Common Enemy

It's a lovely day, one of those few and far between that's actually still warm this far into fall. The sky is blue, the clouds puffy and white as they drift across the great expanse of the heavens. Auranar is sitting on her porch, watching people as they wander through the temple district. Few come out so far as the Temple of Vardama which is situated here on the far edge of the Temple District, and fewer still notice the stone-wrought home that belongs to Auranar and Verna which is situated here.

It's a two-story affair, comfortably sized and situated on the very edge of the cliff as if the cliff itself had suddenly decided to give birth to a house rather than fall away. The porch that Auranar is seated on has a few steps up to it leading from the road, and the door is quite closed. The black-and-pink haired wild elf is herself comfortably seated in one of the two rocking chairs that grace the porch with a warm blanket of deep forest green placed over her lap and thus covering the skirts of the long winter-time dress that she is wearing.

Notably an owl is perched on the railing of the porch nearby Auranar, watching the people passing by with seemingly as much interest as the elf herself. A book tucked into her lap which seems at the moment quite forgotten.

Despite the pleasant warmth of the day, Rune is still dressed in her colder weather cloak, the fur-lined hood hanging down across her upper back, though it is not clasped closed. She seems relatively relaxed, although that may just be what wants others to see.

Having been given simple directions, she finds herself in the Temple District, in an area that she normally wouldn't find herself outside of deliveries. Coming upon two-story home, Rune can't help but let out a low whistle. Despite having some renown for her role as an Adventurer, the half-sil still hasn't invested anything into a permanent home.

Rune raises her hand in greeting, making it clear that she intends to approach. Assuming there are no ruffled owl feathers or refusals of company, the rogue steps closer. "Beautiful place you've got." Idle conversation. "Cor'lana mentioned I might find you here."

Auranar catches sight of Rune long before Rune actually makes her way up to the house of course, but allows the other woman to approach in her own time. She lifts her hand in return greeting, a warm and friendly smile settling onto her lips. "Greetings Rune." She smiles more widely at the complement to the house and has the grace to look a touch embarrassed. "Verna and I built it ourselves actually."

She meets Rune's eyes and nods once. "Did she send you then?" There's a flicker of worry across her face. "Is there something wrong?

"Really?" There is a look of surprise on Rune's face as she takes in the structure with yet more wonder than before. "I was barely able to put together a perch for Pothy, and that was with the help of three or four other people." She admits a bit sheepishly, rubbing a hand along the back of her neck. Crafting does not seem to be her strong suit.

"Yes... and no. To both questions." Rune cocks her head slightly to the side, then lifts her shoulders slightly. "She mentioned that you might have been training with a hunter of some renown, on fighting techniques to face a certain mutual enemy of the Fey variety." It's obvious she's trying to be a bit vague, here.

"I'm not sure if you know about his recent attack on Cor'lana, or not. But..." She hesitates, then takes a deep breath and comes out with it, "He's... also responsible for a curse laid upon another Fey being who is tied to my family. I've been tasked with making sure he meets his end, so that the curse can be lifted."

Auranar's easy smile fades, and she finds herself looking up and down the street. "I see." She stands up smoothly, folding the blanket up and offering her hand as a perch to the owl seated on the porch. The owl steps neatly onto her wrist and then flaps its way onto her shoulder instead. For a moment Auranar seems bemused by this. "Would you care to come inside? I don't like discussing such matters where anyone might overhear. The house is warded against those that might try to eavesdrop."

"I figured as much." Under most circumstances, more powerful beings had plenty of opportunities and ways to pry on people who just might be speaking ill of them. It is part of the reason that she rarely refers to the individual in question by name. As if it might catch is ear, somehow, despite knowing that his attention is often elsewhere at the moment. "That's fine. I understand all too well how... sensitive these matters are."

The rogue steps a bit closer, watching the antics of the owl briefly with a small quirk of her lip before she inclines her head in appreciation towards Auranar.

Auranar spends one more glance around before she turns and opens the door, allowing Rune access to the interior. If the exterior of the home is interesting, then the interior... It's certainly a fair bit more. The walls have been sculpted - from stone - into the image of a pair of trees rising up and intertwining branches and leaves on the roof above. There's a stone hearth to the right with a pair of comfortable couches and two chairs beside one another nearby. A table situated in the middle. Beyond them a counter that cuts the living space off from the large kitchen. A set of stairs on the left has book cases cut into it - formed of stone again - leading upstairs.

A soft meow greets them as they head inside, a cat that is not quite a kitten anymore lounging on the sofa stretches and looks at them intelligently as they come inside. "That's Hunter." Auranar introduces Rune to the feline and motions to the seats. "Sit wherever you're comfortable. Would you like some tea? Cookies?" The scent of both tea and lemon cookies is thick in the house. They smell freshly baked.

That look of wonder returns to Rune's features as she takes in the artistry that makes up the interior of the home. Having lived on the road and out of inns for much of her adulthood, the sort of places that her friends and allies lay their heads are easily enough to impress her. "One, or both of you... must be expert crafters." Eyes wide.

And then, the sound of a meow seems to bring her attention back around. She has no real skill with animals, but knows well enough that the best way of being around a cat is to be calm and quiet. So she makes sure that the feline is given their fair space, though she does allow her hand to be scented if the feline reaches out for it.

"I'm alright, but thank you for the offer." She moves to is in one of the chairs, leaning forward a little. "So... I guess I should ask how much you know about our mutual enemy, so I don't waste time going over things you already know."

Auranar flushes at Rune's complement, though her dark skin shows little of the color. "Verna created much of the raw material, and I used magic gloves to shape it into what you see." In truth, though lovely, it's clear that Auranar does not consider herself much of an actual artist. Instead it was a labor of time and love that created the end result, and Auranar still tinkers from time to time with the details to try and create a more aesthetically pleasing ambiance.

She finds her own seat and smiles as Hunter sniffs at Rune's extended hand only to promptly ignore the woman in favor of moving closer to the hearth and its extended warmth. He curls up there and rather than sleeping observes what's going on as if he is going to be part of the conversation.

"I know quite a lot about him. More than I would care to at times. He has haunted the family for generations, killing and tricking couples into killing for him and then feeding off the dead." Auranar's features are stony. "Cor'lana is right, I've been studying and practicing for the last years in order to put an end to him once and for all. Like any fae he is weak against cold iron weapons, and I fully intend to put one into his withered heart." For all she seems a gentle woman, this is said coldly and without a trace of hesitation.

As she settles a bit more, Rune can't help but let her eyes flit here and there in the room, the way one might when they are in unfamiliar territory. It's a comfortable place, but the topic at hand seems to have her ever so slightly on edge. Her hand reaches up, clasping around a necklace at her throat, toying her thumb along the edge of it.

"I'm afraid I don't have your experience when it comes to dealing with the likes of him." She explains, "I've only met him directly once, but I know that he has been hounding Cor'lana and her family for as long as I've known them." Hand still resting on her necklace, Rune explains, "There's a Fey being, known as the Golden Fate. My family, my mother specifically, is tied to them. Caught in some sort of endless loop of suffering and failure trying to free her, due to a pact she made with them."

Her brows furrow a little as she looks towards Auranar, "The Golden Fate is trapped that way, because of a curse laid on her by our mutual enemy. I've been told he needs to die, or my mother, the Golden Fate, and her beloved, will all continue to suffer, forever. More fodder for his cruelty."

"I admit, hearing that doesn't surprise me." Auranar sighs. "I didn't know about your mother, or this 'Golden Fate'.... though I've heard the name in passing. I've done a lot of research on the Corpse Eater. I've known for some time that our family isn't the only people he's tormented, but he does seem to enjoy tormenting those related to us more than most."

She looks at the tea pot and finally reaches out to pour herself a cup. Gathering the cup into her hands and relaxing a minute amount due to the warmth. "I admit also that I don't have a lot of... practical experience with such things." She sighs. "I have been waiting for the right moment to move against him. Waiting for him to extend himself so that I can strike. Certainly, if you are willing, having you to aid in that endeavor would be very helpful."

Shifting slightly, Rune removes the cloak from her shoulder to show the tattoos that line her arm. "The only time I encountered him in person, he recognized these, and that they were only copies of ones my mother had." Her fingers run down along the dark marks. "Cor'lana explained to me that they were a sign of a pact between my mother and a Fey being, the Golden Fate, in this case."

She lets out a soft breath, "Before she died, my mother set me on a quest, to retrace her steps and discover the truth of her past. What I found is that her spirit is trapped in that loop. Forever trying to free the Golden Fate, and always failing. The only one that ever escaped, was the one who became my mother, and she died for it."

Pressing her lips together. "Cor'lana is working on something, but I don't know when all the pieces will come together. In the mean time... if you have any techniques, or suggestions, beyond the usual cold iron, I'm all ears." She reaches down and pats the double-sheath where her two blades lie. "I know my fair way around a blade, but... magic I don't have. I know I'm going to need to hone a weapon or two that can hurt him."

Cautiously Auranar glances up at Rune, peering at the other woman over her tea cup. She seems as though she's considering very carefully what her next words are going to be. "I... Have a plan. One that's quite in motion actually." Her own black eyes are dark with determination. "I am going to kill him Rune. I have identified a... specific weakness that he has, and I fully intend to use it against him. If you can get your hands on an iron weapon, when the time comes... I am sure it will serve you well."

"When you move against him, let me be there. Let me help take him down." Rune requests, her expression serious. This is not just a matter of trying to end someone who has hurt and stalked her friend, but runs blood deep. "It's... a part of a story that has been being told for decades, and I need to be there to see it through to the end."

She nods her head then, "I have some simple cold iron weapons, but I think I may need something with a bit more power behind it." She takes a breath, "I have plans to go see Andelena, if not a few other craftspeople to see what other suggestions they have to offer." She seems thoughtful, "Cor'lana suggested we prepare ourselves against magical fear effects, and other things that influence the mind. Something I'm... generally weak against." She smirks, "But... I've been preparing as best I can."

Auranar nods to the request. "I want him surrounded by the enemies he's made. To realize the full breadth of the mistakes he's made. To know that all those he's tried to break apart are strong together." She sips her tea. "I'll let you know.

She smiles a little. "It's a comfort really to have yet another ally against him." Auranar nods. "Hopefully we will have time to prepare against him, use our magics to strengthen our minds and hearts against him, but in the end, all we can do is the best we can do."

She hesitates a moment and looks at Rune seriously. "If he does try to pit us against one another, I will not be used against those I love as a bargaining piece. Do what you need to do; you understand?"

"Agreed." Rune shifts, releasing her necklace to lie against her throat and folds her arms, instead. "He relishes seeing people torn apart. But, if I've learned one thing from my time after returning to Alexandros, it's that we're stronger together."

However, Auranar's words give her pause, at least briefly. "Understood." She takes a breath, as if it were hard for her to say what comes next, "The same goes for me. Eliminating him is more important than any single one of us. If I fall, I know I've fought my way back from the halls before. And if not, I trust that Harkashan or Cor'lana will complete the story and free the Golden Fate without me."

The dark-eyed wild elf nods at this. "You'll find, that we have allies in strange places." This mysterious statement given Auranar smiles at Rune. "Are you sure I can't offer you some tea or cookies? To take home perhaps?"

"I hope so." Rune replies in a softer voice. The weight of multiple people's fates on her shoulders is obviously more than any one person was meant to carry.

The offer of cookies once again, brings a small smile and a soft laugh, "Sure. I'll take a few. I haven't been eating well lately, so I'm sure that it would do me good."

"If nothing else, I plan on dragging Harkashan along with us. He's got that fancy armor that helps against fear. It's come in fucking handy as all hell before, so I bet it will again."

Gladly Auranar gets to her feet and bustles into the kitchen, bundling up enough cookies for two - or three - into a little basket and brings it back around to Rune. She presses the basket into Rune's hand with a warm smile. "You come by any time, for breakfast, or just a snack. I love to bake and fresh food is good for a stomach upset by stress. If you have a favorite let me know and I'll happily add it to the list."

She steps back and smiles at Rune. "We're together in this. We have to take care of each other."

-End