→Elly 5: If you won't, I will

[seol_plumfall]

My dear Amy,

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to write to you. I could list a myriad excuses, blame the civil unrest in city, or complain to you about the hassle and heartbreak of untangling myself from my mothers and fathers within the Church, but I can't help but think that by doing so I would imply that those things are more important to me than my friendship with you, and that isn't true. And so all I can do, I suppose, is hope you accept my apologies.

I'm writing this from Lakeshire. After discussing things with my little paladin friend, Mayhew, we decided to travel the Kingdoms and perhaps Kalimdor together. I want to chart the ley lines, you see, and investigate whether the intersections have shifted or if the strength of various currents have changed. Considering how much stress was placed upon them in the Nexus War, I suspect there's more than a significant chance that the situation has changed. I'm entertaining a few delusions of grandeur in which I use my findings to develop adjustments and improvements for magical engineering projects across the globe, but more realistically, some research will at least provide some data for the real experts in the field, perhaps net me a contact or two. And Mayhew is a young paladin, and you know how young paladins are: all knight-erranty, eager to travel the lands.

After we finish investigating the Flame network in this area, we plan to head to Ironforge via tram from Stormwind and then work our way north to the Wetlands. There are other sites I would like to investigate, too, a dormant line and a nexus that, if climate permits, will bring us right up to your doorstep. Since this route will bring us so close, I would be very happy if you might come to visit us. Chances are I won't be able to procure transport to Northrend easily, and only the Light knows if I'll make it as an official member of the Crusade -- if Fordring plans to continue his rigorous vetting of aspirants, I'm not sure I'll qualify, especially if the priestly types find my new line of work suspicious -- so I don't want to miss this opportunity to see you.

There's also something I would like you to do for me, something I wouldn't trust in anyone else's hands: I would like to follow the example of the runemasters, who may not be of my exact calling but helped illuminate and open up my path, and ink some runes of power onto my body. I imagine you may not have had much experience with tattooing, but I would a thousand times prefer to trust my flesh to a peerless rune-worker than to a body-artist who draws glyphs backwards. I cannot imagine any greater runesmith from which to commission a graceful, harmonious mage's runeblade, and so I would entrust myself to you, to help forge, temper, and inscribe it.

We can discuss the specifics later, but: can I trust you to be there and do this for me? Please write me as soon as you can; any mail sent to the the Engineer's Guild address below should reach me wherever I am.



Affectionately yours,
Ellysse



P.S. Thank you very much for the Hallow's End treats. They were both delectable, though one less so than the other. I hope you won't be too upset to hear that I showed Mayhew your gifts -- I couldn't very well persuade him to restrain his curiosity, considering how hysterically I was laughing about them at dinner. The poor kid was rather disturbed; hopefully we haven't turned him off pickles entirely.