The Countess managed to grab a sweet corner suite apartment in the outskirts of the Cathedral where she could overlook the canals on her tiny, Juliet balcony. It has been quite some time since the Ren’dorei allied themselves with the Alliance. In that time she has taken it by her leisure to study and examine her surroundings to the best of her abilities, and even to converse with some of the civilians.
While she hasn’t quite stepped foot out of Stormwind yet, the woman found herself pleasantly happy with her new accommodations that Stormwind had for her. It was no Silvermoon, but it certainly had its own charm to it. From the grand marble stones and slabs to the hustling and bustling of true merchant life. It was all so... endearing to her.
In the beginning of it all, she joined the Alliance with barely anything to her name. Instead of grabbing everything that she could from Quel’thalas, she chose to change her identity entirely. From her name down to the outfits that she wore and how she would live her newly found life with the new powers at hand. Powers that... even to this day, while mastered, still tempt her for foul play. Her entire life was a dichotomy between good and bad-- and she loved it. In fact, it gave her a certain type of meaning that she never quite resonated with prior.
With only a few bags of gold and important papers, the once Sin’dorei turned Ren’dorei appeared into Stormwind. Flyers swarmed the city. Call to Arms, to even simple jobs and housing help if needed. One of which she took complete advantage of.
With only her bags and important papers, followed by the freshly ripped one that endorsed help for housing in her hands, she was off. The Real Estate owner grinned widely at the woman as she marched through the doors, clearly an outlier to everyone else who existed in the Alliance.
“How can I be of service, deary?” The cheeky Gilnean hummed from behind his thick and oaken desk.
The woman took in the appearance of the not-so bad looking flat, then returned her attention to the... Quite honestly, skeptical looking Gilnean. Then again, she seemed sketchy herself. “I saw a flyer that said to come to this address to find help with housing. As you can tell, I have nothing here. No importance, no job, none of that. I need... some place to stay- and not a shaggy room at an alcohol smothered inn.”
The Gilnean stood and stretched his legs. He stood at no less than 5′9″, only mere inches taller than the woman herself. With a quick fluff of his long trench coat and a quick snag of his cane and top hat, the man was out from behind the desk and waddled towards the door of the flat. “Well. Are ya’ comin’, Miss? You have some places to pick from.”
Off they went. For hours and hours the man took her to see different apartments. Some were beautiful despite being tiny, and others were disgusting, despite being large. None of them quite fit her tastes, but what tastes was she allowed to have? The woman went straight for a roof over her head without a job. The gold that she brought with her would be enough for only two months rent- if any. She had food to scavenge for as well.
In the short yet long period of time the two spent together, she learned of his name. Stewart Riddleston. Owner and Founder of the Stonevale Estates. In his time spent in Stormwind, he managed to create a wonderful business for him and his family, and bought plots of land all over the Kingdom. Despite his cover being rough, his story was quite the tale and the woman appreciated it.
They finally stopped inside of the middle of the final apartment. An eight hundred and fifty square foot apartment with bay windows and petite balconies on each end of the beautiful flat. One side showed the Cathedral, and the other end showed the canal. The reason behind it being so inexpensive was the simple fact that every hour, on the hour, the loud bells from the Cathedral would arise and they were loud enough to awaken an entire army miles away. At times the Canal could also smell of sewer and disgust due to the few Alligators that would find their way into it, and even dead rats that merchants would throw into the water to quickly rid from their supposedly clean and healthy businesses.
This was the one. She could feel it in her gut. Despite the flaws, there was something romantically rustic and beautiful about this place- it felt like the start of something new. The start to something she gravely needed. Then it dawned on her, how much was it? Could she afford it? She had no job, and there was no confidence that she would find a job that paid enough for it. “I... Perhaps I should come back to you in few months, Mister Riddleston. I doubt I could afford to stay here longer than a month---”
“Nonsense,” Stewart cut her off with a small smile. “It is Stewart to you, and you do not have to worry about paying first months rent. Take this first month to find a job. Until you do, you can work with me. This job is becoming too much for me to handle anyhow, and the wife would sorely appreciate it if I spent more time at home. Plus, I could show you the ropes of how us... Humans, do things. From politics to venture, all of it. You seem like a well-off woman, and in time, I know you will do right by me. You are apart of my Alliance now. Fighting for us is enough payment already... Perhaps... Pay me in allowing me the pleasure of knowing your name?”
That was when she was caught off-guard. This entire time, and she never said her name? The man was older for his age, but she was older by decades- if not, longer. Even then, she barely looked aged with wrinkles and crows feet. The beauty of elven aging, it seemed. “Ah... Vladimira Sha’Khan. Are you sure? I can stay late and clean the floors as well.”
Stewart pulled the keys off of his hook and handed them to her. “You will begin tomorrow as my lead Estate Agent.”
It has been so long in time that Stewart ended up retiring and passing the business down to Vladimira. Who also managed to balance the newly gifted business while co-leading The Iron Verdict with her newly found friend, Varos Istalar. Not only that, she managed to be given the title Countess, and the Ren’dorei has used all of her free time to giving to the orphaned children and tutoring those interested in learning of the void. From battling against it to properly handling it, to even swords play.
Stormwind City was now her home, and she loved every square foot of it.
