Part 1 - Untitled as of yet
Crias stepped into the shop doorway and turned her back to the side of the staircase to her right, sighing. She was weary in body and soul, and the city was lou and busy. It made her disoriented and homesick. Right now she missed the somplicity of the logging community she had grown up in.
It had beent he men and women of the local Abby that had helped her realized she might be destined for more. They had helped her follow her calling to serve the light with sword and shield, when she might have chopped wood for the rest of her life. She had never regretted her decision to leave Elwynn forest, but sometimes she missed that simplicity of life with a passion rivaling the burning devotion inside of her.
She had just returned from her first trip to Westfall, and was still reeling from all the death and decay. Fields were barren, the grass was a sickly yellow brown color, and vultures waited around every bend for the sick and dying. Seeing the poor inhabitants who had lost everything or been chased off their land hurt inside, as if she needed to cry but couldn't. And instead of returning through Elwynn forest she had come directly to Stormwind via one of those Griffon beasts, a ride that while scenic, left her woozey and lonely in the stone city.
With no money to return to Westfall the way she had arrived, she had sold almost all she owned. But maybe she would journey on foot anyway, just to pass through her lovely forests once more. But first she needed to rest.
"Can I help you?" a young man's voice asked kindly, and unwillingly she found herself opening her eyes to respond.
"Uh... no, thank you. I'm sorry, I just needed a place to...." What had she been doing here? Resting? Gathering courage? Hiding?
"Escape to?" the man replied. He was more teenager than man, with pale skin and freckles, with big hands and a bigger smile. Crias felt an answering smile at her lips.
"I guess so. I'm still not use to the city."
The teenager nodded. "We get a lot of that in here, more than you might guess," he added cryptically, waggling his eyebrows. "But let me make formal introductions. My name is Ben Trias, Apprentice Cheesemaker at Trias Cheeses, finest maker and purveyor of cheese in all of the East Kingdom."
Crias looked around for the first time, and realized she had indeed wandered into a desolate little cheese shop. It was the first shop inside Stormwind's walls, or perhaps more importantly the last before the gates to Elwynn forest. Her first instinct was to curtsey, but every since she had taken up the paladin's mantel she had been wearing britches and leggings. She felt awkward, until she decided just to bow a little with a sweep of her hand. Her dark hair swished over her shoulder.
"Crias the Paladin, at your service."
"Heh heh, Crias in Trias's. I like it. Almost as if you were meant to find your way here. Let me introduce you to the Mistress."
A small woman seemed to pop out form the shadows in the back of the store and smiled. "Hello, welcome. I am Elaine Trias. Try some cheese?"
Crias shook her head. "No thank you." She looked back and forth between the red-haired teen and the blonde woman, and although they were both pale, the resemblances between them ended there.
"Mistress Trias here was the apprentice before me, and when she became a Mistress of Cheese, they brought me on. Trias is just the business name, although should I get married I will use it for my wife and children." It seemed as if Ben couldn't help but flash his eyes to the older woman, surreptitiously. The other woman was likely no older than Crias, but seemed much more worldly than either Ben or herself.
"But really, Crias the Paladin, try the Darnassas Bleu. It's the first batch I've tried on my own, and I've simply worked on it for months. Please?"
It was hard to resist the teen's enthusiasm, so she walked over to the counter where Elaine placed some squares of cheese, and she took a bite. It melted in her mouth and seemed to buoy her a little. "I feel almost ready to return to Westfall again," Crias said, smiling.
"You're off to Westfall?" Ben asked excitedly. "What's it like?"
"Awful," Crias replied honestly. "There is so much poverty. The drought destroyed all of the farmer's crops and livestock, and bandits have overrun everywhere else. It's like a ghost town, only so much larger." She shuddered. "I'm doing what I can, but there is just so much to do."
"Give the girl some Dalaran Sharp to take with her."
The deep gravely voice echoed from above her, and she turned quick, looking up. She couldn't see the speaker, but she knew if came from the loft on the second floor, where the stairs led to. Elaine started to wrap some golden cheese wedges in brown paper and Ben leaned towards her. "That's Elling Trias, Master of Cheese. He's the original. She trained both of us. He's a bit scary, but he's the most amazing cheesemaker I've ever heard of. I've never seen him come down to the shop while we're open, I think because he used to be a great hero and doesn't want to be recognized. But he never lets on."
"You hush up Benjamin Trias," Elaine whispered. Then she faced Crias and spoke louder so the man upstairs could likely hear. "There you go, Crias. Please come back when you're next in Stormwind."
"Please do," the voice form above said quietly. "I would be interested to know how Westfall is doing. I used to frequent there, before, well, it's current condition."
"Of course," Crias replied. His voice was friendly but something in it made the hair stand up on her bare arms. "Thank you for the cheese, all of you." As she turned to go, Ben winked at her, eliciting a parting chuckle as she stepped out into the heat. She didn't turn to face the teeming masses of city denizens, but instead started out at a steady trot in the direction of Elwynn forest and Westfall.
It had beent he men and women of the local Abby that had helped her realized she might be destined for more. They had helped her follow her calling to serve the light with sword and shield, when she might have chopped wood for the rest of her life. She had never regretted her decision to leave Elwynn forest, but sometimes she missed that simplicity of life with a passion rivaling the burning devotion inside of her.
She had just returned from her first trip to Westfall, and was still reeling from all the death and decay. Fields were barren, the grass was a sickly yellow brown color, and vultures waited around every bend for the sick and dying. Seeing the poor inhabitants who had lost everything or been chased off their land hurt inside, as if she needed to cry but couldn't. And instead of returning through Elwynn forest she had come directly to Stormwind via one of those Griffon beasts, a ride that while scenic, left her woozey and lonely in the stone city.
With no money to return to Westfall the way she had arrived, she had sold almost all she owned. But maybe she would journey on foot anyway, just to pass through her lovely forests once more. But first she needed to rest.
"Can I help you?" a young man's voice asked kindly, and unwillingly she found herself opening her eyes to respond.
"Uh... no, thank you. I'm sorry, I just needed a place to...." What had she been doing here? Resting? Gathering courage? Hiding?
"Escape to?" the man replied. He was more teenager than man, with pale skin and freckles, with big hands and a bigger smile. Crias felt an answering smile at her lips.
"I guess so. I'm still not use to the city."
The teenager nodded. "We get a lot of that in here, more than you might guess," he added cryptically, waggling his eyebrows. "But let me make formal introductions. My name is Ben Trias, Apprentice Cheesemaker at Trias Cheeses, finest maker and purveyor of cheese in all of the East Kingdom."
Crias looked around for the first time, and realized she had indeed wandered into a desolate little cheese shop. It was the first shop inside Stormwind's walls, or perhaps more importantly the last before the gates to Elwynn forest. Her first instinct was to curtsey, but every since she had taken up the paladin's mantel she had been wearing britches and leggings. She felt awkward, until she decided just to bow a little with a sweep of her hand. Her dark hair swished over her shoulder.
"Crias the Paladin, at your service."
"Heh heh, Crias in Trias's. I like it. Almost as if you were meant to find your way here. Let me introduce you to the Mistress."
A small woman seemed to pop out form the shadows in the back of the store and smiled. "Hello, welcome. I am Elaine Trias. Try some cheese?"
Crias shook her head. "No thank you." She looked back and forth between the red-haired teen and the blonde woman, and although they were both pale, the resemblances between them ended there.
"Mistress Trias here was the apprentice before me, and when she became a Mistress of Cheese, they brought me on. Trias is just the business name, although should I get married I will use it for my wife and children." It seemed as if Ben couldn't help but flash his eyes to the older woman, surreptitiously. The other woman was likely no older than Crias, but seemed much more worldly than either Ben or herself.
"But really, Crias the Paladin, try the Darnassas Bleu. It's the first batch I've tried on my own, and I've simply worked on it for months. Please?"
It was hard to resist the teen's enthusiasm, so she walked over to the counter where Elaine placed some squares of cheese, and she took a bite. It melted in her mouth and seemed to buoy her a little. "I feel almost ready to return to Westfall again," Crias said, smiling.
"You're off to Westfall?" Ben asked excitedly. "What's it like?"
"Awful," Crias replied honestly. "There is so much poverty. The drought destroyed all of the farmer's crops and livestock, and bandits have overrun everywhere else. It's like a ghost town, only so much larger." She shuddered. "I'm doing what I can, but there is just so much to do."
"Give the girl some Dalaran Sharp to take with her."
The deep gravely voice echoed from above her, and she turned quick, looking up. She couldn't see the speaker, but she knew if came from the loft on the second floor, where the stairs led to. Elaine started to wrap some golden cheese wedges in brown paper and Ben leaned towards her. "That's Elling Trias, Master of Cheese. He's the original. She trained both of us. He's a bit scary, but he's the most amazing cheesemaker I've ever heard of. I've never seen him come down to the shop while we're open, I think because he used to be a great hero and doesn't want to be recognized. But he never lets on."
"You hush up Benjamin Trias," Elaine whispered. Then she faced Crias and spoke louder so the man upstairs could likely hear. "There you go, Crias. Please come back when you're next in Stormwind."
"Please do," the voice form above said quietly. "I would be interested to know how Westfall is doing. I used to frequent there, before, well, it's current condition."
"Of course," Crias replied. His voice was friendly but something in it made the hair stand up on her bare arms. "Thank you for the cheese, all of you." As she turned to go, Ben winked at her, eliciting a parting chuckle as she stepped out into the heat. She didn't turn to face the teeming masses of city denizens, but instead started out at a steady trot in the direction of Elwynn forest and Westfall.