<1>

Eversong woods looked no different from the day he left home, yet still everything felt as foreign as Stormwind did.  It unnerved the young male to tread where he was no longer welcome, but this was something he felt he had to face.  He just couldn't let go.  

The small house before him was no different either.  Even the smell of home was the same, but each glimpse he caught of his own, purple-skinned arm pulled him sharply back to reality.  By his pledge he was in enemy territory.

The long-haired void elf inhaled and exhaled deeply for several long minutes in an effort to compose himself.  His years of training as a monk seemed useless compared to the looming conflict before him.  After a last, shaky breath, he reached out and gave the door a single knock.

Almost as if he'd been expected the door swung open wide to reveal the form of a shortish, blood elven female.  Radiant green eyes looked him up and down intricately in that first moment of silence, and in return his pale gaze sized up his mother for the first time in years.  Her lightly-curled crimson hair had grown much longer, and a single cluster of gray trailed down the right side of her face.  Her thin face was a stark contrast to her matronly form, and while she had always been rather thin, it was clear that recent years of stress had softened the body that had once belonged to a seasoned rogue, despite being mostly covered by an almost-too-small silken crimson robe.  All of this was forcibly processed in the blink of a tense eye.  Just as the male opened his mouth to speak, the female shot forward and threw her arms tightly around him in a desperate embrace.  "Athilis... I can't believe it," she mumbled into his chest.

The younger male stood shocked for a brief moment before giving in to the moment and returning his mother's hug.  "I... didn't think you would recognize me," he admitted with a strained chuckle.

The elven woman shot her gaze up to look at him, her brow furrowing.  "You could lose your head and I'd still recognize you, honey.  Though you are a bit... paler than I remember."  This brought chuckles forth from the both of them, and as quick as ever the woman looked all around them.  "Inside, quickly.  No need to risk you being out here."

He certainly did not argue as he was ushered back into his childhood home. His mother quickly shut the door and barred it tight before quickly bustling through the house to draw each and every curtain.  "Have you been eating?" she called to him as she secured her home.  "You look thinner than I remember."

The void elf was left standing awkwardly in her modest kitchen.  "Yes, Vivine," he returned dryly and rolled his eyes.

The blood elf poked her head around a corner to look at him and wrinkled her nose.  "That's the line, mister.  I'm still your mother, and I'd rather you still called me as such."

"Right, right," the monk remarked with a chuckle, slowly taking a seat at the all-too-familiar table.  Everything about the house seemed just as it had before he'd left.

A few moments later, Vivine returned with a sharp sigh and a smile.  "There.  As long as you're here, no one will know," she assured him.  The matronly elf quickly plopped her plump rump down in a chair directly next to him with a happy sigh.  "So, I suppose, if you'd please, how are your studies of the void going?"

Despite his mother's sweet smile, the void elf couldn't help but flinch painfully at her words.  His gaze sadly drifted to the table as he spoke.  "Well... all things considering, our work was a success.  I... I have a very good handle on my void abilities, though they still show themselves at times when I don't intend them to.  As for whether it was worth it or not..."

"Hush, you," she returned sharply and rested a tender hand atop his own on the table.  "You are still alive, yes?  I would call that a win any day."  

He looked back up to his mother to find her smiling all the more.  "Mom... honestly, how are you not-"

"Enraged?" she stated bluntly.  "Oh honey, I am, trust me," she said as casually as could be.  "But I'm far more thankful to have you home than anything else I can think of right now, you know?  We live in an age of war and conflict, and no matter what you've done to yourself, I'll always be happy if I know you are alive.  No parent should ever outlive their child, and I intend to live for a long time yet."  Her last words were accompanied by a soft giggle, her fingers lacing with his to squeeze lovingly.  "And it's been too long since I've seen you to be mad at you right now.  We'll save the angry talk for tomorrow, but today I want to try and at least get back a little time with my son that's been lost.  Now, tell me everything you've been up to.  I want to hear it all."

Athilis' mouth hung open for a long moment, his brain taking its time to process his mother's casual demeanor.  As the shock wore off, the void elf surprised himself by easily spilling almost every last detail of his travels to her.  The ice had been broken, and he almost felt as if he'd never left home as they chatted.  Occasionally his mother would rise and busy herself with refreshing their drinks or fixing him a meal, but she would never let their conversation stop.  Despite his morning arrival, mother and son talked well into the night, and it wasn't until the bells of distant Silvermoon rang eleven times that the male elf first snapped back to reality.  "It is so late already?"  His eyes darted around the house in a sudden panic.  "I should leave before I am caught here-"

<2>

"I'll be turned to the scourge before they catch you here," his mother shot back quickly.  She looked to him with a weakened, yet concerned, gaze.  "You had to travel a long way to get here.  At least stay the night, please honey?  I promise, no one lives within a mile of our little home out here, and if, by some miracle, they do find you, I will defend you to the death."

The monk flinched a bit at this.  "Okay, okay, you don't need to be so morbid about it thought."

The elven matron giggled at this and lightened up a bit.  "Just trust me, okay?  Go and get some rest.  I left your room just how you had it before.  We can talk some more tomorrow."  The void elf nodded and smiled at his mother, and as the two rose from the table, Vivine walked over and wrapped her son in a long, loving embrace.  "I'll sleep better tonight just knowing you're safe under my roof."

Athilis returned his mother's hug tightly, his head tilting down to gently press his face into his mother's soft hair.  It smelled just as it had when he was a child.  "Of course, mom.  I'm on leave anyway, and if there's anything I can do to help out around here tomorrow, just say the word."

"Oh I will," she assured him as she backed away, grinning like a cheshire cat.  "You better bet your bottom you'll be earning your keep again."

It was the void elf's turn to chuckle.  "I expected no less."

Both mother and son slept in their respective beds that night, and while Athilis found the comfort of his old bed to be quite heavenly, Vivine found herself tossing and turning as she attempted to find sleep.  The summer heat was particularly intense this night, and in her run-around to cover all the windows, she'd covered and closed her own as well.  With an aggravated huff she pulled herself out of bed and flung her window open to let in a cool, night breeze.  The blood elf held herself in the window for many long moments to cool herself down, and without much thought she shrugged her slender shoulders and let her evening gown fall harmlessly to the floor.  In truth, ever since her son had left home she had taken the opportunity to sleep in naught but her own skin, and in her drowsy haze the thought of him being back in the house was far from her mind.  Vivine's head slowly began to slump, and she just barely caught herself before falling asleep on her feet, backpedaled just a few steps, and flopped her curvaceous body happily into her lavishly-decorated bed.  The comfort of sleep was rather quick to follow.

Just before the first morning light broke over the horizon, Athilis found himself suddenly wide awake.  The strict regimen of a monk's training required it, and just as quickly he hopped out of bed and began a morning round of push-ups and sit-ups.  He had changed much since he had been home last, sporting a well-toned abdomen and chest to accompany his powerful limbs.  It was common practice for monks like him to sleep and train shirtless, and as such he thought nothing of leaving his room in only a set of shorts to retrieve a light breakfast.  Being back in his childhood home felt like a dream to him, and with his focus on the array of pictures and trinkets that lined the walls, he'd completely overlooked the wide open door to his mother's bedroom while she slept.

The kitchen wasn't as heavily stocked as he remembered, but all he needed was the small pack of tallstrider eggs and grummle kafa berries, and he was set.  The resourceful void elf quickly went about preparing his meager breakfast.

A long yawn followed by a soft squeak accompanied the female blood elf's awakening.  Vivine happily stretched her arms above her head as she steadily worked her naked body up and out of bed.  A groggy haze continued to cloud her mind, and in her half-conscious state she walked right out her bedroom and padded downstairs one slow step at a time.

The haze of sleep was strong, and in its throes Vivine casually headed from the bottom of the stairs and straight into the kitchen.  It wasn't until the sound of sizzling eggs met her ears, coupled with the smell of roasted kafa berries, that she was brought sharply back to reality.  In an instant she shot wide awake, realizing that she stood completely nude in her kitchen as her son, who had turned from his cooking to say good morning, had frozen in place with his mouth hanging open in surprise.

Vivine could only let out a breathy gasp as her hands shot up to cover her open mouth.  Her cheeks flushed as deep a crimson as her own hair, and without wasting time to cover herself she immediately bolted back up the stairs and out of sight.

Athilis was left utterly awestruck and wordless.  Growing up, his mother had always been one of the most modest people he knew, though without a father to speak of he assumed she had just always been that way.  The void elf gave himself a pinch just to make sure he was awake, and indeed he was.  That fleeting image of his naked mother standing there so innocently had burned itself powerfully into his mind.  Never before had he truly seen her as anyone other than his mother, but he was now keenly aware that she was also, in fact, a strikingly beautiful woman.  Time was not hidden over her aging body, but to him there was nothing unappealing about it.  In that brief moment he had gotten quite a vivid view of everything from his mother's weight-weary chest to her forest of crimson curls covering her nethers, as well as the gentle curve of a belly she'd gained.  In her sudden flight, he'd also obtained quite the view of her prominent posterior, all of which he found, to his own surprise, enthralling.  All of these thoughts overwhelmed his mind in the moments that followed the encounter... just long enough for the smell of burning eggs to snap him out of it.