#callia

[sweetpyxels]

Callia Maybey

[xylaes]

February Day 1 - Love

This is sort of a continuation of Xylaes’s storyline in Maldraxxus searching for his late wife, Callia. You can find those stories --> Here!

@daily-writing-challenge

She could be so soft, so peaceful at times. Those moments were few and far between, but it was within them that he had accidentally fallen in love with her. After having spent almost his entire life constantly giving himself to the Silvermoon Military, what would it hurt if he took a little something just for himself? Just a few moments of serenity to forget about his purpose, and the fact that he would eventually have to betray them all and leave. 

She was never his target; it was little lies like these that he told himself to make himself believe that what he was doing was okay. Somewhere in the back of his mind he always knew that it would end poorly. Of course it would! He was an enemy in enemy lands, working in deep cover for his homeland to further their own cause. He lied to and manipulated them all as he had been taught to do, and he was damn good at it. 

Callia, however, he never saw coming. She was bold and brash, always took what she wanted, and was the one to make the first move on him. It aided him well in his endeavor since she was one of the Sentinels that helped to guard his actual target. A target that had defected, who had way too much information to give and needed to be disposed of. There were other reasons for his current assignment, but the one in particular  was of utmost importance to the higher-ups, and eventually the reason he had been labeled a traitor.

He eagerly fell into bed with Callia, and unwittingly fell in love with her. That was the beginning of the end for the both of them. Not that his being alive and her being dead because of him could compare, but there were plenty of times that he wished he had suffered that same fate. The treason of his own fellow soldiers, the murder of Callia, the ten years of prison, the inability to even see his son, and now the general hatred from the military because he was allowed back in society when a sentence like that should have earned him an execution: It was a lot to deal with. He deserved it, he decided, for what he had done to her. He wasn’t a good man, even if he had managed to find, and dispose of, traitors within their own ranks. He would be their scapegoat, that would be his fitting punishment.

Finding Callia within Maldraxxus had been a shock to them both, and she reacted with anger as he expected. All the horrors that had happened to him within the House of Constructs was another rightful punishment for what he had done to her, even if that’s never what she had intended for him. 

After over a decade of having this constant pit of anger and sorrow in his stomach and a massive void in his chest, being able to see her and talk with her had been freeing in ways he could never have imagined before. He had meant to visit her only once more after fulfilling her request of gifting a photograph of himself with their son, but it was so easy to go visit her anytime he wanted. She was a portal and a flight away, and knowing that at any moment that could be taken from him, he visited often. It wasn’t healthy for either of them, and they both admitted as much, but she never told him to stop and he never told anyone back on Azeroth where he was going. They would try to talk him out of it, convince him that he was only hurting himself in the end. He already knew this, he didn’t need to hear it too.

Fingers brush silver hair from her face as she lay against his chest with eyes shut. She smiles, but doesn't dare move from the comfort of his embrace. This was one of those soft and peaceful moments and he could immediately feel the swell of emotion, no longer the void, within his chest. “I wish you could see our boy, I can’t believe how tall he is already.”

Callia traces her fingers against his chest, eyes fluttering open to tilt her face to him, “I do too, I miss him every moment of every day. But you cannot bring Garren to the Shadowlands, I won’t allow it. It’s too much.”

“I don’t think his guardians would allow that either, they barely allow him to visit me when I’m IN Moonglade.”

“I hate that. I wish I could talk to them for you. He’s your son, you have every right to see him.”

“I understand why they’re hesitant. They’re just trying to protect him.” Callia exhales an annoyed sigh before sitting up and hiding her frustration by tending to the nearby fire, going quiet. Xylaes could see how much she wanted to see her son, the pictures and stories were nice, but she had so little time with Garren before she was killed. “...Do you thi-” He cut himself off from finishing that thought. It was a topic that had been swirling around within his mind for months now and he was uncertain how she would react. Fuck it. “Do you think that there’s a way to bring you back to Azeroth?”

She looks over her shoulder with an incredulous expression, “Don’t be foolish, the dead cannot leave the Shadowlands.”

“Well. Why not? Do you know anyone that’s tried?”

“Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t be…” She gestures to herself, suggesting the physical form she possesses here in Maldraxxus. “This body does not exist anymore there on Azeroth.”

“There are objects where one can store souls, what if…” What if, what? What if they took her soul out of the Shadowlands and shoved her into some unsuspecting vessel? What if they did that and couldn’t get the soul out of that body? What if even attempting that would force her soul into The Maw? There were too many what if’s in this scenario. “I don’t know. Just a thought.” He shakes his head and sits up, scooting himself in behind her to warm himself by the fire. Strong arms wrap around her muscular frame as he presses a kiss to her cheek.

“What would Lady Tel’vaeil think?” She smirks to herself. Ironically enough, Fiorenze was the one who helped Xylaes find his late wife. The two women were exact opposites and didn’t get along the best, but Callia respected her and everything she had done for Xylaes.

What would Fiorenze think? The two had been growing closer again and he did have feelings for her. Here he was yet again, leading two very different lives. It was difficult to escape old habits. What a mess. “It doesn’t matter, I don’t even think it’s possible.”

“It’s a nice thought though, isn’t it?” It wasn’t that Callia disliked her placement within the Shadowlands. Maldraxxus was perfect for her in some ways, but there were many comforts she missed. Her life led her to this very place; this is what she deserved, but she was also aware that she didn’t deserve to die when and how she did. “Being able to talk to him face to face, to hug him and hold him in my arms…”

The want and the pain in her voice was more than enough to plant that seed in Xylaes’s mind. There had to be a way to get her out of the Shadowlands, at least for a little while. Maybe for good.

@fio-renze  @theconstructsworld​

[saltsparkle]

Some art of Callia, Xylaes and Fiorenze that sprung up out of the big storyline we all worked on through the first year of the Shadowlands expansion!

Thanks to @turning-through-the-never & @theconstructsworld for being great RP partners <3

[fio-renze]

Part 9

Prologue —> Here Part 1 –-> Here Part 2 —> Here Part 3 —> Here Part 4 —> Here Part 5 —> Here (@fio-renze and @theconstructsworld’s writing) Part 6 —> Here Part 7 —> Here Part 8 —> Here

Callia paced around the 'living room' area of Fiorenze’s magical townhouse, it was difficult to tell what time it was given Maldraxxus never really had any sort of night nor day; just dark and dreary and then darker and more dreary. Since all the mortals seemed to be asleep, it was safe to assume it was some time in the middle of their night. The battles around them raged on as they did constantly 24/7, but at least in here it was quiet.

In lieu of her typical armor, she donned a simple, semi-sheer white nightgown and wore her long hair down. It was rare that she ever let herself look so soft, but her fellow combatants wouldn't see her here.

Eventually, Callia made her way upstairs, surpassing Xylaes's quarters until she stopped in front of what she knew to be Fio's. The wondrous thing about the enchanted townhouse was the ability to customize. Different rooms and floors could take on whatever detail Fiorenze pleased -- her space was hard to miss as a result. Most of the place was more rustic and spartan, fitting in with Xylaes' comfort and taste, but the closer and closer one got to Fio's own space on the top floor saw grandeur seeping in until it was a decent facsimile of her personal rooms at Meadowrun -- all gilded wall moldings, ornate doors, brocade and velvet.

In her hand she clutched a lumpy envelope, hoping that she wouldn't wake the woman from too deep of a slumber, but this was something that needed to be done. She raised her fist and gave a brief knock on the door.

Luckily, Fiorenze hadn't been asleep just yet; travelling to Oribos, Ardenweald, and occasionally back to Azeroth at times had utterly thrashed any kind of normal rhythm to the days. The knock on the door gave the noblewoman pause. Xylaes didn't come this far if he could avoid it. Steven stuck to the first floor to keep watch on the main door. That left Callia, though it was unusual for her to come looking, too. What odd housemates they all were, living in here together for as long as they had now.

She set her pen back into the holder on her writing desk and tucked her journal away into one of the drawers before gathering her glossy, green silk robes a little tighter around herself and her matching, embroidered négligée as she stood.

Fiorenze flicked her hand and increased the brightness of the arcane sconces a little as she quietly walked to the door, opening it just enough to peer through the crack before widening the gap a bit more formally and stepped just aside to allow Callia to pass through into her room if she chose, "I wasn't expecting any visitors or I would have put some tea on. Would you like to come in?"

Callia nodded in greeting, her expression a little softer than usual. Even if there had been tea, probably would have declined anyways, food and drink seemed to be only a mere novelty in the afterlife. Stepping inside, her eyes darted around the room, having never been accustomed to this much luxury in her actual life. The thought made her smirk slightly, "Hard to picture Arr— Xylaes in this sort of luxury." Her fingertips glided over top of the covers on the bed, "Does he enjoy it now?"

She smoothed her hand over her own simple gown, noting the stark contrast between the both of them. After a moment she stopped and turned to face the other woman, enveloped still clutched in both hands. Whatever she had to say, she was clearly uncertain or uncomfortable about doing so in the way she would almost start to speak and then stop herself. Eventually she did manage something, but not what she originally intended — not yet. That was something that needed to be worked up to. "How is he? I don't mean now, I mean..in general, before all of this. How is he?"

Fiorenze hesitated a moment before answering Callia’s first question, "Ah, well, no. He does not enjoy luxury; I'm not sure he ever will, to be honest," she smiled wryly as she closed the door softly. Something to that effect had come up in their last fight before the world made that entire tiff wholly irrelevant. "It can be hard to adapt to, and he is ... very stubborn. It's rare that he agrees to be in it."

She made her way back over to where she had been before letting the other woman in and leaned back against the writing desk, resting her palms on the edge of the cool wood. She watched Callia casually and mentally stuck a few notes on some of the differences between this late night version of the woman and her usual presentation.

Fiorenze wet her lips with her tongue briefly, trying to decide how to answer the second question, "He doesn't like when I talk about him. I ... don't know what he's told you, either. He's— " was there really any better way to put what she wanted to say? Probably not, "Complicated. Prefers his privacy, doesn't really trust anyone. Not that I can blame him, with everything that he lost and the way that our government treated him over it. He hasn't had much time at all to heal from any of it, and I don't think he's let himself even think about starting that process or what it would even look like."

"Some things never change," Callia remarked, commenting on the 'stubborn' observation, she smiled fondly to herself. "He's always preferred keeping a low profile."

"He's told me everything that has happened since..." She waved off the following comment, letting Fio fill in the blanks on that one. "He's not going to mind you talking to me about him. It's difficult for me to see how he is dealing with everything given his current condition." She turned her gaze towards some more of the ornate decor, "And I need to make sure that he is going to be okay. As angry as I have been with him, I need to know that he is going to be there for our son."

Callia didn't let on as to whether or not she knew if Fio knew all this information, but there was no point in holding back now. Callia couldn't do anything, she was stuck here. "I need to know that Garren is going to be okay, and live the life that he deserves." She swallowed, "Xylaes too. He's suffered enough. He doesn't need to keep blaming himself for what happened to me."

She pressed the envelope against her chest and sighed, "I need you to take him back to Azeroth, he can't stay here any longer. It's not helping anyone. I'm grateful to have had the time I did with him, but this is not where he belongs."

That was all quite a bit to take in. Fiorenze furrowed her brow briefly before the expression smoothed over, "His need for privacy might be worse now, I'm not sure. A reaction to the time he served to try and get some control back..." She pressed her lips together before folding her arms across her chest, what Callia was saying really was a little unexpected.

After a moment her own expression softened a little, "I'll do what I can, if he lets me. He's traditionally spurned my attempts to help -- the stubbornness, you know. There are things that I want to do for him, that I've wanted to do for a long time. Some that I may just have to do now, considering he's not supposed to be able to use magic and I do worry what the law back home may do if they find out. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now, how to work around that. You're absolutely right, he's suffered enough. Too much, even, I think."

"Xylaes will make sure that your son is okay. He's very passionate about how he thinks his children should be raised; I didn't know at the time that we were having that conversation that the experience had been robbed from him, but if there's any power that I have to help him find Garren or be part of his life in a significant way I'll use it," she offered a sad smile over to Callia. It had been decades since she'd lost her own infant son, but it still hurt. "I can take him back with me. Demand it, even, I'm a good villain at times. He doesn't want to leave you."

"He hasn't said it aloud, but I think he wants to keep the arm. His magic was such a big part of who he was, and what he did. Having some of that back will help, in the long run. And a good way to honor the one who had given his life for that." Maybe others may not have seen it that way, but in Maldraxxus, donning another's extremity seemed to be a badge of honor in some circles. A single silver brow raised, "I was not aware you were having a conversation about children with my husband." Things he may have failed to mention, probably for obvious reasons. She didn't seem upset by it at least.

Callia tucked her wavy hair behind her ears and smiled, "I don't want him to leave either, and that is why he needs to go. Garren needs him more than I do. Anyways, I doubt the doorway to this world will remain open once everything is said and done and he doesn't belong here. At least not yet."

She stepped forward and reached into the envelope to pull out a letter, extending it to Fio. "I need you to get this to Garren for me. Xylaes has enough on his plate and our son needs to read this before he tries to go and see him again. It may be better received coming from someone else. Garren Norassin, in Moonglade. Staying with family friends, in the refugee camps, or whatever they have set up there now for those who made it out of Teldrassil." She frowned, hearing about Teldrassil and the death of her parents had not been easy, especially now — knowing that they could still be trapped in the Maw. She was thankful that Xylaes had at least made sure that Garren was still alive. "He'll be about...14 or so now." Had it really been that long? It was hard to keep track of time in the Shadowlands.

Fiorenze took the letter from Callia carefully, "At the time I was concerned about having an heir, not that it particularly matters. He made it extremely clear that he wasn't at all interested, so that's certainly not something I think you'll ever need to worry about." Which really did make much more sense now, considering Garren in the full equation. Her lips pursed for a moment as she considered The Arm issue; She had some thoughts and percolating academic theories about that too, but that was more of a conversation best saved between her, Xylaes, and perhaps Pollux too.

"I will see that the letter is delivered, personally. The times back on Azeroth are ... difficult, it can be hard to know who can be trusted on either side of the world and I am an adept scryer, with the right reagents I should be able to find Garren easily." She'd found Callia. She'd found Xylaes. How hard could a 14 year old that was connected to them both be to locate? "Would you like me to bring anything back? A picture? Knowledge of how his life has been?"

"Are you no longer concerned about having an heir?" Xylaes and a Noble, what a wild thought that was to Callia, "It's not something I need to worry about in general. I'm dead. I want him to move on and be happy, I think having another child he could actually help raise with a woman he loves would do him a lot of good." Her eyes drifted around the fancy room once more, "Although I dare say that the both of you may have very opposite ideas on how to raise a child. I could be wrong."

Her fingers drummed against the larger envelope still in hand, "I would like a photograph of them together, I've already told Xylaes. I don't know if it will be possible in time, but that's what I would like." Another reason to motivate him to go back to Azeroth as well, he wasn't about to turn down any requests she made of him.

She reached into that envelope to pull out...what kind of looked like some sort of small weapon? Upon further inspection it was obviously a long, thin piece of bone; somewhat sharpened on one end, and the other end appeared to have a carving of an orchid bloom. She held it out to Fio, "A gift. For your hair, but also makes for a good, surprise weapon." Because of course Maldraxxians gave weapons as gifts. "Thank you for all you have done for Arrus. ...Xylaes. I am happy to see that someone loves and cares for him."

Fiorenze frowned briefly, "I am, but he's said his peace on the subject and I have to respect it. He doesn't love me like that, and while I am many things, I am not what he wants. We have very opposite ideas, and tastes, on many topics. However, he's been a very good friend to me when he did not have to be, and as much as he'd hate the idea I do consider him part of my House and a beneficiary of all that entails. It's not a designation I give to people lightly," she smiled a bit at the end, terribly fond even though she knew she'll never be what Callia is — was, to him.

She turned the hair pin over in her hands, tracing the lines of the orchid with the pad of her thumb. There was no denying that she loved Xylaes — of course she did. All this — finding Callia, weaving more and more magic into the walls to keep the Penthouse stable, making supply runs and staying so long had all been for him. But that was love, wasn't it? Wanting the best for someone regardless of reciprocation.

"This is a beautiful piece, and hopefully I'll never have to bloody it, but it's all been the least I could do. I've always wanted to see him happy and thriving rather than just getting by, he has so much to offer the world still. Hopefully we'll be able to get the photo back to you before the gateways close again. That should be easy enough to accomplish."

There wasn't much else to say or do here, and the large room with all its fineries was... uncomfortable. Callia made her way towards the door and opened it up. "I hope so too." She stepped outside into the hallway before turning and hesitating for a brief moment, "I wouldn't be so sure that he doesn't want you, or even love you. He's a very convincing liar,” she smirked slightly, "The tell is in his eyes."

Callia stepped further back into the hallway, clearly ready to make her exit unless Fio had anything else to say. "Again, thank you. I doubt we'll meet again. Take care of him."

Fio followed a bit, up to the door at least so she could close it once finally done, the letter and hairpin still in hand. There was a quietness as she considered the thought; how lovely it would be for things to work out and snap perfectly into place — even if Xylaes did love her, even if he did want her, their lives were extremely complicated.

She rested her free hand on the door knob before nodding, knowing full well that this was as final as a goodbye could get, "I will, Callia, you have my word. Give the Constructs hell for me."

Fiorenze smirked as she closed the door, plans already starting to come together in her head.

@xylaes // @theconstructsworld (Callia!)

[matchakoii]

How about some new artwork of Callia and Gwizdo? A blast from the past for some of my old art followers. I love these two so much!! Callia is looking at a treasure map and Gwizdo is impressed that Callia can read, also very interested in said treasure map. Enjoy the new Dragon Hunters fanart! c: 

[miraelisart]

jkfhg i love her so much

[bewitcheddesi]

 I made a new base for Callia using a base because I wanted to give her waaay more freckles

[nychannel-rs]

Doodle of Callia! 💚 💙 💚 

 Best Farmhand, worth billions of beans imo