Walking along the secret passage as her footsteps kicked up small clouds of dust, Liaena paused part of the way along it to check that Donald was still stuffed securely inside her sock and her bag, and to bring out a full vial, the liquid inside a distinct brownish-red hue. Taking a gulp, she braced herself against the wall with a gasp as she waited for the burning sensation spreading through her body to subside. 

With a rattling of a rusty bolt and a few well-placed kicks, a trapdoor under a wicker mat in Sharon’s greenhouse swung open and a human girl with an oval face, blue eyes and long copper-coloured hair climbed out of it. The navy robes she was wearing were noticeably short in the arm as she slammed the hatch shut behind her and made for the door. 

In the middle of winter, the greenhouse looked sad and neglected (while in impeccable condition thanks to Frederick) and stood alone and largely ignored behind the mansion under a blanket of melting snow. Trekking through the snow in the garden and keeping a sharp lookout for any Night Elves sentries or sabre-tooths, Liaena made it to the boundary wall to clamber up and swing her leg over the top after a few false starts. Pulling herself up and over to hastily drop down the other side and land on the cobbled pavement, she fled off down the street without stopping to check for anyone observing or following her. 

*

“Yes. Alright” Kathlin said cautiously, looking up at the big Night Elf who was currently looking very sorry for herself indeed. Not only was it clearly not a good idea to argue with her, but sitting entirely unharmed in the palm of Rithrynn’s hand, the little girl tended to think that the Night Elf might have a point. 

Getting up to climb out of her hand, Kathlin walked carefully along the length of Rithrynn’s arm to reach her head, the elf’s face still buried deeply in Sharons soft-pile carpet. Apparently considering poking her ear before thinking better of it, the girl ‘knocked’ awkwardly on her head before speaking. “Um. Thanks for looking out for me back there, by the way. You didn’t have to….and I probably would have had a bit of a problem if you hadn’t. I’m sorry about all of the trouble”

Taking a very hurried step back along her arm as the Night Elf reared her head back up; Kathlin had never felt less Li-ish as Rithrynn looked down at her. If felt like any moment like someone was going to point a finger at her and scream: ‘imposter!’, and with that came the strong suspicion that any conversations with this particular elf should be kept to an absolute minimum, before she inevitably failed to know something. “Soooo…were you going to help your friends look for that man?”

Gesturing vaguely at the elves all around them scouring the room, Kathlin looked back at Rithrynn to give her a nervous smile. “You know…the free food and drinks…sounded quite popular”