Sunrise anew.

Robi felt the first rays of the new day stream through her window, as the sunlight kissed her cheek she gave a cat-like stretch and a sleepy yawn. Eyes still closed she rolled onto her side and draped her arm across the bed.
She heard him stir beside her, felt his lips brush her face, felt the rough prickle of his beard against her soft cheek. She sighed happily, yet for some reason felt a churning knot of uncertainty deep in her stomach. She shrugged it off and snuggled down under her quilt.
"Robi?" Shays soft voice close to her ear.
"mmmm?" she replied dreamily
"It's time..."
The knot jumped to her stomach again, she looked at Shay now standing at the foot of the bed, looking at her intensely, his dark green eyes filled with love for her and something else..fear?Uncertainty? Pity?
It scared her, yet she knew the last thing she had to fear was Shay. He had always said his life was hers to command.
The reply formed in her mind but her lips would not let it pass, she looked at him searchingly.
He smiled that half smile she loved so much, she returned it happily, she was being silly she was sure, there was nothing wrong.
"You have to let me go..." he said. "Part of me will always be with you, my love is yours for eternity..."
"No..." her voice was little more than a tearful whisper.
"Robi, you must, know I will always love you and I know how much you love me but your sorrow is unbearable, I cannot leave while you cry yourself to sleep every night, while you spend your days in eternal greyness, while life and love pass you by..." he said his eyes now filled with pain. "I cannot leave you, yet I cannot stay..please Robi..you know in your heart you have to let me go"
Tears slipped slowly down her cheeks, was it so? Was her grief and lethargy to the world holding him to her? She knew his words were true.
"Let me rest" he said and that smile she loved touched his mouth. "We will be together again"
She looked at him, memorizing every last feature, every little scar. etching every detail of him to her memory. Finally she nodded slowly, swallowed her tears and forced a smile, Shay hated goodbyes, hated to see her cry.
He smiled back and nodded his gratitude.
"I will always be with you...." he said, his voice little more than a faint whisper. "Be happy...."
Then he was there no longer, she felt the brush of his lips on hers and the faint scent of his musky leathers.
"Goodbye Shay..." she whispered.

Robi opened her eyes as the sunlight kissed her cheek, her pillow wet with tears. She sat up in bed and looked around the faded room, she felt different this morning, her heart not so heavy. A brief memory of Shay saying goodbye made her shiver..it had been a dream, hadn't it? She laughed at her foolishness and pulled back the covers to get out of bed, stopping suddenly as there on Shays side of the bed lay a single black rose...

Robi slipped off Derek's back and handed the reins to the Stormwind gryphon master.
"He likes chocolate..." she said with a smile as she patted the beast before steeling herself for her first look at Stormwind for a long time.

She didn't know what she had been expecting but at her first look at the city nothing looked any different from when she had left, the people milling about, laughing and chatting looked the same, the auction house looked busier than usual as did the bank and city generally but otherwise it was the same. She could almost swear that the snippets of conversations she heard were exactly the same ones as she had listened to in the past. She couldn't help but smile, dear old Stormwind, home to every braggart and boaster, loser and low-life that humanity had to offer yet also to kind hearts and generosity that were unrivaled in any other race, with perhaps the exception of The Sin'Dorei.
She strolled to the old town, may as well check the Pig, see if Blayke or Odenia were still around or in fact anyone she knew from before her departure.
"Whoa.." she thought as she walked into the busier-than-she-had-ever-seen-it inn.
She looked around at a sea of unfamiliar faces and tabards. The cacophony of chattering voices almost deafening after the solitude of Stormglen Village.
She looked at a few people who were huddled under the stairs and flashed a warm smile.
"Evening" she said generally. She raised an eyebrow in mild perplexity as those under the stairs just completely ignored her presence, no dirty looks, no threatening glares, just total none acknowledgement of her existence. She looked at them surreptitiously for a moment, all appeared to be dreadfully young, she smiled to herself as she was reminded of children playing at soldiers by wearing their dads armour.
“Or not…” she added quietly.
Reese the barman saw her approach and he broke out in a broad beaming smile.
“Nice to see you again Mrs K…” he grinned warmly handing her a large bourbon.
“Oh and you Reese” she replied happy to see the old barkeep who she counted as one of her friends. “Thanks..” this as she took the glass and sipped the warm liquid.
“This came for you a little while back, almost like he knew you’d be coming back” continued the barman as he handed her a small sealed note. She took it and looked at the writing, a small smile touching her lips as she recognised the beautiful cursive script, written in common but the word itself was Thalassian, “Rini”.
Finishing the bourbon in one she nodded at Reese and headed down to the basement, the place she had always used to read correspondence or meet with the dubious characters that had wandered in and out of her life.
Three more people wearing the same colours as the children under the stairs, as she mentally referred to them, stood across the doorway.
“Excuse me please?” she smiled. “Can I be through?”
Again, the total ignorance of her question or request. She sighed with irritation and pushed her way through and went to the sanctuary of her basement.
Opening the note she smiled as she read the thalassian script, Arli asking to meet her at the Arathi farm where she and Ivery had held him captive.
She wondered what he wanted, they hadn’t parted on the best of terms, she laughed lightly as she remembered him staggering and swearing as only Arli could as Ivery had whacked him and they had run away laughing.
She would go of course mainly to satisfy her curiosity as to what he wanted this time. She’d need to be careful of course, she trusted Arli about as far as she could throw a dragon and wouldn’t be surprised if he was setting her up for something. She scolded herself, yes Arli was slippery, lied when his lips moved, but in all fairness she had probably backstabbed him more than he had her. Yes she would go but she would be careful, in fact she’d go now, get there first, scout around and set up a cap in the Arathi hills if she had to.
She folded the note and slipped it in her tunic and headed back upstairs. For the first time in oh so long she found herself looking forward to the new day.