The Truth Hurts

"So how much longer are you going to lie there?" Luliana asked.

"I am not laying anywhere. I am carrying myself on these bars." Ark said indignant.

"Exactly," Luliana had that tone, the one that said she was telling you something you didn't want to hear, "You are carrying yourself. You are supposed to be learning to walk again."

"I had some thoughts on that. I could make a device..." Ark started, but Luliana wasn't finished.

"And will it let you dance Ark?" Luliana had a way of telling you something that would crush your dreams, just when you finally had a glimmer of hope.

Ark held her form on the parallel bars they had set up in her room. Her mouth opened and closed several times. She wanted to say something, anything, but there was no response.

"How much longer will you drag your hooves, while Verloren is out there doing heroics?" It wasn't that Luliana was mad, just disappointed. Ark didn't take enough chances. Ark tried, but she had to be pushed to do what needed to be done.

"I am trying here. I have been dragging myself across these bars for days, Luliana." Ark's face was flush, it was true that she carried herself, but that was the problem. Ark didn't want to risk her legs failing. If Verloren was here she would be yelling at Luliana, but that didn't make the priest wrong. It only made Ark angry.

"You are using your arms. We know your arms are healed. We need you to use your legs before they atrophy Ark." Luliana had no anger in her voice, quite the opposite, her tone was one of a disappointed mother. "What is the guild to do, you are one of the most experienced tanks, and one of the best leaders, but you refuse to do what you need to do?"

Ark let go of the parallel bars crumpling to the floor with a thud. Luliana made no move to prevent it. "Okay I think we are done for today," was Ark's only response.

"I want you back Ark. I want you better. This isn't you. Verloren wants YOU back, not this shell." Luliana admired the recently reinforced door Ark had built with Prime. Ark was still capable of so much more than she would admit, but she was stubborn. Luliana put her hand on the door expecting Ark to stop her, Ark was silent. "Verloren wants to dance at your wedding Ark...she wants to dance with you." She turned the knob quietly closing the door behind her.

Ark had not been alone in the room for weeks. Luliana was right, no device, no machine would be the same for Verloren.

Verloren arrived home several hours later to find Luliana making arrangements for the wedding. "Aren't you supposed to be healing Ark?"

"Verloren Ark needs to heal herself right now." Luliana had that same tone she used with Ark earlier.

"What did you do?" Verloren asked.

"I said what needed to be said. I did what needed to be done. I think Ark is upset with me, but it doesn't change the truth." Luliana had the same compassion in her voice that said there was no argument to be won here.

"Luliana how could you?" Verloren wasn't sure what Luliana had said, and she was sure she might never know, but she had only just gotten Ark back. Sure enough when she got to the bedroom door they shared it was locked.

Verloren pounded on the now reinforced metal door. "Ark, Ark let me in." Verloren knew it was too late. Ark had shut down. Ark would hold up in her room until she was ready to face the world again. Verloren hated it when Ark got this way.

Verloren ran back downstairs and smacked Luliana across the face. "You had no right. I just got her back. I just got her back, YOU BITCH!"

Luliana grabbed the paladin, and held her close. "She isn't back yet Verloren. Shhh, I know. I know. Shhh." Luliana tried to comfort the paladin.

"Get away from me, just because Fred won't..." Verloren let the sentence hang half finished, there was no doubt what she meant, "forget it." She finished and ran back up the stairs. "Ark either you let me in, or you are going to have to make a new door."



Verloren prepared a powerful Holy Shock. The spell bounced off the door. Verloren prepared another. It bounced off. Again and again she shot at the door. There was no visible sign Verloren was having any effect whatsoever. The door had been built to withstand a dragon's force. Verloren exhausted herself before anyone else came up to see her.

"What if she is gone, has anyone thought about that?" Tears streamed down her face, this was worse than Ark being injured. This time Ark chose to shut her out. "Why Luliana? Why did you do this to us?" Verloren asked through the tears. "You know she has wormhole generator's and dimensional rippers, what if she left? What if I can't find her? What if that thing gets her again?" Verloren lost it. Luliana had robbed her of the love of her life, and now she had nothing. Just when Verloren was growing more confident and independant, her life was ripped out from under her.

"Get me a blacksmith, get me a rogue. I won't let her shut me out." Verloren stormed off into the Peak. She threw money at anyone who would attempt to open their door. Prime walked into the Peak, since this had become the guild's default gathering place. She walked into Verloren, and found the smaller woman dragging her to her apartment.

"Verloren what's wrong." Prime asked, Verloren couldn't even speak, she just sobbed and when she couldn't sob anymore gathered her breath. Verloren didn't stop until she reached the door Prime and Ark had just built.

"Open it Prime." Verloren demanded.

Prime looked around at everyone else. Everyone held their heads down. She got out her keys, and without bothering with her lower level keys she went straight to her obsidian skeleton key. Whatever was going on it was pointless to argue.

The key turned the tumblers and the door opened, but the room was empty.

Verloren ran in anyway. "ARK!!!! ARK!!!! I LOVE YOU!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!" Verloren sat down on the bed, and slammed her fists into the side.

"Verloren I'm sorry I didn't know she would..." Luliana tried to apologize, but the damage was done. Ark was out there who knew where. She couldn't walk, and now she was alone.

"GET OUT, EVERYONE JUST GET THE HELL OUT!!!" Verloren unceremoniously ushered everyone else out, and slammed the door. The sound reverbated through the halls of the Peak.

Verloren collapsed on the bed, she could chase after Ark, but to what end. Ark left for a reason. Ark did not leave a note, so she could be anywhere by now. Eventually Verloren simply cried herself to sleep.

A world away Ark knew the chance she took, she brought her Iron Boot flask, her Savory Deviate Delight, and Dartol's Rod of Transformation. Her bags were nearly empty, except for those items. As she crawled off of the platform the dimensional ripper screwed up her matrix. Ark looked at her hand and saw a tauren's. Ark smiled, well that was an extra hour she had. An extra hour she would not be found by anyone.

"Qiff it's Ark. I need your help. Fifty gold if you help me get to the Anchorite."