((This thread is dedicated to interaction between Avalyndrae and Doriandrin.  If you would, please speak to Ava before posting any actions on the part of your own character here.))
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( Third month, 20th Day )

Avalyndrae banged loudly on Doriandrin's door with the hilt of her mace.

Doriandrin answered the door groggily, in a blue flowered nightgown with a silken robe draped over it.  She was shocked to see Ava standing on the other side in full armor and immediately discerned why the knock on her door had sounded so hard.  "Ava!  What are you doing?"  She ran her hand over the wood, checking it for dents. "What is wrong?"

Ava had come to Dori's door a bit angry -  not furious - but now she softened to curiosity at the sight of her friend and neighbor.  She liked Doriandrin - she didn't know why.  There was just something about the woman that Avalyndrae found admirable.  "What is this I hear about you filing charges against the Blood Knights?"

Dori blinked at her, dropping her arms to her side.  "Where did you hear that?" she wondered.  "I asked for you on the hearthstone last night and you didn't answer.  And for that matter, where have you been for the last three days???" 

Avalyndrae answered mildly.  "In Eversong Woods with Granie, as if it is any of your business."

Doriandrin stepped inside and gestured for Ava to come in, suddenly concerned.  "Is everything alright?"  She closed the door behind them.

Avalyndrae leaned her mace neatly against the wall, careful that it wouldn't slide and scratch the floor. "You're avoiding my question."

Doriandrin put her hands on her hips, defensive once again. "Ava, you know as well as I do - probably even more than I do - that they're all insane!"

Ava smirked at her.  "Well, this is certainly a change of heart.  Why?"

"Well, for one... there are members of the Knights that traipse around town as if they are Silvermoon Guardians, but ... they're not.  And then they stand there in uniform, practically advertising their order to the people, and insult common, decent civilians.  I went to speak with a couple of the champions of the Blood Knights at their headquarters last night...."

"About what?" Avalyndrae interrupted, alarmed at Doriandrin's behavior.

"...About the behavior of another one of their so-called "champions" - if he even was one... heh!"  She snapped her head up in a sarcastic laugh.  "He was probably even lying about his rank!  ...Anyway, I could not believe the conversation I overheard about the rangers across the street.  They were practically threatening!" 

Avalyndrae extended a hand toward Doriandrin in a calming gesture.  "First of all, they were probably initiates or adepts and have a lot to learn; and second of all, you shouldn't talk to a champion - you should go to a knight-lord or Lady Liadrin herself."

"Oh, come on, Ava.  Do you really think it is going to do me any good to talk to any of them?  You know as well as I do that the order only lives to serve and protect itself.  I'm going straight to the magisters."

Ava sank into a chair and sighed at Doriandrin.  "What makes you think any of them will even listen to you?"

Doriandrin blinked at Avalyndrae again.  "What do you mean?  Why wouldn't they?"

"Oh, right," Ava smiled, sounding more sarcastic than she intended to, "Because you all go waaay back."

Doriandrin turned her back to Avalyndrae, her pale robe swinging against her.  "Listen," she said, with her back still turned.  "I know that people don't like me - don't get along with me.  I'm quite aware.  But this week has been one thing after another, and last night was one of the worst nights I've had in a while."  She turned back to face her neighbor.  "I really just needed a friend.  Do you know what that is, Ava?" 

Avalyndrae stood and approached Doriandrin.  "Dori...."

Dori turned her face away from Avalyndrae and measured her words.  "A friend is someone you can count on to support you.  Afriend is there for you when you need her.  A friend answers the hearthstone.  Friends protect each others' interests ... and friendsstick up for each other."

Avalyndrae halted when Dori turned her head and stood her ground.  "Listen, I'm sorry I was in Eversong last night.  I've had some issues of my own to deal with, but if you mean that I'm supposed to ... somehow support you in your retaliation against the Blood Knights ... you know why I can't do that.  And, Dori, you must be fully aware that ... my relationship with my superiors is rocky as it is.  How do you think it is going to reflect on me that a member of my guild is ...?"

Doriandrin held up her hand and interrupted.  "Fine.  Fine."  Doriandrin paced heatedly to a nearby cabinet and poured herself a drink of water from a crystal-blue pitcher, taking a few quick swallows of it before turning back to Avalyndrae.  "But you need to rein in some 'so-called' friends of yours.  And you need to figure out a few things about this 'loyalty' you're so fond of preaching about."

Avalyndrae blinked widely at Doriandrin.  "Why do I get the feeling we aren't talking about the Blood Knights anymore?"  She looked around the room, suddenly concerned that Doriandrin's "roommate" might be nearby.

Dori sat her glass back down on the table and squinted at Ava, half-sympathetic and half-annoyed.  "Let me get dressed.  Then we can talk about it.  Maybe over breakfast?"

"Next door," Avalyndrae clarified.

Dori shrugged.  "As long as none of your other friends are there, then that's just fine."

(Third month, 23rd Day)

As if I don't have enough to worry about right now, Avalyndrae thought to herself as she turned her blood charger, Thunder, through the streets of Silvermoon City.  She had spoken to members of two different Blood Knight regiments this evening and noted a remarkable difference in their behavior.  Members of one regiment were sincere and helpful; and one pair from another regiment - particularly one Doriandrin had interacted with - were rude, even to a member of their own order.  She sighed in thought as she rode, for once thankful that the hearthstone was quiet.

Hearthstone.  That was another thing.  Members breaking their hearthstones?  One of them an officer, no less. Avalyndrae shook her head to herself.  She would deal with that at another time when she was in a better condition.

A sickening weight dropped in Avalyndrae's gut at the thought of it.  Why was I flying over the Plaguelands? It had been the most recent recollection from her forgotten past - watching the human lands south of Quel'Thalas turn to scenes of death before her very eyes.  It was not a pleasant memory, but an important one.

She closed her eyes tightly and then reopened them, focusing on the people around her as she passed through the streets.  Everyone she saw seemed happy or concerned with things - not unpleasant like the fellow Blood Knight had been earlier.  She concentrated on them, trying to get her thoughts back on track.

Avalyndrae had done as Doriandrin asked, in matter of speaking.  Apparently Doriandrin had been in a rather unpleasant disagreement with one of Ava's friends - and now Doriandrin had all but asked Avalyndrae to choose between the two of them.  It was a compromise Avalyndrae was not willing to make.

Ava hadn't seen or spoken to Dori since their discussion.  As far as she knew, Dori hadn't even come out of her house until this evening, when she had heard the woman discussing her trip to Orgrimmar on the hearthstone. Personally, Ava had been in Eversong for the last couple of days, but was glad Dori had gone to Orgrimmar. The woman needed to get out of Silvermoon, in Ava's opinion.

Then it occurred to her.  She's still just trying to avoid her duties in Ghostlands again.  Fortunately for Doriandrin, the magistrix and mage trainers were slightly more accommodating than the Blood Knight commanders.

Avalyndrae shook her head to herself again, righting her thoughts.  She had gone to her friend and spoken to him about Doriandrin - they'd been friends much much longer than she'd known Dori, but Avalyndrae was not willing to choose between one or the other.  She felt she could somehow fix the mess herself, and had convinced him to at least be civil to Doriandrin if they crossed paths again.  Ava was fully aware he was only agreeing as a favor to an old friend, and that he wasn't any more excited about it than Doriandrin would be once Ava convinced her to do the same. 

Now was just the question of convincing Dori.  Something told Avalyndrae that it would take drastic measures.  Doriandrin had been beyond sassy and judgemental lately - she had been downright grumpy and hateful;  but from listening to her voice from Orgrimmar that evening, Ava felt it was only toward certain people that, for one reason or another, Dori wasn't happy with.

She'll just have to get over that, Ava thought to herself.  But how? 

(Third month, 30th day)

Avalyndrae had not spoken much to Dori as she wracked her brain for an idea on how to solve her problem.  I'm going to hire a rogue, she had decided.

But then, a stroke of good luck.  Avalyndrae had returned to Silvermoon one night and, for once, both she and Doriandrin were both in their respective homes.  As usual, Doriandrin wasn't listening to her hearthstone, and after Ava had chucked a couple of glasses at the wall between their houses in frustration, Dori had begun to pound on that wall from the other side.

A few broken glasses later, Avalyndrae dismissed herself from the conversation with the rest of the guild for bed, and carried her hearthstone to her nightstand, where it usually stayed while she was sleeping.

But Avalyndrae did not go to bed.  She quietly returned to her kitchen and rounded up all the glasses she could find, carrying them carefully to the dining area.  This is going to be fun, she allowed herself to admit.



Doriandrin was worn out and frustrated.  She had only come into Silvermoon far enough to turn left and go home.  The Blood Knights were taking over the city - and now one particular Blood Knight - there was always one - was making her life unbearable.  She returned to her chaise to sprawl and read when she was sure Avalyndrae had gone to bed, and had just begun to doze off.

Crash!

Dori woke with a start and angrily chucked her book at the wall.  It barely thudded in comparison.  She contemplated getting up, but instead covered her head with her arm and listened.  She remained tense as the minute passed, fully expecting to hear another disruption from next door.

Crash!

Doriandrin winced, trying to ignore the sound against her wall.  "What in Light's name is she doing over there?" she muttered to herself, flipping over to stare at the ceiling angrily.  The echo of the sound rang in her mind - there was the initial jarring of the bottle, glass, or plate hitting the wall, then a second shatter as the remaining pieces broke against the floor, and then the loud ringing and jangling as the pieces scattered against each other.

Crash!

She wanted to ignore the noises, very much - she didn't want to let Ava know how much she was bothering her - no, driving her insane - at the present moment; but she just couldn't do it.  Doriandrin practically launched herself against the wall and began pounding on it angrily.  "Keep it down over there!  For Light's sake, what are you thinking!? People live here, don't you know!?"  And in the very instant that Dori stopped speaking...

Crash!

That's it.  Now you've done it.  I've lost it.  I've lost my mind.  Doriandrin whisked to her front door, flung it open with a bang that could have shaken all four walls of the city, left it open and barged to Ava's door.   The door was locked, so she began to slap and kick the wood.  "Avalyndrae!  You open this door right now!  I'll stand out here and yell and scream all night if you do not open up!"

The door opened.  Avalyndrae was in her armor.  "Dori!  How nice to see you...."

Dori frowned at her, stepping into the house to inspect.  "Uh, Ava....  Just what do you think you are doing??"

Avalyndrae shrugged.  "I don't like these glasses anymore.  So, uh, I'm relieving my frustrations."

Doriandrin spun.  "Well, you are causing me frustration.  First of all, these glasses are the same as any others in the world, and second of all, find another wall to relieve your tensions on!  Not MINE!"  As she spoke, her words turned from heated to downright angry.

Avalyndrae looked around and shrugged.  "This is the best wall, though, Dori."  Ava handed her friend a glass as she picked up another one and threw it at the wall.

Crash! 

"Ava!"

"Come on, Dori.  Try it.  It will help."  Avalyndrae smiled innocently and gestured to the glass in Doriandrin's hand.

Doriandrin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the smooth glass in her fingers.  "No, Avalyndrae."  She opened her eyes.  "I am not encouraging this behavior.  I'm not."  She shook her head and carefully put the glass down on the nearest table, surveying the room and spotting several more glasses that Ava had not yet shattered.  "If you don't want these, just let me take them home with me," she offered, shrugging.

Avalyndrae appeared to consider this suggestion for a moment and then she looked at Doriandrin skeptically.  "Uh, no, I don't think so, Dori.  You have plenty of glasses already and I still have plenty of frustration to get out...."

Crash! 

Doriandrin practically leapt between Ava and the wall as the paladin picked up another glass.  She shook her finger. "Don't do it, Ava."

The glass flung to the left of Doriandrin.

Crash!

"What are you?  Insane!?  Are you trying to hurt me!?  Are you out of your cobalt-pickin' mind!?"  If there had been anything other than glass to hurl back at Ava at that very moment - anything besides a candlestick or a chair or something that would really injure a person - Dori would have thrown it.

"Doriandrin, if you aren't going to let me live in my house, in peace, then you can just leave." 

"What about my peace, Avalyndrae?  What about my house??  Hm?  What about that?"

Crash!

Doriandrin put her hands to her ears and let out what could be interpreted as half-growl, half-scream.  "Ugh!  I wish I'd never shown you this house!!"  She stomped.  "How could I have been so stupid as to want you for a neighbor?!!!" 

A quiet suddenly rushed through the space in the room as Dori caught her breath and Ava carefully put her next glass back down and blinked at her friend.  "You don't mean that, Dori," she whispered.

"Why shouldn't I mean that?" Dori scoffed.

"Because we're friends?"  Avalyndrae looked at Dori with sad, questioning eyes.

"Not at the rate you're going," Doriandrin threatened.

"You want me to stop this?" Avalyndrae shrugged, gesturing to all the glass in the room - broken and unbroken. 

"Yes!  Yes, I want you to stop!  Why do you think I'm here?  Why do you think I was pounding on the wall earlier?"

Avalyndrae stepped toward Doriandrin gently.  "Alright.  I'll stop."

"What???"  Doriandrin practically laughed.  "What do you mean, you'll stop?  Just like that?"  Dori snapped her fingers at Ava.

Avalyndrae stood before Doriandrin and turned her chin down toward the slightly shorter female.  "Dori, you know your friendship is important to me, but it seems that in our friendship there are ultimatums.  So I'm giving you one now." Avalyndrae turned slowly and picked up the nearest glass, turning it in her fingers and gazing at it as she spoke.  "I, uh... I spoke to my - how did you put it?  'So-called' friend.  Just like you asked me to.  And now I'm speaking with you.  He agreed to be civil, and so will you."

"Or what?" Doriandrin demanded.  "He insulted me, Ava."

Avalyndrae shrugged and turned her eyes sideways to look at the glass covered room innocently.  "Or you might not get much sleep from now on.  Nothing like second chances, hm?"

Dori slumped her shoulders in defeat.  "Or first impressions."  She blinked at Ava, who looked very much like she really wanted to chuck the glass in her hand at the wall.  "Alright... alright - so you're telling me that you'll stop all this insanity if I just agree to be civil?"

"Oh, Dori," Ava smiled.  "Not just civil with him.  But with the Blood Knights too.  For me?  Please?"

"You really have lost your mind, haven't you?" Dori asked sincerely, but quickly grabbed Ava's arm as it pulled back threateningly, glass in hand.  "Okay!  Fine.  Okay.  Just... no more.  I'm getting a headache."  She took a deep breath as Ava sat the glass back down.

"Very well, then."  Avalyndrae pulled a chair out for Dori and another for herself and they sat down together as Dori put her hands to her head, covering her eyes and forehead.  "Dori - my dear friend?"

Doriandrin peered between her fingers at Ava.  "What now?"

"Can I request something more of you? As a friend?  Not as an ultimatum?"

"That depends," Dori frowned, letting her hands drop to her lap.

"Just... no more ultimatums, okay?  We're pals, not enemies.  ...Right?"

Doriandrin stood and pushed her chair back under the table.  "You'll do a lot for your friends, won't you?" Dori smirked. "Offer them a room to stay in... blackmail...."  

She walked for the door slowly as Ava joined her, throwing her arm around Dori's shoulders.  "You know, Dori, I've learned from the best of them."

Ava gave Dori a light squeeze before the mage stepped back out into the large corridor.  Dori turned.  "I'm so proud of you," she smirked sarcastically.  "See you later."  She glanced back in at the room.  "And do me a favor.  Hold off on cleaning that up till morning, okay?"

Ava grinned and nodded.  Closing the door, she paused.  "Oh, Dori?"

Dori was halfway back to her house.  "Yes?"

"Turn your damn hearthstone on once in a while."  Ava clanked the door shut.

Doriandrin sighed as she went back into her house and straightened the artwork on her walls.  Be civil.

(Fifth month, fifteenth day)

By the time Ava knocked on Doriandrin's door, she couldn't even really remember what she was so upset about.

"Ava!"  Dori seemed surprised to see her.  She stepped aside so Avalyndrae could come in.  "Marli's been asleep for a while now."

"I'm not here to see Marli," Ava told her, stepping into the room.  "I just ... I just feel like I need a friend right now. There was just an argument downstairs - I can't seem to bring people together like I once did; and I keep remembering things about myself that make me question the future.  I thought if anyone could be a friend to me right now...."

"Yes," Dori nodded, interrupting her, pulling her into the the center of the room and practically forcing her to sit down on a cushion in the floor.  "What happened?  Would you like some bourbon?"

"No no no," Ava shook her head.  "Nothing alcoholic."

Doriandrin poured her a glass of water and brought it to her, taking a seat at her side.  "Tell me all about it.  What can I do?"

Ava took a drink of the water and stared at her glass.  "I have all these memories that don't make sense," she explained.  "I'm trying to figure them out and get them lined up in my head, and when I try to talk about it people just...."

"It doesn't help," Dori smiled understandingly.  "Don't you think you should try talking to Endri?  She knows a lot, I'm sure."

Ava sat her drink down next to her and crossed her arms.  "I don't ever want to speak to Endri again."

"Why not?"

Avalyndrae sighed.  "Because she hasn't been open with me, and because I feel like she's part of some great conspiracy to keep the truth about myself from me?"

Dori touched Ava's arm lightly and spoke softly.  "Is that really it?" she asked sincerely.  "Or is it because you know for sure now that Endri has your answers, and you don't want to face them?"

"That's preposterous," Ava frowned, jerking her arm away from Doriandrin.  "Besides, even if she knows everything about me, she won't tell me.  Not even if I ask her to."

"You don't know that," Dori insisted.  "Maybe she wouldn't tell you before because you couldn't remember.  Maybe now that you remember things, she'll help you make sense of them?"  She laid her hand on Ava's back comfortingly.

Ava blinked over at her friendly adversary and met her gaze.  "You don't think I need to figure this out on my own?"

Doriandrin smiled gently.  "I think if you could have figured it out on your own, you already would have, instead of standing down in the street making a scene with your friends.  C'mon!"  She put her arm around Ava's back and hugged her.  "You're the fearless leader, aren't you?  Just march yourself up to Endri and ask her the questions that no one else knows the answers to."

Ava leaned into Dori's hug and smiled, sitting quietly for a moment.   She took another drink of her water.  "Why'd you adopt Marlithine?" she finally asked, frowning.

Doriandrin took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "Honestly?"  She thought of the right answer for a moment before figuring out how to give it.  "Because I care about you."

Avalyndrae wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, but she nodded.  If that was the best answer Dori could give, she'd have to accept it.

The two females smiled at each other.  Doriandrin got up and found a blanket and gave it to Ava.  "Stay here tonight."

"I live right next door, Dori," Ava stated.

"Yes ... but Marli and I aren't next door," Dori smiled.