Welcome to Gaia! ::

Dukker spent a few hours looking for Amirynth through the city and considering searching the forests before he decided to check by the fountain. He found her there and casually slid onto the bench next to her. "Heya beautiful... how's it going?" He put one arm over the back of the bench and grinned.

Rynn started and looked up, suddenly brought out of her reverie. "Oh!" She put a hand to her mouth, as her jaw dropped, before a frantic expression took over and she stood up quickly. "I'm s-s-sorry. I d-d-didn't mean..." She took a few steps back and looked as if she could bolt at any moment.

"Hey!" He was totally caught off guard. "Rynn... don't go... I've been looking -all- over for you..." He decided not to get up, he didn't want to chase her off and he reached out slowly with one hand. "Hey... it's okay... I'm sorry... don't leave..."

"Y-y-you have?" She paused mid-flight, her mind still teetered on the thoughts she had harbored. "I, I thought y-y-you had left. That y-y-you d-d-didn't want to s-s-see me anymore." Rynn let her hands drop to her sides not quite sure what to think anymore.

Dukker nodded. "I have... I... well..." His frosty colored skin flushed a little. "I... I sort of got lost... after the other night... but I'm okay now... at least I think I am. Please come back and sit down..." He smiled warmly and tried to encourage her.

"Lost?" She took a few steps forward at his coaxing, still not quite close enough to sit down. "Where d-d-did you get lost?"

He tapped the side of his head. "I'm sure it rattles... I sort of forget some things..." he says, obviously a little embarrassed about that. "I don't mean to... I really don't... " His hand stayed outstretched towards her.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot for a moment as she decided. It was Moth who made the decision for her. With a meow, it hopped up onto the bench, purring and rubbed itself against Dukker's arm as it settled down for a good sleep. As if following the cat's idea, she inched over and took Dukker's hand. "Ok-k-kay... I'm s-s-sorry I thought that w-w-way."

"Thought what way?" He questioned and squeezed her hand warmly. Dukker scratched the cat with his free hand and looked at her, puzzled. "I... I don't understand..."

Rynn looked down, now a little embarrassed that she thought he didn't care. "I thought that..." She took a deep breath and tried again. "I thought that y-y-you w-w-weren't really interested in m-m-me. That y-y-you d-d-didn't really care, that y-y-you had f-f-forgotten me."

He blinked. "Wow... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... give you that impression... Come on... sit down and we can talk." He smiled and patted the bench.

Rynn nodded quietly before she sat down right where he patted. She still seemed a little distant, as if she didn't quite trust him, but at the same time she didn't have that aura of flight about her. "It's ok-k-kay. I m-m-made the m-m-mistake." She tried to smile and looked down at Moth.

He shook his head and scooted closer to her on the bench. "Nah... I'm sure it seemed like that... I mean I did sort of disappear on you for a few days... I think you thinking that is -more- then reasonable." He peered down at her with a concerned expression before he smiled lightly and changed the subject. "So... tell me what you've been doing?"

Rynn leaned away for a moment and tried to decide if he was being truthful or not. With a nod and a small sigh of relief she leaned back towards him slightly. "I d-d-don't w-w-want to think that of y-y-you again." She nodded again, partially to herself before she looked up again at his next question. "M-m-mostly I have been w-w-working on the lab. I had a chance to t-t-talk to the t-t-trolls and g-g-get back into my p-p-place s-s-so I c-c-could g-g-gather my things."

"You have a place?" He looked at her intently, his ice blue eyes roamed over her for a moment. "I'll try not to disappear on you like that again... but... well... I can't promise anything... I do forget things... like who I am... often."

Rynn shook her head, "N-n-not really. I used to b-b-but after M-m-malis died and we w-w-were all b-b-banished from S-s-silvermoon, the t-t-trolls, M-m-malis' sister and, w-w-when she t-t-turned up, Tai'jin, her d-d-daughter, live there n-n-now because I w-w-wasn't there anymore and... M-m-malis used to live there w-w-with me."

"Oh... I... see... I think... I remember you saying something about Malis before... what... what do you do in the lab? Are you an alchemist?" He looked at her curiously.

Amirynth shook her head again, "I am a t-t-tinkerer. I like to w-w-work from engineering prints." The warlock explained a little about the workings of the lab before she looked up at him, a slight curious expression on her face. "Other than p-p-playing the g-g-guitar, w-w-what else d-d-do you d-d-do?"

He laughed softly, the sound echoing. "I make scrolls and inscriptions... I also pick herbs for inks... I want to make my own paper, but that requires things I don't have..." He shrugged. "It's not much, but I manage to eek out a little bit of gold from it..."

The warlock pondered silently for a moment before she added, "I d-d-don't usually m-m-make g-g-gold from my t-t-tinkering. It is m-m-more like a h-h-hobby. Inscription s-s-sounds interesting. What is it m-m-mostly? I d-d-don't know if I have c-c-come across one in S-s-silvermoon.

Dukker grinned. "Well... I can show you... mostly it's magical enhancements for just about everything that people can do... they can be used for combat or for fun..." He shrugged again and reached for one of his packs and pulled out several rolls of parchment. "Here we go... like these..."

"Like t-t-those?" She took one of the scrolls in her hands and looked up at him, "May I?" She made a motion as if to break the seal and look at what was written on the scroll.

"Of course..." He smiled and gestured for her to go ahead. "I think it's interesting... but you might find it rather dullsville..."

Amirynth broke the seal and unrolled the parchment, reading the written word with a small frown. "W-w-what does it say?" She puzzled over the unusual pattern of words and phrases and wondered if that was what a spell looked like when it had been let into the ground.

Dukker leaned over and pointed to the words, the handwriting on the scroll distinctively different from his handwriting in his lyric notebook. "Well... this one is for a hunter... this spell here gives the arrow more umph... and this one makes it go faster... if I were to actually give this to a hunter and have them use it... it would... transfer all of that magic in the writing into their weapon..."

Amirynth listened closely. "S-s-so it is like a s-s-spell book in a way?" She tilted her head to the side to look up at him once again. "I think that is very useful. N-n-not having to c-c-carry around those large b-b-books."

The musician nodded slightly. "Although it's more like just one spell... instead of a number of them... although you can use more then one of these..." He smiles. "Would you like some?"

The warlock looked down at the scroll again, interested in hearing more about other people's professions and, in a way, more interested in his for the very reason that he was talking to her. "I, I w-w-would love that. Thank you." Amirynth nodded again and rolled the scroll back up, not quite sure how to re-seal it.

Dukker chuckled and took it from her. "Here... I can fix it back up again... I'd be more then happy to make some for you. I've got a backlog of inks right now... We'll go through what I have available later?" He took one of her hands and kissed it. "I missed you..."

Amirynth's world stood still for a moment at those three, simple words. "Y-y-you m-m-missed m-m-me?" She looked down at her hand, the one he just kissed lightly, and tried to hide her smile, the surprise still coloured her face.

He grinned up at her. "I did... I haven't had the pleasure of just being with someone else... for awhile. I mean there's Ry... but Ry's sort of just always been there... Sometimes I wonder how long we've known each other... but you... you're beautiful and kind and not someone I know like the back of my hand... not that I wouldn't mind getting to know you like that..."

There was that word again, she shook her head, "I am n-n-not b-b-beautiful..." She frowned very slightly but was not able to concentrate on that, as her mind was still a-whirl over what he was saying. "I, I w-w-want to learn m-m-more about you too." She took a deep breath and hoped she wasn't being too forward before she added, "I w-w-wish I c-c-could have m-m-met you a long t-t-time ago."

He laughed softly. "Me too... but here we are. There's nothing wrong with now..." he said softly. "Rynn... look at me... please..." he asked.

Amirynth looked up, hearing the tenderness in his voice. "Hmm?"

Gently, he put one hand under her chin. "You are beautiful..." he leaned in close. "Your beauty may not be apparent to everyone... but I can see it..."

Her breath caught in her throat as she sat there and looked into his eyes. Her green one shone with the emotions that coursed through her. She still was unsure about things, but she felt such a pull towards him... and then there were moments like these. She came back to the present and turned bright red at his attention, still not used to being the subject of such an intense gaze.

"Rynn..." he said softly. "You have nothing to be ashamed of from me... I committed terrible deeds... if anyone should be feared and hated... unworthy of love... it should be me..." He took a deep breath, "I -am- the monster I sang about..."

She shook her head slightly as if to protest, her gaze still not leaving his though she frowned slightly. "You do not s-s-seem that way at all." She almost whispered, "We all d-d-do such bad things and yet, you w-w-were under the control of another. It was never you who d-d-did those things."

"Just as -you- weren't the one holding the runeblade that ran Malis through..." his tone was matter-of-fact. "Under control or not... people still hate me... fear me and my kind..."

"You're k-k-kind is S-s-sin'dorei..." she murmured lightly, pain showed in her eye at the thought of him being anything but. "There m-m-must be a lot of people here," she made a small gesture towards the bustling city surrounding them, "many p-p-people and I am s-s-sure they do not mind w-w-what you do." She paused again before adding in a much smaller voice, "I k-k-know I d-d-don't."

He smiled softly and gently lifted one hand to stroke her cheek. "Rynn... I was a Death Knight... yes I was Sin'dorei... but now..." He took a deep breath. "Now I'm dead... and neither of those things, really... I have to make a new life for myself. A life that is completely new... just as you do..." He smirked a little. "And I'm sure these people don't mind what you did either... I don't see them running you out of town..." he teased, gently.

She almost closed her eyes when he brushed his hand down her cheek and leaned into the slight connection of them being so close in the moment. Almost closed them, but the intense gaze still captured her attention, the world around them seeming to vanish slowly, as if it simply slipped away. "M-m-most p-p-people do not know about M-m-malis, that m-m-much I am grateful for."

"And everyone knows what I've done... except me..." he whispered softly and leaned in closer. Never taking his eyes off hers, he carefully brushed his lips against hers.

Amirynth frowned at that thought, "I am s-s-sure..." Her thought, mind, everything was frozen in time the moment that he kissed her. Everything surrounding them vanished as that connection continued. She felt his closeness, the odd absence of a heartbeat and yet her own beat fast enough for the both of them. Her hand clenched and closed around his arm as the warmth of connection with another being coursed though her.

He kissed her a little harder and then pulled back, smiled and stroked her cheek again. "And besides... if we didn't deserve anything good... then we wouldn't have found each other..."

Dukker propped himself up on one elbow and smiled gently. He ran his fingers slowly through Rynn's hair and tried not to wake her up. He had taken her out on a romantic night with dinner and a night of stargazing. The look on her face as she set up the tele-contraption and observed the stars had been endearing, he smiled wider, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to himself. "I wish you could see how beautiful you are..." he said softly into her hair. Duukar didn't know what would happen if she woke, but he also didn't want to let go of her so took his chances.

Rynn smiled lightly and nuzzled into his arms her mind deep within the dreaming state. Slowly as he lay there she begins to surface her brows creasing as the real world started to pull. As she awoke, her mind gradually realized where she was. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and in one movement she was on the other corner of the bed with a terrified expression on her face.

He chuckled softly and sat up slowly. "Hey... hey Rynn... it's okay... it's just me." The smile on his face genuine.

She frantically looked down at her self, her hands coming up to touch her belly and arms and face. She shook a little as she gazed around the room with a slightly confused expression, not used to waking somewhere other than her own bed.

"Rynn... hey Rynn... we're in an inn..." He reached out to her.

She pulled back, still wide eyed, her breath coming fast, "Y-y-you d-d-didin't..." She tried to remember the night before and shook her head slightly and held her arms close to her body. "I... I c-c-collapsed? Y-y-you helped me?" Rynn started to quiet down as her memories of the night came back to her.

He nodded. "Yes... I carried you here. You needed rest." As he sat up she could see that he too was still mostly dressed, his shirt front open from coming undone in the night. "I didn't do anything aside from bring you here and watch over you..."

She nodded and looked around, still not moving and yet visibly more relaxed. "T-t-thank you..." She seemed to mean it about both the aid and the not taking off clothes thing. "Is there any thing I c-c-can do to repay y-y-ou?" She rubbed at her face with her hand, a little conscientious about how rumpled she must look.

"You could... come back to bed..." he said softly, still holding out his hand.

She looked up, her eye searched his face for anything other than an innocent request. Slowly, she moved back close to him, not quite making the move to get back into bed, but she was within his reach now.

He laughed softly. "I'll never make you touch me again, Rynn... I'm sorry... now please just come and talk to me..."

She moved up a little more and leaned slightly onto his shoulder, "What w-w-would you like to k-k-know?"

He shrugged and wrapped his arms carefully around her and leaned back in the bed. "I don't know... what was he like... this man you followed to the Lich King?"

She closed her eyes for a moment before she started, "I m-m-met him through M-m-malis. He was a r-r-respected ambassador b-b-between the Forsaken and the Sin'dorei. He said he would t-t-train me to b-b-become a better w-w-warlock, to b-b-be able to walk about w-w-without needing the d-d-demons to draw my s-s-strength." She shook her head slightly, "I d-d-didn't know then that he had b-b-been t-t-taken over b-b-by the Lich K-k-king."

"So... he lied to you..." He rubbed his face in her hair. "Did he lie to you before he was taken... or after?"

She squirmed a little, vying between her loyalties. "He n-n-never lied at the b-b-beginning. He d-d-did teach me how to b-b-become stronger. I n-n-never had the chance to m-m-meet him b-b-before he was c-c-controlled b-b-but M-m-malis had s-s-said s-s-so many g-g-good things about him." She frowned and looked down. "I s-s-saw him b-b-break free once. I think it w-w-was then, when he looked at m-m-me once and t-t-told me to r-r-run..."

"Why didn't you run?" He took one of her hands in his and squeezed gently.

"I had already lost M-m-malis, I d-d-didn't have anywhere else to g-g-go." She winced a little at the memory, reliving the moment she saw her blood sister fall and a tear rolled down her cheek. "M-m-marrika thought there was m-m-more g-g-going on than we thought. S-s-she wanted to s-s-stay b-b-beside him. I... I d-d-didn't want to b-b-but..." She let her sentence hang, not knowing how to express the feelings she had felt seeing Malis laid to rest in her home village and then the confrontation by Kiowa who had caught her saying goodbye.

He ran his hands up and down her arms, soothingly and kissed in her hair. "It's alright... take your time... sometimes it helps to talk about difficult matters..."

She shook her head, "It d-d-doesn't m-m-matter anymore r-r-really." Rynn looked down and ran her fingers through her messy braid, unraveling it with worried energy. "He f-f-found a way to b-b-break f-f-free and n-n-now I am f-f-finding out w-w-who he really is." She smiled a little and leaned into his arms. "He's a lot w-w-warmer then b-b-before." She looked up and frowned, "How d-d-did you b-b-break f-f-free?"

He blinked slowly. "I... I don't really know. It's sort of like his control slipped... and suddenly... I was free."

She nodded thoughtfully before she blushed slightly, her fingers still running through her hair. "I'm g-g-glad it d-d-did... I wouldn't have m-m-met you otherwise."

He grinned and huged her. "The first thing I remember is... Rylin... he... he actually helped me remember part of who I am. For weeks we just kept doing what we had been doing... then... there was a battle...When the battle was over... he stopped whispering all the time..."

"Rylin is... n-n-nice." Rynn's thought went back to the conversation at the fountain and she smiled. "He likes Jorynn, K-k-kilrroy was t-t-teasing him about it."

"Yeah... that seemed fairly obvious... who's Kilrroy?"

She thought back for a moment and tried to remember any distinctive characteristics. "He is a p-p-priest, very n-n-nice man. I think he is with a g-g-girl named Eniki, I d-d-didn't c-c-catch much of that p-p-part of the c-c-conversation." She suddenly looked around the room as if she searched for something as she spoke. "He also likes b-b-birds... I..."

He frowned. "What is it?" he asked as he watched her look around. "Birds?"

Rynn seemed rather distracted. "A c-c-cat, have you s-s-seen him? M-m-moth was was with me last night."

"I... I don't know... I'll help you find it..." He let her go so she could get up. "Here... kitty kitty kitty..."

She looked under the bed for a moment before she got up to look around the room, slipping slightly as her legs didn't take her weight straight off the bat. "He c-c-can take c-c-care of himself b-b-but I, I just want to c-c-check."

He nodded and reached out quickly to steady her. "We should find him anyway... it's a busy city... we wouldn't want anything to happen to him..."

Amirynth nodded in agreement and then looked around the room again. "He wouldn't b-b-be far. D-d-do you m-m-mind?" She didn't want to leave the conversation they were having, it was scary being so open and yet she felt connected by their histories, however different the details.

"I don't mind at all... he's important to you and therefore important to me... We'll find him... what's his name again?" He got up and smoothed his clothing and tied up the front of his shirt quickly.

"Moth..." She finished pulling apart her braid, re-tied it up and smoothed down the loose strands of hair before she looked down at her creased robes. They would just have to do. She looked back up and nodded. "Thank you... a lot."

"No problem... I like cats... I think I had one, once... a black cat... I think her name was Moogie..." He blinked and paused in the doorway. "I have no idea where that came from..."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Maybe a m-m-memory re-surfacing? M-m-moth is black, well he has faint g-g-grey s-s-stripes too..." Rynn started to walk out of the door and looked in the hallway just in case he had followed her to the inn. "I w-w-wonder if he w-w-went to the lab..."

"Here Moth... here kitty... where's the lab?" He searched the area as well. Making sure he leaned down low enough to see under things.

Rynn looked around for a moment and peeked out of a window, happy to recognize the area of Tranquillen. "Oh, it's very c-c-close to here. Just around the c-c-corner, he m-m-must have g-g-gone there"

"I'd like to see your lab..." He smiled as he watched her. "Is that where he lives most of the time?"

"It's n-n-not much. I only just m-m-moved in there." She decided that it'd be the best place to start and made a bee-line for it. "B-b-but yes, he lives there m-m-mostly unless I am b-b-back home in S-s-silvermoon."

"So... he goes with you. I didn't mean to leave him behind... " He followed her, still watching around them for the cat.

She shook her head. "No n-n-no... It's ok, he wanders off a lot." Rynn held out her hand a little self consciously and pointed over to the other side of the trading areas. "It's just over there." She looked around to make sure there was nothing dangerous in her path before she made her way towards the small array of buildings

He continued to follow, his eyes on the structures ahead now. "Where'd get him?" he asked.

"He was a present, M-m-malis named him." She smiled a little at the memory. "He is p-p-pretty s-s-smart." She unlocked the door and let him in, the dark room lit by small candles, protected by magic. Most of the benches were neat and orderly, a few instruments scattered about along with different components of the few projects she was in the middle of.

He smiled and followed her inside, looking around. "Wow... you work here?" His slightly glowing eyes lit his face eerily in the candlelight.

She nodded with a smile, "I found this p-p-place, I was very lucky." She looked around and saw the window was open. With a cry she moved through the tables and knelt down next to the pillows under it. "Here he is." She picked him up and curled up with him, her face in his fur.

Dukker let out a sigh of relief and laughed softly. "I'm glad he was here... I would hate to think something had happened to him..." He moved closer to her and sat down on one of the benches. "So... what do you tinker with in here?"

"Little things of everything" She looked up and pointed over to a small coppery object that lay in pieces. "That one is g-g-going to b-b-be a s-s-squirrel. A g-g-gift for s-s-someone." Rynn pulled herself up to sit beside him. "I always like t-t-tinkering with things, finding out how they w-w-work."

The first cut was the hardest to make. He had sharped the small dagger to a fine gleam, the blade sharp enough to split a hair, but putting that dagger to his arm was quite another matter. He knew he had to make the cut deep. If he did not, he would not bleed out fast enough. The first cut was the hardest.

Once the blade sliced into the flesh, cut through tendons, opened his veins it was easier to cut again and again. Easier to rock the blade against the bone. Maybe, if he was dead the voices would stop. Maybe, if he was dead, Kilrroy would find someone worthy of his love. Maybe, if he was dead the pain in his heart would cease.

He was no better then Arthas. No better then Arthas. No better then Arthas. He had wanted information for his people, wanted what he thought best and had let himself be corrupted along the way. No better then Arthas.

A warm feeling washed over him and he let the dagger fall to the stones, his hands useless. He took several steps forward, not even sure where he was going, as the blood soaked though his robes and ran down his sides, dripped off the long sleeves. His vision blurred.

Mailbox. There was a mailbox. He put one ruined arm out to steady his faltering feet. A voice. A familiar voice, called his name. His vision swam when he lifted his head, but he looked into the eyes of his lover.

"Eniki?" Kilrroy questioned.
_______________________________

Several days later he stood in front of the Dalaran bank, tugging at his sleeves to cover the scars on his arms. When he saw a familiar face. Lady Amirynth Niaomi Delnaria stood not far from him. For a moment he did not know what to do. He wanted to talk to her, but he also wanted to sit. Since his incident he had been increasingly tired. It had become harder and harder for him to maintain for long periods of time.

Finally, he took a deep breath and stepped toward her. "Rynn?" he asked softly, tucking his hands up into the sleeves of his robe.

She was startled and jumped, turning to face him quickly. "OOooh E-En-Eniki. Y-y-you s-s-startled m-me."

"I'm sorry. How are you?" he asked, softly.

"G-g-good. You?" She eyed his pale face and his limp, white hair. He looked thin, old, worn.

It was all he could do to keep from crying, but they were in the middle of the street. He did not want to make a scene. "I'm... I've... I've been better. Can... can we talk?" Maybe, she knew. Maybe, if he asked her his own fears would disappear.

"O-of course... w-w-where would you l-like to g-g-go?"

He pointed to the memorial, just to the west side of the bank. "There... there are benches there... I really need to sit down." He led the way and settled on the edge of a bench, facing her, his too thin knees tucked up into his robe. He rested his chin on them and watched as she carefully sat next to him. Was she afraid of him too?

She regarded him curiously, waiting quietly for him to speak, he assumed, and he suddenly found it hard to voice the worry on his mind. How does one go about saying that they believed they were going mad and that he had finally managed to chase away the one person that loved him? Tears came unbidden to his eyes and he had to hide his face in his knees to control himself again.

Rynn's brow creased in worry as she watched his outward struggle. Something was obviously amiss. Carefully and with a lot of hesitation, she reached for him, touching his shoulder lightly. "E-En-Eniki?"

He tried to shake himself free of the pain that coursed through his heart. "I'm... I'm sorry. I've... I've been having a hard time." His voice cracked when he spoke, betraying the overwhelming emotion of the situation.

"W-what is it?" she asked again, gently rubbing the palm of her hand over his shoulder.

"He's gone... and he hasn't returned," he finally managed. "I think... maybe this time it's for good."

"Oh Eniki. I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry. Kilrroy? I'm s-s-sure he hasn't left for g-good. He's probably just b-busy with t-t-tasks."

The tiny priest shook his head, his body quivering with stress and emotion. "I'm no good... I'm not enough... I just... I wanted something in my life... to go right... I just..." he could not hold back tears anymore and sobbed softly into the thick robe. "I just... wanted... to be happy..."

"Shhh... it's alright," she soothed. "I'm s-s-sure he's not g-g-gone for g-g-good. Just wait. He'll be b-back."

He cried for a long time, sitting with Rynn on that bench. He cried until he could not cry any more. They sat in silence for a long time, while he caught his breath. Slowly, the intense pain in his chest eased to a dull ache.

The priest rested his chin on his knees, hugging his legs. He pushed all thoughts of his empty bed from his mind and focused on the matter at hand. "Archeon promised me knowledge. In some ways though, it was my fault as well. I wanted what I thought was best. I thought if I knew more about the enemy then maybe this war would be over, but in the end I let him corrupt me. Sometimes I feel that I'm not better then Arthas in that regard. I mean he was doing the same thing. He just wanted what he thought was best."

Rynn looked at him in horror. "H-how c-could you t-think t-that? You are a g-good p-person."

He buried his face in his knees again, sniffling softly. "I'm not a good person, Rynn. I'm not..."

She touched him gingerly again. "It's n-not t-true, Eniki."

He took a deep breath. "How... how did -you- end up with Archeon?"

Rynn took a deep breath as well, before she answered."H-he promised m-me s-s-strength... h-he t-told m-me I was worth s-something. He..." She looked down at her hands with a frown. "Just like..." she paused and looked up with wide eyes. "He said... Oh... n-n-no..."

Eniki lifted his head again and looked at her, his own pale, green eyes also wide. "Isn't... but you... isn't that what... I mean..." he fidgeted.

She shook her head. "N-n-no... he... I m-m-mean. I... He... D-d-dukker... he... he s-s-said the s-s-same things..."

"Dukker? Is... is that... isn't that the musician?" Eniki tipped his head to one side and watched Rynn closely.

Rynn nodded silently and her mind raced. "They said the same things... they..." She cried out, "W-w-what... w-w-what if he s-s-still... Oh n-n-no!" Her eyes widened more as she looked at him. "W-w-what if they... he... Oh s-s-spirits..."

Eniki blinked at her. "You... don't... think he... still works for Arthas... do you? I don't think he would have come to us if he was still with the Lich King... do you? I mean... why would he?"

"I d-d-don't know I d-d-don't know..." She shook her head over and over, as if trying to dislodge her thoughts. "He s-s-seemed s-s-so n-n-nice. I... I..." She put her head in her hands.

The priest reached out to her. "Oh Rynn... you don't really think... I mean... why would he come to us? Maybe... to get you back?"

"I d-d-don't know... Oh S-s-spirits..." She wailed, "I... I d-d-don't w-w-want anyone else to d-d-die!" She stared at him, her hands clenched at her robes, her whole body fought againt the tide of thoughts that assailed her mind.

"I... wait... Rynn... I mean... don't you think he would have already done that? I don't know Rynn... I don't think a minion of the Lich King would... would care about music..."

She seemed lost in her own little world. "N-n-no, p-p-please, n-n-no more d-d-deaths... p-p-please..." Rynn felt the tears come as she thought about Malis, the fight to get her to leave and the pain that had lanced through her as the blade had sank into her own chest.

"Rynn... I don't think he's a minion of the Lich King... not anymore... " He reached out to her and lay his hand on her upper arm, squeezing slightly. "I don't think he's going to hurt you..."

She pulled out of his grasp and darted away. "N-n-no! N-n-no m-m-more!" Rynn almost fell, running away in panic as her world crashed down around her.

He stood quickly and the world swam. "Rynn! Rynn, wait!" He only barely caught himself on the bench as his legs gave out. "Rynn..." he said softly, unable to follow.