DWC June 2026 - Day 2 - Disturbance / Vibrant - Khaeris
“It seems the Archmage is unavailable. You have our deepest apologies. You can leave the parcel on the desk and I will be sure it gets to her.” After an inspection. No one said it outloud, but the alchemist heard it loud and clear. They couldn't be too careful with packages delivered by hand and not through official channels.
Khaeris huffed and set the small chest of vials down with a little less care than she probably should have. The man behind the desk jumped a little, but Khaeris’ ears twitched to catch the musical tinkling of the glass and then the chiming of her bangles as she placed both her hands on hips and loomed over the poor assistant magister stuck behind said desk. “Thank you.” It was said more sharply than she usually spoke to people, but she was frustrated and stung.
The magister watched the petite woman walk away with purpose and a kick in her steps that he was glad to be well away from. He was glad she hadn't caused more of a disturbance, really.
Once the woman was gone, he leaned forward and smelled the bouquet of wildflowers that she’d left on top of the box of alchemicals. After another moment of visible argument with himself, he lifted the lid and peeked inside. It wasn’t precisely protocol, but the package did have to be inspected. Surprise made him open it further with the furtive glance behind him toward the archmage’s office door. He wasn’t Magistrix Sunmote’s usual assistant and he didn’t know if the archmage was in the Archives today, but it wouldn’t do to get caught snooping through her deliveries. He smiled and closed the lid with a thoroughly enchanted expression, rethinking the visitor.
~~~
Later, Pyraelia would find her usual medicines delivered not in their usual plain vials but instead in a bottles of rainbow vibrant hues and soft, iridescent pastels. There was a small tin of goldthorn tea, some homemade petit fours, a bottle of a new experimental perfume, and a note that simply read, “I miss you. Tea soon?” in Khaeris’s elegant script.
She enters a room, she enters a space, and radiance and warmth emanate from her. She emits an invisible force and through it, pulls everyone around her to her. Everyone loves her and it is not difficult to see why. It may be the world's duty to do such a thing when in that presence.
She is a profoundly unique woman with her ideals and her approaches to life and the world as a whole, perhaps not always capable of seeing herself, or seeing a version that others do not. Perhaps she does not realise how powerful she truly is. It is often those who do not notice their own charisma, their own pull, their own various traits about themselves that cause those to inevitably strengthen.
What an overwhelmingly, achingly beautiful woman."
—-—-—
"I wish I knew her better. More. To know if my deductions hold weight, or if they are merely projections of what and how I think her to be.
The first time I saw Khaeris, I was drawn immediately to her appearance. She stands out in a sea of us where it can be rather easy to feel insignificant. Although I still would not say I know her well, when I think of her, I think of the overflowing kindness that escapes her.
Mayhaps there is a... liberty to her. A free spirit. She certainly seems the type to embody just such a thing."
—-—-—
"I owe Braedyn quite a lot.
In her own way as some others have, and she could not know this, she helped save me. She is the catalyst, the very centre for how things have come to be as they are. For how I have come to be as I am.
She is terribly sweet. Although perhaps that ought to be expected when she has been running a bakery. Was she always like that, I wonder? Did time and circumstance help assist her evolution into the woman she is today? She is always thinking about other people. Observant. It seems she knows when we all are not feeling our best. I feel she hosts this quiet strength about herself.
I wonder if she feels anything remotely similar to the fulfilment she provides to the rest of us."
—-—-—
"Miss Baker is...
Pleasant. Too pleasant. Uncomfortably pleasant. And... that's not the most terrible thing."
(Thanks, @kharrisdawndancer. You got an extra one, too!)
Zul'Jawa: "Khaeris is quite the charmer. Charismatic, ever quick to light up a room with her presence."
Ahuatli: "Simply impossible to settle on only one thing. It shall suffice to say Khaeris is drop-dead gorgeous, a shining light in my life, and a beloved dance partner."
It had been nearly two weeks since his trip to Dalaran, two weeks since he found out important, world-changing information he needed to keep a secret for now. Compartmentalizing was a learned and well-practiced trait, but at times he couldn’t shake the deep thoughts that turned into thousand-yard stares. Things had become peaceful again so recently, and already another, much larger threat was on the horizon.
Eventually the world would find out, and they slowly were given the Radiant Song was already spreading and causing a bit of a panic in some spaces. Perhaps it could be contained prior to becoming a larger problem, but he knew better than most that it was never that easy.
There was no use agonizing over it at the moment, this was meant to be a thrilling week for both Pollux and Khaeris building up towards Vixannya Ana’diel’s gallery opening. He had made a sizable donation allowing them VIP access, and he had also reserved a slot for her with a fashion designer he thought she would enjoy. It was going to be a perfect night and he wasn’t going to allow his stray thoughts of upcoming strife to interfere. He would embrace a night of fun and frivolity no matter what loomed on the horizon.
Aerden stood up a little straighter in his dress uniform as the General pinned the gold cross-shaped medal to his chest, following up with a handshake and shockingly pleasant smile. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen General Zer’vora smile like that, but to be fair he had really only seen the man in horrible situations. Thankfully, today was meant to be a day of joy and revelry. Even if things in the world were far from perfect, sometimes you needed a moment to celebrate accomplishments and the fact that you were still alive.
The swell of pride he felt in that moment was unmatched by anything he had ever felt before. He had come such a long way in the five years he had already spent within the military. Originally joining just to escape his mother’s husband, he didn’t think he would still be here after his first term had ended. Yet here he was, with no plans on going anywhere; it was nice to feel and to be useful for once.
In the past he had already been rewarded with the Expert Field Medical Badge and the Combat Medical Badge, but the Distinguished Service Medal was completely unexpected and one of the highest honors that could be awarded within the military; for his ‘extraordinary heroism in combat’. He locked eyes briefly with Pollux, who was probably one of the most well-decorated soldiers present and possessed this same medal. The older man gave him a warm smile and Aerden could just tell by the look in his eyes how proud he was. His mother’s husband never looked at him like that.
A brow lifted as Pollux suddenly joined him at the front of the small audience and began pinning on a new insignia to his sleeve. A promotion had been briefly mentioned, but Aerden didn’t think he would be receiving it now. A hand was extended to shake, “Congratulations, Senior Sergeant Lo’sharri.” It probably wasn’t proper decorum, but whatever, no one was going to scold him today. Aerden brought the older man, his father, in for a warm hug. The action was easily reciprocated, combined with a soft whisper, “I’m so proud of you.”
After the other medal recipients present received their honors and the ceremony concluded, Aerden excused himself and slipped away into the bathroom. Immediately he pulled his collar loose and undid a few of the top buttons on his uniform, taking a few deep breaths as he stared at himself in the mirror. He had been doing such a good job about not thinking of his time in the Maw, but having his deeds from there recounted brought back all those memories and the emotions, especially the overwhelming dread. Leaning down, he splashed some water on his face before bracing both hands on the sides of the sink so they would stop shaking.
He wanted to scream and to break something, but mostly he wanted to go home and lock himself in his bedroom surrounded by all of his comforts. It felt good to be honored, but all of this at what cost? Is this how it felt for everyone else as well? He took one final, cleansing breath and patted his face dry before tidying up his uniform. Pollux, Khaeris, and Pyraelia were probably all waiting for him, he didn’t want to be gone for too long and make them start to wonder. Maybe it really was all about faking it till you make it.
The morning after the Menagerie in Shattrath, there would be a special delivery to Khaeris. A white basket, lined with bright yellow satin, a yellow bow fixed to the handle, and filled with lemon cupcakes, a flower crown made with silk yellow roses, a soft hand-made yellow sweater, buttercup earrings, a fluffy yellow teddy bear, and a dozen sweet-smelling yellow roses. In the basket was also a blue envelope, and the note inside read;
Khaeris, I don’t know the actual date of your birthday, so I went ahead and put together this gift basket. Yellow roses signifies friendship, and I think yellow is an especially cheery color. I hope your birthday is wonderful, whichever day it actually is.
Ouro halted just short of his front door; something was off, someone had been here and possibly was still here. Being overly paranoid had its advantages, it was nearly impossible to track him down and infiltrate his life in any way unless he wanted you there. Things didn’t end well for those who had managed it in the past. It was one thing to find him in a public place, but to find one of his safe houses and to break into it, that would be impressive if he weren’t so annoyed.
He unholstered his pistol and crouched down, off to the left side of the door. In one quick motion, he shoved the door open but maintained his position out of sight. After a few moments of stillness and complete silence, he realized he was going to have to be the one to make the first move. Gun cocked, he melded into the surrounding shadows and slipped silently inside the door. It only took him a split second to locate his target, take aim and fire.
*BANG BANG*
The two shots rang out in near unison followed immediately by near matching metallic clangs. Ouro suddenly found the gun being violently ripped out of his hand, promptly letting his grip go slack to minimize the harm as best as possible. It was an action meant to cease the violence before it even began and Ouro recognized it as such. He clutched his hand against his chest, staring at the blue glowing eyes belonging to the person sitting at his dining table.
He knew this was going to happen sooner or later, he had been expecting this.
Even before entering he had a gut feeling. Normally he would have turned around and walked away or taken more precautions, but there was something within telling him that whatever or whoever was behind his door was of no threat. At least not the sort of threat he typically expected.
Emerging from the shadows, Ouro turned on the nearby kitchen light with his good hand to see Pollux sitting at the table looking rather surprised. The other man held up his metal right hand in front of his face, peering through the hole the bullet had made which had then obviously nipped the side of his right ear. He clearly hadn’t expected the bullet to go through and had leaned just enough out of the way to avoid a shot to the face. Pollux prodded at the new notch in his ear, wincing a bit before wiping the blood on his fingertips against a thigh. “Impressive.” He set his own pistol down on the table to show he wasn’t planning on turning this into a violent meeting.
With nostrils flared and teeth gritted, Ouro looked down at his hand with a grimace. Having anything ripped out of one’s hand in such a brutal manner is going to cause some harm, but it could have been so much worse. His index finger bent upwards at a disturbing angle with some of the flesh between that finger and the middle torn down the center to create a rather bloody mess. “Azerite.” He growled out before stalking towards his kitchen to retrieve a couple rags and a bottle of alcohol from beneath the sink. He sank down in the seat across from the other man and tossed one of the rags to him before placing the alcohol in the center of the table.
If they were going to kill each other they would have done so by this point. He had no intentions of killing or even hurting Pollux, but there were plenty out there who wanted Ouro dead so it was always easier to shoot first and ask questions later out of habit. Pollux seemed to understand, he wasn’t angry and clearly he was prepared for that scenario. If Ouro’s hand didn’t hurt so fucking much he may have been just as impressed by the other man’s aim. Of course he had good aim, it made sense.
His own weapon was set on the table as well, an unspoken truce that no further harm would come to either of them. Pollux was the first to speak after the prolonged silence, “The damage is very contained, you don’t see that often with weapons made from Azerite. Usually messy...explosive.”
Ouro removed a single bullet from the chamber of his gun, standing it on the table and sliding it towards Pollux. “The Azerite is only in the propellant, making up approximately 25% of the materials used. Any more and it becomes unstable and will explode within the gun itself. This way it just fires the bullet at a higher speed. A record breaking speed.” The corner of his lips twitched upwards just slightly; he was proud.
Pollux let out a low whistle as he studied the bullet, “Hate to be a test subject for those trials. I’ve not had much time to play around with the material myself, at least not in weaponry.” He taps a digit atop the bullet, “This is a game changer. Gonna have to start using the stronger stuff in my prosthetics.”
Ouro maintained the small smirk, he was well aware that something like this could change warfare; the impenetrable now no longer impenetrable. “Not a bad idea.” He wet the cloth with a good amount of alcohol, wrapping it around the wounded hand before resting his palm flat against the table. There was a moment of hesitation, but before he could think on it too much he swiftly cracked his finger back in place. The swell of pain that accompanied the action was overwhelming; for a moment his entire body tensed and teeth clamped tight as a string of swears were muttered to himself. The bone was still broken, he would have to visit a clinic after this but at least he could wrap his hand up more easily now.
Pollux winced right along with him, both men have had far worse injuries but it didn’t make the ‘simpler’ ones any less painful. He too wet his cloth in alcohol to wipe as his now notched ear. “So…”
“So…”
The two men regarded each other in absolute silence. Some may have called it awkward, but they seemed comfortable in their shared quietude. While the two had very little face to face interaction they knew each other quite well, especially now. Pollux, just like Ouro, preferred to study up on those they knew they would eventually meet and this encounter was inevitable. There were as many similarities as there were differences.
“Well I’m sure you know why I’m here. Khaeris wanted to come get it herself but considering you pointed a gun at her face I really didn’t find that such a good idea.” Pollux gave Ouro a sharp glare, while he understood the other man’s need to be careful it didn’t make what he did any better.
“Wouldn’t you be guarded if a stranger was asking around about you? Especially one with her sort of story. Plus I’m sure you’re well aware of how careful I prefer to be.” That was an understatement, paranoia was his reigning emotion.
“You are a difficult man to track down, I’ll give you that.” Pollux could also appreciate that. Thankfully he had a lot of resources on hand just for this type of situation.
Ouro leaned over and pulled the comm from his pocket with his good hand, sliding it across the table. It didn’t look any worse for wear and still appeared to be functional.
Pollux snagged the comm off the table, looking it over carefully, “Did you find what you were looking for?” He continued to fidget with it, ensuring that it was working properly and the same as it had been previously.
“Yes.” Ouro wrapped the cloth tighter around his hand, despite the pain he seemed rather pleased with himself. Of course he wasn’t going to tell Pollux what he had been seeking, that information was for him and him alone.
To be continued on @polluxhale‘s page soon
@kharrisdawndancer
💭 I receive, I will write one thought my Muse has had about yours - Any you like!
((For Khaeris!))
💭 “We always end up running in similar circles, and yet I’ve only had a handful of real conversations with her- and it’s been years! I feel like we should fix that, one of these days.”
