(2023-06-25) A Candle and a Melancholic House

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Author:	Athena
Summary:	In Year 27, Melancholy returns to Mary's to tell Theris of the result of his words, only to discover that he has changed residences, which does nothing to deter the local Duskwood goth girl. 2k~ words.
Rating:	T for Teen

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contains death knight

The Manor at Raven Hill is still as much of a decaying ruin as it has been, but the roads themselves - those are safer today. There are no giant spiders wandering across the path, no giant wolves, and certainly no stray undead from the nearby graveyard. Actually, there seems to be a bit of candle-light flickering in a second-story window.

It's as if the person within expected his guest, or perhaps it's Fate at work. Or, more likely, it's the new order of the Manor at Raven Hill.

The guest travels the road via a red and chrome bicycle, a few grenades for dealing with overzealous undead in the basket at the front. Its rider is dressed in a similar color scheme, having abandoned the all black and belt look for a new one of red and black, the motifs of dark roses over her shoulders, and a deep scarlet lipstick bringing a pop of color to her face. Her black lace veil is caught by a tiny red hat pinned to her curls caught in a loose bun.

But the surety of herself remains the same as before, as she parks her bicycle by the front door, and heads up to the decaying ruin with the unconcerned air of a person who has lived in Duskwood all her life. Melancholy raises a black laced gloved hand up and knocks on the door with the expectation that someone will answer it.

The candle-light retreats from the window as the person holding the candle-holder makes their way downstairs, and soon enough, the door opens. Theris has set the candle-holder on a side table near the entrance.

He is not wearing his armor, but he holds his runeblade one-handed with more ease than his musculature appears like it ought to support. Recognizing his guest, however, he leans the sword up against the wall and pulls the door open wider to welcome her in. "Melancholy."

Melancholy is briefly startled by the runeblade, and she watches it curiously, before she gives Theris a red lipped smile and a finger waggle. "Hello, hello, Theris. You truly are here. I went to see Mary to say hello to the both of you, and she said you'd come here!" She takes a step into the place of her implied welcome, looking around with unabashed interest. "So, here I am, too."

Theris's eyes soften and there's a sideways twitch of his mouth, which is what accounts for a smile. "Welcome to Raven Hill. Make yourself at home, but watch your step. Some of the floorboards are likely to give way. It's been a while since anyone took care of this place."

Melancholy glances down where she puts her feet, with only a small amount of genuine caution. "Oh, yes, I see. Well, that does make for a rather melancholic place, which means I'm already right at home," she says brightly.

Theris shuts and latches the door, then picks up his runeblade again and carries it with him as he looks for somewhere to put it that isn't right next to the place where intruders can come in. He leans it against a wall by the stairs instead. "Can you see alright? I can light more candles."

"I'm Duskwood stock through and through. Gloom doesn't bother me. I think I even see naturally better in the low light than bright," Melancholy says blithely as she strides along. "Though now I'm spending more time in Stormwind in all sorts of brightness. That's what I came to tell you about." She spins on a heel to face him with a smile. "I followed your advice for the science of library organization, and now I'm an apprentice librarian at the Stormwind Keep Library, under tutelage by your mother."

Theris looks at her in surprise. "Is that so? Congratulations. Do you like it?"

"Yes, quite so. It's been far more complex than I ever imagined. I've been studying assiduously all this time, and I told myself I would take a trip out and around once I mastered the basics, and it simply did take me this long to get them all perfectly." Melancholy reaches into a bag as she speaks. "I wasn't sure what to bring you as a thank you, so I did ask your mother for what you liked. It turns out, we have the same taste in books — I have my own copy, so we can swap impressions and thoughts if you like after you read it."

She pulls out a very new anthology of poems from a selection of authors, loosely collected around a broad theme, one that came out after Theris died, and holds it out to him with a delicate hold.

Theris nods approvingly as she describes her interest in the library, but once again looks genuinely surprised as she pulls out a book for him. "This is for me to keep? That's incredibly kind of you." He accepts the book, and as he sees the title, there's another twitch of an almost-smile. "It turns out we do. Thank you. I would love to discuss once I've had a chance to read this."

"I remembered that you said you missed the library. If you can't go, the next best thing is starting a private collection. I'd think. You were right, though, about some people's attitude towards death knights. It turns out that the whole of the designation is highly unpopular," Melancholy remarks lightly, and then holds up a halting hand as if Theris might have started to say something. "Oh, but not to worry. I don't ever do or think a thing simply because a lot of other people do. I heard out their arguments against death knights, of course, to be fair, but I came to my own conclusion about you based on what I've seen and heard for myself personally."

Theris opens up the book, skimming over the index as she speaks. "What conclusion did you come to?"

"That it's not especially fair to treat someone who could do something as if they already have done it. I understand caution and all those sorts of considerations, and I do like to be prepared when I can be, but I think there's a world of difference between caution and implicit condemnation of guilt," Melancholy says. "I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who did hurt or frighten me, but I'm certainly not going to avoid someone purely because they could. I think we get along, and I'm not inherently scared or disturbed by the dead or undead."

Theris closes the book and holds it to his chest. "I am trying not to hurt or frighten you. The runeblade is… necessary for me to keep nearby, did you know that?"

Melancholy gives him a red lipped smile, idly and unconsciously mirroring his clasp by setting her hands together in front of her.

"I didn't before, but I do now. It has something to do with how you function with the Eternal Hunger, capital E, capital H, right? That it's necessary for your sanity to inflict suffering — that was the specific word most people seemed to agree on, though 'pain' was a close second," she reports with an incongruous cheeriness. She is also clearly not afraid, genuinely. "Obviously, you're sentient and able to make choices about when and how, like now."

"Yes, that's correct." Theris stands oddly still. "It never fully goes away. It lessens, when we 'feed', but it's never gone. It's a terrible thing." He shakes his head. "So I'm afraid I don't have refreshments to offer you, other than water from the well in the square if you'd like, and I don't know for certain if it's safe to drink without boiling first."

Melancholy waves this off with a dark bell of a laugh. "No, no, there's no need. I prepared for a visit to Mary's, who doesn't keep either, and so quite fairly I wouldn't expect you to." She looks again at Theris she's just remembered something. "Oh, yes, I should ask — can you see what color I'm wearing?"

"Red," Theris confirms. "It suits you. I've been keeping myself fed by keeping the roads safe."

Melancholy is visibly pleased at the compliment. She considers the second statement for a moment. "That's rather industrious of you. Light knows the Nightwatch does its best, but Duskwood is a sizable place, and there's only so many of them. Sometimes we get a zealous adventurer willing to take on the undead and encroaching spider weed whacking, but not as often as it would take to keep a perfectly clear path to Raven Hill. I was prepared to need to grenade my way through."

"Grenade your way…?" Theris blinks a couple of times at her. "You brought grenades?"

Melancholy nods primly. "U.G.G.s. Undead Gone Grenade, wonderful gnomish invention using a form of burst spray holy water and a number of explosives, worth every penny," she says as she pulls on her gloves to ensure they're perfectly on. They are. "I don't have any fighting abilities like some of my siblings, but I can throw a ball well — and it's so much the same principle as playing Dodge The Ball with the family, except that I'm the only one with a ball. So, it's easy to win."

"They sound quite painful," Theris says. "If you're confident about your aim, though, they seem like they'd be very useful around here."

"I don't go looking for trouble, really. Most of the time, they're just for the stray ghoul or skeleton that wanders too far south and west and threatens to trample Mom's spinach or tomatoes," Melancholy says blithely. "Are you planning on staying here?"

"Unless I'm given a reason to go elsewhere, I plan on staying here, yes." Theris glances around at the wreck of a manor. "I don't have the know-how or the tools for carpentry, but I'd rather not give this place up for lost."

Melancholy makes a noncommittal sound at first, but then gasps in a thought. "Oh! Would you like a book on it? I could find one for you now," she says eagerly. "I could even buy you some tools as a house warming present. I should have brought one today, but I didn't know until too late."

"That… would be greatly appreciated, yes. Is there anything I can get you in return?"

Melancholy reflects on this. "I should think that you keeping the roads clear in return is more than fair," she concludes. "Don't you think?"

"I'm no great judge of fairness as it is now, but I intend to do so, so if you consider that a fair exchange, absolutely." Theris nods to her.

"I do," Melancholy says blithely. "If that changes, I will be sure to tell you. I should be getting back home before too long though. I know better than to be caught out after true dark in the woods." She is already fluttering her fingers at Theris, turning towards the door. "I'll be back in, I think, two weeks? You can tell me your impressions of the poems then."

Theris nods and goes to let her out. "I will. I'm looking forward to it."