Sorry if it's a little long, I got carried away...
***
Takmari climbed off the cart and swung her pack over her shoulder. She turned to the driver and pressed a few coins into his hand as thanks. He nodded silently in return and drove away.
The sun was high and bright, Tak looked up at it and smiled, then looked towards the city of Stratholme, it brimmed with life and activity; for the first time on her journey, Taks’ stomach knotted up and filled with butterflies. She’d never been somewhere so busy, Southshore was a mere hamlet compared to this vast city!
Fishing a scrap of paper out of her pocket, instructions on how to get to her new residence she walked on. Tak had been refused from Darlan, her family was too poor, too common and Taks’ average arcane skills could not win Darlan over, she was refused to study there. Instead her parents had found someone in Stratholme, a little known mage who ran a potion shop. He had agreed to teach Tak the ways of Magic if she worked for him.
She hurried her way through the busy streets, clutching her pack, humbly apologising whenever someone knocked into her. Despite hurrying, it took her well over half an hour to find the shop, navigating streets when the town you came from was too small to have them, was difficult.
The Mage and shop proprietor was a man by the name of Alfred Williams; he was a tall man, well kept with short clean hair.
“You must be Miss Briony.” Alfred extended his had and smiled at Tak.
Takmari took his hand and returned his smile, “I am sir.”
“I’ll call you Tak, you call me Al ok? Now, there’s a room upstairs for you, it’s a bit sparse but it has everything you need. You’ll work during the day, I’ll be teaching you this trade too, and you’ll study at night and on Sundays.”
The work was hard, customers were rude and demanding, and long hours of studying began to wear Tak out. It was almost her breaking point; she was exhausted and missed her family terribly, when Alfred gave Tak some news that was not what she wanted to hear.
“Tak, I’m gonna have to stop teaching you arcane magic.”
“What! Why?” Tak bit her lip to stop herself crying.
“In all honesty, you’re just not very good at it. I don’t know what is ‘good’ in Southshore, but it’s different from my standards.”
That was the point Tak broke, she stood in the middle of the shop and cried for the first time since she was a little girl.
“Stop your crying, I’m not sending you away unless you wanna go.
Tak wiped her eyes, “I… I don’t understand.”
“You’re magic use isn’t that good, but your skill in alchemy is phenomenal. My business is booming since you’ve come along.” Alfred smiled warmly, “You can stay and be my alchemy apprentice if you like. No more long hours.”
Takmari accepted to offer and with only having alchemy to focus on, her skill and knowledge improved quickly.
Over a year passed since Tak had left Southshore, she had learnt her way around the city and made friends with many of the customers. It was unusual that someone she did not know came in which was why when a tall, pale man with white hair, wrapped up against the cold that Tak had never seen before surprised her. He took off his coat and scarf, hanging it up on the stand.
Despite how cold it was, Tak became so hot she felt like she was going to melt. He was handsome and noble looking, more wonderful in appearance that Tak had ever seen before. She made small talk with him while she hurried around the shop collecting the vials and supplies he read off from a list.
“Now… your service has been wonderful, but I feel a tip of money is rather empty. You will join me for dinner tonight at the Royal Manor hotel so I can thank you properly.”
Tak nodded dumbfoundedly in reply and with that, the man left.
“Tak, you know who that was right?” Alfred said emerging from the back of the shop.
“Should I know?”
“That was Baron Rivendare himself! You’re a lucky girl!”
Tak sat down hurriedly, “I think I’m going to faint…”
Their love affair was extravagant but brief. It ended harshly for Takmari. Rivendare for the first time invited her back to Scholomance where they had a quite dinner together.
“This food tastes kind of… funny.” Tak said unsurely as she noticed the Barons’ plate was untouched.
“Be quite and eat.” He snapped back.
Tak looked down at her food and ate the rest of her meal in silence.
“Miss Briony.”
Tak looked up from her now empty plate. “Hmmm?”
“I think it’s time to end this.”
“Wha… what?” Taks heart sank and began to break.
The Baron snapped his fingers and Tak remained quiet. “You’re just too… common for me. Yes, too common and boring too. I’m bored of you.”
Tak stood up to protest, tears running down her face.
“No, don’t bother saying anything; just leave before I have you escorted out.”
Alfred sympathised with Tak, he sent her home for a few days with the family to cheer her up and get her mind off things. A week had gone with no sign of Tak and Alfred was worried sick, he packed up to leave for Southshore to find out what was going on, but as he left the door, the postman handed him a letter. It spoke of how Takmari had met an unfortunate end with some trolls while saving her brothers life.
***
Takmari screamed at the top of her lungs, the stitches on her mouth ripping apart, she screamed again.
Gobrot looked up just in time to avoid the paraphernalia of Taks’ life being thrown across the room. “Hey, you paid good money to get that stuff back. Those Deathstalkers risked a lot going to Southshore to steal that for you, play nicely with it!”
Tak ignored her imp, “Damn him!” she shouted as she slammed her first onto the table, she slammed them down once more before resting her forehead on the table. Her shoulders shuddered, if Tak could cry, she would be sobbing.
Gobrot moved closer to Tak, “What’s up?”
“He… did it…” Tak whispered into the table face.
Gobrot cocked his head in confusion, he had never seen Takmari act this way; it was so… human. “Who did what?”
“The Baron, he put it in my food…” Taks’ voice was quiet and chocked.
“Put what?”
Tak spun around and grabbed Gobrot in one hand, lifting him high into the air, “He put the goddamned plague into my food! He wasn’t happy just breaking my heart, he wanted he dead too!” She was shaking with anger now, dark energies flickered off her and blood trickled from her torn stitches.
“How do you know? You left Stratholme just before Arthas culled everyone because the Plague was there.”
“I taste the Plague every day! It lives in me, I know what it tastes like, and it tastes like the food he gave me!” She put Gobrot down and sat on the floor rocking back and forth. “I want him dead… I’ll kill him myself…” she muttered this over and over again to herself while Gobrot busied himself tidying up the mess Tak had made.
“We’ve been to Stratholme once Takky, you’ve defeated him once…”
“He’s still there… I can feel it.” Tak chewed on the ends of her fingers.
“Well if he’s back, you haven’t got much luck getting rid of him permanently.”
Tak stood up and open her arms wide “If I have to kill him a hundred… a thousand times I will!” She looked at Gobrot and pointed at him, “Someone in the Quill will know how… know how to make him stay dead. I will get them to help… People are always eager to study the Plague, this will be their chance!”
Tak cackled loudly into the night.
Subject: Tak was alive once! :O 
Wed 30 Jan 2008, 14:21
Poor Tak 
!
