid of even the most carefully chosen decorations. Bookshelves and wardrobes, a painting of spires that reached high above a lush forest’s boughs, even the treasured armchair embroidered in red and gold.
Only a bottle of voidblend on the counter remained, and two sisters left to regard the empty shell of two years with glasses in hand.
“Last chance, Seraa. You sure?” Annadia took a healthy swig from her wineglass. She pursed her lips after swallowing, glaring wordlessly at the dark contents.
Seraanna’s sip was more leisurely, yet no less deep. There was faint melancholy in her eyes as she looked about the empty space.
“This has been a pleasing truth of… its time, and there is no portion of the path travelled that fully carries my regret,” she mused. “The Harbor, the House, the Hall. Whether brief or long, all have… made their contribution and been embraced in turn. But their truths are not what make… this choice.”
Seraa held up her glass, considering the liquid within. Filled with the dark between the stars. “Shadow seeks all paths and embraces them as truth, Annadia. Yet it does not require that all… truths be palatable. Some truths require distance, and this I shall… take. And for all the exquisite… distractions that remain, the butterflies and serpents left behind, there are yet other paths. Shapes yet unformed, limned in the foxfire of… myriad truths.”
Annadia snorted. “Fuck ‘em. Fuck all this lot. And any still in this shithole of a city.”
“…no.” Seraanna slowly shook her head, dark tousled hair shifting with the motion. “Do not judge… their truth. It is neither yours nor… mine. But for me, I will seek elsewhere. And perhaps find,” she offered a faded smirk, taking another small sip from her glass, “a truth warmed by crimson… flame. What is Shadow without Light to cast it, sister? And a coruscating… flame casts more than a single Truth by its… dancing shape.”
“Anyone else,” the sin’dorei muttered, “I’d say something about moths. But you? She better guard that flame.”
“The foxfire thrives… amidst Shadow.” A final sip and Seraanna left her empty glass on the counter next to the half-full bottle of voidblend. “A gift, for whomsoever finds this place. It is time… we took our leave, sister.”
Annadia tossed back the last of the voidblend, grimacing at the taste as she placed her glass next to Seraa’s. “You know, back when I was ah, training, in Murder Row? There was one guy that went out on his own after he’d passed his trials. The rest of us were just, ‘You’re made - why are you leaving?’ And I still remember what he said. ‘There’s other things out there. I can always come back if I don’t like it, if it doesn’t work out. But if I don’t go? I can’t ever come back.’”
A cant to Seraanna’s head as she peered at the sin’dorei rogue. “Always my… dearest sister, feigning the shallows yet surprising in her depths.”
“Don’t tell anyone, huh?” Anna offered a crooked arm. “Come on, let’s go.”
“…yes. To other… truths.”
For many reasons, I don’t see myself returning to WoW in the near future. The direction the game has taken, the things that have come to light in regards to the company itself? I don’t want my dollars to support it and, save for some wonderful RP partners who have mostly made their parting as well, haven’t been enjoying it. And now? I don’t even feel comfortable logging into the game.
I’ve made donations to charities suggested by Blizzard employees - well in excess of what I would have spent for a year’s subscription to WoW. Just in case anyone thinks this is a stance of mere convenience.
And I may come back, should things improve. Given ABK’s leadership, I’m not optimistic. But - Shadow seeks all paths, and embraces them as truth. Stranger things have happened.
For the stories and RP we’ve had - thank you. All of you. Yes, really, all of you - even you. I’m not certain if I’ll “reboot” this tumblr for the AU of Seraanna that’s being built for FFXIV (Mateus), or if I’ll start from scratch. But I’ll let you know.
Do what you feel you need to do, but remember:
Please don’t ignore the behavior that’s been brought into the light at Blizzard just because it makes you feel uncomfortable.
Please listen to the people who have stories to tell of their experiences, and let their stories take the forefront.
And don’t attack each other because someone fails a litmus test or takes a holier-than-thou stance. There are more important things here.
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